11.23.22 | Shop Talk covers a UK study that investigates reducing the work week by a day, reducing hours while keeping pay the same. Anecdotally, everyone who has tried it likes it. Difficult to do with some service jobs of course. Caught My Eye looks at an old fort that just sold off the coast of England and the percentage of Americas that have not experienced snow. Gwynne Shotwell, President, and COO of Space X is our Business Birthday. Happy 59th Gwynne.

11.22.22 | The NYC Metropolitan Transit Authority is celebrating the release of Dolly Parton’s Greatest Hits Collection—Diamonds and Rhinestones—by issuing a special MetroCard. All you NYC Dolly fans be on the lookout. But first, a Catholic cemetery in Ohio erased the date of when a gay couple legally married from a tombstone. While the cemetery leadership later apologized, they still did not address how such a thing could happen. Finally, British Virgin Atlantic airlines has instituted a relaxed dress code that allows flight crews to dress in clothing that best represents them and allows for their preferred pronouns on name badges.

11.16.22 | Shop Talk discusses four unexpected perks of a remote workforce. Caught My Eye looks at the $10 monthly membership fee that Planet Fitness says after 30 years they will not change. Also, a new crop of toys including #LiteBrite and a spinning top are inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame. Charles Dawson Butler, voice actor for more than 97 animated characters, is our Business Birthday.

11.15.22 | The famed baker in Colorado that went to the Supreme Court over not wanting to make a cake for a same-sex wedding is now embroiled in a lawsuit regarding a gender transition cake. Is there only one bakery in Colorado? Then, climbers from the Pink Summits visibility campaign place a Rainbow and Ukrainian flag on top of Putin Peak in Kyrgyzstan to protest Putin’s anti-LGBTQ legislation and regime. Finally, the USPS suggests you not use the blue mailboxes for sending holiday gifts of value—they can be targeted by thieves.

11.09.22 | Shop Talk discusses the three tests Apple uses in hiring for certain roles. Caught My Eye reveals Queen Elizabeth’s friendship with Tom Cruise. Also, a French national posted about a fake country on social media and it has gone viral. Be sure to put Listenbourg on your list when you next head to Europe! Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, is our Business Birthday.

11.08.22 | The Donut Hole in Tulsa was firebombed for hosting a drag queen art show— the second time this month that the shop has been vandalized. Bible verses and hateful rhetoric were left on neighboring businesses. Then, A Kroger store in Arkansas settles with two employees that claimed their religious rights were violated because they had to wear an apron with a “rainbow heart on it.” Finally, McDonald’s McRib takes a page out of rock and roll stars who kinda say they are on a farewell tour only to show up next year.

11.02.22 | Shop Talk uncovers a Michael Jackson Suzuki scooter TV ad from the 80’s. Caught My Eye honors the recent death of Jules Bass of Rankin/Bass and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer fame. Also, a keen art historian discovers that a Mondrian art piece has been hanging upside down for decades. Herman Fisher, co-founder of Fisher-Price Toys, is our Business Birthday.

11.01.22 | Greenpeace has alerted us that less than 5% of global plastics are being recycled and it will only get worse going forward. Then, a recent study shows that US States controlled by liberal legislatures generally have populations with longer lifespans than their Republican controlled counterparts. Finally, Virgin Australia is running a lottery for anyone who books or gets stuck in a middle seat—you can win an adventurous helicopter excursion, first class upgrades, a million Velocity points, or luxury travel and other perks.

10.26.22 | Shop Talk discusses the one thing that CEO Doug Hirsch of GoodRX does that gives him the best ideas. Caught My Eye exposes a little-known illness related to male orgasms. Also, Dolly Parton has been quietly funding black school bands and other children’s causes for many years and often demands no publicity. Dolly is a national treasure. Joseph Hanson, Inventor of the Hansom Cab, and Founder of the still published Builder Magazine, is our Business Birthday.