Kakapo

Why has no one ever told me these wonderful creatures exist?

The kakapo is a bird full of surprises.

It's a parrot that looks like an owl, but which cannot fly. It can hop like a sparrow and growl like a dog. And it has a smell unlike anything else in the world - except perhaps the smell of flowers or honey!

"The kakapo is a bird out of time. If you look one in its large, round, greeny-brown face, it has a look of serenely innocent incomprehension that makes you want to hug it and tell it that everything will be all right, though you know that it probably will not be." - Douglas Adams, British author, 1990.

I want one! Just as soon as they're no longer critically endangered with only 86 of them currently living.

Remicade: Questions and Answers from my derm

I was surprised at the start of my dermatology appointment this afternoon by having a doctor I didn't recognize (white, not Middle Eastern or Indian, I'm not sure precisely which my dermatologist is) walk in, but when I said I was expecting Dr. G, he explained that he was Dr. G's med student. :-P My derm spent nearly a half hour with me answering my questions and simultaneously writing notes to argue the case for the insurance company. I often wish he were less hurried with me, but efficiency is good too. This city is a hotbed of medical professionals, but I believe the majority of them are either in training or research, so it's hard to get an appointment. I still have more questions, but I told him to start the processes getting it approved, as the answers to the others will only clarify things for me, not change my mind.

Many thanks to those of you (meredithanne42 and poludamas) who helped me to put together my list of questions for the dermatologist. The answers are summarized below, and if you've got other thoughts feel free to comment as always! Italicized items I want to follow up.

( Questions/Concerns regarding Biologics (Remicade) )

Kansas creationists redefine science

c/o jethereal

The Kansas Board of Education approved new public-school science standards Tuesday that cast doubt on the theory of evolution.
...
Supporters of the new standards said they would promote academic freedom.

“This is a great day for education. This is one of the best things that we can do,” said board chairman Steve Abrams. Another board member who voted in favor of the standards, John Bacon, said the move “gets rid of a lot of dogma that’s being taught in the classroom today.”
...
In addition, the board rewrote the definition of science, so that it is no longer limited to the search for natural explanations of phenomena.

(MSNBC)