Via the great John Hodgman, who just tweeted this link: a few important facts.

CNN reports:

The U.S. Geological Survey says a revised estimate for the amount of conventional, undiscovered oil in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska is a fraction of a previous estimate.

The group estimates about 896 million barrels of such oil are in the reserve, about 90 percent less than a 2002 estimate of 10.6 billion barrels.

My local paper poses questions to the candidates in the various races, asking them to submit short replies.

This week’s question to the Congressional candidates:

Name a specific life experience that inspired you to get involved in public service.

Here is the entire response, verbatim, and in full, from Republican super-genius Gerry Dembrowski:

Feb. 4, 2010, my wife Margerie past after 7.5 battle with breast cancer. 2009 universal healthcare unfolded she asked, “What does that mean for me?” I didn’t know. She said, “Gerry you have to continue to fight for us because, no one else will.” She inspired and motivated me.

There are many reasons I’m supporting Rep. Ed Markey instead; one of those reasons is that he can write at a fifth-grade level and understands the rules of grammar.

When Tea Party favorite and Senate candidate Sharron Angle claimed that the US-Canada border was “the most porous border we have” and that the Canadian border is where terrorists come from, the Canadian Embassy issued this letter.

(Thanks to Wes for the link.)

Seriously.

National Democrats have asked the Federal Election Commission to investigate whether Arizona Sen. John McCain violated campaign finance laws when his campaign paid to run ads for Republican House candidates in Arizona…

The FEC complaint hinges on McCain-Feingold legislation rules that outline how much money outside groups can spend on “coordinated” communications.

Coons said private and parochial schools are free to teach creationism but that “religious doctrine doesn’t belong in our public schools.”

“Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?” O’Donnell asked him.

When Coons responded that the First Amendment bars Congress from making laws respecting the establishment of religion, O’Donnell asked: “You’re telling me that’s in the First Amendment?”

Read on.

Tom the Dancing Bug captures the difference between the real Tea Party and its modern-day imitators.

TARP: everyone knows it was a huge expense, accounting for gobs of taxpayer money, right? It drove us really deep into debt?

Guess again, reports the NY Times:

Even as voters rage and candidates put up ads against government bailouts, the reviled mother of them all — the $700 billion lifeline to banks, insurance and auto companies — will expire after Sunday at a fraction of that cost, and could conceivably earn taxpayers a profit.

…[T]he once-unthinkable possibility that the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program could end up costing far less, or even nothing, became more likely on Thursday with the news that the government had negotiated a plan with the American International Group to begin repaying taxpayers… Treasury reckons that taxpayers will lose less than $50 billion at worst, but at best could break even or even make money.