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Natural Garden Group was invited to attend the Horizon Data Intelligence Decision Summit, where they shared their insights on omni-channel digital innovation and AI practices. CHARLOTTE, N.C. , Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) announced the signing of a strategic agreement with Bombardier, a global leader in aviation and manufacturer of world-class business jets, to provide advanced technology for current and future Bombardier aircraft in avionics, propulsion and satellite communications technologies. The collaboration will advance new technology to enable a host of high-value upgrades for the installed Bombardier operator base, as well as lay innovative foundations for future aircraft. Honeywell estimates the value of this partnership to the company at $17 billion over its life. "This is a tremendous opportunity to co-innovate and advance next generation technologies, including Anthem avionics and engines," said Vimal Kapur , Chairman and CEO of Honeywell. "Growing our long-term collaborative relationship with Bombardier is directly connected to Honeywell's focus on compelling megatrends -- automation, the future of aviation, and energy transition." "This new partnership creates unprecedented opportunities for Bombardier," said Eric Martel , President and Chief Executive Officer of Bombardier. "Honeywell's differentiated technology is the key reason we decided to collaboratively build a bright future with them." Honeywell and Bombardier will collaborate on the development of Honeywell avionics to provide unparalleled adaptability to specific mission requirements, enabling exceptional situational awareness and enhanced safety. In addition, the collaboration's propulsion-based workstreams will focus on evolutions of power, reliability and maintainability, led by the next-generation model of Honeywell's HTF7K engine. "Working together, we will generate significant value for Bombardier's operator base by providing the latest technologies to enable safe and efficient flight," said Jim Currier , President and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. "We are committed to investing in these key technologies with Bombardier, which will not only drive substantial growth for Honeywell, but lead the industry further into the future of aviation." As part of the partnership, Bombardier and Honeywell will work together to certify and offer JetWave X for the Bombardier Global and Challenger families of aircraft for both new production and aftermarket installations. Bombardier will also have access to Honeywell's full suite of next generation L-Band satellite communications products and antennas that will provide future safety services capabilities. Additionally, all legacy pending litigation between the companies has been resolved. Honeywell Updates 2024 Outlook While the commercial agreement impacts near-term Honeywell financials, the company is confident it will lead to long-term value creation for Honeywell shareowners. Given the required investments associated with this agreement, Honeywell has updated its full-year sales, segment margin 2 , adjusted earnings per share 2,3 , and free cash flow guidance 1 . A summary is provided in the table below. TABLE 1: FULL-YEAR 2024 GUIDANCE Previous Guidance Impact of Agreement Updated Guidance Sales $38.6B - $38.8B ($0.4B) $38.2B - $38.4B Organic 1 Growth 3% - 4% ~(1%) ~2% Segment Margin 2 23.4% - 23.5% (0.8 %) 22.6% - 22.7% Expansion 2 Down 10 - Flat bps (80 bps) Down 90 - 80 bps Adjusted Earnings Per Share 2,3 $10.15 - $10.25 ($0.47) $9.68 - $9.78 Adjusted Earnings Growth 2,3 7% - 8% (5 %) 2% - 3% Operating Cash Flow $6.2B - $6.5B ($0.4B) $5.8B - $6.1B Free Cash Flow 1 $5.1B - $5.4B ($0.5B) $4.6B - $4.9B TABLE 2: FOURTH QUARTER 2024 GUIDANCE Previous Guidance Impact of Agreement Updated Guidance Sales $10.2B - $10.4B ($0.4B) $9.8B - $10.0B Organic 1 Growth 2% - 4% (4 %) (2%) - Flat Segment Margin 2 23.8% - 24.2% (2.9 %) 20.9% - 21.3% Expansion 2 Down 60 - 20 bps (290 bps) Down 350 - 310 bps Adjusted Earnings Per Share 2,3 $2.73 - $2.83 ($0.47) $2.26 - $2.36 Adjusted Earnings Growth 2,3 1% - 5% (17 %) (16%) - (12%) 1 See additional information at the end of this release regarding non-GAAP financial measures. 2 Segment margin and adjusted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures. Management cannot reliably predict or estimate, without unreasonable effort, the impact and timing on future operating results arising from certain items excluded from segment margin or adjusted EPS. We therefore, do not present a guidance range, or a reconciliation to, the nearest GAAP financial measures of operating margin or EPS. 3 Adjusted EPS and adjusted EPS V% guidance excludes items identified in the non-GAAP reconciliation of adjusted EPS at the end of this release, including the impact of amortization expense for acquisition-related intangible assets and other acquisition-related costs, and any potential future items that we cannot reliably predict or estimate such as pension mark-to-market. Bombardier, Global and Challenger are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. Honeywell is an integrated operating company serving a broad range of industries and geographies around the world. Our business is aligned with three powerful megatrends - automation, the future of aviation, and energy transition - underpinned by our Honeywell Accelerator operating system and Honeywell Connected Enterprise integrated software platform. As a trusted partner, we help organizations solve the world's toughest, most complex challenges, providing actionable solutions and innovations that help make the world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom . Honeywell uses our Investor Relations website, www.honeywell.com/investor , as a means of disclosing information which may be of interest or material to our investors and for complying with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor our Investor Relations website, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, webcasts, and social media. We describe many of the trends and other factors that drive our business and future results in this release. Such discussions contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). Forward-looking statements are those that address activities, events, or developments that management intends, expects, projects, believes, or anticipates will or may occur in the future and include statements related to the proposed spin-off of the Company's Advanced Materials business into a stand-alone, publicly traded company. They are based on management's assumptions and assessments in light of past experience and trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments, and other relevant factors, many of which are difficult to predict and outside of our control. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments, and business decisions may differ significantly from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update or revise any of our forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law. Our forward-looking statements are also subject to material risks and uncertainties, including ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical risks, such as lower GDP growth or recession, supply chain disruptions, capital markets volatility, inflation, and certain regional conflicts, that can affect our performance in both the near- and long-term. In addition, no assurance can be given that any plan, initiative, projection, goal, commitment, expectation, or prospect set forth in this release can or will be achieved. These forward-looking statements should be considered in light of the information included in this release, our Form 10-K, and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking plans described herein are not final and may be modified or abandoned at any time. This release contains financial measures presented on a non-GAAP basis. Honeywell's non-GAAP financial measures used in this release are as follows: Management believes that, when considered together with reported amounts, these measures are useful to investors and management in understanding our ongoing operations and in the analysis of ongoing operating trends. These measures should be considered in addition to, and not as replacements for, the most comparable GAAP measure. Certain measures presented on a non-GAAP basis represent the impact of adjusting items net of tax. The tax-effect for adjusting items is determined individually and on a case-by-case basis. Refer to the Appendix attached to this release for reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. Appendix Non-GAAP Financial Measures The following information provides definitions and reconciliations of certain non-GAAP financial measures presented in this press release to which this reconciliation is attached to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Management believes that, when considered together with reported amounts, these measures are useful to investors and management in understanding our ongoing operations and in the analysis of ongoing operating trends. Management believes the change to adjust for amortization of acquisition-related intangibles and certain acquisition- and divestiture-related costs provides investors with a more meaningful measure of its performance period to period, aligns the measure to how management will evaluate performance internally, and makes it easier for investors to compare our performance to peers. These measures should be considered in addition to, and not as replacements for, the most comparable GAAP measure. Certain measures presented on a non-GAAP basis represent the impact of adjusting items net of tax. The tax-effect for adjusting items is determined individually and on a case-by-case basis. Other companies may calculate these non-GAAP measures differently, limiting the usefulness of these measures for comparative purposes. Management does not consider these non-GAAP measures in isolation or as an alternative to financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. The principal limitations of these non-GAAP financial measures are that they exclude significant expenses and income that are required by GAAP to be recognized in the consolidated financial statements. In addition, they are subject to inherent limitations as they reflect the exercise of judgments by management about which expenses and income are excluded or included in determining these non-GAAP financial measures. Investors are urged to review the reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate Honeywell's business. Honeywell International Inc. Definition of Organic Sales Percent Change We define organic sales percentage as the year-over-year change in reported sales relative to the comparable period, excluding the impact on sales from foreign currency translation and acquisitions, net of divestitures, for the first 12 months following the transaction date. We believe this measure is useful to investors and management in understanding our ongoing operations and in analysis of ongoing operating trends. A quantitative reconciliation of reported sales percent change to organic sales percent change has not been provided for forward-looking measures of organic sales percent change because management cannot reliably predict or estimate, without unreasonable effort, the fluctuations in global currency markets that impact foreign currency translation, nor is it reasonable for management to predict the timing, occurrence and impact of acquisition and divestiture transactions, all of which could significantly impact our reported sales percent change. Honeywell International Inc. Reconciliation of Operating Income to Segment Profit, Calculation of Operating Income and Segment Profit Margins (Unaudited) (Dollars in millions) Three Months Ended December 31, Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2023 2023 Operating income $ 1,583 $ 7,084 Stock compensation expense 1 54 202 Repositioning, Other 2,3 569 952 Pension and other postretirement service costs 3 17 66 Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles 76 292 Acquisition-related costs 4 1 2 Segment profit $ 2,300 $ 8,598 Operating income $ 1,583 $ 7,084 ÷ Net sales $ 9,440 $ 36,662 Operating income margin % 16.8 % 19.3 % Segment profit $ 2,300 $ 8,598 ÷ Net sales $ 9,440 $ 36,662 Segment profit margin % 24.4 % 23.5 % 1 Included in Selling, general and administrative expenses. 2 Includes repositioning, asbestos, environmental expenses, equity income adjustment, and other charges. 3 Included in Cost of products and services sold and Selling, general and administrative expenses. 4 Includes acquisition-related fair value adjustments to inventory. We define operating income as net sales less total cost of products and services sold, research and development expenses, impairment of assets held for sale, and selling, general and administrative expenses. We define segment profit, on an overall Honeywell basis, as operating income, excluding stock compensation expense, pension and other postretirement service costs, amortization of acquisition-related intangibles, certain acquisition- and divestiture-related costs and impairments, and repositioning and other charges. We define segment profit margin, on an overall Honeywell basis, as segment profit divided by net sales. We believe these measures are useful to investors and management in understanding our ongoing operations and in analysis of ongoing operating trends. A quantitative reconciliation of operating income to segment profit, on an overall Honeywell basis, has not been provided for all forward-looking measures of segment profit and segment profit margin included herein. Management cannot reliably predict or estimate, without unreasonable effort, the impact and timing on future operating results arising from items excluded from segment profit, particularly pension mark-to-market expense as it is dependent on macroeconomic factors, such as interest rates and the return generated on invested pension plan assets. The information that is unavailable to provide a quantitative reconciliation could have a significant impact on our reported financial results. To the extent quantitative information becomes available without unreasonable effort in the future, and closer to the period to which the forward-looking measures pertain, a reconciliation of operating income to segment profit will be included within future filings. Acquisition amortization and acquisition- and divestiture-related costs are significantly impacted by the timing, size, and number of acquisitions or divestitures we complete and are not on a predictable cycle, and we make no comment as to when or whether any future acquisitions or divestitures may occur. We believe excluding these costs provides investors with a more meaningful comparison of operating performance over time and with both acquisitive and other peer companies. Honeywell International Inc. Reconciliation of Earnings per Share to Adjusted Earnings per Share (Unaudited) Three Months Ended December 31, Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2023 2024(E) 2023 2024(E) Earnings per share of common stock - diluted 1 $ 1.91 $2.03 - $2.13 $ 8.47 $8.76 - $8.86 Pension mark-to-market expense 2 0.19 No Forecast 0.19 No Forecast Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles 3 0.09 0.17 0.35 0.50 Acquisition-related costs 4 — 0.02 0.01 0.10 Divestiture-related costs 5 — 0.04 — 0.04 Russian-related charges 6 — — — 0.03 Net expense related to the NARCO Buyout and HWI Sale 7 — — 0.01 — Adjustment to estimated future Bendix liability 8 0.49 — 0.49 — Indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment 9 — — — 0.06 Impairment of assets held for sale 10 — — — 0.19 Adjusted earnings per share of common stock - diluted $ 2.69 $2.26 - $2.36 $ 9.52 $9.68 - $9.78 1 For the three months ended December 31, 2023, adjusted earnings per share utilizes weighted average shares of approximately 660.9 million. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, adjusted earnings per share utilizes weighted average shares of approximately 668.2 million. For the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024, expected earnings per share utilizes weighted average shares of approximately 653 million and 655 million, respectively. 2 Pension mark-to-market expense uses a blended tax rate of 18%, net of tax benefit of $27 million, for 2023. 3 For the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023, acquisition-related intangibles amortization includes $62 million and $231 million, net of tax benefit of approximately $14 million and $61 million, respectively. For the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024, expected acquisition-related intangibles amortization includes approximately $110 million and $330 million, net of tax benefit of approximately $30 million and $85 million, respectively. 4 For the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the adjustment for acquisition-related costs, which is principally comprised of third-party transaction and integration costs and acquisition-related fair value adjustments to inventory, is approximately $2 million and $7 million, net of tax benefit of approximately $0 million and $2 million, respectively. For the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024, the expected adjustment for acquisition-related costs, which is principally comprised of third-party transaction and integration costs and acquisition-related fair value adjustments to inventory, is approximately $20 million and $65 million, net of tax benefit of approximately $5 million and $15 million, respectively. 5 For the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024, the expected adjustment for divestiture-related costs, which is principally comprised of third-party transaction costs, is approximately $25 million, net of tax benefit of approximately $5 million. 6 For the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the adjustments were a benefit of $2 million and $3 million, without tax expense, respectively. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, the expected adjustment is a $17 million expense, without tax benefit, due to the settlement of a contractual dispute with a Russian entity associated with the Company's suspension and wind down activities in Russia. 7 For the the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the adjustment was $8 million, net of tax benefit of $3 million, due to the net expense related to the NARCO Buyout and HWI Sale. 8 Bendix Friction Materials ("Bendix") is a business no longer owned by the Company. In 2023, the Company changed its valuation methodology for calculating legacy Bendix liabilities. For the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the adjustment was $330 million, net of tax benefit of $104 million, (or $434 million pre-tax) due to a change in the estimated liability for resolution of asserted (claims filed as of the financial statement date) and unasserted Bendix-related asbestos claims. The Company experienced fluctuations in average resolution values year-over-year in each of the past five years with no well-established trends in either direction. In 2023, the Company observed two consecutive years of increasing average resolution values (2023 and 2022), with more volatility in the earlier years of the five-year period (2019 through 2021). Based on these observations, the Company, during its annual review in the fourth quarter of 2023, reevaluated its valuation methodology and elected to give more weight to the two most recent years by shortening the look-back period from five years to two years (2023 and 2022). The Company believes that the average resolution values in the last two consecutive years are likely more representative of expected resolution values in future periods. The $434 million pre-tax amount was attributable primarily to shortening the look-back period to the two most recent years, and to a lesser extent to increasing expected resolution values for a subset of asserted claims to adjust for higher claim values in that subset than in the modelled two-year data set. It is not possible to predict whether such resolution values will increase, decrease, or stabilize in the future, given recent litigation trends within the tort system and the inherent uncertainty in predicting the outcome of such trends. The Company will continue to monitor Bendix claim resolution values and other trends within the tort system to assess the appropriate look-back period for determining average resolution values going forward. 9 For the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, the expected impairment charge of indefinite-lived intangible assets associated with the personal protective equipment business is $37 million, net of tax benefit of $11 million. 10 For the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, the expected impairment charge of assets held for sale is $125 million, with no tax benefit. Note: Amounts may not foot due to rounding. We define adjusted earnings per share as diluted earnings per share adjusted to exclude various charges as listed above. We believe adjusted earnings per share is a measure that is useful to investors and management in understanding our ongoing operations and in analysis of ongoing operating trends. For forward-looking information, management cannot reliably predict or estimate, without unreasonable effort, the pension mark-to-market expense as it is dependent on macroeconomic factors, such as interest rates and the return generated on invested pension plan assets. We therefore do not include an estimate for the pension mark-to-market expense. Based on economic and industry conditions, future developments, and other relevant factors, these assumptions are subject to change. Acquisition amortization and acquisition- and divestiture-related costs are significantly impacted by the timing, size, and number of acquisitions or divestitures we complete and are not on a predictable cycle and we make no comment as to when or whether any future acquisitions or divestitures may occur. We believe excluding these costs provides investors with a more meaningful comparison of operating performance over time and with both acquisitive and other peer companies. Honeywell International Inc. Reconciliation of Expected Cash Provided by Operating Activities to Expected Free Cash Flow (Unaudited) Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2024(E) ($B) Cash provided by operating activities ~$5.8 - $6.1 Capital expenditures ~(1.2) Free cash flow ~$4.6 - $4.9 We define free cash flow as cash provided by operating activities less cash for capital expenditures. We believe that free cash flow is a non-GAAP measure that is useful to investors and management as a measure of cash generated by operations that will be used to repay scheduled debt maturities and can be used to invest in future growth through new business development activities or acquisitions, pay dividends, repurchase stock, or repay debt obligations prior to their maturities. This measure can also be used to evaluate our ability to generate cash flow from operations and the impact that this cash flow has on our liquidity. Contacts: Media Investor Relations Stacey Jones Sean Meakim (980) 378-6258 (704) 627-6200 stacey.jones@honeywell.com sean.meakim@honeywell.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/honeywell-and-bombardier-sign-landmark-agreement-to-deliver-the-next-generation-of-aviation-technology-honeywell-updates-2024-outlook-302320054.html SOURCE Honeywell
Expedia chief legal officer sells over $1 million in stock
The husband-wife legal team working on two of today’s biggest criminal casesArticle content The Auston Matthews watch continues as the calendar year 2024 runs out on the Maple Leafs’ injured captain. There was hope that Matthews’, and the team’s, three days off during the NHL’s Christmas break would see him recover to be in the lineup Friday at Detroit, but coach Craig Berube ruled him out and added the strong likelihood that he misses Saturday’s home game against Washington, too. The match against the Red Wings was the third straight that Matthews has missed since an upper body injury flared up, approaching 13 total games he’s been sidelined if he doesn’t face the Capitals. Berube told the media in Detroit that Matthews is improving, but likely doesn’t play Saturday, pending a pre-game update. Mathhews’ next chance would be the New Year’s Eve matinee versus the Islanders, giving him two more days off. But from there, Toronto is playing almost every second day until late January. Matthews took a couple of hits a week ago in Buffalo, the most painful a cross-check to the lower back, likely the source of pain that had led him to see a specialist in Munich last month. Through 24 games this year, the defending Rocket Richard Trophy winner has 11 goals and 23 points. OVIE TO FACE LEAFS ON SATURDAY? A week ago, Matthews was set to play against the Caps, while Alexander Ovechkin was iffy to face the Leafs. Now, Ovie might solo Saturday night in the Toronto spotlight to resume his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s career goal record. Before fracturing his left fibula Nov. 18 against Utah, the Great Eight was 27 goals shy of The Great One’s 894. At age 39, Ovechkin managed to fast track his recovery and “is trending in the right direction” to be ready for the Leafs, Caps coach, Spencer Carbery, said on Friday. Ovechkin spent Friday’s practice in his usual first-line left-wing slot with Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas. A few days before his injury, the trio looked very good against Toronto in a 4-3 overtime defeat. Ovechkin, with 44 goals against the Leafs in 60 career games, was held to an assist in that last outing. Caps defenceman John Carlson can’t wait for Ovechkin to be back in the dressing room where he has always been a force of energy, and on the ice to continue the Gretzky pursuit, while the club is fighting for first place in the Metropolitan Division. “We talked for days after he got hurt: You can’t replace him, you can’t replace his personality,” Carlson said. “All that stuff, his presence, scoring and on-ice ability ... I’ve played with a lot of guys and there’s not one person like him. “He wanted to stay close around the guys (while out) and it was meaningful, but I think now, the last week or so of practice, he’s getting unlocked and it’s fun to see.” “It’s incredible the magnitude of what’s going on around us (with the Gretzky race), him rolling in, having fun like a kid going out for recess. It’s fun for me and the young guys who haven’t been in the NHL. Their heads are spinning when he’s in the room. It’s a great achievement that he’s chasing and he has his biggest fans next to him.” WINGS NEEDED SHAKE-UP The timing of Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman firing head coach Derek Lalonde on Thursday likely had a bit to do with division rival Toronto being in town, the first of three home games with the Wings trying to stay out of the Atlantic Division cellar. They’d hoped to be in the wild-card playoff race this year, a predicament Yzerman must take some blame for in with his second coaching change after canning Jeff Blashill a few years ago. “Clearly we aren’t there, hence the change,” Yzerman said on Friday morning. This is new coach Todd McLellan’s first stint in the Eastern Conference after seven seasons in San Jose, four in Edmonton and five in Los Angeles. He was on the short list of the Leafs before they hired Berube to replace Sheldon Keefe last spring. The Melville, Sask., native developed his own successful bench style as an assistant under Mike Babcock with the Wings and Jacques Lemaire with the Minnesota Wild after cutting his teeth as a player as captain of the maverick WHL Saskatoon Blades in the mid-1980s. They had a roster of many future NHL rogues, notably Kelly Chase, Tony Twist, Kevin Kaminski, Shaun Van Allen, Kerry Clark — Wendel’s brother — and Brian Glynn. “We used to say it wasn’t a junior team, but a young offenders work release program,” laughed Chase in an earlier Sun interview. “Todd (who was in Chase’s wedding party) needed to have the maturity of a 30-year-old to deal with that group of troublemakers, the bar fights and so much more. “His dad was an RCMP officer (as was Leafs GM Brad Treliving’s father, Jim) and I’ll bet he went home and asked him how he should be dealing with us. But it was a good team and we all made sacrifices.” LOOSE LEAFS Defenceman Morgan Rielly knows a lot of what the Wings were going through the past couple of games. In his time as a Leaf, coaches Randy Carlyle and Babcock were fired during the season. “Whenever that happens, as players you think a lot about why your team is in that situation. There’s always some kind of a reaction when something like that happens” ... The NHL holiday roster freeze ends at 12:01 a.m., Saturday morning, with trade rumours swirling without the league. The Seattle Kraken, eight points out of a wild-card spot on Friday morning, might dangle 5-foot-9 centre Yanni Gourde, a player the Leafs are familiar with from their playoff battles against Tampa Bay and whose $5.1-million US contract nearing free agency could be more affordable closer to the March 7 trade deadline ... The Leafs went into Friday’s game tied with New Jersey for the most second-period goals (47). Lhornby@postmedia.com X: @sunhornby
In the 2016 science fiction movie Arrival, a linguist is faced with the daunting task of deciphering an alien language consisting of palindromic phrases, which read the same backwards as they do forwards, written with circular symbols. As she discovers various clues, different nations around the world interpret the messages differently — with some assuming they convey a threat. If humanity ended up in such a situation today, our best bet may be to turn to research uncovering how artificial intelligence (AI) develops languages. But what exactly defines a language? Most of us use at least one to communicate with people around us, but how did it come about? Linguists have been pondering this very question for decades , yet there is no easy way to find out how language evolved . Language is ephemeral, it leaves no examinable trace in the fossil records. Unlike bones, we can't dig up ancient languages to study how they developed over time. While we may be unable to study the true evolution of human language, perhaps a simulation could provide some insights. That's where AI comes in — a fascinating field of research called emergent communication , which I have spent the last three years studying. To simulate how language may evolve, we give agents (AIs) simple tasks that require communication, like a game where one robot must guide another to a specific location on a grid without showing it a map. We provide (almost) no restrictions on what they can say or how — we simply give them the task and let them solve it however they want. Because solving these tasks requires the agents to communicate with each other, we can study how their communication evolves over time to get an idea of how language might evolve. Related: Father-daughter team decodes 'alien signal' from Mars that stumped the world for a year Similar experiments have been done with humans . Imagine you, an English speaker, are paired with a non-English speaker. Your task is to instruct your partner to pick up a green cube from an assortment of objects on a table. You might try to gesture a cube shape with your hands and point at grass outside the window to indicate the color green. Over time you'd develop a sort of proto-language together. Maybe you'd create specific gestures or symbols for "cube" and "green". Through repeated interactions, these improvised signals would become more refined and consistent, forming a basic communication system. This works similarly for AI. Through trial and error, they learn to communicate about objects they see, and their conversation partners learn to understand them. But how do we know what they're talking about? If they only develop this language with their artificial conversation partner and not with us, how do we know what each word means? After all, a specific word could mean "green", "cube", or worse — both. This challenge of interpretation is a key part of my research. Cracking the code The task of understanding AI language may seem almost impossible at first. If I tried speaking Polish (my mother tongue) to a collaborator who only speaks English, we couldn't understand each other or even know where each word begins and ends. The challenge with AI languages is even greater, as they might organise information in ways completely foreign to human linguistic patterns. Fortunately, linguists have developed sophisticated tools using information theory to interpret unknown languages. Just as archaeologists piece together ancient languages from fragments, we use patterns in AI conversations to understand their linguistic structure. Sometimes we find surprising similarities to human languages, and other times we discover entirely novel ways of communication . These tools help us peek into the "black box" of AI communication, revealing how artificial agents develop their own unique ways of sharing information. My recent work focuses on using what the agents see and say to interpret their language. Imagine having a transcript of a conversation in a language unknown to you, along with what each speaker was looking at. We can match patterns in the transcript to objects in the participant's field of vision, building statistical connections between words and objects. For example, perhaps the phrase "yayo" coincides with a bird flying past — we could guess that "yayo" is the speaker's word for "bird". Through careful analysis of these patterns, we can begin to decode the meaning behind the communication. In the latest paper by me and my colleagues, to appear in the conference proceedings of Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS), we show that such methods can be used to reverse-engineer at least parts of the AIs' language and syntax, giving us insights into how they might structure communication. Aliens and autonomous systems How does this connect to aliens ? The methods we're developing for understanding AI languages could help us decipher any future alien communications. If we are able to obtain some written alien text together with some context (such as visual information relating to the text), we could apply the same statistical tools to analyze them. The approaches we're developing today could be useful tools in the future study of alien languages, known as xenolinguistics. But we don't need to find extraterrestrials to benefit from this research. There are numerous applications , from improving language models like ChatGPT or Claude to improving communication between autonomous vehicles or drones . By decoding emergent languages, we can make future technology easier to understand. Whether it's knowing how self-driving cars coordinate their movements or how AI systems make decisions, we're not just creating intelligent systems — we're learning to understand them. This edited article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – the tale of this athlete's rise and fall will serve as a cautionary reminder of the fickle nature of fame and fortune in the world of sports.
The Big Ten race has come down to Oregon vs. Penn State . For the first time this season, the Ducks and Nittany Lions will clash in the 2024 Big Ten Championship Game ( Saturday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS ). This will be just the fifth meeting all-time between the two teams and the first since 1995 when Penn State beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl to cap a 12-0 season. In one sense, this game is for College Football Playoff seeding, as both teams are likely in regardless of the result inside Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday in Indianapolis. While that's a heck of a safety net, Oregon and Penn State go into Tuesday's penultimate College Football Playoff Rankings at Nos. 1 and 4, respectively. Penn State's only blemish on its record a 7-point loss against Ohio State at home. Ohio State's Week 14 loss against Michigan opened the door for Penn State to re-enter the title game conversation, and the Nittany Lions pounced on the opportunity with a 44-7 rout of Maryland . Given Oregon and Penn State's résumés thus far, it could be a thrilling Big Ten Championship Game with plenty on the line! What to know about Oregon Dan Lanning has carried on what Mario Cristobal started -- which is loading up on brawn and speed to make Oregon resemble an elite SEC team. The Ducks may be better than everyone at those two aspects, however. Oregon has been No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll since Oct. 20. The pinnacle of the season, to date, is squeaking out a 32-31 game over Ohio State in Eugene that absolutely lived up to the hype. The Ducks are led by QB Dillon Gabriel , who is within throwing distance of the FBS career passing mark depending on how far Oregon advances in the postseason. Gabriel will make his FBS career record 62nd start against Ohio State. If you're looking for edges, this will be Oregon's 10th straight week of football. The Ducks have been resilient so far, combining a controlled passing game and a punishing running attack with a smothering defense. That defense is led by linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei , who is having an All-American season. The younger brother of DJ Uiagalelei has 8.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss, while his breakout game may have come in the Ohio State win. In that win, he had a then-career high five tackles and a sack of Howard on the Buckeyes' final drive. Lanning is a national coach of the year candidate having assembled the nation's only undefeated team. Instead of adapting to the Big Ten in their first season as a league member, the Ducks have ruled it. Now, can they cap it with a conference title? What to know About Penn State For the first time in eight years, and the second time under coach James Franklin, Penn State is making its way back to Indianapolis. Good news, Nittany Lions: You're 1-0 in your Big Ten Championship Game appearances under Franklin, and you also avoid playing either Ohio State or Michigan with a title on the line. Penn State's defense has been predictably excellent this season. The Nittany Lions entered Week 14 ranked third in the Big Ten in total defense (273.4 yards per game) and second in scoring defense (14.6 points per game). Abdul Carter , who dons Penn State's all-important No. 11, has put together an All-Big Ten campaign with 10 sacks on the year. But the real story has been Penn State's offensive revitalization. Franklin made a splash in the offseason by going out and hiring offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas , and he has solidified his status as one of the most innovative minds in the sport. Former five-star quarterback Drew Allar is playing the best football of his career under Kotelnicki. Allar finished the regular season with a 71.6% completion percentage and 2,668 yards passing, which are career highs, and 18 touchdowns through the air. The Nittany Lions also have the Big Ten's top rushing rushing attack behind the stellar running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen . And then there's tight end Tyler Warren , who has been a revelation for a Penn State pass game that sorely lacked in playmakers entering the year. Kotelnicki has unlocked Warren's abilities as a multi-dimensional threat; the senior has lined up at tight end, quarterback, fullback, running back, wide receiver and even offensive line this season. He's the clear focal point of Penn State's offense, with a team-high 81 catches for 978 yards and six touchdowns, and the Nittany Lions are likely to go as he does through the postseason.Gaetz withdraws as Trump's pick for attorney general, averting confirmation battle in the Senate WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Gaetz has withdrawn as Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general following scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation. The Florida Republican made the announcement Thursday. Gaetz’s withdrawal is a blow to Trump’s push to install steadfast loyalists in his incoming administration and the first sign that Trump could face resistance from members of his own party. Trump said in a social media post that Gaetz “did not want to be a distraction for the Administration.” Gaetz said “it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work" of the transition team. He added, “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle.” Warrants put Israeli PM and others in a small group of leaders accused of crimes against humanity Arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas leader put them in a small group of leaders to be accused of crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court in the Hague issued the warrants Thursday for Netanyahu, his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and Mohammed Deif, a Hamas leader Israel claims it killed. The court says Hamas committed murder, rape and torture in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that triggered the Israel-Hamas war. The court also says Israel used starvation as a method of warfare and committed murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. Several of Trump's Cabinet picks — and Trump himself — have been accused of sexual misconduct WASHINGTON (AP) — Former congressman Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name as President-elect Donald Trump's choice for attorney general in the face of sexual misconduct allegations. He's not the only member of Trump’s chosen staff and Cabinet accused of some form of misconduct. Others include: Elon Musk, his choice to help lead a new outside panel seeking to boost government efficiency, Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Trump’s choice for defense secretary Pete Hegseth and Linda McMahon, his choice to lead the Department of Education. They all deny the claims. Elon Musk's budget crusade could cause a constitutional clash in Trump's second term WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has put Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge of finding ways to cut government spending and regulations. It's possible that their efforts will lead to a constitutional clash. This week, Musk and Ramaswamy said they would encourage the Republican president-elect to refuse to spend money allocated by Congress, which would conflict with a 1974 law that's intended to prevent presidents from blocking funds. If Trump takes such a step, it would quickly become one of the most closely watched legal battles of his second administration. Musk and Ramaswamy also aim to dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce. Death toll in Gaza from Israel-Hamas war passes 44,000, Palestinian officials say DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian health officials say the death toll in the Gaza Strip from the 13-month-old war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000. The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the rest were released during a cease-fire last year. Putin touts Russia's new missile and delivers a menacing warning to NATO The new ballistic missile fired by Russia struck a military-industrial facility in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, but its real mission was delivering a deadly new message to NATO. Hours after Thursday’s strike touched off a debate over whether the Ukrainian plant was hit by an intercontinental ballistic missile, President Vladimir Putin cleared up the mystery in a rare and surprise appearance on Russian television. He described it as a new, intermediate-range ballistic missile that raced to its target at 10 times the speed of sound and couldn't be stopped by modern anti-missile systems. One Western expert said it was the first time that such a missile was used in the war — and perhaps in any conflict. What to know about a storm bringing high winds, heavy rain, snow to California and Pacific Northwest SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One of the strongest storms on the West Coast in decades knocked out power for thousands of people and unleashed strong winds that toppled trees and left two dead in Washington before making its way through Oregon to Northern California. The storm was dumping heavy snow and record amounts of rain in the region on Thursday. The National Weather Service extended a flood watch into Saturday for areas north of San Francisco. The storm system roared ashore Tuesday and it’s expected to bring moderate to heavy rain through Saturday, increasing the risk of flash flooding and rockslides in some areas. Brazilian police indict former President Bolsonaro and aides over alleged 2022 coup attempt SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Federal Police have indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people on charges of attempting a coup to keep him in office after his electoral defeat in the 2022 elections. The findings are to be delivered Thursday to Brazil’s Supreme Court, which will refer them to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who will either formally charge Bolsonaro and put the former president on trial or toss the investigation. The former right-wing president has denied all claims he tried to stay in office after his narrow electoral defeat in 2022 to his rival, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then. Jussie Smollett’s conviction in 2019 attack on himself is overturned SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court has overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction on charges that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lied to Chicago police. The state’s highest court ruled Thursday on Smollett’s argument that a special prosecutor should not have been allowed to intervene after the local state’s attorney initially dropped charges. The 5-0 decision did not address Smollett's claims of innocence. The Black, gay actor claimed two men assaulted him, spouted slurs and tossed a noose around his neck. Smollett was on the television drama “Empire,” which filmed in Chicago. Testimony at his trial indicated Smollett paid $3,500 to two men to carry out the attack. US towns plunge into debates about fluoride in water NEW YORK (AP) — Fights are cropping up nationwide over fluoride in drinking water. Communities in Florida, Texas, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming and elsewhere have debated the idea in recent months. And several have decided to stop adding it to drinking water. In August, a federal agency for the first time reported that there is a link between high levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. And in September, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate it in drinking water. The decision to add fluoride to drinking water rests with state and local officials, but advisers to Donald Trump have suggested he would push to remove it.
US urges push for Syria de-escalationSaturday, November 30, 2024 Winter’s first major storm has descended upon the Great Lakes region, bringing heavy lake-effect snow and causing widespread travel disruptions in New York and Michigan. This sudden burst of extreme weather coincides with a busy holiday weekend, complicating both travel and shopping plans. New York forecasters have predicted 4 to 6 feet of lake-effect snow for areas east of Lake Ontario, including Watertown and Adams along I-81. Similarly, Buffalo and regions south of Lake Erie are expected to receive 2 to 3 feet of snow through Monday. The storm has resulted in rapidly deteriorating conditions, prompting New York Governor Kathy Hochul to declare a disaster emergency for affected counties, enabling state agencies to mobilize resources. Lake-effect snow occurs when cold, dry air passes over warm lake waters, creating intense snowfall bands. According to Erie County Public Works Commissioner William Geary, unusually warm lake temperatures are fueling the current storm. “The lake is 50 degrees, about six degrees above the seasonal norm, which explains these heavy snow events,” Geary noted. As snow intensified on Friday, sections of Interstate 90 were closed, and bans on tandem and commercial vehicles were implemented on Interstate 86 and parts of Route 219 in western New York. Erie County’s Deputy Director for Preparedness and Homeland Security, Gregory Butcher, reported numerous vehicles stranded on Route 219. Snowmobiles and ATVs have been deployed to assist first responders. The Buffalo Bills have called for volunteers to help clear snow from Highmark Stadium ahead of their Sunday night game against the San Francisco 49ers. With over 2 feet of snow forecast for the area, officials are working around the clock to ensure safety. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz emphasized the challenges, saying, “It’s going to be slow going, there’s no doubt about that.” Despite the storm, the Bills are preparing to play in any conditions, as noted by head coach Sean McDermott. Meanwhile, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP) is grappling with its own lake-effect snowstorm. Some areas are already buried under more than a foot of snow, with up to 3 feet expected by Sunday night. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Gaylord warned of reduced visibility due to gusty winds, urging caution for drivers. “We’ve got a pretty good setup for a long-duration lake-effect snowfall event,” said NWS meteorologist Lily Chapman. “This westerly, northwesterly flow combined with a cold air mass is leading to significant snow accumulation across the UP.” Visibility has been limited on Michigan’s roads, but no major accidents have been reported as of Friday evening. The timing of this storm has added to the region’s challenges. With holiday shopping in full swing and travelers trying to navigate roads and airports, the heavy snowfall is likely to cause significant delays. Emergency management teams are urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel and prepare for potential power outages. Last year, similar lake-effect conditions forced the NFL to delay a Buffalo Bills playoff game due to unsafe weather. While Sunday’s game is expected to proceed as planned, fans and players alike will face wintry conditions. State officials in both New York and Michigan are mobilizing resources to handle the storm. Snowplows, salt trucks, and emergency vehicles are on standby, while residents are advised to stock up on essential supplies and stay indoors where possible. The lake-effect snow is expected to subside by early next week, but colder-than-average temperatures and more snow events are likely as December progresses. This significant lake-effect snowstorm has disrupted travel and daily life across New York and Michigan, underscoring the challenges of living near the Great Lakes during winter. As emergency crews work tirelessly to keep roads clear and assist those in need, residents are reminded to prioritize safety and avoid unnecessary risks.
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — 2024 was a brutal year for the Amazon rainforest, with rampant wildfires and extreme drought ravaging large parts of a biome that’s a critical counterweight to climate change. A warming climate fed drought that in turn fed the worst year for fires since 2005. And those fires contributed to deforestation, with authorities suspecting some fires were set to more easily clear land to run cattle. The Amazon is twice the size of India and sprawls across eight countries and one territory, storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide that would otherwise warm the planet. It has about 20% of the world’s fresh water and astounding biodiversity, including 16,000 known tree species. But governments have historically viewed it as an area to be exploited, with little regard for sustainability or the rights of its Indigenous peoples, and experts say exploitation by individuals and organized crime is rising at alarming rates. “The fires and drought experienced in 2024 across the Amazon rainforest could be ominous indicators that we are reaching the long-feared ecological tipping point,” said Andrew Miller, advocacy director at Amazon Watch, an organization that works to protect the rainforest. “Humanity’s window of opportunity to reverse this trend is shrinking, but still open.” There were some bright spots. The level of Amazonian forest loss fell in both Brazil and Colombia. And nations gathered for the annual United Nations conference on biodiversity agreed to give Indigenous peoples more say in nature conservation decisions. “If the Amazon rainforest is to avoid the tipping point, Indigenous people will have been a determinant factor," Miller said. Wildfires and extreme drought Forest loss in Brazil’s Amazon — home to the largest swath of this rainforest — dropped 30.6% compared to the previous year, the lowest level of destruction in nine years. The improvement under leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva contrasted with deforestation that hit a 15-year high under Lula's predecessor, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who prioritized agribusiness expansion over forest protection and weakened environmental agencies. In July, Colombia reported historic lows in deforestation in 2023, driven by a drop in environmental destruction. The country's environment minister Susana Muhamad warned that 2024's figures may not be as promising as a significant rise in deforestation had already been recorded by July due to dry weather caused by El Nino, a weather phenomenon that warms the central Pacific. Illegal economies continue to drive deforestation in the Andean nation. “It’s impossible to overlook the threat posed by organized crime and the economies they control to Amazon conservation,” said Bram Ebus, a consultant for Crisis Group in Latin America. “Illegal gold mining is expanding rapidly, driven by soaring global prices, and the revenues of illicit economies often surpass state budgets allocated to combat them.” In Brazil, large swaths of the rainforest were draped in smoke in August from fires raging across the Amazon, Cerrado savannah, Pantanal wetland and the state of Sao Paulo. Fires are traditionally used for deforestation and for managing pastures, and those man-made blazes were largely responsible for igniting the wildfires. For a second year, the Amazon River fell to desperate lows , leading some countries to declare a state of emergency and distribute food and water to struggling residents. The situation was most critical in Brazil, where one of the Amazon River's main tributaries dropped to its lowest level ever recorded. Cesar Ipenza, an environmental lawyer who lives in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, said he believes people are becoming increasingly aware of the Amazon's fundamental role “for the survival of society as a whole." But, like Miller, he worries about a “point of no return of Amazon destruction.” It was the worst year for Amazon fires since 2005, according to nonprofit Rainforest Foundation US. Between January and October, an area larger than the state of Iowa — 37.42 million acres, or about 15.1 million hectares of Brazil’s Amazon — burned. Bolivia had a record number of fires in the first ten months of the year. “Forest fires have become a constant, especially in the summer months and require particular attention from the authorities who don't how to deal with or respond to them,” Ipenza said. Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana also saw a surge in fires this year. Indigenous voices and rights made headway in 2024 The United Nations conference on biodiversity — this year known as COP16 — was hosted by Colombia. The meetings put the Amazon in the spotlight and a historic agreement was made to give Indigenous groups more of a voice on nature conservation decisions , a development that builds on a growing movement to recognize Indigenous people's role in protecting land and combating climate change. Both Ebus and Miller saw promise in the appointment of Martin von Hildebrand as the new secretary general for the Amazon Treaty Cooperation Organization, announced during COP16. “As an expert on Amazon communities, he will need to align governments for joint conservation efforts. If the political will is there, international backers will step forward to finance new strategies to protect the world’s largest tropical rainforest,” Ebus said. Ebus said Amazon countries need to cooperate more, whether in law enforcement, deploying joint emergency teams to combat forest fires, or providing health care in remote Amazon borderlands. But they need help from the wider world, he said. “The well-being of the Amazon is a shared global responsibility, as consumer demand worldwide fuels the trade in commodities that finance violence and environmental destruction,” he said. Next year marks a critical moment for the Amazon, as Belém do Pará in northern Brazil hosts the first United Nations COP in the region that will focus on climate. “Leaders from Amazon countries have a chance to showcase strategies and demand tangible support," Ebus said. ___ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org . Steven Grattan, The Associated PressDemocrat Bob Casey concedes to Republican David McCormick in Pennsylvania Senate contest
Over 5.59 lakh aspirants apply for 4,002 police constable posts in J&KOne of the most important tactics not only in the world of NASCAR and oval racing but the broader motorsports umbrella as a whole is a phenomenon called drafting. Often referred to as slipstreaming by the Europeans, the science behind the effect a car experiences when directly behind another one remains the same. As a car drives down the track, one of the many forces it has to overcome to gain as well as maintain speed is moving the actual air out of its way. This force increases as speeds increase, with the car having to work much harder as it nears its top speed. Back when NASCAR was still in its adolescent days, Junior Johnson became the first driver to manipulate this effect and take advantage. Realizing how a car closely following another one in front usually meant the both of them could go that slight bit faster, Johnson became one of the first drivers to understand how to use the air to his advantage. Amplified by the fact that NASCAR still used relatively close to ‘stock’ cars during the 60s, the machines’ boxy designs further amplified the drafting effect. One of the many wins of his career, the victory during the 1960 Daytona 500 came courtesy of Johnson’s ability to understand this effect better than others. “I’m sure that a lot of drivers had felt things with the air not knowing exactly what to do or how to use it, and then Junior taught them exactly what this was about. He didn’t talk a lot about it because this was an advantage he had at the time,” elaborated former driver Dale Jarrett looking back at the 1960 Daytona 500. The subtle art of drafting, which was discovered by racers in the sixties, has evolved into what NASCAR is in current times. The sport has seen a build-up of the same effect and how to use it ever since, with plate racing becoming a byproduct of drafting in the sport, with amplified emphasis on how a car pierces its way through the air. This, in turn, gave birth to pack racing, which sees almost the entirety of the field bunched together, following each other closely to gain an advantage by catching, you guessed it, the draft of the car in front. The Next Gen era is also affected by this complex phenomenon, however, in a completely different way. In the modern day and age, the seventh-generation racecar is often criticized for its lack of drafting abilities, in turn making overtaking difficult for the following cars. Drivers are often seen using this effect to defend as well, with the term aero-blocking cropping up now and then. This falls on the complete opposite spectrum of what Junior Johnson took advantage of back in the day. Confusing, isn’t it? Guess now we know why the industry requires engineers and aerodynamicists to get the best out of each car and driver today, something the racers from the sixties could hardly imagine at the time.