Well, we are halfway through another week in a year that is passing all too rapidly.  Cold, rainy, and high winds (especially tonight into tomorrow.)  Kuma is very unhappy.  I let him out once earlier.  He came back in wet and I haven't let him out since.  He has been very vocal about his displeasure but I am not happy about the possibility of a wet cat rubbing against me.  And it is time he got used to the change in seasons.  He will be even more unhappy when the snow flies.

I wondered how long it would take for the fallout from the Stuxnet worm would start landing.  Red Tape Chronicles says that a new worm based on much of the code from Stuxnet has surfaced.  Duqu (a.k.a. Son of Stuxnet) is in an information gathering phase but like its parent it attacks command and control computers.  Experts speculated last year (based on its target--Iran's nuclear program) that Stuxnet had been produced by government sponsored Israeli and American hackers.  If so, Duqu is a fitting blowback. Another genie we can't but back in the bottle.

Charles Hugh Smith posted a good piece this morning that distills what I have been thinking for some while now.  One of the implications of his reasoning is very uncomfortable but is not on anyone's radar (except for a few odd-balls in the blogosphere).  We came to where we are by a long road over a generation or two.  On the journey we changed as a society and some industries grew very big and very wealthy.  The only way those industries can stay on top is to maintain the society created and keep us addicted to debt driven consumption.  If we change our attitudes and habits those industries are going to hurt--mightily.  But the only way we, as individuals, are going to survive is to tear down the habits and values we have developed over the last 2 generations.  The Tea Party and regressive Repthuglicans claim we should 'starve the beast.'  I agree but I think they are focused on the wrong beast.