var currentAnnouncementPage = 1;

  function getAnnouncement(pageGiven)
  {
    showLoading();
    $.get(announcementURL, { page: pageGiven, num: announcementCount }, announcementCallback);
  }

  function showLoading()
  {
    $('#announcementDiv0').css('display', '');
    $('#announcementDiv0').html('<p>Loading announcements; please wait...</p>');

    for(var counter = 1; counter < announcementCount; counter++) 
      $('#announcementDiv' + counter).css('display', 'none');
  }

  function announcementCallback(data)
  {
    var dataObj = eval("(" + data + ")"); 
    var counter, i;

    for (counter = 0; counter < dataObj.length; counter++) 
   { 
      $('#announcementDiv' + counter).html(
        '<div style="float: left; padding-right: 5px;">' + dataObj[counter].username + '</div><div style="display: inline-block;"><div class="announcementText">' + dataObj[counter].title + '</div><div class="announcementInfoText">(posted ' + dataObj[counter].postingDate + ')</div></div><br /><br /><br />' + 
        '<div style="display: block;">' + dataObj[counter].text + '</div>'
        ); 

      $('#announcementDiv' + counter).css('display', '');
    }

    if (maxAnnouncementPage == 1)
      $('#announcementDiv' + (counter - 1)).css('border', 'none');

    for (i = counter; i < announcementCount; i++)
      $('#announcementDiv' + i).css('display', 'none');

   if (maxAnnouncementPage == 0)
   {
     $('#announcementDiv0').css('display', '');
     $('#announcementDiv0').css('border', 'none');
     $('#announcementDiv0').html('<br />No announcements have been posted.');
   }
 
    setNewsStatus(); 
  }

  function setNewsStatus()
  {
    if (currentAnnouncementPage == 1 || maxAnnouncementPage == 0)
      $('#newerNewsLink').css('display', 'none');
    else
      $('#newerNewsLink').css('display', '');

    if (currentAnnouncementPage == maxAnnouncementPage || maxAnnouncementPage == 0)
      $('#olderNewsLink').css('display', 'none');
    else
      $('#olderNewsLink').css('display', '');
  }

  $(document).ready(function () {
    $('#olderNewsLink').bind('click', function(e) { currentAnnouncementPage++; getAnnouncement(currentAnnouncementPage); } );
    $('#newerNewsLink').bind('click', function(e) { currentAnnouncementPage--;  getAnnouncement(currentAnnouncementPage); } );

    //Get the first page of announcements  
    getAnnouncement(currentAnnouncementPage);
  });