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Oakland County's Automation Alley has to be able to change. "A piston is a piston',' Kahan says. "It can be adapted to other industries. Companies have to be flexible, take risks and be entrepre- neurial." The Energy Front Although looking to develop alternative energy sources is a possible resource, ethanol is definitely not what either economist would choose. "It's the perfect example of the wrong thing," Kahan says. "Someone will come up with something else. It's just a mat- ter of time until we get a substitute for Mideast oil. Profit does it." "1 can't believe France got it right:' Littmann says, with its development of nuclear energy. "It's the cheapest, clean- est, safest energy around:' With housing prices dropping across the country, Metro Detroit still offers a bargain, according to Kahan. But Littmann points out, "If you don't have a job, the rest doesn't matter." "The price is irrelevant',' Kahan agrees. "It's the ability to make the monthly payments. It'll turn around when job opportunities increase." Immigrant Experience Kahan says we shouldn't forget "that Michigan and Detroit are still a focus for immigration and that we are a gate- way to Canada. "Immigrants are usually innova- tive and natural entrepreneurs',' says Kahan, who was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and lived in Israel before his parents, Holocaust survivors, moved the family to New York City. "They've already taken a monumental risk:" The 2005 Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit population survey documenting a sharp decline in the local Jewish population is no surprise to Littmann. Whether new immigrants or fifth generation, "the Jews are a bellwether of how our state or nation is doing," he says. "Throughout the ages, Jewish mer- chants and advisers had to develop a keen sense of markets, trade and move- ment in order to survive. They faced more uncertainty and risk than their counterparts." As a result, Littmann says, they're highly mobile. Once jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities have been reestablished here, Kahan says, the quality of Jewish life becomes an added draw. That means a choice or variety of syna- gogues, schools, Jewish shows, art fes- tivals and films as well as kosher and other restaurants. Right now, he asks, "The challenge is do we have enough Jewish institutions that will meet the needs of the people who remain?" Personal Statistics from page 37 Wall Street Journal as one of the most accurate national economic forecasters. Writings: Authored research articles on causes of inflation, published in Business Economics professional journal; featured col- umnist for the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily and Detroit News. His con- tributions to economic policy and the profession will be archived in the Bentley Historical Library collection at the University of Michigan. Resides: Holly Family: Married 40 years to Esther, Zekelman Holocaust Memorial Center docent in Farmington Hills and retired pro- fessor of English and German (19 years) at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield. They have three children: Ruth, a for- mer Detroit Jewish News writer, lives in Cupertino, Calif.; Daniel, a partner with Deloitte Consulting, Chicago; and Alan, a lawyer with Bartlit Beck in Chicago. All are married; the Littmanns have five grandchildren. Outside interests: "Graphology tops the list," Littmann says. He passed the American Association of Handwriting Analysts Associate's Exam and writes a regular handwriting column for the Holly Community Voice. He is a former member of the Bloomfield Hills Board of Education. A move from Bloomfield Hills to Holly allows Littmann to further develop his long-time interest in gardening.