I've been having the same problem for the last three days. I have AOL and dial up. I thought it was my 3 year old computer. I just read about the black dot and tried logging in. It's much faster and back to normal without the black dots for me.
Mary & the 2Poodles (Sebastian & Winslow)
Mary & the 2Poodles (Sebastian & Winslow)


It seems to happen most navigating to the forums and when posting. It'll just plain stall.