2022 is over and done. By many accounts, it was a difficult year. Starting with the economy, an increase of thirteen percent of U.S. employees lost their jobs compared to 2021, notably in the technology sector. Techradar.com said that amounted to 363,824 cuts. These include positions in technology, healthcare manufacturing, and the automotive industry. Up to 153,110 tech employees got pink slips last year, from companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, according to Techstory. There is chatter that Google is planning another 11,000 layoffs for the new year. But there was a bright spot: telecommunications, the apparel industry, and electronics companies had fewer layoffs in 2022 than the previous year. Although employment proved to be a mixed bag, some employers are taking a 'proceed with caution' position when it comes to hiring, which was heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and the stock market. 

And the pandemic is not over yet. An article in the Harvard Gazette said that although the end of the pandemic is on the horizon, the health crisis is still not completely over. The good news is that there are more treatments, and the virility of variants might be damping down, but a threat to public worldwide health remains. If the virus morphs into a more dangerous strain, we might be back to day one when pictures of freezer trucks lined up with bagged bodies horrified viewers from around the world. So many have already been lost or forever changed. Let's hope this does not happen.

Continuing to look back on '22, the war in Ukraine is a horror, along with the underlying concern of possible nuclear attacks. You have to wonder why in such a technologically advanced society, Knowledge cannot be used for good only and to advance the integrity and wellness of humanity. An extensive number of mass shootings, seemingly a chronic event, caused havoc in many schools, businesses, and religious houses. And homelessness, addiction, inflation, and poverty continue to go at full steam. Here in Washington state, I would call homelessness a pandemic. Sadly, hate crimes against many disparate groups are on the rise. The New York Times reported that Twitter saw unparalleled hate-filled rants in 2022. It seems like nothing is sacred or safe anymore. 

So how is 2023 beginning? Well, mixed. Motley Fool, the stock market advice giant, suggests that it might be prudent to buy up stocks now if you can invest while the market has been down. There are some signs that the Covid-19 pandemic might be recategorized this year as an endemic, according to the World Health Organization which is in discussion now. The pandemic has forever changed us and increased isolation. There has been a marked uptick in mental health crises. 

I got depressed when I read a 6-year-old child shot his 25-year-old teacher in Virginia last Friday. How could this happen? Hopefully, this will not portend similar horrific events. On a positive note, the teacher is recovering.