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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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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 163 min read
Veterinary Business Practices: Lessons from the Boxer Rebellion (#274)
You have to know the past to understand the present Carl Sagan The Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901) was more than just an anti-foreign...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 145 min read
The First “Cat” Scan: A milestone in veterinary medicine (#273)
Cat positioned for the first CAT Scan of a Cat The introduction of computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanning, later called computed...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 134 min read
Whiskers and Worship: The Enigmatic Cats of Gokogu Shrine (#272)
Nestled in the coastal town of Ushimado, Japan, the Gokogu Shrine stands as a testament to harmonious coexistence between humans and a...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 123 min read
From Predator to Purse: The truth behind crocodile leather (#271)
Crocodiles have roamed the Earth for over 200 million years, outliving the dinosaurs and surviving mass extinctions. As apex predators,...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 125 min read
Feline Silk Road: How cats arrived in China over 1,400 years ago (#270)
The Silk Road was more than just a network of trade routes. It was a lifeline of cultural exchange, carrying goods, ideas, and even...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 124 min read
The Mammouse and Genetic Science: From fairytale to lab (#269)
Nature is full of surprises, but sometimes, the most intriguing creatures are the ones that exist only in our imagination. Enter the...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 113 min read
Biomimicry in Motion: The kingfisher that transformed high-speed rail (#268)
Japan’s Shinkansen , or bullet trains, are an engineering marvel, reaching speeds of over 320 km/h (200 mph) while gliding almost...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 112 min read
The Nostalgia Effect: How memories shape our well-being (#267)
There’s something about nostalgia that tugs at the heartstrings. A bittersweet feeling that blends joy with longing, and warmth with...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 93 min read
International Women’s Day: Exploring inclusivity (#266)
For years, I have celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD), honoring the achievements of women in veterinary medicine and beyond. But...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 93 min read
Forward Bound: Australia's Coat of Arms (#265)
Did you know that the Australian coat of arms holds a hidden message of progress? The design features two iconic native animals - the...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 62 min read
Hierarchy of Life: How humans rank the natural world (#264)
Anthropocentrism and speciesism are closely related but distinct concepts. Both involve human attitudes toward other species, but they...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 53 min read
Failing Forward: A lesson, not a verdict (#263)
Failure is a universal experience, yet it remains one of the most feared aspects of life. We are conditioned to avoid it, to view it as...
Rick LeCouteur
Mar 43 min read
Building America: The immigrant influence (#262)
The United States has long been a nation built by immigrants. Many who arrived on its shores seeking a better life went on to make...
Rick LeCouteur
Feb 283 min read
Dual Citizen, One Heart: My story as a proud immigrant (#261)
An immigrant to the United States is an individual who relocates from another country with the intention of residing permanently. Until...
Rick LeCouteur
Feb 283 min read
Dismantling Progress: Climate science under siege (#260)
The United States’ role in global climate leadership has oscillated dramatically in recent years, with each administration shaping policy...
Rick LeCouteur
Feb 263 min read
Veterinarians, Pigeons, and Unsung Heroes: A personal reflection (#259)
I recently watched an episode of All Creatures Great and Small (Season 5 Episode 7), where Tristan was assigned a special wartime...
Rick LeCouteur
Feb 253 min read
NIH Funding Freeze: A crisis for comparative oncology research (#258)
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) , the largest public funder of biomedical research globally, has been forced to halt the...
Rick LeCouteur
Feb 253 min read
The Mars Family Empire: The secretive chocolate empire’s grip on veterinary care (#257)
Few family names are as synonymous with chocolate as Mars . From the iconic M&M’s , Snickers , and Twix to a diversified empire that...
Rick LeCouteur
Feb 208 min read
The Thinking Clinician: Do AI scribes make us think less? (#256)
When AI Writes the Record: What Happens to Clinical Reasoning? Writing and composing patient notes by hand versus proofreading an...
Rick LeCouteur
Feb 202 min read
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