/** Removes leading and trailing spaces from string **/
  function trim( string )
  {
  	if( string && typeof string == "string" )
  		return string.replace(/^\s+|\s+$/g,"");
  	return string;
  }
  
  function stripTags( string )
  { if( string && typeof string == "string" )
  		return string.replace(/<&#91;^>&#93;*>/g, "");
  	return string;
  }