One Year Anniversary

About This Message Board
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I know some people might think that this thread belongs in MPSIMS, however, I consider it neither mundane nor pointless. I humbly open by asking TubaDiva to keep this thread here.

I registered for the Straight Dope Message Board one year ago today. I wanted to just take a minute or two to thank everyone here who has made my posting experience an extremely pleasurable one. I am a refugee from several newsgroups on Usenet where (with few exceptions) if they don’t agree with you, they flame you. I was surprised to find this place where (for the most part) people are polite, civil, kind and caring. It’s been a pleasure to be able to debate issues with people with whom I have an honest disagreement without having it degenerate into a flame war. I have seen countless posts where people ask for personal advice when something has gone wrong with their lives from the downright silly to the there-but-for-the-grace-of-God-go-I type. I’ve seen members of this board reach out to offer advice and help solve those problems. I didn’t really know WallyM7, but the outpouring of grief from this group when he passed away truly moved me. I’ve found people whom I consider to be friends, even though I’ve never met them in person.

I really want to thank you all for the wonderful experience I’ve enjoyed the past year and hope to continue enjoying in the future. There are, however, a few people I wish to thank individually:

First of all, I’d like to thank the Chicago Reader for providing this forum free of charge. I know that there is quite an expense in maintaining this forum in both the equipment and the techincal personnel who keep in running.

I’d like to thank our wonderful administrators TubaDiva, Lynn Bodoni, Ed Zotti and C K Dexter Haven for putting up with us.

I’d also like to thank our moderators, especially manhattan, Gaudere, David B and Chronos who, more than the other mods, have to put up with my posts and my nitpicking.

I’d also like to thank some individual posters. Danielinthewolvesden, whom I know I can count on for a good religious debate; cmkeller, sdimbert and IzzyR whom I know I can count on to correct me when I mess up on posts of Jewish content, and BobT whom I know I can count on to correct me on baseball issues.

Lastly, I’d like to thank the master Cecil Adams without whom none of this would be possible.

Your friend,

Zev Steinhardt

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;j

Zev, well put. I feel the same way about almost everything you said. BTW, Wally’s passing was a watershed moment for me here also; it really made me realize how much of a community this is and how much I enjoy it.

Yasher Koach on your anniversary - Go from strength to strength.

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Happy anniversary zev_steinhardt!

I guess with the aging of the board we’ll see more of these threads in with the post parties, and that’s a nice ting.

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You can’t hide from me…
Good for you. :smiley:
Happy anniversary.

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zev - hear, Hear!

And mazel tov! :slight_smile:

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Congrats & mazel tov, “reb”.

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Congratulations (and whatever’s the appropriate Yiddish or Hebrew word ;j ), Zev! Y’know, I hadn’t even realized that my anniversary was coming up, before reading this thread. Turns out I’m almost a week late-- 'Twas January 21, AD 2000 that I registered and first posted.

Of course, I didn’t start posting regularly until late February… Maybe I can celebrate then.

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Congratulations.

It’s been fun interacting with you. In GD, and other forums.

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Congratulations! Always enjoy reading your posts, and always learn something from them.

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So what’s a guy who’s been here 6 months, chopped liver? ;j

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'Grats, zev, stick around.

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Y’know, this is better than a post count party. Anyone can rack up a few thousand meaningless posts but it takes something upstairs to contribute meaningfully for a year around here. zev, you are one of my favorite posters, one of the real originals around here always ready to debate, answer questions, or just help out. You, among others, have shown me that one can be devoutly religious without being puritanical or closed-minded, and can glorify his faith without insulting or trying to convert others. I think we have all grown here, and you are one of the people who help that process. But perhaps most tellingly, you are one of the experts here people specifically recommend to answer certain questions or debate certain topics. This board would not be the same without you, zev, so here’s to another year!

Mazel tov!

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Happy annual. And you’ve got 1000 coming in a week or two, looks like, so Happy Millenium in advance!

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:: blushing ::

Thank you Derleth. That’s very kind of you to say.

Zev Steinhardt