gpdjohn

I'm getting pretty good at conversational Thai and living in a small village it has helped me beyond bounds. I'm trying to learn how to read but find it's difficult.

As other have stated it has opened up a whole new world.

Some funny little things along the way in my learning adventures... Master monk at my MIL's temple who speaks English well, told my mother in law "You should learn English so that you may speak with him.."

Another time I went to the little market in the center of the village to buy dog food and some smokes. No problem until the owner's daughter asked me as to home much in weight did I want...ah..ah..a.. I stuttered, she walked over to me ( I was sitting on my Vespa ) and in perfect English asked "how much do you want?"

I was dumbfounded at first..I actually thought she has said it in Thai and I had become so good in understanding it but within a nano second it then registered in my pea brain. "Where did you learn to speak English" I asked...

"University of Oklahoma" she replied.

My cousin told me he wouldn't talk to me until I spoke Thai, but turned out he was one of my best teachers.

... Wesley Snipes is in the final months of a 4-year jail s

He is out and about now. 2 years served

and currently under house arrest for a few more months... it ain't over yet

Are you JohnnyBangkok? Your story seems similar to some of the things he has written about.

close. But not him. Wwww.

Ok, game time.....

Lets play guess that double poster.

He answers his own threads, his writings the same, and he wears his sunglasses at night.

Guess who?

I'm way off...

I was thinking of a guy who was a prolific poster, lived in a log cabin outside Vancouver when not visiting Thailand and survived by fishing and hunting and posted a thousand pictures of him normally with young children and then just disappeared.

He did not wear his sunglasses at night though.

So.......

who?

neither one as long as this is still working.

don't argue with a e-thug

Take a chill Para, don't get so wound up...

After all...

I was going to wait until next month on the release date, but the "distro hopper" addiction kicked in and I couldn't help myself.

I've been updating at least twice per day and the only problem I've had is with the "my-weather-indicator", which I have since removed.

It's allot "quicker" on this old box compared to 12.04.

Your BIL seems to be wealthy and have some very powerful connections...how did he lost out to the woman ( more wealthy and powerful ? )

It's my in laws.

My BIL is/was just a mild little guy from a not so well off family in Ubon.

It came down to her being able to get to the judge and his attorney before my in laws could.

I've been running Ubuntu's latest Raring Ringtail 13.04 daily iso for the last few days now and find it quick and so far stable.

Loaded it up on a old HP nc6220 and so far no troubles.

Overall, this noob is pleased.

Short version-

Chemist, made several forumlas for making lab glass. Excelled and make lots of dosh for his company.

A business woman approached with an offer to go into business together.

Lasted 2 years.

BIL wanted to go out on his own, informed her and agreed to provide a formula for her to which he did. He went back into business by himself & with my SIL, his wife. ( My wife's younger sister)

Very profitable lab. Very. Sold to all the university's and vocational schools that had a lab.

She was not happy, informed him that she would use her influence to have him incarcerated if he would not return to a partnership w/ her. He said no. She did.

Dragged on in court for a few years...

Move forward here...I'm leaving allot of the court crap out.. my uncle, who at the time was the number 2 guy in the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Thai version of the US DEA, and a Thai lawyer made some inquiries and found that the judge and his attorney had been paid off and for him not to go to court..

He did.

Sentence was 29 years on like 5 counts of theft, yes..theft. ( not intellectual property rights, but "property theft".

Bang Kwang Central Prison is where he spent the majority of his time and was just moved up to Kabinburi Prison where my cousin is a supervisor.

My family over the past 3 years have met with Govt lawyers ( uncle connections ) and Army higher-ups and have been greasing the palms of everyone of 'em.

I'm not going to mention any names on here for obvious reasons.

He received a Kings Pardon late in '11 and they stalled and stalled and then said he was found to be in possession of a cell phone, to which he was. Guilty.

A few more conversations with some folk, grease the palm...

Last night my SIL was called and informed he would be released this morning. He was and is on parole.

Happy to have him out of this mess, at least so far...

As far as him being a criminal, crook, what ever you want to throw out there.. no, he wasn't then.

Prison can and does change one, so the mild and meek person I once knew may be different now.

You say; my uncle, my cousin. Are you Thai?

The woman who filed the charges is dead. How did she die?

Not sure about about any of this. Sounds like something big time went down here and all seems rather scary.

No, I'm not Thai. It went down just as I described it. Greedy selfish woman who dreaded the thought her cash cow was going to leave and her desperate attempt to prevent it, which worked for several years.

She completely phuk'd his life up.

She one day leaned over and dropped dead.

Some sort of illness from what I heard.

Nothing dramatic.

( I wish it would have been because her lab blew up and she was torn to shreds, but not to be. )

correction- uncle was number 3 then, retired last yr at numba 2.

( and it didn't help one bit )

Hey Jack!

Good to "see" ya brother

Short version-

Chemist, made several forumlas for making lab glass. Excelled and make lots of dosh for his company.

A business woman approached with an offer to go into business together.

Lasted 2 years.

BIL wanted to go out on his own, informed her and agreed to provide a formula for her to which he did. He went back into business by himself & with my SIL, his wife. ( My wife's younger sister)

Very profitable lab. Very. Sold to all the university's and vocational schools that had a lab.

She was not happy, informed him that she would use her influence to have him incarcerated if he would not return to a partnership w/ her. He said no. She did.

Dragged on in court for a few years...

Move forward here...I'm leaving allot of the court crap out.. my uncle, who at the time was the number 2 guy in the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Thai version of the US DEA, and a Thai lawyer made some inquiries and found that the judge and his attorney had been paid off and for him not to go to court..

He did.

Sentence was 29 years on like 5 counts of theft, yes..theft. ( not intellectual property rights, but "property theft".

Bang Kwang Central Prison is where he spent the majority of his time and was just moved up to Kabinburi Prison where my cousin is a supervisor.

My family over the past 3 years have met with Govt lawyers ( uncle connections ) and Army higher-ups and have been greasing the palms of everyone of 'em.

I'm not going to mention any names on here for obvious reasons.

He received a Kings Pardon late in '11 and they stalled and stalled and then said he was found to be in possession of a cell phone, to which he was. Guilty.

A few more conversations with some folk, grease the palm...

Last night my SIL was called and informed he would be released this morning. He was and is on parole.

Happy to have him out of this mess, at least so far...

As far as him being a criminal, crook, what ever you want to throw out there.. no, he wasn't then.

Prison can and does change one, so the mild and meek person I once knew may be different now.

Good news??? Depends....

- what was the crime he was put away for?

- was he guilty beyond reasonable doubt?

Depending on above... might not really be good news to have another crook out on the streets...

let me get a few more beers in me and I'll rehash..

I posted all about it back in '08 I believe..

This morning my BIL was released from prison after serving 5 years and a few months of a 29 year sentence.

Cost : 3 million baht.

Glad to have him home.

This was after he received a Kings pardon 1.5 yrs ago. ( the greasing of the palm continued until we hit on the right amount )

The good news of all of this mess...the woman who filed the charges is dead.

My BIL outlived her.

I've been using JoliOS for 3 weeks now. It's like a iPhone desktop using "apps". Seems "lighter" and faster than any distro I have tried as of late. Bet it would be nice on a notebook.

Mint 13 XFCE

Seems to work the best on my old P4

Well, as a member of the computer illerate, and out of sheer boredom, I read up alittle on Linux Mint 12 and not really know what I was getting into, downloaded a livedvd and installed it on a 10 yr old HP P4.

I still do not know what Im doing, but I really like Linux.

Been going strong ever since ( approx 2 weeks ) on Mint 12. Does everything thing they said it would and allot more. Works right outta the box and have had not one problem except for connecting it to my Netgear wireless, which has been solved by a 50 foot ethernet cable. ( wireless adapter now in the dresser drawer underneath my old Oui magazines. )

I am a Linux convert forever

Horrible news..

Met him several times at Tuskers w/ some of the others on here. A wonderful "big guy" who was possessed with a heart of gold.

The world will be a much quieter(sp) place without him.

See ya on the other side Ian, keep the chair warm for me.

LA

I'm from Phoenix and went through the consulate in Houston.

Much more considerate than LA.