FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com APRIL 2, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 23 SNAPS QUEENS Spring snow in Fresh Meadows Photo submitted by The Queens Courier Staff Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us via our Facebook page, tweeting @queenscourier or by emailing editorial@queenscourier.com. With alternative fuel cars becoming more readily “Not until their costs drop.” Larry DeFrances BY ROSS BELSKY “No. I don’t drive at all because I don’t see the need for a car in the city.” Bridget Cronin “I would consider it after a few years of the masses using them to see if they fi nd it worth it to switch.” Matthew Bauman “I would, but I have a car already.” Christina Cooper “There would have to be way more fuel stations for them around. If there were, I would defi nitely consider it.” Michelle Nirov “No. I drive a Rogue and I love it. I like SUVs to drive in the snow and bad weather.” Diane Lebowitz oped street talk “I would have to make cost-benefi t analysis to see if it eventually pays off money-wise.” Luciano Lamour “Yes I would. I would consider doing anything to better the environment.” Samantha Morin available, would you buy one? Protect your kids from Internet predators BY QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY RICHARD A. BROWN Internet child luring is every parent’s worst nightmare and is the reason that we repeatedly urge parents to communicate with their children about their use of the Internet and to monitor their children’s Internet activities. There are sexual predators lurking online who are just waiting to take advantage of a child’s innocence and trusting nature. These predators troll Internet chat rooms pretending to offer friendship, sympathy and love to victims who are too young to understand that they are actually being lured into sexual abuse. My offi ce’s Computer Crimes Unit has teamed with the NYPD to catch these criminals in the act, prosecute them and get them off the Internet. But Internet safety must begin at home. Parental vigilance plays a crucial role in protecting children from cyber criminals. Here are some tips to keep your children safe online: • Talk to your child about the dangers of being victimized online and why his or her online activities cannot be kept private from you; • Keep the computer in the living room or family room rather than in the child’s bedroom; • If your Internet service provider has parental controls available, use them and/or use parental control software; • Even if you use parental controls, you should also personally monitor your child’s Internet usage by randomly checking website logs, chat room logs, emails, etc.; and • Inquire about the use of controls on computers at school, the local library, friends’ homes and anywhere else your child can get on the Internet without your direct supervision. In bygone days, parents told their children never to take candy from a stranger. Nowadays, that “candy” is in cyberspace and cyberspace can literally be in your child’s back pocket as more than ever the Internet is being accessed by portable devices such as cellphones and tablets. If you suspect Internet child luring, don’t hesitate to call the Queens district attorney’s offi ce at 718-286-6000 or e-mail ContactQDA@queensda.org for assistance. My offi ce is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and is staffed with experts in online investigations. Rebuilding the Queens GOP BY ROBERT TURNER After some 30 years of intramural confl ict, the Republican Party of Queens has exhausted itself to the point of peace and reconciliation. Every faction and viewpoint has come to the same conclusion: enough is enough — it is now time to unite and begin doing the hard work of party building and election winning. The factions in the party have diverted too much attention to matters other than recruiting candidates, candidate support and membership buildups. Everyone now sees the need for a united leadership and common goals. It has fallen to me to begin the unity and rebuilding effort as county Republican chairman. Among the fi rst orders of business is to revise county election rules and procedures to make the process fair and transparent. New rules will be posted on the website for public comment prior to voting by the county executive committee. In the next few weeks we will select a headquarters site, revamp the website and establish a countywide communications system, raise funds and begin a voter registration drive. Queens, with its population of 2.2 million, has about 120,000 registered Republicans and are out-registered by Democrats by more than 3 to 1. While this may seem an insurmountable disadvantage, the Democrats have in their ranks an untold number of DINOs (Democrats In Name Only). Our task will be to tap into this group with targeted and precise messaging. Robert Turner is a former congressman from Breezy Point and the chairman of the Queens County Republican Party.
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