 From the PublisherThis issue marks the first issue of our 16th year of publishing. There are so many things going on for me. I’m putting a huge amount of energy into keeping my ship on course in the middle of a chaotic storm. For starters, the words "Been hacked lately?" flashed in graffiti-like letters across one of our computer screens just as we were preparing to produce this issue. In disbelief, I double-checked that our anti-virus software was up to date (and it had been updated the night before). What I was soon to learn was that anytime we have been on the Internet, sending and receiving e-mail messages, or looking at Web pages, without anti-hacking protocols in place, we have been totally vulnerable to hacking. Anti-virus software offers no protection from this kind of vandalism. At first, I didn’t know what to do. Who am I supposed to contact to report this? How do I get the mess fixed? What do I do to prevent it from happening again? Once someone has broken in, there’s no way to know what he or she did or did not do. I wondered about the security of our data; our credit card transaction history is among the information stored (in encrypted form) on the computer whose files were erased. My hunch is that anyone whose intention was to steal information would have done it in an unnoticeable way rather than destroying data and leaving a trail behind. There’s even a possibility that the cause was not a hacker, but a virus that acts like one. I share some of the information I’ve since learned about how to avoid being hacked — and what to do if you are — in Be Safe on the Internet, below. I’ve known for some six months that Amanda Patrick, my beloved office manager and friend, leaves May 25, after the distribution of this issue. She is moving to Vermont to pursue educational opportunities and to be closer to her family. Amanda has been an invaluable part of our operation, but I also I feel like she has become part of my family. Her greatest gift to The New Times has been her willingness to do whatever needed to be done, learning whatever skills she didn’t have along the way. She willingly worked alongside David and me during the long hours that it takes to produce each issue. She accurately tracked an enormous amount of detail. I’ll remember her most for her ability to be a good listener and to offer wise and supportive insight during the many heart-to-heart conversations we have had. Join me in blessing her new journey. Our editor, David Young, is scheduled for open-heart (valve replacement) surgery on Wednesday, May 24, the day we begin distribution. David asked me to let you know that he welcomes your prayers for a speedy recovery. His initials are in the prayer ministry box below. You may want to clip the entire list to include in your prayer work. There are two pieces of good news that I want to share. First, Steve McCardell has joined our staff to handle most of Amanda’s general office duties and to work to reenergize our "In Review" section. Watch for changes in the coming months; if you have specific ideas for the section, let Steve know at <steve@newtimes.org>. Also, Charlie Spring joined our staff in late February. He has been assigned most of Amanda’s advertising accounts; if you’d like to tap his over twenty years of marketing experience, he’d enjoy hearing from you at <charlie@newtimes.org>. Both men are adept writers; we have already published a number of pieces by Steve (his book, The Merlin Interview, is available at <http://members.aol.com/merlin3783/>), and Charlie’s first for us is on page 8 of this issue. We begin our 16th year with lots of change, and although it’s obvious to me that it may not all be easy, I’m looking forward to the excitement and challenge! by Deverick Martin
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