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Executive Summary
Part I: Recruiting and Hiring
Part II: Reasonable Accommodation
Part III: Protecting the Rights of Individuals With Disabilities on the Job
Part IV: Other Best Practices That Promote the Employment of People with Disabilities
Part V: Issues for Further Evaluation by States
This report highlights best practices of nine states that promote the hiring, retention, and advancement of individuals with disabilities in state government jobs. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is issuing this report as part of the agency's efforts in support of the New Freedom Initiative, President George W. Bush's comprehensive strategy for the full integration of people with disabilities into all aspects of America's social and economic life.
Despite progress made since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, people with disabilities still experience unemployment at a rate far above the national average. With more than five million workers nation-wide and with the unique opportunities they have to serve as model employers, state governments can play a significant role in enhancing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
The governors of the nine participating states voluntarily allowed EEOC to review a wide range of best practices affecting individuals with disabilities who are state government employees or applicants for state employment. We examined state government practices related to the following:
This report also lists a number of what may be inadvertent barriers to the employment, retention, and advancement of qualified individuals with disabilities. We suggest that all states evaluate their practices to determine whether they include these or other barriers.
This report has two purposes. First, all employers, including the participating states, can learn from the best practices outlined in this report. Second, we are offering states free, informal technical assistance to promote voluntary compliance with the ADA.
Parts I through IV of the report discuss best practices, and Part V lists potential barriers. Following are some of EEOC's most significant findings:
The report's conclusion notes several positive trends. Applicants for state employment are frequently given information about the availability of reasonable accommodations for the application process, and job announcements and position descriptions do not appear to be drafted in ways that would discourage people with disabilities from applying for state jobs. Some states have undertaken targeted outreach to and recruitment of individuals with disabilities. At this time there is insufficient data to assess the effectiveness of these efforts.
Supervisors, managers, and other state personnel responsible for the hiring, retention, and advancement of people with disabilities have access to sufficient information about their ADA obligations. The use of written procedures for providing reasonable accommodations, methods of documenting and tracking the disposition of requests, and the provision of appeal processes following denials of reasonable accommodations are also positive trends in some states. We were unable to determine the extent to which individuals with disabilities have been able to advance within state government once hired, since we saw little evidence that the states undertake any measures to determine the distribution of employees with disabilities among the various levels of the state government workforce.
Finally, we note that many of the best practices identified in the report resulted from legislative or executive actions. This sends a clear message "from the top" that the employment of people with disabilities is a priority for the states.
This report details best practices undertaken by states to promote the hiring, retention, and advancement of individuals with disabilities in state government employment. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC" or "Commission") issued an interim report covering four states - Florida, Maryland, Vermont, and Washington - on October 29, 2004. (1) This final report covers those four states and five others - Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Utah.
Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (2) prohibits private and state and local government entities that employ fifteen or more employees from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities with respect to recruitment, the application process, hiring, advancement, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. (3) Employers covered by Title I of the ADA must also make reasonable accommodations so that qualified individuals with disabilities may participate in the application process, perform the essential (or fundamental) duties of a job, and enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment available to all employees.
Despite progress made as the result of the ADA, recent estimates still put the unemployment rate of people with severe disabilities at or near 70 percent. In response to this stubbornly high unemployment rate and other barriers that people with disabilities continue to face, President George W. Bush announced his New Freedom Initiative (NFI) on February 1, 2001. The NFI is the President's comprehensive strategy for the full integration of people with disabilities into all aspects of America's social and economic life. It promotes increased access to technology, education, the workplace, and community life. (4)
The EEOC enforces Title I of the ADA and has, since 2001, taken a lead role in helping to implement the NFI's employment goals. In addition to carrying out its traditional enforcement and litigation functions under the ADA, the EEOC has stepped up its outreach and technical assistance efforts. In April 2002, we began a series of free ADA workshops targeted to businesses with 15 to 100 employees. Since August 2002, we have distributed thousands of copies of The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Primer for Small Business. We have issued question-and-answer documents discussing how the ADA applies to specific disabilities in the workplace, such as diabetes, epilepsy, intellectual disabilities (i.e., mental retardation), and cancer and have published a guide that describes how Title I of the ADA applies to food service employers. We have also issued a question-and-answer document on telework as a reasonable accommodation. Finally, we have increased our outreach to people with disabilities through presentations at conferences sponsored by organizations of and for individuals with disabilities and publication of a question-and-answer document on the ADA for job applicants with disabilities. (5)
The EEOC has undertaken the "States' Best Practices Project" in part because of the number of people state governments employ (collectively more than five million), and because of the unique opportunities to serve as model employers for other public entities (such as county and municipal governments) and for the private sector. The purposes of this project are twofold. First, EEOC hopes that all states (as well as local governments and private employers) will learn from the best practices of the participating states. Second, EEOC is offering participating states free, informal, technical assistance to aid in voluntary compliance with the ADA.
States were chosen for this study based in part on geographical diversity, the range in size of their workforces, and their differing personnel structures. Appendix A to this report includes information about the size of each participating state's workforce and a description of each state's personnel structure.
The nine selected states voluntarily participated in this study. EEOC provided the states general guidelines concerning the kind of information we wished to review. We wanted to find out what individuals with disabilities would encounter when applying for state employment and what they would experience on the job. The information we requested included the following:
Representatives from the EEOC held an initial teleconference with representatives from each state. The states determined who would provide information to the EEOC and what state agencies would be the subject of the review. Following the teleconference, EEOC submitted a Request for Information to each state, reviewed the documents provided in response to the request, and conducted follow-up interviews with state officials to clarify or expand upon information in the documents provided. All participating states reviewed and commented on a draft final report prior to publication.
Because the EEOC relied on self-reporting, it is possible that we have not learned about all state activities that contribute positively to the employment of people with disabilities in state government. Additionally, not all activities designated by states as "best practices" have necessarily been included here. We did not include activities we deemed merely to satisfy the states' legal obligations under the ADA. Also, when most or all states engaged in a similar practice, we sometimes offered only representative examples of the practice from a few states. Appendix B to this report is a list of state contacts who can provide more information about the practices identified in this report and perhaps others.
This report has five main parts and a conclusion.
The following section discusses ways that the states surveyed by the EEOC have attempted to increase the representation of qualified individuals with disabilities in their hiring pools and in their workforces. Recruitment and outreach efforts are of essentially two types - those that seek to increase the number of applicants with disabilities for state jobs that are available to the general public, and hiring or training programs designed specifically for individuals with disabilities.
Maryland, New Mexico, Vermont, and Washington reported the following practices aimed at increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in state government jobs:
Two states - Washington and Vermont - have programs that specifically train and/or hire individuals with disabilities for state jobs.
The ADA does not require employers to use a specific type of job announcement or job application form. Some practices related to job announcements and applications, however, may discourage individuals with disabilities from applying for jobs. For example, a deaf individual who uses a sign language interpreter to communicate might not apply for a position described as requiring "good oral communication skills." Similarly, a job announcement that fails to differentiate between a position's essential (or fundamental) and marginal functions may discourage individuals whose disabilities make them unable to do the marginal functions from applying for the position, even though they may still be considered "qualified" under the ADA. (6)
On the other hand, employers can take several positive steps to ensure that their job announcements and job applications do not inadvertently exclude qualified individuals with disabilities from the applicant pool.
Several states reported on the efforts they make to identify essential and marginal functions in job announcements and position descriptions.
Most of the states we surveyed take some measures to make potential applicants with disabilities aware of the availability of reasonable accommodations for the application process. For example:
The interview process is an applicant's opportunity to convince the employer that he or she is the best qualified person for the job. The ADA seeks to ensure that this is as true for people with disabilities as for all other applicants. The law requires that reasonable accommodations be made for the application and interview process, (7) such as conducting the interview somewhere that is accessible to a person in a wheelchair or providing a sign language interpreter for someone who is deaf. The ADA also seeks to ensure that applicants with disabilities are evaluated solely on the basis of their qualifications. Consequently, the law prohibits employers from asking about an applicant's disability before a job offer has been made. (8)
These legal protections, however, are insufficient if individuals involved in the interview process are unaware of them. The following are some steps that states have taken to make their employment interview processes effective for people with disabilities.
Mentoring programs offer students with disabilities information about employment opportunities and access to positive role models. The American Association of People with Disabilities and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy co-sponsor National Disability Mentoring Day every October, as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. In 2001, Kansas replicated this effort at the state level, and Vermont and Maryland did so in 2003. Following are descriptions of how Maryland and Vermont have used Disability Mentoring Day specifically as an opportunity to encourage individuals with disabilities to work for the state.
For more information about states' participation in National Disability Mentoring Day, see Section IV.E, below.
The ADA requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to the known physical and mental limitations of qualified individuals with disabilities. One way that an employer can promote compliance with this obligation is to have in place procedures that clearly define the responsibilities of everyone involved in the reasonable accommodation process and that enable tracking and prompt resolution of accommodation requests. The following subsections detail various ways in which the subject states ensure that requests for reasonable accommodations are handled appropriately.
Our survey revealed essentially four models used to promote prompt processing of reasonable accommodation requests. This report does not endorse a particular model. The choice of how to provide a reasonable accommodation depends on such factors as the size of a state's workforce, the structure of its personnel system, and the familiarity of the individuals involved in the accommodation process with their legal obligations.
The ADA does not prescribe a specific time frame within which reasonable accommodations must be provided; however, accommodations must be provided without undue delay. The amount of time necessary to provide an accommodation may depend on factors such as the nature of the accommodation, the complexity of the decision-making process (e.g., whether a disability is obvious or must be determined by reviewing medical documentation), and the difficulty of providing the accommodation (e.g., whether it involves a simple modification of a policy or the acquisition of equipment).
Despite the various factors that may affect the length of time needed to provide an accommodation, the use of timelines in reasonable accommodation procedures emphasizes the importance of prompt processing of accommodation requests, promotes accountability of those involved in the accommodation process (including the requester), and serves as a guide for assessing, and where necessary, revising procedures.
Two states - Florida and Kansas - reported to us that at least some of their agencies have reasonable accommodation procedures that include timelines. For example, the Florida Department of Education requires division directors to notify the ADA Coordinator of all requests for reasonable accommodation within two business days. The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services requires a decision within 30 calendar days of the date on which an accommodation was requested.
Not every requested accommodation can or should be granted. However, an employer can minimize the chance that an accommodation will be inappropriately denied by: (1) establishing procedures that ensure the denial has been properly reviewed and can be justified; and/or (2) providing employees with an opportunity to have an initial denial reviewed.
Documenting and tracking information about reasonable accommodation requests can help employers evaluate their performance in responding to them and implement measures to improve performance where necessary. Among other things, documenting and tracking may enable a state agency to determine how long it takes to respond to requests for different types of reasonable accommodations; whether there are particular types of reasonable accommodations that the employer has been unable to provide; whether there are agency components that have not granted requests for reasonable accommodations; and the reasons for denials. Where, for example, there have been repeated delays in the processing of reasonable accommodation requests, an agency can investigate the reasons for the problem and take steps necessary to correct it.
It may be helpful to document the request for accommodation and the steps taken in response to the request.
Two states reported on measures undertaken to identify the extent to which accommodations were granted or denied.
The ADA does not require a statewide source for funding reasonable accommodations. However, a centralized funding source may promote the hiring of people with disabilities by removing disincentives that result from concerns that the cost of reasonable accommodations will be charged against the budgets of individual offices, departments, or agencies. Such a funding scheme makes sense, moreover, because the ADA would likely require assessment of whether the cost of a particular accommodation would pose an undue hardship in light of the resources available to an entire state agency or potentially to the state as a whole.
None of the states we surveyed appear to have a statewide mechanism for funding reasonable accommodations. However, two states - Utah and Washington - reported promising practices that allow individual state agencies to draw upon resources in addition to their own budgets to pay for at least some accommodations.
The ADA requires that all medical information obtained from an applicant or employee be kept separate from personnel files and treated as a confidential medical record. Disclosures of confidential medical information are permitted only in very limited circumstances, including to supervisors and managers in connection with work restrictions or necessary accommodations. (9)
The effectiveness of an employer's reasonable accommodation procedures depend to a great extent on the ability to ensure individuals with disabilities that confidentiality of their medical information will be maintained. Applicants or employees (particularly those with hidden disabilities) may be more likely to ask for an accommodation if they know that information they disclose to support their requests will not be shared with co-workers or with other individuals who do not need the information.
Utah reported promising practices to ensure compliance with the ADA's confidentiality requirements:
The following section discusses the ways that some states may exceed the ADA's reasonable accommodation obligation, as well as numerous methods for promoting the provision of accommodations required by the law.
Although state employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations only to qualified individuals with disabilities, taking measures that go beyond this legal obligation may make sense under certain circumstances. For example, providing an accommodation so that someone with a temporary, non-chronic condition of short duration can continue working may enable an employer to benefit from the employee's continued productivity on the job and save the employer costs (such as workers' compensation) of having the employee out of work. Temporary accommodations may enable a worker who has made a request for reasonable accommodation under the ADA to continue working while a final determination of whether to grant or deny the accommodation is being made. A state might even determine that accommodating individuals on a longer-term basis who do not technically meet the ADA's definition of "disability" is preferable to losing a valuable worker.
Employers must make sure that, once hired, individuals with disabilities have the tools they need to succeed and the same opportunities for advancement as other employees. In addition to practices specifically designed to provide opportunities for advancement, this part also considers how periodic training can work to prevent discrimination.
The Maryland Aviation Administration specifically addresses in its bi-annual supervisory ADA training the issue of how to promote career development for individuals with disabilities. Using the publication "Career Development for Persons with Disabilities," produced in 2000 by the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (11) and available online at www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek00career.htm as a resource, the training addresses topics such as:
Most of the states we surveyed indicated that training on the ADA is provided for managers and supervisors either on a statewide or agency-wide basis. Section I.C, above, identifies some of the training states provide on the recruitment and hiring process. The following are a few examples of more comprehensive training specifically on issues concerning disability and employment.
Some training on disability has been incorporated into training on diversity issues more generally.
All of the states we surveyed undertake a number of practices, in addition to traditional vocational rehabilitation services, to promote the employment of people with disabilities in both the public and private sectors. The following sections describe some of the most significant practices, including legislative and executive action, internships, and public/private partnerships.
The efforts that several states have undertaken to provide individuals with disabilities access to information communicated on state agency websites, and to provide access to assistive technology are noteworthy. Three states - Florida, Kansas, and New Hampshire - have taken significant steps to ensure a level of accessibility of state websites that meets or exceeds the level of accessibility required of the federal government under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 requires that all electronic and information technology purchased, maintained, or used by the federal government be "readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities" unless this would cause "undue hardship." This commitment will assist applicants with disabilities in using websites to learn about and apply for jobs with state agencies, current state employees with disabilities who use assistive technology to do their jobs, and individuals with disabilities looking for resources related to employment in both the public and private sectors. The Brown University Center for Public Policy's annual study of state and federal e-government found that Kansas has the second highest percentage of accessible web sites for people with disabilities, and that New Hampshire ranks fourth.
The Maryland Department of Budget and Management sponsored the Governor's QUEST Internship Program for Persons with Disabilities. Initiated in 2000, the program provides three-month internships in state government, with the possibility of an extension. QUEST, which stands for "Quality, Understanding, Excellence, Success, and Training," is a training/learning experience for customers of the state's Department of Rehabilitation Services, designed to enhance the participants' knowledge, skills, and abilities while working at a state agency. The internship program has included positions such as Communications and Marketing Trainee, Activity Therapy Aide, Graphics Assistant, Dietary Worker, Fiscal Accounts Clerk, Medicaid Program Associate, Maintenance Assistance, Office Clerk, Junior Accountant, Computer Information Services Specialist, Parole & Probation Caseload Aide, Residential Program Advisor, Buyer's Clerk, Real Estate Administrative Assistant, Publications and Community Relations Trainee, Payroll Clerk, and Personnel Associate.
QUEST interns receive a $3,000 stipend. While there is no implied offer of employment to participants beyond the volunteer period, a number of past interns have applied for and been placed into positions based on the experience gained in their internship. The state reports that approximately 50% of all past QUEST interns are presently employed in their target job areas in either private or public sector positions.
Three states - Florida, Missouri, and Vermont - identified partnerships they have with business and/or community organizations to promote the employment of individuals with disabilities.
The following section details practices that we think may be inadvertent barriers to the hiring, retention, and advancement of qualified individuals with disabilities in state government jobs or lead to violations of the ADA. In many instances, the action necessary to remove a particular barrier will be obvious or may be suggested by some of the best practices outlined in Section I through IV of this report. This section also proposes some possible solutions to several of the potential barriers we have identified.
Our review of state personnel and reasonable accommodation policies disclosed the following misstatements or omissions concerning the obligation to provide reasonable accommodation, and statements that may be misapplied and result in the inappropriate denial of a reasonable accommodation.
Training that contains erroneous, misleading, or ambiguous information can lead agency managers to violate the ADA. States should ensure that training manuals and curricula are carefully checked for legal accuracy. Following are some of the legal inaccuracies we discovered during the course of our review.
We are encouraged by many of our findings concerning state best practices aimed at recruiting and hiring qualified individuals with disabilities. These practices include not only the establishment of some training and hiring programs specifically for individuals with disabilities, but more significantly, efforts to increase the number of qualified applicants with disabilities for jobs available to the general public. Ultimately, however, very limited data is available concerning the number of individuals with disabilities who applied or were hired for state jobs as a direct result of many of these measures.
Based on information reported by the states, it appears that individuals involved in the hiring process have access to more than adequate training on subjects such as interviewing people with disabilities and preparing job descriptions. The job announcements that we have examined do not describe jobs in a way that would inadvertently screen out qualified individuals with disabilities. In fact, many job announcements and job descriptions specifically reference the availability of reasonable accommodations for the application process and on the job.
The use of written procedures for providing reasonable accommodations, methods of documenting and tracking the disposition of requests, and the provision of appeal processes following denials of reasonable accommodations are also positive trends in some states. States that have not done so may wish to consider the adoption of specific timelines for the provision of reasonable accommodations and use of a centralized funding source for the provision of more costly accommodations. States might also examine whether it is possible to use data concerning the disposition of accommodation requests to revise aspects of their reasonable accommodation procedures.
With respect to ensuring that individuals with disabilities are treated fairly once they are on the job, the states we have surveyed appear to offer significant ongoing training on the ADA and disability issues for managers and supervisors. We are particularly encouraged that training on disability issues is increasingly becoming part of the states' diversity programs. However, we saw little evidence of mentoring programs or training opportunities specifically aimed at promoting the advancement of employees with disabilities after they are hired, or evidence that the states undertake any measures to determine the distribution of employees with disabilities among the various levels of the state government workforce.
Finally, the states we have surveyed have taken a significant number of steps aimed at increasing the employment of people with disabilities generally. We particularly commend states for those efforts initiated by legislative or executive action, as this sends a clear message "from the top" that the employment of people with disabilities is a state priority.
|Number of Employees
|Personnel Structure for Job Seekers
|Florida Department of Management Services develops state-wide hiring and employment policies, which provide minimum requirements that all state agencies must follow, although state agencies have some latitude to exceed these requirements.
|Each agency establishes its own policies, practices, and procedures, including policies related to reasonable accommodation, with assistance from the state's Division of Personnel Services, Department of Administration where necessary.
|Maryland has several different personnel systems, each of which has its own employment policies, practices, and procedures that apply to the agencies under that system.
|57,596 (12)
|State Office of Administration, Employee Services Section, is responsible for reviewing job applications for employment within the Missouri Merit System. For jobs outside of the merit system, each state agency handles job openings and hiring. A state web site lists state agencies with direct links to each agency's internet job posting page.
|New Hampshire
|Division of Personnel coordinates and posts open recruitment announcements. Applications can be submitted to the Division of Personnel or to the agency that has the vacant position. Interviewing and hiring decisions are made at the agency level.
|New Mexico
|Centralized system: State Personnel Office coordinates and posts official position announcements.
|Large agencies handle own personnel/hiring; smaller state agencies rely on Department of Human Resource Management.
|Department of Human Resources develops policies and procedures to govern statewide human resources management practices. Interviewing and hiring decisions are the responsibility of the agency/department hiring official.
|Department of Personnel developed state-wide policies that individual agencies implement. Washington also included a mix of centralized recruitment for some job classes and individual agency recruitment for others. (Washington is transitioning to a system wherein collective bargaining agreements will establish most personnel policies and procedures.)
For more information on best practices noted in this report, please contact the following individuals:
Julie M. Shaw
Executive ADA Administrator
Governor's Working Group on the ADA
4030 Esplanade Way, Ste 315K
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
(850) 487-3423
Anthony A. Fadale
State of Kansas ADA Coordinator
900 SW Jackson, Room 114
Topeka, Kansas 66612
(785) 296-1389
Jade Ann Gingerich
Director of Employment Policy
Maryland Department of Disabilities
217 E. Redwood Avenue, Suite 1301
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 767-3651
Steven D. Serra
Director, Recruitment and Examination Division
Office of Personnel Services and Benefits
Maryland Department of Budget and Management
301 West Preston Street, Suite 608
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 767-4917
Robert Honan, Executive Director
Governor's Council on Disability
301 West High Street, Suite 250-A
P. O. Box 1668
Jefferson City, MO 65102-1668
573-751-9326 (voice/TTY)
800-877-8249 (voice/TTY)
New Hampshire
Karen Levchuk
Director of Personnel
25 Capital Street
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 271-3261
Carol A. Nadeau
Executive Director
Governor's Commission on Disability
57 Regional Drive
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 271-6895 (voice/TTY)
New Mexico
Mary Beresford
Director, Governor's Commission on Disability
Lamy Building, Room 117
491 Old Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe, NM 87501
(505) 476-0412
Greg Trapp
Executive Director
Commission for the Blind
2200 Yale Blvd. SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
(505) 841-8844
John W. Golom
Human Resource Manager
Department of Human Services
State of Utah
(801) 538-4229
Karen R. Joeckel
Office of the Commissioner
Vermont Department of Human Resources
110 State Street, Drawer 20
Montpelier, VT 05620-3001
(802) 828-3491
Toby Olson Executive Secretary Washington State Governor's Committee on Disability Issues and Employment P.O. Box 9046 Olympia, WA 98507-9046 (360) 438-3168 (360) 438-3167 (TTY) email@example.com
1. See http://www.eeoc.gov/initiatives/nfi/int_states_best_practices_report.html.
2. 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.
3. See 42 U.S.C. § 12102. Pursuant to statutory directive, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued regulations implementing Title I of the ADA. Those regulations can be found at 29 C.F.R. Part 1630.
4. For information on the New Freedom Initiative, see http://whitehouse.gov/infocus/newfreedom/.
5. EEOC publications on the ADA can be found at http://www.eeoc.gov/types/ada.html.
6. The ADA considers an individual with a disability "qualified" if he or she can perform a job's "essential functions" (or fundamental duties) with or without reasonable accommodation. See 42 U.S.C. § 12111(8); 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(m).
7. See 42 U.S.C. § 12112(b)(5)(A); 29 C.F.R. Part 1630, app. § 1630.2(o).
8. See 42 U.S.C. § 12112(d); 29 C.F.R. § 1630.13.
9. See 42 U.S.C. § 12112(d)(3)(B), (C), and (4)(C); 29 C.F.R. § 1630.14(b)(1), (c)(1), and (d)(1).
10. Reducing workers' compensation costs also is listed as a goal of the program.
11. In 2001, the President's Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities became part of the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy.
12. Missouri Office of Administration, Division of Personnel, 2004 Annual Report 21 (available at http://www.oa.mo.gov/pers/AnnualRpt.pdf).
This page was last modified on November 1, 2005.
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Athos wrote:How about an ox cart with a dwarf driver?
Steve, who is on the crusade for new animals...
DerBum wrote:I need to find a place to post the pics, then I will link them up here.
Peppermint Pig wrote:Goblin thieves cart? Bales of hay, with treasure hiding underneath. Maybe they kidnap a princess? (yay for lego women?)
JPinoy wrote:How about a weapons cart? With a horse pulling it and 1 Crown Knight soldier accompanying it?
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Envisat launch: only a few months to go!
ESA Press Release N° 06-2001
Envisat, the largest and the most sophisticated European-built Earth observation satellite ever, will complete its final test sequences over the coming weeks at the ESA Test Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, before being shipped to Kourou for launch.
The last opportunity for the media to take a look at the impressive ten metre-tall giant will be on Thursday 1 February at ESA's ESTEC establishment. All ten instruments have been installed on the spacecraft and the large Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar antenna deployed. With the exception of the solar array, Envisat is now in its actual in-flight configuration.
In the morning of 1 February, leading international scientists, top managers from the Astrium industrial consortium and the ESA project team will give comprehensive background briefings on the various mission objectives of this unique spacecraft observing Planet Earth, its sophisticated instruments and the work scheduled between now and the start of its operational life in polar orbit.
Specialists will be available for interviews in various languages.
After final testing, Envisat will leave ESTEC in April for a three-month launch campaign at Europe's spaceport in French Guiana. The night launch on an Ariane 5 is planned in the second half of July. Envisat is designed to provide five years of in-orbit operations.
The programme and a press accreditation form can be found in the ESA press release


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forum logo dimensions
This forum related stuff. Problems? Suggestions? Here.
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forum logo dimensions
Could someone make the forum logo match with the forum's body dimensions.It looks good, and matches the theme. However, it is too short and looks out of place. I would move it more towards the left, and just expand it on the right, matching the dimensions with the rest of the forum's body.
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"One of the key Senate players in the push to overhaul Americas immigration system is voicing fresh confidence that an accommodation can be reached with the House. Sen. Chuck Schumer says its OK with him if the House sticks with its piecemeal approach, as long as it can be reconciled with the version the Senate has passed.
The New York Democrat told CNN in an interview Wednesday that we would much prefer the comprehensive bill, but any way the House can get there is all right by us. He adds that things are moving in the right direction. Schumer said a bill taking shape in the House are very similar to our bill. But he said the final product must include some path to citizenship for people living here illegally." - Washington Post
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The cuisine of Andalusia
Salmorejo from Cordoba
- 自治州 : Andalusia
Andalusia, a melting pot of cultures and cuisines
The Romans taught the Andalusians how to cultivate wheat and vines and used the fish from the seas to produce the best "garum" in the empire. The Arabs taught the Andalusians how to grow fruit and vegetables. They used irrigation systems and improved the cultivation of olive trees and the production of oil. Furthermore, the Greeks, Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Visigoths left their mark on the art, science, culture and gastronomy of Andalusia.
Two seas: The Mediterranean and the Atlantic Its seas provide many types of fish whose quality is not easy to find in other waters. A good example of this is the red tuna, which when it swims from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea on its yearly migrational route, is so delectable, so rich in aroma, just so unbelievably good that it has obtained the highest international valuation with regards fish quality. Sole, sea bass, white sea bream, red snapper, snapper, hake, red mullet, sardines, anchovies, plaice, whiting, king prawns (the Sanlucar variety are exceptional) prawns (the white prawns from Huelva are unbeatable), truncate donax, small shellfish, fiddler crabs, whelk, sea anemones (almost unknown in the rest of the world), crayfish from Adra, etc., which can be fried in olive oil and form part of an unbeatable "pescaito frito", can be grilled, cooked in seasalt, baked or simply boiled. Typically imaginative dishes include Rota-style dentex, tuna cooked with onions and melva fish stew. The Andalusian market garden has an abundance of varied products. Almeria especially stands out in this respect as it has developed a system to cultivate vegetables during the winter months. Top-quality vegetables abound, such as the tender baby broad beans from Jaen, extra-early potatoes from Motril, asparagus from Huétor Taja, artichokes which are especially delicious when cooked with clams, and aubergines, which Al Buran used for the first "alboronía" (vegetable stew). Fruit includes the sweet and tasty mountain oranges from Cordoba, persimmons, medlars, pomegranates, figs, prickly pears, strawberries from Alpujarra, cherimoyas, avocados, mangos, guavas, papayas and many other subtropical fruit from the coast of Granada and Malaga. If we had to choose between all the cured and salted meats and sausages which abound in Spain, the general opinion would be "jamón ibérico de bellota" (Iberian cured ham deriving from pigs which have been fed exclusively on acorns). All the cured ham produced in the mountain ranges of Huelva and Cordoba is exceptional. It is difficult to find a product with such a rich aroma, with such a full taste, with such a soft texture, so nutritive and at the same time so healthy due to its composition of monounsaturated fatty acids. Gazpacho, or better said, the many gazpachos - "ajoblanco" (garlic and almond), "salmorejo" (much thicker and made with tomatoes only), "porra antequerana" (with eggs and tomatoes), "pipirrana" (with green peppers, cucumber, tomatoes and onion), - provide so many nutrients that they are considered dietary dishes, the perfect dish for sportsmen or anyone else who wants to ward off the heat with the water, vitamins and minerals contained in these relaxing and simple preparations. Stews were neglected for a long time by Andalusian restaurants, although they were always enjoyed by the locals at home. Today they have become fashionable and are so popular that they are becoming an important part of the Mediterranean Cuisine. Casseroles made with cabbage, fennel, or spinach and cod, and stews such as gypsy stew are again appearing on the most select menus. Oxtail, giblets, kid in garlic sauce, lamb stew, chicken or turkey in sauce with egg and almonds, Seville-style duck, kidneys cooked in sherry, form part of the meat dishes on offer in Andalusia and taste divine when seasoned with aromatic herbs.
The importance of "tapas The Andalusian "tapas" deserve special mention. Some bars offer interminable lists with over a hundred specialities. It is common for bars to prepare two menus - one long version and one with the seasonal products available - and serve each "tapa" with its best accompanying wine. The only foreseeable problem is that the traveller can at first feel rather overwhelmed by the offer, but after a little reflection he will be able to choose between the various delicacies on offer, keeping in mind that the cured ham, fried fish, mini-stews, prawns, king prawns, shrimp omelettes, sea anemones etc. will not be found anywhere else in the world. There are various modern and normally very imaginative dishes which are a must, including the "secreto ibérico " which really shouldn't be missed. The usage of almonds and honey in Andalusian confectionery is reminiscent of the Moor occupation. Convents have conserved these traditions and offer "yemas de San Leandro" (an egg yolk cake), "buñuelos de San Benito" (fritters), "piononos de Santa Fe" (rolled sponge cake), pumpkin sweet cakes, "hojaldres de cabello de ángel" (pastries filled with pumpkin puree), crystallised grapefruit, fruit in syrup, "verdugados", "maimones" (sponge cakes), "pestiños" (honey coated pastries), etc. "Turrón de Cadiz" (nougat), marzipan sticks, quince jelly, "alfajors" (almond and nut pastry), lardy cakes, shortbread, doughnuts in wine, etc. are mainly industrially produced and well worth trying.
Wines and restaurants The sherries from Jerez, such as "fino", "manzanilla", "oloroso", "palo cortado", "amontillado" and sweet versions, especially "Pedro Ximénez", are true treasures and extremely pleasurable. Malaga, Condado de Huelva and Montilla-Moriles have Denomination of Origin and produce classic high quality wines and sherries. Lately a few table wines have been introduced into their range and which are becoming more and more popular. The restaurant El Faro del Puerto, awarded two suns by the CAMPSA Guide, serves many typical dishes from Andalusia and the Straits of Gibraltar. Other restaurants which have also been awarded two suns by the CAMPSA Guide and are worth mentioning are the restaurant La Alquería in Seville; La Meridiana which, located in Marbella, specialises in dishes from the Costa del Sol; and Lido in Estepona, in the province of Malaga.
Andalusia, a melting pot of cultures and cuisines The produce of Andalusia is very varied due to the great diversity of its landscapes and climates. "Mountain ranges, countryside and coast" is the traditional description of this region, but forgets to add that each of these landscapes vary enormously within themselves. Andalusia may have very dry mountain ranges but it also contains the mountain ranges with the highest rainfall in Spain. The countryside is a mixture of wide-open plains where crops are cultivated, soft slopes where olive trees are cultivated and rich meadows where vegetables are cultivated. The Atlantic and Mediterranean coast differ from each other enormously, especially with regards their fish. If the future of cooking relies on the availability of good and varied raw materials, Andalusia has a very good chance of becoming a culinary model. And if we add its culinary tradition, imagination and modern techniques to all this, the future of Andalusian cooking, already greatly admired, has no limits.
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Great granola! Ola Granola is growing
Some companies struggle to adjust to a changing economy, but a Norwalk-based food manufacturer has been growing at such a fast clip that it has expanded and hired additional staff.
Founded by Redding resident Dina Houser, Ola Granola moved into 2,700 square feet at 155 Woodward Ave. in 2010, and after less than four years it has expanded an additional 4,000 square feet, enlarging its kitchen, warehousing and office space.
In the process, it has expanded its staff from five to eight, and more hires could be anticipated if the granola business continues to grow.
"As we expand and grow, we will certainly need additional assistance in all areas, especially since we manufacture our own product, which many food companies do not do," Houser said. "We like that we can control our quality by using premium ingredients and making our granola in small batches."
The company, which can trace its beginnings to Houser making granola for friends and relatives, sells its products to nearly 2,000 stores -- including Stew Leonard's, Stop & Shop, ShopRite, Whole Foods and Hannaford's -- and has lined up a broker for sales on the West Coast.
"Stew's was one of our early customers. Folks who shop at Stew's rely on them to have the best brands and products available, so we are very fortunate to be on their shelves," she said.
Ola Granola, which will celebrate its expansion on April 22, will also soon add 174 Christmas Tree Shops to its customer portfolio, said Jason Balogh, operations manager.
"We're definitely on our way up. Out participation in trade shows has been good," he said.
The company produces a variety of granola products in 9-ounce and 3-pound bags, 16-ounce jars and 1-ounce single-serves.
Ola Granola's products are low in sugar, calories, fat and sodium and include no genetically modified organisms, Houser said.
"We are in the process of rolling out a new flavor, chocolate banana chip, for June," she said, adding that the new flavor and the all other selections will be gluten-free.
Houser's husband, Kurt Houser, who owns DK Design Partners in Redding, is involved in creative development and brand strategy.
David Genovese, chief executive of Darien-based Baywater Properties, owner of the building were Ola Granola is based, saw something in Dina Houser that gave him confidence about the prospects of the business.
"She has a great, high-quality product. She understands the market and is good at branding and marketing," Genovese said.
He connected her with Norwalk officials to help Ola Granola gain a tax advantage from the state.
"Part of the attraction of that part of Norwalk is the availability of enterprise zone tax credits," said Tad Diesel, Norwalk's director of marketing and business development. "Ola Granola provides an example of a small business with a great idea finding a perfect landlord with a building in an ideal location."
The key to continued success will be for Ola Granola to continue to innovate, said Kevin Coupe, also known as "The Content Guy," operator of morningnewsbeat.com, a Darien-based online publication that focuses on the retail food industry.
"The healthy food movement is growing," he said. "They have to have a unique take on it. That way, they won't be perceived as a `me too' business."


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International institutions
Information on the EU's international relations and participation with numerous international organisations.
Macroeconomic analysis of non-EU economies
Activities and partners of the European Commission in macroeconomic analysis of non-EU countries
International development aid
The EU is the largest donor of development aid in the world as well as the biggest contributor of climate finance. It takes various political actions to reduce poverty and offers grants to developing countries.
Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) to non-EU partner countries
Macro-financial assistance is a form of financial aid extended by the EU to partner countries experiencing a balance of payments crisis.
Globalisation and the EU economy
Technological progress, lower transport costs and policy liberalisation in the European Union and elsewhere have led to increasing trade and financial flows between countries. This has important implications for the functioning of the EU economy.


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Hi...I'm new and my first post! I wondered if there are any WW2 groups in the west country, I'm have some photographic ideas I would like to progress.
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Any WW2 Groups in Wiltshire/Somerset
Re-Enactment Societies - details and links
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It took Bob Dylan about a week to acknowledge the fact that he was awarded a Nobel Prize for literature. But it took him less than 24 hours after that to retract the recognition from his website.
On a page of Dylan's site promoting his book "The Lyrics: 1961-2012," The Guardian reported Thurday it nonchalantly mentioned he was the "winner of the Nobel prize in literature" in a blurb describing the musician's success.
But now, it's gone.
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That sentence was the most anyone had seen or heard from Dylan on the subject of his Nobel prize, which was announced last week. The Nobel academy's permanent secretary Sara Danius has said that multiple attempts have been made to contact the singer/songwriter but to no avail.
Dylan is the first musician to ever win this award. Widely regarded as the poet of the rock world, he is known his allusions and protest songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin.'" He has published poetry and prose, also. Winning the Nobel for literature puts Dylan in the company of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison and T.S. Eliot.
Bob Dylan was given the honor for "having created new poetic expression within the great American song tradition," according to the official Nobel prize website.


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If NOT, try one of these:
Disclaimer: this health information is for educational purposes only. You, the reader, assume full responsibility for how you choose to use it.
Copyright 2000-2019 Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines LLC.
The oil contained in the plant leaves irritates the skin.
The redness and blistering from the rash is often arranged in streaks or lines, because the leaf brushes across the body in a line as an individual walks past.
Leaves grouped in threes characterize poison ivy. The scientific name for this plant is Toxicodendron radicans.
Poison Ivy is common in the eastern and central United States
The leaves appear in groups of three.
Poison ivy grows as a small plant, as a bush, or as a vine.


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Nothing here.
2/10/2014: Politics and the Pulpit: Part One: "Uninhibited, Robust, and Wide-Open!"
2/24/2014: Politics and the Pulpit: Part Two: The IRS is Not the Law
3/10/2014: Politics and the Pulpit - Part Three - Churches are Automatically Tax Exempt by Law
6/16/2014: Politics and the Pulpit: Part Four: The Vague and Shaky Johnson Amendment
6/30/2014: Politics and the Pulpit: Part Five: Time for a Bright-Line Standard
A Key Election Question: Is This What You Mean By Abortion?
A Renewed Call to Faithful Citizenship
and the Priority of Life
Abortion as the Fundamental Issue
Above My Pay Grade
Absolutely No Exceptions
"And What I Have Failed To Do..."
Avoid Election Day Traps - Part one
Avoid Election Day Traps - Part two
Be There
Caesar Must Obey God
Cannot be Right
Choosing Evil or Limiting Evil?
Church and State
The Consistent Ethic of Life: Myths and Realities
Democracy is Relative
Democrats for Life
Distorted Citizenship (or, Why do we have a Reading Comprehension Problem in the Church?)
Election 2008: Clarity or Confusion?
Elections 2012: Be Free, Be Smart, Be Responsible!
Election Enthusiasm
Election Perseverance
The Elections and Capital Punishment
The Elections and the Consistent Ethic
Elections and the Right to Life
Eucharistic Citizenship
Evaluating Issues
Every Vote Counts
Faithful Citizenship
Four State Ballot Measures
Free Speech in Church - 2003
Free Speech in Church - 2005
I'm Motivated to Vote
IRS Fantasies
Is the Church "Too Political?"
"Is This What You Mean?"
Judicial Activism
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
Keeping Children Safe
Legislating Morality
Low Hanging Fruit
The Most Important Vote
Mr. Brownback
A New Senate
The Party Matters
The Political Issue Beneath Abortion
Political Loyalties
Political, Not Partisan
Political Parties and Skull Cracking
Politicians' Grammar
Politics and the Pulpit: Part One: "Uninhibited, Robust, and Wide-Open!"
Politics, Government, Law, Abortion, and God
Practical Voting
The Prayer Campaign
Prayer Campaign
Presidential Probabilities
Politics and the Pulpit: Part One - Part Two - Part Three
Questions about Voting
Reflections on the Political Responsibility of Christians
Reflections on the Results of Elections 2006: Time for Democrats to Prove Our Point
Religious Beliefs, Abortion, and the Law
Religious Freedom
Religious Freedom and Voter Guides
Render Unto Caesar
Super Tuesday and Being Human
The State's Interest in Life
Three Branches
Using Election Law to Expose Abortion
Virtuous Democracy
Voter Registration: All Year, Every Year
Voting for Vitae
Voting with a Clear Conscience
Voting with a Clear Conscience - longer version (Catholic)
Voting with a Clear Conscience - longer version (Ecumenical)
What happens when neither candidate is fully against abortion?
What to do Before the End of Election Day
Why America Exists
Why I'm Voting Pro-Life, and Motivated
Yes, The Party Matters
To see many of these articles in Spanish, click here.


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At least two missiles were fired at the U.S.-run military facility in Bagram, in Afghanistan's northern Parwan province, a local official said.
Bagram district security chief Zmarai Nasiri said no casualties were reported after two missiles landed inside the airfield Monday, Khaama Press reported Tuesday.
Nasiri said he didn't receive reports of damage to the base.
Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the attack. Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed at least three missiles were fired toward the air base and coalition forces suffered casualties during the attack.
Also in Parwan province, Afghan police said at least five Taliban militants were killed and two others injured in clashes with the security forces, Khaama Press said.
A security official said the incident occurred after Taliban militants attacked a security checkpoint.


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Sharp outs 90in monster LED TV
Big screen experience
If that 65in HD TV you just bought is starting to look at little… small, Sharp has the answer: what it claims is the world's largest LED-backlit LCD TV the 90in Aquos LC-90LE745U.
Launched last night in the US - there's no word yet on a UK release; over here we're limited to 80in for now - the 3D-capable set has built-in Wi-Fi and comes with a stack of smart TV apps, including Facebook, Twitter and Netflix.
It does field interpolation at up to 120Hz for smoother motion while the array backlight is refreshed at 240Hz. It offers a 8,000,000:1 contrast ratio and packs in four HDMI ports; two 10W speakers and a 15W sub-woofer; and two USB ports.
The whole thing takes up 2m x 1.2m x 43cm when it's placed on its stand and weighs 68kg.
And the price is equally bulky: $11,000 (£7036). ®
Sponsored: Detecting cyber attacks as a small to medium business


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VAIL — I ran into Bill Walton in Vail Village Friday on my way to the press room and he invited me to sit down so he could talk about his week riding along the USA Pro Challenge. Before each stage, the NBA Hall of Famer rides with the rec team, Carmichael Training Systems, and marveled at Colorado cycling.
Walton primarily came to Aspen to see his son, Luke, get married. But Bill is following the race all the way to Denver.
"I was able to ride every day," said Walton, a huge vertical scar on his surgically replaced knee. "The bike trail system in Colorado is just spectacular. And generally the cars are incredibly respectful of the riders. You don't get that a lot. The quality of the roads has just been fantastic. The weather, the people, I've just had so much fun and had such a great time."
Walton climbed Independence Pass three times already this week.


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Hey guys, Dawn here with another drawing tutorial yet again, but this time, I'm going to touch base with something that has been requested an awful lot since the new teaser trailer. In this tutoiral, I will be showing you 'how to draw Edward Kenway', step by step. The new Assassins Creed 4 game is going to be coming out shortly, probably for the PS4. Being a fan of the first game, AC4 looks promising. I've tried my best making this as simple as possible for the novice artists. Take your time, try your best, and most important of all, have fun! I hope you guys will enjoy this tut as much as I did, thanks for viewing and good luck!
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I believe this is my very first marine mammal tutorial and it's a fun one. I had so much fun drawing this cape fur seal that I'll definitely add more species of seals to my list of future tutorials. So, if you have any seal requests leave them down below!
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My forays into German food have been few and far between, apart from a recent visit to Kurz and Lang in Farringdon and a seemingly odd German restaurant in the countryside outside of Medellin in Colombia, that served awesome ham hocks and sauerkraut. It's been pretty miserable to say the least.
Well there was that one night many years ago in Munich at the Oktober Fest, where I guzzled down litres and litres of fine German beer in those mighty stein glasses, and consumed so many sausages and hocks it defies belief.
So when G came up there really wasn't too much competition. Well Greece was a front runner, but since one of us is off a sailing holiday around the Greek islands in a few days it made more sense to go with other options. A Ghanaian pub in south London was blown out of the water by our Polish musical loving cartoonist, as he had heard there was a Polish chef there and couldn't see the point of eating Ghanaian food cooked badly by a fellow countryman.
So looking around it seemed Zeitgeist was getting all the accolades as the best place in London to sample some fine German beer and food.
The menu is amazing, there are 9 different schnitzel dishes on it. I was so sold, and therefore I sold it to everyone else as well. It's a good job to be the chooser.
Zeitgeist used to be what looks like an old time boozer. With its large open room with a horseshoe bar in the middle. I bet the regulars were a tad miffed when their beloved watering hole became a German beer house. Although I am sure they changed their mind, especially with the impressive array of German beers on tap, which may even put a bar in Germany to shame.
But we were here for one thing and one thing only. Schnitzel. Yes, a simple piece of meat breaded and then fried. Yes, sometimes life is about the simplest things done well.
Damn I love this dish, from the chicken escalope, to the milanesas of Argentina, and those schnitzels from my days on the kibbutz in Israel.
What could be more heavenly than taking a piece of meat, pounding the hell out of it, dripping it in egg and then breadcrumbs and then frying them. Heaven.
There is only one schnitzel to have and that is the Weiner Schnitzel. A large thin piece of veal (or baby tortured cow as Cartman calls it), fried to crispy paradise.
They also do a schnitzel coasted in black pudding, then breaded and fried. It's good, damn good, so good I only got one solitary bite of it. Damn.
They claim to have the best schnitzels in London, while technically I've only had a schnitzel here, but for other versions of the breaded meat, then Garuffa wins hands down. Theirs are the best. It's a shame they only do them for lunch though.The food at Zeitgeist is good and hearty, but it is the beers that make this place worth the visit, plus the pronunciation of them from the staff is spot on.


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There was a time when the faithful in the heavily Dutch corners of the Midwest would not have been able to sing along if the organist played the gospel classic, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand."
True, some may have recognized the hymn that Mahalia Jackson sang at the 1968 funeral of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., since this was the civil rights leader's favorite: "Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand. I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light. Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home."
But, by 1987 this beloved African-American spiritual had been added to the Christian Reformed Church hymnal. A generation later, it has achieved the kind of stature that puts it in the core of the "In Death and Dying" pages of the church's new "Lift Up Your Hearts" hymnal.
"When you're creating a new hymnal, you know that you have to retain all those heart songs that just can't go away," said the Rev. Joyce Borger, editor of the 1,104-page volume, produced in collaboration with the Reformed Church in America. "We're talking about the hymns that you cannot imagine living without, and 'Precious Lord, Take My Hand' certainly falls into that category now. It has become one of our songs."
Research indicates the average church may have "a repertoire" of 150-plus hymns — not counting Christmas carols and seasonal songs — that worship leaders can list in the Sunday bulletin and know that most people will sing them with confidence.
The challenge facing teams that create hymnals is that "core songs" will vary radically from flock to flock, depending on where they are located, the dominant age groups in the pews and the cultural backgrounds of the worship leaders. The favorite-hymn list of a World War II generation pianist from rural Michigan will overlap some, but not much, with that of a Generation X guitarist in urban Detroit.
Also, while it's impossible to ignore classics from the Dutch Reformed tradition, Borger said "Lift Up Your Hearts" also needed to acknowledge the growing diversity found in today's churches, in North America and worldwide. In the age of increased contact between believers around the world — not to mention YouTube — it's common for suburban American teens to return from church trips to Africa or South America with notebooks full of new hymns they now cherish.Then there is the surging popularity of pop-rock "praise choruses," which rise and fall in popularity from year to year, if not month to month. Also, the larger the modern church sanctuary, the more likely it is to feature video screens on which lyrics are constantly streamed into view. Why would digital worshippers want to tie up their hands with analog hymnals?
The pace of musical change is one reason hymnals are being now being recreated every generation, as opposed to remaining intact for a half a century or so as in the past, said historian John Witvliet, another member of the "Lift Up Your Hearts" team who leads the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Recent decades have seen a number of other factors that have caused musical earthquakes, he said, including a multimedia revolution in worship facilities, the global surge of Pentecostalism, the rise of seeker-friendly "megachurch" congregations that value relevance over tradition and increased ecumenical contacts between Catholic, evangelical and liberal Protestant churches
Thus, the 965 numbered selections in this new hymnal include 137 selections from its 1957 counterpart and 302 from a 1987 volume. However, it also includes at least 100 contemporary "praise choruses" and 50-plus hymns from around the world, with texts translated from 30 different languages. Every hymn in the book is annotated with guitar chords.
"There is no period of time in church history — ever — in which there have been this many waves of change shaping Christian worship at the same time," said Witvliet. "A generation ago, we assumed that the hymnal in the pew WAS a church's musical repertoire. No one assumes that now."
But no matter how rapid the changes, he added, hymnals are symbols that the "church needs a common body of music to help keep it united. There must be some ties that bind."


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The time is now for a Greener Revolution in Agriculture, to increase the productivity of farming in a more sustainable and environmentally compatible way, said Bayer CropScience's new CEO Liam Condon in his keynote address at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) in Berlin.
"We need to recognize that we are reaching the ecological limits that our planet can bear. We must cultivate new ideas and answers to freeze our environmental footprint and farm better the land we have available," Condon urged.
Condon emphasized the importance of forging closer collaborations between the various stakeholders. "If we want to make sustainable progress towards our goal of enhancing food security and nutrition, driving growth, and protecting the environment, it is critical that we forge closer collaborations between the private and public sectors," he said.
Condon outlined a holistic five-point plan to propel a Greener Revolution, which encompasses strategic innovation investments, the long-term empowerment of farmers and particularly smallholders, a stronger focus on climate-smart solutions, enhanced nutrition and improved partnerships.
Speaking on the first step to ramp up investment in innovation, Condon said investing into agricultural R&D was the most productive way to support agriculture long-term.
"At Bayer CropScience, we recognize the ongoing need for innovative solutions to help feed and protect the planet," Condon said, reiterating the company's commitment to invest EUR 5 billion in R&D from 2011-16. While investing significantly in cutting-edge chemistry, the company is increasingly channeling its R&D investment into new areas of innovation, including plant-breeding techniques that focus on stress-tolerance, and biological crop protection. "It is crucial that we pursue all available technologies to make a sustainable difference in helping to ensure food security," added Condon.
In the second step, Condon discussed the need to enable farmers to become "agripreneurs", armed with the knowledge and technology needed to sustainably pilot their own farming success. "My favourite example of empowering farmers in a developing country is our Model Village concept in India," he revealed. The program – planned to be rolled out across 400 villages across the country – offers farmers a host of benefits including training and tools to boost their agricultural productivity and access to markets.
The third element was an increased focus on climate-smart solutions. One example is how Bayer CropScience is working to reduce methane gas emissions from rice cultivation, said Condon. "Standard rice growing methods rely on much water, and – due to favourable conditions for anaerobic bacteria in waterlogged soil – this generates around four times the amount of methane emissions as wheat and maize," he noted. "We have developed a range of rice solutions; these include hybrid seeds, new crop protection products, technology and training, and also climate-smart features requiring less water and emitting less methane."
Another way forward for a Greener Revolution is to enhance health through better nutrition, Condon said. "With one-third of the world's children not growing to their full potential due to insufficient nutrition, biofortification is one important way to boost a crop's nutrient uptake of zinc, iron and iodine," Condon said. Bayer CropScience is already working with organizations including Harvest Plus to enhance the nutritional value of crops.
The last step of the five-point plan outlined by Condon focusses on expanding collaborations with a stronger focus on execution. "While the private sector continues to invest in science, products and services to help enhance food security and rural development, wider challenges – such as insufficient education and training; political andeconomic instability; poor infrastructure; as well as loose legal frameworks – call for the collective efforts of all multi-stakeholders," he said.
The Global Forum for Food and Agriculture is an international political forum focusing on central issues regarding the future of the global agri-food industry. It is among the key highlights of the International Green Week – the leading public exhibition for food, agriculture and horticulture which attracts more than 400,000 visitors annually.


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Glacier National Park
Come and experience Glacier's pristine forests, alpine meadows, rugged mountains, and spectacular lakes. With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is a hiker's paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness and solitude. Relive the days of old through historic chalets, lodges, transportation, and stories of Native Americans. (courtesy NPS)Read More


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your price $19.99Buy PART NUM 144290
- 3D number plate with replaceable plate base and velcro closure
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- Color: Purple
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I discovered a wonderful thing at World Market today. Chalk board labels. No painting! No mess! I was so excited I didn't hesitate to pick up a pack for $3.99 + tax. Sold.
I had seen similar chalk board ideas on blogs and Pinterest and Etsy. I kept tucking them away for future reference, and I vaguely recall seeing one astonished blogger excited about labels, but until today I hadn't seen them for myself. They are so easy to use, and since I messed up several times while writing on them, I can vouch that they rinse off easily. Just a little water wiped across the label and a dab with a towel to dry and you can re-write over them. I hope this means rinsing out the canisters for new items will be just as easy.
I'm sure you can use these in 101 other ways than I did, but I placed them on glass canisters we got as a wedding present.