Tag Archives: business

I can’t imagine that many of you were going to in the first place, but the HRC has issued an alert requesting that teh gays not patronize Wal-Mart this holiday season. The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay rights group, is giving Wal-Mart (WMT) a red “do not buy” rating in its new consumer guide, bestowing a lump of …

At an international convention of condom manufacturers, industry leaders are discussing the problem of poor-fitting rubbers, which can result in unwanted pregnancies or disease transmission. The old one-size-fits-all standard of the past has been increasingly dismissed, with several larger sizes available for years, although little attention has been paid to men who need a smaller fit. In 2003, TheyFit Condoms …

I’m a bit surprised that Michigan Avenue is so inexpensive compared to SF’s Union Square.

One interesting ramification of the recent strength of the Canadian dollar is that marijuana exports to the United States are on the decline. Exporters of the famous “B.C. Bud”, one of British Columbia’s largest industries, now profit much less when selling stateside. In the plus column, the decline of the American market means more supply for stoner Canadians, who have …

For several months I’ve been meaning to suggest here that somebody should consider entering Orlando’s under served gay bar scene. In the last six months, three very long-running Orlando institutions have closed: Faces (a lesbians-only bar), Southern Nights (a disco/drag bar that I haunted regularly in the early 80’s), and Full Moon Saloon (the country/disco/bear bar and host of the …

Forbes has published their annual list of the most powerful women in the world. German Chancellor Angela Merkel tops the list for the second year in a row, but Condoleeza Rice falls to #4. Oprah’s at #21, Hillary at #25, Nancy Pelosi at #26. Rankings are calculated based on a composite of visibility (based on press mentions) and economic impact …

Gay consumer site GayWheels.com has posted its latest list of the top ten vehicles searched on their site, where the Toyota Yaris continues to reign at #1. 1. Toyota Yaris2. Saab 9-3 (sedan and convertible)3. Mazda MX-54. Volkswagen Jetta5. VW EOS6. Dodge Caliber7. Toyota Camry8. Audi A39. VW Rabbit10. Infiniti FX The Yaris? Really?

It looks like John Mackey, the CEO of the Mecca of urban angertwinks nationwide, Whole Foods, is about to lose his job after having been exposed for posting anonymously on Yahoo! Finance forums for the last seven years under the alias “Rahodeb”, an anagram of his wife Deborah’s name. In over 1000 forum postings as Rahodeb, Mackey blasted the operation …

A holding company that invests the wealth of Bill Gates has bought a 56% controlling stake in failing PlanetOut Partners, owner of Advocate and Out magazines, Gay.com, and RSVP Cruises. Cascade Investments LLC joined with several other private equity firms in the rescue of PlanetOut stock, more than doubling its stock value from its 52-week low of $0.86. Shortly after …

Is PlanetOut beginning to dismantle? In a self-reported story posted on the Advocate’s site, PlanetOut Partners has announced it is selling its adult publishing division, SpecPub, as it attempts to stem the hemorrhage of red ink. SpecPub comprises four gay adult magazines: Unzipped, [2] Magazine, Men Magazine, and Freshmen. PlanetOut is revamping Advocate, with a planned redesign set to launch …

England-based Qsoft Consulting, owner of the gay dating site MyGaydar.com, has filed a trademark infringement suit in Delaware, claiming they own the word “gaydar” after another company began using a similar domain name for their own gay and lesbian dating site. Qsoft’s suit also contends that TDTong Ltd. violated the “Can Spam Act” by sending unsolicted messages to users of …

A California lesbian is suing dating site eHarmony.com for discrimination because it does not offer any not-hetero options. Linda Carlson is citing California law that prohibits sexual orientation discrimination in business and is moving to make hers a class-action suit, with a jury trial and unspecified damages requested. Recently, competing dating site Chemistry.com launched a widely praised ad that mocked …

Ouch. PlanetOut’s stock price has nosedived since last week’s earnings announcement, closing yesterday at $1.11, recovering slightly from an all-time low of $0.86 at midday. The 52-week high for the stock, which trades as LGBT, was $7.95.

Gas prices are at an all-time high nationwide and when I took this picture a few days ago, I thought NYC probably had much higher prices. Not so much, the national average today stands at $3.20/gallon and in California the average price is $3.40. Still, adjusted for inflation, the 1981 average price of $1.31 would be $3.15 today.

Nine years ago DaimlerBenz bought Chrysler for $37 billion. Today they sold the bulk of the company to a private equity firm for the bargain basement price of $7.4 billion. Ouch! Lee Iaccoca, who famously engineered a government bailout of Chrysler in 1979, is “broken hearted.” The new owners of Chrysler are faced with billions of dollars in employee costs …