Rasseru

Thank you, thank you, Oh-other very helpful and oh-so handsome man :D

Like one of your puppies, I feel I am now just about ready to eat out of your hand. What could have happened? Was it perhaps something you said?

Noooooo problem, hey?! How about explaining skype to my most beloved 80-year old mom?

Still going to try, though, once I'm in Holland.

Good luck. I explained Skype to my just as beloved 84-year old mom last summer and it went just fine and I got her to get a Mac and taught her how to use it and got a Skpe account for her and we now yack almost daily for free and get to watch each other on the video while we do. It's cool.

How about a debit card, does that the trick as well? I have something against credit cards.

Debit cards do the trick just as well as credit cards (as long as you have enough money to cover the charge in the account from which you are debiting).

Now, don’t think that in the shop they can help you one step further. So, I stopped a most helpful (and bl**** handsome ) guy, turned out he was Dutch as well, who kindly, patiently and handsomely explained the whole thing.

. . . . .

And now I’m looking at how I can get skype credit through my paypal account. Why on earth do I have to fill in a card number? I don’t have a bl**** card, have already an account, so why do they have to do so difficult?

. . . . .

there are many not-so-handsome men on this forum that can help you when it comes to skype. but you definately need a credit card ! if you search hard enough, you might find some totally un-handsome men that might even help you with the credit card

I am not nearly so handsome as I like to think I am, just as my grammar, punctuation and spelling are not always quite as good as I like to think they are (which does not, however, stop me from ranting and raving at others for their shortcomings in said departments), but I can offer one helpful bit of advice to you, Nienke: you need no credit card, nor any amount of Skype credit, to make a call on Skype to another person with a computer (and microphone) and a Skype account, so get yo mama get herself sum and you'll have noooo problem.

Abolutely Razz . . .

I can be of only limited assistance here, able as I am to offer only two corrections, one regarding spelling and one regarding punctuation:

Absolutely, Razz . . .

<deleted>##ing lawyers.

Tsk, tsk, let's not start getting so billious!

Anyway, where's the justice in this world? Over the very same issue of spelling and grammatical correctness, which you cite as a matter of great importance to you, Nienke sweetly says you remind her of her mother, and when I try to help, you turn around and call me a <deleted>##ing lawyer?!

As an afterthought.....do the new plastic Thai licences have details in English? I still have a few years to go on mine so I havn't seen one yet.

I just got one (two, actually) a couple of weeks ago and, yes, all the details are in English as well as Thai.

I could have said, "Please refer to Post #32 on this thread Maejo Man."

Yes, you could have, but in that case what you should have said, making proper use of the comma, would have been:

"Please refer to Post #32 on this thread, Maejo Man."

And in an effort that to be helpful that may also, I fear, constitute a distasteful display of erudition, I offer the following:

Comma Confusion: Direct Address

Thank you for joining me for the next installment of the Comma Confusion Series. It's no wonder commas are so confusing―there are an endless number of rules for using them. The following rules and examples are based on those found in the tenth edition of The Gregg Reference Manual.¹

Rule: When addressing someone directly, use commas to set off the person's name or title.

Examples:

● Mr. Brown, how long have you been in business?

● Yes, ma'am, I would be glad to assist you.

● Will you be attending the party tonight, Cheryl?

● Good job, Spencer!

● I believe, Mrs. Nance, that the transaction will be

approved momentarily.

. . . . .

I could have said, "Please refer to Post #32 on this thread Maejo Man."

Yes, you could have, but in that case what you should have said, making proper use of the comma, would have been:

"Please refer to Post #32 on this thread, Maejo Man."

Please refer to Post #32 on this thread young man.

This is your lucky day! More helpful advice, this time concerning the use of the comma:

Please refer to Post #32 on this thread, young man.

On the subject of English which version should we use? The obvious is the original which was the only one until some unhelpful upstarts revolted against the Crown and started to mispronounce and misspeel all over the place.

The original would be fine, if anyone still spoke or wrote it.

And while you're at it, may I trouble you to misspeel me a grape?

I intentionally made a few discreet errors in an attempt to provoke at least a few fellow posters to look for and find fault.

:D Well, the errors that got made were discrete, anyway!

Not to worry, though, Blinky. I pay you a compliment nearly identical to the one you paid Nienke: your English spelling and grammar are almost without fault.

King Asok the great conquerer of India, after he had conquered a vast area converted to Buddhism of his own volition, and it became the new religion of the area. In this way, somewhat indirectly through the sword, Buddhism was spread.

That is an interesting point, but the indirectness of it makes it different from what I am interested in. The conquering by sword came first, done by King Asok before he was a Buddhist, and was not done for the purpose of spreading Buddhism, which came later.

I found this article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/bu...thics/war.shtml

with my first google search (religion war Buddhism)

Thank you. I read the article, but didn't find that it answers my question. Do you think it does? If so, I am sorry to be so slow, but could you please explain what answer it gives to my question?

I live in the hope that others will . . . make the Thai Visa Forum a better Forum . . . by using correct and proper English.

I note that your expressed hope applies only to others, but I believe that, as you consider it further, you will probably wish also to roll up your sleeves and muck about yourself in making the Thai Visa Forum a better forum by using correct and proper English whenever possible. In that belief and to that end, I offer you the following advice:

As spelling and grammar are two different things, connected by an 'and', the following sentence wants an 'are' where you gave it an 'is'.

I have . . . noted that your English spelling and grammar is almost without fault. . . .

Don't mention it!

After posting that, I was suddenly struck by the irony of me being so helpful in the middle of a topic that began as a query as to why people are not more helpful around here!

I live in the hope that others will . . . make the Thai Visa Forum a better Forum . . . by using correct and proper English.

I note that your expressed hope applies only to others, but I believe that, as you consider it further, you will probably wish also to roll up your sleeves and muck about yourself in making the Thai Visa Forum a better forum by using correct and proper English whenever possible. In that belief and to that end, I offer you the following advice:

As spelling and grammar are two different things, connected by an 'and', the following sentence wants an 'are' where you gave it an 'is'.

I have . . . noted that your English spelling and grammar is almost without fault. . . .

Don't mention it!

If you aren't looking for comments then perhaps Google would be a better resource?

Feel free to make any comments you like. I was just explaining where my interest lies. Also, I would be happy to consider any thoughts you have about how to structure a Google search to get an answer to my question. I was not successful in my own attempt.

The common statement is that there has never been bloodshed in the name of Buddhism... which is probably true, but I suspect it has been a rationale behind some conflicts, and has been per se imposed on conquered peoples. . . . .

Maybe it's happened when the Thais fought with the animist hill tribesmen? . . .

You may be right in your suspicions and suppositions, but what I am interested in is actual examples, if any one knows of any.

You should check out the whole history of Japan- lots of militant monks from different sects at different times sponsoring or sponsored by various emperors, generals, shoguns, and pretenders, fighting all the rest of them and other Buddhist sects. . . . .

Actually, though, I doubt most of them were trying to proselytise . . . . .

I know something about the history of Japan. Based on what I know, you are right to doubt whether violence was used for the purpose of proselytising. I am not aware of any case where it was.

Hi all !

Why are people on this site constenty [sic] negative about everyhing [sic] [?]

Hi buzzer101!

Maybe the answer you are looking for can be found close to home. Why are you?

Rasseru

Historically, have there been any cases where people have sought to spread belief in Buddhism through conquest and violence, in the way that Christians and Muslims have from time to time done with respect to their faiths? I am not seeking comments on the propriety of such activities or what it means for people to undertake them. I am just curious whether historically it has happened.

Adjan is correct as usual.

By remaining silent?

. . . My partner said today his diet forbids eating large animals, but not chicken and pork. . . .

For your sake, I promise not to tell him how big those little piggies get by the time they are slaughtered!

'toptuan' date='2008-04-07 12:56:13' post='1913543']

Equal time, here...

We need to come up with an apt description for the opposite of "Cheap Charlie:"

Big Bucks (Blinky) Bill

You mean the Bill Ian Aire?

Golden Greg

If the rumours are true that Golden Gregs get laid by lovely geese -- or perhaps it was goslings? -- then that would, I think, make this term of address all the more felicitous.

Golden Greg

Even more Priceless stuff, and very welcome. But here's the thing -- how do I make the graphs big enough to read? (Or is my shortsightedness just worse than I thought?) I've tried clicking all over them, but nothing happens.

A single click on any of the miniatures should do, or do you have something (security software of some kind) blocking popups In that case you may need to disable it

/ Priceless

Got it, thanks. It appears I misspoke previously -- and as we ran from the runway, the snipers were shooting at us from all sides! -- incorrectly saying that I had clicked all over the graphs. In fact, my multiple and fruitless clicks were all in the frame around the graphs. Everything is cool now, and you have made me much happier about living in Chiangmai!