Burning News
Pick Of The Week – 24th December 2025
This newsletter is a curated cornucopia featuring some of the best of Medium and Substack, and the wider world, rumoured to exist outside of these platforms.
Please note that in view of the impact of AI on the writing community, Eco has a stringent “No AI-content” policy, and will seek to actively avoid any articles we consider to be partly or fully generated by AI, and not feature authors believed to be using it in this way again. We are fully committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. In support of our aims and objectives, 10% of earnings from this series will be donated to Greenpeace.🌈
This newsletter is currently published free on Substack, but if you would like to support us please do pay to subscribe.
Sponsors – a link to donors and paying Substack subscribers 🦄 will appear here:
Ecosia; The Environmental Transport Association; Mary Grindeland; Writer Chick With A Ukulele; Adéla Valčíková; Rob Moir;
Pick of Medium – (advisory allergy note – may contain poetry)
Mary Cappelli describes the sad loss of a local newspaper at the same time as the Palisades fire:
https://medium.com/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs/our-local-newspaper-closed-5cf66ae00fde
Neela considers some taxing questions:
https://medium.com/workmanshit/the-double-standard-fueling-americas-inequality-c22831aabbea
Susie Kearley experience with the house of horrors continues with a new instalment:
Would you Adam and Eve it, Carlo Zeno is back with some POETRY:
Nihari Singh calls for honesty:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/the-fake-life-many-writers-live-on-medium-5d9e3e88e61f
Brett Langridge considers the tradition of Christmas trees from an environmental perspective:
https://medium.com/the-new-outdoors/artificial-or-real-564b82f26c6e
Anne The Vegan is uncomfortably numb:
https://medium.com/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs/im-uncomfortably-numb-d684d7f503df
John Hansen PAL gets blocked:
https://jodah06.medium.com/ive-been-blocked-43f8bc8189c7
Tip of the week –
Niharika Singh offers some advice on attention-seeking:
Here Niharika offers some tips for a winning 2026:
Pick of Substack:
Neela provides a lesson in economics, with an analysis of the impact of automation and AI:
Sean Sherman highlights the impact of ICE on local communities in the US:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-182044929
Stephen Sovie sounds the alarm:
Mack Collier explains why small is beautiful:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-178358189
Rebecca Bonnington shares a tale of a near death experience and catfishing, and there is coffee:
https://substack.com/@rebeccabonnington/note/p-181140764
Neela shares some Substack commandments:
Caitlin McColl and others wonder whether the use of AI images involves theft from artists and photographers:
The wider world:
Climate change is threatening global food supplies:
An example of rising prices and “shrinkflation” as a result of these changes:
Part of Patagonia has been preserved from development:
Political News
Putin is seeking to promote dissent and chaos in Western democracies:
The war in Gaza has seen journalists targeted for trying to tell the truth:
On forgiving the unforgivable:
Warm spaces are a response to rising bills during the UK winter:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/21/community-warm-spaces-rise-uk-walworth-living-room
Europe seems to have lost its greatest ally due to Trump’s posturing – it may need to push back economically:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/17/europe-donald-trump-ai-bubble-us-economy-eu
A feature on cheating at higher educational establishments:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8er32715do
Tech News
The AI bubble may be about to burst:
Scientists are developing carebots – this feature explains the future in store:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9wdzyyglq5o
Life Hack of the Week –
Leonard Tillerman discovers the limits to people-pleasing:
Quote of the Week:
“I am responsible for what I have said, I am not responsible for what you have not understood”
― Dr.P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar
Joke of the Week:
(Health warning – swallow coffee before reading)
If you’re considering a job as a meteorologist, you need to decide weather or not.
The kind sales assistant in “Boots” asked if they could help, so I explained my issues – after all therapy is very expensive. Now I am banned from the branch – rude, I thought to myself, as security escorted me out.
I work in a warehouse and had to pick up something heavy. I texted my boss for advice and he just texted straight back.
Did you know?
Christmas was once illegal.
In 17th-century England (and parts of colonial America), celebrating Christmas was banned because it was considered too pagan and indulgent. You could be fined for feasting, drinking, or taking the day off.
“Jingle Bells” isn’t a Christmas song.
It was originally written for Thanksgiving and only later became associated with Christmas, mostly because it mentions snow and bells and no one checked too closely.
Santa’s modern look was standardised by advertising.
The red-suited, white-bearded Santa most people imagine today was popularised in the 1930s by Coca-Cola ads, meaning a global Christmas icon owes its consistency to brand guidelines.
Word of the Week:
gorgeosity - The quality of being gorgeous.
Clip of the Week: Goosed
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3wpwg4e0qo
As always, thank you for reading, and enjoy your day.
Editor’s comment: It is noted that the authors featured above have not consented in advance to their inclusion - I have assumed that authors appreciate a mention and sharing of your work – but if you do not wish to be featured please let me know and apologies.
Thank you so much for putting this together, John.
You are one of the best at supporting others. Thank you for the mention.
Merry Christmas :)
Thank you very much for the mention, John.