First Round
Thinking Outside
The Gas Pump
T
wo business stories
got some play in
Detroit in the past
two weeks — gas guzzlers
and IKEA.
While people are still
deciding what to do with
old Tiger Stadium, I have a
suggestion: Celebrity Cage
Death matches.
The venue is perfect for
special events, and I'd sug-
gest the first match: Rick Wagoner vs.
Thomas Friedman.
Wagoner, General Motors chairman
and chief executive, may have called
Hulk Hogan for lessons after reading
the first two sentences of Friedman's
May 31 New York Times column.
"Is there a company more danger-
ous to America's future than General
Motors?" Friedman wrote. "Surely, the
sooner this company gets taken over
by Toyota, the better off our country
will be." '
Friedman referred to the GM idea
offering a program that, if you live in
California or Florida and buy certain
huge GM vehicles like the Hummer
or Yukon by July 5, the company will
"guarantee" that you will only pay $1.99
per a gallon of gas for one year, based
on estimated fuel usage. The company
also will give a $500 discount on these
vehicles to active-duty military and
reserve soldiers.
"That's real touching;' Friedman
wrote. "First GM offers a gasoline sub-
sidy so more Americans can get hooked
on 9-mile-per-gallon Hummers, and
then it offers a discount to the soldiers
who have to protect the oil lines to keep
GM's gas guzzlers guzzling. Here's a
rule of thumb: The more Hummers we
have on the road in America, the more
military Humvees we will need in the
Middle East"
Friedman suggested spending more
time and money on fuel-efficiency.
Seems like Wagoner would want to
flatten the nose of The World is Flat
author.
The column brought out the local
television news reporters, who asked
Detroiters at the pump about the col-
umn, which was kind of like Jay Leno's
"Jaywalking" segment in reverse, find-
ing someone . who read the column, or
even knew who Friedman was.
Free Press business columnist Tom
Walsh took issue with
Friedman, stating that
Toyota's Sequoia SUV gets
fewer miles to the gallon
than any of GM's vehicles,
and GM is "the only
automaker ever to mass-
produce a zero-emission
electric car."
But Toyota isn't subsidiz-
ing gas for Sequoia-buyers
because they're hurting for
sales, and I've never seen a GM electric
car in an auto showroom.
What's needed is a statement from
GM saying they are looking into con-
verting all their vehicles' engines to run
on the E85 ethanol gasoline mixture
(85 percent ethanol) as a way of reduc-
ing oil dependence, then making a
deal with the oil companies to add E85
pumps in their gas stations.
I Needa Ikea
Since 8 p.m. June 4, hardy — and
somewhat dimwitted souls — have
been waiting in line to enter the land
of IKEA, the Swedish furniture store
opening in Canton on June 7.
Now that the Pistons are finished
for the season, the Piston's "Fan Cam"
story — the hearty and somewhat
dimwitted souls who chant "DEEEtroit
BASSSketball!!" at the camera — have
been replaced by interviews with peo-
ple camped out in tents and sleeping
on the sidewalk in Canton.
I like chairs as much as the next guy,
but what would make anyone wait in
line for three days to get one?
I haven't seen such a big deal made
out of a store opening since the Hard
Rock Cafe in downtown Detroit, and we
all know what came of that — it's too
crowded with rock stars.
Mick Jagger won't sit still, and Roger
Daltry has such bad table manners that
Eminem asks for a table on the other
side of the room.
How can you enjoy a burger looking
at Madonna's bustier stapled to the wall
with all that commotion in the room?
Whatever happens, keep those
people away from IKE.Ns food court.
They'll ruin our chair-buying experi-
ence. ❑
Harry Kirsbaum's e-mail address is
hkirsbaum@thejewishnews.com .
Eye sped
connects brain,
ion disorders
I
Meet one of the faces of success
Tammy Movsas, M.D., is a board-
certified neuro-ophthalmologist at
Henry Ford Medical Center–West
Bloomfield, and a member of the
Henry Ford Medical Group.
Dr. Movsas chose her specialty of
neuro-ophthalmology because she
enjoys the detective work that this
field requires. She gathers impor-
tant clues by discussing such symp-
toms as double vision or vision loss
in great detail with her patients.
Combining the information with
lab tests, MRI/CT scan results and
the eye exam enables her to make
an accurate diagnosis.
A neuro-ophthalmologist is prima-
rily an optic nerve specialist who
treats patients with brain disorders
that affect vision. Since the optic
nerve is the "window to the brain",
Dr. Movsas notes that she gets a
glimpse of her patients' brains
every day. Although most of her
patients are adults, about 15 per-
cent are children.
"Doctors in other specialties refer
patients to me for further diagno-
sis," she says.
"Neuro-ophthalmology is a referral
specialty, and I am almost strictly a
diagnostician, seeing systemic ill-
nesses that affect the whole body,
such as neurological disorders,
tumors, strokes and multiple scle-
rosis. I work closely with other -
ophthalmologists, neurologists,
neurosurgeons, as well as internal
medicine and family practice
physicians."
The latest development in visualiz-.
ing the optic nerve is called optical
coherence tomography (OM,
which allows the physician to view a
type of mapping of the optic nerve.
"The OCT machine operates like an
ultrasound unit, but uses light
instead of sound," explains Dr.
Movsas.
"This new technology allows me to
see whether the nerve is swollen or
diseased, and can monitor such
conditions as glaucoma, macular
degeneration and optic nerve dis-
orders for changes."
For more information or to make 00
appointment call 1-800-1-1EATRIT1)RD or
visit our Web site www.henryfin .d.coni
Sometimes, an
eye exam gives
her a com-
pelling reason
to take imme-
diate action.
"At times, sub-
tle signs seen
during an eye
exam, such as a Tel m m \'
mild lid droop Movsas. M.D.
or a difference
in pupil size, alerts me to send the
patient immediately for diagnostic
'tests in our Emergency
Department," she says.
"Such signs can point to the early
stages of a stroke, or an aneurysm
about to erupt. I'm pleased that
I've been able to make such critical
diagnoses for several patients in
the past year."
In her spare time, Dr. Movsas
enjoys inventing. One of her prod-
uct creations, which is patent
pending, is a bottle that makes it
easier for patients to apply eye
drops.
"Although I enjoy the creativity of
inventing as a hobby, I don't have a
lot of time to spend on new prod-
uct development," she says.
"Medicine and family life take up
most of my time.
"I do get a lot of calls from young
women seeking my advice on com-
bining work, parenthood and being
an observant Jew," says Dr.
Movsas. "I try to be encouraging,
but I tell them that it takes a lot of
planning and sometimes yoli don't
get a lot of sleep."
.
She is married to Benjamin
Moirsas, M.D., chairman of the
Radiation Oncology Department
for Henry Ford Health System.
They live in Southfield with their
four daughters. The family is active
in two synagogues: Young Israel of
Oak Park and Shomrei Emunah in
Southfield.
HEALTH SYSTEM
June 8 • 2006
9