A few notes...

[Ralph Chapman <MNHAD002@SIVM.SI.EDU>]

 Let me just say that where e-mail comes from is irrelevant, judge it
 by what is said and, consequently, the person who said it. Nuff said...

 Regarding Global extinction, it is not an strange phrase but one used
 by many paleobiologists contra to localized extinction, etc. In some
 basins or regions taxa go extinct but they may not go extinct globally
 and hence end the line for that taxon. When a taxon "disappears", that
 is goes extinct in all the basins we have data for, it sometimes pops
 back up a few million years later - it re-radiates. thisis called a
 Lazarus Taxon (check spelling please!). When it looks like a Lazarus
 Taxon but is actually a very convergent form (a cheap imitation) it is
 now officially deemed an Elvis Taxon (no kidding - Erwin & Droser in Palaios
 in 1994, I think). Global and Local extinction is used a lot in many
 circles and I've been known to throw it out myself.

 Regarding Bakker, I am looking forward to reading Red Raptor and won't
 mind if it is derivative of some other novel - most novels are. Heinlein's
 Starship Troopers generated a whole boatload of novels in its slant,
 many great (and some, like The Forever War by Haldeman, direct answers
 and disagreements with it). I very very frequently disagree with Bakker
 but would encourage everyone to give it a try. He spins lots of stories
 with great show-business style and probably has done some fun things in RR.

 Now, with that said, it is irresponsible for someone to represent a relatively
 unsupported theory as fact to the general public. Some context must
 be given. This macho form of science - huffing it out because it's your
 theory without pointing out the flaws and lack of data - is not good for
 anyone, especially the jerk doing it. Now, I did not hear Bakker's talk
 (or e-mail thing) so I won't say he was doing this but all of us who do
 science have to be better at showing the public how it's done, including
 the negative side to theories. The media are bad about presenting these
 but we shouldn;t be. The optimum way to present a line of reasoning is
 with both the support for and problems with up front and let the scientific
 and non-scientific community use their head (I'm lost in making subject
 and verb agree by now).

 Anyway, let's give RR a chance and see how we like it, as well as Crichton's
 Lost World in late September and Dinotopia II (I'm not just adding this
 latter because I have an island named after me now - I liked it a lot.)

 When you see Bakker, see what he says and try to make him give the ups and
 downs. If he doesn't, well, the hell with him. If he does, good for him.
 I'd like to see him huncker down and get some more straight VP out for us
 to use/feast on. I'd also like to see me do the same but too much other
 stuff to do (but do have 2 chapters in press, 1 Lethaia paper on trilos
 in press, and am trying to finish up a bunch more).


 Ta Ta for now, Ralph Chapman, NMNH