SoylentNews

Republicans say they have the votes! They're going to pass a massive tax reform bill Friday night that would permanently lower corporate tax rates and undo the Obamacare individual coverage mandate. And a bunch of other stuff. We're not exactly sure about everything it would do yet. Why? Because we haven't read the tax reform bill.

The Senate is about to vote on a tax bill it's still writing

Amazon's Alexa is officially coming to Australia and NZ (early 2018)

"G'day, cunt!"

The "wisdom" I've learned, is that ethanol has 90% of the stored energy that gasoline has. That is, a gallon of pure ethanol contains 10% less energy than a gallon of gasoline.

Since most of our ethanol is blended, 10%eth/90%gas, then a gallon of fuel at the pump has 1% less efficiency.

Now, I've always kept track of my fuel mileage, since about 1976. Back then, I kept a notebook in the car - now I use fuelly.com to record all my purchases. Recently, I bought another vehicle - a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer. I started out putting ethanol free into it, because the previous owner told me that it gets better fuel mileage with ethanol free. I guess I put about six tanks of gas into it, before making purchases at random stations, whenever I needed fuel. (It is a minor inconvenience timing my fillup when I'll be close to the ethanol free stuff.)

Anyway, this vehicle is charted on fuelly.com as ranging from 10 to 33 mpg, with the bulk of them between 16 and 18 mpg. I was happy as could be to find that my ride was routinely getting about 21 mpg, and as high as 22 mpg. But then - ethanol. After a series of about 6 ethanol fillups, my mileage had dropped off to about 17 mpg. Hmmmmm . . . that's a much greater decrease than the advertised 1%!

A guy at work told me not to worry about it - the gas companies had switched to winter blend gasoline, and fuel mileage always dropped with that. I couldn't argue with him - yeah, it IS time for winter blend.

All the same, I went out of my way to fill with ethanol free. And, BANG!! I'm right back up to ~21 mpg again.

Something ain't right here. I'm sure there are some minor inaccuracies in my fillups. One time, I may squeeze the last drop into the tank possible, and maybe the next time a get a cup and a half less in the tank. That is almost certainly what happened with the one tank that shows 21.98 mpg - I just didn't get it filled exactly like always.

I'm wondering how much further my fuel mileage might have fallen, if I didn't switch BACK to ethanol free? And, where do all those lost miles per gallon go?

http://www.fuelly.com/car/chevrolet/trailblazer/2002/runaway1956/645719

Garrison Keillor fired by MPR: 'I put my hand on a woman's bare back,' he says (comments)

Garrison Keillor off the air after misconduct allegations (archive)

The Latest: Keillor says his firing is 'bewildering'

Garrison Keillor Jokes About Improper Behavior Allegations: 'All My Heroes Got Fired'

STATEMENT FROM MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO REGARDING GARRISON KEILLOR AND A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION

State of sexual McCarthyism? Or was there a little more than a pat on the back?

Here's what he's known for: A Prairie Home Companion

The Meaning Of Meghan: 'Black' And 'Royal' No Longer An Oxymoron

Britain’s black queen: Will Meghan Markle really be the first mixed-race royal?

Oh yeah she was on a couple of episodes of Fringe.

Meghan Markle.

Part 3, final part of the series?

Friend’s reaction to high school boy’s penchant for crossdressing is both unexpected and cute

This 17-year-old boy crossdressing "news" was not brought to you with generous support from any of the following businesses:

Brooklyn Abortion Clinic
Brooklyn GYN Place
Manhattan Women's Health & Wellness
Professional Gynecological Services
Forest Hills Medical Services
Envy Smile Dental Spa
NYC Dental Implants Center
Cosmetic Dentistry Center
Contemporary Periodontics and Implant Surgery
Broadway Family Dental
Kids Dentistry Center
True Dental Care for Kids & Teens
Pain Physicians NY
Stem Cell Therapy Brooklyn
Radiance Aesthetics & Wellness
Downtown Medical Services
Manhattan Dermatology Specialists
Manhattan Eye Specialists
Manhattan Gastroenterology
eAutolease
New Jersey Videography
Miller & Company LLP
Sky Windows and Doors

But it was brought to you by readers like you.

Anna Soubry is a Conservative MP and opponent of Brexit. The Guardian has an interview with her when she talks about the abuse she's had from the mainstream British press, death threats and a lack of support from her own party.

What concerns her now is the deafening silence emanating from her own side on this matter. “The party has got to call this out. But yet again, I feel it will be weak. They will not take the sort of robust action they need to. My whip said, ‘Sorry to hear about this’, but there’ll be no further interest because at least one of them [those attacking her] is a Conservative himself: Tom Borwick [leading light of Vote Leave, the son of the former Conservative MP for Kensington Victoria Borwick, and one of those encouraging people on social media to tell their MPs face to face what they make of their so-called attempts to thwart Brexit]. He hasn’t issued death threats, but by calling us anti-democratic, he is stoking and fuelling the fire. There’s something about these hard Brexiters: it’s fascinating, actually. Look at the language some of them use. It’s not enough that you accept the result [of the referendum]; it’s not enough that you voted to trigger article 50. Now it’s, ‘Yeah, yeah, but do you believe?’ It’s like the counter-revolutionary forces of Chairman Mao or Joe Stalin. It’s not enough that you went against everything you ever believed in; you have to sign up in blood. It’s like Orwell’s thought police and the reign of terror combined.”

This is not democracy. This is not my UK.

Anna Soubry on Brexit: ‘History will condemn those who haven’t tried to stop all this nonsense’

Very eloquently put.

Meanwhile, some people experss their regret for voting to leave the EU.

Growing up, check cashing policy was always one of the following. Cash it at your bank, cash it at the bank it was drawn on, or pay someone to cash it for you. This arrangement worked well enough for me for several decades.

Fast forward to my move a few years ago to TN. Now you'd expect that banks are banks and they're really not going to change all that much, yeah? Turns out banks in TN (at least some of them) will charge you to cash a check drawn on an account with them. You heard that right; they literally refuse to honor checks written by their account holders for the full amount.

Now me, I don't do the whole banking thing, so I can't go up and chew them a new ass as an account holder. I think I'm instead going to have The Roomie write me a check for twenty bucks and call the police when they refuse to honor it in full then take them to small claims court when the police ask me to leave. Repeating that once a week sound about right?

His Eye Makeup Is Way Better Than Yours

Would you be inclined to buy makeup because a 10-year-old boy is showing you how to create a look on Instagram? If we’re talking about Jack Bennett of @makeuupbyjack, then the answer could well be a resounding yes.

Since convincing his mother to start his account in May, young Mr. Bennett, who lives in Berkshire, England, has amassed 331,000 followers and attracted the attention of brands like MAC and NYX, which have offered products to create looks. Refinery29 has celebrated him as the next big thing in makeup.

He is the latest evidence of a seismic power shift in the beauty industry, which has thrust social media influencers to the top of the pecking order. Refreshingly, they come in all shapes, sizes, ages and, more recently, genders. Hailed by Marie Claire as the “beauty boys of Instagram,” the early male pioneers, like Patrick Simondac (@PatrickStarrr), Jeffree Star (@jeffreestar) and Manny Gutierrez, (@MannyMua733), have transcended niche to become juggernauts with millions of followers. And their aesthetic is decidedly new: neither old-school-rocker makeup nor drag queen.

The sequel to Bread Boi.

Older articles at NYT:

• Sparkly Eye Shadow? These (Male) Beauty Bloggers Are Experts
• Is Huda Kattan the Most Influential Beauty Blogger in the World?
• Those Lips! Those Eyes! That Stubble! The Transformative Power of Men in Makeup
• Meet CoverGirl’s New Cover Boy

Australian school apologises for 'suggestive' saint statue