06.09.21 | Shop Talk looks at what age most people start to feel old. Listen and see if you agree. Also, the original Rainbow Flag is found and returned to San Francisco after it was thought lost 40 years ago. Our Business Birthday celebrates Ben Abruzzo, a businessman, and hot air balloon aficionado. Caught My Eye looks at a homeless Oregon woman who did not know she was left almost $900,000, and Kate Pierson of The B52’s is selling her Lazy Meadow Motel in the Catskills for $2.2 million—fully furnished in all its kitsch glory.

06.08.21 | This June appears to have been overtaken by the rainbow and we are enjoying it. First, a Texas bakery has a large order canceled by a client for posting “More LOVE. Less hate. Happy Pride to all our LGBTQ friends!” Residents came to the rescue with support and product is selling out each day. Then, a homeowners association decided “opinion flags,” like the rainbow flag, could not be flown anymore in the neighborhood. One owner had a unique work-around. Finally, the US Military and several State National Guard Units are celebrating June Pride with messages of inclusion and Pride imagery on social media.

06.02.21 | Shop Talk looks at a competing NYC Pride March called Reclaim Pride for the LGBTQIA2S+ community. The group said the current Heritage of Pride event has turned into a 12-hour circus full of corporate floats. Caught My Eye covers the Porta Potty shortage that is upon us as the county opens up, and those shirtless Abercrombie store models from the 90’s seem to have fared well in their careers. Vic Firth, founder of the world’s largest producer of drumsticks and mallets, The Vic Firth Company, is our Business Birthday this week.

06.01.21 | Who knew that uptight and Islamic Pakistan has a thriving dildo and butt plug business. Don’t get caught or talking about it, but if you know how to get around the law, you can live well off the sales. Then, Bill Page, Pastor of The Church of God on River Road in Monongalia County in Morgantown, WV is arrested for filming men at the church urinal. Tim promises to pay the church a visit this Fall and get a picture for John! Finally, One Million Moms—really one woman with a laptop in Mississippi—wants us to boycott Etsy for selling male sex dolls, nudes, and sex toys. She doesn’t want our children to happen upon one of the items and purchase it for Dad as a Father’s Day Gift.

05.26.21 | Shop Talk looks at LGBTQ discrimination stats in the workplace and society in general. McDonalds and Hyundai announce they will start or increase their spending on diverse marketing initiatives. As we shed our masks, lipstick sales jump 80% in April! But first, our Business Birthday celebrates animator and producer Matt Stone of South Park fame. A baseball card collection worth over $20 million caught John’s eye, and a Jeopardy contestant is wrongly accused of flashing a “white power” symbol on the show. LEGO releases a Pride Set and Fox News and the right wing go crazy.

05.25.21 | A Wyoming Senator seeking to unseat Rep. Liz Cheney admits to impregnating a 14-year-old when he was 18. He says it was a Romeo and Juliet story and that bringing it up is dirty politics. Can you say hypocrite? Seven nooses have been found hanging at an Amazon worksite in CT, and the company has offered a $100K reward to identify who placed them. Then, if you are a fan of the acceptance of cannabis legalization across the country you have gay activists to thank. They lead the charge to decriminalize cannabis in the late 70′s and early 80′s in San Francisco.

05.19.21 | Shop Talk dispels the myth that extroverts make better leaders than introverts. We think charisma and a bit of acting also are traits that make for a good leader. But first, our Business Birthday celebrates businessman and philanthropist, Johns Hopkins. Caught My Eye looks at debris found in Lake Tahoe and a mis-hire at Apple. Tim asks John if he would let a stranger in the house to use the bathroom and John heads back to the gym post-event.

05.18.21 | Mattel is launching a new program called Playback, that will aim to put the company on track to use 100% recycled or bio-based plastics in all their products by 2030. We wonder why there is no incentive for the consumer. Then, do we really need 8 glasses of water daily? Finally, NYC Pride has banned the New York City Police Department from participating or marching in the Pride Parade through 2025 when they will re-evaluate their participation. The reason is that black and trans people felt threatened by NYPD’s massive presence in the past.

05.12.21 | Shop Talk visits with Ben Franklin for some 300-year-old advice on how to not be unlikable that’s still relevant today. Microsoft Office is in search of new default font and John has a favorite of the new five contenders. Our Business Birthday celebrates the founder of Kohl’s Department Stores, Maxwell Kohl. Caught My Eye looks at pranks gone bad and a raccoon named Fabulous who stole an unsuspecting couples Pride Flag. (Sidenote, Tim tried to recycle an iMac with much aggravation.)