var cookieMaster = {

// http://www.scriptbreaker.com/javascript/script/Check-if-cookies-are-enabled
enabled:function() {
   var bEnabled = (navigator.cookieEnabled) ? true : false
   if (typeof navigator.cookieEnabled == "undefined" && !bEnabled) {
      this.setCookie('testcookie', 'test', 0, '/', '', '')
      if (this.getCookie('testcookie')) {
         bEnabled = true
         this.delCookie('testcookie', '/', '')
      }
   }
   return (bEnabled);
},

// http://techpatterns.com/downloads/javascript_cookies.php
delCookie:function(name, path, domain) {
   if ( this.getCookie( name ) ) document.cookie = name + "=" +
      ( ( path ) ? ';path=' + path : '') +
      ( ( domain ) ? ';domain=' + domain : '' ) +
      ';expires=Thu, 01-Jan-1970 00:00:01 GMT'
}, //  END delCookie()

getCookie:function(check_name) {
   var a_all_cookies = document.cookie.split( ';' )
   var a_temp_cookie = ''
   var cookie_name = ''
   var cookie_value = ''
   var b_cookie_found = false

   for ( i = 0; i < a_all_cookies.length; i++ ) {
      a_temp_cookie = a_all_cookies[i].split( '=' )
      cookie_name = a_temp_cookie[0].replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g, '')
      if ( cookie_name == check_name ) {
         b_cookie_found = true
         if ( a_temp_cookie.length > 1 ) {
            cookie_value = unescape( a_temp_cookie[1].replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g, '') )
         }
         return cookie_value
         break
      }
      a_temp_cookie = null
      cookie_name = ''
   }
   if ( !b_cookie_found ) {
      return null
   }
}, //  END getCookie()

setCookie:function(name, value, expires, path, domain, secure) {
   var today = new Date();
   today.setTime( today.getTime() );
   if ( expires ) {
      expires = expires * 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24;
   }
   var expires_date = new Date( today.getTime() + (expires) );

   document.cookie = name + '=' +escape( value ) +
      ( ( expires ) ? ';expires=' + expires_date.toGMTString() : '' ) +
      ( ( path ) ? ';path=' + path : '' ) +
      ( ( domain ) ? ';domain=' + domain : '' ) +
      ( ( secure ) ? ';secure' : '' );
}  //  END setCookie()
}  // END cookieMaster

var newsFlasher = {

doFlash:function(flashCount, asdf){
   if (flashCount > 0) {
      setTimeout('newsFlasher.doFlash(' + (--flashCount) + ',' + !asdf + ');', 360)
      var a=document.getElementById('newsLink')
      a.style.backgroundColor = (asdf) ? '#DDBA8D' : '#CDAA7D'
   }
}, //END doFlash

doTask:function(target, functionref, tasktype){ //assign a function to execute to an event handler (ie: onunload)
   var tasktype=(window.addEventListener) ? tasktype : "on"+tasktype
   if (target.addEventListener)
      target.addEventListener(tasktype, functionref, false)
   else if (target.attachEvent)
      target.attachEvent(tasktype, functionref)
}, // END doTask()

go:function() {
   if (cookieMaster.enabled()) {
      if (cookieMaster.getCookie('LastVisit')) {
         var lastVisit=Date.parse(cookieMaster.getCookie('LastVisit'))
         var update=Date.parse('Sun Jan 22 2012 22:00:00 GMT-0600 (Mountain Daylight Time)')
         if (update > lastVisit) {
            this.doFlash(16, true)
         }
      }
      cookieMaster.setCookie('LastVisit', new Date(), 365, '/', '', '')
   }
}  // END go()
}