Khan Noonien Singh is my favorite Star Trek character. In Space Seed (1967), Ricardo Montalbán plays Singh the genetically engineered despot known as the last tyrant from the Eugenic Wars:: KIRK: Name, Khan, as we know him today. (Spock changes the picture) Name, Khan Noonien Singh.SPOCK: From 1992 through 1996, absolute ruler of more thanContinue reading “Tyrants and Eugenics”
Category Archives: Opinions
Conquest Via Luxury
Tacitus wrote Agricola to honor his father-in-law, Cnaeus Julius Agricola, who died August 23, 93 CE. After a short introduction (exordium, 1-3), Tacitus organized the work in three parts. In chapters 4 to 9, Tacitus narrates Agricola’s life before he became governor of Britain in 77 CE. In the second part (chapters 10-38), Tacitus covers Agricola’s governorship ofContinue reading “Conquest Via Luxury”
Gabriele D’Annunzio
Before he died, my uncle Tony gifted me his first Italian edition of Il Fuoco (The Flame, 1900), signed by Gabriele D’Annunzio himself. I regret that I didn’t record where or why he acquired the book. He did teach himself Italian, but I don’t know if he mastered it sufficiently to read the original. IContinue reading “Gabriele D’Annunzio”