(February 11, 2010 -Thunder Bay, ON) Lakehead University administration, faculty, staff, and students are gearing up to see Gwynne Dyer take the podium tomorrow night at the University's first Speaker Series instalment of 2010.
Mr. Dyer presents Crawling from the Wreckage: Leveraging Crisis to Implement Change. He discusses U.S. President Barack Obama's most important tasks, which are to manage America's decline from "sole superpower" status, to use the country's remaining power in ways that benefit both Americans and the rest of the world, and to take advantage of the unprecedented freedom of action the current economic crisis has given him. From the presentation, Dyer's audience will be able to determine for themselves whether or not Obama is choosing to use that freedom of action.
"Gwynne Dyer is one of the world's leading geopolitical analysts and a prolific journalist, broadcaster, filmmaker, author, and lecturer. He also holds an honorary doctorate from Lakehead University, presented to him in 2009," says Dr. Fred Gilbert, President of Lakehead University. "We're pleased to have Gwynne again visit Lakehead University for another Speaker Series presentation, and we're confident his audience will be intrigued by his perspectives on the future of the United States."
The Speaker Series is a free public lecture offered by Lakehead University as an information-sharing event and dialogue, in partnership with The Chronicle Journal, Days Inn North, and Montana's. Mr. Dyer will speak at Lakehead on Friday, February 12 at 6:00 p.m. He will be in the ATAC building, room 1001 (which will be linked by video conferencing to ATAC 1003 to accommodate overflow), and will also be video conferenced to Lakehead University's Orillia Campus, HP 0004. Everyone is welcome, but seating is limited, so early arrival is recommended. Parking is free after 5:30 p.m. For more information, be sure to visit the University's online Calendar of Events at http://events.lakeheadu.ca
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Media: Gwynne Dyer's bio information follows below. Dr. Gilbert is available for media interview from 12 noon - 1:30 on Thursday, February 11. He can be reached via Karen Ramsdale at 807-343-8200. Mr. Dyer's itinerary while in Thunder Bay is not yet available, but it is expected that the best time to speak to him is following his February 12 speaking engagement at Lakehead. For additional information regarding this media release, please contact Heather Scott, Communications Officer, 807-343-8177, 807-472-9113, or commun@lakeheadu.ca; or Eleanor Abaya, Director of Communications, 807-343-8372 or eabaya@lakeheadu.ca
ABOUT GWYNNE DYER
Gwynne Dyer has worked as a freelance journalist, columnist, broadcaster, and lecturer on international affairs for more than 20 years, but he was originally trained as an historian. Born in Newfoundland, he received degrees from Canadian, American and British universities, finishing with a Ph.D. in Military and Middle Eastern History from the University of London. He served in three navies and held academic appointments at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Oxford University before launching his twice-weekly column on international affairs, which is published by over 175 papers in some 45 countries.
His first television series, the 7-part documentary 'War', was aired in 45 countries in the mid-1980s. One episode, 'The Profession of Arms', was nominated for an Academy Award. His more recent television work includes the 1994 series 'The Human Race', and 'Protection Force', a three-part series on peacekeepers in Bosnia, both of which won Gemini awards. His award-winning radio documentaries include 'The Gorbachev Revolution', a seven-part series based on Dyer's experiences in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union in 1987-90, and 'Millenium', a six-hour series on the emerging global culture.
Dyer's major study "War," first published in the 1980s, was completely revised and re-published in 2004. During this decade he has also written a trio of more contemporary books dealing with the politics and strategy of the post-9/11 world: 'Ignorant Armies' (2003), 'Future: Tense' (2004), and 'The Mess They Made' (2006). The latter was also published as 'After Iraq' in the US and the UK and as 'Nach Iraq und Afghanistan' in Germany.
His most recent projects are a book and a radio series called 'Climate Wars', dealing with the geopolitics of climate change. They have already been published and aired in some places, and appeared in most other major markets in 2009.
About Lakehead
Lakehead is a comprehensive university with a reputation for innovative programs and cutting-edge research. With a main campus located in Thunder Bay, Ontario and a campus in Orillia, Ontario, Lakehead has over 7,700 students and 2,250 faculty and staff, and is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. In 2006, Research Infosource Inc. named Lakehead University Canada's Research University of the Year in the undergraduate category. For more information on Lakehead University, visit www.lakeheadu.ca