Silly, Silly Laws

(Newser) - Sure, every state has some bizarre laws on the books, but Illinois might take the cake for the oddest. Some highlights from WBBM-TV's compilation of the most perplexing: In Chicago, it is illegal to eat in a burning building. In Eureka, a man with a mustache is prohibited from kissing women. Evanston: No bowling allowed. More »

(Newser) - Puppy-lovers can now legally chow down in the company of their canine companions at Tampa's Java & Cream cafe, the first eatery in the city to boast a dog-dining permit. Permits for pups have been required in Tampa since 2006, though restaurateurs have apparently been unaware of the law: The city received its first application just last month, reports the Tampa Tribune . More »

(Newser) - A California lawmaker is pushing to ban helium-filled foil balloons, blaming the globe-shaped menaces for flying into power lines and causing more than 800 blackouts in the state last year. The bill easily passed the state's senate, but it’s facing an uproar from balloon artists and balloon lovers alike as it awaits an assembly vote, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

(Newser) - A Chicago restaurant ban on foie gras pate that animal lovers love to hate has been lifted by city legislators after two years. The ban caused widespread derision among foodies, fury in the restaurant industry—and plaudits from animal rights advocates who wanted to save the force-fed ducks and geese whose super fatty livers make the pate. Mayor Richard Daley bulldozed the repeal through the City Council, reports the Sun Times . More »

(Newser) - The US is one of only 12 countries (including Sudan, Moldova and Libya) that flouts UN law by barring HIV-positive visitors or immigrants—and the restriction must end, writes Andrew Sullivan in the Washington Post . The HIV-positive Sullivan, a senior editor at Atlantic magazine, remains in the US only with the help of “great lawyers, a rare O visa…a government-granted HIV waiver” and endless legal fees—and he’s one of the lucky ones. More »

(Newser) - China apparently will continue to censor the Internet during August's Olympics, but says the international press will have the access it needs to function, Jacqui Cheng writes on Ars Technica. Officials said they would guarantee as much access “as possible,” but “controls on some unhealthy websites” would continue. In defense, they said, “every country limits access to some websites.” More »

(Newser) - The Josef Fritzl case has spurred Austrian legislators to initiate changes in sex crime laws to prevent child abuse, the BBC reports. As Fritzl kept his daughter imprisoned as a sex slave, he was granted custody for three of the children he fathered with her— despite a rape conviction. His conviction was wiped off the books after 15 years. Austria now wants to keep sex crime records for at least 30 years. More »

(Newser) - A dozen nuns who lacked proper photo ID were turned away from an Indiana voting booth yesterday—by a fellow nun. None of the nuns, all over 80, had a driver's license because they don't drive, and some presented outdated passports, the AP reports. Their convent has launched a major push to arrange for proper ID in time for November's election. More »

(Newser) - Mildred Loving, whose challenge to Virginia law led to the Supreme Court decision overturning bans on racially mixed marriage, has died at the age of 68. Loving, who was black, and her white husband