My gripe isn’t that Ed’s back. I like Ed and I always have. I posted his article a year ago in the hopes that folks would read it and maybe gain some insight but also to boost his clicks to help him out. I miss the Chicago flavor that he and Cecil sprinkled on the boards when they were active. Granted that flavor was mostly an odor and it smelled like washed up alewives, L platforms and, of all things, chocolate from the Blommer factory. But it was a local flavor that I enjoyed and wish was around more.
It’s the silence that I don’t care for. “We are pleased and privileged to announce that Ed Zotti has stepped up and in to resume duties as administrator while we get things sorted out.” That would do it. It’s a notification of an important change at the top which would be directed at the, realistically, not too many folks regularly posting and creating content.
That said, I regret the tone I took yesterday evening and I apologize to anyone that was offended or otherwise hurt. We all miss TubaDiva and I know that the staff and others are doing the best they can given the circumstances. My accusatory replies last night were not helpful and I’m sorry for that.
FWIW I get it. Easy to understand things being busy enough to not bother but a thread thanking him for being willing to pitch in and giving a little space for people to thank him for it, during uncertain times (for the board and the world) would have been a nice thought.
So in a roundabout way you created it!
Thank you @Ed_Zotti for putting your thumb in the dike … (please use the intended visual image there!) and for your sake hope it does not get you stuck standing there for longer than you’d like it to be!
I think for some of us who knew about The Straight Dope way back when (the first SD book in 1984 for me, earlier for others), there’s an emotional fondness for Ed. It was a VERY big deal for us when he left, he was The Straight Dope etc. etc.
Jenny’s sudden death was perhaps an even bigger blow. My feelings for this community of “Internet strangers” are familial, and damn straight I’m glad to see that Ed is “back” to help, however temporarily.
I’m pretty sure that Ed Zotti was the administrator until just a couple of years ago. He was very hands off, though, and rarely posted. And in fact TubaDiva retired (as a moderator) a few years before that. In short, Ed’s involvement was before you joined in 2005 but it was also after then.
While we’ve got Ed’s attention here… I’ve been wanting to ask…
Whatever became of the old Paulina Street Journal pages? Have they been taken down? I’ve tried to find them occasionally without success. I was looking for your review of Inception.
As a '99er, I surely have strong feelings about the place. I’ve met a handful of Dopers face-to-face and have been delighted to call them friends. This includes our beloved Jenny.
Respect the history, enjoy the fruits, admire the efforts, support the magic behind the curtain.
And be very, very careful around turkeys wearing mortarboards.
There is no way to prosperity, prosperity is the way. — Wayne Dyer