<!--
var xmlDoc = null;
var theItemCount = -1;

var theCharacterTimeout = 50;
var theStoryTimeout     = 3000;
var theWidgetOne        = "_";
var theWidgetTwo        = "-";
var theWidgetNone       = "";
var theLeadString       = "";

var theSummaries = new Array();
var theSiteLinks = new Array();

function loadXML(file)
{
	// IE
	if (window.ActiveXObject)
	{
		xmlDoc = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLDOM");
		xmlDoc.async = false;
		xmlDoc.load(file);
		readXML();
	}
	// Mozilla, Firefox, Opera, etc.
	else if (document.implementation && document.implementation.createDocument)
	{
		xmlDoc = document.implementation.createDocument("","",null);
		xmlDoc.load(file);
		xmlDoc.onload = readXML;
	}
}

function readXML()
{
    var items = xmlDoc.getElementsByTagName("item");
	theItemCount = items.length; 
		
	for (var i=0; i<items.length; i++)
	{
		theSummaries[i] = items[i].getElementsByTagName("title")[0].childNodes[0].nodeValue;
		theSiteLinks[i] = items[i].getElementsByTagName("url")[0].childNodes[0].nodeValue;
	}
	
	startTicker();
}

function startTicker()
{
	// Define run time values
	theCurrentStory = -1;
	theCurrentLength = 0;
	// Locate base objects
	if (document.getElementById) 
	{
	    theAnchorObject = document.getElementById("ticker");
		runTicker();   	
	}
}

function runTicker()
{
	var myTimeout;  
	// Go for the next story data block
	if (theCurrentLength == 0)
	{
		theCurrentStory++;
		theCurrentStory      = theCurrentStory % theItemCount;
		theStorySummary      = theSummaries[theCurrentStory].replace(/&quot;/g,'"');		
		theTargetLink        = theSiteLinks[theCurrentStory];
		theAnchorObject.href = theTargetLink;
		thePrefix 	         = "<span class=\"prefix\">" + theLeadString + "</span>";
	}
	// Stuff the current ticker text into the anchor
	theAnchorObject.innerHTML = thePrefix + theStorySummary.substring(0,theCurrentLength) + whatWidget();
	// Modify the length for the substring and define the timer
	if (theCurrentLength != theStorySummary.length)
	{
		theCurrentLength++;
		myTimeout = theCharacterTimeout;
	}
	else
	{
		theCurrentLength = 0;
		myTimeout = theStoryTimeout;
	}
	// Call up the next cycle of the ticker
	setTimeout("runTicker()", myTimeout);
}

function whatWidget()
{
	if (theCurrentLength == theStorySummary.length)
	    return theWidgetNone;
	if ((theCurrentLength % 2) == 1)
	    return theWidgetOne;
	else
	    return theWidgetTwo;
}
-->