Chengdu Visit

I was in China last week for some meetings/lectures and had the opportunity to visit the Giant Panda Research Station in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.  This was my first time there, and it is an impressive facility. I must have seen at least 20-25 Giant Pandas, ranging from the very young to adults.  The animals were mostly individually housed in large enclosures that mimicked their natural habitats.  The entire station was large enough for me to wander around for more than a couple of hours.  Here's a picture of me with several adult Giant Pandas in the back.

Of course, also lots of air pollution in Chengdu, mostly because of vehicle emissions and coal use.

John Cruden to be nominated to be Assistant Attorney General for Environment Division at US DOJ

Here is some great news for the environment.  The President is going to nominate John Cruden, currently President of the Environmental Law Institute, to be the next Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the US Department of Justice.  Here's the White House announcement:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/12/19/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts

John will be taking the position previously held by Ignacia Moreno.  At Santa Clara Law School, we are particularly proud because John is a SCU Law grad.