Comment on Exclusive: Russia plans $25-$30 billion oil-for-loans deal with China

(BETHLEHEM, West Bank) — The Nativity Store in Manger Square has sold handmade olive wood carvings and religious items to people visiting the traditional birthplace of Jesus since 1927. But as Bethlehem prepares to mark its second Christmas under the shadow of the war in Gaza, there are almost no tourists, leaving the Nativity Store and other businesses unsure of how much longer they can hold on. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] For the second straight year, Bethlehem’s Christmas celebrations will be somber and muted, in deference to ongoing war in Gaza.

See what analysts are expecting when it comes to Gen Z, China, sustainability, and more. At this time of year investment banks, advertising agencies, and seemingly every other business on the planet share their predictions on what is likely to unfold in the next 12 months. Journalists’ inboxes sag under the weight of unsolicited predictions for the year ahead.

There is an iterative interaction between large language models and smaller language models, which seems to have accelerated in 2024. I research the intersection of artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and human reasoning as the director of the Advancing Human and Machine Reasoning lab at the University of South Florida. I am also commercializing this research in an AI startup that provides a vulnerability scanner for language models.

Making rural school systems more resilient when disasters occur is essential to ensuring that students can continue learning. A week after Hurricane Sandy flooded New York City’s streets and subways in 2012, the city’s schools were back in business. But schools in rural North Carolina did not reopen until almost a month after Hurricane Helene roared through in late September 2024.

It sounds counterintuitive, but I believe that this resolution is actually making me more successful. Here’s why. For the past few years, I’ve had the same New Year’s resolution, which, on paper, may seem to be the antithesis of what a New Year’s resolution should be. But I swear it’s one that is slowly but surely making me a bit more successful: Each year, I vow to be a little less productive.