Apologies for the spate of site problems, of which there have been many recently.  This morning's issues were caused by (a) some planned downtime which ran longer than desired and (b) new issues encountered as we sought to clean up some scripts that had been deployed to run certain procedures in the background.  

We are moving to a new content management system (WordPress) which will result in a modified design for Ricochet and a much more stable platform for posting and commenting. We will also be retaining better and more comprehensive back-line site support which should enable a quicker response for those occasions where we do run into problems.  

We're sorry this site upgrade has not progressed further by now, but we appreciate your patience -- and we think you'll be excited by the planned improvements.  

Thanks for this, Totus Porcus.  You're doing the work of the mainstream press, but it is much appreciated.  

He hasn't been in a film in a while, but Robert Redford always struck me as playing the same guy every time.

Charlotte, I should have mentioned that we will be improving the Ricochet store, too.  Thanks!

I'm sorry to be so slow to chime in here.  Please know that, while you haven't seen many changes to the site lately, development for Ricochet 2.0 is underway.  Our plan calls for us to implement more features to allow Ricochet members to engage with one another online in a variety of ways, to invite friends to the conversation, to follow posts by topic or category and to do so on pages that load a whole lot faster.  We also plan for a significantly upgraded mobile experience from phones or tablets. Most of these changes will be in place by early summer.  Thanks, everyone, for your patience and your continued support.  

EJ, the photo and link insertion issue should be solved now.  If you have a chance, please check.  Thanks.

Hi.  Can you let me know what browser you're using?

Hi, Jon.  Thanks for asking the question.  We'll put up a status report post of sorts within the next day or so.  The response from members, and from visitors who decided to become members, has been tremendous.  Many gift subscriptions have been given, as well.  So, things are looking a bit brighter.  We'll know more, though -- and will share more -- in short order.  Keep the faith!

Thanks, everyone, for the thoughtful comments.  We very much appreciate the feedback.  We're taking steps to distinguish between Ricochet's editorial stance and the individual opinions of staff members.  Apologies for blurring that line in this discussion this morning.  

We should let you know that Diane has moved on from Ricochet.  We remain deeply fond of her and hope she drops by from time to time.   

Simon,

Apologies for the delay in getting you the book.  Going forward, if you have any problems with your account, please email us at support@ricochet.com.   If you haven't already sent Rob Long your details, please send them to support@ricochet.com so we can get the book signed and delivered to you.

Thanks.

Claire wants to spend more time doing serious reporting on Turkey.  She thinks it's at a crossroads, and the whole matter is woefully under-reported. 

She promises to continue to be an active Contributor.  If she doesn't, we'll have to head to Istanbul for an intervention.

I'm in.  I'll take Romney. 

It's a restriction in the system designed to keep the taxonomy from propagating too rapidly.

Got it.

We somehow missed comment #175.  I've deleted the more egregious form of the insult, but let the softer, "You've been following the thread long enough..." construction stand, as it allows room for other interpretations.

I apologize for the oversight.