And I’ve actually touched him. sigh Not to mention that he’s coming to my house and bringing me Swiss chocolates, in person! Lynn Bodoni, eat your heart out - hehehehe
Congratulations, Arnold! I know you’ll wear your new modertor’s hat very nicely. Did they make you one out of hemp to match your fancy outfit? 
And unlike the old moderator, I bet Arnold will let us run with scissors…
Thank you, **D Marie **, coosa, Jeannie! I’ll try my best to be a good moderator. (squares his shoulders and looks resolutely ahead to a well-maintained forum)
Shayna, for my moderator hat, I’ve chose a propellor beanie. I think that best embodies the spirit of the straight dope message board.
When Elizabeth and I finally arrive at your house with the promised chocolate, you can change your sig to upstage hoo-ha or whatever his name is.
whitetho, there will be no running with scissors in my forum, thank you very much. You can reserve that reckless behaviour for Great Debates. (mental note to myself: keep a close eye on whitetho)
Well, good luck to you, too! Hope you can stay a while.
You’re not named after a character, too, are you?
The diner owner on Fonzie? Or didn’t he have a last name.
You must have more time than me, and I’m semi-retired.
More energy, maybe.
Hope you can stay a while. That last one burned out fast!
(Thanks Show-Biz, that was the one. Although, I guess it doesn’t matter much now.)
Congrats, Arnold!
Ehm.
Does this mean you’re gonna ban me now if I call you silly names again? Ya bank robbing, milka eating, nuclear cellar building, Emmenthaler melting, Martina Hingis supporting Swiss idjit 
I couldn’t find Arnold’s last name on Happy Days.
I wasn’t a big watcher, but I think the gag was that Matsuo Takahashi bought the diner and his name was too long to change the sign.
Here’s what I got from the International Movie (and TV) Data Base imdb.com
Pat Morita … Arnold (Matsuo Takahashi) (1975-1976, 1982-1983)
Al Molinaro … Alfred Delvecchio (1976-1982)
**Arnold Winkelried- ** If I’m wrong, let me know.
I guess this is your claim to fame right here. Make the most of it. In a few years you could be replaced by Al Molinaro too.
Have fun and remember to give the crowd what it came for.
Fanny May, yes, I am named after a character (see below.) I wouldn’t say JillGat burned out fast, she’s been here since the old AOL days (that I personally didn’t live through.) Save up that energy, maybe one day you, too, will feel the calling of the SDMB moderator vocation.
Coldfire, it will be a pleasure to welcome you in my forum. Please feel free to post there anytime. (rubbing hands gleefully in anticipation) Your messages will be treated with the utmost consideration.
Show_Biz, I’m sure your research is accurate. As flattering as it is to be named in association with the great Pat Morita, the Arnold who gave me my name did not have as carefree a life as the owner of the Happy Days diner.
For those of you that might wonder about my screen name:
Arnold Winkelried is a swiss independence hero, who, at the battle of Sempach (1397), sacrificed himself to help the swiss victory by gathering a group of spears in his body and thus creating an opening for the swiss infantry to rush in.
You can found a picturesque version of the story here:
The Battle of Sempach (1397)
And there’s a painting here:
Ludwig Vogel: Die Eidgenossen bei der Leiche Winkelrieds (1841)
And yes, people have already warned me that Arnold Winkelried’s fate is a fitting metaphor for the life of the SDMB moderator.
Oh, yes, very dramatic! Quite the tale.
(I didn’t mean JillGat was here a short time, I meant CKDextHavn, who was just announced above. But I see now he was filling in. My mistake.)
Arnie!
I was away for a while, so apparently they made this appointment behind my back.
Fortunately for you, I have no objection. In fact, I applaud it. When I post in your forum I presume that I will be accorded special treatment in keeping with my stature. (I’m 5’11")
Arnold Winkleried!
I, too would like to wish you good luck and best regards on your appointment as moderator!
The story behind your screen name is quite interesting. I’ve read a bit on medieval history but this legend is new to me. (Most of my reading in 14th Century Europe was English history)
I realize that the Swiss are now known for their neutrality (and chocolates and army knives), but, looking back, it’s hard to believe that they were EVER looked upon with contempt as a military force. I believe that they supplied many other nations with mercenaries, and they destroyed Charles the Bold’s Burgundian army less than a century later.
I seem to have strayed off topic…
Anyway, best wishes again! And I’m really not doing this because I’m a newbie and desperately searching for a welcome by administators, moderators, and other LA dopers.
OK. Maybe just a little.
Arnold elucidates: << Arnold Winkelried is a swiss independence hero, who, at the battle of Sempach (1397), sacrificed himself to help the swiss victory by gathering a group of spears in his body and thus creating an opening for the swiss infantry to rush in. >>
… and thus inventing Swiss Cheese.
OK, sorry, Arnold.
No, Fanny May, you’re the one that was right! Obviously (though it wasn’t obvious to me) you were talking about CKDextHavn, not JillGat. My mistake. :o
WallyM7, we’ll do our best to accomodate you, but actually the ceilings are pretty low in “Comments on Cecil’s Columns”, it was the first forum built when funds were still low. Did you see the 7 1/2th floor in “Being John Malkovich”? Kind of like that. But please, just bend over and come visit us!
DRY, Arnold Winkelried, a legend? Bite your tongue! Unlike William Tell, for whose existence no reliable documents can be found, Arnold Winkelried is a historical figure. Obviously the account of his story that was mentioned in the link above is fictionalized, but the central fact (his “kamikaze” act) is true.
CKDextHavn, if only the real Arnold Winkelried were here! :mad:
I nominate this to be the new slogan of the SDMB.
Since I don’t read that forum, this affects me how?
Kidding! (I really don’t read that forum [I have my reasons] but that IS good news. Congratulations!)
Ahem.
I shall now show what an arrogant newbie I’ve become by disputing a moderator (at least it isn’t in his “home forum”, eh) and maintaining that my use of “legend” was correct and appropriate.
My dictionary defines “legend” as “an unverified popular story handed from earlier times” as one definition, and “one who achieves legendary fame” as an alternate definition.
Doesn’t look good for ol’ DRY in using the first of the two definitions above, right? But hold on…
Moving to “legendary”, the definition is “of, comprising, based on , or of the nature of a legend”.
(My source is Webster’s II New Riverside University Dictionary.)
Therefore, I maintain that the use of the word “legend” with respect to A.W. is not at all inappropriate, because the story mentioned in the link you reference can be described as “legendary”, and thus, A.W., as the one who received such legendary fame, is indeed a legend, real person though he may have been.
Oh…all right. The real reason why I originally used “legend” is that I did not believe “legend” precluded an actual person or event. I’m now using the dictionary after the fact, to, hopefully, bolster the viewpoint that I was originally correct.
Anyway, congratulations again.
DRY, here’s what another dictionary says.
Merriam-Webster®’s Collegiate® Dictionary
Main Entry: leg·end
Pronunciation: 'le-j&nd (guide to pronunciation)
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English legende, from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French legende, from Medieval Latin legenda, from Latin, feminine of legendus, gerundive of legere to gather, select, read; akin to Greek legein to gather, say, logos speech, word, reason
Date: 14th century
1 a : a story coming down from the past; especially : one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable b : a body of such stories <a place in the legend of the frontier> c : a popular myth of recent origin d : a person or thing that inspires legends e : the subject of a legend <its violence was legend even in its own time – William Broyles Jr.>
2 a : an inscription or title on an object (as a coin) **b : CAPTION**2b c : an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart
I guess meaning 1d agrees with what you’re saying, so I’ll forgive you this one time. But don’t mess with Arnold Winkelried’s place in history!
Thank you, MaryAnnQ, you heretic. I expect to see you in in CCC shortly, repenting of your sin of not reading the first forum.
But Arnold, hon, if I don’t read the forum how can I post to it? :::flee:::