Douglas MacArthur, Emperor of Japan

American diplomacy has a pretty terrible reputation, and this website's picture of Ben Franklin wearing shades doesn't help, confirming that famous meme "The Diplomatic Corps Can't Meme".  However, I found this to be a pretty compelling oral history by some of the folks who were there with MacArthur in Japan.

Other topics I have delved into lately: The apocryphal "Bals des Victimes" of Directory-era France, the Zuo Zhuan, the notorious "Cootie Glyph" of the Cascajal Block, and the renowned Liver of Piacenza.

I was also reading today about the real-estate lobbyist working against tenants' rights in Oregon.  His name is Shaun Jillions.  Reality jumped the shark several seasons ago and I would really like to cancel my subscription.