01.14.20 | A new advert from the Chinese e-commerce website Tmall that includes a same-sex couple, has won widespread praise and been hailed as a small but significant win for China’s LGBT community. Google Maps Street View has an unexpected and positive affect on some families, and Batman actor, Burt Ward, was told to tone down the bulge.

01.08.19 | The Focus Group is back for another fun filled year. Oracle moves a convention out of San Francisco due to “poor street conditions” and “visual futurist” Syd Mead is remembered as part of Caught Your Eye. The inventor of bubble gum is our Business Birthday and the mystery as to why bubble gum is pink is revealed. Shop Talk looks at goal setting for 2020 and covers the five best Ted Talks—according to one source. Tim and John have a differing POV, of course.

01.07.19 | Delta Airlines employees have filed a class action suit against outfitter Lands’ End. The lawsuit claims that wearing the uniforms caused skin rashes, headaches, fatigue and other problems. A study shows that people with a lower IQ tend to be more homophobic, and trouble continues to surface at the once revered ‘Out’ and ‘Advocate’ Magazines.

01.01.20 | Happy New Year from The Focus Group. Tim and John share their New Year’s Resolutions and being positive and thankful seems to be the theme. First, an article in The New York Times offers 8 simple ideas to make 2020 better for all. John watched the live re-boot of “All in The Family” and “Good Times” and recommends Tim watch both shows. As the saying goes—the more things change, the more they stay the same.

12.31.19 | Intermittent fasting is in the news everywhere as the latest trend in healthy eating. Tim and John think about giving it a try. A feel-good story from Virgin Atlantic, and electric car drivers getting ‘Iced’ and ‘Coal Rolled’ is a new sort of road rage. Happy 2020 everyone!

12.25.19 | Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from The Focus Group. Tim and John share some holiday traditions that they like, then share gift ideas for one another and others in their life.

12.24.19 | Uber and Lyft drivers say they can tell within seconds whether you are a good passenger or not. Something to think about this holiday season when we tend to use a lot of car sharing services. But first, Old Navy wants to concentrate on brand building versus discounting, and schools rethink the demise of teaching cursive in grammar school.

12.18.19 | Sunning the perineum is now a thing, and there was a cluster of deaths in the Star Trek franchise. There is still time to get that special man tailored bathroom products from Hawthorne. Use the code FOCUS for 10% off your first order. Steven Spielberg is our Business Birthday, and Shop Talk looks at the effort going into creating a documentary called “All Men” about the ubiquitous International Male Catalog from back in the day.

12.17.19 | A vegan has a beef with Burger King’s Impossible Burger, and some legal minds agree. Advertised as vegan with 0% beef, the lawsuit claims it’s cooked on the same grill as the beef products—so not 100% free of beef. The bigger question we have is, if you do not like meat, why are you buying products that taste like meat? Then Hallmark reverses a decision to pull an ad from Zola featuring lesbian nuptials and a kiss. Gay Beer is trying to get a foothold in the minds of the LGBTQ consumer. Very tough category and some of the big brands like Miller Lite and Bud have been in the space for a long time-not just Pride.