The Focus Group

The Human Rights Campaign is spending $2million in key states to get out the vote for Harris-Walz. Then, a study out of Finland finds that having a rough night’s sleep can affect you for up to a week. Finally, Delta Airlines has sent out a two-page memo to current and future flight attendants that underwear must be worn but not seen. Apple Podcasts: apple.co/1WwDBrC Spotify: spoti.fi/2pC19B1 iHear...

Shop Talk this week comes from Inc. Magazine. 80% of CEOs surveyed predict remote work will be dead in three years. Caught My Eye looks at two LA documentarians that are trying to contact the Pasadena Piss Bandit. Also, clean-up could soon begin on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch—after $7.5 billion is raised for the five-year effort. BrianLamb, the founder of CSPAN, is our Business Birthday. The a...

A Pennsylvania school district thought it was a good idea to install viewing windows from the hallway into the trans/non-binary bathroom. The reason was supposedly to crack down on drug use, but many saw it as another anti-LGBTQ+ trope. Then, Wallet Hub released their list of the Happiest States in America. Listen to see who made the top ten. Finally, a Picasso worth about $7 million dollars has b...

Shop Talk reveals Fortune Magazine’s list of the world’s most influential LGBTQ+ business leaders. Caught My Eye looks at an original copy of the US Constitution that was found in a file folder in North Carolina. Also, airlines are imposing a zero-tolerance policy with heavy fines for disruptive passengers. Marcus Urann, the Father of Ocean Spray and the canned cranberry log, is our Business Birth...

A lesbian firefighter and paramedic may be awarded over $1 million for the constant bullying she endured while employed at the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Dept. Ageism and her female gender also played a part in the harassment. Then, it appears that the former first lady Melania Trump, won’t speak anywhere during campaign season without getting paid. Melania received over $250K to speak at a recent...

Shop Talk covers the recent response from the HRC to recent anti-DEI pushback. Listener Bill from California sends us a sheet of $2 dollar bills. Caught My Eye looks at golf ball pollution, and the iconic voice of James Earl Jones being recreated using AI. Melville Bissell, inventor of the carpet sweeper, is our Business Birthday.  Remember, September is Criterion Collection month. Thanks to our p...

President Joe Biden has made history twice in the last month by being the first President to sit for an interview with an LGBTQ publication and appointing more Federal Judges than any other administration in US history. Thank you, Joe! Then, while the introduction of touch screen kiosks was supposed to take jobs away, the exact opposite has happened. Finally, social media has mainstreamed the idea...

Shop Talk looks at the possibility that widespread shoplifting over the last few years at places like Target may have been overstated. Also, The Campbells Soup Company proposes a name change. Caught My Eye looks at a full-sized LEGO model of a McLarenP1 supercar that is drivable. Also, a mom dies in Wales while trying to win a marshmallow eating contest for her son’s rugby team. Cassius Coolidge,...

After 30 years and millions of dollars raised to fight HIV/AIDS, the AIDS Lifecycle 2025 will be the last year of the 500 mile plus ride. While the mission is still important the financials are becoming a challenge. But first, an anti-LGBTQ Christian Pastor, Jeffrey Smith, is arrested for groping a man in public at a North Carolina Walmart. Then, conspiracy hound and Trump confidant Laura Loomer,...

Shop Talk looks at the habit of DOOM—didn’t organize, only move—piles. Keeping them around may be a sign of depression or ADHD. Caught My Eye looks at the death of a Russian spy whale in Norway named Hvaldimir. Also, an aggrieved couple is spending over $400K to try to get reinstated in Disney’s “exclusive” Club33. Steve Ells, founder and CEO of Chipotle, is our Business Birthday. Remember, Septem...

Florida’s continued crusade to ban any books that can be construed to have adult content has included most of the body of work from famed author Stephen King. King commented that anytime elders do not want you to read something you need to find it—and read it! Then, new data from the recent census shows same sex male and female couples do not favor the same areas with men preferring a more urban a...

Shop Talk looks at a Williams Institute study that concludes that LGBTQ people who come out at work face job discrimination as compared to those who stayed in the closet. Caught My Eye covers Quentin Tarantino’s pronouncement that he will not watch Toy Story 4. Also, a young man's ice cream stand is closed in Norwood, Mass., and a Wells Fargo employee is found dead at her desk after four days. Lew...

Lowe’s Home Improvement and Ford Motor Company are the latest targets in the far-right anti-DEI crusade. In some ways, it’s been a godsend for brands that were not serious about DEI and are using the threat of boycott as an excuse to move away from diversity initiatives. Social media influencer Art Bezrukavenko creates a gay AI thirst trap, and a child knocks over a 3,500-year-old Bronze Age vase....

Shop Talk looks at a revived GAP brand thanks to pop star Troye Sivan and new leadership under Richard Dickson. Dickson was credited with modernizing Barbie at Mattel and is updating GAP, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Athleta. Caught My Eye looks at Mister Softee and an odd product called Trumpy Trout. F. William Free, controversial ad executive is our Business Birthday. We’re all business. Excep...

Liquor brand Jack Daniels drops all DEI initiatives based on the threat of a boycott from far-right activist Robby Starbuck, who has been successful with getting Tractor Supply, John Deere, and Harley Davidson to back off DEI programs as reported here in the last few months. Then, VisitFlorida has removed the LGBTQ travel section from their website—so much for a state that relies on tourism for it...

Shop Talk looks at a recent GLAAD Accelerating Acceptance study that shows LGBTQ acceptance has taken a recent decline. The study believes the proliferation of anti-LGBTQ legislation in local jurisdictions if part of the reason for the decline. But first, Caught My Eye looks at Time Magazines Kids of Year and a pay to attend wedding. Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, is our Business Birthday. We’r...

A woman eats a dozen donuts delivered by mistake to her door. Her neighbors asked if she had seen the delivery, so to make amends, she gave them a gift card for dinner. Then an out queer woman found out she was banned for life from flying American Airlines—they claimed she had public sex with a man on a previous flight. The woman took to social media explaining she was a lesbian and while American...

Shop Talk looks at all 50 states for you to decide your top and least favorite. But first, Caught My Eye looks at the French vaulter’s viral pole and a new Gen Z chewing gum trend to define your jawline. Also, an update on the Aldi brownies and other cooking chat. Audrey Geisel, President and CEO of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, is our Business Birthday. We’re all business. Except when we’re not. Apple P...

Two contestants that billed themselves as business partners and set designers for plays on the 90’s game show, Supermarket Sweep, just celebrated 41 years together. A fan of the show was watching old reruns and tracked down the business partners and the story has gone viral. Then, the Harris/Walz Campaign is selling a camo style cap much to the chagrin of the MAGA red hat crowd. Finally, the 26-fo...

Shop Talk looks at 17 things that were normal for many of us but would be considered bizarre now. But first, Caught My Eye looks at rawdogging and how explicit language has evolved. Also, what is the armrest etiquette on a plane? GLAAD leadership has come under fire for lavish spending according to the New York Times and Tim and John are not surprised. Bert Beveridge, founder of Tito’s Handmade Vo...

If you are already seeing Halloween merch in retail stores you are not alone. Retailers like Costco and Michaels are pushing the season and already have Halloween items on the shelves for purchase. Not a trend we like. But first, some countries award their Olympic medal winning athletes with hefty cash and gifts. And a new Gallup Poll says nearly 1-in-5 LGBTQ adults have never come out. Apple Podc...

Shop Talk looks at the eventual deorbiting of the International Space Station by 2030. But first, Caught My Eye looks at a funeral home mix-up and a five-dollar bet that yields over $2 million at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Henry Willson, creator of the beefcake craze of the 50’s and a well-known gay talent agent, is our Business Birthday. We’re all business. Except when we’re not. Apple Podcasts:...

Our favorite Christian victim, Kim Davis, is using her anti-LGBTQ marriage case to try and overturn marriage equality. Davis has the help of the far-right Liberty Counsel and hopes to get a hearing with the Supreme Court. Then, a United Airlines frequent flyer, Tom Stuker who logs about 1 million miles a year is about to hit the 25 million mark in 2025. Finally, there are 3 news sports in the Pari...

Shop Talk looks at the demise of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs (DEI), at John Deere and Microsoft. But first, Caught My Eye features Stuck at Prom, a scholarship contest for students who created Prom outfits out of Duct Tape from Duck Brand tape. Also, a Subway worker in Wisconsin refuses service to four Republican Convention attendees who wore offensive t-shirts like “Planned Parentho...

Instacart looked at the most popular “unique” ice cream flavors that people were ordering by state. While vanilla is still the most popular flavor in the USA, flavors like green tea, orange sherbet, and moose tracks are most popular when it comes to ordering through Instacart. But first, the social hook-up app Grindr, calls the Republican Convention its “Super Bowl” when it comes to traffic! Then,...