When Disaster Strikes
Pick Of The Week – 28th June 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 supportive of 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)
Natural disasters create long-lasting social impacts, with lost homes and social bonds strained. In this article Mary Cappelli reflects on the impact on relationships of a natural disaster:
https://medium.com/modern-women/can-your-relationship-survive-a-natural-disaster-8e9c49efd5c5
Matthew Clapham is a grafting graduate:
Roz Warren is feeling Zen:
https://medium.com/crows-feet/the-wisdom-of-the-zen-grandma-e7346a3701c1
Marcia Abboud shares a story of courage:
https://medium.com/the-narrative-arc/my-mothers-courage-came-at-the-right-time-3be2cb78c362
Christina Piccoli suggests how not to waste your money:
Pranjal Doshi reads the small print:
https://medium.com/@Pranjaldoshi/terms-and-conditions-not-applied-eb1db4e36298
Ral Joseph is on the run:
https://medium.com/planet-ral/the-taxi-driver-me-30e9784f5f80
Carlo Zeno does not heed a warning:
https://medium.com/another-fucking-publication/father-warned-me-not-to-write-13a2eff9c238
Here Carlo celebrates his return with a POEM:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-166941799
Bette A Ludgwig has to dash (not):
https://medium.com/another-fucking-publication/enough-with-the-unlimited-use-of-the-em-dash-already-dda88b89b003
Zahier Adams ponders the impact of prolonged writing sessions:
https://medium.com/readers-club/what-happens-when-you-write-for-24-hours-straight-89e6565f4700
Here Zahier reflects on the importance of engaging:
https://medium.com/mr-plan-publication/when-i-stopped-engaging-my-reads-dropped-84fa5034bf69
Adrienne Beaumont shares a blast from the past:
https://medium.com/the-challenged/postcard-from-bagtown-dab233e2a33d
Pockett Dessert blosssoms out:
https://medium.com/the-diy-diaries/slow-down-sinful-find-easy-calm-in-a-blossom-way-f65e23786afb
Iqra Arshad urges us to embrace our imperfections:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/the-beauty-of-being-imperfect-b8154788a845
Bin Jiang explores methods for minting it:
Here Bin explains his niche:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/why-i-write-about-writing-77b85dd32018
Pallvi explores the busy virus:
https://medium.com/illumination/being-busy-is-an-illness-f329fdf4661e
Mohab A Karim reflects on his early work:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/no-one-read-my-first-10-articles-f9541f422b57
Here Mohab plans his exit:
https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/this-isnt-a-side-hustle-it-s-my-exit-plan-8982d053a14f
Tip of the week – timing
Bin Jiang considers the best time to publish:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-166786130
Pick of Substack:
Susan Fourtané considers future trends:
Ossiana Tepfenhart comments on the platform options for writers:
https://becomingawritingrockstar.substack.com/p/no-substack-alone-is-probably-not/comments
Walter Rhein urges for more effective opposition from the Democrats in the US:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-166811647
Landon Poburan suggests some alternatives to Substack Notes:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-157325297
Be kind urges Sally Pragg:
https://wordsofsally.substack.com/p/if-only-we-could-all-stop-being-shits/comments
Bill McKibben shares a tribute to Bill Moyers:
Füsun Aydin opens a window on the life of a sex worker:
Rui Aves suffers when vehicle vandals target his catalytic converter, spoiling a day of sun, sea and sand:
https://theengage.substack.com/p/a-day-of-summer-bliss-ruined-by-car/comments
Marcus Musick prepares for a rematch:
https://substack.com/home/post/p-166761940
Walter Rhein discusses his progress on Medium and Substack:
https://walterrhein.substack.com/p/whats-working-on-medium-and-substack/comments
The wider world:
A climate scientist discusses our response to the climate emergency:
Lab-grown meat is starting to take off. Will we get over the ick factor?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrxnlpln24o
On rediscovering the joy of real books:
Activists are doing “guerrilla rewilding” with beaver releases in the UK:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clygl4dv4rno
Autonomous armed drones, developed for the war between Russsia and Ukraine, pose wider risks in future:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/25/ukraine-russia-autonomous-drones-ai
AI News
This article considers the threat that AI poses to the publishing industry and writers generally:
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/06/generative-ai-pirated-articles-books/683009/
Life Hack of the Week –
Kiran Bilal shares some life lessons we might all benefit from:
Quote of the Week:
“Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.”
-Robert Louis Stevenson (with thanks to Maria Rattray)
Joke of the Week:
(Health warning – swallow coffee before reading)
I know how it will end – one of my children will unplug my life support to charge their phone.
My friend couldn't afford his water bill – I sent him a get-well-soon card.
(Apologies – that is one of the worst I have shared in a while, which is saying something!)
I asked my wife why she married me. She said: “Because you're so funny and make me laugh so much”. I told her I thought it was because I was so charming and good-looking. She replied “See? You're hilarious!”
I’ve been playing in a band called “Boomerang” for over thirty years. Great fun. Next year is our comeback tour.
I was wondering why music was coming from my printer. Apparently the paper was jamming.
I accidentally drank a bottle of invisible ink so rushed to the Accident and Emergency department. Typical. I’ve been sitting in the hospital for hours now, just waiting to be seen.
Did you know?
Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime, hated violence—and couldn't stand her own detective, Hercule Poirot. Despite creating one of the most iconic detectives in literary history, Christie found Poirot "insufferable" and referred to him as a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome little creature."
Word of the Week:
Gilgamesh- the best-known of all ancient Mesopotamian heroes. Numerous tales in the Akkadian language have been told about Gilgamesh, and the whole collection has been described as the odyssey of a king who did not want to die.
Clip of the Week
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c62gxxe1jxdo
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.
I particularly loved the jokes - the back & forth bw husband and wife - what a hoot! 😆💙👍
Thank you so much for picking me! :D