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Yahoo! columnist takes the snooze out of economics

WHITEWATER — Economics can often be dry, mathematical and complex. The first speaker for the spring Contemporary Issues Lecture Series seeks to make economics accessible, comprehensible and appealing with his clear, witty, guy-next-door approach.

Charles Wheelan, a renowned public speaker, columnist and author on economics, kicks off the spring 2010 Contemporary Issues Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Monday Feb. 15, in the Irvin L. Young Auditorium with his presentation, "Naked Trends: What Can Basic Economics Tell Us About the Future."

The lecture series, presented by the College of Letters and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, is in its fifth year.

Susan Johnson, chair of the Department of Political Science, and coordinator of the lecture series, believes this semester's series offers a variety of important current topics in today's society.

Wheelan is a columnist for Yahoo!'s popular "Naked Economics" finance section and has written for the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He is author of the groundbreaking book "Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science."

"I believe it is important in today's harsh economy to bring in a lecturer to talk about the economy and Wheelan does an excellent job making complex issues understandable," said Johnson.

Johnson hopes that students take advantage of the series and challenge themselves to think critically. "The series provides a wonderful opportunity to hear and learn from prominent people who have had success in their careers," she said. "Many classes directly correlate with the series and it's a great way to bring learning beyond the confines of the classroom setting."

All lectures will be in the Young Auditorium at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public

* Monday, March 5: James Fallows, "Postcards from Tomorrow Square: Reports from China"

* Tuesday, April 20: Jean Brennam, "The Climate Change Challenge: Why Traditional Conservation Approaches Can't Work"