My best wishes to Muslims the world over. That you my spend the many holy days that follow in comfort — free of terror from those who would impose their way of life on your own whatever the source.
راضي
Author: kiusau
Life is full of surprises. Still, you can quit at anytime, if you have grown weary of their outcome. For, after all, survival is but a first step; it is a primitive instinct that does not distinguish us, humans, from other animals. Accordingly, if it is all that you can achieve in life, do not be surprised that others treat you like an ordinary animal. Alas, if it is all there is left, and you have grown weary, it is good justification to depart.
Before you go, however, look deep inside and determine if you are not the cause of your own demise. For, in the end, society owes you nothing, and even your parents are likely to forsake you, if you have not been grateful. Have you said thanks for all that you have received, and have you given in return for all that you have taken?
John F. Kennedy once stated "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country". Obviously, he was not thinking of taxes, but the help that he would require to become an effective president. Little that is great can be achieved alone. Then too, it takes great leaders to motivate society and move it forward in a manner that will pave the way to a better tomorrow. The world is in need of good leaders. Maybe you are one of them in disguise.
Indeed, no one owes you a living, but if people see you struggling they are apt to lend a hand. Just do not be afraid to reach out. And, do not quit, if nothing is given in return. For, many people simply do not care, and you must not let them get you down.
You have a right to your own life and the pursuit of your own happiness, so do not be afraid to claim what is yours. Just do not take what belongs to others, if it not without their permission or obtained in fair competition. And, cry out when you have been cheated, but only if there is something to be gained from your cries, for few people like a cry-baby. Be judicious, strategic, and select your battles wisely. Do not waste your time with trivial injustices, for we all make errors, and we are all, therefore, subject to the injustice of others.
It is the very thought of exercising my freedom of last resort that keeps me alive, for it is the comfort that I can put an end to my suffering at any time that allows me to endure enormous pain. It is what gives me the courage to fight for what is right without fear of losing. It is a powerful freedom that you should never surrender!
Just do not make pain your goal, or you will surely finish a loser. Then too, never place pleasure over goodness and know to distinguish between the two.
In liberty,
Roddy
Video Shoot
In an effort to improve the quality of Grammar Captive’s introductory video Grammar Captive has partnered with Precarious Heights. Soon the current video will be replaced with a new one, and you will not have to download the entire video before watching it.
In the meantime the development of Seven Gates, Grammar Captive’s automated weekly newsletter and podcast feeds continues forward. With three different ways to produce a feed and an entire new language the task has been more daunting than originally anticipated.
Roddy
XML – The Language of the Podcast
Podcasts and RSS feeds depend on the language of XML for their storage, manipulation, and publication. As Seven Gates. Grammar Captive’s weekly newsletter, and Grammar Captive’s weekly podcasts are a closely linked production effort, it has been decided to integrate the creation of the requisite XML into the form that produces the content for the Seven Gates newsletter template.
Alas, the form that produces the content for the newsletter is no longer complete and a new sub-project is underway.
If any one senses a summer, rather than a spring podcast launch, you are probably not in error. As Grammar Captive is related to formal education, it would be better to launch at the beginning of the summer term than at the end of the spring term, and the fall term (the ideal launch time) seems so distant.
There have simply been to many non-work related disruptions to make a spring launch very feasible at this point.
Roddy
nudge.online Update
With the recent relocation from Seattle’s chinatown to the heart of downtown Seattle still another important interruption in Grammar Captive’s development was necessary — an update and upgrade of nudge.online’s website.
Nudge.Online is Grammar Captive’s host firm and modification of the website was already planned in advance of Grammar Captive’s launch. Simply the order of events has been reversed due to the unexpected relocation.
Other things equal it is hoped that the relocation to downtown Seattle will produce a more stimulating environment for entrepreneurial development.
Roddy
Change of Address
After an unavoidable, three-day pause Grammar Captive’s web development has recommenced. The outcome of this pause is a new address and a highly stimulative private sector work environment in the heart of downtown Seattle.
Click on the word Contact in the navigation bar on Grammar Captive’s main page for more information.
Roddy
Backend Update – Addendum
Further the form in which the content of the Seven Gates Newsletter is entered before being uploaded to Grammar Captive’s host server for entry into the newsletter’s template and eventual distribution has been completed. This form, along with the template into which the form’s content is loaded, insures a reliable and consistent newsletter format. As the newsletter has many features, it is important that users can go to those features that they value most without have to read through other features that may be of little interest to a particular user. These features include: one, a weekly article about the state of the English language industry, second language learning in general, and learning the English language in specific; two, a profile of a featured Grammar Captive subscribe; three, a question submitted by a Grammar Captive subscriber and answered by Grammar Captive’s host; four, a brief summary of the current week’s podcast; five, a brief summary of the following week’s article; six, an invitation to subscribe or unsubscribe; and seven, a list of important Grammar Captive links. These features do not include the personalized header, the more permanent footer, and images of the seven gates that constitute the newsletter’s emblem and will be filled eventually with commercial advertisements relevant to subscribers’ needs.
Roddy
Backend Update
Along the way to realizing an automated mailing of the Seven Gates weekly newsletter, Grammar Captive has automated the folder procedure in which the contents of the newsletter will be stored before it is uploaded to the Grammar Captive host server and readied for distribution In effect, a new content folder will be created automatically with each new ediction and the last edition number advanced by one. This will improve both the tracking and organization of the editions as they are created and eventually archived for future use.
Roddy
Newsletter Template
The first draft of the Seven Gates newsletter template is nearly complete. In addition to the main content section are included a feature student, Q&A, podcast, and next-up section. The template also includes one image of each of the seven gates that can easily be replaced with sponsor’s advertisement.
Next in line is the creation of a form page that can be used by the newsletter’s author to fill in the vital sections of the template with real content.
Roddy
Any Language!
By the way, I almost forgot one of the best parts of the new email verification system. You can enter your name in any language, and it will appear in the verification email in the same way that you entered it. You get to choose, how you want to be greeted!
Roddy
eMail Verification Complete
The email verification process has been completed. As nearly always it has fallen short of my expectations. Still, it is formidable in both function and design.
This week has been an exhausting week of Javascript and jQuery with very little to show for my effort. Then too, never was the thought of Grammar Captive with me, as I was teaching myself PHP in Thailand in 2010. It is, however, those many months of self-training that have made Grammar Captive possible today.
I have not tested the new verification system on Explorer, but it appears to work well with Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.
This week will be devoted to finishing the newsletter template so as to insure consistent and timely content in the future. Hopefully, I will also return to podcast production very soon.
If you decide to sign up for Seven Gates, Grammar Captive’s weekly newsletter, please do so using the Seven Gates splash page. For, it is there where everything is completely automated.
Roddy
p.s. Special thanks go out to W3Schools for helping to overcome at least one major hurdle — the PHP handler( ) function!