“As of now, I’m trying to live out whatever might be left of my life in as fun a way as I possibly can,” Davis wrote. “I always like to find the teachable moments in anything negative that happens. And cancer has not disappointed in that regard; there’s a lot I have learned from it, and I’m grateful for that.”

When I leave my Boston condo every day, I say good morning to the concierge, who works for a contracting company providing staff to residential buildings. When I conduct an interview in a nearby building, the people who clean that office at night are contractors. The person who serves me my lunch sandwich is a part-timer with no career prospects in that job.

When my best intentions to eat well are for naught and I gorge on Doritos, I remember that the tasters PepsiCo hires to test the chips’ addictiveness are contractors.

These are all examples of what I call “disposable jobs.” People who have them work at an employer’s site, but their employer makes no commitment to them regarding career prospects or job security. My research shows that employers treat more than 1 in 3 U.S. workers as disposable. That comes to just under 57 million full- or part-time workers out of the nation’s workforce of 162 million.

I am a labor economist. In my new book, Disposable Workers: The Transformation of Employment, I explain why this is happening, what forms it takes, how common it is, what the consequences are for people and for society, and what can be done about it.

Three different varieties

To learn more, I commissioned a nationally representative survey of over 6,000 people in late 2022. I also interviewed nearly 100 workers, employers and policymakers.

I found that there are three categories of disposable workers.

Marginal work is important due to its magnitude and because although those jobs look standard, they are designed to be disposable.

Who are marginal workers?

Staff attorneys are quintessential marginal employees. They’re hired by law firms as employees, but the central feature of their jobs is that they are not on the promotion ladder to partner. Unlike their career-track counterparts, they have no job security. They are often hired to do the grunt work on a specific case, with the understanding that there is no commitment to keep them on if business lags or the project ends.

Adjunct professors are another good example. This group includes part-timers who teach a small number of courses and full-time contract faculty, but in both cases they lack job security and aren’t on track to obtain permanent, tenured, academic jobs.

In 1970, people with tenure or tenure-track jobs constituted 73% of those teaching at colleges and universities. By 2021 only 32% had that status, and the rest were adjunct instructors or contract faculty.

Part-time marginal workers

Another example of marginal work is part-timers.

Employing part-time workers costs less than having full-timers on the payroll. Part-time jobs pay an hourly wage that is nearly 20% below what workers with full-time jobs earn after age, education, occupation and industry are taken into account. When benefits are considered, the gap rises by another 5%.

A second advantage of part-timers from the employer’s perspective is higher turnover, which provides an easy path to be able to adjust the size of the workforce and which enables them to avoid investing in career development.

When a team of researchers led by professor Susan Lambert interviewed 88 employers that pay low wages, they found that many use part-time work to make their workforces more “flexible.” One manager explained that high churn of part-timers gave the company so much flexibility that they didn’t need temp workers.

“Temp workers: We don’t need them,” he said. “Wait a day for turnover.”

Evidence that employers try to maximize the number of people working for them part time instead of full time and with benefits arose after the Affordable Care Act fully took effect in 2014.

The ACA requires that employers with 50 or more employees either provide them with health insurance or pay for them to buy it, but only for people who work 30 or more hours a week. Otherwise they pay, as of 2026, a penalty of US$3,340 per uninsured employee.

Another team of researchers compared trends in part-time work in three low-wage industries – retail, hotels and restaurants, before and after the ACA rolled out. They found that the use of part-timers increased by 500,000 in the years after the Affordable Care Act was implemented. This suggests that companies add to their part-time ranks to save on the health insurance costs of standard employment.

Forces behind this trend

Why do employers want many of their workers to be disposable? A primary motive is to save money. Employing freelancers and contractors means they can avoid mandatory benefits such as Social Security contributions and, for larger employers, contributing to the cost of health insurance.

Marginal workers, to be sure, do receive these benefits. But the high turnover built into their jobs means that their employers can invest less in their training and avoid the management costs otherwise associated with layoff severance and fair treatment on the job.

An additional motive for many employers is a lack of respect for what front-line employees can contribute. A 2023 report from the McKinsey consulting firm illustrated this tendency when it asserted that 5% of employees deliver 95% of “an organization’s value.”

This claim, which I believe is inaccurate, still speaks volumes about the attitude of McKinsey and the firms they interviewed regarding the other 95% of workers. They see those employees as disposable.

Less pay and job satisfaction

My survey showed that contractors, freelancers who work for employers and marginal employees all earn less than regular workers do.

In addition, the survey found that contractors and marginal workers are notably less satisfied with their jobs compared with regular workers, whereas freelancers, due to their ability to choose where and when to work, are more satisfied.

The public also pays a price for the use of disposable workers. As examples, researchers have found that hospital infection rates rise when cleaners are contract workers and that the use of contractors leads to a higher rate of industrial accidents.

Smoke could be seen from miles away

Firefighters are expected to remain at the sight of a recycling centre fire for a “prolonged period of time”. More than 25 firefighters were called to a large fire at the Biffa Waste Management Transfer Station in Marston Road, Eynesbury at around 10.52am today (Tuesday, August 11).

Around 200 tonnes of waste had caught on fire in the building. Smoke could be seen from miles away, including in St Neots.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue has provided an update on the fire. A fire spokesperson said: “At 10.52am on Tuesday, crews were called to a building fire on Marston Road, Eynesbury. More than 25 firefighters, including crews from across the county and over the border in Bedfordshire, are currently in attendance.

“The crews are dealing with a large, well-developed fire in a building involving recycled materials. Please be aware that we will be at this incident for a prolonged period of time.”

Nearby residents are asked to keep their windows and doors closed. They are also asked to avoid the area while firefighters deal with the blaze.

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Sorry, North America. After winning the cosmic lottery with a pair of coast-to-coast total solar eclipses, now it’s Europe’s turn.

But look skyward anyway Wednesday and, if you’re far enough north in the U.S. and Canada, you might savor a partial eclipse as the moon nibbles away at the sun.

Totality will begin near the North Pole, then streak southward across Greenland, Iceland, Spain and a patch of Portugal. Daytime darkness won’t last more than a couple minutes at best — shrimpy compared with North America’s epic 2024 eclipse — but it is continental Europe’s first encounter with totality since 1999. Spain gets a much longer shot at totality next August, along with North Africa and the Middle East.

For the U.S., the Great American Eclipse of 2017 kicked off the sun-vanishing mania with more than two minutes of totality from Oregon to South Carolina. The amount of totality almost doubled in 2024, racing diagonally from Mexico’s Pacific coast all the way past Newfoundland.

America’s next coast-to-coast total solar eclipse isn’t until 2045. So catch a partial now if you can.

Here’s a list of some U.S. and Canadian cities in position to see a partial solar eclipse on Wednesday if skies are clear, in alphabetical order, with local times and the amount of sun coverage provided by NASA:

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—Anchorage, Alaska, with 28% coverage. Begins at 7:36 a.m. and ends at 9:09 a.m., peaking at 8:21 a.m.

—Bangor, Maine, with 24% coverage. Begins at 12:54 p.m. and ends at 2:49 p.m., peaking at 1:53 p.m.

—Detroit with 3% coverage. Begins at 1:03 p.m. and ends at 2:08 p.m., peaking at 1:36 p.m.

—Montreal, Quebec, with 18% coverage. Begins at 12:50 p.m. and ends at 2:38 p.m., peaking at 1:45 p.m.

—New York City with 9% coverage. Begins at 1:07 p.m. and ends at 2:38 p.m., peaking at 1:54 p.m.

—Philadelphia with 7% coverage. Begins at 1:11 p.m. and ends at 2:35 p.m., peaking at 1:53 p.m.

—St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, with 53% coverage. Begins at 2:28 p.m. and ends at 4:37 p.m., peaking at 3:35 p.m.

—Toronto, Ontario, with 8% coverage. Begins at 12:55 p.m. and ends at 2:23 p.m., peaking at 1:40 p.m.

—Washington, D.C., with 4% coverage. Begins at 1:17 p.m. and ends at 2:27 p.m., peaking at 1:53 p.m.

—Winnipeg, Manitoba, with 5% coverage. Begins at 11:25 a.m. and ends at 12:40 p.m., peaking at 12:02 p.m.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

“Customers regularly describe the café as a ‘must-visit’ in Belfast, praising its relaxed atmosphere, standout breakfast menu and speciality drinks”

A busy Belfast cafe has been ranked as the UK’s most popular independent coffee shop.

A study conducted by Capital on Tap analysed more than 100 independent coffee shops, ranking them using a combination of Google review ratings, review volumes, average monthly Google search volumes and Instagram followers to see who came out top.

Two Northern Irish businesses made the top 3, with Neighbourhood Café coming away with the top spot and Established Coffee just around the corner ranking at third.

Ranking in first place, Neighbourhood was remarked for its “standout breakfast menu” and its status as a must try spot in Belfast City Centre.

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Captial on Tap said: “Neighbourhood Café in Belfast ranks as the UK’s most popular independent coffee shop. The café stands out for its strong online presence, with around 27,100 average monthly Google searches, one of the highest in the rankings, alongside 45,500 Instagram followers and a 4.6-star Google rating.

“Customers regularly describe the café as a ‘must-visit’ in Belfast, praising its relaxed atmosphere, standout breakfast menu and speciality drinks. The café’s signature nut butter latte receives particular praise, with many reviewers saying the coffee lives up to the hype.”

Following closely behind in third place, Established’s service, pastries and online popularity were a standout feature on the list.

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They continued: “Established Coffee in Belfast rounds out the top three with a 4.6-star Google rating, 12,100 average monthly Google searches and 36,500 Instagram followers. Alongside its strong online popularity, the café has built a reputation for its high-quality coffee and freshly baked treats.

“Customers often champion its friendly service, beautifully presented filter coffee and pastries, with several reviewers singling out its lemon meringue pie as one of the best they’ve tasted.”

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The judge overseeing the state trial of Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, has laid down the ground rules for court public and media access to the high-profile case.

Mangione returned to court on Tuesday ahead of his murder trial, which begins next month in New York. Dressed in a charcoal grey suit with his hair clipped short, Mangione sat silently at the defence table while his attorneys conferred with the judge.

In Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Gregory Carro decided that the 12-person jury would remain anonymous to the public due to the spotlight on the case, and that there would be an overflow room to meet media demand.

The case has attracted national attention, and has also created an online frenzy, with both his backers – many of whom see Mangione as a symbol of the backlash against US healthcare costs – and his critics analysing everything from his intentions to his appearance.

The spectacle is likely to intensify when jury selection for the trial begins on 8 September.

Mangione, if found guilty, could face decades behind bars. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including second-degree murder and weapons-related offences.

He faces a separate federal trial next year, in which he has also pleaded not guilty.

Much of what is expected at the state trial – the prosecutor’s case, Mangione’s defence, and obstacles both parties face – were previewed in months of court filings and arguments.

Here’s what to know about the upcoming trial, and what questions remain.

Gomez co-stars in the series alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short, with the upcoming Britain-set sixth season set to star a plethora of British talent, including Jennifer Saunders, Martin Freeman, Simone Ashley, Jane Horrocks, Geri Halliwell, Jamie Demetriou, David Tennant, Richard Ayoade and Olivia Colman.

Frempong, who previously appeared in Too Much and Essex Girls, added: “I am extremely excited to be joining EastEnders! I have watched the show for as long as I can remember and have such vivid memories of gathering around the TV with my family, especially at Christmas, to watch all the drama unfolding on the Square, so it feels pretty surreal to now be a part of the action!

Earlier, Mr Burnham wrote on Facebook that he was “increasingly confident that a more focused approach” to creating more headroom in the prison system would “allow us to reduce the number of people released early and, in the case of the most serious offenders like those convicted of the killing of Pc Harper, prevent their early release altogether”.

Alex Jones made an emotional return to Wales to reunite with a former sub-postmaster who was wrongly caught up in the Post Office Horizon scandal

Alex Jones has returned to Wales to reunite with a sub-postmaster whose life was turned upside down by the Post Office Horizon scandal.

The One Show presenter met Steve, who runs a post office in Nelson, Caerphilly, more than a decade after he first appeared on the BBC programme to speak about the financial discrepancies he was experiencing at his branch.

Steve was among hundreds of sub-postmasters caught up in the Horizon scandal, in which faulty accounting data made it appear that money was missing from post office branches. Many were wrongly accused of theft and false accounting, with some prosecuted as a result.

When Steve first spoke to The One Show in December 2014, he had been confronted with an alleged shortfall of around £44,000. More than ten years later, the problems have not completely disappeared.

During Alex’s return visit to the branch, Steve showed her his latest figures, revealing that he is still seeing discrepancies in the accounts.

“I’m still getting ups and downs,” he told Alex, pointing to the figures recorded by the system.

He explained that one day’s figures showed the branch £1.44 down, while another showed a £276 shortfall – money he said the Post Office was still asking him to repay.

Despite his experiences, Steve has continued running the branch because of the people who rely on it.

Asked by Alex where he finds the strength to continue, he said: “For the community, basically.”

He added that the support he has received locally has helped him carry on, saying he had not received a single negative comment from people in the area.

Steve’s story is particularly significant as the Horizon scandal continues to have an impact on communities across Wales and the rest of the UK.

He has now received £75,000 in compensation and plans to retire from the post office after years of serving the local community. While retirement will bring relief after everything he has endured, Steve admitted that leaving will also be emotional.

He expects to feel “a bit of sadness” after spending so many years behind the counter.

Alex’s reunion with Steve formed part of a special The One Show feature marking the programme’s 20th anniversary.

The One Show’s Post Office feature aired on Tuesday, August 11 on BBC One as part of the week of celebrations of 20 Years of The One Show