function startList(varMenuName)
	{
	if (document.all&&document.getElementById)
		{
		navRoot = document.getElementById(varMenuName);
		
		if (navRoot == null)
			{
			alert('menu not found');
			return;
			}
		/* get ALL the LI nodes */
			
		var objChild;
		objChild = navRoot.getElementsByTagName("LI")
		
		for (i=0; i <objChild.length; i++)
			{
			node=objChild[i];
			if (node.nodeName=="LI")
				{
				var objUL;
				/* get the UL that is under this LI and IF IT EXISTS then set the opacity function to be called on mouse over */
				objUL = node.getElementsByTagName("UL");
				if (objUL==null)
					{
					/* No UL underneath so set nothing */
					}
				else
					{
					/*node.onmouseover=function() {this.className+=" over"; window.status=''; this.onmouseover+=" opacity("+ objUL.id +", 0, 100, 500);"}*/
					node.onmouseover=function() {this.className+=" over"; window.status='';}
					node.onmouseout=function() {this.className=this.className.replace(" over", "");window.status=''}
					}
				}
			}

		/* Now get all the SPAN nodes */
		objChild = navRoot.getElementsByTagName("SPAN")
		
		for (i=0; i <objChild.length; i++)
			{
			node=objChild[i];
			if (node.nodeName=="SPAN")
				{
				node.onmouseover=function() {this.className+=" over"; window.status='';}
				node.onmouseout=function() {this.className=this.className.replace(" over", "");window.status=''}
				}
			}
			
			
		}
	}

function currentOpac(id, opacEnd, millisec) { 
    //standard opacity is 100 
    var currentOpac = 100; 
     
    //if the element has an opacity set, get it 
    if(document.getElementById(id).style.opacity < 100) { 
        currentOpac = document.getElementById(id).style.opacity * 100; 
    } 

    //call for the function that changes the opacity 
    opacity(id, currentOpac, opacEnd, millisec) 
} 

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

    //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 + ")"; 
}