Everyone ought to mark their calendars: on the weekend of 21-23 March, the 34th Annual National Conference of American Atheists will be held in lovely Minneapolis, Minnesota — my backyard. Well, my distant backyard. I'll be going, of course. If you read the Minnesota Atheists newsletter, you also know who a few of the speakers will be.
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Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, will be everywhere.
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Lois Utley will be speaking on the consolidation of public and religious hospitals.
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Robert Lanham will be talking about the dangers of the religious right.
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Some guy named Richard Dawkins will be there. I wonder what he might talk about…
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There will be others, the schedule of speakers is still being worked out.
Come on out — it's on Easter weekend, so it's not as if you'll have anything else to do.
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Will there be an egg hunt and chocolate bunnies? If so, I'll be there.
"Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, will be everywhere."
She's omnipotent?
Omnipresent!
I hope I get the time off! I'm close enough to hope that I can make it there. I would love to question PZ on his feelings about what the coming takeover from the squid overlords has in store for us all.
That's funny, they messed up the light rail price, it's only $2 at rush hour.
Do people who already live in the Cities need to DO anything to go to this? I won't be booking a room since I live a few miles away, but I'd love to see Dawkins and others.
"Will there be an egg hunt and chocolate bunnies?"
Probably something even better: christian protestors with signs that say "Pray for the hapless Atheists." Bring your lion.
I'm in Seattle so i can't go, so I will fulfill my easter tradition of watching Life of Brian and guffawing profusely. I will be with you in spirit however. That's right my literal ectoplasmic spirit not constrained by your quaint 4 dimensions will show up at the convention doorstep.
I, too, am jealous of Ellen Johnson's ability to be omnipresent. I can't even manage bilocation. (Which I'd need to be able to attend.) *sigh*
If Religulous comes out on Easter weekend (as scheduled), y'all can give it a nice opening weekend boost.
"Come on out -- it's on Easter weekend, so it's not as if you'll have anything else to do."
Hello?? MinneCon!?!
I can't figure out how we register for this thing. All I see at the link is details of hotel booking. I'd love to go, but how do we actually know we can get to the events if there's no registration (as there was for the AAI convention in DC)?
Ellen Johnson, gabba, gabba, we accept you one of us.
I just met an atheist i can go for!
What a looker.
Sheesh, PZ...I'm going to be at http://www.koolina.com/ with the family looking for a cephlopod or two and maybe a few birdies that week! I will however, be thinking fondly of you faithless ones as I explore the emerald green waters off Oahu.
Might be worth the trip from KC.... It's just that the whole business of a-theism is that I don't belong to a defined group.
Is David Silverman coming, too? Ellen and David and Prof. Dawkins - Kind of like Kirk, Spock & McCoy all beaming down to a hazardous planet. (Sorry, just finished the scifi sound test.)
I doubt I can make it from Long Island, but now I have to start really trying to figure it out.
Hate to double post, but after looking at the page, I can't find how to sign up, or the price etc?
I'm sure that Minneapolis is a lovely city, but why choose the Marriott? Why should atheists pay money to the Mormons who will give big donations to Romney who would burn atheists at the stake if he thought that would get him elected President? Am I the only one who sees the irony in this? It isn't as if there are no other choices for an atheist convention.
Maybe we could rent the Scientology building in Clearwater.
I hear that the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas is renting out space.
Sounds like fun, but Minicon, the Minesota Science Fiction Convention is always held Easter weekend, and that's where I'll be. Alastair Reyolds is GOH this year, should be a good weekend for hard SF geeks.
I wouldn't be surprised if the two events have some over-lapping attendance, though. Science fictions fans are, as a group, the least formally religious people I've ever been around.
I'm no longer a Minneapolitan, but I'll be there. I too have been trying to find out about non-hotel registration. It seems that there is none, other than the booking of a hotel room, which I don't need. If I find out differently, I'll post the info.
That weekend is my birthday! ;-)
MiniCon ceased to be interesting a decade ago. Sorry to say, but it's true. There are better SF cons in the Midwest. Bigger is not necessarily better, I think.
I'm going to the American Atheist convention, myself. Can't wait!
My birthday is that weekend as well; sounds like a good place to spend it. The hard part will be getting time off from work to go.
Nice!
Thanks for the info...