diff --git a/notify.install b/notify.install
index 69b57ed..2337b5e 100755
--- a/notify.install
+++ b/notify.install
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ function notify_schema() {
       'comment' => array('type' => 'int', 'size' => 'tiny', 'not null' => TRUE, 'default' => 0, 'disp-width' => '2'),
       'attempts' => array('type' => 'int', 'size' => 'tiny', 'not null' => TRUE, 'default' => 0, 'disp-width' => '4'),
       'teasers' => array('type' => 'int', 'size' => 'tiny', 'not null' => TRUE, 'default' => 0, 'disp-width' => '4'),
+      'send_last' => array('type' => 'int', 'not null' => TRUE, 'default' => 0),
       ),
     'primary key' => array('uid'),
   );
@@ -21,6 +22,18 @@ function notify_schema() {
   return $schema;
 }
 
+function notify_update_6001() {
+  $ret = array();
+  switch ($GLOBALS['db_type']) {
+    case 'mysql':
+    case 'mysqli':
+      $ret[] = update_sql("ALTER TABLE {notify} ADD COLUMN send_last int NOT NULL DEFAULT 0;");
+      break;
+  }
+
+  return $ret;
+}
+
 function notify_install() {
   // Create my tables.
   drupal_install_schema('notify');
@@ -35,4 +48,4 @@ function notify_uninstall() {
   db_query("DELETE FROM {variable} WHERE name LIKE 'notify_%'");
   cache_clear_all('variables', 'cache');
   unset($conf[$name]);
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/notify.module b/notify.module
index ad7a678..11a0d46 100644
--- a/notify.module
+++ b/notify.module
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ function notify_user($type, &$edit, &$user, $category = NULL) {
 
     case 'insert':
       if (isset($edit['notify_decision']) && $edit['notify_decision'] == 1) {
-        db_query('INSERT INTO {notify} (uid, status, node, teasers, comment) VALUES (%d, %d, %d, %d, %d)', $user->uid, 1, 1, 0, 0);
+        db_query('INSERT INTO {notify} (uid, status, node, teasers, comment, send_last) VALUES (%d, %d, %d, %d, %d, %d)', $user->uid, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0);
         $edit['notify_decision'] = NULL;
       }
       break;
@@ -159,8 +159,6 @@ function notify_user($type, &$edit, &$user, $category = NULL) {
  * Returns form fields to be added to User Regsitration form
  */
 function _notify_user_reg_fields() {
-  if (!user_access('access notify')) return;
-
   // Get the variable for how often the notifications are sent out
   $period = variable_get("notify_send", 86400);
 
@@ -176,7 +174,7 @@ function _notify_user_reg_fields() {
     '#type' => 'checkbox',
     '#title' => t('Receive email notifications of new content posted to this site. Notifications are sent every ' . format_interval($period) . '.'),
     '#return_value' => 1,
-    '#default_value' => variable_get('notify_reg_default', 1),
+    '#default_value' => 1,
   );
 
   return $fields;
@@ -211,8 +209,8 @@ function notify_menu() {
     'title' => 'Notification settings',
     'page callback' => 'drupal_get_form',
     'page arguments' => array('notify_user_settings_form', 1),
-    'access callback' => 'notify_user_access',
-    'access arguments' => array(1),
+    'access callback' => 'user_access',
+    'access arguments' => array('access notify'),
     'type' => MENU_LOCAL_TASK
   );
   $items['admin/user/user/notify'] = array(
@@ -228,20 +226,6 @@ function notify_menu() {
 }
 
 /**
- * Checks access to notifications settings tab
- */
-function notify_user_access($account = NULL) {
-  return $account->uid &&
-    (
-      // Always let users view their own profile.
-      ($GLOBALS['user']->uid == $account->uid && user_access('access notify'))  ||
-      // Administrators can view all accounts.
-      user_access('administer notify')
-    );
-}
-
-
-/**
  * Register the themeing the form data into a table at
  * admin/user/user/notify
  *
@@ -262,7 +246,7 @@ function notify_theme() {
 function notify_user_settings_form(&$form_state, $arg) {
   global $user;
 
-  if ($user->uid != $arg->uid && !user_access('administer notify') ) {
+  if ($user->uid != $arg->uid && $user->uid != 1) {
     drupal_access_denied();
     return;
   }
@@ -273,7 +257,7 @@ function notify_user_settings_form(&$form_state, $arg) {
     return;
   }
 
-  $result = db_query('SELECT u.uid, u.name, u.mail, n.status, n.node, n.teasers, n.comment FROM {users} u LEFT JOIN {notify} n ON u.uid = n.uid WHERE u.uid = %d AND u.status = 1', $account->uid);
+  $result = db_query('SELECT u.uid, u.name, u.mail, n.status, n.node, n.teasers, n.comment, n.send_last FROM {users} u LEFT JOIN {notify} n ON u.uid = n.uid WHERE u.uid = %d AND u.status = 1', $account->uid);
   $notify = db_fetch_object($result);
   $form = array();
   if (!$notify->mail) {
@@ -308,6 +292,11 @@ function notify_user_settings_form(&$form_state, $arg) {
     '#description' => t('Include new comments in the notification mail.'),
   );
   $form['uid'] = array('#type' => 'value', '#value' => $account->uid);
+  $form['notify_send_last'] = array('#type' => 'markup',
+    '#title' => t('Notify last send'),
+    '#description' => t('The date of the last notification for this user.'),
+    '#value' => t('Last Send: !date', array('!date' => $notify->send_last > 0 ? date('n/j/y g:i a', $notify->send_last) : "never"))
+  );
   $form['submit'] = array('#type' => 'submit', '#value' => t('Save settings'));
 
   return $form;
@@ -339,6 +328,7 @@ function notify_admin_users() {
     $form['users'][$notify->uid]['teasers'] = array('#type' => 'select', '#default_value' => $notify->teasers, '#options' => array(t('Title only'), t('Title + Teaser'), t('Title + Body')));
     $form['users'][$notify->uid]['comment'] = array('#type' => 'checkbox', '#default_value' => $notify->comment);
     $form['users'][$notify->uid]['attempts'] = array('#type' => 'textfield', '#size' => 2,  '#default_value' => $notify->attempts ? intval($notify->attempts) : 0);
+    $form['users'][$notify->uid]['send_last'] = array('#type' => 'markup', '#value' => $notify->send_last > 0 ? date('n/j/y g:i a', $notify->send_last) : "never");
   }
 
   $form['flush'] = array(
@@ -388,7 +378,7 @@ function notify_admin_users_submit($form, &$form_state) {
  */
 function theme_notify_admin_users($form) {
   $output = drupal_render($form['info']);
-  $header = array(t('Username'), t('E-mail address'), t('Content'), t('Teasers'), t('Comment'), t('Failed attempts'));
+  $header = array(t('Username'), t('E-mail address'), t('Content'), t('Teasers'), t('Comment'), t('Failed attempts'), t('Last Send'));
 
   $rows = array();
   foreach (element_children($form['users']) as $uid) {
@@ -475,20 +465,31 @@ function _notify_send($send_start = NULL) {
   }
 
   // Fetch new comments.
-  $comments = array();
-  if (module_exists('comment')) {
-      $cresult = db_query(db_rewrite_sql('SELECT c.nid, c.cid, c.subject, c.name, c.status FROM {comments} c INNER JOIN {node} nn ON c.nid = nn.nid WHERE c.timestamp > %d AND c.timestamp <= %d ' . $nodetypes_query . ' ORDER BY c.nid, c.timestamp', 'c'), $period, $send_start);
-      while ($comment = db_fetch_object($cresult)) {
-        $comments[$comment->nid][] = $comment;
-      }
+    $comments = array();
+    $cresult = db_query(db_rewrite_sql('SELECT c.nid, c.cid, c.subject, c.name FROM {comments} c INNER JOIN {node} n ON c.nid = n.nid WHERE c.status = %d AND c.timestamp > %d AND c.timestamp <= %d '. $reqntype . ' ORDER BY c.nid, c.timestamp', 'c'), COMMENT_PUBLISHED, $period, time());  
+    while ($comment = db_fetch_object($cresult)) {
+      $comments[$comment->nid][] = $comment;
   }
 
   if (count($nodes) || count($comments)) {
 
     // Fetch users with notify enabled
-    $uresult = db_query('SELECT u.uid, u.name, u.mail, u.language, n.status, n.node, n.teasers, n.comment FROM {notify} n INNER JOIN {users} u ON n.uid = u.uid WHERE n.status = 1 AND u.status = 1 AND n.attempts <= %d', variable_get('notify_attempts', 5));
+    $uresult = db_query('SELECT u.uid, u.name, u.mail, u.language, n.status, n.node, n.teasers, n.comment, n.send_last FROM {notify} n INNER JOIN {users} u ON n.uid = u.uid WHERE n.status = 1 AND u.status = 1 AND n.attempts <= %d', variable_get('notify_attempts', 5));
 
     while ($user = db_fetch_object($uresult)) {
+    // check to see if the send_last for this user is > the global 
+    // notify send_last setting. if so, this indicates cron was aborted
+    // for taking too long and that this user should be considered done.
+    // technically, we should look for new updates since then, but since
+    // cron isn't finishing in time, it's better to let it continue to the
+    // rest of the users.
+    $notify_send_last = variable_get('notify_send_last', 0);
+    if ( !empty($user->send_last) && $notify_send_last <= $user->send_last ) {
+      // enable this if you want lots of debug messages confirming it's
+      // doing the right thing
+      continue;
+    }
+    
       // Switch current user to this account to use node_access functions, etc.
       _notify_switch_user($user->uid);
 
@@ -529,7 +530,7 @@ function _notify_send($send_start = NULL) {
         // Prepend node e-mail header as long as user could access at least one node.
         if ($node_count > 0) {
           $node_body = $separator ."\n"
-            . t('Recent content - !count', array('!count' => format_plural(count($nodes), '1 new post', '@count new posts'))) ."\n"
+            . t('Recent content - !count', array('!count' => format_plural(count($nodes), '1 new post', count($nodes) .' new posts'))) ."\n"
             . $separator ."\n\n". $node_body;
         }
       }
@@ -555,7 +556,7 @@ function _notify_send($send_start = NULL) {
           if ($comment_body) {
             $comment_body .= $mini_separator ."\n\n";
           }
-          $comment_body .= t('!count attached to !type posted by !author: !title', array('!count' => format_plural(count($comment), '1 new comment', '@count new comments'), '!title' => $node->title, '!type' => node_get_types('name', $node), '!author' => $node->name ? $node->name : variable_get('anonymous', 'Anonymous'))) ."\n";
+          $comment_body .= t('!count attached to !type posted by !author: !title', array('!count' => format_plural(count($comment), '1 new comment', count($comment).' new comments'), '!title' => $nodes[$nid]->title, '!type' => node_get_types('name', $nodes[$nid]), '!author' => $nodes[$nid]->name ? $nodes[$nid]->name : variable_get('anonymous', 'Anonymous'))) ."\n";
 
           $comment_count = 0;
             foreach ($comment as $c) {
@@ -575,7 +576,7 @@ function _notify_send($send_start = NULL) {
 
         if ($total_comment_count > 0) {
           $comment_body = $separator ."\n"
-            . t('Recent comments - !count', array('!count' => format_plural($total_comment_count, '1 new comment', '@count new comments'))) ."\n"
+            . t('Recent comments - !count', array('!count' => format_plural($total_comment_count, '1 new comment', $total_comment_count.' new comments'))) ."\n"
             . $separator ."\n\n". $comment_body;
         }
       }
@@ -596,6 +597,7 @@ function _notify_send($send_start = NULL) {
           $num_sent++;
           watchdog('notify', 'User %name (%mail) notified successfully.', array('%name' => $user->name, '%mail' => $user->mail), WATCHDOG_INFO);
         }
+        db_query('UPDATE {notify} SET send_last = UNIX_TIMESTAMP(NOW()) WHERE uid = %d', $user->uid);       
       }
     }
   }