Fracks a lot

A different kind of F-word is stirring a linguistic and political debate as controversial as what it defines. To the surviving humans of the sci-fi TV series "Battlestar Galactica," it is used as a substitute for a vulgar curse word. The word is "fracking" — as in hydraulic fracturing, a technique long used by the oil and gas industry to free oil and gas from rock. It's not in the dictionary, the industry hates it, and President Barack Obama didn't use it in his State of the Union speech — even as he praised federal subsidies for it. The word sounds nasty, and environmental advocates have been able to use it to generate opposition — and revulsion — to what they say is a nasty process that threatens water supplies. I'm on the fence when it comes to fracking because on the one hand, it can threaten water supplies (along with the oil or gas causing pollution), but on the other hand, this can bring in more oil, which is actually quite a valuable source of money in these uncertain economic times. In other news, Man United are out of the FA Cup after Liverpool walloped them 2-1. But at least the Reds beat Man City earlier in the competition.