//fade in - fade out
function opacity(id, opacStart, opacEnd, millisec) { 
    //speed for each frame 
    var speed = Math.round(millisec / 100); 
    var timer = 0; 

    //determine the direction for the blending, if start and end are the same nothing happens 
    if(opacStart > opacEnd) { 
        for(i = opacStart; i >= opacEnd; i--) { 
            setTimeout("changeOpac(" + i + ",'" + id + "')",(timer * speed)); 
            timer++; 
        } 
    } else if(opacStart < opacEnd) { 
        for(i = opacStart; i <= opacEnd; i++) 
            { 
            setTimeout("changeOpac(" + i + ",'" + id + "')",(timer * speed)); 
            timer++; 
        } 
    } 
} 

//change the opacity for different browsers 
function changeOpac(opacity, id) { 
    var object = document.getElementById(id).style; 
    object.opacity = (opacity / 100); 
    object.MozOpacity = (opacity / 100); 
    object.KhtmlOpacity = (opacity / 100); 
    object.filter = "alpha(opacity=" + opacity + ")"; 
}
function shiftOpacity(id, millisec) { 
    //if an element is invisible, make it visible, else make it ivisible 
    if(document.getElementById(id).style.opacity == 0) { 
        opacity(id, 0, 100, millisec); 
    } else { 
        opacity(id, 100, 0, millisec); 
    } 
}


//setInterval('newsticker()',5000);
//var cnt = 0;
var cnt=0;			// current news item
//var curr = "";
//var i=-1;			// current letter being typed

function newsticker(){
	
	//set to nothing
	changeOpac(0,"newsText");
	
    temp0 = newslist[cnt][0];
    temp2 = newslist[cnt][1];
	temp3 = newslist[cnt][2];
	
	//change content
	newsDisplay = document.getElementById("newsText");
	newsDisplay.innerHTML = "<a href='"+temp3+"'><span class='bluehome'>"+temp0+"</span></a><br><span class='white'>" + temp2 + "</span>";
	//newsDisplay.innerHTML = "<span class='blue'>"+temp0+"</span><br><span class='white'>" + temp2 + "</span>";
	shiftOpacity("newsText",1000);
	
	if (cnt<newslist.length-1)
    	cnt++;
	else
    	cnt=0;
  		setTimeout('newsticker()',8000)
	
}