function startTicker() {
	// Define run time values
	theCurrentStory     = -1;
	theCurrentLength    = 0;
	// Locate base objects
	if (document.getElementById){
		 theAnchorObject = document.getElementById("newsticker");
     if (theAnchorObject){
       runTheTicker();
     } else {
       alert("News ticker could not be started.");
     }   	
  } else {
    document.write("<style>#newsticker{display:none;}</style>");
    return true;
  }
}

// Ticker main run loop
function runTheTicker() {
	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=\"tickls\">" + theLeadString + "</span>";
    thePrefix 	     = '<p>NEWS: <a href="'+theTargetLink+'">';
	}
	// Stuff the current ticker text into the anchor
	theAnchorObject.innerHTML = thePrefix + 
	theStorySummary.substring(0,theCurrentLength) + whatWidget() + "</a></p>";
	// 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("runTheTicker()", myTimeout);
}



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




var theCharacterTimeout = 100;
var theStoryTimeout     = 5000;
var theWidgetOne        = "_";
var theWidgetTwo        = "-";
var theWidgetNone       = "";
var theLeadString       = "LATEST:&nbsp;";
var theSummaries = new Array();
var theSiteLinks = new Array();