NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s next target: Street cafes

Go get 'em, Bloomberg! The man that pushed for bans on supersize sodas, on bottle feeding newborns in hospitals, on trans-fats in restaurants ... now this:

New York City’s Department of Consumer Affairs has given notice to 17 restaurants that offer sidewalk café dining: Stop the outdoor service.

“Please be advised you have 100 business days from, and including May 1, to complete one of the following options,” the agency, which operates under Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration, said in a statement, reported by The New York Post.

Option No. 1: Provide the city with a “certified land survey” to prove the café business is conducted on private property. Option No. 2: Filing for an exemption of zoning law. Or Option No. 3: Surrender the business permit and close up the outdoor shop, The Post reported.

At least one diner characterized Bloomberg’s newest target as ludicrous, The Post reported.

“That’s ridiculous,” said Jane Lowe, dining at Saint Ambroeus’ outside care, in The Post. “That would take away the cultural image of the West Village.”

And business owners are worried, The Post said.

“I don’t know what to do,” said Chel Seng, Sushi Choshi owner, in The Post. “It will affect us. It’s very busy in the summer. It’s a main reason people come – to sit outside.”

Lawyers with the firm that’s been contacted to represent the restaurant owners say the zoning crack-down could lead to closings.

“The owners are panicked,” said Joseph Levey, with Helbraun, Levey & Odonoghue, in The Post.

See original here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/28/nyc-mayor-bloombergs-next-target-street-cafes/

Pope Francis suggests atheists’ good deeds gets them to heaven

I'm not Catholic, but this just doesn't seem right ...
 

Pope Francis has sparked a religious debate with comments made earlier this week confirming atheists can indeed go to heaven.

Christian teaching generally holds that belief in Jesus, and not good deeds, grants eternal life.

But the pope, in a morning Mass on Wednesday, suggested that belief and faith weren’t the biggest factors. He said, CNN reported: “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ – all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone. ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist.’ But do good: We will meet one another there.”

The comments were welcomed by Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association.

“I gather from this statement that his view of the worlds’ religious and philosophical diversity is expanding,” Mr. Speckhardt said, in CNN. “While humanists have been saying for years that one can be good without a god, hearing this from the leader of the Catholic Church is quite heartening.”

The Vatican, on Thursday, was forced to issue a statement of clarification.

Rev. Thomas Rosica, a spokesman for the Vatican, said those who have knowledge of the Catholic Church “cannot be saved” if they “refuse to enter her or remain in her,” CNN reported. He also said that “every man or woman, whatever their situation, can be saved. Even non-Christians can respond to this saving action of the Spirit. No person is excluded from salvation simply because of so-called original sin.”

See original here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/24/pope-francis-suggests-atheists-good-deeds-gets-the/

Miss America mulls run on Mitch McConnell for Senate seat

Dems just can't wait to get rid of Mitch McConnell ...

First Hollywood. Now a beauty queen. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s “maybe” challengers for his senate seat has moved from Ashley Judd – who decided against a run weeks ago – to Heather French Henry, the Miss America for 2000.

“I’m not saying no yet, but I’m not saying yes,” she said, to The Hill. “I certainly see myself, in the future, in some sort of political office.”

She’s just not sure if 2014 is the year, Ms. Henry said. Still, she’s being “urged,” she said, in The Hill.

“There’s not a day that goes by that someone doesn’t mention it,” including “people in higher political positions,” she said. “[But] I have in no way, shape or form solicited any comments or any advice from anyone on any Senate race.”

Ms. Henry is the wife of former Democrat Kentucky Lt. Gov. Steve Henry. Democrats have been struggling to find a suitable challenger for Mr. McConnell, the minority leader. Ashley Judd turned away from the opportunity, citing family reasons. Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is a likely strong contender for Democrats, but she has yet to decide whether she’ll run.

Read original here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/22/former-miss-america-may-take-mitch-mcconnell-senat/

IRS sued for seizing 60 million medical records

A healthcare provider has sued the Internal Revenue Service and 15 of its agents, charging they wrongfully seized 60 million medical records from 10 million Americans.

The name of the provider is not yet known, United Press International said. But Courthouse News Service said the suit claims the agency violated the Fourth Amendment in 2011, when agents executed a search warrant for financial data on one employee – and that led to the seizure of information on 10 million, including state judges. The search warrant did not specify that the IRS could take medical information, UPI said. And information technology officials warned the IRS about the potential to violate medical privacy laws before agents executed the warrant, the complaint said, as reported by UPI.

“Despite knowing that these medical records were not within the scope of the warrant, defendants threatened to ‘rip’ the servers containing the medical data out of the building if IT personnel would not voluntarily hand them over,” the complaint states, UPI reported.

The suit also says IRS agents seized workers’ phones and telephone data – more violations of the warrant, UPI reported.

The complaint alleges the IRS was “invasive and unlawful” and stole access to intimate medical records that included patients’ treatment plans and therapies, UPI said.

The suit seeks $25,000 in compensatory damages, per violation. The records’ seizure could impact up to one in 25 Americans, UPI said.

See originial here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/17/irs-sued-seizing-60-million-medical-records/