Stylish flair of the Civic carries over to the Hybrid
Since being redesigned for the 2006 model year, the Honda Civic has cut a stylish figure, and the silver Civic I recently test drove showed off its stunning contours, with its long, steeply-angled line rising from the bottom of the front bumper all the way up the “A†pillar to the roof. The silhouette continues the rakish form, and styling alone might have made the Civic the 2006 Car of the Year.
Climbing inside, the spaciousness of the interior is complemented by a high-tech look to the instrumentation, and the firmly supportive comfort of the bucket seats.
If all this seems to describe a normal Civic sedan, this one was the Civic Hybrid. The Civic is an exceptional mainstream car in all models, and the beauty of its Hybrid model is that it looks just like the other models. The difference is that a potent battery pack powers an electric motor system to complement the tiny gasoline engine, combining to create a combination of technological wizardry.
At about $23,000, the Hybrid is just above the loaded EX model, and if it’s a couple thousand more than the EX, its splendid fuel economy — staying above 40 miles per gallon all week, in my test — can make up the difference in price qujite efficiently.
Manufacturers are trying to use hybrid technology to bolster power as much as to gain fuel economy, although the Civic, and its arch-rival Toyota Prius, haven’t taken their eye off the target of creating adequate power and phenomenal fuel economy. It’s fun to have a super-powerful car, and it can be satisfying to blow away the guy next to you who thinks his Cavalier is a race car, but as gasoline wanders above $3 per gallon, mainstream car-buyers might prefer to blow past gas stations all week.
Car-magazine numbers for acceleration feed the U.S. 0-60 craze, but in the real world, perception is more important than factual details. If a car feels fast enough – guess what? — it’s fast enough. Same with interior roominess: If it’s got enough room for you and three or four others, it’s big enough. The Civic uses a high-tech 1.3-liter, four-cylinder gas engine, with a separate, Panasonic-designed battery pack.
The gas engine can power the Civic alone — a major departure when comparing the Civic with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive. Otherwise, like the Toyota, the Civic Hybrid’s gas engine also sends power to the battery pack, which powers the electric-motor supplement to the gas-engine power.
Technical wizardry aside, the Civic Hybrid also changes your scope of driving. Almost instantly you are converted from the mindset of a jackrabbit-start type into competing to beat the fuel-economy gauge on the dashboard, which calculates your fuel economy at that time. Trying to adjust your driving to improve that mileage figure is more compelling – and a lot wiser – than being concerned with the kid in the Cavalier in the next lane.
Unlike its Toyota rivals, the Civic Hybrid doesn’t drop in fuel economy during highway driving. The Prius runs best as all-electric, so its fuel economy drops off in high-speed cruising, where more gas-engine power is requires. The Civic system, meanwhile, also can run on electricity alone in moderate cruising, but its gas-engine priority in all phases actually is eased during freeway driving, so it gets better fuel economy on the road.
The best I got in combined city-freeway driving was “47.7†on the Civic’s mpg display. At that point, I exited the freeway and remembered another trick – brake early to use the captive braking energy as regenerative stuff to recharge the battery pack, lessening the amount of gas-engine energy required for recharging. So when I got to the end of the exit, braked early, I got to the stop sign at the end of the ramp and the meter said “48.0.Ââ€
Because the Civic’s use of electric power is as a supplement, if the battery pack ever conked out, you could drive on for another couple hundred thousand miles on the little gas engine alone. The Toyota system, outstanding as it is, is so integrated that the gas engine is really used only to generate the electric power, which moves the vehicle, so an electric-system failure means the car won’t move. Not that either one suffers a noteworthy number of failures.
Performance of the Civic Hybrid is similar, and sometimes better, than the Prius, but that is just another factoid that proves how much Honda has failed to prominently promote the Civic Hybrid.
Mazda6 GT Wagon represents vanishing breed
New-car introductions are always impressive, but the vehicles tend to fade as the vehicle runs through its lifespan of four or five years, as anticipation grows for the “bigger and better” new model to come. Not so with the Mazda6, which is past-due for replacement, and won’t come out for another year. Instead of fading, the current Mazda6 remains among my favorites, and with end-of-the-model-year discounts, the 2007 models may be the best bargains around.
Mazda’s misfortune was the timing of the Mazda6 introduction. It was to replace the 626 — a solid, sturdy and dependable midsize sedan that was a worthy competitor for the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, even though it didn’t sell as well in the U.S. The Mazda6 came out late in 2001, just about two months after the tragedy of 9/11. The auto industry continued to function smoothly after the World Trade Center destruction, but only for about three months, and then car sales joined the rest of the drastic economic nosedive. So the Mazda6 hit showrooms almost precisely as U.S. consumers quit buying cars.
Mazda vowed that the Mazda6 would get it back on track, after a decade of trying to copy the Honda Accord. The current Mazda6 is a sleek, tightly-styled midsize sedan that was, indeed, the most fun-to-drive car in the segment, while also maintaining the dependability levels of Accord/Camry and others. But it was hailed more by analysts and critics than by customers.
The Mazda6 has been slightly tweaked through the last five years, with either the high-revving 2.3-liter four or the Mazda-revised Ford 3.0-liter V6. I’ve gotten 30-plus miles per gallon with the V6, and mid-30s with the world-class four. I just spent a week with a 2007 Mazda6 S Grand Touring wagon, and it was more of the same.
Station wagons lost popularity to minivans, which gave way to SUVs, and now compact crossover SUVs, which greatly resemble tall station wagons. The test car was loaded with features, pushing its price up from $27,000 to over $30,000. But discounts advertised can drop that down nearer to $20,000, and some are offering it for about the same price as the smaller Mazda3. Resale value is an issue, although not if you plan to keep it for 150,000 or more miles.
Equipped with the V6 and automatic, the test car delivered 28.5 miles per gallon in freeway cruising, and about 25 combined with near-gridlock city rush-hour traffic. Not bad, considering that the listed EPA estimate is 20 mpg city and 27 highway, proving not every car is far in arrears of its top EPA estimates. The latest Mazda6 has enhanced its sleek appearance. My favorite is the 5-door hatchback, with a more attractive rear-window slope than the sedan.
Word is Mazda won’t make the wagon for 2008, so the current one is the last one. I hate to see it go, and I have a similar concern for the whole Mazda6 line. I’m all for the latest round of technology, but rumors are it will be larger, like everything else in the class. I think the current one is near-perfect in size, so if there’s a risk that the upcoming one will be less sleek, less sporty, less inexpensive, and less fuel-efficient, I’d say the discounted 2007 version might be the best bargain in the industry.
Lincoln MKZ blows into entry-luxury like cool Zephyr
Lincoln’s new MKZ blows into the entry-luxury segment like a fresh breeze, if not an actual “Zephyr.” Criticism that it’s only a fancy version of the Ford Fusion shouldn’t really be a criticism at all, because the Fusion is an impressive car, and the MKZ is clearly upgraded in style, both inside and out.
The MKZ runs impressively, holding the road well and delivering surprising performance and fuel economy. The shiny black test-vehicle I drove even had all-wheel drive, and delivered on all its promises at $35,000. At that, the Lincoln comes well equipped with options, such as heated and cooled perforated leather seats, and a navigation system, which raised the sticker from $31,050 to $35,640.
A change for 2007 is that Ford, which had tried to coax every bit of energy out of its 3.0-liter Duratec V6 up through 2006 models, has come out with a very impressive new 3.5-liter V6, with all the latest high-tech features — dual overhead-camshafts, variable valve-timing, etc. With 263 horsepower and 245 foot-pounds of torque, it works very well for extra power. EPA fuel estimates are 18 city and 26 highway, and the MKZ reached 23.5 in combined city and highway driving, then hit a surprising 27.8 miles per gallon while freeway cruising. Many cars can’t hope to reach their EPA maximum, and here the MKZ — with all-wheel drive — exceeds its top estimate.
Ford tends to make its Lincolns with mildly rounded corners on squarish shapes, referring to that technique as “formal.” Think Town Car, here, a name that could have been Land Yacht for its sheer enormity, but with square features still cherished by airport limo companies, and a few folks of advancing years who may someday turn them into large garden planters. The new-age MKZ, on the other hand, has an impressive vertical-blade grille, with the formal design squaring softly on the rear and the dashboard.
The formal dashboard colors tend toward grey, with satin-finish silver accents. The neat brushed silver panel of buttons for heat/air, and the seat heaters and coolers, are too small, though, and are located at the bottom of the center dashboard switchgear, just ahead of the six-speed automatic shift lever. The lettering on those little and distant switches is small enough to rank as unreadable, unless you can take 10 seconds at a stoplight to bend down and focus on the poorly-contrasted designation. I actually guessed once at changing the airflow direction, and didn’t realize I mistakenly hit the seat-heater until moments before reaching medium-rare.
The name MKZ also demands scrutiny. Sometimes companies get caught between retro and modern. Two years ago, the new Lincoln was named Zephyr, which is a proud old name of a quite-sporty vehicle that lasted until the 1950s, if my childhood memory accurately recalls the one owned by an uncle in Milwaukee. The car’s name had the stylish elegance of a word for a smoothly speeding gust of wind. I thought it was a neat aside that I never heard anybody call it the “Zephyr,” it was always the “Lincoln Zephyr,” with both names used almost in tandem: “Lincolnzephyr.”
Two years ago, a new and stylish Lincoln came out called the Zephyr, but now, after only a year, Lincoln announced that the Zephyr would be renamed the MKZ. Hmmm. (No, it wasn’t named the “MKZ HMMM” — just the MKZ; the “Hmmm” is mine.) Why, I asked, when car companies are struggling to find neat names before settling too-often for alpha-numeric tags, would Lincoln forfeit the great name Zephyr for three seemingly unrelated letters? I was told it was for brand identity. People refer to the Navigator as the Navigator, not Lincoln Navigator, so Lincoln marketeers decided that people would be more likely to say “Lincoln” along with MKZ, rather than saying just “Zephyr.”
I told the marketing whiz that he was too young to remember the original Zephyr, which ironically was always referred to as the “LincolnZephyr,” rather than just Zephyr. So in their quest to gain identity, they botched name recognition, exclusivity, and the perfect blend of retro-class.
Peter Horbury, who came on as Ford’s chief designer just about the time car was introduced, talked about the name-change and, being a Brit, he inadvertently called it the “Mark Z.” Turns out, on the car itself, the “MK” are a tiny bit smaller than the “Z,” so it does resemble “Mk. Z” more than just MKZ. I could live with that. Besides, it wouldn’t be so easy to confuse with the equally new Lincoln MKX crossover SUV. Which is another alpha-numeric story.
John Gilbert: GM bypasses beancounters, goes for innovation
It took two days for General Motors to display all of its new-for-2003 car and truck models to the assembled North American journalists it had summoned to Ann Arbor, Mich. Splitting the two sessions, GM put on an outdoor walking buffet dinner to accompany a Bring-Your-Own-Baby car show, during which the companyÂ’s executives brought out their own private collectible vehicles.
There were enough vehicles with new technology to fill a notebook, but the image of that collector car show remains the most riveting memory of the impressive trip.
There was Bob Lutz, GMÂ’s new boss, puffing on a big cigar as he stood proudly next to his own 1953 Cunningham Coupe C3, while motoring journalists stopped by to talk casually to him about his passion for automotives. There were a half-dozen GM-owned historic vehicles, and 47 privately owned classics, ranging from a 1908 Oldsmobile Touring 4-Cylinder to a 1938 Buick Special Model 41 Trunkback, and on up to a 1988 Ferrari Mondial. The winning vote-getter, incidentally, was a sensational 1935 Chevrolet Master Series two-door sedan owned by Wes Rydell, who is a major GM dealer with franchises in Grand Forks, N.D., the Twin Cities and California.
But the indelible feeling about the whole session is that the legendary General Motors bean-counters were nowhere visible. And a whole bunch of folks who obviously feel passionately about their cars. And anyone who loves cars that much gives you the feeling that theyÂ’ve got to care a lot about the cars they are building and selling.
“When Bob Lutz came in, he saw where we were taking things with our research, and heÂ’s coached us to be a lot more intuitive,†said Mark Hogan, a design engineer and one of the GM spokesmen. “He course-corrected us to use our abilities along with our market research. IÂ’ve never seen the energy, passion and focused intent in this company. And youÂ’re probably going to see much more reach in our designs under Bob Lutz. When you see concept vehicles like Solstice and Belair, theyÂ’ll sell themselves.Ââ€
It has been easy to be a critic about GM. The corporate giant, for about three decades, has backed off from technology, daring design and fun vehicle development for the sake of not disrupting the bottom line, leading to the feeling that “bean-counters†were making all the decisions, and choosing profit margin over research and development.
Here are the highlights of the 20-some new introductions:
• Performance. GM is going to coordinate its high-performance concepts into one unit, although that unit intends to stay subtle, without the flash of FordÂ’s SVT (Special Vehicle Team) or the Mercedes AMG group. “You wonÂ’t read our name on the back of the car,†said Mark Reuss, who runs GMÂ’s performance division. “I have 1,000 workers under me, 800 who are in architectural design and 200 who will specialize in performance, concept and show cars, high-performance operations and design. We havenÂ’t really had all these divisions together at GM — ever.Ââ€
GM intends to offer small-car, front-wheel-drive high-performance parts such as racing cylinder heads and superchargers for the Ecotec engines in the Cavalier and Sunfire, for example.
• Concept cars coming to life. One easy new car is the 2003 Corvette 50th anniversary edition, which will come only in a dark, burgundy red. Otherwise, some far-out concept cars are expected to spring to life. Most notable is the Pontiac Solstice, the Chevrolet SSR and Belair, and possibly the Saturn Sky, while Cadillac will follow-up its new-generation CTS sedan with a stunning XLR hardtop/roadster convertible. I got a close-up look at the Solstice and Belair, and I drove a prototype Sky, but there were no XLRs around — until we were being bused out of the Milford Proving Grounds, and I spotted one cruising along on a test track. In a year, the GTO makes a comeback, based on the Holden Monaro from GM’s Australian branch.
• Trucks. Naturally, the high profitability of trucks is one of the basic assets of all the new car optimism, but GM is hardly going to pass up the chance to expand its enormous truck outlay. Buick, which got the Rendezvous as a neat version of the controversial Pontiac Aztek for 2002, will add the Ranier, which will be a similar but slightly more luxurious sport-utility vehicle, powered by either the new high-tech in-line 6 or the new Generation III 5.3-liter V8. Also, Chevrolet will bring out the SS — a throwback to the Super Sport days of its hot-rod sporty coupes — as a {IMG2}specialty version of the Silverado pickup truck. Aside from also lengthening the GMC and Cadillac versions of the Chevy Tahoe into a full-fledged version of the Suburban, GM is in-troducing a new Hummer H2, a more manageable version of the military all-terrain vehicle.
• Technology. Cadillac and Corvette will continue to be the test-beds for new technology, from things such as OnStar, Nightvision, through-the-windshield instruments, StabiliTrak, etc. The new Corvette, for example, will have “MagneRide†suspension, which was introduced on the 2002 Cadillac Seville STS and is an electromagnetic controlled suspension system. Imagine this: inside the struts that cushion all four wheels, instead of the usual pristine fluid, Delphi (a GM affiliate) has come up with a strut filled with fluid that has magnetic particles floating freely around inside, and the normal suspension is very comfortable and compliant. Set on “touring,†the suspension stays that way, but move the console switch to “sport,†and you get a stiffer mode, plus. A severe cornering move causes an electromagnetic coil to suddenly cause all the free-flowing particles to snap together, greatly stiffening the suspension. It acts so quickly that you don’t really feel anything, except when you corner abruptly. Then the 50th Anniversary Corvette feels like it has race-car suspension.
• Engines. The old 5.0- and 5.7-liter V8s have been replaced by the 5.3, which replaces the 5.7 as a clean-sheet design that began in 1999 as an iron block unit. The new one is all aluminum, and it turns out 290 horsepower. The other significant new engine is the Ecotec, which originated with GM’s German Opel division, which used it in the Astra sedan. It also will be used in the new Saab, a recent GM acquisition. The 2.2 Ecotec is a dual-overhead-camshaft, 16 valve 4-cylinder, and when it came in last year, it became the base engine in Cavalier and Sunfire, and left the 2.4-liter “Quad 4†as an option. The 2.4 has now been dropped altogether from further production, and the Ecotec takes over, supplying 140 horsepower and 150 foot-pounds of torque.
• Alternative power. While GM continued to emphasize more power and performance with almost every introduction, the company is striving to improve its efficiency for ecological and economical reasons. One truck has a V8 with one bank of cylinders that shuts down when not needed. I drove a second full-size pickup with engineer Stephen Poulos riding shotgun, and he explained that our vehicle had a combination 5.3-liter V8 and AC induction motor, supplying 20 more horsepower from 42 lead-acid batteries, located under the rear seat. The truck had very good power, and whenever you stop for a red light, the engine stops. The fuel shuts off as soon as you decelerate, and when you take your foot off the brake to step on the gas as the light turns green, the engine restarts and you’re off. Poulos says EPA estimates show 10-15 percent improvement in fuel economy, and the new engine has no alternator or starter, and the pump and power steering are done electrically by the auxiliary motor.
Interestingly enough, the new alternative-energy truck has no special markings, and no high-tech gauges. “WeÂ’re selling a truck here,†said Poulos. “We donÂ’t want to point out how many differences there are, as much as how similar it is to what everybody is used to.Ââ€
Flash, glitz and performance may be fun, apparently, but GM figures its customers are wary enough about high-tech economy advances to downplay such advances.
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Automotives
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It took two days for General Motors to display all of its new-for-2003 car and truck models to the assembled North American journalists it had summoned to Ann Arbor, Mich. Splitting the two sessions, GM put on an outdoor walking buffet dinner to accompany a Bring-Your-Own-Baby car show, during which the companyÂ’s executives brought out their own private collectible vehicles.
There were enough vehicles with new technology to fill a notebook, but the image of that collector car show remains the most riveting memory of the impressive trip.
There was Bob Lutz, GMÂ’s new boss, puffing on a big cigar as he stood proudly next to his own 1953 Cunningham Coupe C3, while motoring journalists stopped by to talk casually to him about his passion for automotives. There were a half-dozen GM-owned historic vehicles, and 47 privately owned classics, ranging from a 1908 Oldsmobile Touring 4-Cylinder to a 1938 Buick Special Model 41 Trunkback, and on up to a 1988 Ferrari Mondial. The winning vote-getter, incidentally, was a sensational 1935 Chevrolet Master Series two-door sedan owned by Wes Rydell, who is a major GM dealer with franchises in Grand Forks, N.D., the Twin Cities and California.
But the indelible feeling about the whole session is that the legendary General Motors bean-counters were nowhere visible. And a whole bunch of folks who obviously feel passionately about their cars. And anyone who loves cars that much gives you the feeling that theyÂ’ve got to care a lot about the cars they are building and selling.
“When Bob Lutz came in, he saw where we were taking things with our research, and heÂ’s coached us to be a lot more intuitive,†said Mark Hogan, a design engineer and one of the GM spokesmen. “He course-corrected us to use our abilities along with our market research. IÂ’ve never seen the energy, passion and focused intent in this company. And youÂ’re probably going to see much more reach in our designs under Bob Lutz. When you see concept vehicles like Solstice and Belair, theyÂ’ll sell themselves.Ââ€
It has been easy to be a critic about GM. The corporate giant, for about {IMG2}three decades, has backed off from technology, daring design and fun vehicle development for the sake of not disrupting the bottom line, leading to the feeling that “bean-counters†were making all the decisions, and choosing profit margin over research and development.
Here are the highlights of the 20-some new introductions:
• Performance. GM is going to coordinate its high-performance concepts into one unit, although that unit intends to stay subtle, without the flash of FordÂ’s SVT (Special Vehicle Team) or the Mercedes AMG group. “You wonÂ’t read our name on the back of the car,†said Mark Reuss, who runs GMÂ’s performance division. “I have 1,000 workers under me, 800 who are in architectural design and 200 who will specialize in performance, concept and show cars, high-performance operations and design. We havenÂ’t really had all these divisions together at GM — ever.Ââ€
GM intends to offer small-car, front-wheel-drive high-performance parts such as racing cylinder heads and superchargers for the Ecotec engines in the Cavalier and Sunfire, for example.
• Concept cars coming to life. One easy new car is the 2003 Corvette 50th anniversary edition, which will come only in a dark, burgundy red. Otherwise, some far-out concept cars are expected to spring to life. Most notable is the Pontiac Solstice, the Chevrolet SSR and Belair, and possibly the Saturn Sky, while Cadillac will follow-up its new-generation CTS sedan with a stunning XLR hardtop/roadster convertible. I got a close-up look at the Solstice and Belair, and I drove a prototype Sky, but there were no XLRs around — until we were being bused out of the Milford Proving Grounds, and I spotted one cruising along on a test track. In a year, the GTO makes a comeback, based on the Holden Monaro from GM’s Australian branch.
• Trucks. Naturally, the high profitability of trucks is one of the basic assets of all the new car optimism, but GM is hardly going to pass up the chance to expand its enormous truck outlay. Buick, which got the Rendezvous as a neat version of the controversial Pontiac Aztek for 2002, will add the Ranier, which will be a similar but slightly more luxurious sport-utility vehicle, powered by either the new high-tech in-line 6 or the new Generation III 5.3-liter V8. Also, Chevrolet will bring out the SS — a throwback to the Super Sport days of its hot-rod sporty coupes — as a specialty version of the Silverado pickup truck. Aside from also lengthening the GMC and Cadillac versions of the Chevy Tahoe into a full-fledged version of the Suburban, GM is in-troducing a new Hummer H2, a more manageable version of the military all-terrain vehicle.
• Technology. Cadillac and Corvette will continue to be the test-beds for new technology, from things such as OnStar, Nightvision, through-the-windshield instruments, StabiliTrak, etc. The new Corvette, for example, will have “MagneRide†suspension, which was introduced on the 2002 Cadillac Seville STS and is an electromagnetic controlled suspension system. Imagine this: inside the struts that cushion all four wheels, instead of the usual pristine fluid, Delphi (a GM affiliate) has come up with a strut filled with fluid that has magnetic particles floating freely around inside, and the normal suspension is very comfortable and compliant. Set on “touring,†the suspension stays that way, but move the console switch to “sport,†and you get a stiffer mode, plus. A severe cornering move causes an electromagnetic coil to suddenly cause all the free-flowing particles to snap together, greatly stiffening the suspension. It acts so quickly that you don’t really feel anything, except when you corner abruptly. Then the 50th Anniversary Corvette feels like it has race-car suspension.
• Engines. The old 5.0- and 5.7-liter V8s have been replaced by the 5.3, which replaces the 5.7 as a clean-sheet design that began in 1999 as an iron block unit. The new one is all aluminum, and it turns out 290 horsepower. The other significant new engine is the Ecotec, which originated with GM’s German Opel division, which used it in the Astra sedan. It also will be used in the new Saab, a recent GM acquisition. The 2.2 Ecotec is a dual-overhead-camshaft, 16 valve 4-cylinder, and when it came in last year, it became the base engine in Cavalier and Sunfire, and left the 2.4-liter “Quad 4†as an option. The 2.4 has now been dropped altogether from further production, and the Ecotec takes over, supplying 140 horsepower and 150 foot-pounds of torque.
• Alternative power. While GM continued to emphasize more power and performance with almost every introduction, the company is striving to improve its efficiency for ecological and economical reasons. One truck has a V8 with one bank of cylinders that shuts down when not needed. I drove a second full-size pickup with engineer Stephen Poulos riding shotgun, and he explained that our vehicle had a combination 5.3-liter V8 and AC induction motor, supplying 20 more horsepower from 42 lead-acid batteries, located under the rear seat. The truck had very good power, and whenever you stop for a red light, the engine stops. The fuel shuts off as soon as you decelerate, and when you take your foot off the brake to step on the gas as the light turns green, the engine restarts and you’re off. Poulos says EPA estimates show 10-15 percent improvement in fuel economy, and the new engine has no alternator or starter, and the pump and power steering are done electrically by the auxiliary motor.
Interestingly enough, the new alternative-energy truck has no special markings, and no high-tech gauges. “WeÂ’re selling a truck here,†said Poulos. “We donÂ’t want to point out how many differences there are, as much as how similar it is to what everybody is used to.Ââ€
Flash, glitz and performance may be fun, apparently, but GM figures its customers are wary enough about high-tech economy advances to downplay such advances.
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About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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