function makeRequest(url) {
      var http_request = false;
      var nr = document.getElementById("nichereload");

      nr.innerHTML = '';
      nr.innerHTML = "Loading...";
      if (window.XMLHttpRequest) { // Mozilla, Safari, ...
          http_request = new XMLHttpRequest();
          if (http_request.overrideMimeType) {
              http_request.overrideMimeType('text/xml');
              // See note below about this line
          }
      } 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) {
          nr.innerHTML = '';
          nr.innerHTML = 'Giving up :( Cannot create an XMLHTTP instance';
          return false;
      }
      http_request.onreadystatechange = function() { alertContents(http_request); };
      http_request.open('GET', url, true);
      http_request.send(null);
  }

  function alertContents(http_request) {
      var nr = document.getElementById("nichereload");

      if (http_request.readyState == 4) {
          nr.innerHTML = '';
          if (http_request.status == 200) {
              nr.innerHTML = '';
              nr.innerHTML = http_request.responseText;
          } else {
              nr.innerHTML = 'There was a problem with the request.';
          }
      }

  }