Deck the Hulls: Last minute holiday gifts for boaters

Deck the Hulls: Last minute holiday gifts for boaters

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Written by: LTJG Stephanie Young

It’s the eleventh hour for holiday shopping but that’s no excuse to disappoint the boater on your shopping list with a bad sweater or re-gifted item from seasons past. For all you last minute shoppers, here’s a wrap-up of gifts to help the boater in your life “Boat Responsibly!”
Vessel safety check

Mariners need to be prepared in case of emergencies and survival equipment, such as the signaling and sound devices seen above, are great gifts to give. Coast Guard photo by PA3 Barbara L. Patton.

Vessel safety checks are provided by qualified examiners at no cost to the boat owner and ensure boaters have the necessary equipment to be safe on the water. There are key items necessary to pass a safety check, including life jackets, fire extinguishers and visual distress signals - so there are plenty of gifts to choose from. Gifting any of these items will have the boater on your list well on their way to earning that Vessel Safety Check decal!
Boating safety course
Gifting a boating safety course will equip boaters at all skill levels and ages with safe boating skills and knowledge. In these courses, dedicated instructors teach basic boat handling skills and required and recommended safety equipment. Boaters will also learn navigation principles as well as how to handle boating emergencies. Whether an experienced boater or someone new to the water, it is always a good time to learn the latest safe boating skills.
VHF-FM Radio
Too many boaters rely on cell phones for emergency communications when they are on the water. While you may get lucky near shore, cell phones have serious limitations. In the maritime environment, VHF-FM marine radios are designed for communication between vessels and shore stations with safety paramount, making them a perfect gift for any boater.
Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon
EPIRBs are high-tech devices that pay dividends when boaters find themselves in distress. These specialized radio transmitters send distress signals containing a code unique to the beacon that is picked up and multiplied by a network of search-and-rescue satellites. Using information from a registration database, emergency responders will have the position and owner information needed to respond to an emergency.
Boating Safety Kit

A properly fitted life jacket, that won't ride up or come off, is a must for all boaters. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

There are hundreds of miscellaneous items that boating enthusiasts would love to receive, but more importantly will keep them safe! Boaters love trying out the latest gadgets and even simple things can help keep a boater safe. From rescue heaving lines to first aid kits, there are enough items to put together a great kit for any boater in your life.
As you find yourself in busy shopping malls and crowded parking lots with other holiday procrastinators, keep in mind that whether you give the boater on your list a VHF-FM radio or life jacket, your gift will keep them safer on the water, which is a gift that keeps on giving all year long.

"Auto F5 reload window" options
Default timeout	*
Timeout for this page	*
Add random value to timeout between 0 and	*
Show and hide menu
Ignore everything after these symbols in URL(separate with spaces)
Include the separators in the URL saved
Hide menu when clicking outside the menu
Prolong timeout on mouseclicks or keyboard input
Reload all pages with default timeout, which has no timeout set
*Format examples: hh:mm:ss, h:m:ss, m:sss, s etc. like 1:20:30 oder 500 oder 3:100

HSI's Dallas Cyber Crimes Group busts child predators

HSI's Dallas Cyber Crimes Group busts child predators

Group's outstanding law enforcment efforts recognized by Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) not only conducts investigations involving drug trafficking and terrorism threats, it also protects children from sexual predators. Investigative and computer forensic special agents of HSI's Dallas Cyber Crimes Group expose predators who hide behind cloaks of anonymity and pseudonyms while prowling for prey on the World Wide Web.
Merging their investigative acuity and technological expertise, the Dallas Cyber Crimes Group identifies and apprehends child molesters who pass through the cyber portal and enter forbidden zones. Last year, the team arrested 29 individuals - a record number, equating to one child predator every two weeks. A large number of those arrests led to convictions.
Significant cases include:
A 41-year-old Pittsburg, Texas man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for child pornography violations.
A former pastor, a church music minister and a trusted federal employee were arrested for exploiting children via the Internet - uploading, downloading and sharing files and videos depicting sexually explicit images of children, including those of infants and toddlers.
A 68-year-old Bedford, Texas man was arrested for owned two million child pornographic images and videos. Law enforcement enforcement seized more than 50 terabytes - or one trillion units - of illegal data.
As a result of their efforts, special agents from the Dallas Cyber Crimes Group's received a group achievement award for outstanding law enforcement from the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA). FLEOA is the largest nonpartisan, nonprofit professional association that represents more than 25,000 federal law enforcement officers from more than 65 different agencies.
Honorees include:
Eddie Basham
Cynthia Manning
Mike Jester
Noel Jones
Bradley Hudson
James Pokorney
Jesse Lara Jr.
Howard Harris
Jason Prasnikar
Jose Delgado
Patrick McGaha
"The depraved nature of exploiting children for one's own sexual gratification and the suffering and damage these crimes cause their victims is the incentive that propels our law enforcement teams to find these perpetrators and stop them in their tracks," said HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge John Chakwin, Jr. "The work of the Dallas Cyber Crimes Group literally saves children from abuse that causes lifelong psychological torment."
Operation Predator is a nationwide ICE program to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child traffickers. ICE is also a member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international coalition of law enforcement agencies that work together to fight child abuse online.
ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

"Auto F5 reload window" options
Default timeout	*
Timeout for this page	*
Add random value to timeout between 0 and	*
Show and hide menu
Ignore everything after these symbols in URL(separate with spaces)
Include the separators in the URL saved
Hide menu when clicking outside the menu
Prolong timeout on mouseclicks or keyboard input
Reload all pages with default timeout, which has no timeout set
*Format examples: hh:mm:ss, h:m:ss, m:sss, s etc. like 1:20:30 oder 500 oder 3:100