The mail is POP, and yes we are seeing it on multiple computers/platforms... MBP & iMac using 10.7.8, iPad using 7.1.1, and an iPod Touch using 5.1.1... All with latest, greatest, and uptodatest....
Now, this phenomena has stopped just because I posted about it....will follow up with the link provided but hopefully this was an ISP (Charter) problem that has now been corrected..
Bob K. rnkiii