Notes:
Thank you. It is a great pleasure to be here.
I am big fan of history and the folks here are doing a great job in preserving history. It is often said that people who do not study history are bound to repeat it - and this is almost always presented in a negative light - it is said about the wars and strife of years gone by. But we also know that we want to study history because the people in the past actually did some great stuff that is still applicable today (or in some cases better than today) and it would be sheer folly and waste to forget about it.
Also with the knowledge of history, we can better identify historical trends. By identifying the trends honestly and exactly; maybe we'll be able to better predict or shape our future.
For honesty we need artifacts and witnesses and we need to study what they tell us. This is why a society such as the data - archeologists is so important and I very much applaud and support their efforts and I only wish they would have a name that is easier to pronounce. Round of applause for the data archeologists.