My guess is that GA is located on an inverted pyramid of machines
- and that underlying changes are propogated up by a 'push' mechanism
- while deeper queries use a 'pull' mechanism

What seems to have happened is that the 'push' mechanism failed on Dec
30th which is why no new questions are getting through and the No of
Comments is not getting updated.

I expect this question to be posted - but not to appear.

Sorry ...

But you are wrong again.

There's something funny with the numbering. 

The last question posted before the glitch was 611402; the next one 427445.

Similarly, 428199 was dated 2 Jan 06 while 428299 was dated 12 Nov 04.

I suspect that there was a minor glitch, which was compounded by
popping corks, sometime after Question ID#611402, this lasting until
well past the brown bottle flu was diagnosed and attended to with a
fury on December 31st, thus a repeat, glitch still intact until the
pops stopped quarking, just prior to Question ID#427445.

The problem with the non-sequestial numbering would be easy to
understand if you were there. I wasn't, but I am giving the crew the
benefit of any doubt. I certainly wouldn't want them trying to fix
anything while, ah... enjoying libation... or --maybe that's what
happened!

Never mind. I have a headache now.

Somehow I think you are correct Cynthia

I first spotted the problem when the Locked symbol and number of
comments for each question did not tie up with the data underneath.

Fixing code while 'under the influence' is a nightmare