(Sun) May 30 Estero, “Vee-Dub Fest,” The LOVE Club. Miromar Outlet Mall. Pre-registered $20. Day of Show: $25. Vendors: $40. More info: call Lore at (239) 267-6658. Website: www.vwloveclub.org

RED EARTH NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
June 4-6, 2004     
Oklahoma City, OK  
http://www.redearth.org/v2/index.htm           405-427-5228  

For three extraordinary days, Red Earth, America's Greatest  Native American Cultural Festival will welcome the descendants of over 100 American Indian tribes. They will  gather in Downtown Oklahoma City to share the richness and diversity of their heritage with visitors from all over the  world. It is one of the largest cultural festivals of its type and has been voted one of the Top 100 Events to see in the United States according to Frontier Country. 

POLISH FESTIVAL 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
June 18-20, 2004 Milwaukee, WI http://www.polishfest.org 414-529-2140 Come to America's largest Polish Festival held in beautiful Milwaukee at Henry W. Maier Festival Park. Polish Fest is a celebration of all that is good, fun and tasty about Poland and Polonia. Wisconsin has a thriving Polish community, and did you know it's the second largest ethnic group in the state! Folk art demonstrations, Polish sheepdogs, traditional dance groups, delicious Polish food, ethnic musicians and dancers, and hands-on activities for children are just the beginning of what your family will encounter at this annual three-day event. 

Dusty Rhodes has made it known backstage that he was not happy with the fact that he had heard from no one in the TNA office in several months. He felt that TNA could have at least called him and told him that they wouldn't be booking him for a while, rather than not contacting him at all. 

Jerry Lawler was said to be downright embarrassed by the actions of Brian "Grandmaster Sexay" Lawler, and totally understood the rationale for the firing. Sexay has a reputation for acting like a teenager in locker rooms and is considered one of the worst-behaved wrestlers when it comes to backstage antics. WWE hired him recently with the hope that his attitude had improved, but clearly, it had not. 
The release was purely due to conduct, so speculation over his drug problem being a cause for THIS release is not true. 

The South Dakota Supreme Court has started the process of releasing information on pardons that were illegally sealed by former Governor Bill Janklow. 
Circuit Judge Glen Severson of Sioux Falls has been instructed him to dissolve an order that has blocked identification of people pardoned by the governor without first getting recommendations from the state Board of Pardons and Paroles. 

A legal dispute over the sealed pardons arose when media began asking for the names of people Janklow pardoned during his last two terms as governor. 

The secretary of state asked for an attorney general's opinion and was told that the pardons could only be kept confidential if the governor got recommendations in each case from the state pardon board. 

The sealed pardons were not opened because of a lawsuit filed by nine anonymous people who were pardoned by Janklow. However, the Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the state constitution does not give governors the unlimited right to seal criminal pardons. 

Secretary of State Chris Nelson says he is ready to release the list of previously sealed pardons as soon as he gets the word from Judge Severson. 

The syndicate's drug route stretched from outback Queensland, through the central west of NSW and into South Australia, with connections linked to Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane.

"There is evidence of a movement of organised criminals out of the CBD areas so they can avoid detection," Superintendent McKay said.

More than 350 police were involved in pre-dawn raids that resulted in the seizure of $22 million worth of amphetamines, $1million in marijuana and the arrest of 20 people.

Many of those arrested are allegedly members or close associates of the Outlaws, Rebels, Gypsy Jokers, Finks and Hells Angels motorcycle gangs.

The raids were mainly focused on the NSW central west town of Dubbo, where police say a large drug laboratory in Biddon, on the truck route north of the town, was uncovered, as well as guns, ammunition and the chemicals used to make amphetamines.

Many of those arrested were charged with drug-dealing and firearms offences. The raids were the culmination of 18 months of surveillance of the alleged syndicate.

Superintendent McKay said the operation showed outlaw motorcycle gangs were now joining forces for drug-dealing and production, and that trucking companies were involved in the distribution of the illegal products.

Assistant Public Defender Adam Tebrugge said he now has 60 days, or until July 20, to review the 1,000-plus pages of material and determine if he will ask a judge for portions of the material not to be released to the public. It's too early to tell what or how much of the material he might object to, Tebrugge said.

Smith, 38, is charged in connection with the abduction, rape and murder of Carlie. Her Feb. 1 kidnapping from a Sarasota car wash was captured on video and her body was found Feb. 6 in a wooded area near an east Sarasota County church. Smith is awaiting trial and faces the death penalty if convicted.

Prosecutors also filed a routine notice requesting the defense provide them with an alibi if there is one, according to court records.

Circuit Judge Andrew Owens has ordered that any objection to the release of any discovery material be made before the 60-day deadline expires. A case management hearing on Smith's case is scheduled June 23.
FLFLHTC: Judge Owens is a fair and honorable man who I count as a friend I sincerely hope the jury does the right thing and fries this murdering son of a bitch but only after the general population has their way with him.

TOLEDO, Ohio - Allegations that the Outlaws motorcycle club ran a violent operation that distributed drugs in the Midwest are based on shaky testimony from former members who struck deals to avoid prison, defense lawyers said.

Three days of closing arguments wrapped up Tuesday in the case against 14 Outlaws members after nearly two months of testimony from 101 witnesses in U.S. District Court.

Defense attorneys said that while the Outlaws often gathered for parties and road trips, chapters in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Oklahoma operated independently and never conspired to sell drugs.

"Trying to organize bikers is like trying to herd cats," attorney Spiros Cocoves told jurors. "There was no enterprise."

James "Frank" Wheeler, the jailed leader of the Outlaws, and 13 others are accused of racketeering.

Prosecutors say Wheeler oversaw a "rogue nation" that sold drugs in the 1990s while threatening and assaulting rivals to protect their territory.

It's the second time in less than a year that Wheeler has been on trial. He was sentenced to 16 1/2 years in prison in January for racketeering and other crimes in Florida.

Some of the witnesses who testified against the Outlaws on trial included former members who recorded conversations and infiltrated meetings.

Some informants received a salary from the government and had their rent paid for cooperating with investigators, defense attorneys said.

The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water.

The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full time coach for Rice University, Houston.

Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America.

Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.

Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.

The worst natural disaster in U.S. history was in 1900 caused by a hurricane in which over 8000 lives were lost on Galveston Island.

The first word spoken from the moon, July 20, 1969, was "Houston."

King Ranch is larger than Rhode Island.

Tropical Storm Claudette brought a U.S. rainfall record of 43" in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July 1979.

Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, instead of by annexation. (This allows the Texas flag to fly at the same height as the US flag.)

A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.

Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.

Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period after Dr in Dr Pepper.

Texas has had six capital cities.
1. Washington-on-the-Brazos 
2. Harrisburg 
3. Galveston 
4. Velasco 
5. West Columbia 
6. Austin The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U.S. which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. (by 7 feet).

The name Texas comes from the Hasini Indian word "tejas" meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish for Texas.

The State animal is the Armadillo. *
*An interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies! They have one egg which splits into four and they either have four males or four females. Well... I thought it was interesting anyway!

The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the Astrodome in Houston.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS - TEXAS STYLE People here in Texas have trouble with all those shalls and shall nots in the 10 Commandments. Folks here just aren't used to talking in those terms. So, some folks out in west Texas got together and translated the "King James" into "King Ranch"

language: Ten Commandments, cowboy style.


Cowboy's Ten Commandments posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas.

(1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.
(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin'.
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

Now that's kinda plain an' simple don't ya think?
Y'all have a good Day.