Latest news with #MarkWilliamson
Extra.ie
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Inside spectacular Killiney home with pool and tennis court on market for huge sum
Looking like something out of the Disney+ series Rivals, this incredible home in St George's Avenue, Killiney, has hit the market for an outstanding sum. Built in 1871, Kenah Hill stands on an elevated site that sits atop 2.8 acres of mature, manicured grounds and offers panoramic views from Killiney Bay to Bray Head. And we haven't even turned the keys to enter the house yet. The sweeping driveway leads to the property, which is spread across 929 sq m and three floors of generously proportioned rooms, soaring ceilings and ornate cornicing. A double-height entrance hall boasts a monochrome marble floor and a cantilever sweeping staircase. Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald The morning room boasts a superb reception with a bay window and extra height ceilings, while the drawing room leads into the drawing room that boasts an incredible double bay window, Versailles parquet floor and a marble fireplace with a gas fire. The double bay windows boast incredible panoramic sea views. Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald The dining room boasts attractive parquet flooring and a feature fireplace with a coal effect gas fire, while the kitchen is bespoke and fitted by Mark Williamson with Silestone counter tops. An integrated American fridge freezer and a large island unit complete the kitchen, while three French doors lead to the impeccable terrace. Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Heading up to the first floor are six of the home's seven bedrooms, with the master bedroom being double fronted with a bay window enjoying commanding views that overlook the grounds and out toward the bay. The en-suite bathroom boasts incredible his and hers sinks and vanity units, while a large walk-in wardrobe completes the suite. Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald The home doesn't stop there, however — heading down to the garden level, the home has a wine cellar and storage room, along with a galley kitchen, the seventh bedroom which is en-suite and a large playroom. Self contained guest quarters are just nearby at garden level, which is one bedroom, en-suite and a living room. Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald As well as the home itself, the home has impeccable grounds — with recreational amenities including an all-weather tennis court, and an indoor swimming pool. The pool pavilion is a highlight of the home, being encased in a glass solarium allowing for you to go for a swim in all weather, as well a bar area. Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Kenah Hill, St George's Avenue, Killiney, Dublin is available via Sherry Fitzgerald, with a price tag of a whopping €10.75million. More photos of this spectacular home can be found below Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald Pic: Sherry Fitzgerald
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feeling bummed? You're not alone, as the U.S. drops to a record low in happiness index
Comparison may be the thief of joy, but not if you're from Finland. Despite sharing a border with an at-war Russia and receiving limited winter sunlight, the Nordic nation has been ranked the world's happiest country for the eighth year in a row. Americans, meanwhile, seem to get more unhappy with each passing year. That's according to the 2025 World Happiness Report, published Thursday, which ranks over 140 countries and regions based on residents' self-assessments. The survey was conducted by the University of Oxford in partnership with analytics firm Gallup and the United Nations. In the rankings of happiness haves and have-nots, the U.S. dropped to its lowest ever spot at No. 24, continuing its decline from a peak of the 11th place over a decade ago. The report described political polarization as a result of growing despair among Americans. 'The decline in life satisfaction explains the overall rise in anti-system votes but trust in others then comes into play,' the report said, with 'unhappy people attracted by the extremes of the political spectrum.' As for what has caused the downward spiral in the U.S., 'on-going challenges around cost of living, economic uncertainty and political polarization may have played a role,' said Mark Williamson, CEO of the U.K.-based nonprofit Action for Happiness. 'We have also observed a significant increase in anxiety in the population.' Finland's Nordic neighbors continued to dominate the top of the rankings, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden making up the rest of the top four, just as they did last year. In contrast, the world's unhappiest country was once again Afghanistan, where the Taliban continues to make life 'especially difficult' for women and girls, limiting their access to education and employment. Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa plagued by significant human rights violations, was the second least happy country, while Lebanon ranked third from the bottom, with its past year marked by an ongoing economic crisis and war between Hezbollah — the Iran-backed militia based in the country — and Israel. Despite GDP per capita in the U.S. and Western Europe having continually risen since the mid-2000s, a drop in the happiness of Western democracies 'could be blamed on the feelings of financial insecurity and loneliness experienced by Americans and Europeans — two symptoms of a damaged social fabric,' the report said. Declining social trust explains a 'large share' of the rise in political polarization and anti-system votes exemplified by the election of President Donald Trump in the U.S. and Brexit in Britain. The U.K., for instance, came in 20th, marking its lowest reading since 2017. In a sign of growing loneliness, more Americans are dining solo. About 1 in 4 reported that they ate all their meals alone the previous day — a 53% increase since 2003. In the U.S., young adults reported the lowest happiness and social connection of all age groups, researchers said, with loneliness among young people rising globally as well. In 2023, almost 1 in 5 young adults reported having no one for social support. But the report does include some suggestions about how to promote a more contended society: try having more faith in other people and being nicer to them. The study found that strangers are actually twice as kind as people expect, with the frequency with which people's lost wallets were returned to them double the rate at which those surveyed thought. 'The most heart-warming and important finding from this report is that people are much kinder than we think they are,' Williamson said. 'Kindness ripples outwards and our expectations about kindness matter.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
20-03-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Feeling bummed? You're not alone, as the U.S. drops to a record low in the World Happiness Index
Comparison may be the thief of joy, but not if you're from Finland. Despite sharing a border with an at-war Russia and receiving limited winter sunlight, the Scandinavian country has been ranked the world's happiest country for the eighth year in a row. Americans, meanwhile, seem to get more unhappy with each passing year. That's according to the World Happiness Report 2025 published Thursday, which ranks over 140 countries and regions based on residents' self-assessments. The survey was conducted by the University of Oxford in partnership with analytics firm Gallup and the United Nations. In the rankings of happiness haves and have-nots, the U.S. dropped to its lowest ever spot at No. 24, continuing its decline from a peak of the 11th place over a decade ago. The report described political polarization as a result of growing despair among Americans. 'The decline in life satisfaction explains the overall rise in anti-system votes but trust in others then comes into play,' the report said, with 'unhappy people attracted by the extremes of the political spectrum.' As for what has caused the downward spiral in the U.S., 'on-going challenges around cost of living, economic uncertainty and political polarization may have played a role,' said Mark Williamson, CEO of the U.K.-based nonprofit Action for Happiness. 'We have also observed a significant increase in anxiety in the population.' Finland's Nordic neighbors continued to dominate the top of the rankings, with Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden making up the rest of the top four, just as they did last year. In contrast, Afghanistan was once again the world's unhappiest country where the Taliban continues to make life 'especially difficult' for women and girls, limiting their access to education and employment. Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa plagued by significant human rights violations, was the second least happy country, while Lebanon ranked third from the bottom with its past year marked by an ongoing economic crisis and war between Hezbollah — the Iran-backed militia based in the country — and Israel. Despite GDP per capita in the U.S. and Western Europe having continually risen since the mid-2000s, a drop in the happiness of western democracies 'could be blamed on the feelings of financial insecurity and loneliness experienced by Americans and Europeans — two symptoms of a damaged social fabric,' the report said. Declining social trust explains a 'large share' of the rise in political polarization and anti-system votes exemplified by the election of Trump and Brexit. The U.K., for instance, came in 20th, marking its lowest reading since 2017. In a sign of growing loneliness, more Americans are dining solo. About 1 in 4 reported that they ate all their meals alone the previous day — a 53% increase since 2003. Young U.S. adults reported the lowest happiness and social connection of all age groups, researchers said, with loneliness among young people rising globally. In 2023, almost one in five of young adults reported having no one for social support. But the report does include some suggestions about how to promote a more contended society: try having more faith in other people and being nicer to them. The study found that strangers are actually twice as kind as people expect, with the frequency with which people's lost wallets were returned to them double the rate at which those surveyed thought. 'The most heart-warming and important finding from this report is that people are much kinder than we think they are,' said Williamson. 'Kindness ripples outwards and our expectations about kindness matter.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oregon DOJ alerts families to ‘alarming trend' of surging child sextortion cases
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Oregon officials have found there was an almost nine-fold increase in child sexual extortion cases in just five years. Citing data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Oregon Attorney General's Office revealed that 'sextortion' cases involving minors surged by 857% from 2020 to 2024. Spike sets with swastikas found on Clark County roads The Oregon Department of Justice defined 'sextortion' as a form of blackmail in which children befriend strangers posing as their peers on social media, who later ask them to send sexually explicit images of themselves. The strangers then threaten to distribute the photos if the child doesn't send them money. Years after the revealed an increase in sextortion directed at teenage boys, ODOJ is reporting this 'alarming trend' has continued to impact children nationwide. Agencies are now striving to raise awareness in honor of Safer Internet Day — which falls on Feb. 11. According to Mark Williamson, who serves as an assistant chief criminal investigator with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program, crime is the 'biggest issue' investigators have seen involving kids. 'Our children are being targeted and the end results can be devastating for them and their families,' Williamson said in a statement. Reinstallation of Thompson Elk Fountain delayed to end of 2025 ODOJ noted that many affected families are unaware their child is a victim of sextortion until 'after a tragedy,' due to the minor being too embarrassed to report the problem. ICAC's is now providing a guide that advises families on how to address the issue. 'One of my biggest priorities as attorney general is keeping children and families safe,' Attorney General Dan Rayfield said. 'We want them to have all the tools they need to fight back if this happens to them. These online resources are a great way to give them some control and power. And we're sending a message to the suspects in these cases that we will find them, and there will be serious consequences.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
