Signs the economy is bad: November 10, 2017 edition

Welcome to another edition of "Signs the Economy is Bad" here at The Itinerant Librarian. This is the semi-regular (as in when I have time and/or feel like doing it) feature where I scour the Internet in search of the oh so subtle hints that the economy is bad. Sure, pundits may say things are getting better, but what do they know? And to show not all is bad, once in a while we look at how good the uber rich have it.

Another week goes by. Let's see how the bad economy is doing.

• Despite the bragging by the Pendejo In Chief, Carrier is laying off even more workers. Story via Salon.
• Do you feel that 2017 is worse than 2016? You are not alone. Turns out a new Gallup poll does confirm that  yes, this year is worse than last year. And the rate things are going, I think 2018 will be even worse. Story via The Washington Post. 
• This is not so much as sign the economy is bad as it is a moment of schadenfreude. Turns out Bill Cosby is flooded with  legal bills and having a hard time paying them. Story via Radar Online. 
• In new opportunities for entrepreneurship, someone is supplying a Florida school with bulletproof backpack panels, which the school is then selling to their students. Sure, some might say this is just giving up on the problem of excess guns and mass shootings. I say this is a great economic opportunity to find lucrative contracts supplying schools with needed protection for their students in these hard times. After all, if you are a parent with kids in schools, you do want them safe, right? Hell, I should check and see if I can buy one of those to  insert in my backpack. Story via GQ Magazine.
• Meanwhile, turns out the AR-15 rifle is the weapon of choice for mass shooters. Story via The Intercept. Again, plenty of economic opportunity as demand is likely to stay high. I have a good ad jingle for them: "AR-15: When you absolutely, positively got to kill every innocent motherfucker in a public gathering place. Accept no substitutes." (With apologies to Samuel L. Jackson)
• Looking for a job? If you are in Japan, and you have acting skills, you could work as a professional friend. Story via The Week.  
• The homeless situation is jolly bad in parts of the United Kingdom. Story via the BBC. 
• Also via the BBC, toy makers and sellers are praying to their deities that the Christmas season will save them from the sales slumps and woes they are currently facing. The bets are on. 
•  You may think being a freelancer is glamorous, setting your hours, working when you can, but the reality of the gig economy can be a nightmare. Story via The Week. 
• For women, they cannot catch a break. Turns out there is a gender pay gap in the field of physics. Why am I not surprised? Story via Inside Higher Ed.  
• In the "get a clue" department, Poor as Folk blogger illustrates the importance of something we  all take for granted: a phone. If you are poor, a phone is necessary, and if you lack one when your services get cut off, and you are working to get them turned back on, well, read the tale. What irks me is the stupidity and insensitivity of the service company drones, something I can relate to.
• Meanwhile, let's see how the uber rich are doing and what are they buying. These days, if they are shopping at Tiffany's, they are buying tin cans at $1000 each. Yep, you read that right, and no, there is nothing inside the can. Story via Inc.