var week = 1000*60*60*24*7;

function setcookie(lifetime) {
	var jetzt = new Date();
	var Auszeit = new Date(jetzt.getTime() + lifetime);
	document.cookie = "showlayer; expires="+Auszeit.toGMTString()+";";
}
function hideme() {
	document.getElementById("sitenews").style.visibility = "hidden";
	document.getElementById("sitenewssmall").style.visibility = "visible";
}
function showme() {
	document.getElementById("sitenews").style.visibility = "visible";
	document.getElementById("sitenewssmall").style.visibility = "hidden";
}
function hideforever() { //or at least one year or until cookies are deleted
	setcookie(52*week);	 
	hideme();
}
function hideonce() { //and show again next week
	setcookie(week);
	hideme();
}
function init_layers() { //check and set cookie and show layers
	if(document.cookie) {
		 hideme();
	} else {
	setcookie(week);
		 if(document.cookie) { //user may have disabled cookies
   			 showme();
		 } else {
		 	hideme();
		 }
	}
}