Traders

It takes five pounds of pressure

to crush a human windpipe.

My name is Harry fox

and four months ago I didn't know things like that.

Back then I worked in international asset management.

Don't worry, I'm not gonna bore you with the details.

I'm gonna tell you what happened

when the company lost fourteen billion overnight

and we all lost our jobs.

That's a more interesting story.

That's Vernon stynes on the day we were all told

to clear out our desks.

He's got out-of-date software manuals

and a personalized hole punch in that box.

He looks happy, doesn't he?

Kevin wasn't.

Did you Nick that from the office?

Yeah.

I'm gonna use it to start up my own business.

I mean, they've, they've gone completely.

What are we going to get thirty, forty thousand?

Oh no, no, no, no, thirteen and a half... Max.

That won't go far.

I've worked out, right,

that I need 2.6 million to live for the rest of my life,

and that's giving me just above average male life expectancy.

Educated people do tend to have an above average

life expectancy.

You should do what Chuck difford did in Vegas.

Who?

It's not a true story.

- It's a true story. - It's not.

Chuck difford, he sells everything he's got

and he walks to Vegas,

goes in the first casino he sees,

and he puts everything on red.

- Roulette? - Yeah.

Fifty-fifty shot.

Well, slightly less than fifty-fifty, you see it's...

he doubles his money, he walks out,

and he never goes back to Vegas.

And how much did he win?

2.6 million.

Oh, really!

No...

no, Vernon.

The point is it's better to be a bum with nothing,

than a bum with not enough.

Vernon loved that story.

So in a way, everything that happened after that,

it's actually Chuck difford's fault.

Vernon was always saying that the Chinese word for crisis

combines the characters for danger and opportunity.

Maybe it's true, but for us

opportunities were gonna be limited.

You have one new message!

Hi, Harry, it's Kevin.

Did you hear anything back from London?

Apparently, we're all fucking toxic because of the 14 billion.

Someone said they're looking for people in Singapore?

Did you hear that?

Anyway, I-l, I'll, I'll talk to you.

We were toxic,

and they knew that in London and Singapore,

and I wasn't like Vernon.

I was never going to start my own business.

Anyway, don't they say that the most successful entrepreneurs

have the same personality traits as psychopaths?

Hi, orla.

Hey-ya, Vernon.

Still smoking?

Never quit.

Women who quit smoking by thirty

are believed to avoid the earlier death risks

associated with smoking,

so you're probably not in any real danger yet.

That's not very responsible advice.

I'm not advising you to smoke,

I'm just pointing out that the risks aren't so serious yet.

It's good.

Heard you moved home?

Yeah. It's... it's temporary, you know,

I'm consolidating while I start my own business...

web consultancy, search engine optimization.

Sounds like a winner.

You back home now, too?

No, I'm just down doing my shift, looking after dad.

Is that a regular thing?

Yeah. He's got cancer.

Listen, Vernon, I'll see you around.

No, no; No!

Maybe we could go for lunch?

My treat.

I'm looking after dad.

Yeah, yeah, but maybe when one of your brothers are down,

we could, we could do lunch?

Then I'm not down.

Oh yeah.

Yeah, yeah, course, yeah.

Listen, Vernon, good luck with the new business.

Yeah, thank you... well, 'bye orla.

Do you know what new businesses do?

They go fucking bust in less than a year,

nearly all of them.

Vernon was back at home.

He could afford to fail.

Me? I was handing back the company car.

Well, it made sense. There was no company anymore.

They were sending some guy called Clive to repossess it.

I wasn't going to hang around for that.

Well?

Yeah.

No, I'm on the bus.

Code for the canteen is 1212b.

Code for the supplies room is 1213b.

So there's a code for the codes?

They change every few months, so no,

there's no code for the codes.

Here's your desk.

Standard data entry...

speed and accuracy, that's what we need.

It's not difficult.

The machines are split into three categories.

Soft drinks.

Snacks.

Sanitary items.

Fill in category, location, and amount.

Any problems, call my extension.

Don't start bothering anybody else.

Apparently, if you dream about drowning

that means you've got money worries.

I figured any job that gave me some cash

would slow down my sink to the bottom.

Well, you need both the male and the female plants together;

Otherwise you won't get the nice red berries.

Alright, Anthony.

Remember now, keep them nice and moist,

especially the female.

Alright, English.

So, I heard you moved back in with your mammy and daddy?

Yeah.

It's only temporary.

I'm consolidating while I start up my new business.

Did you look at my proposal?

I already have a website, Vernon.

You're not even search optimized.

Now, I can guarantee you

a significant increase in business.

For a fee of five thousand?

Yeah, but that could be less.

That could be nothing.

Come on now, Anthony.

Housewives have always liked me,

and housewives buy plants.

Yes, but, everything's online now.

Yeah.

We should talk again, Anthony.

I've got lots of ideas.

Really?

Well, come back to me when you have a good one.

Hello Mr. fox, this is Kim Ryan

I'm your new relationship manager.

That was the first call from my bank in three years.

Friendly and civilized, but I knew that would change.

They were calling me for a reason.

Hello?

Mr. fox, I've noticed that you're now earning less

than your monthly mortgage repayments.

That's just temporary.

I hope so.

You do understand that this level of income

is not sustainable.

If things don't change soon your apartment will be repossessed.

Kevin was forty-eight.

Two kids in college from his first marriage,

three in private school from his second,

a big house, a villa in Spain,

three holidays a year.

He always said he was never more than

one paycheck from going broke,

and it was a month since we lost our jobs.

Did you hear anything about how it happened?

Head on into a tree.

DOA.

It's just some people are saying

that it might not have been an accident.

Well, actually, that makes sense.

A man of his age recently made redundant.

Did you know for every 1% rise in unemployment,

there's a .8% rise in suicide?

Yeah. It's called "econocide."

Kevin wasn't poor. He had money.

But did he have enough?

I mean, I've worked out that I need 2.6 million

to last my lifetime,

and he was married with kids.

Hi, Sally.

I'm so sorry.

Hi, Harry.

Hi, Vernon.