fortune gems update
Kitchens will lead Tar Heels in Fenway Bowl against UConn. Another ex-Browns coach is standing by
Pennycuick announces new law criminalizing AI-generated deepfake child pornographyPHILADELPHIA — Gov. Josh Shapiro had a big 2024 — from his star turn as a contender for the vice presidential ticket to his campaign trail cameos as a prominent Democratic election surrogate, and as a vocal supporter of Israel. As the year comes to an end, his national profile has continued to grow, this time with a focus on how he uses his faith to connect with voters. Shapiro has long made his Jewish faith a tenet of his public identity, and now as President Joe Biden, a practicing Catholic, cedes the White House to President-elect Donald Trump, who promotes his own branded Bibles, the New York Times is pointing to Shapiro as part of “a small but prominent cast of Scripture-quoting, religiously observant Democratic politicians.” Many of them, the Times reports, are “poised to command national attention over the next four years.” Shapiro, Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Texas state Rep. James Talarico are newer Democratic Party leaders who haven’t shied away from speaking publicly about being religious in an effort to relate to voters across spiritual lines even as the party has garnered a reputation for being increasingly secular. “It is important for the community to understand, wherever you are, what motivates you,” Shapiro told the Times. “That’s important for people to know before you start talking to them about bills and policies and proposals.” A Pew study published in April using data from 1994 to 2023 found that among registered voters who are atheist, agnostic or otherwise not affiliated with a religious group, 70% leaned Democratic. Meanwhile, 59% of Protestants and 52% of Catholics leaned Republican, while 69% of Jews and 66% of Muslims leaned Democratic — though the data for Muslims were smaller than these other groups. But as the study broke down racial and ethnic groups, the story shifted, with 84% of Black Protestants and 60% of Hispanic Catholics leaning Democratic, according to Pew. The majority of both groups voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in this year’s election, but Trump made gains among Black and Latino voters. While Trump isn’t known for being the most fluent in Christian theology, he has framed himself as a defender of Christian ideology. Trump, who has identified himself as a nondenominational Christian, has spoken about his near-death experience surviving an assassination attempt in religious terms, as have his supporters. Trump has also proved successful presenting himself as authentic while the Democratic Party does soul-searching on how to better connect with voters. Positions related to Shapiro’s faith have landed him in the spotlight of heated political debates. While Shapiro has fiercely criticized Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he made a name for himself as an adamant supporter of Israel who at times spoke brashly about protesters he considered antisemitic. Those stances were seen as a vulnerability by some and a strength by others when he was being considered as Harris’ vice presidential nominee. His religion remained in the spotlight after the veepstakes were over. Republicans, including Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance, tried to pin Harris’ decision to pick Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on what they called antisemitism within the Democratic Party. Shapiro appeared to rebuke those theories when he took the stage at Temple University’s Liacouras Center during the rally that debuted Walz as the Democratic vice presidential nominee in August. In the final moments of a resounding speech that garnered thunderous applause from the crowd standing in the arena on North Broad Street, Shapiro celebrated his faith and its intersection with public service and quoted the Pirkei Avot, an ancient text of Jewish ethics: “No one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it,” he said. “I want to just say this,” Shapiro said. “I lean on my family, and I lean on my faith, which calls me to serve, and I am proud of my faith.” Rabbi David Glanzberg-Krainin, the rabbi at Beth Sholom in Montgomery County — Shapiro’s hometown synagogue — told The Inquirer in August that this moment showed “he’s not going to back down from saying that this is something that’s a foundational part of who he is” and how he approaches public service. Glanzberg-Krainin also rejected Vance’s notion that Shapiro’s being Jewish was a factor in his rejection as Harris’ running mate. “I absolutely can’t fathom a universe in which, you know, Vice President Harris, who’s married to a Jewish man, decided not to select Josh Shapiro as her running mate because Josh is Jewish ... there’s just no world in which I can conceive of that as being possible,” he said. As Shapiro has continued to embrace being Jewish, so has the fixation on his identity. After the popular governor gave a prime-time speech at the Democratic National Convention later in August, Trump called him a “highly overrated Jewish governor” who “has done nothing for Israel” in a rant on Truth Social. To this, Shapiro said that Trump is “obsessed” with him and that the then-GOP nominee was perpetuating “antisemitic tropes.” Despite Shapiro’s faith occasionally becoming a political football, Glanzberg-Krainin said in August that he suspects the governor will continue to look for ways to meld his religion and his call to public service. “Over the course of years, I think that’s something that he takes really seriously,” Glanzberg-Krainin said. “Where could he best serve? And that’s not something that’s just purely rational, I think it’s something that he feels on a deep level.” Shapiro has already taken his faith-based connections beyond Pennsylvania, including by joining forces with Warnock, the Democratic senator from Georgia who also combines his faith with his public identity. Shapiro visited Warnock’s church in October and “immediately introduced himself as a fellow person of faith,” the Times reported, telling churchgoers “Shabbat shalom,” a greeting observant Jews use on the Sabbath. Warnock and Shapiro are both rising leaders in the party who are seen as potential future presidential nominees. The two men campaigned for Harris together, and Shapiro told the Times they talked about strengthening the “fraying bonds between the Jewish and Black communities.” ©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Visit at inquirer.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Ati Inc's SVP sells $155,918 in stock
US says terror designation doesn't bar talks with Syrian rebel group
Syracuse, Albany each hoping to get right at expense of the otherB.C.'s Finance Minister Brenda Bailey Wednesday (Nov. 20) said British Columbia is "very interested in remaining competitive" when it comes to hosting film productions. Bailey made these comments following meetings with executives from Warner Bros Entertainment Inc and Netflix and before meetings with Hallmark. Bailey is part of a B.C. delegation that includes industry figures represented by Screen BC speaking for the provincial motion picture industry, as well as relevant political leaders. Joining Bailey is B.C.'s Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Spencer Chandra Herbert (Vancouver-West End) and Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film Nina Krieger (Victoria-Swan Lake) -- all of them sworn in Monday. Bailey said the trip to California is not so much an elevator pitch to Hollywood executives about the benefits of filming in British Columbia, but ensuring that B.C.'s strong relationship with established partners continues. It comes as the provincial film industry is trying to recover from labour disputes in the film industry and a general pull-back in productions for economic reasons. The B.C. NDP campaigned on increasing the production services tax credit to 36 per cent from 28 per cent that B.C. offers to global film and TV production to help support an increasingly important industry. Premier David Eby reiterated that promise in late October after California had announced changes to its financial support for the film industry centred in Los Angeles, but long globalized. California Governor Gavin Newsom specifically proposed expanding that state's film and television credit program to US$750 million from US$330. Responding to Newsom's announcement, Eby said his government would work with the provincial film industry. "We know that if you are competitive, we can bring in the big productions," he said. "(We) are not going to be able to outbid the lowest common denominator bidders in the United States, but if we are competitive, combined with the amazing crews that we have, we can deliver some of the biggest productions available." Bailey, who has had a history of working with the film industry in her previous role as Minister for Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, acknowledged California's financial commitment. But money night not be everything, she added. "It's important to note that it is not a strict competition on tax credits," she said. "There are many factors that go into placing a product (in a specific location)." Other jurisdictions outside of California have also recognized the economic potential of the film industry in courting productions of various sorts. They include Ireland, whose government has extended its low-tax approach in fields such as high technology and finance to film. So how much does this aspect concern Bailey? "We're really down here talking to studio heads about what the opportunities are to work together," she said. "We know that a decision to place a major project in British Columbia has just such incredibly positive outcomes for us and we are taking these meetings to have discussions about those future opportunities," she said. One such future opportunity could be developing tourism around film locations, she added, pointing to the community of fans that has sprung up around the show The Last of Us, which has filmed in British Columbia including Nanaimo as well as Alberta. Bailey's visit comes as a new U.S. administration said to be generally hostile toward international ties and trade prepares to take office. In other words, the political interests of California — historically a 'blue state' — and those of incoming U.S. president Donald Trump may find themselves in alignment, with B.C.'s film industry thus facing strong political headwinds. "It's interesting, that particular topic (protectionism) hasn't come up in the meetings that we have taken today," Bailey said. "The topics have been more around competitiveness and talent and opportunities in the future." Bailey's trip to California has not gone unnoticed. Vancouver-based journalist Bob Mackin called it the "(first) junket of the new" Eby cabinet on social media. So what's Bailey's reaction? "I think the point of this trip is to really communicate to (Hollywood) executives that British Columbia is very interested in their business....we are talking about 47,500 jobs," she said. "So yes, I'm very interested in defending these jobs and keeping these jobs in British Columbia." Bailey said the delegation arrived late Tuesday evening and is scheduled to return Thursday morning. "So it's a fast and important trip."
MACY'S flagship store in Midtown Manhattan draws thousands of visitors each year thanks to its festive windows and Santa meet-and-greets. But the store's November 21 window reveal left customers shaking their heads at the "craptastic" decor. This year's windows theme Give Love, which highlights the ways in which togetherness is celebrated during the holidays. The display features Macy's signature stars, which are often seen as inflated balloons in its annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. Elves dressed for winter are featured with New York City scenes playing out behind them. There are giant hearts, presents, and more as part of the festive automated display. READ MORE ON HOLIDAY SEASON “It’s really amazing just to stand back and watch people’s faces,” Macy’s National Windows Director Manny Urquizo told local CW affiliate WP I X . “The joy that the windows bring to their faces it’s just really special and heartwarming.” But the post-reveal reaction has been lukewarm on social media. "It's giving bare minimum with a side of basic," one person commented on an Instagram post by @secret_nyc . Most read in The US Sun "Underwhelming," read another comment. "Creepy and not super interesting. Maybe it’s better in person," someone else chimed in. "Well that's craptastic! Can tell where the budget cuts came from," another said. "They could never be Saks but then again Saks isn’t even doing this anymore," another wrote. SAK-RILEGE Fans were left fuming in early November after The U.S. Sun reported Saks canceled its annual light show after two decades. A Saks Fifth Avenue spokesperson told The U.S. Sun that the store is changing direction. “For many years, the holidays at Saks Fifth Avenue included a light show at our flagship store, and, for some time we have contemplated changing our approach," the spokesperson shared. "In our 100th year, which also marks the anniversary of the flagship, we are celebrating the season by honoring the architectural significance of this iconic building, elegantly illuminating the facade and framing the holiday windows, as well as highlighting the fashion for which Saks Fifth Avenue is known." The store's famous decorated windows, however, will return. "We look forward to welcoming customers to our holiday windows throughout the season and invite them to discover inspiring gifts and unique holiday offerings within the Saks Fifth Avenue New York flagship," the spokesperson continued. The holiday windows tradition was started by Macy's in 1874. Saks only joined in on the fun in 2004. The joy that the windows bring to their faces it’s just really special and heartwarming. But it quickly became a fan-favorite holiday tradition with its over-the-top designs. Lights were projected on the side of the flagship Saks store, which faces the Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, in 10-minute intervals all through the holiday season. In 2023, the store wowed with a spectacular Dior-sponsored show that drew thousands of fans to Fifth Avenue daily. The Carousel of Dreams window collaboration was a sprawling spectacular that could be seen for blocks. Read More on The US Sun Fans disappointed by the cancelation of this year's Saks show can instead check out the Macy's windows or the dozens of other festive shops in the midtown area. The U.S. Sun has reached out to Macy's for comment.
MH370 search resumes: Ham radio tech could unlock the mystery 10 years later
NoneHEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Kijan Robinson scored 28 points off of the bench to lead Hofstra past Saint Joseph's (N.Y.) 114-46 on Friday. Robinson added five rebounds and seven assists for the Pride (7-3). Eric Parnell scored 19 points, shooting 6 for 7 (4 for 5 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line. Khalil Farmer shot 5 for 7 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line to finish with 16 points. Alec Tabada finished with 14 points for the Golden Eagles. Robinson led Hofstra with 20 points in the first half to help put them up 53-27 at the break. Hofstra pulled away with a 26-3 run in the second half. Parnell led the way with a team-high 15 second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
ATHENS Denmark is looking to boost its defense capabilities in Greenland amid US President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial remarks, media reports said Tuesday. “For many years we have not invested sufficiently in the Arctic, now we are planning a stronger presence,” Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told the Jyllands Posten newspaper. Without spelling out the exact amount, he stressed that the extra budget of double-digit billion krones will be allocated to purchase at least two Tetis-class ocean patrol vessels and two long-range drones and the recruitment of military personnel for the Joint Artic Command, which is responsible for the security of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Trump said Sunday on his social media platform, Truth Social, that "for purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity." A day after Trump's comments, Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede said, "Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland." "We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom," he added. Greenland, a self-governing territory under the Danish monarchy, maintains its own parliament and administration while electing two members to Denmark’s Folketing, or parliament.
Dolphins' Dee Eskridge on gun violence awareness after sisters' death
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump's supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump's movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump's Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer , a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Loomer's comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks , whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar." Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government , weighed in, defending the tech industry's need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump's world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift. His presidential transition team did not respond to questions about positions on visas for highly skilled workers or the debate between his supporters online. Instead, his team instead sent a link to a post on X by longtime adviser and immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller that was a transcript of a speech Trump gave in 2020 at Mount Rushmore in which he praised figures and moments from American history. Musk, the world's richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect , was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump's movement but his stance on the tech industry's hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry's need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent," he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Trump's own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration , including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order , which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump's businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club , and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country" and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country," he told the “All-In" podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump's budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes.Struggling Syracuse looks to climb back above .500 when it hosts Albany on Tuesday night. The Orange (4-4) are coming off a conference loss to Notre Dame where they failed to make a 3-pointer in a game for the first time in more than 10 years, going 0-for-9 from behind the arc. They will be without leading scorer J.J. Starling, who broke his hand in practice last Monday. Orange coach Adrian Autry said there was "no timetable" for Starling's return after the loss to the Fighting Irish and lamented his team's struggles with turnovers and free-throw shooting in the defeat. "Too many blown opportunities," Autry said. "We're not shooting the ball well. We have to adjust and go game by game now. Our front court has been pretty secure, but we have to keep working and getting better." Starling was averaging a team-high 19.8 points before his injury. The Orange may need to lean more on freshman Donnie Freeman, who has been a standout for Syracuse this season. He's averaging 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds and already has four double-doubles. He was co-ACC Rookie of the Week last week. Defensively, the Orange have struggled. They rank No. 329 in scoring defense, giving up 79.4 points per game. Albany is scoring 77.2 ppg so far this season. The Great Danes (6-4) were downed by Boston University 80-74 in overtime on Saturday. They started the season 5-1 but have lost three of their last four. Senior guard Byron Joshua, a transfer from Alcorn State, is the Great Danes' leading scorer at 13.6 ppg. Amar'e Marshall was an All-America East Conference pick last season after averaging 16.7 points, but his field goal shooting has dropped from 43.4 percent last season to 34.5 percent this season. He is scoring 11.7 ppg. "I think we're learning how to compete at the right level," Albany coach Dwyane Killings said after a loss to Georgetown on Nov. 30. "I think the one thing that troubles us a lot is that our identity and our energy comes when the ball goes in the basket. When it doesn't, I don't think we have the grit that we need right now." Albany has been one of the best teams in the country in terms of steals. The Great Danes average 10.2 steals per game, which is tied for No. 12 in the nation. Syracuse is 8-0 against Albany all-time with the teams last meeting in 2011. Syracuse is 4-0 at home and 4-0 against non-power-conference opponents. --Field Level Media
Thermal Imaging Market Size, Latest Growth, Forecast By 2024 - 2032
Cramer's Lightning Round: ‘I want you to avoid' Lumen Technologies
Basketball roundup: Bland sweeps Celeste; Greenville Lions fall
You cannot make this up : “ OpenAI’s Board of Directors is evaluating our corporate structure in order to best support the mission of ensuring artificial general intelligence (AGI) 1 benefits all of humanity, with three objectives”. Yes, a $157 billion company board is still “evaluating” its corporate structure! OpenAI is in a mess because most of the founding partners are those who believe in the unalloyed supremacy of technology above all things. Yes, provided they can extend the Pythagorean postulation that the universe is numbers, and can pursue its practicalization in fixing market frictions, everything will fall into place. Unfortunately, that is an illusion, and OpenAI is learning the hard way. If they had incorporated this company as a for-profit company, the generative AI pioneer will not be going through this paralysis. But that was not the case as they went non-profit, and now want to evolve, and morph, into another species of companies. Unfortunately, that is not an easy thing, because the law is clear: if you are to dissolve that non-profit, the assets move to another non-profit or to the state for public good. Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 16 (Feb 10 – May 3, 2025 ) opens registrations; register today for early bird discounts. Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations here. Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and i nvest in Africa’s finest startups here . Of course, how do you hand over $157 billion to the government? That is why the Board is still “evaluating” because they have no clear answers. When they are done, a simple suit will bring them to order. Many years ago, to fund my personal non-profit on electronics in Africa (via African Institution of Technology , a 501c3 charity, which has supported electronics education in 112 universities, click afrit.org for photos), I read the ordinance with the US Internal Revenue Service. Quickly, it became clear that it is better to go and make money, and use the profit to support any charity of interest, than setting up a non-profit directly for its purpose. That is what lawyers will tell you because you never know tomorrow. So, you will have Mastercard Foundation, Intel Foundation, etc funded by Mastercard, Intel, etc. The creator of ChatGPT cannot use ChatGPT to discover the right corporate structure because that is above the pay-compute-grade of ChatGPT. But if they had asked a recent law graduate, they possibly might have been saved from this. And that takes me to the message: use those lawyers, pay them, because they will save you from troubles. Today, I sent two documents to two different lawyers (yes, I use two ), and was happy when they independently returned: “Prof, it’s ready to go”, “Sir, everything looks nice”. Good People, respect lawyers because they serve as high priests on the altars of governments even if you are a tech prodigy. Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA (Feb 10 - May 3, 2025), and join Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe and our global faculty; click here .
2024 opened with speculation already rife about the timing of a general election. But the first national poll came in the form of two referendums on amending the Constitution’s definition of family and the role of women within the home. Some concern had been expressed over the speed with which both amendments had been rushed through the Oireachtas. There was also criticism of the proposed new wording on carers and the family. But with support from almost every party in the Dáil, along with a wide range of civil society groups, the expectation was that both proposals would pass. In fact, the two amendments were rejected by historic margins. The result led to some soul-searching about a disconnect between the political establishment and popular sentiment. It was also a harbinger of political difficulties ahead for Sinn Féin and the Greens. But the most immediate and consequential aftershock came two weeks later with Leo Varadkar’s resignation as leader of Fine Gael and taoiseach. Within days, Simon Harris had effectively sewn up sufficient support to be confirmed by Fine Gael as Varadkar’s successor in both roles. The new Taoiseach faced a rising drumbeat of controversy over the handling of a growing refugee crisis. Having welcomed almost 100,000 people displaced by the war in Ukraine since 2022, the State appeared unable to cope with the rising numbers of applicants for international protection. Desperate efforts to find premises to house those arriving were met with local opposition across the country, some of which escalated into ugly scenes of arson, violence and racist abuse. After the announcement that new arrivals would no longer be guaranteed accommodation, tent cities sprang up in central Dublin, adding to the sense of a crisis spinning out of control. As candidates prepared for the local and European elections in early June, there was speculation that these tensions could spark an electoral breakthrough for far-right or anti-immigrant parties. While a handful of individuals espousing such views were indeed elected, the results were most notable for the collapse in support for Sinn Féin. The party, which only a few months earlier had held a commanding lead in opinion polls, now found itself trailing well behind Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. The Greens also suffered, losing both their European Parliament seats and a tranche of councillors. The following week Eamon Ryan stepped down after 13 years as Green leader, to be replaced by Roderic O’Gorman. By the end of summer, Harris’s ‘s “new energy” seemed to be successfully lifting his party’s spirits as well as its electoral prospects. Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil’s new Minister for Finance Jack Chambers and his Fine Gael colleague, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe, were fashioning a budget that, despite their protestations, was clearly engineered to woo voters in the upcoming general election. Despite increasingly absurd attempts to maintain that they were not even contemplating such an action, the Government parties eventually called an election for the end of November. The short but oddly uninspiring campaign that followed was marked by extravagant promises from nearly all parties to boost spending and cut taxes. Fine Gael, which had gone into the election as clear frontrunner, made a number of unforced errors. Only in the closing stages was any reference made to the looming threat posed to Ireland’s economic model and buoyant public finances by a second Trump administration. The picture that emerged after the election looked remarkably familiar. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s share of the popular vote was very similar to what the two had achieved in 2020, with Micheál Martin’s party a nose ahead and extracting a significant seat bonus. Sinn Féin dropped five percentage points from the previous general election but it too achieved a seat bonus through canny vote management. The Greens were almost obliterated as a parliamentary force, with most of the slack taken up by Labour and the Social Democrats. At the end of a year of political turbulence and electoral contests internationally, the image which Ireland presented to the world at the end of 2024 was one of unusual stability and continuity. The two large incumbent parties had come through the election effectively unscathed, bucking the international trend, and seemed well positioned to form a government with Independent support in the first few weeks of 2025. While it faces the same pressing questions as its predecessor over housing, infrastructure and services, the greatest challenges facing that government are likely to come once more from external shocks in an uncertain and unpredictable world. How well equipped the current political model is to cope with such challenges remains an open question.