var ticks,thisTick,nextTick,fadertime,state,current=0,delay=5000,speed=50,value=1,faderswitch=1;

function rotateNews()
{
    document.getElementById('newsfader').style.opacity = 0;
    document.getElementById('newsfader').style.filter = "alpha(opacity=0)";
    var ticker = document.getElementById("front_news_text");
    ticks = ticker.getElementsByTagName("li");
    for (var i=0; i < ticks.length; i++) 
    {
        ticks[i].onmouseover = function () 
        {
            faderswitch=0;
        };
        ticks[i].onmouseout = function () 
        {
            faderswitch=1;
        };
        if(i==0)
        {
            ticks[i].style.display = 'block';
        }
        else
        {
            ticks[i].style.display = 'none';
        }
    }
    loopNews();
}

function loopNews()
{
    if(current>=ticks.length) current = 0;
    thisTick = (nextTick)?nextTick:ticks[current];
    nextTick = (ticks[++current])?ticks[current]:ticks[current = 0];
    state = 'on';
    value = 0;
    if (faderswitch==1)
    {
        fadertime = window.setTimeout(fader,delay);
    }
}

function fader()
{
    if(faderswitch==1)
    {
        if (state=='on') 
        {
            if(value == 0)
            {
                document.getElementById('newsfader').style.visibility = 'visible';
            }
            value = value + 0.1;
            value = parseInt(value*100)/100;
            if(value <= 1)
            {
                document.getElementById('newsfader').style.opacity = value;
                document.getElementById('newsfader').style.filter = "alpha(opacity="+(value*100)+")";
                fadertime = window.setTimeout(fader,speed);
            }
            else
            {    
                state='off';
                fadertime = window.setTimeout(fader,speed);
                thisTick.style.display = "none";
                nextTick.style.display = "block";
            }
        }
        else if (state=='off') 
        {
            value = value - 0.1;
            value = parseInt(value*100)/100;
            
            if (value >= 0) 
            {
                document.getElementById('newsfader').style.opacity = value;
                document.getElementById('newsfader').style.filter = "alpha(opacity="+(value*100)+")";
                fadertime = window.setTimeout(fader,speed);
            } 
            else 
            {
                document.getElementById('newsfader').style.visibility = 'hidden';
                loopNews();    
            }
        }
    }
    else
    {
        clearTimeout (fadertime);
        fadertime = window.setTimeout(fader,delay); 
    }
}

// event listener
if(window.addEventListener) window.addEventListener('load', rotateNews, false); // gecko, safari, konqueror and standard
else if(document.addEventListener) document.addEventListener('load', rotateNews, false); // opera 7
else if(window.attachEvent) { // win/ie
  window.attachEvent('onload', rotateNews);
} else { // mac/ie5
  if(typeof window.onload == 'function') {
    var existing = onload;
    window.onload = function() {
      existing();
      rotateNews();
    }
  } else {
    window.onload = function() {
      rotateNews();
    }
  }
}