We invite you to read and respond to The Paly Voice‘s ongoing staff blog, where we talk informally about the Voice, campus life, and other things on our minds. Enjoy — and click on the feedback link on the bottom if you want to participate by adding your own comment.

Former editor out-tosses champ (April 7, 2006)

He tosses and SCORES! Thomas O’Connell, former co-editor-in-chief of this publication, won in the sudden death round of the Pen Toss Championship after tying with Voicecast extraordinaire and former Pen Toss champion Alex Ochowicz.

After a grueling thirty minutes of competition in which three other tossers were eliminated, O’Connell managed to score one point, which secured him a place in the final round, where he vanquished Ochowicz after nearly ten tosses.

Ochowicz initially dominated the competition, although new
staff member Mia Pond put the reigning champ on the defensive.

"I felt really proud of myself as a novice [at the Pen Toss]," said
Pond, who had no previous tossing experience prior to the
Championship. "It really motivated me to try harder in the dog-eat-dog sport of pen tossing."

Adam Heeger, a veteran tosser, was the clear loser in the competition. Through all four rounds he lagged behind Pond as well as Ochowicz and O’Connell.

In the middle of the third round, teacher advisor Paul Kandell entered the championship as a dark horse competitor. Though
gaining ground early on and overtaking Heeger, Kandell failed to place among the top tossers.

"He had a lot of good tries," Ochowicz said of Kandell’s below par tossing. "He rushed a lot and had poor execution."

In the sport of pen tossing, the objective is to throw a dry-erase pen across a classroom, landing it on the narrow metal three-inch tray at the base of a white board. The exercise requires an immense amount concentration and aim. The best tossing technique involves throwing the pen in an arch, bouncing it off the board, and landing the pen in one of the three groves in the tray.

After four rounds of two tosses for each player, only two were left
standing with any tray landings at all. Ochowicz and O’Connell were the only two players who scored, tying them both at one. They entered a sudden-death round, each competitor tossing one pen after the other. Ochowicz led the lightening round, and intitially seemed the stronger competitor. In a surprising conclusion, O’Connell’s last toss ricocheted off the board and landed soundly in the tray.

The crowd went wild as O’Connell became the new Pen Toss champion, becoming forever a part of Paly Voice lore.

-Aditi Bellary and Sam Sheldon

Censorship: Can suppression of thought or speech be justified? (Feb. 2, 2006)

The most classic and well-known examples of censorship are exhibited in novels such as Fahrenheit 451, The Giver and 1984. In these books, the self-imposed leaders of society enforce conformity and ignorance in attempt to subject their unsuspecting citizens to coercion. But censorship is most typically not as extreme as oppression.

In today’s world, we encounter censorship quite often. When we constantly remind ourselves to stop speaking without first thinking, we are censoring our immediate impulses. But the word censor, which Merriam Webster Online defines as “to examine in order to repress or delete anything considered objectionable,” does not always have a negative connotation.

I, as a member of the The Paly Voice staff, have had to deal with this issue on numerous occasions. As an online publication, the Voice serves as “an open forum for student and other public _expression.” We welcome our readers to discuss and respond to topics of concern in the form of feedback, however we warn them that we also “reserve the right to edit all such submissions.” When we receive feedback that contains slanderous, libelous or obscene remarks, don’t we have a right (with the best interest of our audiences in mind) to revise their content?

But even when entries don’t fall under any of the above categories, isn’t it commendable that we shield our viewers from comments of defamatory and disparaging nature? Take the recent InFocus “scandal” as a case in point. The feedback is not merely criticism, but an attack on the journalistic integrity with which the story was written. Would it be wrong to censor this type of feedback?

Do not mistake me — in no way am I dismissing the feedback as deficient or unwanted. In fact, it is always fascinating to get a sense of readers’ varied reactions to a particular subject matter. I am simply wondering where to draw the line of distinction.

-Aditi Bellary

Writing to the beat (Jan. 30, 2006)

A couple of days ago I was asked to write a joint article with Tomer. I replied to this request with obvious reluctance. Let me stress that it had nothing to do with Tomer; I don’t like writing joint articles with anyone. When asked why I was unhappy about writing joint articles when most people would be overjoyed to have only half the responsibility otherwise required for writing an article, I told them that my disinclination rooted from a loyalty to my personal writing ritual. They asked me what this ritual was. Well listen up and I’ll tell you.

When I have to write something, be it an article, a short story or even this blog, I like to leave my signature on it, my little touch. To achieve this I have a ritual. It begins in the kitchen.

First thing is that I have to make a pot of tea. If I am writing something objective, something impersonal like a news article, I make PG Tips, a gentle British blend that gives you a little buzz but doesn’t amp you to no end. If I have to write something opinionated, something where I can hammer my own views out into it, I make Lapsang Souchang, a harsh, strong and barky Chinese black blend that makes my nerves spit adrenaline. I pour myself a cup and then I get another glass and fill it with crushed ice and water. I take both of these to my room, sit down at my computer, and place the tea on the left of the keyboard and the glass of water on the right. Then the writing begins.

I open up Microsoft Word, I write my name at the top, I take a big sip of tea and then I choose my key slamming music. This is a crucial step. Many musical artists will work, but without a doubt, Wu-Tang works best. Nothing helps me to knock out the words better than blaring the Wu-Tang Clan through my headphones. I usually start out by playing a song with a long intro like C.R.E.A.M. or Bring Da Ruckus or Investigative Reports (note: Investigative Reports is not actually a song by the Wu-Tang Clan. It is attributed to soley the GZA though Method Man and Inspectah Deck guest rap on it, and that seems to be enough of the clan to constitute a Wu song in my book) so that I can sit there and think about what I am going to write as the intro plays. After the intro is done, I jump in. Timing is imperative. I have to begin typing exactly as the song kicks off the ground. This way I can synchronize my writing with the beat. The only problems this creates is that sometimes I rhyme the words together because I get fettered with the beat and can’t stop my feet from tapping and my mind from rapping away the words that I am typing so it just comes out poetically and theoretically I guess that’s not the best format for all that. Another way to meet the beat without using songs that have long intros is just choosing any song where Method Man takes a verse. Whenever he bursts in on the beat he really takes the stage with force and makes my writing flow a little stronger.

After I have finished writing the article I have to take a TV break before I edit. It is important that I watch something familiar. If I am writing hard news, I watch 24. If I am writing an opinion piece, I watch Fraggle Rock. If I am writing a feature, I watch Gilmore Girls (I am secure enough with my masculinity to admit that I like this show).

After enjoying an episode of whatever I go through the article and make all edits necessary. Usually I end up writing something pretty long; I have been told by many people that I write too much. Oh well, I guess I better end this blog before my previous statement becomes true.

-Nick Nordlinger

Previous staff blogs can be found at the following addresses:

http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=3577

http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=3277

http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=3106

http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=2989

http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=2520

http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=2204