Welcome to the 271st edition of The Newsletter Leaf Journal, the official newsletter of the perennially virid online writing magazine, The New Leaf Journal ("NLJ") and its short-form writing sister publication, The Emu Café Social ("ECS"). This newsletter comes to you as always from the administrator, editor, and writer of both publications, Nicholas A. Ferrell.

I only published two new full articles last week. But while my greater publishing ambitions remain unfulfilled, I still have a good amount to share with you in this White Day edition of The Newsletter Leaf Journal.

Leaves from the tree that was

I published two new NLJ articles since mailing Newsletter 270. In The Steak Debate Quips and a Life Well-Done, I shared anecdotes related to others disfavoring my preference for well-done steak. These anecdotes takes us everywhere from Presidential steak facts, steak on a leash, and the 2009 fight (boxing) at Madison Square Garden between Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey. After my foray into culinary debates, I published The New York/California Post “Metro Section” RSS Feed, where I discussed the inclusion of "California Post" articles in the formerly New York Post Metro Section RSS feed. Specifically, I recount how this created alarming ambiguity when I saw a headline about a new U.S. headquarters for the company behind the "Labubu" abomination.

I was a little bit busier on ECS. To begin, I published Pook-Emu Bee link collection posts for March 6, March 8, March 10, and March 12. While I did not fulfill my goal of "daily" link collections, you will still find a good number of links (none of which have appeared or will appear in this newsletter). Beyond the links, I offered my pro-RSS and newsletter take for bloggers and seconded a good opining against linking to Instagram and other account-required social media silos. Brief snow in Brooklyn on Thursday the 12th inspired me to revisit my post about mid-March snow in Brooklyn in 2021.

Finally, I shared my photos of a goose in Brooklyn and the Statue of Liberty in the background and a quarter-snow-covered Robert F. Kennedy memorial bust and pedestal on Pixelfed. Both of these photos appeared in recent NLJ articles, but you can see better versions with links and additional commentary in my Pixelfed posts.

Leaves from around the web

Because my publishing output last week was admittedly lacking, I present for your reading enjoyment 24 links from around the web instead of the usual 21.

Links to use ASAP before they become untimely

Iran Displays Taped-Together Cardboard Cutout of Mojtaba Khamenei as New Supreme Leader Remains Out of Sight: Report
The Washington Free Beacon. March 11, 2026.

My first impression of Iran's new Supreme Leader is that he lacks the three-dimensional stage presence of his dynastic predecessor. But as an anime appreciator I recognize that 2D people are people too, so I'm willing to give him a chance.

Big 12 to swap LED glass court for hardwood floor for rest of basketball tournament after players complain
Matt Norlander for CBS Sports. March 12, 2026.

Here's a surface that needed to be put on ice earlier.

Will the Raiders Ruin Fernando Mendoza?
Neil Paine. March 2, 2026.

I haven't studied the game tape but I'd like to think Fernando is talented enough to easily clear the NFL's version of the Mendoza line regardless of any organizational dysfunction.

Pink Floyd’s instrument shatters records at NYC sale — becoming most expensive guitar ever sold at auction
Marie Pohl and Nicole Rosenthal for the New York Post. March 13, 2026.

Victor V. Gurbo's nine-string guitar should go for more since it has more strings.

The famous lost bird coverage the New York Post is known for

Sleepy owl found taking a snooze on shelf in upstate New York antique store
Zoe Hussain for the New York Post. March 8, 2026.

Thank goodness this cavity owl chose to take a rest next to a porcelain chicken in an antique store instead of a very large future Christmas Tree.

Mei Mei the parakeet finds forever home after life on run in NYC: ‘Happy ending for her’
Katerine Donlevy for the New York Post. March 9, 2026.

Keeping you up-to-date after I shared the capture of Mei Mei the parakeet in Newsletter 254.

Reminding me of my writing on stuffed microbes, abominations

Dive into Wool Creature Lab's World of Vibrant Felted Nudibranchs (HT Caroline Crampton)
Kate Mothes for Colossal. March 2, 2026.

They would go well with my water bear.

Pop Mart Sues Chinese 3D Printer Company Over Labubu Copies
Jiang Xinyi for Sixth Tone. March 6, 2026.

Can I join this lawsuit? The original is bad enough without copies.

Everyone is doing RSS

The View From RSS
Caroline Crampton. March 3, 2026.

2,000 RSS feeds is certainly something...

Vulture rediscovers RSS to dull the pain of the modern web
Liam Proven for The Register. March 9, 2026.

Those of you who are reading this newsletter in a feed reader did not need this insight.

The Blogosphere Blossoms in 2003 As RSS Readers Catch On
Richard MacManus for Cybercultural. December 16, 2025.

I encourage people to rekindle the RSS reader magic and start by subscribing to this newsletter, NLJ, and ECS.

O rly?

A.I. Isn't People
Rusty Foster for Today in Tabs. February 23, 2026.

I came away from reading this convinced that Anthropic may be the dumbest AI company. But that may only be because the article only has one stupid Sam Altman quote.

Facebook is absolutely cooked (HT Caroline Crampton)
PILK. February 20, 2026.

I appreciate that the AI slop accounts have legions of AI followers.

I found the scapegoat!

Amazon Could Be Liable for Selling Product Used to Commit Suicide, Coupled with Promotion of a "Suicide Instruction Book"
Eugene Volokh at The Volokh Conspiracy. February 23, 2026.

This is unfortunately too bleak to turn into a dialogue like If you can't trust GLBSUNION and CUZMAK....

In wake of outage, Amazon calls upon senior engineers to address issues created by 'Gen-AI assisted changes,' report claims — recent 'high blast radius' incidents stir up changes for code approval
Jowi Morales for Tom's Hardware. March 10, 2026.

What does this mean for my packages.

How about real goats?

These Majestic Goats Have Been Traipsing Around Ireland for at Least 3,000 Years, Research Suggests
Sarah Kuta for Smithsonian Magazine. March 2, 2026.

The headline did not lie. Those are indeed majestic goats.

I'm not saying it was AI but...

Fifth Circuit Comments on District Judge's Discussion of Using AI in Judicial Decisionmaking
Eugene Volokh for Reason. February 12, 2026.

Now this headline is unfair. The Fifth Circuit commented on the district court judge bragging to The Wall Street Journal about using AI in crafting a decision that was very obviously the one being reversed by the Fifth Circuit. BIG difference.

Tom Brady pens tribute to Tim McCarver, who he thought died last week
Brandon Contes for Awful Announcing. March 10, 2026.

I have my suspicions about how this could have happened.

Four-legged issues in New York City

NYC bodega cats get a whisker closer to being legal: ‘Embody the New York spirit’
Nicole Rosenthal for the New York Post. January 20, 2026.

I saw a dog in a deli right by the counter on Monday. Yesterday (Friday, March 13), I saw a dog in a grocery store.

‘Entitled’ dog owners are bringing their pooches everywhere — and pissed-off New Yorkers have had enough: ‘What’s wrong with you?’
Allison Lax for the New York Post. March 6, 2026.

I've seen every horror described in this article first-hand. The New York Post does not exaggerate.

Prospect Park swans injured by dog return to the wild after lengthy recovery
Kristyn Brendlen for Brooklyn Paper. January 15, 2026.

Somewhat concerning that the dog is still free, probably running around Prospect Park without a leash while looking for other animals to maul.

It's White Day

Justin & Justina: White Day Reciprocity
Nicholas A. Ferrell at The New Leaf Journal. February 17, 2021.

Justin of our fictional Justin & Justina dialogue duo teaches Justina about Japan's Valentine's Day counterpart, White Day.

Boku no Shokora - Visual Novel Review
Nicholas A. Ferrell at The New Leaf Journal. March 14, 2021.

Boku no Shokora is a two-part freeware Japanese visual novel. The first part takes place on Valentine's Day. The second part on White Day.

baking for white day
Kat & Satoshi at Our Adventures in Japan. March 13, 2009.

I needed a third White Day link and Marginalia Search delivered a fun vintage one.

Most-turned leaves of the newsletter week

I use a privacy-friendly and entirely local tool called Koko Analytics (see my 2025 article) to track page visits. In each issue of the newsletter, I list our five most-visited articles, according to Koko Analytics, for the one-week period beginning with Saturday and ending with Friday. Below, you will find our most-visited articles for the week of March 7-13 with notes on their cumulative ranking statistics going back to 2021.

2026 Newsletter Week 11 Top-Five

1. Catching 151 Pokémon in Google Search
   N.A. Ferrell. April 17, 2025.
   This Year: 11 appearances and 9 top placements.
   Cumulative: 38 appearances and 30 top placements.

2. Adding noai.duckduckgo.com as Custom Search Engine
   N.A. Ferrell. January 21, 2026.
   8 appearances and 2 top placements.

3. Story of the Forget-Me-Not-Flower’s Name
   N.A. Ferrell. March 11, 2021.
   This Year: 3 appearances.
   Cumulative: 13 appearances.

4. Dragonair Safari in Pokémon Yellow
   N.A. Ferrell. October 5, 2023.
   This Year: 8 appearances.
   Cumulative: 27 appearances.

5. The Pokémon Special Split in Generation 2
   N.A. Ferrell. January 18, 2022.
   This Year: 7 appearances.
   Cumulative: 70 appearances and 4 top placements.

Analysis

There were no surprises in the 11th Newsletter Week ranking of 2026, with our top five all ranking among the top-six articles of 2026 thus far (missing is 3rd place Amazon “Cargo Bikes” in Brooklyn). Catching 151 Pokémon in Google Search posted its best week of 2026 thus far (no small feat) in taking is ninth top-placement in the first 11 weeks of the year. Adding noai.duckduckgo.com as Custom Search Engine had one of its better weeks in making it eight-for-eight in finishing in the top two since I first published it. After another gap, Story of the Forget-Me-Not-Flower’s Name not only returned to the ranking, but did so with its best-ever week in the week covering the fifth anniversary of its March 11, 2021 publication.

Taking leaf

I see sun outside, so I will cut things short here. As we enter into the home-stretch of winter, I will concede that I have not cleared out as much of my backlog as I planned for my Winter Season 2026 project. But I am working on it (including a "big one" for later this week), and I think I can continue my Winter Season Project into April while simultaneously starting my Spring Season project (already decided, but not yet announced).

Thank you as always for reading The Newsletter Leaf Journal. If you enjoyed this issue and have not done so already, you can follow this newsletter by signing up for our weekly email, adding our RSS feed to your favorite feed reader, or checking in on our archive page.

Until spring has sprung,
Cura ut valeas -- Nicholas A. Ferrell.