Roots, Shoots and Leaves
Pick Of The Week – 8th July 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.🌈
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Sponsors – a link to donors and paying Substack subscribers will appear here:
Ecosia; The Environmental Transport Association; Mary Grindeland
Pick of Medium – (advisory allergy note – may contain poetry)
Pranati learns life lessons from a plant:
Chat GPT suggested Attia Parveen should quit her day job. So she did:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/chatgpt-asked-me-to-quit-my-job-at-30-6a47264e5073
Adela Valcikova has had enough of being nice thank you:
Susan Fourtané highlights data privacy and other concerns as the tentacles of AI creep deeper into our lives:
The Masked Muse decides to focus more on social media:
Here the Masked Muse celebrates having enough:
https://medium.com/midknight-falls/i-didnt-expect-to-be-convicted-by-my-own-life-32167971426a
Ral Joseph cools some passion:
https://medium.com/planet-ral/they-were-playing-love-by-my-window-e40a5edd8dfb
Pranjal Doshi explores guilt:
https://medium.com/@Pranjaldoshi/guilty-of-being-guilty-3b95943d6dbe
Shagufra Irfan shares some business brainwaves:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/i-wish-i-knew-this-in-my-20s-but-you-can-in-yours-e26f36c27ebb
Maria Rattray finds joy in the small things:
https://medium.com/the-daily-cuppa-grande/what-does-it-take-to-make-your-day-01e2f4cef8e7
Rose examines the hard truth behind the claim of earning money while you sleep:
https://medium.com/@rosestoryteller/the-reality-behind-earning-money-while-you-sleep-5077f2eeffce
Kay Flanagan studies the manual (note – contains prolific profanity):
https://medium.com/another-fucking-publication/rtfm-da6873f53b4a
Sushila Devi warns of a large-scale password breach:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/what-happens-when-16-billion-passwords-go-public-a6c8087d831e
Deidre Writer in the Abyss finds that patience is not always a virtue:
Attia Parveen shares some advice for new freelancers:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/lessons-i-wish-i-knew-before-starting-freelancing-fade4d5891bd
Adela Valcikova shares a sugar-stealing story:
https://medium.com/feral-logic/how-to-steal-sugar-and-still-look-charming-5c45a0d7eced
Zahier Adams learns the value of emotional intelligence:
You’ll have to get up early to beat Nancy Anderson’s morning routine:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/how-i-wake-up-every-day-4b730482aaff
Adela Valcikova @adelavalcikova shares her family playlist:
https://medium.com/the-riff/not-my-playlist-still-my-story-d591072236b5
Sruthy Teresa Antony shares some cooked-up confessions:
https://medium.com/hope-healing-and-humour/confessions-of-a-faith-fueled-foodie-9baef97e80d3
Christina Piccoli explores myths around healthy living:
https://medium.com/health-kick/9-things-people-say-are-unhealthy-but-arent-246c58ea26aa
Neetu S. learns patience in the garden:
https://medium.com/never-stop-writing/vegetables-from-my-kitchen-garden-a1929699742c
Pallvi is feeling blank:
https://medium.com/change-your-mind/im-suffer-from-blank-page-syndrome-fafcde45f8c7
Zahier Adams senses the creep of capitalism:
https://medium.com/mr-plan-publication/how-capitalism-invades-even-our-sleep-472e5f3c3a3d
Tip of the week – going viral
Bin Jiang analyses the features of what may make an article go viral:
Pick of Substack:
If you like zany humour, this is a great recording from Peter Murphy, Philip Ogley and guest Victor Cardenas, who somehow kept his cool, unlike Peter:
Here is another one with comedienne Robin Wilding:
Linda Caroll highlights the way that some successful writers on Substack appear to be making extensive use of AI, along with reference to the environmental impact of the technology:
Will Storr highlights his suspicions of extensive AI use on Substack:
Rui Alves shares details of a rare natural event in Portugal:
Susan Fourtané highlights the importance of AI literacy:
https://susanfourtane.substack.com/p/ai-literacy-is-the-only-way-to-a/comments
Carlo Zeno shares a POEM about the woes of the workplace:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-157780099
Maryan Pelland suggests how to grow without the exhaustion and distraction of social media:
https://pen2profit.substack.com/p/how-to-grow-your-reading-audience/comments
Carlo Zeno shares something completely pointless:
Marcus Musick is fooling the algorithm:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-167555135
The wider world:
An exposé by “The Observer” has shattered the heart-warming success story of Raynor Winn’s “The Salt Path”:
A rare butterfly is thriving in a rewilding project in Sussex (UK):
This article examines the failure of tree-planting along a new road in the UK and the lessons to be learnt:
Toxic waste is being spread on UK farmland. There are calls for proper regulation:
Superyachts are getting bigger, like the gap between rich and poor:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgnwx0lwwdo
This article highlights the trend for people to film tragic events rather than help or show respect:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07ddyv15gzo
The US has failed to ban a weedkiller ingredient that is not allowed elsewhere in the world:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/06/weedkiller-diquat-organ-damage-study
TikTok may be increasing political divisions, argues this article:
Life Hack of the Week –
Bella Smith reflects on mistaken connections:
https://medium.com/psych-times/the-silent-addiction-we-mistake-for-connection-40b8984e32e0
Quote of the Week:
“As you get older, three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two.”
—Sir Norman Wisdom
Joke of the Week:
(Health warning – swallow coffee before reading)
I might have a cement mixing job next week, but it’s nothing concrete yet.
I go to the gym nearly every day. Nearly went Monday. Nearly went Tuesday.
Salesman: “This car can fit 6 passengers without any problems.”
Me: “But I'm not sure I even know 6 people with no problems.”
I'm counting my refusal to run today as resistance training.
I got kicked out of the coffee club. I wore a tea shirt.
Apparently RSVPing back to a wedding invite with “Maybe next time” is not the correct response.
My coffee maker is a bit slow on the uptake. It takes things a while to percolate through.
I had a really funny joke but autocorrect ruined the lunchtime.
So “naked hiking” apparently means no GPS, no music, no distractions……Really wish someone could have clarified this sooner.
Did you know?
CarolF tries to separate fact from fiction with this Transylvanian tale of the unexpected:
https://medium.com/@carol.finch1/one-minute-facts-medieval-transylvanian-divorce-d08367f2852b
Word of the Week: zhuzh
zhuzh –as an informal verb it means to make something more stylish, lively, or attractive, for example:
“…. the bag is a cool but economical way to zhuzh up many an outfit”.
As a noun it means an act, addition, or quality that makes something more stylish, lively, or attractive.
Clip of the Week: “I want a new drug” – Huey Lewis
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.