function makeHttpRequest(url, callback_function, return_xml) {
	  var http_request = false;

	  if (window.XMLHttpRequest) { // Mozilla, Safari,...
			http_request = new XMLHttpRequest();
			if (http_request.overrideMimeType && return_xml == 'xml') {
				 http_request.overrideMimeType('text/xml');
			}
	  } else if (window.ActiveXObject) { // IE
			try {
				 http_request = new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP");
			} catch (e) {
				 try {
					  http_request = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
				 } catch (e) {}
			}
	  }

	  if (!http_request) {
			alert('Unfortunately your browser doesn\'t support this feature.');
			return false;
	  }

	  http_request.onreadystatechange = function() {
			if (http_request.readyState == 4) {
				 if (http_request.status == 200) {
					  if (return_xml == 'xml') {
							eval(callback_function + '(http_request.responseXML)');
					  } else {
							eval(callback_function + '(http_request.responseText)');
					  }
				 } else {
					  alert('There was a problem with the request. (Code: ' + http_request.status + ')');
				 }
			}
	  }
	  http_request.open('GET', url, true);
	  http_request.send(null);
  }

// Added by Jon on 10/22/06 for the My Account area
 /** XHConn - Simple XMLHTTP Interface - bfults@gmail.com - 2005-04-08        **
 ** Code licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License      **
 ** http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/                           **/
function XHConn()
{
  var xmlhttp, bComplete = false;
  try { xmlhttp = new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP"); }
  catch (e) { try { xmlhttp = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); }
  catch (e) { try { xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); }
  catch (e) { xmlhttp = false; }}}
  if (!xmlhttp) return null;
  this.connect = function(sURL, sMethod, sVars, fnDone)
  {
    if (!xmlhttp) return false;
    bComplete = false;
    sMethod = sMethod.toUpperCase();
    try {
      if (sMethod == "GET")
      {
        xmlhttp.open(sMethod, sURL+"?"+sVars, true);
        sVars = "";
      }
      else
      {
        xmlhttp.open(sMethod, sURL, true);
        xmlhttp.setRequestHeader("Method", "POST "+sURL+" HTTP/1.1");
        xmlhttp.setRequestHeader("Content-Type",
          "application/x-www-form-urlencoded");
      }
      xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function(){
        if (xmlhttp.readyState == 4 && !bComplete)
        {
          bComplete = true;
          fnDone(xmlhttp);
        }};
      xmlhttp.send(sVars);
    }
    catch(z) { return false; }
    return true;
  };
  return this;
}

//when the server responds, javascript 
//will trigger this callback function
function fnWhenDone(XML) {
    eval(XML.responseText);
}

var ie4=document.all&&!document.getElementById;
var DOM2=document.getElementById;

function showResponse(targetSpan,newText){
  if (DOM2){ document.getElementById(targetSpan).innerHTML = newText; }
  else {
	if (ie4){ document.all[targetSpan].innerHTML = newText; }
  }
}