The Wine Pub on Shelter Island/Point Loma is one of many San Diego restaurants that not only allows dogs but encourages owners to bring their pooches. The Wine Pub is so dog-friendly, in fact, it offers a "homemade K-9 menu." A new state law that went into effect Jan. 1 makes it legal for all restaurants to allow dogs on the patio.

Make no bones about it, San Diego is one of the pooch-friendliest places in the country.

And those lucky dogs are getting a treat in 2015 with a new state law in effect as of Jan. 1 that officially allows Fido on restaurant patios throughout California.

Not that San Diego canines have been stuck at home waiting for a doggie bag theyve been joining their best friends in outdoor seating areas around the region for years. And because the new law doesnt require eateries to accommodate dogs, dont expect a wave of doggy cafes to be unleashed.

It just validates a long-standing practice here, said Wendy Patrick, an attorney and business ethics lecturer at San Diego State University.

Its a recognition of the fact that dogs are part of our family. If businesses want customers, they have to consider that. But for all the naysayers, dont worry, it doesnt permit a candlelit dinner for three inside.

In fact, the law, which was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last summer, sets conditions for how and where dogs can be and still makes allowances for local ordinances that ban the practice.

Among the laws conditions are that pet owners must keeps their dogs on a leash or in a carrier and cant let them sit on chairs or tables. Restaurants will be required to have separate outdoor entrances to the patio so the critters wont be marched through indoor dining rooms.

Sponsors of the original bill, AB 1965, argued that while outdated state laws made it illegal to do so, many restaurants already chose to allow dogs on their patios. A number of county health departments around California had also approved rules allowing individual restaurants to decide whether or not to allow dogs on patios.

David Cohn, president of the Cohn Restaurant Group, said many of the chains eateries with patios already provide water bowls for dogs and he doesnt expect the new law to have much impact.

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Fido free to join you at dinner

TORONTO - Tough new rules making it illegal to smoke on bar and restaurant patios have taken effect in Ontario.

Smoking on playgrounds and public sports fields is also prohibited.

The new rules also ban the sale of tobacco on post-secondary campuses.

The Ministry of Health has said the changes to the Smoke Free Ontario Act replace a patchwork of municipal regulations governing smoking on restaurant and bar patios, and will not hurt their businesses.

The measures were first announced in November.

The province says tobacco kills 13,000 people in the province each year and causes an estimated $2.2 billion in direct health care costs.

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Smoking On Patios, Playgrounds And Public Sports Fields Is Now Illegal In Ontario

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Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press

TORONTO Not that anyone will be enjoying a pint on a patio in the middle of winter, but if you were to venture outside of a bar or restaurant, youll have to go a little bit further to enjoy a cigarette.

New regulations took effect on New Years day prohibiting smoking on restaurant and bar patios in Ontario.

The prohibition was first announced in November when the Liberals announced changes to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act.

The changes also added playgrounds, and sports fields to the places where people can no longer smoke. The revised legislation also bans the sale of tobacco products from university and college campuses.

WATCH: (Nov. 7) Associate Health Minister Dipika Dameria announces the new smoking ban

The Canadian Cancer Society applauded the move in November, calling the courageous measures a way to further curb smoking among young people.

Creating smoke-free outdoor spaces and patios not only protects the public and workers from second-hand smoke but also reduces social exposure to smoking behaviour,saidCanadian Cancer Society Public Affairs Vice-President Rowena Pinto in a media release.

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Ontarios new anti-smoking rules take effect, banning smoking from patios

A person smokes a cigarette in downtown Ottawa on Sept. 29, 2009. A new survey shows dropping rates of drinking, drug use and smoking among Canadian teens. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Pawel Dwulit

Tough new rules making it illegal to smoke on bar and restaurant patios have taken effect in Ontario.

Smoking on playgrounds and public sports fields is also prohibited.

The new rules also ban the sale of tobacco on post-secondary campuses.

The Ministry of Health has said the changes to the Smoke Free Ontario Act replace a patchwork of municipal regulations governing smoking on restaurant and bar patios, and will not hurt their businesses.

The measures were first announced in November.

The province says tobacco kills 13,000 people in the province each year and causes an estimated $2.2 billion in direct health care costs.

View original post here:
Tough new anti-smoking rules take effect in Ontario

There will be fewer places for smokers to light up come the new year.

New Ontario regulations that ban smoking on all bar and restaurant patios take effect Jan. 1.

At the same time, the province is prohibiting smoking on or around playgrounds and publicly-owned sports fields.

The Ontario government will also no longer allow tobacco to be sold on university and college campuses.

These changes are to protect kids and youth from accessing tobacco products and the harmful effects of smoking, and to protect the people of Ontario from exposure to tobacco use, said Andrew Robertson, a spokesman for Associate Health Minister Dipika Damerla. Making smoking less visible will make it seem less socially acceptable to kids and can reduce the likelihood that they start smoking.

The vast majority of Ontario residents support banning smoking on playgrounds and sports fields, he added.

Sixty-five municipalities have already invoked bylaws to shelter kids on playgrounds from second-hand smoke, while 60 municipalities ban it on sports fields. The new Ontario-wide regulation means all children will get these protections, he said.

Under the new rules, there will be no smoking around basketball and soccer courts, ice rinks, tennis courts, splash pads and swimming pools owned by a municipality, province or a post-secondary institution.

Childrens playgrounds at motels, hotels and inns are also included in the smoking ban.

Anti-tobacco activists heralded the changes as a positive step forward for peoples health.

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Smoking restrictions kick in Jan. 1 0

There will be fewer places for smokers to light up come the new year.

New Ontario regulations that ban smoking on all bar and restaurant patios take effect Jan. 1.

At the same time, the province is prohibiting smoking on or around playgrounds and publicly-owned sports fields.

The Ontario government will also no longer allow tobacco to be sold on university and college campuses.

These changes are to protect kids and youth from accessing tobacco products and the harmful effects of smoking, and to protect the people of Ontario from exposure to tobacco use, said Andrew Robertson, a spokesman for Associate Health Minister Dipika Damerla. Making smoking less visible will make it seem less socially acceptable to kids and can reduce the likelihood that they start smoking.

The vast majority of Ontario residents support banning smoking on playgrounds and sports fields, he added.

Sixty-five municipalities have already invoked bylaws to shelter kids on playgrounds from second-hand smoke, while 60 municipalities ban it on sports fields. The new Ontario-wide regulation means all children will get these protections, he said.

Under the new rules, there will be no smoking around basketball and soccer courts, ice rinks, tennis courts, splash pads and swimming pools owned by a municipality, province or a post-secondary institution.

Childrens playgrounds at motels, hotels and inns are also included in the smoking ban.

Anti-tobacco activists heralded the changes as a positive step forward for peoples health.

Read the rest here:
Smoking restrictions kick in Jan. 1

De patios con Ramon Medina

By: Angel Enriquez

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De patios con Ramon Medina - Video

PARISAs caf patios lay empty and the streets bare on a freezing Sunday evening in the City of Love, two Canadians hurried through the French capitals back alleys on a mission.

It was almost 10:45 p.m., the Eiffel Tower was closing in 15 minutes, and the two, fresh off a plane from Prague, were intent on being atop the famed monument before its sparkling lights came on for the last time that night even if it meant dodging cars to get there.

Toronto businessman Jordan Axani, 28, marched briskly ahead of companion Elizabeth Quinn Gallagher, 23, barely pausing for stoplights.

The two chance travellers, who have become household names since Axani reached out on social media last month for another Elizabeth Gallagher to join him on a trip around the world after he and his girlfriend of the same name split, made it to the base of the tower in the nick of time.

As they thundered up the lift, they told a Star reporter tagging along how, eight days into their journey, theyve become accustomed to barrelling through cities.

Their adventure began with a mad dash through New Yorks John F. Kennedy airport to make a flight to Italy. Then Gallagher narrowly missed a train to Venice that Axani nearly got thrown off because his ticket was in his partners pocket.

Tara Deschamps / Toronto Star

Jordan Axani and Elizabeth "Quinn" Gallagher rushed to the Eiffel Tower after arriving in Paris from Prague.

There was a lost iPhone in Milan, an exploding neck pillow in New York and a text Gallagher sent Axani in Vienna that read: I got locked in the stairs, help. A night or two later it happened again: she got stuck in a Prague bathroom, leading to more teasing.

But when you find yourself globetrotting with a stranger, they say, its hard not to pick up on each others habits.

Read more from the original source:
Toronto mans adventure with Elizabeth Gallagher reaches Eiffel Tower

Raleigh, N.C. Hey, Illinois, its OK to drink water buffalo milk now!

That new law is one of thousands being implemented as of Jan. 1, as states are getting ready to implement thousands of new laws tackling everything from new minimum wage laws to gun rights, to canine companionship while dining al fresco.

The new laws govern a host of American concerns, ranging from the food we eat, privacy rights when it comes to both drones and candid selfies, and the wisdom of giving huge tax breaks to Hollywood to make movies locally. (Yes, were looking at you, North Carolina.)

Illinois, as noted, just approved water buffalo milk for sale. Florida made it a $60 fine and three points on your driving record if any kids under 6 arent strapped into a proper car seat, and a cop sees it.

And California, per the usual, led the way in telling its citizens new things they can and cant do, with 931 new laws taking effect on Jan. 1. (Florida, by contrast, will see only three new laws take effect.)

In the Golden State, its now a misdemeanor to take Scarlett Johanssons or anyone elses candid selfie and disseminate it on the Internet without their permission.

And California dog owners will for the first time be able to legally hang out with their canine friends on restaurant patios, although California dogs remain banned from inside dining rooms.

And the progressive beacon on the West Coast continues to wade into the culture wars, as a much-debated California law takes effect. Under the first-ever yes means yes law, colleges must enact sexual assault policies that will require students to verbally consent before having sex.

But legislatures around the country also tried to ease off on red tape and recreational restrictions. In Illinois, for example, employers can no longer ask job applicants about their criminal history, at least not on the initial application.

And a year after recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado, households in Oregon will be able to legally have up to 8 ounces of marijuana in their possession.

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New laws for the new year: Good news, Illinois, water buffalo milk is legal

This home is landscaped inside and out

Published Dec 30, 2014 at 2:14 pm (Updated Dec 30, 2014)

WARWICK Step into a world of comforts and freedom.

Only here in Warwick do you get everything you love about living in the country without any of the sacrifices: A gorgeous Colonial nestled on more than 30 acres backing onto state parkland with direct access to the Appalachian Trail:

Nature lovers will appreciate this property with a natural waterfall and superbly landscaped yard featuring waterfalls, ponds, patios and plantings.

A vegetable and herb garden is adjacent to the kitchen, designed for the serious chef with professional grade range, stainless steel appliances, double-tiered center island and custom cabinetry.

This is a kitchen meant for the pros designed with you in mind so that you can entertain with ease and whip up culinary creations without missing a beat.

A sunny great room with fireplace flows easily into the living room and dining room.

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This home has room to spare with four bedrooms and a bonus room above the garage, ideal for the writer, artist or the home office of your dreams.

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This home is landscaped inside and out