To My Love: A Heartfelt Valentine's Video

Sexy Aussie Ad Campaign Has People Furious

A cheeky new marketing campaign is promoting Mission Beach, Australia, as an adventure capital where you can "get high, get wet and get laid". The campaign, aimed squarely at the Far North's fun-loving backpacker market, began this week with Bruce Highway billboards and is already prompting both giggles and gasps.

The tourist town south of Cairns is a hub for whitewater rafting, skydiving and diving on the Great Barrier Reef - but locals say unknowing backpackers often book the activities in Cairns and bus in and out for the day.

The new billboards have been created by Scotty's Beach House, Skydive Mission Beach and RnR White Water Rafting.

They follow a controversial tourism campaign last year titled "Cairns - Great Up Top, Fun Down Under" that led to a prime time rant from talk show comic Rove McManus for its images of a young woman in a wet T-shirt competition and its slogans such as "four play" and "get high before breakfast". Scotty's Beach House owner Boyd Scott said the new Mission Beach campaign was a lighthearted way to lure more backpackers south.

But Mission Beach Business and Tourism boss John Hill says he does not want "an Airlie Beach party town reputation" for his home town which also depends on a strong market in families and older couples. He is worried the highway signs will unnecessarily scare off tourists.

Mr Scott said people needed to lighten up.

Toronto restaurant promotes sex in its bathrooms

Mildred's Temple Kitchen is inviting customers to have sex in its bathrooms. The Valentine's weekend promotion takes uncomfortable but electrifying sex from the close confines of an airplane and transfers it to the unisex stalls of the Hanna Ave. restaurant.

The Liberty Village restaurant proposes its modern bathrooms become one of the "101 places to have sex before you die."

Mildred's has always elicited a certain response. One customer, who didn't want to be named, remembers going to a wedding at the eatery's old location and seeing a copy of the Kama Sutra in the bathroom. "They invite it," said the customer.

This time, the invitation is explicit. On its website, Mildred's asks: "Have you given any thought to moving beyond the bedroom? "Check out Mildred's Sexy Bathrooms throughout the weekend of Big Love. You get the picture."

"We've always had little trysts in our bathrooms," says chef/co-owner Donna Dooher, pointing to lingering weekday lunches as a popular time. "We're taking it to the next level on Valentine's weekend."

Toronto Public Health says as long as there's no sex in the kitchen and the restaurant keeps its washrooms clean and sanitized, it's not fussed. "As far as bodily fluids, it's pretty much similar to the other human functions going on in there," says Jim Chan, manager of the food safety program. Dooher says customers must bring their own condoms but she's hiring a maid to tidy the washrooms that weekend. "She'll be there with her feather duster and cleaning supplies."

Washington man wants tapeworm on state seal

An Orting man, apparently upset over the state's taxes, has proposed some major changes to the Washington state seal.

Jim Vaughn, a retired military officer, has proposed a new seal featuring "a tapeworm dressed in a three piece suit attached to the taxpayer's rectum as the central figure" in place of George Washington with the words "committed to sucking the life blood out of each and every tax payer" surrounding the vignette.

Vaughn detailed the proposed changes, as well as his grievances against the state, in an affidavit filed with the the Secretary of State's Office this week.

"I know that a tapeworm attached to the taxpayer is a bit radical, but we've got to get the people's attention and Olympia's attention," Vaughn said.