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We're in the closing moments of Carson McCullers's 1946 novel "The Member of the Wedding." The setting: a well-worn kitchen in a small Southern town during the Second World War. There's little in the room: a chair, a stove. Everything else has been packed up—everything, that is, except the memories of the two women in the room, as they supervise the noisy comings and goings of movers. They are Berenice Sadie Brown, a middle-aged colored housekeeper, and Frankie Addams, a thirteen-year-old motherless white girl who has grown up in the house under Berenice's charge. A year ago, McCullers writes, Frankie felt like "an unjoined person who hung around in doorways, and she was afraid." Her fears—which were largely existential; no mere adolescent quirks, these, since Frankie serves as McCullers's stand-in—dominated her home. Then she fell in love with the romance—or her idea of the romance—between her brother and his fiancée, her "we of me," as she called them. Berenice tried to warn Frankie against the sad allure of a love that remains forever beyond one's grasp. To illustrate her point, she talked about her late husband, Ludie, and the men she'd been drawn to since his death:
"I loved Ludie and he was the first man I loved. Therefore, I had to go and copy myself forever afterward. What I did was to marry off little pieces of Ludie whenever I come across them. It was just my misfortune they all turned out to be the wrong pieces. My intention was to repeat me and Ludie. Now don't you see?"
"I see what you're driving at," [Frankie] said. "But I don't see how it is a warning applied to me.". . .
"You and that wedding. . . . That is what I am warning about. . . . You think you going to march down the center of the aisle right between your brother and the bride. You think you going to break into that wedding, and then Jesus knows what else."
Now Frankie is moving on, away from Berenice's "preaching." In the 1952 film adaptation of "The Member of the Wedding," the director, Fred Zinnemann, draws a telling visual comparison between Berenice's heavy black body draped in black—a Masha of the Mason-Dixon Line—and Frankie's lithe white figure darting here and there, her speech glowing with a nearly unbearable romanticism, like a Nina, unmindful of her imminent fall. James Baldwin once said that whites cleaved to the very thing that he, as a black person, could not afford: the romance of innocence. As Ethel Waters plays Berenice, we see in her face Baldwin's sad realization: Frankie may choose to be an outcast, but Berenice has no choice. Frankie claims to dream of belonging, but, as Berenice knows, she has little interest in fulfilling that dream. She has invested too much in her own sharply defended and defensive outsiderness. Her emotional satisfaction will come from blaming "freaks" like Berenice (her closest point of identification and thus resistance) for keeping her from weddings that she doesn't really want to go to, anyway—since being included would interfere with the comfort she takes in being "unjoined."Today, Berenice could be read as what Toni Morrison calls the "Africanist presence"—the black female figure whose marginal status defines the privilege of others. "Africanism has become . . . both a way of talking about and a way of policing matters of class, sexual license, and repression, formations and exercises of power, and meditations on ethics and accountability," Morrison writes in her illuminating study "Playing in the Dark." But McCullers, rather than using Africanism to offset whiteness—as Melville, Twain, and others have—seems to use it as a way of identifying her own unjoined self. Can a white writer, a woman, who came to maturity in relatively secure circumstances during the Depression and the Second World War, be described as Africanist in spirit? (In some circles, this would be called having soul.) In a review of McCullers's first novel, "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" (1940), Richard Wright remarked:
To me, the most impressive aspect of [this book] is the astonishing humanity that enables a white writer, for the first time in Southern fiction, to handle Negro characters with as much ease and justice as those of her own race. This cannot be accounted for stylistically or politically; it seems to stem from an attitude toward life which enables Miss McCullers to rise above the pressure of her environment and embrace white and black humanity in one sweep of apprehension and tenderness.
In fact, as far as the description of black characters goes, "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" is McCullers's most imperfect work. One black male has woolly hair and lips that seem "purple against his black skin." There is the taint of a "Negro smell" in a cabin. Strange dialect and syntax separate "educated" blacks from laborers. Ultimately, these tics seem best passed over—they are the sloppy reflex of the liberal testing her boundaries, excited to be in the presence of the "exotic" but having no new language with which to describe it; she falls back on the vocabulary of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Margaret Mitchell. What Wright sensed was actually McCullers's lack of Southernness. Unlike so many other writers from the region, she didn't luxuriate in rhetoric or try to break down the blood knot of race and class that kept Faulkner in Yoknapatawpha County. Nor did she share Katherine Anne Porter's skill for writing intellectual political parables. In her essay "The Flowering Dream: Notes on Writing," McCullers admitted to having little interest in history—the Southern writer's most consistent trope. Such shortsightedness accounts for some of the very real limitations of her work. But it also accounts for her ability to understand and identify with those unmoored from their surroundings or searching for a self in the modern world. It's impossible not to notice, while reading through the Library of America's newly published edition of McCullers's five novels, that almost all of her characters—from the wayward children to the deaf-mute, the alcoholic Communist, the hunchback dwarf, the pederast, and the closeted homosexual Army captain—are Africanist, in that each defines the status quo by existing outside it.
She was born Lula Carson Smith, on February 19, 1917, in Columbus, Georgia, a town where dogwood and wisteria bloomed along the avenues in early spring. Nearby were Fort Benning and the brown waters of the Chattahoochee River, which, since the early nineteenth century, had been used to power the local cotton mills and factories. McCullers's father, Lamar Smith, was a mild-mannered watch repairman from Tuskegee, Alabama, who in 1910 had moved to Columbus in pursuit of work. There he met and married Vera Marguerite (Bebe) Waters, a small woman of Irish extraction and great ambition. Unlike their neighbors, the Smiths weren't very interested in religion, and promoted social awareness instead—a Yankee sensibility that was at odds with the town's conservatism. Marguerite enjoyed tweaking the townspeople with such remarks as the now famous "Oh, yes, my daughter Lula Carson"—then a teen-ager— "and I have such a good time smoking together. We do almost everything together, you know."
Neither of the couple's two younger children—Lamar, Jr., born in 1919, and Margarita Gachet, born in 1922—was doted on in the way Lula Carson was. According to Lamar, Jr., quoted in Virginia Spencer Carr's tenderhearted and thorough 1975 biography, "The Lonely Hunter," Lula Carson was spoon-fed a sense of her own exalted status long before she had actually achieved anything. ("I'm going to be both rich and famous," she told a young playmate.) Nevertheless, writing was not McCullers's first love. She wrote plays and skits to amuse her parents, but her real passion was music. Between the ages of ten and seventeen, she trained to become a concert pianist, and in 1930 she began studying with Mary Tucker, a former soloist and the wife of a career officer stationed at Fort Benning. Tucker's commitment instilled in her young protégée the discipline she would eventually put to use as a writer. In return, she grew to love Tucker and her family—McCullers's first "we of me," which she favored over her own family simply because it was not her own. McCullers's relationship with her mother was intense, and she feared that she would never be free as an artist until she was away from Marguerite's prying eyes. (McCullers's adolescent characters rarely have mothers.)
In 1932, Lula Carson took to her bed with rheumatic fever, which was misdiagnosed as pneumonia. After a few weeks of recovery, she decided that she lacked the genius and the physical stamina to undertake a concert career. Moreover, she would not be content, she concluded, to be the interpreter of someone else's aesthetic architecture. In her 1948 essay "How I Began to Write," McCullers recalled that her first novel, "A Reed of Pan," which she wrote when she was fifteen (the manuscript has been lost), embodied her longing to get out of Columbus, to see New York, and to familiarize herself with the unfamiliar. "The details of the book were queer," she wrote. "Ticket collectors on the subway, New York front yards—but by that time it did not matter, for already I had begun another journey. That was the year of Dostoevski, Chekhov, and Tolstoy—and there were the intimations of an unsuspected region equidistant from New York. Old Russia and our Georgia rooms, the marvelous solitary region of simple stories and the inward mind." In Decision, in 1941, McCullers explained that the rigid social order portrayed by the "Russian realists" mirrored what she had observed in her own part of the world: "The Southerner and the Russian are both 'types,' in that they have certain recognizable and national psychological traits. Hedonistic, imaginative, lazy, and emotional—there is surely a cousinly resemblance."Still, it was McCullers's music and not the products of her "inward mind" that got her to New York in 1934. Her parents gave her the money to study at Juilliard, and with five hundred dollars pinned to her underwear she left Columbus. Shortly after she arrived in New York, however, the money was gone. Her friend Tennessee Williams told the story:
According to the legends that surround her early period in the city, she first established her residence, quite unwittingly, in a house of prostitution, . . . and had not the ghost of an idea of what illicit enterprise was going on there. One of the girls in this establishment . . . undertook to guide her about the town. . . . While she was being shown the subway route to the Juilliard School of Music, the companion and all of her tuition money, which the companion had offered to keep for her, abruptly disappeared. Carson was abandoned penniless in the subway, and some people say it took her several weeks to find her way out.
McCullers was now launched on the sort of life that is familiar to young artists struggling in a city unmoved by their dreams. During the next couple of years, she worked at a humor magazine and as a dog walker. She answered telephones and typed in a real-estate office. She lived in a series of boarding houses. She sat in phone booths to read and watch the passing throngs. And she took writing classes at New York University and Columbia, with Sylvia Chatfield Bates and with Whit Burnett, the editor of the renowned Story, a magazine devoted to emerging writers. In December, 1936, Burnett published a story by the nineteen-year-old Carson Smith.
"Wunderkind" was an elegant evocation of McCullers's failure to become a pianist, and it detailed the enormous price the gifted child pays in order to fulfill the ambitions of adults whose own time has passed. The story's heroine—McCullers's first Frances—is a high-school student in Cincinnati. For several years, the center of her world has been the gemütlich studio of her Eastern European piano teacher, Mr. Bilderbach, and his wife, Anna. But now things have changed. Frances feels that she is no longer the wunderkind Bilderbach says she is. She performs badly in a recital, alongside another student, who is a truly talented violinist. She is ashamed of her defeat. But she is equally ashamed of her envy of the other student, who is beginning to attract notice. Maybe, Frances thinks, he plays better than she does because he is a Jew—the first of McCullers's outsider characters.
Nothing is more chilling for the prodigy than the thought of her golden spotlight being turned off—or directed, instead, at the youth standing beside her. By the time Carson Smith published "Wunderkind," she had hit upon several ways to hold on to her own uniqueness, and to make the world recognize it. There was her writing, of course. And there would be, for the next thirty years or so, until her death, a multitude of infirmities and physical calamities, real and imagined, that demanded large amounts of sympathy and attention from anyone who dared to offer them. Who would be the mother to nurse her through it all? His name was James Reeves McCullers, Jr.
Reeves, as he was called, was the eldest of four children in a family from Wetumpka, Alabama. A small man, he was a dreamer attracted to big, capable women. (He called his paternal grandparents Big Mama and Little Papa.) When he was an adolescent, his father, an alcoholic, abandoned the family, and to ease the financial burden Reeves and his sister were sent to live with various relatives. As an adult, he pined for the kind of approval that children who see themselves as a burden seek in the larger world. "Querulous, sometimes vain, Reeves wanted desperately to be somebody," Carr writes in "The Lonely Hunter."
When Reeves met Carson in Columbus, in the summer of 1935, he had been in the infantry at Fort Benning for four years and had already got to know Carson's mother. Marguerite, in her daughter's absence, had become something of a local Elsa Maxwell, arranging informal "drop-ins," where the town's artistically inclined came to drink punch and listen to classical recordings. She regaled the young men with tales of her daughter, who was back East pursuing a career as a writer. New York! A writer! Carson was living the life that Reeves had only dreamed of. And, when she returned home that summer, she made the mistake—at first—of believing that she was central to Reeves's dream. "He was the best-looking man I had ever seen," McCullers wrote in an unfinished autobiography. "I knew he was a liberal, which was important, to my mind, in a backward Southern community. . . . I was eighteen years old, and this was my first love. . . . I did not realize the lost quality of Reeves until he was truly lost." Carson may have dusted off a little of that red Georgia earth when she lit out for New York, but she hadn't entirely shaken her ties to convention. Becoming Mrs. McCullers would win her the social respectability that had so far eluded her. In Carson, Reeves believed he had found the earth beneath his feet. The couple were married two years later. Carson was twenty, Reeves twenty-four.The plan was this: Carson would finish her book, and then Reeves would quit his job as a debt collector in Charlotte, North Carolina—where they had moved after marrying—and she would support him while he wrote. Somehow, though, Carson never got around to helping Reeves realize his dream. Nor did she have any interest in their domestic situation. ("Reeves gave me moral support and wrung out the wash which was too heavy for me," she wrote.) Her thoughts were elsewhere. She was immersed in the writing of a book that she did not comprehend. "For a whole year I worked on 'The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,' without understanding it at all," McCullers wrote in "The Flowering Dream." She went on:
Each character was talking to a central character, but why, I didn't know. . . . Suddenly, as I walked across a road, it occurred to me that Harry Minowitz, the character all the other characters were talking to, was a different man, a deaf mute, and immediately . . . [t]he whole focus of the novel was fixed.
The book is set in an unnamed Southern town, and each chapter is told from a different character's perspective. There is Mick Kelly, a teen-age girl who lives in a boarding house run by her parents, where the deaf-mute, renamed John Singer, rents a room. There's Jake Blount, a Communist alcoholic driven half mad by the local provincialism; Dr. Copeland, a black doctor who is dying of tuberculosis; and Biff Brannon, who runs the local diner and is erotically fixated on Mick. As the long, mean days of summer go by, the Depression grinds the town down, and the hopes that sustain the characters turn to dust. Mick is forced to give up her dream of becoming a concert pianist and goes to work in a department store. Dr. Copeland dies. Jake is more or less run out of town. Biff descends into sexual confusion. And John Singer commits suicide. Only after Singer dies does it occur to the others that they had never asked him anything about himself. None of them knew where he'd lived before. None of them knew that he had loved someone once—an "obese and dreamy" Greek named Spiros Antonapoulos, who had been committed to an insane asylum. Talking does not make a difference, McCullers seems to say in this book. We are all in our own cells, writing messages to the world which that world cannot read. Those messages, the stories within the story of "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," include some of the most beautiful writing McCullers ever produced. The simplicity and lyricism here reveal the influence of Isak Dinesen, a writer to whom McCullers returned again and again for inspiration.
"The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," which was published in 1940, was something of a sensation. Among the book's more compelling reviews was one written by May Sarton for the Boston Evening Transcript. "There have been candid-camera studies of American life, past and present. There have been the usual quota of sensitively recorded novels of personal experience," she wrote. "But we have waited a long time for a new writer." McCullers truly was new. In the early forties, America was at war, and still grappling with the aftereffects of the Depression. The books that sold then—Betty Smith's 1943 "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," for one—were about the unconquerable adolescent spirit, which is to say, America's unconquerable Coca-Cola optimism. But McCullers's book had no happy ending. And she was from the South, a locale that was just about as far as one could get from the glitter and irony of New York publishing circles. "You have to remember that the South was really where nobody went, I mean nobody," the writer Phoebe Pierce Vreeland recalled of that time.After the publication of "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," Carson and Reeves moved to New York and entered the pantheon of famous American literary marriages—Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Paul and Jane Bowles, Robert Lowell and Jean Stafford—that were alternately fuelled and derailed by alcohol, infidelity, rivalry, emotional and physical brutality, and mutual understanding. The twenty-three-year-old McCullers was a publicist's dream, with a pixie haircut, men's shirts, and a cigarette-husky voice: an androgyne not only of the spirit but of the flesh. ("I bless the Latin poet Terence, who said, 'Nothing human is alien to me,' " she was fond of saying.) Thanks to her compulsion for blurring the line between male and female in her work and in her personal life, she enjoyed an exalted status in a milieu dominated by gay editors and writers. Championed in Harper's Bazaar and Mademoiselle, McCullers, along with Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and Jane Bowles, represented a sensibility that was distinctly at odds with that of the writers published in the Partisan Review. They weren't political, as such—they were writers who spoke not about how the quotidian could be radicalized but about their own personal radicalization. And it was while exploring her own difference that McCullers wrote one of her more shallow and difficult works, "Reflections in a Golden Eye" (1941). The novel begins as every McCullers novel begins—with a description of a town that is soon to be changed forever:
An army post in peacetime is a dull place. Things happen, but then they happen over and over again. The general plan of a fort itself adds to the monotony—the huge concrete barracks, the neat rows of officers' homes built one precisely like the other. . . . At the same time things do occasionally happen on an army post that are not likely to re-occur. There is a fort in the South where a few years ago a murder was committed. The participants of this tragedy were: two officers, a soldier, two women, a Filipino, and a horse.
The soldier is Private Ellgee Williams, a dark, quiet man who grooms horses. The horse he pays particular attention to belongs to Leonora Penderton, whose husband, Captain Penderton, in addition to being sexually ambiguous, is a thief and a sadist. Leonora is having an affair with her next-door neighbor, whose wife is a bedridden hysteric—after her baby is stillborn, she cuts off her nipples with garden shears. All but one of McCullers's novels have been made into films, and it's clear why: on the surface, they have the energy of melodrama. But the subtext of "Reflections in a Golden Eye"—which garnered the bitterest reviews of McCullers's career, not to mention the wrath of the Ku Klux Klan for its grotesque portrait of Southern whiteness—is the spiritual desolation of marriage, of keeping up appearances, of following ritual for the sake of "belonging." It's difficult not to see in Marlon Brando's fascinating portrayal of Penderton in the 1967 film version the sad, defeated eyes of Reeves McCullers, trapped in a sexuality he despises. Poor Reeves was the Africanist presence in McCullers's real life—a Berenice Sadie Brown with a bigger case of the blues.Through Thomas Mann's daughter, Erika, who was also a writer and also gay, McCullers met the Swiss writer and adventurer Annemarie Clarac-Schwarzenbach, who was to loom large in her imagination. Although it's unlikely that McCullers had much of a physical relationship with anyone other than Reeves, Schwarzenbach had the kind of androgyny and physical fearlessness that McCullers most admired. When Schwarzenbach died in a motorcycle accident, in 1942, McCullers pursued other attachments. "Please, Katherine Anne, let me come in and talk with you—I do love you so very much," she told Katherine Anne Porter, while standing outside the older author's door at Yaddo. Virginia Spencer Carr relates:
Miss Porter demanded that Carson leave. She shouted from within that she would not come out until Carson vacated the hall. It was 6:30 p.m., however, and time for dinner. . . . After a brief interval the elder woman cautiously opened the door and stepped out. To her astonishment, there lay Carson sprawled across the threshold. "But I had had enough," said Miss Porter. "I merely stepped over her and continued on my way to dinner."
Throughout her life, McCullers exhibited the self-punishing solipsism and cruelty of the romantic. If you didn't love her, or if she didn't love you, you simply didn't exist; you were banished to the nether regions of a mind that, after the publication of "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," didn't take in much of anything new. In an essay about Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal wrote, "I could never take any of [his women friends], from Carson McCullers to Jane Bowles to Anna Magnani. . . . Carson spoke only of her work. Of its greatness. The lugubrious Southern singsong voice never stopped: 'Did ya see muh lovely play? Did ya lahk muh lovely play? Am Ah gonna win the Pew-litzuh prahzz?' "
In 1941, at the age of twenty-four, McCullers had the first of a series of strokes that eventually left her partially paralyzed, and she filed for divorce from Reeves. Adrift, he reënlisted and was wounded in the 1944 D Day invasion. McCullers's letters to him during this period are filled with tenderness and longing (and written, perhaps, with a view to posterity?). "Reeves, my dearest one," she wrote in early 1945, "I am still in this queer purgatory, waiting and waiting for more news of you. I haunt the hall, waiting for the postman or for a sudden telegram. At times I am seized with the feeling you are on the way home." Remarried in 1945, Reeves and McCullers quarrelled, drank, and fell in love with a variety of men and women, but in the end they were together to the death—his, a suicide, in 1953. McCullers herself died of another stroke, in 1967, at the age of fifty, having outlived virtually all of her powerful relationships. It was as if, in the process of trying to fit her mother, Reeves, Schwarzenbach, and others into the twisted shape of her own soul, she had wholly consumed them.
It was that soul—all of it—that McCullers poured into her most brilliant work, "The Ballad of the Sad Café," which was written in 1942 but not published in book form until 1951. A long short story rather than a novel—the Library of America is fudging a bit by including it in the "Complete Novels"—the work eclipses McCullers's other efforts. It does not have the whimsy of "The Member of the Wedding," in which, one fears, McCullers was too aware of her role as the grand dame of the adolescent spirit. Nor does it have the awkward construction of her unfortunate last novel, "Clock Without Hands," which is marred by the effects of McCullers's various illnesses and by its self-consciously rendered "issues": miscegenation, the New South versus the Old, homosexual love.
Inspired by a dwarf McCullers had seen at a bar in Brooklyn Heights, "The Ballad of the Sad Café" begins (again) with a description of a town:
The town itself is dreary. . . . [It] is lonesome, sad, and like a place that is far off and estranged from all other places in the world. . . . The largest building, in the very center of the town, is boarded up completely and leans so far to the right that it seems bound to collapse at any minute. . . . Nevertheless, on the second floor there is one window which is not boarded; sometimes in the late afternoon when the heat is at its worst a hand will slowly open the shutter and a face will look down on the town. It is a face like the terrible dim faces known in dreams—sexless and white, with two gray crossed eyes which are turned inward so sharply that they seem to be exchanging with each other one long and secret gaze of grief.
This opening has the power of music, a prelude introducing the story's themes: a far-off place, grief, estrangement from the self, dreams, isolation. The bearer of the face with the crossed eyes is not, in fact, sexless. She is Miss Amelia, the owner of the building, which was once a café. Before she locked herself in, Miss Amelia was a strong, practical, and greedy woman, who ran a small shop and a liquor still and was wildly litigious. One evening, when she was sitting on her front porch, a man appeared, carrying a suitcase. "The man was a stranger, and it is rare that a stranger enters the town on foot at that hour. Besides, the man was a hunchback. He was scarcely more than four feet tall," McCullers writes. Claiming to be "kin" to Miss Amelia, the dwarf, who would be known as Cousin Lymon, began to cry. Then Miss Amelia did something that no one had ever seen her do before. She offered him a drink from her own hip flask, free of charge, and she invited him to stay.
That was the beginning of Miss Amelia's love. "What sort of thing, then, was this love?" McCullers asks. She goes on, "The most outlandish people can be the stimulus for love. A man may be a doddering great-grandfather and still love only a strange girl he saw in the streets of Cheehaw one afternoon two decades past. The preacher may love a fallen woman. . . . The value and quality of any love is determined solely by the lover himself." And it is precisely the lover's need to know the value of the person he loves that, McCullers explains, results in the beloved's eventual betrayal: "For the lover is forever trying to strip bare his beloved." Cousin Lymon does eventually strip Miss Amelia bare. He falls in love with Marvin Macy, Miss Amelia's brokenhearted ex-husband, and helps him to trash the café. Cousin Lymon, it seems, was just biding his time with Miss Amelia until he could feel what she felt: the excitement of trying to wrest love from an unwilling subject. He leaves her for a love as impossible as hers, and her grief-stricken eyes turn inward as if to gaze at her own soul.
Never in McCullers's fiction would her poetic symbols be as perfectly integrated as they are here. In an essay on Isak Dinesen, McCullers wrote, "In the true tale the characters are bound in the end to get what is coming to them. . . . The tale-teller assumes the responsibility of God, and grants to his characters a moral freedom accountable only to the author himself." Accountable only to McCullers, Miss Amelia, Cousin Lymon, and Marvin Macy were aspects of herself: a suite of voices examining McCullers's determination both to know and not to know, to cling to her romanticism while exploring its cruelty, to hurt others while taking a long and public time to destroy herself. ♦


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I mention it now because Rachel at The Challenge of Life tagged me with that "5 reasons I blog" meme.
I think there are 228 reasons...obvious within each of my 228 posts over almost two years.
But I'll give you the history, as briefly as possible, and boil it down to five reasons.
My early entries were short (I know, I know, barely believable, but true), and usually featured a piece of artwork I did. I was really uninterested in blogging and had only done it because my husband wanted me to.
Kaliroz of Fortune and Glory, Omegamom, and a few others (some of whom are MIA these days) started a blog group...a sort of carnival where people suggested topics and we all wrote about that. Most of us had been members of a writer's group and our energy went there, instead of into blogging. But the carnival was a nice exercise and it opened up a door for me. I suddenly saw the potential of blogging.
And that's reason Number One why I blog:
To chronicle events during this time in my life; a time which, I suspect, I'll look back on as one of the most amazing and interesting stages. To keep a picture of this time, for myself, and for my kids.
I've been an off and on diarist. I love finding little pieces of time preserved in a book or calendar, and often wish for more on either side of the brief period journaled. I had an elaborate web site for my first daughter, which was an early sort of blog, I guess. I detailed her life, frequently, mostly for long-distance family, but also for us.
I talk about her here, now, too, such as in Heaven, she said.
But my poor, poor second daughter, as is typical, is a little short in the chronicle department.
One day I realized that my blog can be a diary, and when Persistence was eight months old, I posted a little letter about her.
Shortly thereafter, I used the blog to process. And that's Reason Number 2 that I blog:
To work through, think out, and write out my thoughts, feelings, and opinions about personal and public events that affect me in some way.
My first post like this was What is valued? What is valuable? and it helped me process some issues bubbling inside me about Hurricane Katrina, what I did, what I didn't do, and how it affected me.
Barely two months later, I was recounting our Hurricane Rita experience, mostly with photos. It's a sanitized version of the story, but I can see my anger and post-traumatic stress seething under the surface...in all that I didn't say.
I didn't talk about:
the death we saw...how sick we all got...trying to help the dying woman, or how I haven't stopped wondering if she made it, and is okay...how we spent three precious hours of time and fuel trying to find an open gas station and another route out...our friends who had their gas stolen at gunpoint...running out of food and water 30 hours in...being so overheated that despite drinking a ton, we never needed to pee for two days...my children, how they held up (bravely); how both of them wore diapers the entire time, diapers that never needed changing...dumping things on the side of the road to move the dog into my car (which stayed cooler) when he quit responding to my husband's voice...my husband, near tears, as he said, "I don't know how to protect my family and keep them safe under these conditions!"...the fury I felt when public officials, such as police said, "You aren't my problem."...the relief we felt when we were finally rescued...how long it took me to come back home.
I think I am just now ready to talk about it, and maybe someday I will...or maybe I just did.
That right there...Reason Number 2...that's the main reason I blog.
As is art, which I briefly mentioned. And that's Reason Number 3 that I blog:
To share beauty, either through words or art. Initially, I only posted my own art, such as the one to the side there. My husband did start this blog for me, in fact, as a place to put up my art, and talk about it. However, I've expanded beyond that (obviously) and talk about much more than just art, and display more than just my own pieces. Each image I post, though, is (in my mind) specifically supporting or related to what I'm writing about.
Sometimes the words, images, processing, and chronicle elements all come together into one post, such as "I am obsessed...I think about it all the time...I compose poems and essays about it in my head..." The corn was such an amazing experience for me personally, and for the kids, too, who were fascinated by it. Thanks to a suggestion by our friend Halushki, we planned to make cornhusk dolls as a memento, but alas, the blog post will have to suffice due to a dog and overzealous cleaning.
I have also, on occasion, posted poetry. In spite of all the bloggy rules against it, of which, happily, at the time I was unaware.
And that's Reason Number 4 that I blog:
To have a platform on which I can talk about anything I want, to the degree that I want.
I can always talk about the amazing art of Emily Carr, and the book Susan Vreeland wrote about her here at my blog.
I can discuss politics, world events, my thoughts on issues and more.
And sometimes, people talked back. About a year ago, I started feeling my blog legs beneath me. And more people started talking to me. I started finding and reading blogs (outside of my little group of friends), and I began commenting on them. Then they commented back some more. I felt the warm fuzzy glow of Attention, and the even warmer glow of being Engaged in Something More Interesting than Laundry and The Wonder Pets.
That's Reason Number 5 I blog:
Attention. People are out there, listening to what I say, reading me, replying to me, gosh even sometimes giving me awards and tagging me with memes. It's a heady rush of pleasure to be listened to. It's an even headier rush of pleasure to be respected, to stimulate thought and discussion.
I look back and I see that I started getting a little interesting, and a little interest (outside my group of friends), in May of 2006.
Some people who I didn't even know or pay replied to my post about The Dumbest Question in the World, Bar None, Hands Down, Ever and the comments started coming consistently. People had things to say about my post, Big Brother is watching you: From 35 to 3501. In fact, one blog even backlinked to it, and rehosted my art.
People not only tolerated my ranting in The world in black and white: why the current immigration discussion saddens me, but encouraged me with agreeing comments.
And then the ultimate happened. Thanks to Jozet of Halushki, I got a Perfect Post Award for "What scares me? Jokes and science experiments," the post that put me on the map.
I ranted some more about life in my Passive Activists post; joked with my husband in So Sue Me, I Like Denny's; confessed to further misdeeds and misadventures by the children; admitted I liked missing my children; shared TMI about growing older and health troubles; got political about girls and workplace expectations, as well as political interior decorating; burst a lot of bubbles when I revealed that there is no magic word; shared the whole three part saga of how we became parents; got Dugg (et al) and published three times in a row when I talked about porn star Barbie, the penis story, and parenting as if I might get hit by a bus (which the very kind Masked Mom nominated for a Perfect Post).
Then suddenly, it was 2007, and I had a fresh leash on blogging.
Somewhere along the way, I got so much more than I ever expected from blogging:
* I gained personal insight
* Found a platform for discussing all the issues, large and small, in my mind and heart
* Discovered some amazing people with fantastic things to say who I love love love to read every day
* Learned a lot about other people in other places living different lives
* Cybermet some awesome people who I am so fortunate to have gotten to know through blogging
The first five are the reasons I blog, the second five are why I continue to blog and why I find it so valuable. How can I explain what it means to have a place in which to release the thoughts that flood my head every day...but I'm sure you understand. And how can I explain how much it means to have people to talk with, about these issues and others I hadn't known or thought about but am always glad I got exposed to.
Thanks Rachel, for this meme.
And thanks all of you, you know, just for being there.
And now...for the tags! (If you've done this meme already, linking to it is cool.)
First up: Two fabulous bloggers I've known a long time who really kept pushing and pulling me along the bloggy path (thank you): OmegaMom and Jozet at Haluski
Next up: Two bloggers who always impress me and are great writers and commenters: Gwen at Woman on the Verge and Jen at One Plus Two
Last but not least, a blogger I am just getting to know and like: Momish
copyright 2007 Julie Pippert

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Student Counseling Services
As Director of Prairie View A&M University's Student Counseling Services, I welcome you to our website. College life can be an exciting time filled with freedom, new experiences, and changes that sometimes can be challenging. Some of you may need help coping with these challenges and personal issues because they can interfere with your ability to perform in college. We want to do our part in helping you have the best possible experience during your tenure at PVAMU. That's why we offer a wide range of services and programs to assist you, the student, in maximizing your potential for success.
We provide short-term individual, couples, and group counseling, as well as crisis intervention, outreach, consultation, and referral services. In addition, we offer extremely informative educational workshops and classroom presentations to interested groups who request them. Examples of these topics are listed here on the website.
Our staff, who are licensed by the State of Texas, are skilled in providing assistance to students who are dealing with academic skills concerns, situational crises, adjustment problems, and emotional difficulties. Information shared with our staff is treated confidentially and in accordance with Texas State Law.
So continue to check out our website, and if you don't see what you are looking for here, please do not hesitate to contact us at Student Counseling Services located on the second floor of the Owens-Franklin Health Center or call us at 936-261-3564.
Best wishes for a great collegiate year,
Dr. Bernadine Duncan, LPC-S, NCC


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Bear in "AUGH! Right in the ROFLs!"
Wow, I haven't drawn a new Bear strip for ages, but this was really fun. A bit more one-shot than the normal Bear comics, but nice to stretch those psychopathic muscles once more. Hope you like! (if you're new to Bear, there are hundreds more comics, just have a look round this site ^_^
ps if by chance you don't know the Charlie Bit Me vid to which this refers, it's here


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Compare cheap flights from Cairns to Finland
Compare and book cheap flights from Cairns (CNS) to Finland with Skiddoo. Use the Skiddoo flight explorer to find the cheapest time to fly to Finland from Cairns on a range of leading airlines. Save with our exclusive Cairns to Finland flight deals online today.
What to do in Finland
Finland is a Nordic European country that perfectly blends modern cities with vast areas of untouched nature. Despite being one of the most technologically developed countries in the world, Finland is also known as the home of great myths and the relaxed lifestyle of the Finns.
Stop by the Daughter of the Baltic and fly to Helsinki. Ride a ferry and visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Suomenlinna sea fortress. Take in the sights and the fresh air at the Seurasaari open-air museum. Have your jaw drop at the gorgeous Temppeliaukio Church, the Ateneum, and the Sibelius Monument.
Stroll around the picturesque wooden houses of Porvoo. Feel the myths and legends come alive in Savonlinna's Olavinlinna Castle and the oldest castle in Finland at Hameenlinna Castle.
Be tempted to sing Frozen's famous chart-topper when you see the world's biggest snow castle in Kemi. Want even more magic? Have a go and ride the historical Linnanmaki wooden rollercoaster, where only gravity keeps it on the track.
Be sure to stop by the UNESCO World Heritage Site Rauma, and Rovaniemi, which is the home of Santa Claus Village. And visit the country's best national parks too at Koli National Park, Lemmenjoki National Park, and Nuuksio National Park.
Try something uniquely Finnish and join the country's most quirky and bizarre sports contests like the Air Guitar World Championships, Mobile Phone Throwing Championship, Wife Carrying World Championship, and the Swamp Soccer World Championship.
Don't miss Finland's exciting music festivals too like the Sauna Open Air, Pori Jazz, and Flow. Of course, the event you absolutely should see at least once in your light is spotting the Northern Lights in the sky because Finland is one of the best places in the world to see it.
Before flying to Finland, here are five things to know before your trip so you can make the most out of your exciting adventure.
When to visit Finland
The best time to visit Finland weather-wise is from May to September. For fewer crowds, plan your trip during early summer from May to June. To see the Northern Lights in Finland, the best time to visit is from September to March.
You and other Australians can fly to Finland and travel visa-free for up to 90 days as part of the Schengen Convention. Just visit Smartraveller for more info.
Travelling to and around Finland
Finland's main international hub is Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Once you've landed, you can travel to the rest of the country by plane, train, bus, ferry, and taxi.
Isn't it about time you land in Finland? Hop to it then by packing your bags now and booking your flights to Helsinki with Skiddoo today!


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A new Greenpeace report entitled 'Thirsty Coal: A Water Crisis Exacerbated by China's New Mega Coal Power Bases' shows that ten billion cubic meters of water will be consumed by 16 new coal fired power plants and mines in China in 2015, triggering severe water crises in the country's arid Northwest. This huge amount of water will be used for the water-intensive coal extraction, forcing deterioration of arid grassland and forcing herders to seek alternative livelihoods. Northwestern provinces such as Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Ningxia, where 11 of these coal bases are situated, will see their water supply capacity severely challenged in three years.
© Lu Guang/ Greenpeace
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I am trying to use/adapt the energy points rule from mastermind manual for my setting.
My setting has pretty much only one single power source for "super-powers", in essence is a form of mental ability that can manifest in any given power of choice (even physical ones), it is culturally called "magic" or "psionics" or just "supernatural". In theory people can have lesser non-super abilities that would be brought as powers if they aren't as feats.
To fit the whole mental aspect, I wanted to make changes in the energy points rule:
*Change the base stat for energy points, instead of using Constitution use Wisdom. It fits the whole "mental" description better. The energy points would represent "magic energy" or "mana points" and the like.
**The problem with that: "Muggles" shouldn't have any kind of magic energy. I am considered having two types of energy points stamina points (based on Constitution) and magic points (based on Wisdom), but I am unsure if that is balanced or even too complicated.
*Other changes include add a few modifiers, feats and powers (most of the later two are still too early in development)
**Cost per activation (+1 extra): Used only on non-instant powers you spend your energy points only to activate your power and not to maintain it. This combines two instances of the reduced energy modified with limited.
**Cost per use (+1 extra or -1 flaw): Proper for passive powers. Energy points are only spent when the benefits of a power are used (such when you force field protects you from damage), it is only necessary to spend the energy points once per round. This can be added as a flaw to permanent powers. This combines two instances of the reduced energy modified with limited, or simple a instance of the increased energy cost
**Energy Recovery (feat, ranked): Each rank of this feat increases energy recover by +5 points every minute. I am NOT sure if this balanced yet, the use of the value five is to be roughly equal to the following power.
**Energy Recharging (Power. Sustained. Free Action. Personal. 2pp/rank): Once per round, regains one energy point per rank. This power doesn't cost energy points when recharging oneself, but costs when charging others (through the Affect Others modifier).
Energy Points - Alternate rules
Discuss the second edition rules of the World's Greatest Superhero Roleplaying Game. Check here before posting in the Official Rules Forum, someone might just know the answer already!
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- Hireling
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KISS - Keep it short n simple
Want food? How about instant noodles or curry packs? Want entertainment? How about live streaming? Want news? How about a short news app?
Fast paced lives, technology and gadgets have turned instant gratification into an imperative and not a luxury that it was once considered to be. The theory of a longer route being the righter route is no longer valid in the age of the internet. Be it the little tweets or the short news apps, the formula is simple- the acronym translates to KISS Keep it short n simple.
It s been a little less than a year since way2 made a formal foray into the short news space in Dec 2015. The numbers have grown exponentially since then and we d like to let you know how we work to get you the best, the most relevant and the right crux of the news in less than 400 characters from a news piece which may run into 400-1000 words.
So there is a method to the madness. It is not mere precis writing. It is about holding the essentials of what, where, why, when, how in place. It is getting the bang for each letter and word that we put there.
We have Donald Trump in the news every day, but what is the news piece really trying to say, about how much of a bigot he is, or how lame some of his statements are or how the whole world is scared to have a xenophobic guy run the most powerful country in the world.
We also have a new phone being launched almost every month. But what does our reader want to know. The phone specifications or its price or its availability or company credibility or how this has one particular feature that everyone is dying to know about.
There is a murder which TV anchors have been crying hoarse over for over a year. But do we give it as plain facts or temper it a bit to make it lose the sensationalism?
That got you thinking right? Well yes indeed, short news is anything but a small job. Sifting through hundreds of news stories to write those 100 which will interest our reader, is not child s play. And then the peg, the essence of a news piece, which will stay with the reader, is a matter of reporting integrity where you sensationalize less and present more of factual information without distorting the story thread. And last but not the least, is giving all of this within minutes of what happens as it happens.
So we have to be thinking quick on the feet, slow on the sensationalism or sleaze, rapid on the delivery, and high on content. Short news is not selling news short, short news is the BIG news in today s time and space. Get your short news, get way2.
Beware of fraudsters who call up to say way2SMS has a lucky prize for you
We have recently received mails from our users informing us of how they have been tricked by fraudsters, who have falsely claimed that they are from way2sms. Just to give you an idea of how these tricksters operate. An unsuspecting user gets a call. The caller identifies himself by falsely stating that he is from way2sms. The caller then weaves a fictitious story saying, You have won a necklace worth Rs.6500 in a lucky draw and also phone talk time of Rs.3000. Thereafter he asks the person receiving the call to pay Rs 995 as taxes to get that gift.
Some gullible users have fallen prey to these trick calls. They have actually paid the money and got a trashy necklace worth not more than Rs 50 and a fake recharge coupon, which obviously does not work. This seems to be a classic case of organized fraud wherein different users are getting calls from different numbers projecting the same story of lucky draw and free talk time. When the same number from which the call came is contacted again, it seems that there is no right person to take that call.
We have received mails from various areas across the country, so this is not a region-specific fraud. We would like to inform our users that way2sms has not conducted any such lucky draw and if they receive a phone call such as one mentioned above, they must know that it is a fraud. Nor are we as a company doling out free talk time to any users. We would urge you to exercise utmost caution in the event of any such phone call and write to us immediately informing us of the phone number of the caller so that legal action can be taken at our end.
Make Way for Way2
It is time for us to announce a new beginning. We have been preparing for it for long and the moment is now ripe for us to take off from the launch pad onto a real exciting form. First of all, we are becoming leaner with our app name. And second, we are becoming keener with offering much more than just sms to our audience. With the new name comes the second bit, the keener part. This part is what is going to give a whole new dimension to our changing identity while continuing with our erstwhile service of free sms. way2 is an app that brings to you short summarized nuggets of news in local languages, in a magazine style format. Way2 will offer short news bytes in Hindi, Marathi, Malyalam, Tamil, Bangla, Gujarati, Telugu and Kannada, as also in English. Way2 editors scour multiple news sources, local dailies, TV news channels, websites and blogs, RSS feeds, magazines and summarize each news story in just 400 characters. The idea is to enable the reader to assimilate all the major occurrences across the world without having to spend too much time poring over lengthy articles. However, in case the reader wants to read further, there is the option of going to the original site for exploring the news in greater detail.
The genesis of offering this new product is that we want to become an essential part of our consumers daily lives like we already have with way2sms. Way2 gets over 400,000 visitors a day and sees 12,000 new downloads. News consumption is a daily habit for most people. Also a huge chunk of people may have access to the Net but not to news in their local language. With way2, we are foraying into the large untapped segment of news readers who want to consume news in their native language.
With a 45 million strong user base we have the aspiration to become a matter of habit for our users. The local language user base has increased by 47 per cent in June 2015 (as compared to June 2014). The next surge of Internet users will be from the rural and suburban areas who would want more content in the vernacular. And with news being the most essential of all content, way2 seeks to fulfill the need of this particularly huge segment.
So there s lot of excitement and promise as also there is lot of research and diligence as we go live with way2. Considering the multitude of mobile phone devices with differing viewing windows, coupled with varied availability of internet across India s geography, Way2 faced a huge challenge with respect to ensuring seamless viewing. The Way2 app that you see has undergone hundreds of hours of testing on various devices, to ensure uninterrupted reading pleasure. To access Way2: It s pretty simple. Search for Way2News app, click download, confirm phone authentication with provided access number, and Way2 is all set. You can customize the app for language, subjects you prefer reading about, and also search current and previous posts about any topic/subject.
The Diwali Connect with way2sms
The basic premise of most festivals is the social connect they offer to people to reach out to each other. More than the religious or ethnic origin, what makes the festival of lights so spectacular is that it gives each of us a chance to bond with others. It may be coming home for all family members or long forgotten friends placing a call or message to reach out on the occasion. Festivals actually reiterate our need as human beings to reach out and connect. As technology catches up in all our interpersonal spaces, what better way than to send out Diwali messages for your loved ones using way2sms. This Diwali way2sms wishes you a great connection and bonding with friends and family. Go ahead light up this Diwali with your messages on way2sms.
Come November, and we unveil our new identity
Hello there everyone. We told you in our last blog how way2sms app is going to don a new identity very soon. And that too without taking away from the comfort of experience that you already have with us. Well all this is not just to raise the curiosity quotient but to keep you all in the loop of information so that you are up and about to receive us in our new package as and when it happens. We plan to give a whole new look and feel to the app and as the tagline of our mailer says, ' We connected you to your friends; now we connect you to the whole world.'
So the most important question in your mind would be - why change? Well for us a change is not merely bringing about a new thing, it is also a step up on our progress curve. After carefully analyzing the needs of our users, what is it that they really want, we went in for a well thought out change. This change, like we have said before is an extension of what way2sms already is and of course has a twist of something new.
As you can see, we have a brand new logo, which is a precursor to the new look that our app is also going to get - something simplistic yet snazzy at the same time. You also know that November is the month where we bare it all - our new look, our new service and believe you us, despite the novelty of it all, you will transition so smoothly into our new form, it would be just like stepping into a pair of your most comfortable shoes.
The countdown has begun. Come November, and we will unveil our new identity.
Something big is gonna happen soon
Ahoy there everyone. It s been a time since we connected. But the buzz is on at way2sms. Because all this time we have been working on how to improve the experience for our consumers. Our facebook pages have seen a sudden spurt of posts, all of you have sent along many like s , which only goes to show how wonderfully we connect as a community.
Way2sms is going to get even more exciting, user-friendly and up with the times than ever before. You loved the convenience, we plan to give more of it to you. You loved the connect it offers, we plan to connect you to the whole world now. You loved the app, we shall now offer added advantages with it. To cut a long story short, we are going to get crisper, nattier and smarter, much like the consumers who are associated with us, who demand more things as technology takes a curve for the better.
There is no denying that connectivity is the mantra of today s day and time. And this is the reason why we have so many of you subscribing to the website as well as the app. Just to give you a heads up on how big the way2sms family is, we have a 45 million strong user base, which is extraordinary because we have reached here without any real ad spend. Therefore it has simply been on the steam of the product that we have such a strong user community. We have close to 1 crore screen views everyday. With 11,000 new users being added each day, way2sms has already established its position as a crowd puller as far as its services are concerned.
So what is the aim hereafter? As we embrace new users to our platform we want to be abreast with what is happening around us and keep our users informed of the same. We want our existing consumer base to enjoy the comfort of habit that they have built with us while also embracing new users and giving them their bang for the buck. So buckle up and get ready for an all-new exciting ride with way2sms. We are going to dish out something which is going to have you floored. Watch this space for more.
Revolutionary Free Talk Time features rolled out on way2sms
In 2006 - Way2SMS asked "Why can't personal SMSing be FREE?"
2012 - Again Way2SMS questions "Why can't mobile Talk time be FREE?"
Everyday you share so many links and exchange emails with your friends. Along with those, send our advertisers products or brands to your friends via Gmail and Yahoo mail. You get rewarded every time your friend visits advertisers website.
How Can I get Free Talk Time??
Your Contacts, friends and Social Connections are your asset. Now at Way2SMS, You can earn free recharge in 2 ways
1) Share & Win:
Share our advertiser Social ads to your facebook, Twitter friends .
You will get paid for every Unique visitor you drive to advertiser website.
2) Email & Win:
Recommend Our advertisers products services to your Gmail or Yahoo mail contacts.
You will get paid for every Unique visitor you drive to advertiser website.
Way2SMS will reward you with a certain recharge amount for every Unique visitor you drive to advertiser website. You can Convert this amount to recharge after Reaching Rs.10. Way2SMS Supports recharge on all major telecom operators In India.
Safety: Keeping Your Account Secure
Safe SMSing: The Basics
We want Way2sms to be a safe and open portal. This help post provides some information and tips to help you practice safe SMS ing and keep your account secure. Here are some basics:
We're working to improve our responses to security threats, but user accounts and computers can sometimes become compromised by phishing, hacks, or viruses. If you think your account has been compromised, We suggest to change your account password. The immediate solution to fix it quickly!
You can help protect your account by following some easy precautions, discussed below.
Use a Strong and Unique Password
When you set up your account, be sure to choose a strong password (at least 6 characters that include upper and lower case characters, numbers, and symbols). We highly recommend that you use a unique password for each website you use; that way, if one account gets compromised, the rest are safe.
Also, please use a secure and private email address to associate with your Way2SMS account. If you forget your password, you'll be able to get instructions for resetting it emailed to that address.
Always Check that You're at Way2sms.com Before Logging In
Phishing is when someone tries to trick you into giving up your username and password, usually so they can send out spam to all your contacts from your account. Often, they ll try to trick you with a link that goes to a fake login page.
Make sure you're on Way2sms.com before logging in: Whenever you are prompted to enter your Way2sms password, just take a quick look at the URL and make sure you're actually on Way2sms.com.
You can find the URL in the address bar of your browser. Way2sms domains will always have the http://way2sms.com/ as the base domain. Here are some examples of Way2sms login pages:
Phishing websites will often look just like Way2sms's login page, but will actually be a website that is not Way2sms. Here are some examples of URLs that are NOT Way2sms pages:
If you think you may have been phished, change your password as soon as possible
Log in directly at Way2sms.com if you're unsure: If you re ever uncertain of a website, just type Way2sms.com into your browser bar, hit enter, and log in directly from our homepage.
What we've been up to
This is not a proper blog post, but more of a status update.
Have you spotted our new "Get Free Recharge" feature in Way2SMS?
Yes, We are experimenting with the revolutionary concept to offer "Free Talk time" to our users. We are glad to say that we have had overwhelming response during the trail period. With all this energy, we are gearing up to revolutionize "Free talk time" in a big way. Currently, The whole team is busy with last minute bug fixing and GUI beautification tweaks. So, we are just a few days away to roll out this to all of you.
More information to follow soon
I Promise
We know many of you are facing delivery issues and partial service disruptions from last 6 weeks. The dynamics of the message termination has changed totally due to the TRAI New guidelines. Also, the service disruptions began after the implementation of the SMS Spam guideliness by TRAI . Being the Leader in the person to person messaging, Way2sms strictly adheres to TRAI guidelines in order to protect consumer privacy from SMS spammers .
However, I wanted to reassure you all that we are working hard to improve the quality of delivery and I Promise.. we will soon come up with a good news.
Raju Vanapala,
Founder & CEO, Way2SMS.
The inside-view of our office.
We'd love to show off our office. We feature one picture every week from here onward.
Snap taken at 2AM in the night....
Diwali on Way2SMS:Almost a Record-breaker
On Wednesday, we saw a huge traffic spike due to Diwali. During the early hours of the day we have observed steady raise in the message submission, and this reached to peak by 11 AM. In fact, by 3PM, the count of messages per hour was nearing 3 times average hourly levels.
The spike was so structured and we nearly assumed it was a record.
A search of our database, though, revealed an even busier hourlong period on 31st night. On Wednesday, OCT 26, the 11AM IST hour was almost a record, with above 5 times average traffic.
We re thrilled that people across the world are using way2sms to share about their exciting diwali moments with their closest friends and family, and we look forward to seeing this record broken again and again over the coming months.
Changes to way2sms platform according to new SMS regulations by TRAI
Dear User,
As many of you may be aware, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recently issued new regulations on the SMS industry in India. These regulations are designed to significantly curb the sending of unsolicited commercial SMSes to consumers. Starting from sept 27th 2011 every SMS service provider has to adhere to the new TRAI NCPR (National Customer Preference Register (NCPR)) guidelines. Check www.nccptrai.gov.in for more details on new TRAI guidelines.
Being the Leader in the mobile messaging, Way2sms strictly adheres to TRAI guidelines from Sept 27th in order to protect consumer privacy from SMS spammers. As part of implementing new TRAI guidelines, way2sms has worked tirelessly to further upgrade our internal processes, technology, and team to ensure smooth functioning of the whole messaging activity on way2sms.
In order to adhere to TRAI guidelines way2sms is also changing its messaging policies from 27th of Sept. 2011 onwards.
Changes on way2sms
We seek your understanding as we continue to employ our best efforts to ensure smooth functioning of the way2sms platform.
We regret any inconvenience caused to you.
Enjoy SMSing
Way2SMS Team.
Less than 10 sec SMS delivery Bench Mark
Every day, millions of SMSes are being sent via Way2SMS. The numbers are growing rapidly. The following numbers tells the story of how we ve grown over the past 3 years in terms of number of SMS delivered per day.
Users were sending over 3 lakh SMSes per day in 2008. By 2009 that number was 15 lakh SMS per day, and by 2010 it has grown to 75 lakh per day. Today we are delivering more than 15 million SMS per day. That s an average of 250 throughput per second.
As we consider Way2SMS messaging as highly time critical messaging, we have tailored our platform to deliver every single message (either from quick SMS or sent from group SMS) in less than 10 seconds time. Currently our platform can handle up to 1000 SMS per second and can be scaled easily up to 2000 SMS per second.
As an undisputed leader in messaging, we continued our innovation by building top quality platform with redundancy at every level to ensure zero loss of messages during the message transmission. With our engineers continuous efforts, we have achieved over 95% delivery rates in less than 10 sec during the last month.
Also, a dedicated monitoring team continuously checks deliveries to various networks in different circles. This ensures identifying delivery issues to various networks in matter of few minutes, helps us to coordinate with telecom operators to resolve such issues in quick time.
All about WAY2SMS Blog
We have seen explosive growth in the last couple of years. We have been adding a million new users for every 40 days. As a result, tens of thousands of mails, requests and feedbacks sent to Way2SMS every week - inspired us and got us thinking.Over the last couple of months, I have been trying to figure out ways to reach out, listening, and generally get more in touch with those outside of No.89,Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.
The first visible and quick result of that is WAY2SMS BLOG. I hope this will bridge the gap between you and Way2SMS.As you might expect, the first post is by Raju Vanapala , CEO of Way2SMS. Over the coming weeks and months, other folks from our team will make appearances to talk about who they are, what they do, and so on.
at Way2SMS Blog, You could find posts on Feature updates, Whats going on at Way2SMS, New features, Answers to user FAQs, Technology awareness, Insiders (Engineers, UI designers etc.,) experience, Behind the screen stories and Our milestones
If there are topics you'd like to see show up on the blog, post a comment to let us know.
Stay Connected, Lot more to come
Raju Vanapala
raju at way2online.net
On twitter @rajuvanapala
News Room


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$334.99 (check price)
Putting a fashion-forward twist on timeless elegance, this must-have side chair is perfect elevating any ensemble.Its frame is constructed of wood, while each of its 4 legs are finished off with rustic details. Adorned with chic nail head trim and dramatic button tufts, the seat is wrapped in solid-hued linen upholstery for a versatile look.Pull a few up to your dining room table for a distinctive refresher perfect for hosting festive family feasts and elegant dinner parties alike, or simply... Upholstery Material: 100% Linen Seating Firmness: Medium; Medium-Firm Product Care: Instructions attached Assembly Required: Yes
Have a good time listening to music. Buy Lark Manor side accent chair Like it, it is great for many people alike, so come see some simple tips to choose Lark Manor side accent chair quality for the Living Room well. Choose a form that emphasizes comfort. The Living Room of the family is the comfort of the room. Because we have to answer both sitting - watching TV, reading music, we recommend. Lark Manor side accent chair L-shaped and U-shaped fabric both wide and deep. Enjoy the day! Check the type of fabric thoroughly. There are many types of cloth used. Synthetic fibers and natural fibers. Each type has different properties. The linen will be soft while it will show a unique wrinkle, which some people do not like. Another common problem is the itching caused by wool or wool. Do not forget to wear shorts to buy the skin to fully touch the fabric. Before you buy, do not forget to check the details of the fabric that contains the fiber. Check firmness. If Lark Manor side accent chair soft sit and feel comfortable. It is ideal for both sitting and sleeping. But if you choose the elderly should be Lark Manor side accent chair Dense space will not hurt back. Sit and get up easily. Check the structure of Lark Manor side accent chair The structure of Lark Manor side accent chair can be made of various materials. But this point is difficult because we often do not see. It is good to ask the source and type of termites do not eat through the moisture level. Lark Manor side accent chair The fiber foam sponge is placed into the layer to obtain the softness that customers need. If it is Lark Manor side accent chair spring system, because the spring is colored with sponge and drop into powder, it is recommended to use Lark Manor side accent chair Webbing system, which is high elasticity. Instead of springs, the sound is not as loud as the sponge. Ducks and goose feathers should be selected by the goose. Geese are animals that keep themselves clean than ducks. Geese will dress themselves all the time. The hair is beautiful and quality. But it is more expensive.
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I am glad I bought this side accent chair. I'm looking forward to wearing it to work and social occasions. And of course, I love the side accent chair! A well designed feature that doesn't add bulk. 2 words : perfect side accent chair.
Believe that someone who has a Living Room must also decorate. If you want to find out what to bring to XXX, we have a special and unique if it isLiving Room of course children that theme. I will not forget the story of comic and fairy tales. Of course, creating a theme for your children'sLiving Room will encourage them to imagine in some way, not least, the easiest thing to become a Living Room theme is our color scheme. Just pick our favorite color in mind. Then select the furniture or decorations by color. This will make our side accent chair has a toned theme. Artwork If placed or attached to the wall. We also make our side accent chair chic. The key is that the images are the same style. In the same direction as much The theme of the side accent chair is very clear. Green theme is equally cool. The green leaves of Sam are at various points. The side accent chair is one of the soft-looking themes, plus a trend in the modern era. ForLiving Room white or cream women is another easy way to create a theme for the side accent chair . It is a color that finds furniture and home decor to look easy. The key is white or cream. See also how to feel.
Now the flow of home-style Living Room Japan clean up very well. Can be seen from the popular feed. We often see in the social network that everyone is flying to Japan. It's because there are so many interests. Whether it is technology. Arts and culture Attractions Including DIY food in Japan today, we will take you to experience a simple atmosphere. Beautiful in Japanese style. You do not have to travel too far with the Tokyo Collection. The room that Sara chose today is my side accent chair . Tokyo style style is a simple Living Room style clean clean look for a relaxed mood. Feel close to nature. And the important function is very much. The principle of the Japanese style room is three simple things, the first is to meet the simple use of space. Second, the function is very good. But it must be contemporary. And third, it must be close to nature. It will make us relax. If all items of this collection are noted, it will be a wooden style. The pattern and texture of the wood gives it a real feel to it, to the heart of the room. No matter which style you choose. Let's say you do not forget to put your own identity into it. For your style, Sara. She secretly whispered that a lot of people. Therefore, there must be a cabinet or storage that is quite functional. Like the Tokyo Collection, Sara Recommended is about Living Room style, but it has a very functional cabinet as well. This is a very deep cabinet. All 3 layers, but if anyone says that is not enough. Mr. Sara says that it is a clean bucket. I still have the Living Room . We will choose Living Room . We can choose small pieces to decorate. The atmosphere in the room. Today Sara was chosen as a bedside table. The legs are black, the top is a wood, which will match the atmosphere of this room is very good anyway. Or if anyone wants to have a function that you have Sara has another piece to introduce. This laptop can be set and level. And let's say that the most versatile. It is a laptop or desk to work or eat it.


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Cup of Tears' trailer is teaching Hollywood how to put together a sleek green-screen martial arts flick properly, even in outer space. This sick trailer should make everyone who worked on The Spirit blush.
Quiet Earth has pointed out the super sleek The Cup of Tears from Gary Shore. which was all shot on Red camera. The official synopsis is this:
The narrative follows a scorned geisha who creates a magical cup made of tears that causes any man who drinks from it to fall under a stasis of permanent sleep. One night the cup is stolen, setting off a chain of events that threatens civil war amongst the clans. Taro, a once gifted samurai, and his companion Jin set out to find the cup and the one who can break the spell before inner turmoil.
But I'm way more interested in the stunning visuals....
The Cup of Tears film trailer. Dir. Gary Shore from Gary Shore on Vimeo.


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Getty Images. Online child privacy rules: Software developers said new online privacy rules for children may cause some businesses to leave the market. IMAGE
1 day ago By Richard Lardner
Addressing growing concerns over child privacy, the Federal Trade Commission has increased the kinds of information that cannot be released without parental permission.
WASHINGTON – New online child privacy rules will keep anonymous advertisers and marketers from siphoning personal information about preteens but won't restrain innovation among technology companies and businesses that rely on the Internet to reach consumers, government officials said Wednesday.
But those assurances failed to win over software developers who said the cost of complying with the new regulations and the risk of violating them will cause many responsible businesses to abandon the children's marketplace.
Information about children that cannot be collected unless a parent first gives permission now includes the location data that a cellphone generates, as well as photos, videos, and audio files containing a human image or voice, according to the rules announced Wednesday. Data known as "persistent identifiers" that allow a person to be tracked over time and across various websites are also considered personal data and covered by the rules, the agency said.
The rules offer several new methods for verifying a parent's consent, including electronically scanned consent forms, video conferencing and email.
The rules issued by the Federal Trade Commission ensure that a 14-year-old law, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, keeps pace with evolving technology, including cellphones, tablets, software apps, and social networking sites, the agency's chairman, Jon Leibowitz, said at a Capitol Hill press conference.
The agency tried to achieve a balance between protecting kids and ensuring that a key sector of the U.S. economy keeps growing, Leibowitz said.
Liability for violations of the rules won't extend to Google, Apple and other companies that operate online stores offering public access to kids' apps, the FTC said. Google and Apple had warned that if the rule were written to include their stores, they would exclude many apps specifically intended for kids. That would hurt the nation's classrooms, where new and interactive apps are used by teachers and students, Apple said.
But the Application Developers Alliance, an industry association in Washington, said the rules leave the app industry, which is made up primarily of small businesses, liable for violations. The risk may drive entrepreneurs out of the children's app marketplace, said Jon Potter, the alliance's president.
Companies are not excluded from advertising on websites directed at children, allowing business models that rely on advertising to continue, Leibowitz said. But behavioral marketing techniques that target children are prohibited unless a parent agrees to them. "You may not track children to build massive profiles," he said.
The law was passed more than a decade ago, when no one could have anticipated what the Internet would look like or how adults and children would conduct their affairs online, said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Rockefeller, D-W.Va. The changes, which the FTC has been developing for the last two…


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Bones..... leftovers from something ancient and regal. The sea and the sand have a way of casually wiping away the past.
#travel I #adventure I #explore I #discoverhawaii
This is image is available as a print on 13x19 sized paper. The actual image size is 12.75 x 18.75. All Fine Art Prints are printed on Epson Hot Press Bright Paper. Made from 100% cotton rag and using a hot press production technique, this paper features a smooth matte finish. The heavy weight of 330 gsm, thickness of 17 mil, and opacity of 98% further give this paper the look and feel of a true fine art paper. Also, through the use of optical brightening agents, this media will help deliver bright whites, deep blacks, and a wide color gamut. Designed for longevity, Hot Press Bright is free of acid, lignin, and chlorine and is pH buffered.
A 24x36 is also available as a metal print. Larger sizes and custom sizes are available upon request. Printing on aluminum sheets makes them water, scratch, and UV resistant, easy to hang, and simply gorgeous.


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Important Notice: The Mathia-Matthia Family Organization is presently archiving
all of its data, sources, stories, and images on the FamilySearch.org Family Tree.
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AUGUSTA, Ga. – After splitting last weekend's PBC home stand with Armstrong Atlantic and Flagler, the Georgia Southwestern Lady Hurricanes were looking to piece together their first back-to-back conference wins. GSW's trip to Augusta to take on the ASU Lady Jaguars (8-9, 3-6 PBC)would give the Lady Hurricanes the elusive second consecutive PBC victory by a score of 65-59.
The turnover bug, which had dogged Georgia Southwestern in recent history, aided the Lady Jaguars unraveling. The GSW defense conceded 48% shooting from the field, but countered in by forcing 27 turnovers, which included 17 Blue & Gold steals.
Junior forward Adrian Randall scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and registered a steal and a block to lead the Hurricanes to victory. She was supported by Tania Walters (15 points, four rebounds and two assists) and Terra Branch (eleven points and four steals) to round out GSW's leading scorers.
The Lady Jaguars were led by Jemimah Ashby who led all scorers with 21 points. She and Amber Peterson (12 points) were the Augusta State players to record double-digit points.
After opening the game on a 9-2 run in the initial three minutes, the Blue & Gold would hold onto a lead for the entire first half. They would lead 34-25 at the half after seeing their first half lead grow to as large as twelve points. The nine-point halftime lead was due in part to the Lady Hurricanes holding Augusta State to one made field goal over the half's last 5:31.
It was a sloppy affair for both teams as the two combined for 28 first half turnovers. Georgia Southwestern forced 17 Augusta State turnovers, which included ten steals for the Lady Hurricanes. While the Blue & Gold did shoot 42.9% from the field on 15-35 shooting, they were uncharacteristically cold from beyond the arc missing all seven attempts in the game's first 20 minutes.
ASU's Jemimah Ashby led all first half scorers with eight points to go along with her four rebounds and two steals. On the flip side Georgia Southwestern was led by Adrian Randall with seven points and three rebounds and Samantha Smith with five points and five rebounds.
Coach Britsky and company would weather back-to-back baskets in the second half's first moments. The two teams would exchange jump shots over the next five minutes before a Marina Fox point-blank jump shot would force GSW to take timeout as their halftime lead of nine points had withered down to three.
The 12-5 ASU run to open the second half would be reinforced by five more straight points as the Lady Jaguars would take their first lead of the game at 42-40 after 28 minutes of play. Two Terra Branch free throws and a made Adrian Randall jumper would stop the bleeding for GSW, but only after Augusta State's 17-8 run had put them back into the game.
The Lady Hurricanes would have a seven-point lead with 5:44 remaining, and they would relinquish it after battling the shot clock on several offensive possessions. After ASU's Jemimah Ashby would tie the game at 59 with two free throws, the two teams would exchange turnovers before Tania Walters would connect from long range for what would prove to be the game winning shot with 40 seconds left in the game.
The road, conference victory improves Georgia Southwestern's record to 11-4 (3-3 PBC). Coach Britsky and crew will play their next game in just two days at USC Aiken. Monday's battle with the Lady Pacers is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.


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DII Women?s Basketball Player of the Week ? No. 4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Hannah Sabol of Concordia (Mich.) has been named the NAIA National Division II Women's Basketball Player of the Week, the national office announced Tuesday. Sabol was selected based on her performances from Jan. 21 - 27 and was chosen out of a pool of conference/independent/unaffiliated group winners.
Sabol led the 10th-ranked Cardinals to a 3-0 week, including the program's second title at the 62nd annual Concordia Invitational Tournament (CIT) Jan. 25-26. The Shelby Township native, who averaged 18.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals, opened the week with 19 points and seven rebounds in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference play against Aquinas on Jan. 23. Sabol then recorded her sixth double-double on the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds against NCAA Division III Concordia (Wis.). With the performance, the senior forward became only the second player in Concordia history to record 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career.
Sabol wrapped up the week with her second-straight and seventh double-double of the season in the Cardinals 73-69 win against then-No. 2 Concordia (Neb.) in the CIT championship game. She was also named the tournament most valuable player.
Nationally, Sabol ranks fourth in total rebounds (251) and fifth in total rebounds per game (10.5). She is second on the team in scoring with a 14.5 points per game average.
For a complete listing of all the national statistical leaders, click here.
The next Player of the Week announcement will be on Feb. 5.
Nominees: Heather Wheat, Indiana Southeast; Erin Guarneri, Taylor (Ind.); Suzie Broski, Saint Xavier (Ill.); Amanda Frost, Mount Mercy (Iowa); Morgan Smith, College of the Ozarks (Mo.); Vanessa Kresin, Kansas Wesleyan; Karissa Dixon, Oregon Tech; Amy Myler, Ave Maria (Fla.); Johneshia Good, Milligan (Tenn.); Laurel Zwiener, Hastings (Neb.); Lauren Adamek, Menlo (Calif.).
2012-13 Composite Award Winners
Week 1 (Jan. 8): Laura Johnson, Bethel (Ind.)
Week 2 (Jan. 15): Morgan Stuut, Saint Xavier (Ill.)
Week 3 (Jan. 22): Karyn Bixler, Saint Mary (Neb.)
Week 4 (Jan. 29): Hannah Sabol, Concordia (Mich.)


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Serger Basics DVD
Featuring Marta Alto & Pati Palmer
Learn to master serger basics including adjusting tensions, threading, using stitch types, serging circles, turning corners and gathering. Then learn to master the rolled edge and flatlocking. See lots of garment details and how-tos, such as serging elastic for lingerie and swimwear. 2 hours.
Take a private sewing lesson with Pati Palmer or Marta Alto right in the privacy of your own home! Both Pati and Marta have been teaching the art of fitting and sewing since the early '70s, and have a faithful following around the world. Just pop in one of these fabulous DVDs and follow along as they share more than 30 years of construction and alteration experience.
Shipping and handling for Palmer/Pletsch DVDs: 1 to 3—$5.00; 4 to 6—$7.00; 7 to 10—$9.00.


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Equip your favorite pair of shoes with biologically engineered midsoles to keep aches at bay. For men, women and children, Footwear etc.'s insoles are meant to fit all types of shoes and help remedy a variety of serious foot conditions like plantar fasciitis and hammer toes. With inserts from Ecco, Superfeet, Spenco, Lynco, Vionic and Alegria, available benefits include shock absorption, antibacterial properties, prominent arch support and more. Treat your feet to true bliss with replacement insoles today.
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" Four years ago I was having knee, leg and foot pain and decided to spend more $$ than I usuallly do and try the Orthaheel brand. I bought a pair of womens Tide sandals in plum and cranberry. I have never worn any other sandal/flip flop since!! they are amazing, I could walk 100 miles in them!
I love how Footwear etc. carries so many great brands to choose from, they are always very helpful.
I went yesterday to Footwear etc. in Ranco Bernardo CA to look for another pair of Orthaheel sandals; needed something a little more dressy. Thanks to the help of Ashley I tried on the Carla II bronze metallic sandal (not my first choice) but she said try them you will like them. Yup I love them, they look great with dresses or shorts and have the same fantastic comfort I'm use to in the Orthaheel brand."
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Make Your Bedroom a Sanctuary
As featured on myhomeideas.com
Follow a few key principles, and you'll have a bedroom that offers a retreat from the hassles of the day.
When decorating the bedroom — the one room in the house meant for relaxation and rejuvenation — simplicity is the key to serenity. So no matter what your particular style is, all you need to do to create a sumptuous oasis is heed a few basic but important design ideas.
Paint Color
First, start with the paint color, aiming for a restful hue. "If you paint your bedroom red, it's a hot and fiery place," says Diane Burnett of Renaissance Interiors. "Choose soothing colors. Use the colors of the lake or the ocean on the walls. If not on the walls, then use this color palette for your bedding. Or use a shade of brown, which is a warm, comforting color. And it's always nice to mix cool colors with warm colors."
Lisa Flake of Caldwell-Flake Interiors advises her clients to paint their bedrooms white. "White is a soft, relaxing color. But if you don't like white, soft blues and grays work well to create a serene setting." Some of her favorites include Benjamin Moore's Gray Cashmere, Martin Senour's Smokescreen and Tidewater, and Sherwin-Williams' Linen Cloth. And don't forget the ceiling when painting your bedroom. Make this commonly overlooked area a focal point by painting it a lighter shade of the wall color.
Bedding Basics
A canopy or tented bed creates a sense of luxury and privacy, while an upholstered headboard ensures a comfortable spot to read. Flake prefers soft headboards and says for those who like a lot of pillows, hide the functional pillows behind a couple of square European shams, then place two king-size pillows in front before completing the luxurious look with a 60- or 76-inch bolster pillow about 10 inches in diameter. For a more minimalist approach, hide the functional pillows underneath the bed in a storage box, and simply place the bolster pillow against the upholstered headboard.
For both styles, fold the duvet at the foot of the bed or place underneath the coverlet. A bench at the end of the bed is convenient for changing shoes, or a simple footstool facilitates getting in and out of bed. A bedroom rug doesn't necessarily have to be large: A small rug beside the bed provides a soft landing and the perfect place to wipe feet before slipping into the sheets.
Fabulous linens help set an indulgent mood in your tranquil retreat. Dress your bed with high-threadcount cotton sheets in the summer and flannel sheets in the winter. Use solid colors instead of busy patterns, preferably white or beige. Tranquil pale blue or light greens work, but avoid bright colors. Make sure your blanket blends with the sheet color, so when the bed is turned down, you're presented with an array of similar shades.
Furniture Placement
Arrange the bedroom with furniture that fits the scale of the room. If you have low ceilings, a large four-poster bed is overbearing, so choose a low headboard instead. However, if you have high ceilings, a tall bed is perfect. Always opt for a bedside table that is the appropriate height for reaching your book or glass without fumbling. Flake says the standard height for a bedside table is 28 to 30 inches and the typical bed is 30 inches high. Flake likes a pair of lamps, but if you mix and match different sizes, stacking books under the shorter lamp is an easy way to make the two lamps the same height. Also, arrange furniture with adequate spacing between pieces to keep from overcrowding. In a small bedroom, an oversized mirror propped against the wall gives the space a larger feel. If you have room, create a special sitting space to curl up with a good book in a cozy chair next to a small table and reading lamp.
Lighting Options
Different sources of light for different functions are important. Recessed lighting on a dimmer allows you to control the overall mood. A table light on a chest evokes a pleasing atmosphere, and two pin lights on each side over the bed on different switches allows one person to sleep while another one reads. Window treatments, whether draperies (with blackout linings), shades, or shutters, need to darken the room enough for a peaceful rest if you are not feeling well or lucky enough to be sleeping in.
Simple, Organized Space
Do not over-accessorize your sacred space with too many dusty trinkets. Rid your bedroom of any pesky children's toys, and forbid from entering your sanctuary all unnecessary technological intrusions such as computers, cell phones, or even telephones. (Place the telephone nearby in the hallway.) Bedside tables with drawers or doors work well to keep your reading matter, glasses, lotion, and other sundry items hidden. Keep out-of-season blankets, extra pillows, and your yoga mat in a trunk at the end of the bed or in storage boxes under the bed concealed by a dust ruffle.
A well-organized, clean closet is imperative to streamlining your morning ritual. Dressing for success is not supposed to be the first stressful event of your day, so hang clothes in the same direction while grouping them by colors and categories. Display a few of your treasured keepsakes and special family photographs on your dresser. Surround yourself with your favorite art hanging on the walls. Fresh flowers are always nice, but silk flowers work as well.
By incorporating a few simple design concepts, wake up each morning and fall asleep each night in the comforting cocoon you now call your bedroom.


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C'mon, you knew it was going to be said, and you knew I was going to be the one that said it. Yet another place for me to scare random people.
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The Pet Pantry Holistic Lamb & Rice 27/15
Date of last review
Sat July 18, 2009
Recommended By
Average Price
Average Rating
No recommendations
None indicated
None indicated
Metabolizable Energy3.656 Kcal / lb. (342 kcal/cup)
Lamb, lamb meal, egg product, cracked pearled barley, millet, ground rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), potato protein, oatmeal, potatoes, tomato pomace, flaxseed, natural flavor, salmon oil (source of DHA), ocean fish meal, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dried chicory root, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, yucca schidigera extract, L-Carnitine, Enterococcus faecieum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevesiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.
Crude Protein (minimum) 27%
Crude Fat (minimum) 15%
Crude Fiber (maximum) 3%
Moisture (maximum) 10%
DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) 0.05%*
Omega-6 Fatty Acids (minmum) 2.6%*
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (minimum) 0.4%*
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Registered: October 2005
Posts: 3953
Review Date:
Sat July 18, 2009
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First two ingredients are named meat products
Insufficient meat content
The first two ingredients in this food are named meat products. The first is not a meal, but rather inclusive of water content. Once that is removed, as it must be to create a dehydrated product, the ingredient will weigh only around 20% of its wet weight. It is thus questionable that this is the true first ingredients in the food (ingredients are listed in order of weight) and might be more accurately placed much further down the ingredient list. This alone does not create a great concern, however, as the second ingredient is a meat meal which, already dehydrated, can be accepted as the true first ingredient in the food.
The next ingredient is egg product (we would prefer the use of whole eggs) which, along with potato protein further down the ingredient list, boost the protein content of the food. Followed by three grains in the major ingredients ahead of fat content, we lack confidence that there is really sufficient meat content in this food. The grains are barley, millet and rice, which are decent quality grains but appear a bit too numerous for our preference.
There is a further meat (fish) ingredient 15th on the ingredient list, which is far too far down the ingredient list to be relied upon as providing any significant meat content to the food. This is a fish meal, and remarked upon because we find no sign of a guarantee on packaging or the manufacturer website that this ingredient has been purchased free of ethoxyquin (ethoxyquin is a chemical preservative commonly added to ocean fish products destined for meal, but that is banned or heavily regulated in human food products due to the belief that it is carcinogenic).
There is a small amount of fruits and vegetables in the food, and a good range of probiotics.
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