Free Republic

Milford taking harsher stance against illegals than Framingham By Andrew Lightman / Daily News Staff Thursday, May 4, 2006 - Updated: 01:15 AM EST Officials say there are hundreds of illegal immigrants in Milford. Estimates peg them in the thousands in Framingham. Yet when it comes to illegal immigration, it’s Milford that’s taking the tougher stance right now. Illegal immigrants from Brazil and Ecuador have been targeted by Milford in recent months, as the town attempts to crack down on their growing population, and keep it from negatively affecting local public health. Concerns were sparked last summer, when the Board...

According to CBS News, Michael Jackson, the king of pop, is "on the verge" of converting to Islam. Saeed Shabazz, a reporter for the Nation of Islam's publication, The Final Call, announced that Mr. Jackson had joined the organization. He added that Louis Farrakhan "sees a lot of spirituality in Michael." “It is Michael’s love for children that most impressed me,” said Farrakhan. Jackson currently lives in Bahrain and has been spotted in a Bahraini shopping mall dressed like an Islamist woman. Jackson is said to have already adopted a new Muslim name: “Aaeesha Mohlestyr.” In related news, a new...

Seventh-Grader's Science Project Turns Up Some Disturbing Results NEW YORK - Jasmine Roberts never expected her award-winning middle school science project to get so much attention. But the project produced some disturbing results: 70 percent of the time, ice from fast food restaurants was dirtier than toilet water. The 12-year-old collected ice samples from five restaurants in South Florida -- from both self-serve machines inside the restaurant and from drive-thru windows. She then collected toilet water samples from the same restaurants and tested all of them for bacteria at the University of South Florida. In several cases, the ice tested...

Lady Claire insists she loves good food, but prefers to call a potato a potato. Picture: Julie Bull   Why Her Ladyship calls a spud a spud LAURA ROBERTS WOULD madam care for some purée of petit pois and hand-cut pomme frites to accompany her confit of ground lamb encased in a baked pastry shell? If the diner concerned is the Scottish aristocrat and culinary expert Lady Claire Macdonald, the answer would be an emphatic No - though she would not object to peas and chips with her pie. The award-winning cookery writer yesterday said pretentious restaurateurs who serve...

[. . .] As of Dec. 22, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals had recertified to open 21 percent of the 3,718 retail food establishments that operated in Orleans Parish pre-storm. Tom Weatherly, vice president of communications and research for the Louisiana Restaurant Association, said that percentage is lower than he might have predicted two months ago. It's also deceptive in gauging the restaurant culture's comeback, as those total retail establishments include groceries, convenience stores and national chains, which have been reopening with far less frequency than the locally owned restaurants -- and are far less central to the...

BOSTON -- Some advocates call force-feeding ducks to create foie gras from their tender livers unacceptable animal abuse that benefits only a small group of foodies. Others say it is a time-honored practice that produces a tasty treat with little harm to the animals. And both sides flocked to the State House yesterday to debate a bill filed by state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, for Massachusetts to follow California's lead and ban the sale of such pate created by force-feeding poultry. Although foie gras is produced in just three U.S. locations in California and New York -- through force-feeding in...

Smoking decision is today Rain could affect turnout of voters By Neal Falgoust Caller-Times September 10, 2005 Corpus Christi voters will decide today whether to implement a smoking ban in the city's restaurants. Already, turnout in the election has run above some of the more recent political contests, with 13,195 ballots cast at the close of early voting on Tuesday. During the April 2004 City Council election, which featured a race for a new mayor, early votes topped out at 10,570. Bad weather could influence election-day turnout. The National Weather Service in Corpus Christi is predicting a 60 percent chance...

SIERRA VISTA - A local restaurant is thinking about the fellow Americans involved in the ongoing Hurricane Katrina crisis. On Monday, Johnny Carino's Italian restaurant in Sierra Vista, as well as other restaurants in the company's chain, will help out with the huge disaster area of Louisiana and Mississippi. The local store, 4177 E. Highway 90, will donate 15 percent of every sale to the local Salvation Army headquarters. To participate, customers should tell their waiter, waitress or the host staff. "It's really a kind gesture, and we appreciate it," said Bob Schmig, corps officer for the Salvation Army office...

Three-quarters of Americans already live within three miles of a McDonald's restaurant, leaving little scope for green-field growth. Obesity is a growing issue in America, and with it the threat of liability lawsuits against big restaurant chains and, perhaps, legal limits on advertising. This week America's biggest food trade group, the Grocery Manufacturers' Association, was said to be preparing tougher guidelines on the marketing of food to children, in the hope of staving off statutory controls. Home cooking may also be making a comeback, helped by two factors. The percentage of women joining America's workforce may have peaked, and supermarket...

Inc. says an internal investigation has discovered that a former employee at a Jefferson, La., restaurant cut the tip off his thumb a year ago and that likely is the fingertip found by a customer now suing the restaurant chain. May Deal Chambers Johnson of Jefferson Parish claims she found a fingertip in a salad she bought at the restaurant a year ago. She filed suit against the Overland Park, Kan.-based chain on June 24 in Louisiana state court, seeking unspecified damages. In a statement Saturday, Applebee's said "while some facts are still unclear, we now believe a former employee...

It sounds like a recipe for financial ruin: a restaurant that allows customers to pay what they think their meal is worth. Yet the business tactic is proving a success and "pay-what-you-like" restaurants are spreading across Britain. The idea was spawned by Michael Vasos, the owner of Just Around The Corner, a French bistro in north London, where customers often spend two hours drinking fine wine and gorge themselves on salmon stuffed with crab. Afterwards, they must work out their own bill and most, surprisingly, leave a fair or generous amount. Mr Vasos's success is such that three other pay-what-you-like...

BANGOR, Maine (AP) -- The orange roof is long gone and the Simple Simon plaque is history. The famous "28 flavors" of ice cream have dwindled to 16 varieties. But at least the Howard Johnson name sits atop the building, which is a lot more than hundreds of one-time Howard Johnson's eateries can say. The venerable chain once had more than 800 restaurants from coast to coast, but these days you can count them on two hands. Some fear that HoJo's, as it is affectionately known, and its trademark orange roofs, fried clams and timeless air will soon go the...

HALLOCK, Minn. - On Dec. 18, I attended a panel discussion sponsored by the Grand Forks Tobacco Free Coalition at the Alerus Center. After listening to the panel members and researching both sides of the issues, and having lived in California when the smoking ban was instituted there, I strongly urge the Grand Forks City Council and other agencies to take no action on the issue at this time, except to research the facts on both sides.Why? First, the health issue is seriously questionable. As the American Council on Science and Health has put it, "the role of environmental tobacco...

An appeals court has overturned part of the decision dismissing a case against McDonalds that charged the fast-food giant was responsible for the obesity and related health problems of two of its loyal (and I do mean really loyal) customers. Now the plaintiffs have refiled their suit, using the advice the judge gave them when he first dismissed the case. But Sweet left open the door for plaintiffs -- including a 400-pound teenager who said he eats at McDonald's every day -- to refile the case, with guidance on how the suit might be strengthened. "For instance, Chicken McNuggets, rather...

Earlier this year the Food and Drug Administration's Obesity Working Group issued its "Calories Count" report urging the FDA to work with restaurants to disclose the number of calories in the products they sell," according to an editorial in today's Wall Street Journal. "But that's not good enough for some grinches in Congress. Iowa Senator Tom Harkin (D) and Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D) plan to re-introduce bills requiring chain restaurants with more than 20 outlets to list calorie counts either on menu boards or printed menus." In "Government Gets Fat Fighting Obesity," Cato policy analyst Radley Balko writes: "The...

In testimony Friday at her sexual harassment trial, a former Hooters waitress recalled feeling uncomfortable as she heard laughter while she undressed alone in a changing room in April 2001 at the Chicago restaurant where she worked. "It was weird," said Joanna Ciesielski, who worked at the Hooters of O'Hare at 8225 W. Higgins Rd. "I felt something was wrong." A few days later, Ciesielski said she discovered a peephole in a wall separating the changing room from a break room. Soon after, Ciesielski said she complained about the hole and other alleged harassment to her boss. "I just came...

It finally dawned on me today. Ahah. My local Boston Market (Burke, VA) has removed ham from its menu--all the ham/pork products. This is in spite of the fact that the corporate menu still includes ham. I did happen to notice quite a few muslims working at the restaurant. So what do you think about that? Personally, I find it pretty offensive that the freedom of many is affected by the Islamic dietary laws in public franchises.

In the months after Sept. 11, 2001, the US government advised the public to be aware of suspicious persons, avoid certain landmarks, and prepare for future terror attacks. The government did not advise anyone to stop eating at Arabic restaurants. Yet across the country, Middle Eastern restaurants saw sales drop dramatically as Americans spurned falafel and kebabs as the symbolic food of the terrorists. In some parts of the country, businesses owned by Middle Easterners were sprayed with malicious graffiti and vandalized. Many Arab business owners placed the blame on the media portrayal of Arabs as turbaned terrorists. Though Arabs...

Lawmaker wants smoke-free Pa. bars and restaurants Tuesday, July 20, 2004Pittsburgh Post-Gazette An influential state senator is proposing to extend smoking bans into Pennsylvania’s bars and restaurants. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery County, today announced he would push for legislation that would follow a pattern set by seven other states, including California and New York. A press release from Greenleaf said business is actually up in New York City bars and restaurants. In Florida, where smoking is banned in restaurants but not bars, restaurant business increased, Greenleaf said. __________________________________________ More details in tomorrow’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Indian restaurant's face legal threat over playing music London, July 5 (UNI) Indian restaurants in Britain are under threat of a legal crackdown on their choice of background music. Majority of the restaurants play Hindi film songs but some restaurants in London particularly have been playing Bhangra or Indipops. A demand is now being raised that the Indian restaurants pay performance fee for the music they play. If they fail to do so, they will be liable to court action taken against them by the official collectors of music royalties, the Performing Rights Society (PRS) and Phonographic Performance Limited. It...

DEFIANCE, Ohio (AP) -- Forget any of the old jokes about hospital food. The cafeteria at the Defiance Regional Medical Center is one of the most popular places to brunch on Sundays. "People look at us kind of funny when we say we're going to the hospital to eat," said Margie Slocum, 65, of Defiance. "You never think of a hospital as a restaurant." A growing group of residents have taken to eating at the cafeteria for very simple reasons - they like the food and it's cheap.

Hey, Michigan Freepers — Team B-Chan is going to be in the Grand Rapids area all of next week on a business trip, and I was wondering if any of you could suggest some good places to eat. We love to eat at good restaurants, so please, no Perkins or other chain places — we're looking for fine dining restaurants (swanky is OK), good home cooking joints (need not be swanky), or other unique eating opportunities. All suggestions welcome!

Cooker Restaurants Close, 1,500 Lose Jobs The Associated Press Published: Apr 29, 2004 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Cooker restaurant chain shut down Thursday after the struggling organization ran out of money. About 1,500 employees in three states lost their jobs. A letter posted on the privately held company's Web site by president and chief operating officer Dan Clay said that "after a history of unprofitable operating results, the Cooker has been unable to secure any additional funds." The decision closes 20 restaurants in Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. The Nashville-based company had struggled since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in...

I have started a website for the "Campaign for Freedom Fries." I have started a list with links to all the resaurants in the US which serve them. I have been able to find over 50 restaurants in 20 states so far, but I am sure there are many more than that. That is why I am posting this because I was hoping that you all could help out by sending me the names and locations of "freedom fry" restaurants so that I can add them to the list. Thanks in advance for your help. "Over the years, France has...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Paunchy Americans should consider diets or health clubs, because suing restaurants over fatty fare will be off the menu if a bill the US House of Representatives passed becomes law. The House voted 236-139 for the so-called "Cheeseburger Bill," which would shield restaurants and food producers from Americans who put on weight with junk food and then take legal action over the negative health consequences. The bill's author, Republican representative Ric Keller of Florida, argued that such lawsuits are not only frivolous, but harmful to the US economy. "We're talking about protecting the single largest private-sector employer...

How's business since smoke has cleared?Restaurants bemoan year-old ordinance, but many patrons praise it10:40 PM CST on Sunday, February 29, 2004By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News A year after Dallas' smoking ordinance went into effect, locals are breathing easy inside city restaurants and hotels. But business owners say fresher air has come at a high cost. And while the numbers to conclusively prove it are not yet in, some have reported losses, while others have closed their doors for good. "My sales went to dirt, and I was just piddling around," said Matt Martinez, who sold Matt's No...

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Two state legislators are proposing a law that would allow diners to take an unfinished bottle of wine home from a restaurant. If the bill passes, New York would be one of at least a half-dozen states that allow take-out wine. California, Oregon, Maine, Hawaii and Connecticut all have "doggie bag" laws. The law could pump up wine sales while also reducing drunken driving, said Assemblyman Bill Magee and Sen. Stephen Saland, who introduced the legislation. "If they know they can take the opened bottle of wine home, then they probably will, instead of trying to...

NEW YORK (AP) - Workers at two of the city's best-known and priciest restaurants went on strike Tuesday in a dispute centering on management's demand that workers start paying for part of their health coverage. "If we let them get away with this, next contract instead of taking a finger they will take a whole arm," said Leon Lahuec, a wait captain picketing the "21" Club at lunchtime. Meanwhile, negotiations resumed Tuesday at "21" and La Caravelle, the other restaurant where workers walked out. They were the first bargaining sessions since talks broke down Friday. Members of the Hotel Employees...

By Polly Campbell The Cincinnati Enquirer Nat Comisar (left) and Executive Chef Bertrand Bouquin have reason to smile. (Enquirer file photo) For the 40th consecutive year, Maisonette has won bragging rights to five culinary stars. The Mobil Travel Guide announced today that it has awarded the downtown French restaurant its highest rating in its 2004 guide. No other restaurant on the continent has held that rating as long. Nat Comisar, owner of Maisonette, calls it "marvelous news - like holding a 40-year world championship." The five-star rating is a key component of the restaurant's marketing and reputation and will...

A mother was asked to leave a vegetarian restaurant after she gave her 11-month-old son a jar of chicken baby food. Sarah Graham was told it was "offensive" to feed her baby Joshua the Heinz meal. She opened the jar of vegetables, rice and chicken after ordering lunch for herself and her eight-year-old son at the Rendezvous restaurant in Aberystwyth, west Wales. She said she was asked to leave after asking the restaurant staff to warm up the jar. "I've never heard anything so ridiculous in all my life. It was not as if I had brought in a whole...

<p>FRANKFORT, Ky. — State Sen. Dan Seum, R-Louisville, said he will file a bill today that would overturn Lexington's smoking ban in workplaces, including bars and restaurants, and stop a similar ordinance from gaining traction in Louisville.</p> <p>Seum said yesterday that cities that enact anti-smoking ordinances are overstepping their authority by telling business owners what they can and can't do on their property.</p>

Irving moves closer to ban on smoking07/20/2003By CONNIE PILOTO / The Dallas Morning News IRVING – Irving has taken another small step toward a ban on smoking in most public places. The health board's recently approved final draft of the proposed ordinance will next go before the City Council's Community Services Committee. The committee will review the ordinance before forwarding it to the City Council for action. The date of the committee's review had not been set by Friday. Under the proposal finalized by the health board Thursday, smoking would be outlawed in restaurants, grocery stores, malls, bowling alleys...

AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE RE: FLORIDA’S SMOKING BAN…and a class action suit! Florida’s Amendment 6 , is a statewide smoking ban adopted by voter initiative which has approved government force to be used to prohibit business owners to allow their guests to smoke in their business establishments, and, as such, determines a use of privately owned property. NOTE: The U.S. Supreme Court in LLOYD CORP. v. TANNER, 407 U.S. 551 (1972) involving rights associated with property ownership pointed out that property does not “loose its private character merely because the public is generally invited to use it for designated purposes.”...

<p>Fast food's biggest players on Thursday will receive a jolting demand from the law professor who helped bring Big Tobacco to its knees: Display warning notices about the alleged addictive nature of fatty foods. John Banzhaf III, of George Washington University, is sending the demand in certified letters to CEOs at six major fast-food chains — McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut — as a necessary first step, he says, toward filing a lawsuit against the fast-food giants within six to nine months.</p>

I'm traveling to Michigan next week as part of my 2003 personal appearance / lecture tour, and will be staying in the Grand Rapids area for several days. While I'm there, I'm planning to take a group of close friends out for a really good dinner -- but, since I've only been to western MI once in my life (to Michigan Dunes, almost 20 years ago!), I have no idea where to take them. Therefore, I'm asking if any of you denizens of the Mitten can tell a lost Texan where he can find a decent (Ruth's Chris or above)...

Bars, clubs included in Austin smoke ban Final city ordinance allows tobacco in billiard halls and bingo parlors but not in restaurants An ordinance approved by the Austin City Council on Thursday will: •Ban smoking in bars, restaurants and music venues. •Allow smoking in billiard halls, bingo parlors and meeting halls for fraternal organizations. •Allow smoking within 15 feet of an establishment's door and in open-air patios. •Take effect Sept. 1. By Stephen ScheibalAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFFriday, June 6, 2003Austin Mayor Gus Garcia preserved his 4-3 majority Thursday night to install a strict new smoking ban in the city's restaurants, bars and...

Article published Jun 5, 2003Legislator wants to outlaw bans on smoking Associated Press CHARLESTON -- You might call it a ban on smoking bans. State Rep. John Graham Altman III, R-Charleston, has filed a bill that would prohibit municipalities from banning smoking in bars and many restaurants. The bill was filed as Charleston is considering a citywide ban on smoking in most indoor public places. Altman says it is fine if bars and restaurants want to ban smoking, but the government should not force them to do so. "This is an issue of government becoming more and more socialistic and...

Lebanon has charged six more people with belonging to a group blamed for a string of bomb attacks against Western fast-food outlets, judicial and security sources said Saturday. Lebanese officials have blamed the network for a bomb spree targeting fast-food restaurants including McDonald’s and Pizza Hut, and say some members also plotted to kill US Ambassador Vincent Battle. The six men, including one handed over to Lebanon by Syria, are charged with “belonging to a terrorist group.” Lebanon said on Thursday it had foiled a separate plot to attack the US Embassy and kidnap officials to bargain for the release...

France's diplomatic stare-down with the United States over Iraq continues to hurt French businesses on American turf - especially those in New York City. On Thursday came the announcement that one of New York City's premier French restaurants is closing down. Lespinasse, which is located in the St. Regis Hotel, announced it would close next week because of the economic and political climate. "We carried it as long as we could. Any reopening will be determined by the pace of the economic recovery,'' said Guenter Richter, managing director of the hotel. He declined to specifically address a boycott of French...

Eateries resist telling smokers to snuff it Owners say they aren't obliged to enforce ban; Poss endorsed 03/02/2003 By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News If Dallas Mayor Laura Miller expects restaurateurs to become her anti-smoking patrol, she's mistaken, industry leaders said Saturday on the first day of Dallas' restaurant and bar smoking ban. The Greater Dallas Restaurant Association is instructing owners to abide by the new city ordinance, such as by posting "no smoking" signs. But it is telling them not to feel compelled to enforce it. "We are not going to get into a confrontational situation...

Where there's smoke, there's usually politics. Downing Street cigar bar attracts an official crowdBy RACHEL GRAVES Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle Surely there are those who think meetings are best conducted in an office. Many Houston politicians prefer to do business over a single-malt scotch and an imported stogie. The place of choice? Downing Street, a River Oaks cigar bar. Walk in on any given weeknight, and a cadre of elected officials and political operatives is packed into the lavish mahogany and leather booths. "Politicians gravitate toward smoke-filled rooms," said political consultant Dave Walden, who used to be a regular. "That...

<p>NEW YORK CITY — The New York City Council overwhelmingly passed one of the nation's strictest anti-smoking rules, prohibiting smokers from lighting up in virtually every one of the city's 13,000 bars, restaurants and workplaces.</p> <p>Forty-two council members voted for the ban, seven voted against it and two council members abstained from weighing in on the smoking ban, the centerpiece of Mayor Mike Bloomberg's administrative policies.</p>

Florida’s Amendment Six has very little to do with smoking; it is about a government, trying to control every aspect of our lives, gaining yet another victory in its’ struggle. There is no such thing as a public restaurant; restaurants are private property to which the public is invited, (not required) to visit. The government, along with other militant nonsmokers, has decided to impost their will on others and decree that owners of private property may not be permitted to choose whether to allow a legal act to take place on their property, -- or not. These despicable despots seem...

<p>PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The nation's largest public health group is recommending a 50% decrease in salt in processed food and restaurant meals over the next 10 years.</p> <p>The American Public Health Association said the reduction could save 150,000 lives a year from strokes, heart attacks and other illnesses linked to high blood pressure.</p>

Bomb blasts hit US fast-food restaurants November 12 2002 at 09:56AM Beirut - Small bombs exploded outside two American fast-food restaurants, causing damage but no casualties on Tuesday, said police. The bombs blew out windows at the Pizza Hut and Winners restaurants just outside Jounieh, a coastal town about 20km north of Beirut, said police officers, speaking on condition of anonymity. A 0.5kg of TNT went off outside the Pizza Hut at 4.30am (0230GMT). Thirty minutes later, another bomb of the same size exploded at Winners, about 1km away on the main north-south coastal highway. A bomb exploded under a...

It's not too far–fetched to suggest that the type of salmonella that has sickened about 25 Burlington area residents, may one day be known as the "Burlington" strain of the bacteria. Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta have confirmed that the strain of the bacteria here has seldom, if ever, been identified anywhere else in the country, said state epidemiologist Patricia Quinlisk. "This may never have been seen before," Quinlisk said. "It's absolutely unique." According to the CDC, Quinlisk said, the characteristics of this strain are rare. She said the Burlington strain is more virulent than other...

Mayor To Propose Smoking Ban In All Bars And Restaurants (New York-AP, August 9, 2002) — The city said Friday it will seek to outlaw smoking in all bars and restaurants by focusing for the first time on the health threat it may pose to workers in the hospitality industry. Mayor Michael Bloomberg will ask the City Council next week to outlaw smoking in the roughly 13,000 establishments not covered by the current law, which permits smoking in bars and in restaurants with fewer than 35 seats. It would be the second time in as many months that the Bloomberg...

Plan targets restaurant smoke in Dallas 08/07/2002 By VICTORIA LOE HICKS / The Dallas Morning News Nonsmoking sections in Dallas restaurants would have to be smoke-free under a proposal before the City Council. The measure, drawn up by the city's Environmental Health Commission and presented Tuesday to a council committee, would require restaurants to prevent any smoke from wafting into dining areas designated as nonsmoking. The law would leave it to restaurant owners to determine how to meet the requirement. The choice of building partitions or installing special ventilation systems would be left to each owner. "This is a...

2002-07-13The Associated Press AP Wire Service A federal judge Friday sent a lawsuit challenging new smoking rules back to the state court where it was originally filed, handing a legal setback to Gov. Frank Keating and the state Department of Health.Judge James H. Payne's ruling returns the lawsuit filed by two Sapulpa businesses to the Creek County District Court where they first sought to block the limits placed on smoking in public places.Attorneys for Keating and the department had sought to move the lawsuit to U.S. District Court in Tulsa, claiming federal questions were involved. But Payne ruled that the...

High court affirms IRS power to estimate tips Tuesday, June 18, 2002 WASHINGTON -- The Internal Revenue Service can use estimates to make sure it is collecting enough taxes on cash restaurant tips, the Supreme Court said Monday. The court beefed up the IRS's power to calculate taxes that businesses owe from employees' tips, a thorny task because often the tips are cash, and workers report their own earnings. At issue is tax responsibilities of employers, who must pay 7.65 percent Social Security taxes on the tips their employees collect. Nationwide, employees reported collecting $14.3 billion in tips in 1999,...