The Mission District of San Francisco is seeing gentrification, which touches everywhere - including the porn stores. Mission Secrets is the new name for the porn store on Mission St in San Francisco, up from "Mission News", which made it sound like a newsstand, but with more penises. The transition to Mission Secrets is to make the shop seem less sleazy and gross, and more like a boutique people can appreciate. This is definitely a good move, although according to the article linked above, they made the outside look pretty without evicting the creepy locals first. The first step really should be getting Google employees and hipsters to masturbate in the peepshow rooms, then do improvements that increase property value.

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Stratford-on-Avon, the home of Shakespeare, is aghast - agog! - over the idea of a sex shop opening in their fair city. "Children ride the bus!" they argue, "This isn't what we're trying to promote!" they cry. Reading Shakespeare is a wholesome, kid-friendly time anyhow, you know - I know it's the UK, very against gross acts of violence, so Macbeth is right out. Since Shakespeare is the reason we still understand the metaphor of of the beast with two backs (Interracial sex, no less!), so priding your town on its Shakespearean wholesomeness completely ignores what Shakespeare was all about: poon and death. The porn shop gets it: they think Shakespeare would be a good patron of their shop.

Politicians in Maine are in a sticky spot: is Spencer Gifts a porn store? They are concerned that the naughty objects you can buy at Spencer's qualify it to fall under the adult business restrictions of local laws. Spencer's says, what about the lube and condoms and "sore muscle" massagers at Wal-Mart and Walgreens? My argument: Yes, buying penis-themed products isn't for kids, but I can't think of an un-sexier store to buy them in than Spencer's. Really, a 14-year-old boy buying an ICP cap, some fart-smell spray, and an inflatable sheep fuck doll to make his friends laugh is hardly a sexual awakening. Spencer's is terrified that they'll have to stop selling that crap to stupid teenagers, and that will completely eliminate their customer base. Stoners don't have money, and the pseudogoths moved down to Hot Topic - nobody will be left! (via)

Going to the Emerald Isles? When in London, fire up the barbie and tune into Corner Gas, but don't forget to partake in some porn. Time Out London even makes it easy for you: they've got a list of the best sources for erotic reading in the British capital. When you're feeling a little culture shock, nothing makes it better than some porn with extra 'u's in the word colour.

I once saw Milwaukee Sexpert open for Jason Mraz at First Ave, but one of their namesakes has some recommendations of sex toys and other erotic aids, in time for National Masturbation Month. The best part: two of their recommendations are male toys.

Oshkosh, Wisconsin's Supreme Video employees just became State employees: the DOT has purchased Supreme Video for $1.4 million dollars...so they can tear it down. The state had been working with the business to try and relocate it, but the laws regarding how close an adult store can be to other buildings, depending on the services the shop offers, meant the store couldn't find any other place along the business loop road it has been accustomed to. Oh, well - it was an adult store, so I bet it wasn't worth anything...I mean, when the property is only worth $300,000, who cares if a business worth $1.1 million dollars disappears from a community during this economy? Way to go, Oshkosh!