Paleobiogeography/Extinctions/Teaching Tips?

[Marilyn Wegweiser <mdwegweiser@bsuvc.bsu.edu>]

Gentlepersons,
(Excuse the Cross-Post)

You are invited to attend my class, on March 13th, if you are in the 
region and wish to share some good times, any or part of the 
following:

The recent Permian-Triassic announcements left my Graduate Seminar 
(an 1830-2220 hours Tuesday evening exercise in mental fitness) in 
deep and heated debate over the rifting of continents, the 
distribution of critters, and possible, probable, and improbable 
bolide impacts and their effects. They all have a huge problem with 
30 feet or so of lava covering the planet - given the geology of 
rocks of that age that they have experienced and all of that. Things 
like the fauna of El Capitan Reef area wouldn't be around, they say 
to me, to be found as fossils if such a thing had happened.....

So.
We are moving in the Mesozoic. They are going to attack the topic of 
the Deccan traps and its probable and potential efects on the 
paleoenvironment when we return from Spring Break (they wanted to, I 
said why not). After they get done discussing flood basalts, plate 
tectonics, extinctions and how such things happen, I took the 
liberty, as a Professor is often wont to do, of telling them there 
would be required film (since none of them had ever heard of it 
except one) to discuss afterwards.

So, at roughly 1800 hours on March 13th:
I am showing my class (with pizza and beverages):
"The Crack In The World"

This could be followed in a subsequent week by a showing of:
"The Valley of Guangi"

Some things ya just can't miss having seen in life.

Cheers,
Marilyn W.