The Daily Populous

Friday February 4th, 2022 evening edition

image for Noam Chomsky: ‘Republican Party has drifted off the spectrum’

Renowned scholar says GOP is more akin to ‘a radical insurgency’ with ‘no interest in democracy’ than a political party.

According to a recent Ipsos/NRP poll, 64 percent of Americans believe that democracy in their country is in crisis and at risk of failing.

Yet political partisanship continues to rise, dominating discourse about government.

While many blame former President Donald Trump for polarising the country, world-renowned scholar, author and political activist Noam Chomsky says responsibility largely lies with the GOP.

“When Joe Biden was elected, McConnell said very explicitly, our goal is to ensure that he can achieve nothing.

We’ll harm the country as much as possible, and we will then blame it on the Democrats, and we’ll come back to power.

This week in an UpFront special, Marc Lamont Hill speaks with Noam Chomsky about the state of democracy in the US. »

Next-gen USPS mail trucks are only capable of 8.6 mpg, EPA says

Authored by arstechnica.com
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When the USPS first announced the contract with Oshkosh in February 2021, it said the plan was to purchase between 50,000 and 160,000 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles.

Oshkosh's proposed vehicle will only average 8.6 mpg (27.35 L/100 km) according to the EPA, a barely noticeable improvement on the current Grumman-made LLV trucks, which average 8.2 mpg (28.68 L/100 km).

It also calls for public comment on a new environmental impact statement and requests a public hearing. »

Kleptomaniac New Zealand parrot steals GoPro, films airborne escape

Authored by theguardian.com
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A kleptomaniac parrot has become the latest contributor to New Zealand cinema, after stealing a GoPro camera and taking it on a sweeping tour of remote Fiordland.

Aotearoa’s native alpine parrot species, the kea, is known for its curious and mischievous nature – and for swiping wallets, jewellery, packed lunches, windscreen wipers and other valuables from unsuspecting tourists and visitors.

The GoPro captures the airborne escape, as well as the kea’s landing and brief, slightly frenzied attack on the camera – ultimately filming a closeup of the bird’s face as it strips off hunks of plastic. »

The Shipping Backlog Is Costing Companies So Much, They're Considering Bringing Production Back West

Authored by jalopnik.com

At the very least, companies are thinking about “shortening supply chains” by bringing production back West, as Bloomberg reports.

It’s ironic, but the same thing that drove production to Asia and elsewhere in the East, cost-savings, could see production brought closer to home!.

Still, the irony of companies possibly bringing production back West to save money is just too good to pass up. »

12 years after Skate 3, EA says Skate 4 is "launching soon"

Authored by gamesradar.com

That's according to EA CEO Andrew Wilson, speaking earlier this week during an earnings call.

Later that month, EA revealed that the new game would feature "user-generated content," so the new comments from Wilson about that aspect aren't exactly a surprise.

Head over to our new games 2022 guide for a complete look at all the games set to launch through the year. »