The Daily Drift

Hey, wingnuts, we know who you are and where you live ...!

 

Carolina Naturally is read in 200 countries around the world daily.   

For those interested: In World Cup play Argentina bested Nigeria 3-2: Bosnia-Herzegovina bested Iran 3-1: Switzerland bested Honduras 3-0 while Ecuador and France played to a 0-0 tie in play on the fourteenth day of the tourney.

Canoe, Y'all ... !

Today is - National Canoe Day
 

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 Some of our reader today have been in:

The Americas

Mexico City and San Miguel De Cozumel, Mexico

Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands

Tipitapa, Nicaragua

Fredericton, Joliette, Ottawa and Edmonton, Canada

Santiago, Chile

Buenos Aries and Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina

Europe

Pescara, Naples, Cagliari, Treviso and Ravenna, Italy

Castello De La Plana, Basauri, Madrid and L'Olleria, Spain

London, Gateshead and Doncaster, England

Warsaw, Poland

Konstanz, Germany

Vladivostok, Razvilka, Ryazan and Moscow, Russia

Paris, France

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Stockholm and Kista, Sweden

Dublin, Tallaght, Ireland

Zaventem. Belgium

Belgrade, Serbia

Lausanne, Switzerland

Mykolayiv, Ukraine

Bratislava, Slovakia

Celje, Slovenia

Tranbjerg, Denmark

Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic

Asia

Panipat, Delhi, Rajahmundry, Pondicherry, New Delhi, Raipur, Gurgaon, Sawai Madhopur, Pune, Mumbai, Bikaner and Chandigarh, India

Beirut, Lebanon

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Jakarta and Mulyorejo, Indonesia

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Seoul, Korea

Tehran, Iran

Bangkok, Thailand

La Dagotiere, Mauritius

Hanoi and Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan

The Pacific

Sydney and Adelaide, Australia

Today in History

1096		Peter the Hermit's crusaders force their way across Sava, Hungary.
1243		The Seljuk Turkish army in Asia Minor is wiped out by the Mongols.
1541		Former followers murder Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish Conqueror of Peru.
1794		The French defeat an Austrian army at the Battle of Fleurus.
1804		The Lewis and Clark Expedition reaches the mouth of the Kansas River after completing a westward trek of nearly 400 river miles.
1844		Julia Gardiner and President John Tyler are married in New York City.
1862		General Robert E. Lee attacks McClellen's line at Mechanicsville during the Seven Days' campaign.
1863		Jubal Early and his Confederate forces move into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
1900		The United States announces it will send troops to fight against the Boxer Rebellion in China.
1907		Russia's nobility demands drastic measures to be taken against revolutionaries.
1908		Shah Muhammad Ali's forces squelch the reform elements of Parliament in Persia.
1916		Russian General Aleksei Brusilov renews his offensive against the Germans.
1917		General Pershing arrives in France with the American Expeditionary Force.
1918		The Germans begin firing their huge 420 mm howitzer, "Big Bertha," at Paris.
1926		A memorial to the first U.S. troops in France is unveiled at St. Nazaire.
1924		After eight years of occupation, American troops leave the Dominican Republic.
1942		The Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter flies for the first time.
1945		The U.N. Charter is signed by 50 nations in San Francisco, California.
1951		The Soviet Union proposes a cease-fire in the Korean War.
1961		A Kuwaiti vote opposes Iraq's annexation plans.
1963		President John Kennedy announces "Ich bin ein Berliner" at the Berlin Wall.
1971		The U.S. Justice Department issues a warrant for Daniel Ellsberg, accusing him of giving away the Pentagon Papers.
1975		Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is convicted of election fraud.
1993		Roy Campanella, legendary catcher for the Negro Leagues and the Los Angeles Dodgers, dies.

Non Sequitur

President Obama Shows repugicans What Real Family Values Are All About

President Obama fired up the crowd today at the Working Families Summit in DC to advocate support and flexibility for working families. You know, real family values.…

Speaking to a room full of activists who cheered and often clapped, President Obama fired up the crowd today at the Working Families Summit in DC to advocate support and flexibility for working families. You know, real family values.

“Parents who work full time should earn enough to pay the bills,” President Obama reiterated to the maxed out crowd in the Regency Ballroom at the Omni Hotel.

“Even if repugicans in Congress refuse to budge on this issue this year, everyone knows America deserves a raise,” the President thundered. He explained a few of the things he’s done without Congress, for example, “Since I asked Congress to raise the minimum wage last year, 13 states have taken steps to raise it on their own.”

The repugicans scoffed when President Obama vowed to make this a year of action in spite of their legendary obstruction, but now he’s showing them exactly what he meant at the first ever Working Family Summit in DC, finally giving hard working families a voice in DC. In his 30 minute speech, the President talked about the importance of family friendly policies and how they can work in corporate America.

The summit was designed to support working families while also boosting businesses’ bottom lines — proving that a profitable business and valuing assets like people are not incompatible.

Here’s a video by Center for American Progress, “Good for the family, good for business”: 

In addition to the working families summit, President Obama is working toward economic security for working families in this country by issuing a Presidential memorandum that directs agencies under the purview of the federal government to expand access to flexible work schedules and gives employees the right to request them.

The President based his memorandum on a report “Nine Facts About American Families and Work.”

Obama has already taken action like raising the minimum wage for federal contractors, expanding retirement opportunities, strengthening overtime protections, and signing an Executive Order that protects workers from being retaliated against by their boss if they discuss their wages.

While the President can make a change from the executive office for those workers whose jobs fall under the executive branch purview, only Congress can change the laws for the rest of the country. So the President is calling on Congress to pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, among other bills to benefit workers.

This is why elections matter, because our current Congress refuses to do anything other than shut down the government and pass fake Obamacare repeal votes.

President Obama just hijacked family values from repugicans. Only he’s not using the slogan as a bumper sticker, but rather guidance for policy, action, and aspiration. This is real change, even in the face of historical obstruction.

As repugicans Dream Of New Ways To Harm Workers, Obama Fights For Working Families

The contrast is stunning. While President Obama spent the day outlining his vision of a better nation for working families, repugicans were dreaming up ways to harm America’s workers.

At the White House Summit on Working Families, President Obama called family the bedrock of our lives, and he discussed the decisions that people shouldn’t have to make in the conflict between work and family.

The president talked about how Americans have to figure how to balance work and family, and how hard it is for people to get by. President Obama talked about the fact that the relative wage hasn’t really gone up in 15 years. He talked about the importance of workplace flexibility. The president said that workers often have to make painful decisions because of the lack of paid family leave,

Obama said that in 31 states child care costs more than a mortgage. He moved on to the minimum wage and said 28 million Americans would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to $10.10, and the average minimum wage worker is 35 years old.

Obama said many of these issues aren’t partisan until they get to Washington. The president announced a memorandum giving federal employees access to flexible work schedules. He also announced $25 million for childcare for parents who want to enroll in job training programs.

The president closed by bringing up an interview where he was asked if this was political because women are more likely to vote for Democrats. The president answered, “Women are smarter.”

President Obama said that he takes this issue personally because, “I am the father of two unbelievable young ladies.”

The president laid out a vision of a country that actually makes it easier for working people to have jobs and families.

This was the complete opposite of the repugican agenda. The repugican position on families hasn’t changed in the 21 years since the Family and Medical Leave Act was passed. In 1993, future Speaker of the House, John Boehner warned, “America’s business owners are a resilient bunch, but let there by no doubt, HR 1 will be the demise of some. And as that occurs, the light of freedom will grow dimmer.” Of course, FMLA didn’t destroy freedom, but as the income gap continues to grow, the need for paid family leave has never been greater.

Instead of trying to improve conditions for working families, Speaker Boehner’s office tried to sell repealing Obamacare as the repugican plan to help working families.”The House has passed bill after bill to help working families. In a recent guest post on the Speaker’s blog, Rep. Renee Ellmers (r-NC), chair of the repugican women’s degradation coven, highlighted several of these solutions, including legislation allowing private-sector workers the same comp time flexibility as their public-sector counterparts, and more.”

The bills that Boehner claimed that the House has passed to help working families were actually attempts to take healthcare away for working families and cut taxes for businesses.
While Obama and the Democrats are trying to help working families in America keep up with the rest of the developed world, repuficans refuse to create jobs, extend unemployment benefits, and are opposed to common sense measures that would make life easier for workers.

President Obama is beginning this fight, but it is clear that Democrats and the left are going to be the ones to finish it.

Obama Says Women Are Smarter Which Is Why They Are More Likely to Vote Democrat

During his remarks at the White House Summit on Working Families, President Obama joked that women are more likely to vote for Democrats because they are smarter …

Speaking at the Working Family Summit in DC on Monday, President Obama fired up the room with his historical support for women.

The president brought up an interview where he was asked if this was political because women are more likely to vote for Democrats. The president answered, “Women are smarter.”

President Obama discussed why the White House is holding this summit, “Part of the purpose of this summit is the point that you are not alone…. These things can’t just be fixed by working harder or being a better parent. All too often they are the result of outdated policies and old way of thinking. Family leave, childcare, these are not frills these are basic needs. They shouldn’t be bonuses they should be part of our basic needs.”

“All too often these problems are thought of as women’s issues which I guess means you can kinda scoot them aside? At a time when women are a large segment of our work force… when women succeed, America succeeds.”

The room went nuts clapping.

“These are common sense issues. It is about you too, men! Men care about having high quality childcare. Dads rearrange their schedules to make it school meetings… But as someone pointed out to me, when men leave early to get to the game, everybody in the office is like ‘Aw,’ but when women do it, they ask if she is really committed to the job.”

Of the things he loves the most about being President, Obama said Air Force One is one of the biggest, the Truman balcony and the fact that anyone will give you their baby are others. This was his segue to taking care of his girls “and watching sports center once in a while, which I thought was good for their development.”. The President explained that he was lucky to be able to take time off for his girls but not everyone is that fortunate.

The president said, “21st century families deserve 21st century work places… and that means paid family leaves. There is only one developed country in the world that doesn’t offer paid maternity leave and that is us, and that is not a list you want to be on!”

To Congress, the President thundered, “Don’t talk the talk, we want you to walk the walk.”

To the audience, he continued, “If Congress won’t act, we’ll need mayors to act. We’ll need governors to act. We’ll need CEOs to act. And I promise you you will have a president who will act.”

Out of nowhere, someone from the audience shouted out, “Working families love you, President Obama.” The President nodded, “Well, thank you.” Earlier when another citizen shouted “We love you,” he said, “I love you back.” The crowd was fired up for the President’s message regarding working families and women’s rights.

Obama added, “I think if you do the same work you should get the same pay, so Congress should do the right thing and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act,” the President said to huge cheers.

The President has been a big champion of women and working families, and now since Congress won’t take any action, he’s taking charge as part of his Year of Action — taking things into the hands of local people, businesses, and using the power of his office to do the right thing for workers.

Women Unchained

Nancy Pelosi and Gloria Steinem Terrify the repugican cabal By Calling On Women To Vote

Speaking of the way some men in the media mocked Hillary Clinton saying they crossed their legs when they see her, Gloria Steinem said, “These serious men –”

Nancy Pelosi interrupted, “They weren’t that serious.”

It was that kind of panel.

A panel of kick butt women rocked the DC Working Families Summit, with refreshing candor. It was moderated by Mika Brzenzinski, and included Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Dr. Judith Rodin, Katherine Phillips, Debra Lee and Gloria Steinem.

A rather unchained Mika listed many of the things that President Obama has done for women, starting with the first piece of legislation he chose to sign (the Lily Ledbetter Act). This was Mika at her best, the way we don’t get to see her on Morning Joe. (Note to MSNBC: many women and men would enjoy a show just like this panel led by the brilliant Ms. Brzenzinski.)

The panel debated how to get more women at the table. Nancy Pelosi answered that if we got money out of politics and the debate were more civil we would be able to elect more women to Congress. The audience of mostly women responded very enthusiastically to this, suggesting that at least some women do feel isolated from running for political office by the ugliness and rudeness exhibited in our political debate.

Pelosi said we need more women in office not because women are better than men, but that the balance is important and would create a more wholesome environment.

“When women vote, women win,” the former Speaker of the House told the audience. The fact of the matter is that too many women don’t vote.

“Companies with women on the boards are actually more productive, and we look at Europe where the rate of diverse boards is more productive, I think it’s double,” Gloria Steinem offered, noting that women contribute a lot in societies where they are at the table. She joked, “We do have some things to teach, what to do wrong, for one thing.”

Steinem pointed out that we need to focus on state legislatures if we want progress. “We can all see from the retrograde legislation and the anti-abortion legislation that some of them are totally unrepresentative of their states because we haven’t paid attention and then they redistrict themselves into perpetuity. That’s why we get members in the House that don’t represent their own states. And we have to do that, we have to focus on that. If each of you take ten people and each of you take one guy and monitor him all of the time, and you demonstrate outside of his house, we could change the nature of state legislature.”

Steinem reminded women to be careful of what they model themselves after — in other words, it’s not that women want to behave like those folks who aren’t being egalitarian to others. She reminded everyone we need to let some folks know that the huge salaries that some are making in this economy is ridiculous.

Speaking about women’s negotiating behaviors, Mika pointed out that the White House made an app for women so they can see what others make. She urged women to get out and learn to talk, saying that speaking live makes her sweat bullets but she does it anyway. She told women that we worry about people liking us, but, “They will like you. After they respect you.”

Mika gave the women a tip to forge their own way, “Don’t act like Joe. Joe can act like Joe.”

Pelosi pointed out that Obamacare gives women a big chance at independence, it gives women an equal chance at being entrepreneurs because they aren’t locked into a healthcare plan for their kids. This is the kind of freedom our founders fought for.

An audience member shouted out, “Thank you Nancy for the ACA!” The audience clapped and Pelosi blushed happily. Pelosi always has a very focused direction. She said she wanted to take this idea that when women succeed, America succeeds, to Congress. Pelosi said it’s not just about getting women into office because not every woman supports other women.

These women were on fire today — unchained. This is the sort of dialogue that should be mainstream, and if it were, would model for young girls that being a strong woman might not be easy, but it’s worth it.

Americans' confidence in their Congress at record low levels

Data from Gallup:

The percentage of Americans expressing a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in Congress is the lowest for a trend that dates back to 1973. The high point for Congress, 42%, came in that year...

Democrats, independents, and repugicans are about equally likely to express low confidence in Congress. This is a change from the past and likely reflects the split control of Congress... Between 2009 and 2012, a period that saw Congress come under split control, these partisan differences gradually diminished, and this year, Democrats are a mere two percentage points more likely than repugicans to report having a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in Congress.

Americans' confidence in Congress is not only at its lowest point on record, but also is the worst Gallup has ever found for any institution it has measured since 1973. 

The Koch Brothers Take a Loss As The Supreme Court Rules The EPA Can Regulate Greenhouse Gasses

In a complicated ruling, the Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Koch Brothers by not overturning the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gasses.

The utility industry, the Chamber of Commerce, and 13 states led by Texas argued that the EPA does not have the legal authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, but by a vote of 7-2, the court ruled that the EPA does have the authority to regulate emissions at facilities that already release pollutants.

The EPA declared victory in a statement, “Today is a good day for all supporters of clean air and public health and those concerned with creating a better environment for future generations. We are pleased that the Court’s decision is consistent with our approach to focus on other Clean Air Act tools like the Clean Power Plan to limit carbon pollution as part of the President’s Climate Action Plan.”
Meanwhile, Justice Scalia grumbled that the EPA got almost everything they wanted out of the ruling.

The EPA wanted the power to regulate 86% of emissions, the court ruled that they could regulate 83%.

The repugicans and the Koch Brothers have been contesting the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions for years, so this is a major loss for the Kochs and a definitive step in the fight against climate change.

The EPA has the authority to regulate, so now the political battle will move towards regulating future polluters, not just those who are already polluting.

Mississippi tea party Candidate Refuses To Concede In Furious Post-Election Speech

Sore Loser 

(but then again he is a wingnut so it goes without saying since he cheated as all wingnuts do and still lost ...) 

A furious Chris McDaniel refused to concede the repugican nomination for U.S. Senate to incumbent  Thad Cochran on Tuesday night, casting a pall of illegitimacy on Cochran's win in a heated runoff battle.

In an approximately nine-minute long speech after multiple news outlets had handed victory to Cochran, McDaniel accused his intra-party opponents of "abandoning the wingnut movement" to win — without ever mentioning Cochran by name.

"There’s something strange about a repugican primary that’s decided by liberal Democrats," McDaniel said, after he was introduced by a supporter as "the repugican nominee" for Senate.

"It's our job to make sure the sanctity of the vote is upheld."

The possible next steps for the McDaniel campaign are unclear, but spokesman for McDaniel said to "stay tuned."

McDaniel said in his speech there were "dozens of irregularities" reported at polls. 

"You've heard the stories," he said, when supporters began shouting, "Tell us!"

The  final three weeks of the nasty campaign  the race featured a back-and-forth, racially charged battle over the state's voting laws.

Cochran had sought to save his Senate seat by expanding the electorate, particularly by turning out non-traditional repugican cabal primary voters including black Democrats. Mailers supporting Cochran accused the tea party of trying to suppress the black vote on Tuesday by, among other things, sending so-called poll watchers to election spots.

"Before this race ends, we have to be certain that the repugican primary was won by repugican voters," McDaniel said.

Utah County Declares BLM's Authority 'Is Not Recognized' There

A Utah county passed a resolution this month asserting that the authority of federal agents, specifically those of the Bureau of Land Management, to enforce state or local laws -- even on federal land -- would not be recognized within its borders.

The Carbon County Commission approved the resolution unanimously on June 4.

"Any such attempted exercise of law enforcement powers by an official of a land management agency IS NOT RECOGNIZED by Carbon County," the resolution stated (caps in original), "and shall be deemed AN IMMINENT THREAT TO THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THE CITIZENS OF CARBON COUNTY."

More wingnut idiocy

Deadly Brawl Tests "Make My Day" Self-Defense Laws

A Colorado prosecutor said he's frustrated that the state's "Make My Day" law prevents him from charging a man who killed an acquaintance during a drunken brawl that spilled into his home, becoming the latest test to self-defense gun laws nationwide..
The New Year's Day shooting involving "foolish, drunken children" likely was not what lawmakers had in mind when they adopted Colorado's law, Mesa County District Attorney Pete Hautzinger said. It protects homeowners from prosecution for using deadly force when someone illegally enters their home and there's reason to believe that person will commit a crime.
Self-defense laws like Colorado's have received renewed attention recently after deadly shootings in Montana, Minnesota and Nevada.
After a six-month investigation, Hautzinger decided last week not to file charges against Joseph Hoskins, 36, in the death of Randy Cook, 47.
After a night of drinking at a party in the western Colorado city of Grand Junction, Cook and another man went to fight Hoskins outside his house. The fight moved inside and to Hoskins' bedroom, where the homeowner said Cook tried to snatch away his shotgun. Hoskins tackled Cook and shot him, according to Hoskins' account of the night, which was relayed to investigators through an attorney.
"These grown men, otherwise basically upstanding, law-abiding citizens, are acting like drunken children, and as a result, a good man got killed, and I can't hold anyone accountable for it in the criminal justice system," Hautzinger said.

More Gun Nut Lunacy

What is ISIS?

The Explainer: What is ISIS?

No doubt you're hearing the term "ISIS" all over the news each day. While clearly it's a terrorist organization, things get more complicated, and frightening, once you know more about them better. Tara has the details on ISIS in this Explainer.

Lightning strike blew man out of his boots

A man who was blown out of his boots by lightning at the weekend says he’s grateful to be alive. Sean O'Connor, 30, from Coweta County, south of Atlanta, Georgia, said he had just picked up a rake on Saturday when, suddenly, he heard a loud crack. “It sounded like a tree falling over,” he said.

“It threw me across the driveway and knocked me out of my boots.” Disoriented, O’Connor initially assumed he had been hit by a tree, until seeing his smoking boot. “When I noticed my boots were on the other side of the driveway and I heard the thunder, I realized it was lightning that had just hit me,” he said.
“When I stood up, I had blood in my mouth. I could smell burnt hair; felt like I had a bad sunburn on my leg," he added. After collecting himself, O’Connor called his wife to tell her what had happened, sending her a cellphone video of the scene when she initially thought he was exaggerating.

YouTube link.

O’Connor’s wife then urged him to go to the hospital, where he was held for 24 hours because of an irregular heartbeat. O’Connor returned home on Sunday, emerging from the potentially fatal incident with lower back pain, a few scrapes from when he was thrown and no indications of permanent damage. “I look like my normal self,” he said. “It’s hard for people to believe I was struck by lightning.”

Police officer fired after friend used patrol-car speaker to make inappropriate remarks to public

A Broward Sheriff's Deputy was fired after letting his friend use his patrol car speaker to heckle people on the streets of downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Deputy Rodrigo Mello, 33, was off-duty and behind the wheel of his marked patrol car on the night of August 11, 2013, when he took two drunk friends on a joy ride and gave one of them access to the P.A. system. 911 calls started coming in at around 2:30am to report the police cruiser's activities.

One caller reported that the men inside the car were "saying extremely lewd and really stupid things over the PA" A hot dog vendor told deputies he was repeatedly heckled by the joy-riding cruiser that first drove by about 2am and passed by at least three more times in a half-hour. "Hey, how are your hot dogs? Those hot dogs any good?" the vendor said he heard. "I want a hot dog." Whoever was on the loudspeaker also issued catcalls to women on the street and seemed fixated on women's private parts, the vendor said.

YouTube link.

"Girls, put your vaginas back in your pants," the vendor said he heard repeatedly. Thinking the patrol car had been stolen, Fort Lauderdale police pulled Mello and his friends over in an alley after the 911 calls began streaming in reporting the errant cruiser. Mello, who was driving, immediately produced his badge and identification to confirm he was a deputy, a noticeably intoxicated friend was in the front passenger seat and a woman was passed out in the back seat.
A sheriff's captain, who went to the scene, determined Mello was not intoxicated, took his vehicle and sent him home. "It was stupid as could be and I look back at it now and it's absolutely ridiculous," Mello later said in a sworn statement. "It was innocent fun. Now looking back at it, it was the stupidest decision I ever made in my life." Mello was a deputy for nearly a decade when he was fired as a result of the incident. He was terminated back in January, and is trying to get his job back.

Ziggy

Why Do People Get Ice Cream Headaches?

You may know an ice cream headache by one of its other names: brain freeze, a cold-stimulus headache, or sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. But no matter what you call it, it hurts like hell.
Brain freeze is brought on by the speedy consumption of cold beverages or food. According to Dr. Joseph Hulihan, a former assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at the Temple University Health Sciences Center, ice cream is a very common cause of head pain, with about one third of a randomly selected population succumbing to ice cream headaches.

5 Famous Dishes That Are Named After Humans

If you think that the Caesar's salad is in honor of Julius Caesar or do not know why a certain pizza is called Margherita, or even if you think that Carpaccio refers to an Italian painter, this is the time to figure everything out.
Here are five dishes, and a lot of people's favourite choices, that are named after actual humans. And, yes, you are right believing that the Wellington beef was named after the 1st Duke of Wellington.

$50K worth of cocaine baked into delicious cookies seized at US airport

Customs and Border Protection officials at Newark airport confiscated a batch of cocaine cookies with an estimated street value of over $50,000. Some 118 pellets of cocaine were baked into the tasty treats.
From the Asbury Park Press:

A spokesman for the agency said Thursday that customs officers made the discovery June 5 during an examination of luggage from passengers arriving at the New Jersey airport on a flight from Guatemala City. Customs officials say Guatemalan citizen Mauricio Isidro Rivera Hernandez was arrested after officers allegedly discovered the cookies in his three checked bags.

'Elixir of Long Life'

19th Century 'Elixir of Long Life' Found

An 'Elixir of Long Life' is found among 19th-century liquor bottles in New York, and archaeologists mix up a batch.