0 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, September 18, 2008- 7A FRIEDMAN From Page 1A man asked Friedman how he would deal with the state's problems if he were the "leader of Michigan." Friedman responded by criticiz- ing Michigan's elected officials for not supporting stricter fuel effi- ciency standards for American cars - something he said he'd do if he were in Gov. Jennifer Granholm's shoes. "Because if you create that mar- ket for clean, efficient power and challenge your industry, that's UNEMPLOYMENT From Page 1A cleaner cars, a package he'd previ- ously looked at with a skeptical eye. Obama, the Democratic nomi- nee,alsosupportstheloan planand has said he would back $50 million in loans, if needed. On Monday, Democratic vice presidential nom- inee Joe Biden toured the Mazda Motor Corp.-Ford Motor Co. joint auto assembly plant in Flat Rock, telling workers and managers that the auto industry is crucial to America's economic future. "The management, the rank- and-file workers - this is what built the middle class in America. We let these jobs go, well, shame on us. Shame on us," he said. During McCain's visit, Demo- crats were reminding Michigan voters of the ways they say McCa- in would be bad for the economy. They brought Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders and drivers of American-made hybrid cars to America," he said. "We love a chal- lenge." EMU senior Michelle Barcey said she was encouraged by Fried- man's challenge. "I was surprised by some of the stuff and I thought it was very interesting," said Barcey, who hadn't heard of Friedman prior to the lecture. "I thought that the call to serve for the United States was a good deal." Don Carpenter, a professor of Civil Engineering at Lawrence Technological University and Uni- versity of Michigan alum, said he liked Friedman's talk but didn't Grand Rapids to criticize the Ari- zona senator for opposing many "Buy American" proposals. Sen.DebbieStabenow(D-Mich.), an Obama supporter, told reporters in a conference call yesterday that it was "an insult" for McCain to talk about helping workers when he supports trade policies thathave cost the state jobs. Stabenow also criticized what she called his sudden get-tough policy on Wall Street firmhs, not- ing that McCain has called him- self a "deregulator" in the past who "wants government out of the way" and has opposed more regu- lation for the financial sector. "There is absolutely no reason that we can't continue to be the manufacturer of these products ... if we have a president who gets it," Stabenow said. Republican U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, of Macomb County's Har- rison Township, said in a confer- ence call that McCain's comments were a signal to President Bush and Republicans on Capitol Hill that supporting the $25 billion think it would hold most people's attention. "The average person doesn't care about the melting icecaps and the polar bears," he said. "I think most average people are just going about their day-to-day lives, if they don't see it, if it doesn't touch them, they're not interested." He added, "I'm not sure they've been hit hard enough yet. Depends upon how many hurricanes we have and how much money we have to spend fixing Houston and New Orleans and Miami. I think that almost wakes up people more than anything else." loan program for the domestic automakers is a good idea. "It really is pivotal in making a reality these $25 billion in auto loans that we must do," Miller said. Donald R. Grimes, a senior research associate at the Univer- sity's Institute for Labor & Indus- trial Relations and an expert on the Michigan economy, said the rise of the state's unemployment rate isn't a surprise - and the per- cent of jobless workers isn't likely to decline anytime soon. He said the sudden jump could be attributed to the recent exten- sion on unemployment insurance benefits in the state, so people who previously claimed "self-insured" may now be identifying as unem- ployed to claim those benefits. "Clearly, we're not at the end of this economic downturn," Grimes said. - Daily Staff Reporter Julie. Rowe, Daily News Editor Kelly Fraser and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Investigators examine the wreckage of the train crash that killed 25 people in California list week. ngineer in traincrash -may h ave been fatigued DAHM From Page 1A He will officially begin his new post at the Pentagon Oct.1 and take a one-year leave of absence from the University. "It's going to be tough to leave that," he said, "but it's such an unnatural opportunity." Dahm, whose research focuses on fluid dynamics, turbulent flows, propulsion and combustion, has ISRAEL From Page 1A Israelis. "It's not only a religious war, but a clash of civilizations," Eldad said. "The (Arab) culture does not sanc- tify life, but death." LSA junior Eitan Ingall, the pres- ident of Israel Initiating Dialogue, Education, " and Advocacy - the group that organized last night's event - said they invited Eldad to speak because it was a historic opportunity. "The reason he's here," Ingall said, "is because there has never been at the University for 23 years. He said he has committed to the job for one year. Due to the intense nature of the job, scientists typical- ly don't stay in the position for more than a year or two, he added. The chief scientist job typically goes to an academic or private- sector official, because the post's independent status is crucial to providing a frank and unbiased recommendation, Dahm said. This is not the first time Dahm, who also heads the Laboratory for been a member of Israeli Parlia- ment on this campus." One audience member angrily shouted during the speech that Eldad's plan for the elimination of a Palestinian state was "bullshit" and "bigoted," and said Eldad was suggesting that "all Arabs are ter- rorists." LSA senior Eric Rosenbloom said he was surprised by some of Eldad's comments. "I wasn't expecting, necessar- ily, that Dr. Eldad did not support a Palestinian state outright," he said. "His stands overall, are farther right than my own, but he also is a very powerful speaker who made Turbulence & Combustion in the College of Engineering, has worked closely with the Air Force. Before being offered the post this sum- mer, Dahm had been a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, a committee of about 50 aca- demics, industry professions and scientists who make research and development recommendations to the Air Force. Dahm has also worked on multi- ple research projects for the armed services branch. very convincing arguments." Thewaytoreachpeace,Eldadsaid, is to make sure the other side under- stands Israel will not be defeated. He saidbothIsraeland Palestine need to acknowledge their need to coexist, with the underlying idea that Israel will notgive up its land. He has on multiple occasions called for Israelis to continue build- ing in the West Bank as a show of civil disobedience. "We are not going to have peace withthe Arabs forever, but they will respect us and we will respect them when convinced they won't destroy us and we won't destroy them," he said. Investigators say long hours may have contributed to crash LOS ANGELES - Federal inves- tigators are trying to determine whether back-to-back, split shift workdays that began before dawn and ended at 9 p.m. played a role in a Metrolink engineer's failure to heed warning lights in last week's crash that left 25 people dead. Engineer Robert M. Sanchez's regular five-day work week was spread over nearly 53 hours, according to authorities. He would have been near the end of that schedule on Friday afternoon when he sped his train through a red light and collided head-on with a Union Pacific freight train. National Transportation Safety Board member Kitty Higgins told the Los Angeles Times that she was "very concerned" about San- chez's schedule, noting a "human performance team" will pursue evidence that might shed light on the possible effects of Sanchez work hours. "It's a long day," she said. Sanchez had worked four days of identical shifts before Friday: He began his day justbefore 6 a.m., worked until almost 9:30 a.m. and took a 4 1/2-hour break before beginning a seven-hour shift at 2 p.m., according to the NTSB. The crash occurred at 4:23 p.m. The conductor on Sanchez's train told federal investigators Tuesday that Sanchez took a two- hour nap during his break Friday, Higgins told reporters. The con- ductor, who had been working with Sanchez since April, said he had no problems with the way the engineer operated the train. Fatigue caused by the irregular and often long work schedules of train crews has been a persistent and deadly problem in the railroad industry despite decades of study. Safety regulators have called for measures that would require rail- roads to provide longer rest peri- ods between shifts. The NTSB has warned that operating a train without sufficient rest "presents an unnecessary risk to the traveling public" and lists reforms to address fatigue as one of its "most wanted" rail safety improvements. However, Metrolink's top exec- utive told Congress last year that proposals to increase minimum off-duty time for rail workers were unnecessary for commuter sys- tems. David R. Solow told a Senate subcommittee that commuter rail had a good safety record and that existing practices provided ade- quate assurance "that fatigue does not affect safety," records show. Commuter train workers often work split shifts because of morn- ing and evening peak passenger loads, he noted. He argued that that unlike long-distance freight workers, commuter line workers often have interim rest hours of at least four hours and are also able to return to their homes each night. Additional limits on work time would likely force commuter rail systems to hire more crews, driv- ing up costs that would be passed on to riders and taxpayers, he said. The fare hikes, he added would "drive ridersback to commuting by automobile," undermining efforts to conserve energy and reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. Solow called for more study of fatigueasitrelatestocommuterrail systems before new work schedule restrictions were imposed. His comments last July were made during the same appearance before Congress in which he asked that systems such as Metrolink be given flexibility in choosing the technology they employ to avoid collisions, at a time when federal regulators and some lawmakers were pushing to mandate automat- ed train-stopping devices. AMetrolink spokesman said the agencycould not comment on engi- neer work schedules; Solow did not respond to a request for comment. Last year's proposed changes were not approved, but Congress is again considering a similar bill that would increase the minimum time anengineermustbe offdutybefore a new shift from eight tol10 hours. That type of change apparently would have required a change in Sanchez's schedule, to give him more time off overnight. Tired crews have caused some of the deadliest and costliest freight train wrecks of the last 20 years, accordingto federalaccident reports. NTSB records show that' entire crews have nodded off at the controls ofmile-long freighttrains, including some carrying hazard- ous materials. But federal studies show that passenger train crews face chal- lenges in obtaining adequate rest even if they work more predictable schedules near their homes. Split shifts in particular can .result in long days that leave little time for adequate rest, according to research by the Volpe National Transportation System Center in Massachusetts. + Earn $4,725 Scholarshipm0a0"' " '" 6 + Tutor & Mentor Kids + Transformative Physical Service ProectsA* + Earn a Weekly Living Stipend + Loan Forbearance Avalable At Mainstream Engineering, work in ah e n you will build and test prototypes. SeeyouconcepsbecomactuaSee you :podcts. Stop by our booth at job Fair 2008 on September 23rd for more information Pursue Your Research Intere sts'ork in a Great Environment OPEN-CASTING CALL SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20TH 10A.M. - 5 P.M. 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