function makeRequest(url, targetDiv) {
	var httpRequest;
	
	if (window.XMLHttpRequest) { // Mozilla, Safari, ...
		httpRequest = new XMLHttpRequest();
		if (httpRequest.overrideMimeType) {
			httpRequest.overrideMimeType('text/xml');
			// See note below about this line
		}
	} 
	else if (window.ActiveXObject) { // IE
		try {
			httpRequest = new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP");
		} 
		catch (e) {
			try {
				httpRequest = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
			} 
			catch (e) {}
		}
	}

	if (!httpRequest) {
		alert('Giving up :( Cannot create an XMLHTTP instance');
		return false;
	}
	httpRequest.onreadystatechange = function() { 
		if(targetDiv == "undefined" || targetDiv == null)
			alertContents(httpRequest); 
		else {
			assignContents(httpRequest, targetDiv);
		}
	};
	httpRequest.open('GET', url, true);
	httpRequest.send('');
}

function alertContents(httpRequest) {
	if (httpRequest.readyState == 4) {
		if (httpRequest.status == 200) {
			alert(httpRequest.responseText);
		} else {
			alert("There was a problem with the request.");
		}
	}
}

function restoreOpac() {
	$('container').style.opacity = "1";
	$('footer').style.opacity = "1";
}

function assignContents(httpRequest, targetDiv) {
	if (httpRequest.readyState == 4) {
		//$('container').style.opacity = ".25";
		//$('footer').style.opacity = ".25";
		
		scroll = getScrollXY();
		
		// elem = document.getElementById(targetDiv);
		
		if (httpRequest.status == 200) {
			element = Builder.node('div',{classname:'ajax_target', id:targetDiv});
			element.innerHTML = httpRequest.responseText;
			
			WIDTH = 450;
			element.style.width = WIDTH;
			element.style.position = "absolute";
			element.style.top = (scroll[1] + 50);
			element.style.left = (document.body.clientWidth / 2) - (WIDTH / 2);
			element.style.display = "none";
			
			new Draggable(element);
			$("ajaxTargets").appendChild(element);
			Effect.Appear(targetDiv,{duration:.3});
		} else {
			elem.innerHTML = "There was a problem with the request.";
		}
	}
}

function doAjaxAlert(contents) {
	makeRequest('http://www.losangeleschronicle.com/ajaxAlert/?ajax&contents=' + contents, 'alertDiv');
	Effect.Fade('semi_transparent',{duration:.3});
}

function getScrollXY() {
  var scrOfX = 0, scrOfY = 0;
  if( typeof( window.pageYOffset ) == 'number' ) {
    //Netscape compliant
    scrOfY = window.pageYOffset;
    scrOfX = window.pageXOffset;
  } else if( document.body && ( document.body.scrollLeft || document.body.scrollTop ) ) {
    //DOM compliant
    scrOfY = document.body.scrollTop;
    scrOfX = document.body.scrollLeft;
  } else if( document.documentElement && ( document.documentElement.scrollLeft || document.documentElement.scrollTop ) ) {
    //IE6 standards compliant mode
    scrOfY = document.documentElement.scrollTop;
    scrOfX = document.documentElement.scrollLeft;
  }
  return [ scrOfX, scrOfY ];
}