At the narrative midpoint, pathetic protagonist Yoo Man-su ( Lee Byung-hun) - also a hobbying horticulturist with a bonsai mag subscription - arrives at the home of a man he deems a rival for one of the only paper jobs on the market. He wields a pistol concealed inside several oven gloves, intending to kill vinyl enthusiast Goo Beom-mo (Lee Sung-min) as a means of levelling the playing field.
The night before the Thanksgiving holiday, I received a message that I was being let go from my job, leaving me reeling in shock and tears, as I faced a holiday season with five kids and no stable income. As a freelancer, I'm somewhat used to instability in my work, but as my writing jobs have slowly vanished over the course of the past year, having my last contract gig taken away really stung.
Recently, my husband lost his job, and the timing was terrible. We had just purchased a new home in need of major renovations, and of course, we were running on a tight budget. We were paying a mortgage in addition to the monthly rent on our previous home and the renovation expenses. While not life-threatening, his unemployment was stressful for both of us. I've worked with clients facing similar stressors from being laid off or chronically unemployed.
In September 2024, I lost my job as a software developer. After nearly two years with the company, I was let go due to "reduction of workforce." My husband still worked full time, but losing half of our household income hit hard, especially with eight kids ranging from 4 to 19 years old. I told myself we'd be OK. I thought it would be easy to find another job. We'd tighten our belts. Then I got sick.
I grew up in a stifling conservative Midwestern community. In spite of that, I managed to escape, first to a mediocre liberal arts college and then, after making the most of my time there, to a top-tier doctoral program. Subsequently, I worked my way up from position to position in my field until I obtained my dream job leading a prestigious organization.
Of the 20 labor markets that saw the biggest increases in NIH funding between 2004 and 2023, many were well-known college towns, including Tallahassee, Fla.; Athens, Ga.; and State College, Pa. And according to the report's calculations, the local economies that saw a substantial increase in NIH funding during that period also had lower rates of employment decline than those with small increases, no increases or no NIH funding.
Here's what astonishes me: sometimes those with the most are the least generous. One DoorDash shift, I delivered a $40 order to a family in an upscale neighborhood - almost a 20-minute drive from the restaurant, with homes easily worth over $1 million. They tipped $3. After accounting for the distance from the store to the customer's home, I made the equivalent of $8.50 an hour for that Panera run.
"The loss of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is more than just the end of a television show. It means the loss of hundreds of good-paying production jobs, lost income for dozens of vendors, and a hit to the local businesses that rely on the show's daily audiences."
Michael Sandvig expressed deep concern for his former coworkers after the unexpected closure of the Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, which left him and 45 others jobless. His emotional connection spans decades, having served many of the same guests and witnessed significant life events.
"At Poundland, trading remains challenging, which is reflected in a profit outturn below expectations for H1 and a weaker outlook for the full year."
Because in February, after working for the federal government for 17 years, Gibson learned that she would lose her job as a contract specialist at the Office of Personnel Management, through no fault of her own.
While 2024 was the year of investment and optimism, businesses are learning the hard way that replacing people with AI without fully understanding the impact on their workforce can go badly wrong.
