Here are the topics for this week's blog: Chinese sea power; the Swedes; doomsday clock; yet another nor'easter.

Chinese sea power. This article from Foreign Policy discusses China's interest in dominating their portion of the Pacific and raises the point that the US Navy may be vastly overextended. The administration's "pivot" to Asia may be less easily accomplished than at first thought.

Ski Country USA and other adventures. This past Friday my wife's relatives arrived from Sweden to spend time skiing and exploring. All the Delanders had looked over metro Denver via the internet and upon arriving announced that on Saturday morning there was a public tour of the Bronco's stadium. A great tour and everyone was delighted to see and hear so much about the stadium and, indeed, the history of sports in Denver. The young daughters had also explored the local shopping opportunities and planned efficient shopping routes for Saturday afternoon. Even dad had checked the website for his favorite Denver stop -- Mike's Camera.
     The young girls have amazing memories of what they bought, where, and when. Sanna, the eldest, had lost her most-prized -- and commented upon -- pair of sunglasses while sailing on the North Sea. Not to worry, shopping success was achieved with a quick visit to the local Dollar Store: now she will once again be subjected to the friendly ribbing of her fellow sailors whenever the sun is shining on the water.

The doomsday clock. This curious feature was created at the dawn of the atomic age. It has been maintained since by a group of Nobel laureates. The group recently advanced the clock to 11:57 p.m.. This was in response to world-wide problems such as climate change and global warming. The update also involved concern over a possible new Cold War occasioned by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Today, the potential conflict is more complicated than merely wondering if Putin will "blink first," as Khrushchev did in 1962. Now the entire, very disparate, NATO organization is involved. Many Americans do not realize that today NATO is involved, an organization that includes most of the European nations that formerly were the western buffer for the no-defunct USSR. This is an especially sensitive issue for the so-called Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania which directly border western Russia.

Eastern snow. Friends in Boston and other points east, report they are barely staying ahead of the recent storms. In many areas there is now the worry about the collapse of ordinary, non-flat roofs. A succession of "nor'easter" storms  have made this the snowiest February in many areas along the east coast. CO skiers would gladly take their excess, but alas.........

Thank you for reading. I hope your first days in February are as delightful as ours here in CO.