function relative_time(time_value) {
        var values = time_value.split(" "),
            parsed_date = Date.parse(values[1] + " " + values[2] + ", " + values[5] + " " + values[3]),
            date = new Date(parsed_date),
            relative_to = (arguments.length > 1) ? arguments[1] : new Date(),
            delta = parseInt((relative_to.getTime() - parsed_date) / 1000),
            r = '';
        
        function formatTime(date) {
            var hour = date.getHours(),
                min = date.getMinutes() + "",
                ampm = 'AM';
            
            if (hour == 0) {
                hour = 12;
            } else if (hour > 12) {
                hour -= 12;
                ampm = 'PM';
            }
            
            if (min.length == 1) {
                min = '0' + min;
            }
            
            return hour + ':' + min + ' ' + ampm;
        }
        
        function formatDate(date) {
            var ds = date.toDateString().split(/ /),
                mon = ds[1],
                day = ds[2],
                dayi = parseInt(day),
                year = date.getFullYear(),
                thisyear = (new Date()).getFullYear(),
                th = 'th';
            
            // anti-'th' - but don't do the 11th, 12th or 13th
            if ((dayi % 10) == 1 && day.substr(0, 1) != '1') {
                th = 'st';
            } else if ((dayi % 10) == 2 && day.substr(0, 1) != '1') {
                th = 'nd';
            } else if ((dayi % 10) == 3 && day.substr(0, 1) != '1') {
                th = 'rd';
            }
            
            if (day.substr(0, 1) == '0') {
                day = day.substr(1);
            }
            
            return mon + ' ' + day + th + (thisyear != year ? ', ' + year : '');
        }
        
        delta = delta + (relative_to.getTimezoneOffset() * 60);

        if (delta < 5) {
            r = 'less than 5 seconds ago';
        } else if (delta < 30) {
            r = 'half a minute ago';
        } else if (delta < 60) {
            r = 'less than a minute ago';
        } else if (delta < 120) {
            r = '1 minute ago';
        } else if (delta < (45*60)) {
            r = (parseInt(delta / 60)).toString() + ' minutes ago';
        } else if (delta < (2*90*60)) { // 2* because sometimes read 1 hours ago
            r = 'about 1 hour ago';
        } else if (delta < (24*60*60)) {
            r = 'about ' + (parseInt(delta / 3600)).toString() + ' hours ago';
        } else {
            if (delta < (48*60*60)) {
                r = formatTime(date) + ' yesterday';
            } else {
                r = formatTime(date) + ' ' + formatDate(date);
                // r = (parseInt(delta / 86400)).toString() + ' days ago';
            }
        }

        return r;
    }