There is something going on that involves more than FR. It has been terribly slow and often cannot connect. But I play card games on MSN Games, too, and lately it has been incredibly slow.
FR is in real trouble with no signs of resolution in sight. No change will eventually deliver no hope.
BUT, you are so right! To a lesser degree there are problems happening elsewhere on popular sites for our side. It behaves like a virus on my internet but it isn’t so as you say something, may be sun flares, but something IS going on.
I get better connections to lighter traffic sites, so capacity must be enormously strained. Every soul is online all the time.