Choose Love
Pick Of The Week –4th November 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)
In a fractious and divided world, Anu Maheshwari preaches tolerance:
“Let us not pick up a gun, a weapon or a loudspeaker for something someone said to someone else that was recorded by someone who was standing behind a tree and then uploaded by someone who barely knew anyone.
In a world increasingly divided by noise and misinformation, let us choose discernment, empathy, and truth over reaction.”
https://medium.com/@anumaheshwari2020/1-4-billion-reasons-to-rant-today-but-i-wont-574e84feca95
Ripton Green urges us to remember a simple message:
Roz Warren tries to go the full vegan, if only for a day!
https://rosalindwarren.medium.com/put-down-that-hot-dog-3fbb50de98d8
Nihari Singh receives a gift:
https://medium.com/nsr-tales/the-most-priceless-gift-i-have-ever-received-ab929c8c4199
Vincent Halles gets into the festive mood:
https://medium.com/caf%C3%A9-evropa/the-santons-and-the-season-3b7434011d1b
Mary Cappelli considers religion:
https://medium.com/flicks-tv-hound/the-amazing-race-ism-0d9bc0d0a7a1
Adéla Valčíková goes mushroom hunting:
https://medium.com/caf%C3%A9-evropa/so-whos-going-mushroom-hunting-505e4444fa4c
Robin Wilding recommends you don’t pick a fight with a moose:
https://medium.com/@robin_wilding/how-to-fight-a-moose-bffeb685c54a
Grace Kelly is building bridges:
https://medium.com/gracetakesnotes/when-reconciliation-comes-quietly-7495db1664b1
Carlo Zeno favours listicles:
https://medium.com/never-stop-writing/the-listicle-to-end-all-listicles-3115a6707bc2
Kay Flanagan describes how she helped to tackle bullying when working as a teacher:
https://medium.com/infinite-impulse/anti-bullying-policies-dont-work-9035bcff3db2
Nihari Singh is in love:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/please-help-me-i-have-fallen-in-love-with-someone-ee8bce35bbb8
Trisna Sunawar embraces imperfection, in fruit and in life:
https://medium.com/readers-club/the-sweet-scent-of-imperfection-e2ea642379d8
Leonard Tillerman shares the transformative power of empathy:
“The hidden architect” is a character in some books that plays a partially hidden but controlling role, as explained in this article by Vincent Halles:
https://baos.pub/the-hidden-architect-trope-db94d8c27cd7
Michael Burg lobs some limericks into the mix:
https://medium.com/doctor-funny/ive-come-across-some-pretty-titillating-tales-recently-215eebe11609
Dr Seema Patel finds happiness:
https://medium.com/never-stop-writing/why-i-am-happy-these-days-41fb2b269094
Deidre Writer In The Abyss explores the language of abuse:
Tip of the week –
Neera Mahajan analyses what works for three successful writers on Substack to learn from their winning ways:
Pick of Substack:
Sophie S reflects on the off-grid life:
Peter Murphy hits the campaign trail:
Joshua Biddle discovers the extent to which our smartphones can be used for surveillance:
Vincent Halles finds meaning in a meaningless book:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-177262200
Here Vincent comments on the futility of online outrage:
Charles Bastille anticipates revolution:
Carlo Zeno is back:
Neela explores faith and meaning:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-173895891
The Bulwark monitors America’s drift to the Right:
The wider world:
The UN climate lead urges humanity to change course:
Don McCullin reflects on a life in photography:
Many countries are failing to step up to their climate commitments:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czdrv8m5v4lo
Harrison Ford has laid into Trump’s climate policies:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/31/harrison-ford-donald-trump-climate-crisis
Three climate protestors have been cleared in court over a protest at Stonehenge:
More funding of climate denial by Exxon is revealed:
Far from putting up bills, renewable energy has helped to lower them, according to a study:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/28/wind-power-cut-uk-energy-costs-ucl-study
Our collective failure to tackle climate change is now having fatal consequences:
A Finnish kindergarten finds that nature is good for children:
The UK is sticking with ambitious plans for renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions:
The latest results showing the UK’s most deprived areas:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly137089yyo
They’re after our biscuits: the amount of chocolate on some snacks is being reduced due to the cost of living:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/30/britain-biscuits-cost-of-living-crisis
A BBC presenter has planted a wildflower meadow:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3rjnlv8ejxo
Artists are helping to publicise the climate emergency:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/nov/03/planted-apple-newton-head-artists-striking-back-against-climate-emergency
Concern continues about PFA in drinking water and the wider environment:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9q1nzyzyjeo
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted nations on Earth:
Political News
Owen Jones considers that the crumbling of US democracy is based as much on control of the media as physical oppression:
A leading Reform member has been caught taking money from Russia:
AI News
AI is already causing extensive job losses:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1m3zm9jnl1o
OpenAI is grappling with how to support users with mental health needs:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yd90g0q43o
Will Lockett highlights how the shine may be wearing off AI -
https://medium.com/@wlockett/ai-pullback-has-officially-started-fb6dfa5e4128
This feature considers whether the growth of AI agents will reduce the role of call centres:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz913ylq3k3o
Tech News
Scientists are developing carebots – this feature explains the future in store:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9wdzyyglq5o
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia has major issues with reliability:
Life Hack of the Week –
Running can be fun!:
Nancy Anderson shares some money-minding tips:
Iron deficiency may account for more tiredness than we realise:
Quote of the Week:
“The secret to maximising your odds of success is to choose the right field of competition”.
- James Clear in “Atomic Habits”
Jokes of the Week:
(Health warning – swallow coffee before reading)
Chinese takeaway - £25. Getting home and finding out part of the order is missing: riceless.
Warning: forgetting which pocket your keys are in may result in the Macarena.
I’ve got a new job as the head of Old McDonald’s Farm – I’m going to be the new CEIEIO.
Did you know?
Naps could be good for you, suggests Carol Finch:
https://medium.com/@carol.finch1/one-minute-facts-medieval-two-sleeps-383fa45d9074
Word of the Week:
Snaccident – the accidental consumption of an entire packet of biscuits or similar.
Clip of the Week:
An unusual Halloween party:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c20p6vxly8go
As always, thank you for reading, and enjoy your day.
Amazing read 👏🏽
Wow! What an impressive list. So much good stuff to read. Humbling to find one of my articles in there. Thanks for the mention, John.