function makeRequest(url, div) {
    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() { alertContents(httpRequest, div); };
    httpRequest.open("GET", url, true);
    httpRequest.send("");

}

function alertContents(httpRequest, div) {

    if (httpRequest.readyState == 4) {
        if (httpRequest.status == 200) {
	        document.getElementById('browse_loading_symbol').style.display = 'none';
            document.getElementById(div).innerHTML = httpRequest.responseText;
            //alert(httpRequest.responseText);
        } else {
            alert("There was a problem with the request.");
        }
    }

}