Yea, there was never an "Al Qaeda" as the media and government defines it - As a world-wide organization of Islamist terrorists. The CIA came up with the term to describe it's recruits, etc. (mostly from Saudi Arabia) in the Afghanistan war against the Soviet invasion.

Just a thought, but, I'm a bit amazed at the large scope of this. That's a lot of data that's just disappeared and can be sold on the black market. And by black market I mean, ya know, the market. Now, reading a little of the history of this company (even Wiki has an alarming review of the game and the company) and especially the companies leaders one wonders if perhaps they just didn't give a damn. Or... something else.

Reminds me of the economist/criminologist William Black, who said that the best way to rob a bank is to be a banker.

Because here we have yet another slashdot post of an issue that is completely germane to the Internet and technology world and culture yet there isn't a Conservative here who hasn't used it as an opportunity to troll the ideological 'talking points' that roll out of the Republican echo chamber.

Obama is a socialist... in spite of the Dims having the same economic policy as the Gips since 1992.
The New York Times is liberal propaganda... as if there is such thing as a liberal mainstream media.
Taxes are going up... sure, for the poor, whom conservatives universally condemn as parasites while corporations paid nothing, at all!

All of which is OT. Oh, that's Internet talk for Off Topic! I didn't want the guys in the boiler room to be confused. ;p

You mean a climate study (that is critical of aaalll the other scientists in the world who have been screaming things have, thanks to VERY recent evidence in the last few years not to mention last year which saw huge droughts, storms, and heat (Australia had to come up with a new colour for their frickin'
  weather map it was so hot), gotten far, far worse), from the Norway who's entire economy derives from oil?

What a co-inky-dink.

And I'm the one with the 'tin foil hat'???

approachingZero wrote; "they couldn't have done anything to shitcan the US economy any more effectively than seeing Obama reelected."

And, my favorite; "the Persians"

First... the Persians??? lol! And, it's Obamas fault? He's in league with (ppfft hahahaa) Iran!?! Oh sry, Persians(!?!). Dude, the economy (that is the entire Western economy) tanked in 2008, that's BEFORE Obama ever saw the inside of the White House. It was only FOUR FUCKING YEARS AGO. The nation, at the time, was being run by someone else. Wonder who that guy was... can't remember...

I could be crazy but I reckon Irans oil has been desired by the West for decades. And it's important to China, Russia, etc. You have a glut pal? Well good for you. What's that costing us per gallon? Glut you say? What? Sorry, I can't hear you through my tin foil hat.

I found this from the article typical; "It's fascinating that Iran continues to do nothing more despite the fact that U.S. critical infrastructure currently has the defensive posture of a dog waiting for a belly rub. Keep that in mind the next time you hear that a 'cyber Pearl Harbor' is imminent."

Rubbish! Will not happen. Thinking... the Iranians aren't stupid? Just a guess but if you are being attacked by the most powerful empire the Earth has ever seen, it's something you just put up with. DOSS attacks in retaliation for the most technical cyberattack yet goes to show they know what they're up against. Everyone in the West seems to think that Iran will bring the 'cyber Pearl Harbour' while AT THE SAME FRICKIN' TIME describing the Stuxnet attack and others which, especially considering these attacks hit a NUCLEAR station, is itself a Pearl Harbour moment. Just not in the US. The fact is US policy is to attack Iran, presumably to trick it into an offensive action and providing a window for the US to attack the oil rich nation (brinkmanship gentlemen). The US has already murdered Iranian scientists, bombed Iranian citizens, and flown spy-drones over Iran. All flat out war-crimes.

Reading US fears of Iranian threats is flippin' hilarious.

Sooo when this story first appeared and I pointed out bogus weed studies are a dime a dozen, especially from any nation anywhere near Scandinavia, and everyone scoffed at me, I gotta wonder if anyone is now willing to concede this sorta thing goes on all the time AND is a waste of Slashdot space?

The only significant study on weed I've seen in a looong time is one from the NIH. It's significant because no one the the US has done any inquiry into medical uses of weed since the 60s or so. The study had a small paragraph suggesting that weed can stifle cancer growth in cells. Wish I had a link but it was a couple of years ago.

As far as I know, "private equity" firms are companies that restructure companies while borrowing cash to finance said company ... but leaving the company holding the bag on that dept. Should the company fall (now with even more debt and someone else steering the ship) the equity firm gets a big pay off while yet another company goes under.

Good luck with that. *rolls eyes*

Why is it that every dodgy study on marijuana comes from some scientists from the Netherlands or Finland??? Think about it, do you really think weed can have such a massive affect on a person, that we've only now discovered? Heck, every synthetic drug advertized on the TV has far weirder effects such as, ooooooh, death, and yet they aren't part of some press release. Sheesh.

So let me get this straight...

If I was a financier trading millions and billions, and under the current de-regulated playfield that is Wall Street, I wouldn't have to pay one red cent to trade worldwide all those mortgages, hedge funds, CIDS, etc., but should some mook in a garage try to sell his old junk ONLINE well FRELL HIM.

Capitalism my arse.

Well that's so Tuesday. Would you swallow? Funny that the AP came out with this story just yesterday...

AP Exclusive: Graph suggests Iran working on bomb
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-exclusive-graph-suggests-iran-working-bomb

Isn't it great Iranians work in English?

Oh, my favourite part; "leaked by officials from a country critical of Iran's atomic program ..." ROTFL! Geee, wonder who THAT could be?

Is the server up yet? *sigh*, I hate Tuesday maintenance.

Absolutely real. And you sir have a future in politics. lol ;p

When this story broke I immediately thought back to my days in the 80's playing D&D and the fear evangelical Christians had of the game. I even remember being chased, yes chased, out of a friends house by his crazed father. I'd no idea at the time but somehow there was a growing fear that D&D lead to devil worship. Or something. I do recall there were even news reports along this line.

So now, put into a political context, this fear has been reanimated by the Maine GOP to accuse their opponent of being 'not one of us' at best and an agent of evil at worst. WoW is the new D&D! Clever. Fits the GOP play-book, however, it didn't work. Rather like a lot of the GOP play-book isn't working anymore.

It's worth it to know that in the years since I'd discovered the source of the Christian fear of RPG games. The comics of one Jack Chick. Wonderfully illustrated but deeply paranoid, his comics are familiar to any fundamentalist church goer. The D&D issue can be found here...
http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP