function opacity(id, opacStart, opacEnd, millisec) {
    //speed for each frame
    var speed = Math.round(millisec / 100);
    var timer = 0;

    //determine the direction for the blending, if start and end are the same nothing happens
    if(opacStart > opacEnd) {
        for(i = opacStart; i >= opacEnd; i--) {
            setTimeout("changeOpac(" + i + ",'" + id + "')",(timer * speed));
            timer++;
        }
    } else if(opacStart < opacEnd) {
        for(i = opacStart; i <= opacEnd; i++)
            {
            setTimeout("changeOpac(" + i + ",'" + id + "')",(timer * speed));
            timer++;
        }
    }
}

//change the opacity for different browsers
function changeOpac(opacity, id) {
    var object = document.getElementById(id).style;
    object.opacity = (opacity / 100);
    object.MozOpacity = (opacity / 100);
    object.KhtmlOpacity = (opacity / 100);
    object.filter = "alpha(opacity=" + opacity + ")";
    if ((opacity / 100) == 1) {
       	divid = 'header_slider';
    	document.getElementById(divid).style.backgroundImage = null;
    }
} 

function shiftOpacity(id, millisec) {
    //if an element is invisible, make it visible, else make it ivisible
    if(document.getElementById(id).style.opacity == 0) {
        opacity(id, 0, 100, millisec);
    } else {
        opacity(id, 100, 0, millisec);
    }
} 

function blendimage(divid, imageid, imagefile, millisec) {
    var speed = Math.round(millisec / 100);
    var timer = 0;
       	divid = 'header_slider';
       	imageid = 'slider';
    //set the current image as background
    document.getElementById(divid).style.backgroundImage = "url(" + document.getElementById(imageid).src + ")";
    
    //make image transparent
    changeOpac(0, imageid);
    
    //make new image
    document.getElementById(imageid).src = imagefile;

    //fade in image
    for(i = 0; i <= 100; i++) {
        setTimeout("changeOpac(" + i + ",'" + imageid + "')",(timer * speed));
        timer++;
    }
    
}