Free Republic

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Pews in local archdiocese are overflowing with parishioners Immigration, expanding suburbs lead to a membership boom ....A swelling membership means that Cassidy — who attended the church's first service in 1980 — now arrives half an hour before Sunday Mass to secure a seat and a parking spot. ... New immigrants from Latin America, Africa and Asia also have enlarged the ranks of the Catholic community, which has nearly doubled in size since 1990, when 646,000 Catholics called the region home. Forty percent of the more than 1.3 million Catholics in the 10-county archdiocese are Hispanic, 30...

As Southwest Airlines has grown into the nation's dominant discount airline, overwhelming the competition at Baltimore-Washington International Airport and forcing other carriers to match its low-cost model, the one place it hasn't been able to expand is in its hometown. For 26 years, a federal law named after a former speaker of the House has limited where Southwest can fly from Dallas Love Field, a move made to protect Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport when it was new. Today, DFW is five times Love Field's size and is dominated by Fort Worth-based American Airlines. Southwest released a report this week contending...

Warning to readers: The transcripts and photos from the following video clips contain very offensive statements. These are only a few examples of the angry racist slurs shouted at the Americans who dared to protest the monument in Baldwin Park, California. Overview Many in our government and the media deny the existence of the militant Mexican plans for the the reconquista of Aztlan. They say it is just another conspiracy theory. Others say it is only an idea supported by a few radical hispanics. What happened in Baldwin Park, is happening in cities across America. It is supported by all...

In the airline industry's dark months after the September 2001 attacks, the federal government, banks, aircraft lenders and others came forward to help, giving the wounded companies plenty of leeway in the face of extraordinary circumstances. But three years later, the benevolence is gone. In a form of tough love that is quickly spreading, these same backers are putting the clamps on the still-troubled airlines, particularly those operating under bankruptcy protection. The backers are giving chief executives at United Airlines, US Airways and ATA Airlines their marching orders: enforce strict timetables, conserve cash, reduce spending and eliminate jobs - or...

Jewelry from 3rd millennium B.C. discovered in southwest Iran Tehran Times Culture Desk TEHRAN (MNA) –- Ancient Iranians were fond of jewelry almost 4300 years ago and were highly skilled in producing jewelry and ornaments, Iranian archaeologists have concluded based on discoveries they made during their recent excavations at the ancient site of Shahdad in Kerman Province. According to the head of the archaeological team, Mir-Abedin Kaboli, archaeologists discovered the ruins of a developed city with industrial and residential areas and a graveyard after fourteen stages of excavations. “Many artifacts including rare stones, jewelry, engraved stones, and jeweler’s tools were...

...Bloody-minded optimists say... the climactic shake-out is finally upon us. Once the cleansing is done, the airlines will go back to being profitable and sustainable like "normal" industries. Don't bet on it. Airlines have shown an ability to mint short-term profits in an economic bounceback when demand grows faster than they can lay on more jets and gates. But that's not the same thing as being able to make profits consistently enough to pay back the capital invested in the industry. The airlines have never been able to do this, at least not since deregulation.... Airports, meanwhile, are local monopolies...

Apparently 10 people overcome by fumes on flight, 4 in critical condition. This was reported at the half hour flash (11:30PM EDT).

Was it racism or politics that led to man's firing? 08:26 PM CST on Saturday, February 14, 2004 By STEVE BLOW / The Dallas Morning News Something is seriously wrong here. Either I'm not hearing the full story – or racial and political sensitivities at Southwest Airlines are badly out of whack. I fear it's the latter. Jeff Bogg worked almost 16 years in Southwest's maintenance department. He was a quality-control supervisor, overseeing about 10 people. His work record is unblemished, he said. "The only thing you would find in my file is commendations." Several of his co-workers said Mr....

Suspicious device found in terminal. A,B,C serve Alaska, NW and Southwest. Developing.

<p>Southwest Airlines Inc. (LUV), the discount airfare pioneer, Monday reported quarterly profit rose 41 percent, outperforming larger and older rivals as traffic improved for the U.S. airline industry.</p> <p>By earning more than $100 million, Southwest's performance is a standout in the industry, which is only beginning to emerge from its worst financial crisis ever. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacker attacks, billions of dollars in losses have piled up for most major U.S. carriers, with the exception of No. 6 U.S. carrier.</p>

****FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**** Dateline: Monday, October 20, 2003 Contact: John Grasmeier: 239-304-7535 digimake@earthlink.net Les Humble headlines SOUNDOFF’s first live Internet chat NAPLES, Florida Les Humble will be the special guest for a first-of-it’s kind local, live, real-time Internet chat. Les is willing to take questions and discuss issues including Lee Public School TV situation. The chat will take place Tuesday, October 21 at 6:30 PM. To get to the chat room go to http://www.floridasoundoff.com and hit the “CHAT ROOM” link on the left navigation bar. You do not have to be a member of the SOUNDOFF forum to participate, although...

Anyone believing that the state process of eminent domain is fair for citizens has not gone through it. It is a traumatic and trying experience and one which is calculated to force average citizens to accept what is offered by the state to avoid going through their eminent domain proceedings. Below are listed some of the experiences you will encounter on the way if you choose to fight the state and proceed to an eminent domain hearing. On October 2, 2003 we must move from our home and property at 6230 Golden Gate Parkway Naples Florida by court ordered dictate...

Southwest Florida residents who used to air their grievances against local government on the radio airwaves have moved their forum to the Internet. Local talk radio used to be the forum of choice, but former listeners and some civic activists say Web sites provide a more democratic forum to express their frustrations and exchange ideas. Two Web sites launched this summer with the intent to provide local residents that forum with even greater anonymity than radio. SpeakOutSWFLA.com launched three weeks ago. (The Web address was incorrect in a story in Saturday’s paper.) FloridaSOUNDOFF.com launched in June. The online forums have...

<p>Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, due to leave the lower house next year, is once again fishing for support of a measure to revise the legislative term-limits law and delay his exit.</p> <p>Just last spring, private polls showed voters had no appetite for a couple of proposed revisions.</p>

It's not the old town square, and it's not a town hall meeting. But maybe, just maybe, it's the modern equivalent. SW Florida Sound Off is a new Web site, www.cataction.com/forum, that its supporters say is meant to offer a forum for the open exchange of ideas and information and for political debate. The site has seen 230 postings since it was launched a few weeks ago, and has 45 registered members. The site was created by the Community Action Team, a loosely knit collection of civic activists that formed in the wake of government efforts to acquire land in...

Here's a heads up to Florida freepers and other interested parties. There has been a new (and much needed) discussion/political forum developed for Southwest Florida by the Citizen Action Team. If you want to check it out go here. The people who are logging on are no where near as sophisticated as as FReepers, so if you get a chance, register and post a few articles/replies to get them started and show them how it's done. Just go easy on them as ya'll are pros!

DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines Co.'s (LUV, news) first-quarter profit rose 14%, even as rival carriers reported wider losses last week amid capacity issues and high oil costs. The low-fare air carrier Monday reported net income of $24 million, compared with $21 million a year earlier. Per-share earnings were unchanged at three cents. The latest results matched the mean estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call. Revenue grew 7.5% to $1.35 billion from $1.26 billion a year earlier. Revenue passenger miles, or one paying passenger flown one mile, rose 4.8%. Available seat miles, or how many seat miles were available...

Mon Feb 17 13:32:03 2003 Pacific Time Misunderstanding the Prehistoric Southwest: What Happened at Chaco? BOULDER, Feb. 17 (AScribe Newswire) -- Two University of Colorado at Boulder researchers have developed intriguing theories on the mysterious demise of the Chaco Canyon Pueblo people and the larger Chaco region that governed an area in the Southwest about the size of Ohio before it collapsed about 1125. Steve Lekson, curator of anthropology at the CU Museum, believes a powerful political system centered at Chaco Canyon in northern New Mexico may have kept other Pueblo peoples under its thumb from about 1000 to 1125....

<p>Southwest Airlines is always trying to be funny. Now a case in which its trademark humor apparently failed is turning out to be the funniest story of all.</p> <p>This week, a judge in Kansas City, Kan., has cleared for takeoff a discrimination lawsuit against the airline. But Southwest's sin is not about overweight or undertall stewardesses, or even about the racial profile of their pilots. Southwest is in trouble over a children's rhyme. And it could cost them nine, ten, a big fat hen.</p>

<p>DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- Southwest Airlines is seeking the government's approval to bring back its popular SeaWorld penguin tours, in which two of the tuxedoed waddlers are put on jets to promote the amusement park as a summer destination.</p> <p>The promotion was shut down after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and some security concerns must be addressed before the promotion can restart.</p>