We are happy to announce Higman will be offering VOLUNTARY SUPPLEMENTAL LIFE INSURANCE from Guardian Life.

In the upcoming weeks you will receive a personalized packet in the mail from Guardian.  Each employee will have the opportunity to elect voluntary life insurance up to $200,000, guaranteed, with no medical questions to answer if you enroll during the initial enrollment period. The packet will give your monthly premium when you choose a policy amount of $50,000, $100,000 or $200,000. Most information has been populated for you, however, you will need to complete the form in its entirety, complete the beneficiary information, sign it and return it to Mary Kay Cole in the Channelview office by May 1, 2015.You can drop it off, email it, fax it or mail it.  Premium deductions will begin in June.

If you choose to decline coverage, please check the box that you do not want this coverage, sign and return to Mary Kay. If you decline coverage now, and decide at a later date to enroll, you will need to complete a medical questionnaire.

You may have noticed a change in Rose Point ECS in the last few weeks if you have synchronized your computer and updated the "Program and Add on Modules".

A new version of ECS was added to the auto-updater (vers 3.1.15026) which has important changes from the previous versions.  

There are several reason for the changes.  Most notably, Rose Point needed to get in compliance with the latest IMO S52 presentation library (necessary for future ECS & ECDIS regulatory compliance).  This was a significant amount of work and resulted in some of the chart colors changing slightly, several objects changing their icons, and a new requirement to change the chart display options (among many things).  The last issue is the one that took away the wrench tool and now provides a new full length customization panel on the left side of the screen.

Since some users are asking "where is the wrench tool?

Look at the lower right corner of the Rose Point screen.  The button which in the below example says"Vector"  is where you can click to change you chart presentation type. This is the new "Chart Tool".

If you click on the "More Options"  command, changes in color, features and types of chart objects can be changed or eliminated.

To learn more about the changes, go to:  Rose Point Accessing Charts Tool.

Try this this version with broiled shrimp and broccoli, in a butter free lemon garlic sauce with fresh oregano. You won't miss the butter and fat that comes with the traditional dish.

Ingredients:

6 cups broccoli spears chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound large deveined shrimp

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon cornstarch

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 cups low fat low sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tablespoon dried)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Lay the broccoli on the baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over the broccoli and season with salt and pepper. Roast the broccoli until it starts to become tender, about 6 minutes.

3. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.

4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn the broiler on high. Scatter the shrimp on top of the broccoli. Broil until the shrimp are just cooked through and the broccoli is tender and beginning to brown; about 5 to 6 minutes.

5. While the shrimp and broccoli are cooking, heat the remaining olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic in the oil for about 2 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, place the cornstarch in a medium bowl and whisk in the lemon juice and chicken broth. Then whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauté pan with the garlic and bring to a simmer. Add the oregano and continue to cook the sauce. Keep whisking until it has thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Arrange the shrimp and broccoli on a serving platter or in a large bowl. Pour the sauce over and serve.

Nutritional Information:

Calories:            1500             225

Sodium: 513mg, Cholesterol: 129mg, Carbohydrates: 16g

This Concrete Ship is a common sight in Galveston Bay.

Whenever the subject of concrete ships comes up, I hear the inevitable comment; "Concrete does not float.  How can they build ships out of it"?  I always reply that steel does not float either, but we build plenty of vessels out of it!

Concrete ships are ships built of steel and ferrocement (reinforced concrete) instead of more traditional materials, such as steel or wood.

The advantage of ferrocement construction is that materials are cheap and readily available, while the disadvantages are that construction labor costs are high, as are operating costs. (Ferrocement ships require thick hulls, which means extra mass to push and less space for cargo.)

During the late 19th century, there were concrete river barges in Europe, and during both World War I and World War II, steel shortages lead the US military to order the construction of small fleets of ocean-going concrete ships, the largest of which was the S/S SELMA.

Those of you on the ICWW, crossing the Houston Ship Channel, are familiar with the sight of the S/S SELMA.  She is located off the eastern shore of Pelican Island, where she was scuttled in 1922.

The S/S SELMA was constructed by F. F. Ley & Company, in Mobile, Alabama and launched on June 28, 1919.  The 7,500-ton ship was one of 24 slotted for construction, of which only 12 were ever finished. Intended to be a warship, the concrete giant was launched the day Germany effectively ended the war by signing the Treaty of Versailles, thus leaving the Selma to serve as a civilian as an oil tanker in the Gulf of Mexico.

In less than a year of service, the ill-fated tanker was damaged when a 60-ft hole was ripped in her hull after she hit a jetty in Tampico, Mexico. When repairs proved difficult and decidedly not very cost effective, a 1,500-ft. long, 25-ft. deep channel was dug, and the S/S SELMA was intentionally put to rest in an early grave, a decaying eyesore seemingly wasting space, until enterprising U.S. Customs Inspectors found a way for her to once more act in service during the Prohibition.

Galveston was plagued by two groups of bootleggers that were suspected to be a key aspect of a smuggling ring that held the market on the forbidden booze throughout the Western Gulf Coast. When Federal agents managed to seize the liquor cargoes, they used the retired ship to destroy the contraband. In just one bust, over 11,000 bottles of liquor with a street value of $91,000 was taken to the wreck and busted up in the hold of the vessel. In all, nearly $1,000,000 worth of booze was shattered in those concrete walls.