var currentItemNo = 0;
var currentLength = 1;
var currentItemText = "";
var currentItemLink = "";

var intro = "<span class='newsTitle'>NEWS:</span> ";

var insertPoint = document.getElementById('ticker');

var state = 1;
var pausePending = 0;

var t;

startTicker();

function startTicker()
{
	state = 1;
	currentItemText = headlines[currentItemNo];
	currentItemLink = links[currentItemNo];
	insert();
	t = setTimeout("updateTicker();", 50); 
}

function updateTicker()
{
	if (currentItemText.length == currentLength)
	{
		state = 2;
		// wait for 5 seconds
		if (pausePending == 0)
		{
			t = setTimeout("nextTicker();", 10000);
		}
	}
	else
	{
		currentLength++;
		insert();
		t = setTimeout("updateTicker();", 50);
	}
}

function insert()
{
	insertPoint.innerHTML = intro + "<a href='" + currentItemLink + "' class='dark_bg' onmouseover='pause()' onmouseout='unpause()'>" + currentItemText.substring(0,currentLength) + "</a>";
}

function nextTicker()
{
	if (currentItemNo == 4)
	{
		currentItemNo = 0;
	}
	else
	{
		currentItemNo++;
	}
	currentLength = 1;
	startTicker();
}

function pause()
{
	if (state == 2)
	{
		clearTimeout(t);
	}
	else if (currentItemText.length == currentLength)
	{
		pausePending = 1;	
	}
	else
	{
		currentLength = currentItemText.length - 1;
	}
}

function unpause()
{
	pausePending = 0;
	if (state == 2)
	{
		// wait for 5 seconds
		t = setTimeout("nextTicker();", 10000);
	}
	else
	{
		t = setTimeout("updateTicker();", 50);
	}

}