var slideNumb   = 1;
	var disableSlideChange = false;
	
	// count the amount of "slides" on a given page (elements with the class "slide")
	function getElementsByStyleClass (className) {
		var all = document.all ? document.all :
		document.getElementsByTagName('*');
		var elements = new Array();
		for (var e = 0; e < all.length; e++)
		if (all[e].className == className)
		  elements[elements.length] = all[e];
		return elements;
	}

	function rotateToNext()
	{
		
		if(disableSlideChange) return;
		
		disableSlideChange = true;
		setTimeout("disableSlideChange=false", 3200);
		
		var currentSlide =  slideNumb;
		
		// count the number of 'slide' elements present and rotate
		if(slideNumb == getElementsByStyleClass('slide1').length)
		{
			var nextSlide =  1;
		} 
		else
		{
			var nextSlide = (slideNumb + 1);
		}
		
		for (var i = 0; i <= 20; i++)
		{
			setTimeout("setOpacity('slide1_" + nextSlide    + "', " + (i * 5) + ")", i * 70);
			setTimeout("setOpacity('slide2_" + nextSlide    + "', " + (i * 5) + ")", i * 70);
			setTimeout("setOpacity('slide3_" + nextSlide    + "', " + (i * 5) + ")", i * 70);
			setTimeout("setOpacity('slide1_" + currentSlide + "', " + ((20 - i) * 5) +  ")", i * 70);
			setTimeout("setOpacity('slide2_" + currentSlide + "', " + ((20 - i) * 5) +  ")", i * 70);
			setTimeout("setOpacity('slide3_" + currentSlide + "', " + ((20 - i) * 5) +  ")", i * 70);
		}
		
		slideNumb = nextSlide;
	}
	
	
	
	function setOpacity(item, newOpacity)
	{
		
		var item = document.getElementById(item);
		
		if(newOpacity == 100)
		{
			item.style.zIndex = 4;
		}
		else
		{
			item.style.zIndex = 3;
		}
		item.style.MozOpacity 	= newOpacity / 100;
		item.style.opacity    	= newOpacity / 100;
		item.style.KhtmlOpacity = (newOpacity/ 100);
	 	item.style.filter 		= "alpha(opacity=" + newOpacity + ")"; 
	}
	
	function autoRotate()
	{
		setTimeout("autoRotate()", 7000);
		rotateToNext();	

	}
	
	// fade in the first slide and use the 'next' button to cycle through
	function firstSlide(className)
	{
		var disableSlideChange = false;
		var slideNumb = 0;
		var nextSlide = (slideNumb + 1);
		if(slideNumb = 0)
		{
			setTimeout("setOpacity(" + className + "_" + nextSlide + "', " + (i * 5) + ")", i * 70);
		}
		slideNumb = nextSlide;
		rotateToNext();	
	}