Well, folks, we (and several other web sites) got hacked. Abducted by pirates on Lake Michigan.

Thanks to our valiant web host (Thanks, J-Y!), things are back to normal, but some messages may have been lost. We regret the inconvenience.

Wait a minute, I've just noticed something REALLY UGLY here...

My Balanchine post on 1 Nov 2004 is the ***only*** 1 Nov 2004 post that got deleted. All (?) the other ones are still there... here's a sample of the 1 Nov posts that did not get lost:

lili
Moderator
Member# 1149
posted 01 December 2004 03:21 AM

lili
Moderator
Member# 1149
posted 01 December 2004 05:08 AM

Angel
Member
Member# 1245
posted 01 December 2004 06:19 AM

lili
Moderator
Member# 1149
posted 01 December 2004 08:32 AM

Francis Timlin
Moderator
Member# 35
posted 01 December 2004 11:14 AM

Noreen Arnold
Member
Member# 638
posted 01 December 2004 11:32 AM

ksneds
Member
Member# 306
posted 01 December 2004 11:58 AM

kurinuku
Member
Member# 2976
01 December 2004 12:39 PM

kurinuku
Member
Member# 2976
posted 01 December 2004 12:56 PM

Stuart Sweeney
Administrator
Member# 6
posted 01 December 2004 01:29 PM

[this I posted right after I discovered the defacement]
Maria Technosux
Member
Member# 2227
posted 01 December 2004 03:11 PM

Haruyo
Member
Member# 1093
posted 01 December 2004 03:51 PM

Haruyo
Member
Member# 1093
posted 01 December 2004 03:57 PM

kargui25
Member
Member# 4425
posted 01 December 2004 05:19 PM

JaneH
Member
Member# 4797
posted 01 December 2004 07:24 PM

So far I am *very* suspicious that

1) Stuart was the last one to post something before/around the time of the attack.

2) My Balanchine post seems to be the only 1 Nov 2004 post missing.

Stuart, have you deleted my Balanchine post because you can't stand the fact that I refuse to acknowledge Balanchine's genius?

Are you now blaming it on the hackers? Cos otherwise they would have deleted all the other 1 Nov 2004 posts. Yet mine alone is missing. (see listing above)

If anyone else lost a post, I'd like to hear from you, so that we can sort it out.

Tex.

<small>[ 02 December 2004, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: Maria Technosux ]</small>

Maria, it's likely that the backup (from which the board is being restored) was made after those posts were made but before you wrote your message. It's not criticaldance.com policy to delete messages that are not in violation of our courtesy policy...and even then, we always offer the poster an opportunity to edit the post.

If you haven't yet done so, please repost.

Even CD moderators have been victimized; one had to retype a lengthy ballet review.

Sweeney pleads: "Not guilty m'lud." However, it's very flattering to be part of a conspiracy theory - probably the only similarity I will ever have with JFK.

<small>[ 02 December 2004, 02:27 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

I lost at least a couple posts.

You are a moderator, I am a normal user. Let's get a few things clear here:

1) as a moderator you have technically determined censoring abilities/privileges which I as a normal user do not have, so this creates an uneven balance of power which could work to your advantage and to my disadvantage.

2) you could be saying all this just to save the reputation of your fellow moderator (we – moderators- are in this together)

3) Stuart has already indicated that he doesn't care for what I have to say about Balanchine or about the advocacy of belletrism in regards to Balanchine, so that is why I am suspicious.

Unless other non-moderator forum members come forward reporting that they've had their posts deleted, I have the right to remain suspicious. So far only one non-moderator member has spoken about lost posts (which weren't his).

But I am willing to run a test: I will reproduce the post exactly as it was. If it gets removed now, it certainly won't be the hackers and I will proceed accordingly.

Tex.

Would that make me an abnormal user? You've just verified what many users have long thought.

Technically, I don't (since by definition, censorship can only be done by the government), but I cede your point; however, like all superheroes, I use my powers only for Good.

Seriously, CD is run largely by consensus; any moderator who abused her or his vast powers as you've suggested would not, I suspect, be a moderator for much longer.

I could be. I could also be wearing a yellow negligee' while typing this, but I'm doing neither.

Stuart doesn't care for much of what I say, either.

I encourage you to do so.

(I've made a few jokes in this post, but I certainly do not mean to trivialize your concerns, Maria. The truth is that we were hacked and some posts, which were posted after the last backup, were lost. That's it. Believe it or don't; it's your option, but we don't censor posts with which we disagree. If we did, I'd be the first one to leave.

And I'm dead serious about that.)

<small>[ 03 December 2004, 01:07 PM: Message edited by: salzberg ]</small>

I'd also like to add to salzberg's comments that when a Criticaldance moderator does consciously remove a post, an email is always sent to notify the poster, so that they are aware of what's happened.

I am devastated to discover that some hacker violated www.criticaldance.com- My sanctuary from the rat race! This is obviously a strong signal the end of humanity is near! I can’t believe George Balanchine did not intervene somehow from the National Ballet of Heaven. My God! I can’t believe George Bush did not call in the army to protect CriticalDance. This is a very serious violation and I hope the proper actions have been taken to catch and convict the perpetrator. Call Green & Fontana to catch the SOB and then get Jack McCoy to convict him and by all means throw away the key! I just hope nobody had to go to the trouble of typing out one of my ballet reviews word for word as I do save them in Word. What is the world coming to??? :confused:

The hacker apparently was from Brasil.

So Bush will probably invade Argentina.

Michael, my advice is to take a lead from "South Park" - blame Canada.

U.S. liberals, disappointed that "their" candidate didn't win--which of course means the end of civilization as we know it--are already invading, or at least occupying Canada, Stuart. It's their cleaned up version of Iraq with every "good reason" they can think of tucked into their backpacks. Please don't give them more license to glorify Canada's fair domain as the the Commonwealth alternative...