// Ticker startup
function startTicker() {
    // Define run time values
    theCurrentStory     = -1;
    theCurrentLength    = 0;
    // Locate base objects
    if (document.getElementById) {    
            theAnchorObject     = document.getElementById("ticker");
            runTheTicker();       
    }else {
            document.write("<style>.ticki{display:none;}.ticko{border:0px; padding:0px;}</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>" + 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("runTheTicker()", myTimeout);
}
// Widget generator
function whatWidget() {
    if(theCurrentLength == theStorySummary.length) {
        return theWidgetNone;
    }
    if((theCurrentLength % 2) == 1) {
        return theWidgetOne;
    }else {
        return theWidgetTwo;
    }
}

var theCharacterTimeout = 50;
var theStoryTimeout     = 5000;
var theWidgetOne        = "_";
var theWidgetTwo        = "-";
var theWidgetNone       = "";
var theLeadString       = "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;";
var theSummaries = new Array();
var theSiteLinks = new Array();