Process Technology

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What Is Process Technology?

Jet fuel, building materials, metals and plasticsall are products of process technology. Process technology involves every aspect of chemical processing, including extracting chemicals such as oil and natural gas, refining them and carefully monitoring the process that makes it happen. Special instrumentation, pumps, turbines and compressors are designed to monitor and separate the chemicals that make up countless products we use every day.

Process technology spans many industries. Power plants depend on it to maximize output and minimize emissions. Wasteand water-treatment plants use it to monitor industrial waste, environmental impact, and human health and safety. In the pharmaceutical industry it is even used to develop the coating on aspirin.

Local industry is predicting a large turnover of process technicians in the near future. Over the last 20 years, the process technician's job has become very demanding. The equipment is complex and now mostly controlled by computers. The process technician must be able to work in teams, react to situations rapidly and handle stressful situations. There are currently about 2,000 people enrolled in process technician training programs on the Gulf Coast, with tens of thousands of jobs in the next five years.

Current starting pay rates for a process technician with an associate degree is about $55,000 to $65,000 per year, or about $25 per hour. An operator can make as much as $85,000 to $90,000 per year with overtime and holiday pay. College of the Mainland closely partners with the local industry to insure the right competencies are being taught in the classroom. COM students have been extremely successful in their new jobs, and several have set new records on entrance exams given by the local industry. Data from the state of Texas shows that the COM PTEC program has the highest placement rate after graduation of all PTEC programs in Texas.

Starting salaries for COM graduates with technical degrees average $73,509 annually the highest average starting salary of any university or college graduate in the state, according to a study by College Measures.

COM fifth in nation in science technology graduates

BP donates $15,000 for scholarships, supplies for COM students

Mock interviews prepare COM students for workforce

Washington process technology students gain hands-on experience at COM lab

Air quality inspectors become process technicians at COM training

LyondellBasell partnership to upgrade PTEC equipment

PTEC Program expands offerings with new instructor

Re-careering white-collar workers choose process technology

Wherever you live or work along the upper Texas Gulf Coast, you'll find state-of-the-industry workforce training at your nearby community college! The Community College Petrochemical Initiative consists of community colleges and school districts in the greater Houston and Texas Gulf Coast area, each providing skills training for the region's businesses and industries.

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"This is the best-kept secret there is. This year I'll probably make $125,000 (with overtime). For about $10,000 you can get a degree making that kind of money."

Hal Pollackis a degreed chemical process operator at Dow Chemical Co. in Freeport. Read his family's story.

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Process Technology

Rochester technology team looks for the next killer app – Post-Bulletin

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A small Rochester technology team thinks the hot gee-whiz technology of augmented and virtual reality has the potential for lot more than just fun and games.

Virtual reality refers to an immersive technology that usually uses a headset to create the illusion that a person is inside a software-created scene.

Augment reality is used to describe the newer process of using software to combine projected images with real physical spaces. The most common example is the Pokemon Go game, where players would find cartoon "creatures" on city streets by looking through the camera on their phones. Facebook and Snapchat have also rolled out AR filters that automatically add cat ears, halos or whatever to people in photos and videos.

Rochester couple, Hunter and Traci Downs, hope to use this new, rapidly improving technology to do much more than just create the next Pokemon Go or a new first-person shooter video game.

They have filled their Area 10 Labs office with the latest AR and VR devices and software from Google, Apple, Microsoft, Oculus, HTC and others.

"Everybody's struggling to find the killer app for these things," said Hunter Downs said gesturing at the cameras and headsets scattered around Area 10's office on the second floor of the Conley Maas building in downtown Rochester.

Apple just released a new collection of software development tools last week called ARKit that uses "world tracking" which can use the iPhone or iPad's camera and motion sensors to "pin" virtual objects to specific point.

Downs, who has worked to combine technology with humans for many years, sees a lot of potential for uses in training of all kinds for the technology that Apple, Google and others are spending "billions and billions" of dollars to develop.

While engineer Adam Salmi's image was displayed in a virtual operating room as he stood in front of green screen, AJ Montpetit talked about the vast possibilities of the technology.

"Through a worldwide network, you can bring people together and create a virtual classroom. Two students from different sides of the planet could stand next to a doctor, who is somewhere else, and help him do a surgery," he said as Salmi's image moved on the computer screen.

'You have to experience it'

So how does it feel to have your eyes and ears covered to create an artificial "reality"?

"There's almost no way to explain it. You have to experience it," Salmi said.

That description fits for a lot of the projects that the Downses and Area 10 have been involved with over the years,

They have a lot of experience working with highly technical and novel projects to solve specific problems, usually linked to the health care field. In 2013, Area 10 started working with Mayo Clinic and currently have seven projects in the works with them.

They have worked with the Department of Defense, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Defense Advance Research Projects Administration, the University of Virginia and many other clients. They have helped create technology to allow completely paralyzed people communicate via only brain waves, devices to detect fatigue in soldiers, flight helmets to track consciousness and many other projects.

They have 14 active companies with five that have completely spun off from Area 10. Plus the Downses have non-tech businesses, like the Cafe Steam coffee shop and the Collider co-working center.

While they lived in Hawaii, their company grew to having more that 30 employees. However, that changed when they moved to Rochester in 2013 and opened a new office here in 2014.

"I didn't like it as much as when we had small team," said Hunter Downs.

The current version of Area 10 has six staffers with experts in hardware, design and software, including the owners.

"The best thing for us with a small group with this breadth of talent is that we can move faster than the giants like Google and Apple," he said. "We can crank things out rapidly. We can usually go from concept to prototype as quickly as 12 weeks."

Area 10 has a number of projects in the works including medical monitoring sensors powered by a patient's breathing, wheelchair sensors to help prevent pressure sores in paralyzed patients and designing a new, inexpensive microscope for cash-strapped schools to use in classrooms.

A reverse development process

So why is the team playing with AR and VR technology?

Downs admits that Area 10 usually starts with a problem and then finds a technological solution, so this is kind of the reverse of their typical process.

However, the major investments by Apple, Microsoft and Google attracted their attention and the technology has the potential to open the door to new markets. Pokemon Go generated $600 million in revenue in three months during its heyday. By 2021, the AR/VR market is estimated to grow to be worth $108 billion.

Area 10 recently contracted with the Destination Medical Center initiative's Economic Development Agency to create an interactive map of downtown Rochester to show where new development is slated to be built. In the short time since they created the map, the technology has improved to allow for more detailed maps with more features.

Beyond mapping and virtual training, Area 10 is also looking at using AR and VR to improve patient experience in hospitals. Studies have shown that patients in rooms with windows show more improvement and quicker healing than ones not near a window.

"Of course, not everyone can have a window in their room. So we're looking at VR to see if it can be used to replicate those results without an actual window," Downs said.

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Rochester technology team looks for the next killer app - Post-Bulletin

Technology and music in 2017: how tech is changing the universal language – TNW

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The development of music and how consumers listen has changed because of technology

Music has long stood as a constant, reliable part of human culture for millennia, but in the rise of the technology era, how music is created and listened to is ever changing. Innovation has always been inextricably linked to music: while artists continued to reinvent the art itself, a demand for more convenient ways to listen developed.

Entrepreneurs and music lovers alike are always looking for the next best thing: whether hi-fi stereo systems, wireless headphones, or new recording technology. While were probably some ways off from chips that can be implanted in the ear, the affect technology has had on music is clear. And the benefits of music are many: an improvement in mood, work quality, focus, and energy.

Here are just a few ways the ever-changing scope of technology is affecting the world of music.

Convenience

Over the last 20 years, technology companies like Sony and Apple have attempted to create the best mobile music player. While each product has a variety of features and props, the purpose is the same: to make music something you can fit in your pocket. Before products like the iPod took over, Walkman CD players and Cassette players were the norm: portable, but clunky. Its almost amusing, looking back at how much mp3 players have changed since their inception, and how the ways people consumer music has changed. Increased portability allows a user to listen everywhere, and while plugging in may seem rude to some, it can only bolster the health benefits listening to music has.

There was a period where it seems digital music would put an end to tradition record labels, and artists were struggling to produce music that people would buy. But now, despite the ever-rising popularity of platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, people are more interested than ever in investing in their favorite artist (see Aesthetic). Since 2015, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of physical music, whether CD or (and especially) vinyl.

Personalization

More recently, music streaming platforms have gained ground by using algorithms to monitor user listening patterns and preferences. Nielsen reported that in 2016 music consumption was higher than ever, with digital song downloads down but streaming more popular than ever before. Music lovers prefer the ability to stream anything and everything, all the while customizing their playlists and being introduced to new music theyll love. Entrepreneurs are always on the lookout for the possibility of creating a new app or service that will enhance the listening experience.

A Global Perspective

The greatest gift technology has given to the music industry is its inherent ability to globalize everything. People can not only discover music from cultures on the other side of the globe, but they can also share playlists and opinions about music more freely than ever before. Spotify is known for its popularity on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. In addition to this, more people have access to what was once a luxury: music is more accessible and more popular.

Aesthetic

The appreciation of music as an art has regained popularity, even in the face of the technology wave. Digital streaming is dominating the market, but an unlikely resurgence has occurred in vinyl sales. Just in 2016 alone, vinyl sales more than doubled from 2015, reaching the highest amount of sales in a quarter of a century. Why? Music lovers not only embrace the accessibility of digital, but they also enjoy showing off physical collections of records. They appreciate tangible art. More and more, vinyls include digital downloads, allowing music lovers to embrace the aesthetic quality of vinyl and the ease of a digital download at once.

Positivity & Productivity

Music is a powerful, and helpful tool in everyday life. It is uplifting, and can boost energy and mood, allowing for an increase in productivity and positivity during the work day. Tapping into your own world, filled with songs you love can allow you focus on the task at hand, and technology makes that easier than ever. Music satisfies the wandering mind and creates a chain reaction (releasing dopamine) in the brain, thus making it easier to get back to work without extraneous noise. Noise-canceling headphones and wireless earbuds make listening to music while working easy. Technologys greatest impact to music on an individual level is its capabilities of blocking out the crazy world outside, and everyone can reap the benefits.

If listening to music can make you happier and improve your work quality, there isnt a downside to finding new ways to incorporate it into your day, notes Joh Foy, attorney and founder of John Foy & Associates. Listen to your music player during lunch, play the radio in your officethen even the worst day can feel more manageable.

Many entrepreneurs are all too familiar with the uncertainty and possibility that comes with a new venture, but this is ever more applicable in relation to the music industry. Labels and musicians now must come to terms with the technology age while creating relatable and relevant content. Sound familiar? The music industry is an apt representation of how entrepreneurs must embrace technology and use it to their advantage to maintain their brands and products.

Music, as the universal language, will always permeate into our daily lives, but how it will continue is not as certain with the rise of technology. Finding new ways to adapt a constant variable is always a challenge, but like those in the music industry, entrepreneurs will be the most successful when willing to use tech as a partner, rather than an obstacle.

Read next: Here's the one thing everyone learning to code should do, no matter what

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Technology and music in 2017: how tech is changing the universal language - TNW

WATCH: What Makes Japan No. 1 In Toilet Technology : Parallels … – NPR

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Japanese toilets have come a long way from the early 20th century, when many people in Japan still used "squatters," which were built into the floor.

Western toilets became popular after World War II. And today, signature Japanese toilets offer the world's most futuristic and automated technology when nature calls.

The units are not just toilets, but also bidets, offering a dizzying menu of options for washing and also for privacy not to mention heated seats, automatic odor-neutralizers and lids that rise when you approach.

A Japanese government survey last year found more than 80 percent of Japanese homes have toilet-bidet combos.

Check out the Washlet the name given to a popular toilet-bidet combo made by Japanese company Toto and its more advanced cousins in this showroom tour. Toto is the world's largest toilet maker, with more than $5 billion in annual sales. Its Washlet line ranges in price from $400 to $1,800. Higher-end Toto Neorests, which count Leonardo DiCaprio and Madonna among its fans, can cost as much as $5,000.

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WATCH: What Makes Japan No. 1 In Toilet Technology : Parallels ... - NPR

Startup Pioneers EV-to-Grid Technology in Pilot at UC San Diego – Xconomy

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Nuvve, a San Diego cleantech startup, has begun a pilot project with UC San Diego that is intended to demonstrate the feasibility of using electric vehicles as a kind of collective energy storage reservoir for the power grid.

After securing a $4.2 million grant from the California Energy Commission this week, Nuvve and UC San Diego said the company would install its vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging system in 50 new EV chargers at UC San Diego. The San Diego campus operates its own micro-grid, and often serves as a test bed for innovations in renewable energy.

Nuvve and its partners, which include Nissan, Mitsubishi, BMW, and Hitachi, are providing the additional funding needed to cover the total project cost, which is estimated at $7.9 million. Another partner, San Diego Gas & Electric, has been providing technical services and resources for implementing the pioneering technology, according to Nuvve.

Nuvve (pronounced nu-vee) has developed bi-directional EV charging technology that enables electricity to flow either way between the power grid and an EV. Cloud-based software that communicates between the EV, charging station, and grid is used to control the process. V2G technology can be used to draw electricity from EVs that are plugged into charging stations distributed throughout a city or region, Nuvve CEO Gregory Poilasne said in an interview Friday.

With the number of EVs booming542,000 battery-powered or plug-in hybrid EVs have been sold to date, including 134,000 between November 2015 and 2016such technology would enable utilities to draw on EV batteries to meet instantaneous-but-transient energy demands, Poilasne said. In this respect, V2G technology helps utilities and grid operators maintain the stability of the electric power transmission and distribution system. EV owners even get paid for the backup power they provide. In Europe, Poilasne said such payments work out to about 1,200 Euros, or roughly $1,350.

The grid operator must be in control of the ebb and flow of the EV charging system, but the infrastructure cost of Nuvves technology is near zero, Poilasne said. As a result, he added, All of the ISOs [independent system operators] and TSOs [transmission system operators] are eager to work with us.

So far, however, Nuvve has been working primarily with state energy regulators and regional grid operators in California and New England to ensure that its technology is compatible, Poilasne said.

Nuvve has rolled out its technology in Denmark, where Poilasne said were in full commercial mode. But the company has maintained a low profile in San Diego, according to spokeswoman Lynn Ames. Thats chiefly because Nuvve initially had rights to the technology only outside the United States, Poilasne said. The company acquired U.S. rights in late 2016.

Poilasne founded Nuvve in 2010 with CTO Willet Kempton, a senior policy scientist at the University of Delawares Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, and CFO Nish Mehta. The founders, and their friends and family, have provided most of Nuvves startup capital, which has amounted to roughly $2 million so far, Poilasne said. Nuvve is now looking for additional financing with strategic partners, he added.

Bruce V. Bigelow is the editor of Xconomy San Diego. You can e-mail him at bbigelow@xconomy.com or call (619) 669-8788

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Startup Pioneers EV-to-Grid Technology in Pilot at UC San Diego - Xconomy

Stanford engineer’s space robot technology helps self-driving cars and drones on Earth – Stanford University News

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The key to making fleets of self-driving cars and grocery delivery by drones might be found in an unlikely source: autonomous space robots.

Go to the web site to view the video.

Stanford Autonomous Systems Laboratory

Demonstration of trajectory optimization for dynamic grasping in space using adhesive grippers.

Marco Pavone, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics, is developing technologies to help robots adapt to unknown and changing environments. Before coming to Stanford, Pavone worked in robotics at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He maintains relationships with NASA centers alongside collaborations with other departments at Stanford.

Pavone sees his work in space and Earth technologies to be complementary. In a sense, some robotics techniques that have been developed for autonomous cars can be very useful for spacecraft control, Pavone said. Likewise, the algorithms he and his students devise to help robots make decisions and assessments on their own, within fractions of a second, could not only help in space exploration, they could also improve self-driving cars and drones right here on Earth.

One of Pavones projects focuses on helping robots navigate independently to bring space debris out of orbit, deliver tools to astronauts and grasp spinning, speeding objects out of the vacuum of space.

There is no margin for error when grabbing objects in space. In space when you approach an object, if youre not super careful in grasping it at the moment you contact it, the object will float away from you, Pavone said. Bumping an object in space could make recovering it next to impossible.

Robots equipped with grippers designed for use on Earth could grab objects in space. (Image credit: Pavone Lab)

To solve grasping problems, Pavone teamed up with Mark Cutkosky, a professor of mechanical engineering, who has spent the last decade perfecting gecko-inspired adhesives. The gecko grippers allow for a gentle approach and a simple touch to grasp an object, allowing easy capture and release of spinning, unwieldy space debris.

But the delicate navigation required for grasping in space is no easy task. You have to operate in close proximity to other objects: spacecraft or debris or any object you might have in space, Pavone said. That requires advanced decision-making capabilities. Pavone and his collaborators designed algorithms that allow space robots to autonomously react to such variable conditions and efficiently grab space objects with their gecko-grippers. The resulting robot can move and grab in real time, updating its decisions at a rate of several thousand times a second.

That type of decision-making technology is also useful for solving navigation problems with Earth-bound drones. For these vehicles, navigating at high speed in proximity to buildings, people and other flying objects is hard to do, said graduate student Benoit Landry. He pointed out that there is a delicate interplay between making decisions and environmental perception. In this context, many aspects of decision making for autonomous spacecraft are directly relevant to drone control.

Landry and Pavone are working on perception-aware planning, which allows drones not only to consider fast routes but also to see their surroundings and better estimate where they are. This work is currently being extended to handle interactions with humans, a key component in deploying autonomous systems such as drones and self-driving cars. Landry added that Pavones background at NASA is a good complement to the academic work.

Once a robot lands on a small solar system body like an asteroid, additional challenges arise. These environments have completely different gravity than Earth. If you were to drop an object from waist-height, it would take a couple of minutes to hit the ground, Pavone said.

Technology designed to aid robots in space, like the cubic Hedgehog that is designed to work in rugged terrain that wheeled robots cant handle, could help drones and self-driving cars navigate on Earth. (Image credit: Pavone Lab)

To deal with low-gravity environments like asteroids, Ben Hockman, a graduate student in Pavones lab, works on a cubic robot called Hedgehog. The robot traverses uneven, rugged and low-gravity terrains by hopping instead of driving like traditional rovers. Eventually, Pavone and Hockman want Hedgehog to be able to navigate and complete tasks without being explicitly told how to do it by a human located millions of miles away.

The current Hedgehog robot is designed for reduced gravity environments, but it could be adapted for Earth, Hockman said. It wouldnt hop quite as far because we have more gravity, but it could be used to traverse more rugged terrain where wheeled robots cant go.

Hockman views the research hes doing with Pavone as core scientific exploration. Science tries to answer the hard questions we dont know the answers to, and exploration seeks to find whole new questions we dont yet even know how to ask.

Cutkosky is also a member of Stanford Bio-X and of the Stanford Neurosciences Institute.

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Stanford engineer's space robot technology helps self-driving cars and drones on Earth - Stanford University News

Coulter bashes Trump on border wall progress – The Hill

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Conservative author and commentator Ann Coulter criticized President Trump in a series of tweets Friday over what she said is the lack of progress on the border wall.

Coulter used Trumps Friday speech in Miami rolling back Obama rules opening up the U.S. economic relationship with Cuba to criticize the president for not being focused on the United States.

I thought with Trump wed finally have a president helping OUR country. So far: Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy, China, N Kor. Today: Cuba, she tweeted.

At least Cubas in our hemisphere, she Tweeted. How long can it be before he gets to America?

At least Cuba's in our hemisphere. How long can it be before Trump gets to America? https://t.co/vTf5osrr15

An early supporter of Trump in the 2016 presidential race, Coulter compared her loyalty to Trump to the way the people of North Korea worship their Dear Leader blind loyalty.

In another Tweet on Friday, Coulter said Anyone in a Southwestern state who strolls to the border & drops a brick will have done more to build the wall than [Trump].

Anyone in a Southwestern state who strolls to the border & drops a brick will have done more to build the wall than @realDonaldTrump.

Today's BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: Miles completed yesterday--Zero; Miles completed since Inauguration--Zero. NEXT UPDATE TOMORROW.

Coulter cited Trumps calls for the construction of a border wall and immigration restrictions as a major bastion of her support for then Republican nominee Trump.

Despite her early and ardent support for Trump in the 2016 campaign, Coulter has at times signaled her frustrations with his presidency.

In May, Coulter told the Daily Caller that Im not very happy with what has happened so far.

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Coulter bashes Trump on border wall progress - The Hill

Phillies’ Aaron Altherr showing progress from last year – Philly.com

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Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr is approaching the number of at-bats he totaled all of last season, and the difference has been significant.

Altherr began last season on the 60-day disabled list after suffering a torn tendon in his left wrist while diving for a ball in spring training. He underwent surgery on March 9 and didnt make his regular season debut until July 28.

Altherr, 26, hit .197 in 198 at-bats last season. Entering Fridays game against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, he was hitting .281 with team highs in both home runs (11) and RBIs (36) in 192 at-bats. He was eighth among National League outfielders with an .897 OPS.

I have been more relaxed at the plate, Altherr said before Fridays game.

He said working with first-year hitting coach Matt Stairs has been a major benefit.

I have a new approach to my swing, said Altherr, who made his Major League debut three years ago Friday, on June 16, 2014, by going 0 for 1 in a pinch-hitting situation against Atlanta.

Its a swing that he has cut down.

It is shorter now, which produces better results, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. If he continues staying short to the ball, going right to the ball like he has been doing, he is going to be fine, and I think he will have a heck of a year.

The fact that he has been healthy is the biggest key. The other was that Altherr, with his new swing, saw immediate success in spring training, when he hit .303 with four home runs and 11 RBIs and a .986 OPS in 66 at-bats.

Doing well in spring training helped with my confidence going into the regular season, Altherr said. I am glad I have been able to get such great help from Stairs.

Velasquez update

Righthander Vince Velasquez, who was placed on the disabled list on May 31 with a right flexor strain, is progressing at a moderate pace.

We are not going to rush him, Mackanin said. We want to make sure he is 100 percent.

According to Mackanin, Velasquez threw from 90 feet on Friday and is scheduled for 120 feet on Sunday and a bullpen session on Thursday.

Pitching tidbits

The Phillies wont be dismayed when they miss seeing Arizona righthander Zack Greinke, who is 7-1 with a 2.89 ERA over his last 10 starts. ,.. Against the Phillies, Greinke has a career record of 7-1 with a 2.54 ERA in 10 games, including nine starts. Jerad Eickhoff (0-7, 5.09 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies on Saturday, with Ben Lively (1-1, 3.00) going on Sunday. Arizona will pitch righthander Zack Godley (2-1, 2.44) on Saturday and all-star candidate lefthander Robbie Ray (7-3 2.62) on Sunday. Eickhoffs last win came on Sept. 21, an 8-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Published: June 16, 2017 3:01 AM EDT | Updated: June 16, 2017 7:44 PM EDT

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Phillies' Aaron Altherr showing progress from last year - Philly.com

Archaeology Marches Away From the ‘March of Progress’ – Bloomberg – Bloomberg

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These mugs have not undergone peer review.

New discoveries are demolishing one of sciences most iconic images: that of man evolving from a knuckle-dragging ape through progressively upright stages to become a trim, spear-carrying hunter. Scientists have long complained that this image is misleading, but recent developmentspaint a completely different picture of our backstory -- one that, unfortunately, doesnt lend itself well to novelty T-shirts.

Scientists are finding that different aspects of human physiology and behavior emerged in different groups living in different parts of Africa over the last 2 million years. Until the last 40,000 years or so, the world accommodated multiple versions of humanity at the same time. Some met. Some mingled.

The evidence is in the fossil records. In April, scientists announced that a small-brained, primitive-looking version of humanity called Homo naledi lived relatively recently -- between 236,000 and 335,000 years ago. Then last week, scientists announced a newly dated cache of fossils that pushes back the origin of our own species, Homo sapiens, to 300,000 years ago -- makingus 100,000 years older than previously thought. Taken together, the two findings showthat these different species overlapped in time.

So instead of a linear progression, as implied by that iconic symbol of Darwinism, human evolution proceeded along many branches. Paleoanthropologist John Hawkslikensit to a river delta with different streams that sometimes peter out and sometimes rejoin.

Consider Neanderthals, long thought to have been a genetic dead end. A few years ago, scientists reading DNA scraped from fossils made the surprising discovery that many living people carry up to 5 percent Neanderthal genetic material. How did it get there? Apparently, Neanderthals diverged from the main human lineage about 400,000 years ago, but when the two met during the last 70,000 years, some mated. Other analyses suggest this kind of mixing happened many times with other kinds of humans that coexisted in Africa.

Last weeks announcement showed there was a long window of opportunity for the mixing to take place. The findings came from human remains discovered at a site called Jebel Irhoud, in Morocco. Dating techniques revealed these people lived around 300,000 years ago. Until now, it had looked like our species originated only 200,000 years ago, in East Africa. But the Jebel Irhoud specimens were not exactly like us. They were distinct from Neanderthals, but their skulls were more elongated than modern humans, suggesting their brains had a more primitive shape. They also had no appreciable chins.

Taken alone, this finding seems to do little more than shift dates and geography, but it becomes a lot more provocative when you look at it along with the news that Homo naledi is so much younger than expected. Scientists had been struggling to pin a date on this newly discovered species, whose remains had turned up in 2013 in a deep cave in South Africa. Homo naledi, after all, was what scientists call primitive, said Hawks, who was on the team making the discovery. Their legs were long; their bodies built for upright walking; their hands agile-looking, as if adapted to making tools -- but their brains were only about a third the size of ours.

But dating techniques revealed a surprisingly young age. Hawks said their lineage probably diverged from ours as early as 2 million years ago, and they somehow hung on, perhaps relatively unchanged, for hundreds of thousands of years. Why they eventually went extinct remains a mystery. Maybe they couldnt compete with an expanding population of Homo sapiens, or maybe it was something else -- a disease, or bad luck.

Its not unusual for many species of the same genus of animal to live at the same time -- multiple species of alligators, ducks, bears and squirrels coexist now. Whether these other branches on the great river delta qualify as human depends on how you define it. The name of our larger taxonomic grouping -- homo -- is Latin for human, and indeed, many species of homo exhibited human characteristics.For example, theres evidence that Neanderthals used pigments, feathers and shells to decorate themselves and make artwork, and they shared with us a distinct anatomy of the vocal tract and inner ear, suggesting they were adapted to speech.

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Similarly,Homo erectus, Homo habilis, Homo ergasterand other homo species left behind complex stone tools and, in some cases, evidence that they had tamed fire. The human qualities of the small-brained Homo naledi are more in dispute, but some argue that the presence of dozens of bodies in a deep cave indicated that they deliberately chose the spot to bury their dead -- a behavior that mayindicate a distinctively human type of symbolic thought.

Their presence shows that there was no imperative for humans to evolve toward modern anatomy and brain size. Different environmental conditions spurred different branches of the human family to evolve in different directions. Today members of our lonely species now look to the cosmos and ask, Are we alone? But until about 40,000 years ago, wed always had company.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Faye Flam at fflam1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tracy Walsh at twalsh67@bloomberg.net

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Significant progress expected for Iowa State – Radio Iowa

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Phil Steele

One national publication expects the Iowa State football program to show significant progress under second year coach Matt Campbell. Phil Steeles College Football Preview predicts the Cyclones will easily top last years win total of three.

In fact there are five units that rank in my top units in the front of the magazine, said Steele. I think that is the first time I have said that about Iowa State in quite some time.

Jacob Park takes over at quarterback and Steele says with weapons like running backs Mike Warren and David Montgomery along with receiver Allen Lazard, the offense should continue the progress it made in the second half of 2016.

The key will be the development of the offensive line and getting off to a good start in non-conference play.

The schedule is not easy but there are winnable games in there, added Steele. I think three wins will be topped and the big question is can they get to six? The potential is there. Matt Campbell did a great job at Toledo and I think he will continue to do a good job at Iowa State.

Phil Steeles College Football Preview his the newsstand on June 27.

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Significant progress expected for Iowa State - Radio Iowa

The Pendulum is Swinging Back Toward Liberal Forward Momentum – HuffPost

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2016 will forever be known as the year of the Right Wing: Erdogan ascendant, Brexit, Donald Trumps election.

2017 may come to be known as the year the pendulum swung back and liberalism regained its footing and forward momentum.

Its impossible to say and you wouldnt want to call anything too early but the signs are there across the globe.

The reason why is pretty clear: right wingers and fascists sound good when lying through their teeth on the podium but they cant govern effectively in a democratic or republic system. So, short of if they are able to dismantle those systems completely into dictatorship, which remains a credible and persistent threat we must be ever vigilant against, their incompetence becomes clear to all. AHCA anyone?

This, I think, is the secret to Le Pens shattering defeat in France. Is it possible that the United Front the other parties used against her as well as Frances general distaste for overt racism in government representatives to the world and for the Le Pen family brand, would have been enough to defeat Le Pen anyway? Certainly. However, Macrons garnering of nearly 70% of the vote was also almost certainly due to the British bungling of Brexit and, far more so, to Donald Trump.

The French took one look at that and said, no, not for us.

The French also probably took a look at Austria, where voter ambivalence came nail-bitingly close to putting a fascist in power, and at Turkey, where Erdogan used a sham vote to give himself dictatorial powers, and decided that civil participation was the right way to go. Similarly, the Dutch, in an earlier election, also firmly rejected the right wing.

In rejecting Susan Sarandon-style self-defeating liberal nihilism, they showed that majorities in most western countries are still against right-wing governments, when they are roused from their ambivalence to vote.

And, despite the folly of Brexit, Britain is still governed by the center-right Tory party and the scandal over lies leading up to the Brexit vote have dealt a death blow to the right-wing UK Independence Party. Indeed, almost none of Brexits leaders still hold elective office.

So, what does that mean for the rest of 2017?

Well, all eyes are now on the US and, to a lesser degree, India. The US is the only major western power (no disrespect to Poland and Hungary) governed by the ultra-right wing, and current polls show Trumps administration to be historically unpopular. Indeed, historically speaking, NO president has ever been within 10 points of Trumps current approval rating in their first year, let alone 100 days of their administration.

And, with the latest Quinnipiac poll showing Trump at 36% and falling, if he enters the low-mid 30s, the only presidents in US polling history (since 1952) to ever reach those polling depths were George Bush I and II, Jimmy Carter, and Harry Truman. Of course, we know the results in each of those cases: historic defeat and full transfer of power back in the next major election (1952, 1980, 1992, 2008).

So, people appear to be woke and liberalism may be ascendant. But that cannot and should not be an excuse for any sort of complacency. When backed into a corner, the right wing will be more dangerous than ever.

Wake up to the day's most important news.

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The Pendulum is Swinging Back Toward Liberal Forward Momentum - HuffPost

Spanish Party Town Publishes 64 Rules to Stop Hedonism of Drunk Tourists – Heat Street

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A local council in Spain has become so fed up with the raucous behavior of drunk British tourists it has published a list of 64 things which are banned.

Authorities in the town of Magaluf, a holiday resort on the island of Majorca which is popular with the package holiday market, have published the list after years of outrageous antics left locals furious.

Oceans of cheap alcohol, scores of sleazy bars, and a plentiful supply of banned drugs have turned this once peaceful place into a haven for young people hell bent on hedonism. Urinating and vomiting in the streets, plus brawling and fighting, have become standard behavior in recent years.

In 2014 an 18-year-old British girl was filmed performing oral sex on 24 men in two minutes at Magaluf bar to win a $5 cocktail.

Under the new guidelines, banned activities include walking around topless, having sex in a public place and, bizarrely, climbing trees.

Fines of up to 3,000 euros will be levied on anyone caught in the act as local businesses say they want Magaluf to be more family friendly to improve its appalling image.

The rules were drawn up last October and will be imposed for the first time this summer. An increased police presence will help to enforce them. Magaluf is visited by about 1 million Britons a year.

The 64 rules are: 1 Not arguing or fighting in public places 2 No abusive language 3 Respect others 4 Dont damage street furniture 5 Co-operate with the police or officials 6 Respect tourist facilities 7 Dont cause any interference to public events 8 Dont give false information about your identity 9 Dont carry any sort of prohibited weapon 10 Dont disrespect police officers 11 No shining of laser beams 12 Respect any physical barriers put in place by the police 13 Event organizers to guarantee peoples safety 14 Bar and cafe owners have to ensure good order 15 They mustnt serve anyone already drunk 16 And not to anyone under 18 17 Never serve drink or food to consume on the street 18 Stop customers going out in the street with glasses or bottles 19 Dont damage litter bins, statues, parks, gardens and so on 20 Forbidden to rip off branches from trees 21 Mustnt carve names or initials into the bark 22 Dont climb trees 23 Dont throw litter into the road 24 Mustnt damage flowers in parks 25 Dont cause discomfort to others with skateboards or balls 26 No defecating, urinating or spitting in public places 27 Dont throw down chewing gum, cigarette butts, cans, papers, containers etc 28 Interfere with street lighting 29 Ban on any type of graffiti 30 No scratching surfaces 31 Public event organizers must ensure proper conduct of guests 32 Adhere to safety rules on the beaches 33 Dont swim when red flag flying 34 Or bathe anywhere it is prohibited 35 Wash any sort of item or garment under the beach showers 36 Leave jars, buckets or containers under them 37 Drink directly from the showers 38 Absolutely forbidden to have sexual relations in a public place or anywhere visible from public places 39 No begging 40 No collecting money for sand castles unless structures are approved by council

41 Any activity which might cause obstruction on public highway or interfere with other peoples mobility 42 No begging in the street 43 No authorized services in the public space, such as tarot, clairvoyance, massages or tattoos. 44 No tipping off anyone about the presence of the police 45 Comply with noise limits ie with music on the beach 46 Dont drink alcoholic beverages in public spaces when it may cause discomfort to people who use the public space and in living locally (unless at a previously authorized event). 47 Dont drink alcohol if it is going to harm the peacefulness of an area or lead to drunkenness. 48 Or if drinking alcohol is done in a demeaning way which would upset other people 49 Or if there are children around. 50 Behave at organised events or it is the duty of the organizer to call the police. 51 Put drink containers into bins 52 Dont throw down bottles or cans etc on the street 53 Bottle parties in the street in public places are banned 54 Respect the right of people to rest, especially between 8pm and 8am 55 No taking away drinks, whatever containers they are in, to have in the street. Owners should have warning signs in various languages, including English 56 Commercial establishments cant sell alcohol between midnight and 8am 57 Illegal to take drugs or other substances in public places 58 Forbidden to go naked or semi-naked in the street 59 Must wear tops ie no bare chests in public places away from the beach 60 Forbidden to use any glass vessel or glass in the sand and adjacent areas 61 Cant use soap or gel under the public showers 62 No balconing (jumping from a balcony into a swimming pool) 63 Dont coerce others to do balconing 64 No gambling in the street

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Spanish Party Town Publishes 64 Rules to Stop Hedonism of Drunk Tourists - Heat Street

Corbyn’s vision for higher education ushers in a new era – Times Higher Education (THE)

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It will not have escaped your notice that the results of the teaching excellence framework are conspicuously absent from the pages ahead.

The postponement of this most controversial of government interventions may seem significant for universities but is, of course, a very minor footnote in the fallout from the general election.

The reality is that TEF is still imminent once the new government gets its house in order (a point reinforced by yet another outing of the pro-TEF arguments in The Times this week, and with Jo Johnson reappointed as universities minister).

Among the many aftershocks of the surprise hung parliament, one of the most jarring was the tight-lipped determination of Theresa May to ignore the fact that a ravine had just opened up beneath her feet, and to carry on regardless.

Announcing her intention to form a government with the DUP, Mays tone-deaf victory speech on the steps of 10 Downing Street offered yet more evidence that the prime minister equates bloody-mindedness with strength of character.

Higher education is all too familiar with this trait, having won all the arguments (and the private backing of most of the Cabinet) for a welcoming stance on international students, yet failing to make any impression on Mays intractability.

Its worth acknowledging that there is a wider trend at play here, with politicians consciously moving away from rationalism in favour of appeals to the lower emotions and prejudices of their electorate. This issue is explored in depth in our features pages this week.

But for all Mays stubbornness, the truth is that everything has changed as a result of the poll seven days ago.

There are many factors at play as far as higher education is concerned. One is Brexit, and the pressure May will come under to adopt a more moderate negotiating position.

The DUPs stance, as set out in its manifesto, makes more than one reference to the importance of universities, stating as a priority that higher education should continue to attract international expertise and collaboration. We analyse what this hastily constructed government may mean for higher education in our news pages this week.

Taking a broader view, its also clear that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyns campaign connected with young voters in a way that will surely force future campaign strategists to take a more inclusive approach to policymaking and look beyond the vested interests of older generations and the newspapers they read.

I wrote a few weeks ago that this was an election that offered two distinct visions for higher education, and that if the great tuition fees repeal promised by Corbyn proved a damp squib at the ballot box, then it could be off the political menu for good.

Although it is impossible to untangle the motivations of the electorate, it seems pretty clear that fees did help to mobilise the young vote, and probably reached beyond that demographic too.

If you will excuse a taxi driver anecdote, a colleague recounted a conversation with a Somali Uber driver, who said he would be voting for the first time because of the tuition fees pledge (his son was at medical school). A 27,000 gift to your child or grandchild isnt a bad single issue to get you out of your Uber and into the polling station.

University leaders may worry about a tuition fee-free future a double whammy of painful Brexit plus the loss of fee income without proper reimbursement from the state would be a disaster.

But to fret excessively about that at this point would be getting ahead of ourselves. Labour lost the election, after all.

Whats clear, though, is that old certainties are no longer certain. And for as long as she lasts, Mays inflexible position on some of higher educations most pressing concerns might have to change.

john.gill@timeshighereducation.com

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Corbyn's vision for higher education ushers in a new era - Times Higher Education (THE)

Worry over no clear plan for closing schools – Daily Dispatch – Daily dispatch

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Education lobby group Equal Education says they are concerned the departments of education and transport are failing to plan for pupils when rationalising schools.

The NGO said education was failing to carry out proper consultations in some areas, while transport openly admitted their budget would not meet the increased need for scholar transport.

The education lobby group yesterday hosted a seminar aimed at reflecting on the progress made on the school rationalisation and realignment programme in the province.

The seminar which saw discussions around the progress of rationalisation with the focus on provision of school infrastructure and scholar transport was held in King Williams Town.

The department is in the process of closing 1902 schools with fewer than 135 pupils and merging them with more viable schools that have more pupils. The department earlier this year announced plans to close 136 schools by the end of this year.

Attending the seminar was a representative from the National Treasurys government technical assistant centre (GTAC), Phaphama Mfenyana, EE and community members.

EE deputy head Masixole Booi said they supported the provinces school rationalism and realignment if it was done in a consultative, democratic manner and was aimed at fixing schools and realising the deadlines outlined by the norms and standards for school infrastructure.

According to the South African Schools Act, the MEC must complete a proper consultation process before closing a public school.

After a school is closed, all assets and liabilities of the school owned by the state must go back to the department of public works to serve other purposes.

The lobby group said community members had complained about a lack of consultation in this process. Early this year, community members, parents and teachers in different areas where their schools are rationalised have complained about the lack of consultation and community engagement from the department.

There is no clear plan about things such as scholar transport, which means pupils are forced to walk long distances from home to their new schools, said Booi.

The Dispatch last week reported about parents from Mhala Public School in Tsholomnqa, who said their children were dropped by the system when the education department closed their school and merged it with a school 7km away without providing them with transport.

Some pupils had no choice but to walk to their new school after the old one closed at the end of May.

The parents from Mhala said that even though they were aware the school was listed for closure, they were not informed when the school would close.

Booi said that at a meeting on education district configuration that was held in Port Elizabeth earlier this year, MEC Mandla Makupula had acknowledged that in some areas the process was not communicated well to affected parties.

This is particularly worrisome, given the immediate challenge of not only school infrastructure in the province but also scholar transport, said Booi.

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Worry over no clear plan for closing schools - Daily Dispatch - Daily dispatch

Adviser suspended after pro-Trump messages were edited out of high school yearbooks – Washington Post

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A New Jersey high school yearbook adviser has been suspended amid an investigation into censorship allegations overphotos and a quotation that were altered to remove references to President Trump, according to news reports.

Three students at Wall High School in central New Jersey noticed the changes in their yearbooks late last week, and their parents have since been calling for action.

Wall Township public schoolsSuperintendent Cheryl Dyer said last weekthat the district learned aboutan allegation of censorship and the possible violation of First Amendment rights and was investigating the matter. She told USA Todaylate Monday that the teacher, whom she would not name,was suspended pending further disciplinary action. NJ.com reported that the teacher has been suspendedindefinitely with pay while the district investigates the allegations.

Dyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the suspension. Its still unclear what role the teacher may have played in the yearbook alterations.

[Parents outraged after pro-Trump messages were edited out of this high schools yearbooks]

On picture day in October, one student,juniorWyatt Dobrovich-Fago, had worn a fleece vest with a Trump campaign logo, but it appeared to be cropped out in the yearbook. His sister, Montana, who was freshman-class president, was missing a Trump quote that was meant to appear beneath her photo. I like thinking big. If you are going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big, itread,according to CNN.

But perhaps the most blatant edit was to17-year-oldGrant BerardosTRUMP Make America Great Again! T-shirt, which was apparently altered in his yearbook photo to removethe Republican presidential nominees campaign slogan. In the yearbook, the high school junior appeared to be wearing a plain and simple, dark-colored T-shirt.

Grants father,Joseph Berardo, said in a Facebook post Monday night that he had met with the school administration earlier in the day and was informed that the teacher had been suspended.

There was a lapse in judgement and mistakes were made. I suspect there will be meaningful consequences, Berardo wrote.

I refuse to be censored although my son was, he added. Issues like these are too important to look the other way. HOWEVER, if we agree to talk instead of shout, I believe we can always find common ground.

Berardo earlier told The Washington Post that school pictures were sent home to the studentsfamilies after the electionand that there did not seem to be any issue with Grants portrait.

In fact, he said, Grants picturewasused as hisschool identificationphoto.

He was just really surprised; it was the first election he ever took an interest in, he said of his son. His question was, Is it okay? Did someone do something here that they shouldnt have done? Thats why Im pursuing it.He said he wants his son to understand that althoughthese are your teachers and administrators, there are still things youre permitted to do throughthe Constitution.

Dyer, the superintendent, previouslysaid in a statement, Two parents have notified the school district of ways in which the attire of their children was altered in yearbook photos. Further, there are claims that comments or quotes offered for inclusion in the yearbook were not published. References to and support of President Trump were involved in each of these incidents.

There is nothing in Wall Township High Schools student dress code that would prevent a student from expressing his or her political views, or support for a political figure, via appropriate clothing and attire, she said. Indeed, the administration applauds students for becoming involved in politics, making their voices known, and taking an active part in our democracy.

The district has not identified the suspended adviser, but Berardo said it was Susan Parsons, who has worked for the district for 15 years, according to her course website. Thecourse sitestates that Parsons oversees Yearbook 1, 2 and 3, as well as other technology courses such as digital media, Web page design, computer repair and digital animation and gaming.

Parsons could not immediately be reached Tuesday for comment and an email sent to her schoolemail address came back as undeliverable. But she told the New York Post, We have never made any action against any political party.

Shewould not say who made the edits, according to the New York Post.

Read more:

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Nonprofit sues Education Dept. for release of information on campus sex-assault investigations

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Adviser suspended after pro-Trump messages were edited out of high school yearbooks - Washington Post

Congress To Hold Hearing On ‘Assault’ Of Campus Free Speech – The Daily Caller

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Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley announced Friday a witness list for a hearing next week to explore First Amendment restrictions on college campuses.

The hearing includes testimonies from students from Williams College and the University of Cincinnati College of Law, as well as faculty from American University and the UCLA School of Law.

Additionally, witnesses representing the Southern Poverty Law Center, Phi Beta Kappa Society and Senior Counsel Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP will be in attendance.

Called Free Speech 101: The Assault on the First Amendment on College Campuses, the hearing will likely include issues pertaining to campus speakers disinvited by school administrators over the speakers views as well as student and faculty free speech on campus.

Recent violent incidents on college campuses sparked by leftist protesters gave some lawmakers pause as to how to approach the problem.

Florida Republican Rep. Francis Rooney, a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee,suggestedlast week that congress could consider limiting funds from universities that restrict free speech rights on campus.

Washington Republican state Rep. Jim Walsh introduced a bill in his state legislature this week that would mandate all state-funded colleges and universities establish a set of standards that endorse the free exchange of views.

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Congress To Hold Hearing On 'Assault' Of Campus Free Speech - The Daily Caller

Mass. ACLU: Carter conviction violates free speech protections – WPRI 12 Eyewitness News

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WPRI 12 Eyewitness News
Mass. ACLU: Carter conviction violates free speech protections
WPRI 12 Eyewitness News
In this Aug. 24, 2015, file photo, Michelle Carter listens to her defense attorney argue for an involuntary manslaughter charge against her to be dismissed at Juvenile Court in New Bedford, Mass. (Peter Pereira/The New Bedford Standard Times via AP ...
Mass ACLU: Michelle Carter conviction 'imperils free speech'Boston.com
What Michelle Carter's Guilty Verdict for Telling Boyfriend to Kill Himself Means for Free Speech and Assisted SuicideNewsweek
Free speech advocates assail judge's verdict in texting-suicide manslaughter trialThe Sun Chronicle
WIRED -LawNewz -New York Times -CNN
all 326 news articles »

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Mass. ACLU: Carter conviction violates free speech protections - WPRI 12 Eyewitness News

5 Clichs Used to Attack Free Speech – Reason.com – Reason

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We live in perilous times when it comes to free speech, and the threats are coming from both the left and right. The president has threatened legal action against the media, and progressive activists have used violence to shut down campus speakers they don't like.

In The Los Angeles Times, former federal prosecutor Ken White has some sharp insights on how to fight back against the would-be censors by shredding the most-popular clichs used by people trying to make the rest of us shut the hell up.

If today's calls for suppressing speech teaches us anything, it's that we can never take the First Amendment for granted. Even if the Supreme Court is on our side, free expression will only continue to exists if we're brave enough to make it ourselves.

Produced by Todd Krainin. Camera by Jim Epstein.

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5 Clichs Used to Attack Free Speech - Reason.com - Reason

VIDEO: Antifa thugs attack free speech rally at Evergreen State – Campus Reform

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Even police officers in riot gear were not enough to prevent masked antifa thugs from assaulting peaceful demonstrators at a free speech rally at Evergreen State College Thursday night.

The event was organized by a pro-Donald Trump organization called Patriot Prayer in direct response to appeals from students concerned by the recent disturbances on campus, which Campus Reform has documented extensively.

"The leadership needs to take a stand against all this racism and all this hate."

Political Correctness and Hatred has taken over the campus. Several students have reached out to Patriot Prayerthey are upset that professors and students have been spreading lies and threats to try to control the behavior of the students at the school, the group declared on Facebook. [If] no leadership in the school will step up then the civilians will.

[RELATED:Evergreen Trustees condemn 'indefensible' protest tactics]

Organizer Joey Gibson was a major presence at the rally, explaining his motives in a video statement included on the Facebook event page.

Evergreen State College: you guys need to wake up...You dont understand what the real world is like, he says. And you need to understand how lucky you are. You are at a university, getting an education. You dont have to be running around complaining and screaming and acting like victims.

[RELATED: Evergreen State faculty publicly praise student thuggery]

Patriot Prayer clashed with local counter-protesters and armed, masked antifa members during the event. The Puget Sound Anarchists made an announcement soliciting support for its protest efforts through a post on its website, as did several other Anti-Fascist chapters.

This is a call out to antifascists, radicals, artists, anarchists, anti-racists, queers, feminists, and others to oppose the patriot prayer rally at Evergreen and drown out, embarrass, and expose them as the bigoted pathetic fools that they are.

Police arrived on campus at around 5:30 (Pacific time), fully clad in protective gear and carrying batons as they marched in formation to their positions, a development that the counter-protesters who were already on the scene took as an indication that Patriot Prayers demonstration would soon begin.

[RELATED: White prof harassed for questioning diversity event]

Violence ensued shortly thereafter when a member of the Patriot Prayer chapter was attacked by one of the antifa protesters. The attacker was removed by police, but this failed to dissuade another antifa member from assaulting the leader of Patriot Prayer, Joey Gibson, by macing him in the face.

In an interview with Campus Reform immediately after the attack, Gibson described being maced and punched by protesters as he attempted to shake their hands. His face is visibly red and there appears to be a cut above his right eye where he was allegedly punched.

I know there are a lot of students here that are good people, and I don't want them to suffer because of some kids running rampant on this campus, he told Campus Reform. The leadership needs to take a stand against all this racism and all this hate, otherwise we have no choice but to pull the funding.

[RELATED: Prof: House GOP should be lined up and shot]

A student who was present at the rally concurred, describing a feeling of exasperation with the level of hostility on campus.

I think that socially we should come to an understanding of what is and isnt appropriate, but it is not for the government for decide what is or isnt hate speech, the student opined. If the school can be held hostageif the students can take over like they are an insurgency force and hold the president hostage and if they can preach ideologies that promote segregating an entire population of the school because of their ethnicitythen the best way to shut down that kind of stuff is to defund the schools that act that way.

State legislators in Olympia are proposing various ways of doing just that.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @MrDanJackson

Correction:An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the student interviewed byCampus Reform as attending Evergreen State. The article has been updated to reflect the fact that the student did not indicate which school he attends.

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VIDEO: Antifa thugs attack free speech rally at Evergreen State - Campus Reform

Bill Maher, Breitbart Editor-In-Chief Bond Over Free Speech – Mediaite

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On Friday nights episode of Real Time, Bill Maher sat down with Alex Marlow, the editor-in-chief of Breitbart News.

And despite being on polar opposite sides of the political spectrum, they actually had a civil, intellectual conversation.

They agreed to disagree on how the media covers Russia and the ongoing investigation surrounding President Trump, but they had a lot in common on the subject of free speech.

The conversation began when Maher pointed out that Marlow attended UC Berkeley, a university Maher was invited to speak at a few years back, but then was disinvited after an uproar and was re-invited after another uproar.

Maher then brought up the Julius Caesar production that portrays President Trumps assassination and conceded to the argument that had that be President Obama, liberals would have been angry. Marlow called that and Kathy Griffins photo shoot not off-limits to free speech but bad strategy on behalf of liberals.

They then shifted the conversation to how corporations pull funding from these incidents and Marlow believed it all stems from what happened to Breitbart when there was a campaign of misinformation that put pressure on corporations to pull their ads from their site.

Whats happened is that corporations are now deciding whats free and fair speech, who can make a living, what opinions can make a living saying, Marlow said. Now youre seeing the right fight fire with fire and want boycotts of when the left takes it too far.

He added, Its a very dangerous path were on and I think people on the left and the right who are free speech advocates need to come together and say that corporations are not going to define the First Amendment and free speech in this country, which received an applause from Mahers audience.

Watch the clip above, via HBO.

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Bill Maher, Breitbart Editor-In-Chief Bond Over Free Speech - Mediaite