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Rick LeCouteur
Inviting young readers to marvel at the wonder of nature's creatures
Rick's Blog
#bunyipsbooksbeyond
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Limbic Resonance: The unspoken human/animal bond (#353)
Have you ever sat with someone in silence and somehow felt more at peace? Or caught someone's yawn, even though you're not tired? ...
Rick LeCouteur
Jun 18, 20253 min read
Bangkok’s Great Mystery: The story of Jim Thompson (#351)
The Jim Thompson House Museum In the heart of Bangkok, tucked behind high hedges and shaded by towering trees, lies a house that feels...
Rick LeCouteur
Jun 14, 20253 min read
When Bureaucracy Fails: What Social Security could learn from a Vet Hospital (#349)
Let’s imagine something absurd. Your dog is not well. Not just a little off. Something’s wrong. You try to book an appointment at your...
Rick LeCouteur
Jun 12, 20254 min read
Speaking Truth to Power: A lesson from Cassius and Murrow (#344)
Cassius (the younger man pointing) and Brutus (the older man listening) from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar . In the winter of 1954,...
Rick LeCouteur
Jun 7, 20252 min read
Speak Up, Even When It’s Risky: Why challenging power matters (#343)
There’s a quiet courage in standing up, not just for yourself, but for what’s right. Especially when the person you’re standing up to has...
Rick LeCouteur
Jun 7, 20254 min read
To Younger Vets: Don’t mistake the growl for bitterness (#340)
A colleague recently challenged me, good-naturedly I think, that I was starting to sound like a grumpy old retired vet , always going on...
Rick LeCouteur
Jun 5, 20253 min read
When Nature Imitates Politics: The southern flannel moth (#328)
Deep within the forests of the southeastern United States and parts of the Amazon, a peculiar caterpillar has captured public attention,...
Rick LeCouteur
May 25, 20252 min read
Snollygoster: A deliciously devious word (#326)
Every now and then, the English language coughs up a word so curious, so characterful, and so loaded with sly charm that it demands to be...
Rick LeCouteur
May 24, 20252 min read
Mutualism: Children’s picture books inspire cooperation (#325)
A mutualistic relationship is when two organisms of different species work together, each benefiting from the relationship. Organisms...
Rick LeCouteur
May 23, 20253 min read
Wildlife, Wilderness, and the Wrecking Ball: Undoing decades... (#321)
A Relentless Retreat from Environmental Protection and Wildlife Conservation The first 100 days of the current administration’s return...
Rick LeCouteur
May 4, 20254 min read
In Praise of the Contrarian (1 of 2): A Case for thinking differently (#318)
In a world that often rewards conformity and consensus, the contrarian walks a different path. Whether in science, politics, art, or...
Rick LeCouteur
May 2, 20253 min read
Memory, Dream, & Longing: A Soft Collision (#313)
A memory, a dream, and a longing. At first glance, they seem like separate phenomena, each belonging to its own corner of the mind. ...
Rick LeCouteur
Apr 27, 20253 min read
Lest We Forget: The Spirit of ANZAC (#310)
Every year on April 25th , Australians and New Zealanders come together to commemorate ANZAC Day, a solemn occasion that honors the...
Rick LeCouteur
Apr 24, 20252 min read
Rocketing Toward Climate Disaster: The true cost of an 11-minute space flight (#305)
Last week, six women boarded Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket and made headlines for their 11-minute suborbital flight. It was hailed as...
Rick LeCouteur
Apr 18, 20253 min read
Growing Up Under the Stars: Trailblazer Edna Zigenbine (#301)
In the vast, untamed landscapes of Northern Australia, where the sky stretched endlessly and the land whispered stories of resilience, a...
Rick LeCouteur
Apr 16, 20253 min read
Rethinking “Pet Parent”: Language, Expectations, and Animal Welfare (#300)
A fellow veterinarian recently asked me why I object to the term pet parent. It’s a fair question. After all, it’s everywhere: in...
Rick LeCouteur
Apr 11, 20253 min read
Wi-Fi to Why Try? The rise and stall of Aussie science (#284)
It’s a classic pub-quiz trivia question: Who invented Wi-Fi? The answer, Australians love to say with pride, is: We did! Not so fast...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 25, 20253 min read
Nikola Tesla’s Pigeon: Love, loneliness, and a global vision (#277)
Nikola Tesla , the brilliant inventor whose name is synonymous with electricity and wireless technology, was a man of boundless intellect...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 17, 20253 min read
More Than a Story: Branding in children's picture books (#276)
Admiral William H. McRaven, renowned for his distinguished 37-year career as a U.S. Navy SEAL and leadership roles, including overseeing...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 16, 20253 min read
Elephants and Cancer: Peto’s paradox (#275)
Cancer is a disease that affects millions of species, including humans, yet some animals have developed remarkable resistance to it....
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 16, 20253 min read
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