Transportation Plan on Steroids

Wow, Talk About Building Bridges!

China to Build 31-Mile Bridge-Tunnel

I wonder what the tolls will be like?

A Full Plate

Some things I dare not post at Virtucon!

A man went to his dentist because he felt something wrong in his mouth.

The dentist looked inside and said, "That new upper plate I put in for you six months ago is eroding. What have you been eating?"

The man replied, "All I can think of is that about four months ago my wife made some asparagus and put some Hollandaise sauce on it. I loved it so much I now put it on everything — meat, toast, fish, vegetables, everything!"

"Well," said the dentist, "that's probably the problem. Hollandaise sauce is made with lots of lemon juice, which is highly corrosive. It's eaten away your upper plate. I'll make you a new plate, and this time use chrome."

"Why chrome?" asked the patient.

"It's simple," replied the dentist. "Dental researchers have concluded that there's no plate like chrome for the Hollandaise!"

GM Is Doomed

ReVOLTing?

Hat tip: Autobloggreen

Well, if they think this is a smart way to market anything!



Don't try this at home!

Anyway, REAL men drive diesels, not those fake hybrid things.

They Say We’re Smart in Fairfax County

A “Recycled” Joke?

A few weeks ago I took some oil from my lawnmower to the recycle center just off I-66 in Fairfax. (Yes, my yard equipment has four-cycle engines, not those two-cycle oil-burning Trabi jobs.) The County authorities have put in a lot of money to repave the roadway, mark lanes, and add new signage. Here is the sign at the used oil recycling station:

Something is not quite right. Here is a closer look at the professionally-printed sign. Notice that it has a bit of an error in it (red circling added for emphasis):

As luck would have it, VA Blogger links to an opinion piece by Pat Herrity in the Connection Newspaper in which he (Herrity) rips Fairfax County for its overspending. I'm not saying that fixing up the recycling center isn't a laudable thing for the County to do. However, as we can see from the pictures, Fairfax County sure got some quality for the money!

What amazes me even more is that our supposedly environmentally conscious elected representatives (COUGH Gerry Connolly COUGH) have not caught this error. Maybe they don’t do the recycling that they preach to us. Poor dears wouldn’t want to get their hands dirty, would they? Something very Al Gore/Tom Friedman/Copenhagen about all this, don’t you think?

Better still, the Northern Virginia leftist bloggers have not picked up on this, either. Not walking the talk either (on environment or education), are they?

Major Chemical Spill Reported on Virginia Political Blog

There Goes the Neighborhood

The good people at Virginia Virtucon have invited me to be a contributor. Watch out for the occasional words of wisdom to be shared over there.

Thanks for the invitation and for the kind welcome!

New Marsden Campaign Song

At This Rate, He Won’t Be “King of the Vote”

Thanks to Riley and BVBL for the inspiration.

So it turns out that Delegate David Marsden (D-41) has rented a little hovel so he can try to run for the State Senate Seat being vacated by Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli. When I saw this news, a classic old song came to mind. You really don’t need to change the lyrics in the first verse, either!

Trailers for sale or rent
Rooms to let, fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but . . . two hours of pushin' broom
Buys a . . . eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.

Here is a comic version of the song featuring Dean Martin and Roger Miller:

You can also see a mash-up of the original Roger Miller song here:

Anyone who wants to have fun writing a parody, be my guest!

37th District Primary Avoided!

Result of Stimulus Spending

In a surprise announcement, the Fairfax County Republican Committee said that a primary was no longer needed for Virginia’s 37th Senatorial District to replace Attorney General-elect Ken Cuccinelli. “Thanks to the stimulus, we have extra Congressional districts, so two of the Republican candidates can run for those and leave the State Senate seat clear for the third candidate,” according to an announcement at the FCRC meeting. “One will be the 37th Congressional District, and the second one has yet to be given a number. It is possible that it will be three digits.”

The extra Congressional districts are believed to be the work of Democratic National Committee Chairman and part-time Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. “I am doing this only in part as a favor to Governor-elect Bob McDonnell,” said Kaine. “But before you raise your eyebrows too much, don’t just think that this is meant to benefit Republicans. Believe me, we’ll move someone into those districts to challenge the Republicans as well.”

Kaine added, “I initially pushed to create the extra districts for Creigh Deeds, Jody Wagner, and Steve Shannon. Jody has already snagged the ‘Zeroth’ district. I even wanted to designate a district for Leslie Byrne, but she just told me ‘Been there, done that.’”

Coming Soon to the HOV Lane?

“Clean, Special Fuel,” No Doubt!

Hat tip: Auto Blog Green

Rolls-Royce hybrid

So will someone try to make the case that they can drive this thing alone during rush hour on Interstate 66? Clearly, this is the perfect car for committed environmentalists like Barack Obama, Al Gore, and Mark Warner!

Commemorating the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Goodbye, Lenin

Exclusive: Tim Kaine to Run for Cuccinelli’s Senate Seat

You Won’t Read this Stuff Anywhere Else

In a surprise move, outgoing Governor Tim Kaine announced that he was going to run as the Democratic candidate for the State Senate seat being vacated by Attorney General-Elect Ken Cuccinelli. Kaine said, “No Democrats who live in the District seem to be up to the job, and even the others just outside the District are pretty weak. Since I have won District 37 in the past, I am the best positioned candidate to win this seat.”

Kaine pointed out other advantages of the seat for himself. “Now that I am Chairman of the Democratic Party, I have to travel a lot. Dulles Airport is pretty close to District 37. I have a much better choice of flights from Dulles than from Richmond. Besides, as a State Senator, I have just the kind of part time job that suits my travel schedule. I will also be close to Washington, where I can go and take orders from the White House and from my labor union donors. I think I will have a better choice of places to go to trim my eyebrows, also.”

Local Democrats have learned to accept Kaine’s decision. “Honestly, looking for a another house is such a pain,” said Del. David Marsden (D-41). “Let Kaine deal with moving.” Former Democratic candidate Janet Oleszek said, “Initially, I was upset that I was discouraged from running. Now I am excited to see Tim Kaine in the area so I can make him waffles!” Kaine noted that outgoing Del. Chuck Caputo (D-67) was the most welcoming. “He is sharing many colorful cruise catalogs with me. I had no idea he enjoyed these things!” said Kaine.

Local Republicans reacted guardedly. “Clearly, Kaine is seen as a carpetbagger, but he is not originally from Virginia anyway,” said a spokesman for the Fairfax County Republican Committee. “But we welcome Governor Kaine to the area anyway. This way, he too can experience how well his promises on improving transportation in our area have worked.”

Conservative vs. Liberal

This is making the rounds on e-mail, so I do not claim authorship.

If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one.
If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn`t eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.
A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a black man or Hispanic are conservative, they see themselves as independently successful.
Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.
A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced.

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a conservative slips and falls in a store, he gets up, laughs and is embarrassed.
If a liberal slips and falls, he grabs his neck, moans like he's in labor and then sues.

If a conservative reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A liberal will delete it because he's "offended".

Blog-iversary!

It's been three years since I started the Isophorone Blog. I am also celebrating my own birthday today. Hopefully the next post won't also say "Blog-iversary!

At least this time I got the spell-checker to recognize "Isophorone."

The Bright Side of Obama Winning the Nobel Peace Prize

What? You didn't know? Look at it this way: Obama has to travel to Scandinavia again, right? I mean, how else are you going to get him to meet with General McChrystal?

Bath-erly Hillbillies Theme

Apologies to . . . Well, No One!

Thanks to Kat for lighting a fire under me.

Since the RPV has gotten creative with musical themes, why can’t I?

Let me tell you all the story of a man named Creigh,
All he wants to do is raise taxes and fees,
After a debate he got himself confused,
And out of his mouth it sounded kinda rude

“Now you listen to me young lady!”

Ol’ Creigh wants to give all the voters quite a scare,
But you look at his website and there ain’t nothin’ there,
The Kaine-folk said, “You stammerin’ fool
You’re gonna usher in Republican rule!”

McDonnell, Bolling, Cuccinelli sweep, more effective government, happy tea partiers

(Note: If anyone feels silly enough to sing this, record it, and post it, or suggest other altered lyrics, be my guest.)

Democrats Unveil New Transportation Plan

Letting ACORN Do the "Trafficking"

Health Care Forum Is a Good Start

Many of my blogger colleagues have been advertising a town hall meeting. In this case, it is not being hosted by the sitting Congressman in the district, but rather, by the announced challenger in Virginia’s 11th District for 2010, Keith Fimian. The date is Tuesday, September 1, 2009, 7:00 – 9:00 PM (with doors opening at 6:30 PM). Personally, I am not sure I can make it, but those who are interested should go to

Fairfax County Government Center; Board of Supervisors Auditorium12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22030

The forum will feature health care experts from various free-market think tanks.

Now, as the title to this post says, this is a GOOD START. First of all, Republicans all over the country, especially potential Congressional and Senatorial challengers, should be doing this. Second of all, this should be the basis of formulating and becoming conversant in a coherent health care policy so voters see a practical alternative to Obama’s socialized medicine plans. These events can also help expose some of the less well-known outrages of the Democrats’ proposed legislation, such as assaults on Flexible Spending Accounts. In the case of the 11th District, Fimian would be wise to add to the discussion how Obama’s plans would be bad for Federal workers as well.

The free market can help us improve our health care delivery system better than a monolithic government. I hope more Republicans across the nation host such event to communicate a superior policy.

SEIUwer Rats Get Their Own Pipeline

Leslie Carbone has the details on the latest attempt to “Goon Up” a Democratic Congresscritter’s Town Hall meeting. Special guest Howard Dean gets the "throne" of honor here. Moran clearly doesn’t care about whom he “pisses” off. Now that I think about it, “Wee Wee” does go down the SEIUwer, doesn’t it?

Yes Wee-Wee Can!

Obama’s Remarks Explained

President Obama came out with remarks last week saying “There's something about August going into September -- where everybody in Washington gets all wee-weed up. I don't know what it is. But that's what happens.” Clearly, this is an extension of his campaign slogan, which has now morphed into “Yes Wee-Wee Can!” Given an alternative meaning of “can,” we can also deduce readily that he really does want to flush the American health care system down the toilet.

New Sugarland Song/Video

The song in the second part of the video, while serious, has a title that my conservative blog friends in Virginia might find somewhat amusing. The first song goes for two minutes. Sorry about the commercial before the music starts.

Once again, you either love or hate Sugarland. The lead singer, Jennifer Nettles, has a powerful voice. The video is featured on the new CD/DVD set "Live on the Inside" which is currently available at Wal-Mart.

Sugarland

More CMT Music

More CMT Music Videos

I HATE When This Happens

Last night I was making these brownies at home for a work party. (This time, though, I used blackberry jam instead of raspberry because Wegmans was out of the seedless raspberry jam.) As I was mixing eggs, sugar, and chocolate, the mixer suddenly slowed down, gave off smoke, and smelled like burning insulation. Fortunately, I shut the mixer off and unplugged it quickly. I also made sure that no one threw the thing in the garbage until it had cooled down completely.

So then I had to mix things the old fashioned way – with an egg-beater and by hand. The funny thing was, the brownies seemed to come out with a better consistency! Maybe I should go “low tech in the future.

The worst part was that the work party got scheduled for when I was about to leave, so I had to drop off the brownies and leave. Luckily, I saved about half the brownie batch for home. The kids are quite thankful.

Before you ask – Yes, I make the brownies myself, from scratch. My eight-year-old likes to help by cracking eggs.