NEW YORK (AP) — A different kind of F-word is stirring a linguistic and political debate as controversial as what it defines.

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.

“It obviously calls to mind other less socially polite terms, and folks have been able to take advantage of that,” said Kate Sinding, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council who works on drilling issues.

One of the chants at an anti-drilling rally in Albany earlier this month was “No fracking way!”

Industry executives argue that the word is deliberately misspelled by environmental activists and that it has become a slur that should not be used by media outlets that strive for objectivity.

“It’s a co-opted word and a co-opted spelling used to make it look as offensive as people can try to make it look,” said Michael Kehs, vice president for Strategic Affairs at Chesapeake Energy, the nation’s second-largest natural gas producer.

To the surviving humans of the sci-fi TV series “Battlestar Galactica,” it has nothing to do with oil and gas. It is used as a substitute for the very down-to-Earth curse word.

Michael Weiss, a professor of linguistics at Cornell

Read the whole article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/fracking-industry-support-name_n_1235025.html

Rally Over? 4 Stocks to Ride Out a DownturnBreakout

Just because you’re bearish doesn’t mean you have to sit and stew while waiting for this rally to play itself  …

Read the whole article at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/equity-research-bp-plc-encana-130000851.html

CHICAGO, Jan. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), Carbo Ceramics (NYSE: CRR), Kodiak Oil Gas (NYSE: KOG), Flotek (NYSE: FTK) and EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG).

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101027/ZIRLOGO)

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

SP Trading Range ‘Til April

The market has staged a remarkable recovery from the depths of recession fears and European worries in the second half of 2011. Ever since the reversal bottom in October, I have been trading the swings higher calling for SP 1,350 in the first quarter. And the question I have kept asking is this…

“As long as earnings are meeting expectations in the aggregate, and the European problem is stable, why can’t the market keep going higher?”

Look at a few of the positive forces…

Exceptionally low interest rates

Global growth moderating, but not recessionary

Valuations and market multiples attractive in the low teens

Europe apparently able and willing to prevent financial collapse

China ready to re-stimulate their economy after slowing the pace a bit

Fund managers deploying cash and afraid to miss the upside

Plenty of bears (and bulls) doubt the rally right now, and that is fuel for upside

“Bulldozing the Recession, Excavating the Boom”

Need proof that the global economy is humming along? Look no further than Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) earnings. In 2009 and 2010, I followed the conference calls with CEO Jim Owens and the current chief Doug Oberhelman religiously. Why?

Because they were so

Read the whole article at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/zacks-analyst-blog-highlights-caterpillar-143000469.html

Next week, a gas station on Fairfax Avenue and Beverly Boulevard will be selling two gallons of gasoline for the price of one — and it’s all to fan the flames for Comedy Central’s soon-to-debut show Key Peele.

A billboard directly above the gas station clues commuting Angelenos in to the 12-hour free gas giveaway on Tuesday, Jan. 31. It came to our attention in a Tumblr post from Los Angeles resident Peter Atencio. In keeping with the show’s tagline, Atencio wrote, “If you don’t come get free gas, you’re racist.” Our take? if you live anywhere near that intersection, you’re either going to get screwed in gridlock traffic or be first in line for a gas handout.

Photo by Peter Atencio.

“I’m not sure when it went up, but I saw it up yesterday on my way to work,” Atencio told the Huffington Post in an email. “I live in Echo Park, but I’ll definitely be stopping by on Tuesday to partake,” he added.

Sergio Falazar, the manager of the gas station, confirmed the details to the Huffington Post but admitted, “so far, they haven’t given us too much information.”

The sketch comedy show features comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. From what we can tell, the show’s a Portlandia-style collection of short clips that lovingly lampoon a culture. YouTube preview videos range from African-American fraternities to President Barack Obama. Watch one of Key Peele’s sketches, “Where’s My Mayo?” which plays on the President’s famously cool demeanor. Warning: film contains explicit language.

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Read the whole article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/26/fairfax-beverly-free-gas-key-peele_n_1235023.html

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Despite a recent rally, natural gas has fallen so far that experts and Fools alike are calling for a recovery. But like a stock, just because a commodity is down doesn’t mean it’s going to go back up.

I’ve been hearing that natural gas is set to bounce back for years as the gap between natural gas and the price of oil has widened. But who cares? There’s no good reason that natural gas and oil prices should be linked. They’re used for completely different things, and the storage and supply dynamics couldn’t be more different.

So let me outline a few things you may want to consider before making a bullish bet on the price of natural gas.

More natural gas than we can use
Low demand hasn’t helped the price of natural gas recently, but extremely high supplies are the real driver of the long-term price drop.

There has been so much supply recently that Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK  ) is cutting production by as much as 1 billion cubic feet per day. But that hasn’t stopped everyone else from increasing supply. Range Resources (NYSE: RRC  ) increased its proved reserves by 14% and said it replaced a whopping 850% of 2011 production.

With 141 trillion cubic feet of gas estimated by the U.S. Department of Energy to be recoverable, there’s more natural gas than we can use and production isn’t stopping anytime soon.

The marginal cost conundrum
Marginal costs are the

Read the whole article at: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/01/26/a-natural-gas-recovery-is-a-pipedream-.aspx

PERDIDO KEY, Fla., Jan. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Ideally located between Pensacola, Fla. and Orange Beach, Ala., Perdido Key is home to sugar-white sand, turquoise water and miles of untouched shoreline. Add to that some of travelers’ consistently top-rated events and you’ve got the makings of a perfect spring family getaway.  Book now and Perdido Key Visitors Center will give you a free $50 gas card for staying at least two days between Feb. 1 and Apr. 30, 2012. A number of area resorts are offering their own specials as well, from discounts to free days to free $100 Visa cards.

Perdido Key’s version of the traditional Mardi Gras parade is a boat parade like no other on Feb. 11, enjoyed by spectators situated along waterfront vantage points, and an unforgettable after-party at the world-famous Flora-Bama on the Alabama-Florida state line.  Mardi Gras revelry continues the following weekend with a land-side street festival complete with colorful beads, live entertainment and the 2012 Cajun Cook-Off, where $5 buys you samplings of tasty Cajun fare.

March brings the annual Springfest carnival, where thousands enjoy carnival rides, games, outdoor entertainment, food, art and crafts vendors and more. On Mar. 24, the Perdido Key Wine Arts Festival will once again draw travelers to the Key for wine samplings with some of their favorite wineries, live music and an outdoor marketplace of arts and crafts.

In April, Perdido Key Dragon Boat Races will bring to life a 2000 year old tradition—where teams of 22 rowers race colorful wooden boats decorated with dragon heads at the front and dragons tails at the back.  On April 27-29, Flora-Bama will host its annual Mullet Toss, a world-famous event where nearly 100,000 participants of all ages are expected to see who can toss a fish the

Read the whole article at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/florida-travel-deal-six-great-180000800.html

Penney overhauls pricing, stores in major makeoverReuters

J.C. Penney Co Inc is changing everything from its pricing strategy and store layout to its exclusive merchandise …

Read the whole article at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/oil-gas-iq-releases-survey-080000049.html

HOUSTON, Jan. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP – News) has recently launched two new online services that will allow natural gas customers to better understand their monthly bill, as well as track service appointments with ease.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20020930/CNPLOGO)

My Energy Analyzer, a free tool designed to give customers a closer look at the factors that affect monthly energy costs, will also offer customers solutions for reducing their energy use.

The new Service Appointment Tracker sends customers a confirmation number via text message or email to track the status of their move-in and service reconnection appointments. The service also provides reminder calls to confirm appointments.

“We continue to launch more technology to improve our customers’ experience any time they need to interface with us,” said Gregory Knight, division vice president of Customer Service. “Our customers are very important to us and we are using their feedback to improve the way we serve them.”

My Energy Analyzer gives customers the opportunity to:

• See how their energy dollars are spent
• Learn how their natural gas costs differ from last month or last year
• Compare energy use by appliance
• Explore no-cost or low-cost solutions for lowering their energy use
• Learn how efficiency upgrades can affect their bottom line

Customers walk through a series of questions such as the type of residence, number of rooms, age of home, type of heating/cooling system, home square footage, typical temperature setting and appliances used. They will then receive tailored recommendations about how to make their home more energy efficient and see what results they can expect from implementing these measures.

My Energy Analyzer is available at CenterPointEnergy.com/MyEnergyAnalyzer. Customers can access the Service Appointment Tracker around the clock at CenterPointEnergy.com/selfservice or by calling the company’s phone center number listed by state on CenterPoint Energy’s website.

CenterPoint

Read the whole article at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/online-tools-help-natural-gas-170900273.html

January 25, 2012, 3:20 PM EST

By Jim Snyder and Katarzyna Klimasinska

(Updates with Natural Resources Defense Council comments starting in 14th paragraph.)

Jan. 25 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama pushed drilling for gas in shale rock and support for cleaner energy sources to boost the economy in his final State of the Union address before facing U.S. voters in November.

Hydraulic fracturing, the process of injecting water, sand and chemicals underground to free gas trapped in rock, could create more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade, Obama said yesterday. The process, called fracking, is among a list of energy policies Obama said would fuel economic growth.

“We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly 100 years, and my administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy,” Obama said.

Obama reiterated support for conservation and cleaner sources of power and pledged more oil drilling as part of an ‘all-out, all-of-the-above’’ policy “that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.” He said domestic energy production is at an eight-year high and imports of foreign oil were declining, prompting criticism from Republicans.

“It’s just a blind accident, if in fact we are producing more oil or natural gas than in previous years, because it’s not because of any of his efforts,” Representative Darrell Issa, a California Republican and head of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said after the speech.

Republicans also sought to contrast Obama’s pledge to use energy policy to create jobs with his denial of a permit to TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL pipeline to connect Canada’s oil sands

Read the whole article at: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-25/obama-pushes-natural-gas-fracking-to-create-600-000-u-s-jobs.html

Kennebec Journal Sports

SUPER BOWL XLVI: For Belichick, every game is a big game

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Season opener or Super Bowl, every game is a big game to Bill Belichick.

What’s Happening

BOOKS: ‘Lunatics’ fun, lacks Barry’s typical wit

News from the Morning Sentinel

‘We need more jobs,’ LePage says

AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage delivered his first State of the State address Tuesday night, calling on Maine legislators to be outraged about Maine’s lagging incomes and economic opp …

News from the Press Herald

State of the State: LePage talks tough
on jobs, spending and abuse

The governor avoids attacks and adds a personal note about domestic violence.

Nation World

Read the whole article at: http://www.kjonline.com/r?19=961&43=563887&44=138011718&32=10357&7=622157&40=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kjonline.com%2Fnews%2Fgas-company-saysbond-not-necessary_2012-01-24.html