Where I am once again unable to make the trip due to family obligations (one of which is the awesome fact that by the end of the weekend my wife and I will have been married for 12 years 🙂 ) there is one session I would like to remind everyone about as it is of personal interest to me:

S18-209a
Blogger and Online Publication
11/18/2012
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Room: W183c – McCormick Place
Theme: Media Relations and Popular Archaeology
This is a special session with filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici and James Tabor discussing archaeological claims and the role the popular media plays with scholarship. Christopher Rollston and Robert Cargill will join Jacobovici and Tabor to discuss the role of popular media in scholarship.
Christian Brady, Pennsylvania State University, Presiding
Simcha Jacobovici, Panelist
James Tabor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Panelist
Robert Cargill, University of Iowa, Panelist
Christopher Rollston, Emmanuel School of Religion, Panelist

This is certainly going to be an interesting one. It’s an “all-star” panel. 🙂

Although I have satirized and poked fun at Tabor and Jacobovici in the past (I admit more Jacobovici than Tabor, as he’s more prone to interesting soundbites 🙂 ) primarily for their work on the “Jesus Tomb” and “Jonah Ossuary,” I would really like to see what kind of dialog that can be struck up between them and Cargill and Rollston, as all of them have considerable experience with archaeology specifically vis à vis the media.

I also hope that Chris Brady is able to keep’em all in line (good luck!) and that they’re all in good enough spirits able to share a pint together afterwards. 🙂

Tell me how it goes.

Peace,
-Steve