Yeah, problem is that even a dictator is benevolent, they can't live forever, and there's no way to prevent a malevolent successor from hiding their true color just long enough till the power is transferred. Then you're back to a malevolent dictatorship.
Ironically this is very similar to what happened with Xi. Rumor had it that the party elders picked him over his rival (Bo) because he seemed to be a more moderate guy. Didn't expect the purges and power consolidation that quickly followed, ouch.
I would even go further and argue that a truly benevolent person will never opt to take power this immense for precisely this reason. Yes, you may be able to do a lot of good during your reign, but the amount of power you amassed during it will almost certainly fall to the wrong hands. Not being able to foresee this is enough to disqualify one from being such a benevolent ruler in my book.
The reason why this happens with Xi in particular, but not the other chairmen between him and Deng:
After Mao, the CCP adopted the concept of collective leadership [1], which dispersed some power from the top guy to the politburo standing committee. Also they established term limits. Deng officially implemented this, perhaps partially due to his personal suffering during the cultural revolution. Of course he was still immensely powerful during his time and ran things behind the curtains for quite a while after he passed the chair. After him, the term limit and collective leadership took hold, and the top guys all retired long before they got too old.
This was of course reversed by Xi after he changed the constitution to abolish the term limit. Now the standing committee also becomes a group of his close followers. Previously, the successor would be brought up into the committee first for a term before he took power. Xi hasn't brought anyone who's much younger than him in.
Therefore we are back to the Mao days. Top guy got older and more frail. Became paranoid of younger, more competent prospects so he purged them. As a result, his circle was filled with supposed loyalists and yes-men, or as the kids these days say, scheming eunuchs. When he finally passed, a power struggle would happen and all the big players would probably not include the ones who were actually good at governing.
This is also why the "they think in centuries" praise from some China enthusiasts always amuses me. Preventing peaceful transfer of power is one of the most selfish and shortsighted thing a leader can do, and it almost never ends well. But I would get another term or two, right?
Have been using it for a couple years. Before that I was using Fira Code/Mono which was also fantastic. However, once I got used to the condensed Iosevka, all the other fonts just felt loose and not space efficient enough in my IDE and terminal.
I am the opposite. I have CommitMono, Iosevka, Source Code Pro installed, but I always come back to Fira Code/Mono. At the same overall density of text, I find that I can skim through the text faster when the font is wider.
It's interesting how personal font choice (among many other things) is!
Same tbh. I use a Plustek 8200 and the inversion and adjustments after the scan was never an issue for me. It's the 1.5-2 hour block it takes to scan a roll and having to baby it the whole time.
I was just looking into the finally released Knokke 135[1], and it seems promising as an alternative. Seems to be the only option that is both fast, has IR dust removal, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
The portability is such a game changer compared to the usual kindle-like devices. Compared to my kindle which I have to put in my backpack or only when I have big coat pockets in the winter, this can be put in my pocket and taken everywhere.
I wish they have a magsafe case with 1-2 card holder slots, then it would just be a perfect wallet replacement.
The problem with using it as a wallet replacement is if you want to read whilst in public queues etc. and that would be fairly easy for a thief to swipe. If you're just holding the Xteink then you're less of a target.
Although I would argue that I already see many people using phone cases with card slots or magsafe card holders. This is a safer option because the xteink costs less and it makes your phone less likely to be swiped.
My setup now is simply my transport card duct taped on the outside of the xteink case. For payments and music and such I'd still use my phone, which is in the other pocket.
> Fun fact: the current statutory language Rubio used in January to limit immigration from 75 countries comes from the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, a Democrat sponsored bill.
This bill was originally vetoed by Truman, but overridden by both house and senate by a 2/3 vote. However, in the house vote, democrats were split about 50/50, and republicans overwhelmingly approved. (https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/82-1952/h165)
Note that this is pre southern strategy and post new deal era. There was a conservative coalition of both democrats and republicans against the new deal. The majority of the Democratic Yea votes came from southern states where the conservative coalition dominated.
Saying that it was a Democrat sponsored bill is missing some important nuances.
Ironically this is very similar to what happened with Xi. Rumor had it that the party elders picked him over his rival (Bo) because he seemed to be a more moderate guy. Didn't expect the purges and power consolidation that quickly followed, ouch.
I would even go further and argue that a truly benevolent person will never opt to take power this immense for precisely this reason. Yes, you may be able to do a lot of good during your reign, but the amount of power you amassed during it will almost certainly fall to the wrong hands. Not being able to foresee this is enough to disqualify one from being such a benevolent ruler in my book.
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