(StatePoint) With so many options competing for the attention of diners, local restaurants are increasingly having success offering daily deals.

(BPT) - Bill Cosby once said, “Fatherhood is pretending the present you love the most is soap-on-a-rope.” As children all over the country prepare to honor their dads for Father’s Day or a special birthday, it might be time to say “no” to the soap and ties and give him what he really loves – a home-cooked meal.

Dear Editor:

I was in the supermarket the other day and the young person in front of me was speaking to the cashier in Spanish, and I noticed that he was buying four one-quart ice cream boxes. The total price was about $15 and he gave the cashier a “blue” Benefits/Medicaid card — with a picture of a woman on it. The cashier didn’t say anything about the picture on the card being a woman; she just processed the purchase. I noticed that the total amount he had to pay was zero.

My questions are:

1. Why did the cashier accept a card from a young man (in his twenties) when there is a picture of a woman on it?

2. I thought the “blue” Benefits/Medicaid card was for impoverished people and could only be used for food. Is ice cream now considered food?

3. Why are my tax dollars being used to pay for people to buy ice cream?

4. Why are “illegal” aliens allowed to get a ‘blue’ Benefits/Medicaid card and get food, prescriptions, hospital/doctor visits, hearing aids, glasses, etc. for free? While I, a person who is 80 years old and has been paying taxes all my life, must pay for all these things? Wh

y are my taxes being used to pay for all these free benefits (including ice cream)?

Can anyone answer these questions? No wonder the United States is in such a financial mess!

Among the items needed are:

shaving cream and men’s and women’s razors, feminine hygiene products and deodorant for men and women;

For most people, growing up in Queens often meant a trip to “the butcher,” “the meat market” or simply “the store.”

The latter may sound vague, but any Queens native knows that does not mean a supermarket or Queens Center mall.

Only one will be crowned No. 1.

On Sunday at 1:30 p.m. about 100 foodies are expected to gather at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights, at the confluence of 37th Road, 74th Street and Broadway, to kick off the second annual Momo Crawl. Last year 30 hungry folks participated.

As smiling parents and excited teachers filed into room 301 at PS 96 in South Ozone Park Monday morning, the fourth-graders in Anna LoMagno’s class smiled anxiously and shuffled their feet nervously.

In a few moments, they would stand up and perform in the school’s second-annual poetry jam.

The historic Forest Park Carousel, which has survived fire, closure and bad management in the past, may finally be heading into a safer position than the tenuous one it lived under for decades.

The carousel, built in 1903, will be considered for landmark status after the city Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to schedule a public hearing on the proposal.

“Gravity of the Sculpture: Part II” will remain on display at The Dorsky Gallery, 11-03 45 Ave., Long Island City, through July 3. Call (718) 937-6317, email david@dorsky.org or visit dorsky.org.

Triston Griffith, a 20-year-old from Jamaica, wears a Barry Manilow Broadway play pin on his tie and someday hopes to sing just like him.

“I want to go to college and work on my singing more to make sure I don’t make a fool of myself,” Griffith said. He sits calmly in the lounge area at the Mental Health Association of New York City. His hair is neatly braided and his suit is fancier than anyone’s dress in the multiroom school.

(BPT) - Home cooks are spending more time in their own kitchens and less time dining out, according to the January Monthly Measuring Cup Trend Report. Nearly half of surveyed consumers said they’re dining out less this year than they did in 2012 and are relying more on their cooking skills at home. Fortunately, technology makes it easier than ever for home chefs to prep and cook meals at home and clean up conveniently and efficiently afterward.

(BPT) - Are you killing your pet with kindness? We’re not talking about the compassion that motivates us to vaccinate our pets, or keep them warm in cold weather. Kindness that can be harmful to pets comes in the form of an overabundance of food and treats. The all-too-common result is a pet that becomes overweight or even obese.

(NAPSI)—A delightful way to enjoy wholesome eating can start with your packing your plate with produce, including a dynamite little fruit—the Concord grape. Concord grapes are bold in taste and pack quite a nutritious punch. They can be enjoyed as 100% grape juice or in simple, healthy and flavor-packed recipes.

(NAPSI)If youre among the nearly 75 percent of menopausal women who suffer from hot flashes,¹ it can be tough to enjoy the sunny weather worrying about a sudden hot flash in summertime. And since hot weather tends to be a common hot flash trigger,² these sudden feelings of warmth can be exacerbated. But, with just a little planning and preparation you can get on the right track to an enjoyable summer.

(StatePoint) There may be some credence to the old saying that “beauty comes from within.” Scientific research shows that the appearance of your largest, most visible organ -- your skin -- can be directly affected by the vitamins, nutrients and minerals you feed your body.

(BPT) - Even as the country moves out of the great recession, many Americans are still in a money-saving mode – looking to conserve wherever possible.

I don't know about you, but I have been taking a tally recently on the amount of time I spend dining out, and thinking more, and more if I am really getting my monies worth. Is it me or has the quality in food gone down? Perhaps it has been this way, and I have been very forgiving. Forgiving why? Why am I compromising? I guess for a long time, I have been giving a blind eye because I am too busy caught up in the moment. Whether it is the drinking scene, the vibe, being surrounded by people, I find that I have been feeding into a fix at my expense, and it needs improving.

The other day I was at a spot, and ordered a cream of chicken that was served in a Crate and Barrel soup bowl.

(BPT) - While children long for the lazy carefree days of summer, many adults view the season as a reason to be active and get healthy. Whether it's to look good for an upcoming beach vacation or simply to have the energy to enjoy the season to the fullest, setting health goals is a great first step.

(BPT) - There’s nothing like the smell of a home-cooked meal wafting through the kitchen for hours and hours – that is, if you have time to prepare such a meal. Since most of us don’t have that sort of time on a daily basis, many time-pressed cooks are rediscovering pressure cooking: an age-old cooking method that makes mealtime fast and easy.

(BPT) - As people show more skin with the summer season, it is important to get into a skincare routine that fits your lifestyle. Extended time in the sun can result in unwanted wrinkles, blemishes and sagging skin, not to mention more serious consequences – melanomas, scarring and skin cancer.

“Gravity of the Sculpture: Part II” will remain on display at The Dorsky Gallery, 11-03 45 Ave., Long Island City, through July 3. Call (718) 937-6317, email david@dorsky.org or visit dorsky.org.