James,
I recommend reading this article: ‘Son of Stuxnet’ virus could be used to attack critical computers worldwide. It talks about a recently discovered variant of Stuxnet (possibly) that poses significant risk to infrastructure. Whereas Stuxnet specifically targeted Iranian nuclear processing capabilities, Duqu (the name of this variant) is much more general but does appear to be targeting infrastructure, or as the article says, “industrial command and control systems.”
Zero Day, a recent novel by Mark Russinovich, a technical fellow at Microsoft and one of the authors of the excellent Winternals utility suite, deals with the potential harm such an attack could cause. It is a decent read, albeit with a bit more sex than I would like to see. Worth a read to get an understanding of exactly how at-risk we are societally with regard to our dependence on technology in the west. – M.P.
Economics and Investing:
This article shows the prevailing un-Biblical mindset: How to Stretch Out a Home Foreclosure for Years
Job Loss Could Put One in Three Out of Their Home
EU bank failures will crash Wall Street — again (Paul B. Farrell)
Corn Surplus Sets Up A Contrarian Call On Food
Items from The Economatrix:
The Megabanks Are Trying To Prevent US Bank Runs
Stocks Jump on Reports Of Progress In Europe