function writeDate() {
  
  // get a date object
  var today = new Date();
  var dayWord;
  var monthWord;

  // ask the object for some information
	
  var month = today.getMonth();
  var date = today.getDate();
  var hour = today.getHours();
  var minutes = today.getMinutes();
  var year = today.getYear();

  // help Netscape print a readable year	

if (year < 2000) {
	year = year + 1900
}

  // change numerical months to words

switch (month)
  	{
		 case 0:
			monthWord = "January";
			break;
		case 1:
			monthWord = "February";
			break;
		case 2:
			monthWord = "March";
			break;
		case 3:
			monthWord = "April";
			break;
		case 4:
			monthWord = "May";
			break;
		case 5:
			monthWord = "June";	
			break;
		case 6:
			monthWord = "July";
			break;
		case 7:
			monthWord = "August";
			break;
		case 8:
			monthWord = "September";
			break;
		case 9:
			monthWord = "October";
			break;
		case 10:
			monthWord = "November";
			break;
		case 11:
			monthWord = "December";	
			break;
	} //end switch -->
						  
  // format the output
  var theDay = date + "th " + monthWord + " " + year + " " + hour + ":" + minutes;
  document.write(theDay);

}

function init() {
	// Initialize the scroller.
	layer = getLayer("placeholder");
	x = getPageLeft(layer);
	y = getPageTop(layer);
	if (document.layers)
		y = y + 2;

	var myScroller = new Scroller(x, y, 350, 15, 0, 0);
	myScroller.setColors("#FF0000", "#CCCCCC", "#CCCCCC");
	myScroller.setFont("Verdana,verdana,Helvetica", 1);
	myScroller.setSpeed(20);
	myScroller.setPause(2500);
	myScroller.setzIndex(100);
	
    myScroller.create();
}

// Netscape 3.0 compatibility (image swapping)
compat = false;
if( parseInt( navigator.appVersion ) >= 3 ) {
	compat = true; 
}
        
// cache images 
if( compat )
{

	l_bullet = new Image();
	l_bullet.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/l_bullet.gif";
	lo_bullet = new Image();
	lo_bullet.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/lo_bullet.gif";	

	l_home = new Image();
	l_home.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/l_home.gif";
	lo_home = new Image();
	lo_home.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/lo_home.gif";	
	
	l_worldofcnh = new Image();
	l_worldofcnh.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/l_worldofcnh.gif";
	lo_worldofcnh = new Image();
	lo_worldofcnh.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/lo_worldofcnh.gif";	
								
	l_about = new Image();
	l_about.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/l_about.gif";
	lo_about = new Image();
	lo_about.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/lo_about.gif";	
	
	l_business = new Image();
	l_business.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/l_business.gif";
	lo_business = new Image();
	lo_business.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/lo_business.gif";		
	
	l_corp= new Image();
	l_corp.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/l_corp.gif";
	lo_corp = new Image();
	lo_corp.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/lo_corp.gif";	
	
	l_investors = new Image();
	l_investors.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/l_investors.gif";
	lo_investors = new Image();
	lo_investors.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/lo_investors.gif";	
	
	
	l_media = new Image();
	l_media.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/l_media.gif";
	lo_media = new Image();
	lo_media.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/lo_media.gif";	
	
	l_careers = new Image();
	l_careers.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/l_careers.gif";
	lo_careers = new Image();
	lo_careers.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/lo_careers.gif";		

	l_stockinfo = new Image();
	l_stockinfo.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/l_stockinfo.gif";
	lo_stockinfo = new Image();
	lo_stockinfo.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/lo_stockinfo.gif";	
	
	l_recentnews = new Image();
	l_recentnews.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/l_recentnews.gif";
	lo_recentnews = new Image();
	lo_recentnews.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/lo_recentnews.gif";	
	
	s_langBP = new Image();
	s_langBP.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langBP.gif";
	s_langBPo = new Image();
	s_langBPo.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langBPo.gif";
	
	s_langEG = new Image();
	s_langEG.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langEG.gif";
	s_langEGo = new Image();
	s_langEGo.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langEGo.gif";

	s_langFR = new Image();
	s_langFR.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langFR.gif";
	s_langFRo = new Image();
	s_langFRo.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langFRo.gif";
	
	s_langGR = new Image();
	s_langGR.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langGR.gif";
	s_langGRo = new Image();
	s_langGRo.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langGRo.gif";
	
	s_langIT = new Image();
	s_langIT.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langIT.gif";
	s_langITo = new Image();
	s_langITo.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langITo.gif";
	
	s_langSP = new Image();
	s_langSP.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langSP.gif";
	s_langSPo = new Image();
	s_langSPo.src = "http://www.cnh.com/img/s_langSPo.gif";
	
}

// swap cached images
function swap(x, y) {
	if( compat ) {
		document.images[x].src=eval(y+'.src');
	}
}