Monthly Top Five - November

Hey, remember the What's Weekly Top 5 feature? So do we. The only problem is that it rarely came on a weekly basis, so we're switching gears. In  High Fidelity, the characters compare their top fives in a variety of categories. Being big fans of both the film and novel, we here at the What bring you our Weekly Monthly Top Five, a feature focused on five fantastic things that you should become familiar with.

Fall Beer

Though we are less than a week away from the biggest holiday shopping day of the year, it is still fall, and there is still plenty of time to enjoy some fall beer. Seasonal beers are always interesting, but there is something special about the fall varieties that stand out. Last year's Fall Beer Tasting was a blast, and while 2011 boasts no official tasting, we here at the What have still done our civic duty by going out and enjoying beer.

5. Saint Benjamin Evening Wheat Dunkelweiss - So maybe a dunkelweiss is not technically a Fall beer, but this brew's overwhelming popularity at the Elfreth's Alley Museum's Brew Fest was undeniable. This up and coming Philadelphia brewery has been making a name for itself by providing exceptional, full-flavored beers like this one at a number of events around the City of Brotherly Love. Saint Benjamin will return to Elfreth's Alley for Deck the Alley with a colonial-style porter, so be sure to check them out!

4. Flying Dog Dogtoberfest Märzen - Sometimes it is easy to get confused by brewery names that are similar like Flying Dog, Flying Fish, and Dogfish Head. Luckily, all three are known for their quality brews. Dogtoberfest is no exception. Nor is Flying Fish's Oktoberfish, for that matter. Admittedly, as you will see after the jump, I was focused on pumpkin beers this year and did not devote enough time to Oktoberfests, but you can rarely go wrong with Flying Dog.

How to Not Be a Jerk: On the Highway

Writing an article on how to not be a jerk on a Snow Day was therapeutic. I finally got to say everything I have wanted to shout at people for several winters. Since then, the snow has (finally) gone away and life went back to normal. Normal enough that it brought into focus the other aspects of life in which one must contend with the jerkiness of others. Jerks are everywhere, but rarely do you find a place that has as many jerks as the highway does.

#1- Entering the Highway
THE JERK WAY: Jerks are mind-boggling in this situation. They have just finished speeding at 60 in a 45 en route to the entrance ramp of the highway. Upon entering the ramp, they seem to forget where the gas pedal is/how it works and coast slowly to the end of the ACCELERATION LANE, at which point they stop.
THE RIGHT WAY: It's called an ACCELERATION LANE for a reason, dimwits! The acceleration lane is a handy little invention that allows drivers entering the highway to bring their vehicle up to the speed of the other drivers already on the highway. The worst possible thing you could do in an acceleration is stop. Furthermore, you do not need to wait until the lane disappears to merge. If there is an opening for you to merge, take it! Don't be scared, it'll all be okay in the end.

Oscar Day with the What

It is that time of year during which we all gather around our televisions to watch famous people dress up nice and win little statues of some naked gold dude named Oscar. Sounds a bit ridiculous, but that is what happens one day each year, and today is that day. We here at the What would like to offer up some of our predictions for who we think will win certain categories during this evening's ceremony. Keep in mind that we may not have seen every film, so we're going based on what we did see.

Black Swan
Darren Aronofsky's latest film lived up to the standard set by his previous works, actually surpassing most. The one award I definitely see Black Swan taking is Best Actress. Natalie Portman's performance was stunning, haunting, and masterful. Even if somehow she does not take home the Oscar tonight, there are sure to be plenty in her future. As an editor myself, I also would give this film the Editing award. I had no complaints with the manner in which this film was cut, and was at several points in the film impressed with cutting styles and choices.

Weekly Top Five - 13.Jan.11

In  High Fidelity, the characters compare their top fives in a variety of categories. Being big fans of both the film and novel, we here at the What bring you our Weekly Top Five, a feature focused on five fantastic things that you should become familiar with.

Cool Things I Saw Online This Week

 

The Weekly Top Five feature sprung out of an article detailing five ways to kill time on the internet (seen here). Therefore, for this week's feature, we decided to revisit that idea and take a look at five really cool things we saw while perusing the world wide web this week.

5. The Graduate Student's Wardrobe - This article from Real Men, Real Style is a handy resource for gentlemen trying to help their wardrobe reach the graduate level. As I mentioned last week, I spent a lot of time this year updating my wardrobe beyond the jeans and tee shirt look and websites such as this one can be a valuable tool in helping you do the same.

4. Dress Like This Guy: Baron Davis - This piece from Effortless Gent recommends that gents try emulating the style of Clippers' point guard Baron Davis. While not everyone can pull off Davis' look, you can still pull of the attitude, which is half of style anyway. The attitude I speak of is the general lack of caring for how others see you. If you are comfortable with your look and style, run with it and make it work.

Weekly Top Five - 3.Jan.11

In  High Fidelity, the characters compare their top fives in a variety of categories. Being big fans of both the film and novel, we here at the What bring you our Weekly Top Five, a feature focused on five fantastic things that you should become familiar with.

Good Decisions I Made in 2010

 

While many people are busy making resolutions for the new year that won't last past next week, I'd like to start off 2011 by reflecting on the positive things I did in 2010. Toward the end of 2010, I started falling into the trap of thinking the year was terrible and that the calendar changing would make everything better. But, after I sat and thought for a moment, I realized that 2010 was one of my best years yet, and here are five reasons why.

5. Snazzed up the wardrobe - Had you asked me prior to 2010 to describe my "fashion sense" in one word it would have been comfortable. I was known for wearing whatever I found comfortable with little consideration for how it looked. Beginning in 2009 I began making slight adjustments to improve my wardrobe, but 2010 was the year when I put a lot of effort into it. With help from sites like Primer Magazine, Dappered, and the Effortless Gent, I gradually improved my style. Instead of wearing a pair of New Balance sneakers with everything, I began alternating between Chuck Taylors, loafers, and dressier shoes. Graphic tees were replaced by solid V-necks and I began shopping at places like H&M and Banana Republic. While I still have a ways to go, in 2010 I made significant improvements to my wardrobe.

The Lazy Journalism of Attacking Philadelphia Fans

Only in the world of sports journalism can one constantly rehash a tired issue mired with more opinion than fact, more hyperbole than actual reporting, and still remain employed. Such is the case with the constant lambasting of Philadelphia sports fans. Ladies and gentlemen of the sports media, enough is enough. It is time to move on and start using your time and your employer's money to actually cover the contests you are paid to cover, not reeditorialize a dead issue. And here are a few reasons why.

Philadelphia is not your scapegoat

Rooting for the Birds at the Linc.

Incidents involving unruly spectators at sporting events are not limited to one place, nor are they prevalent in one place more than others. New York, Chicago, and Detroit all have just as many, if not more, incidents as Philadelphia. In fact, throughout the baseball, hockey, and football seasons commentators ignore any negative behavior on the part of every other city's fans, from vulgar chants to items being thrown to the field, but their camera operators are quick to seek out Philly fans looking angry so the commentators can make an offhand remark about how terrible they are.

Your immaturity is (or should be) tarnishing your reputation
I, a Philadelphian and a die-hard sports fan, love Washington DC. It's a beautiful city with a fantastic Metro. I subscribed to the Post through email and am a rabid supporter of their MLS team, DC United. However, my Post subscription was quickly canceled once Mike Wise likened the women and children attending Flyers' games to security at a Megadeth concert. Wise, who was suspended earlier this year for a fake tweet about Ben Roethlisberger, received no such punishment for blatantly insulting women and children who did nothing but go to a hockey game to root for their team. Wise is certainly not the only so-called journalist guilty of such actions, as just as recently as last week Eagles fans were labeled as idiots on Yahoo Sports. There is no place for name-calling in journalism, it's unnecessary and embarrassing.

What really happened?

Celebrating the 2008 World Series win.

More often than not, what is reported is far from what actually happened. When Michael Irvin took a big hit and went down, yes, people cheered. However, once those of us in the stands realized he was hurt, we quieted down. In fact, in the section right above the hit (where I was sitting), we were gathered around a radio trying to hear from the announcers if he was going to be alright and clapped as he was taken from the field. A similar situation happened just last week at the game against the Colts. Wide receiver Austin Collie was hit and moments later, a flag hit the ground. In every single stadium in this country I have ever been to, the moment a penalty is called everyone's attention turns immediately to the big screen for a replay. On that day, the replay showed that the hit was legal, thus drawing boos from the crowd, who had yet to notice Collie was still ground. Once their attention returned to the field, they quieted down and clapped respectfully as Collie was taken from the field.

Philadelphians are not the problem
Take a look back over incidents that happened at Philadelphia sporting events over the past several years. From fools running onto the field to fights to drunken buffoons inducing vomiting, these people all have two things in common. One, they are an embarrassment to our fans, teams, and city. Two, they're not from Philadelphia. I know this is nitpicking, but as someone from Philadelphia who has also lived in the suburbs, I can tell you there are differences between the fans. The true Philadelphians are the fans who, if they can afford it, go to a game and stay to the bitter end, even when losing 42-0 in the snow on Monday Night Football. They're the fans who are among the most passionate and knowledgeable followers of any sport organizations. The people who cause the majority of the problems and bring embarrassment and shame are more often than not the people who buy season tickets because they can, go to games to party and not to root for the team, and either leave or cause trouble when things are not going their way.

I hope that journalists and commentators begin to cover Philadelphia sports more objectively. I've been to Philly sporting events supporting the home team as well as vehemently rooting against Philly in certain sports while decked out in the other teams' colors. In either circumstance, I have never had an issue with any other fan, and more often than not, I see fans from out of town chatting amiably with the Philadelphia fans sitting by them, discussing everything from sports, sightseeing in the city, and how wonderful cheesesteaks can be.

So yes, Philadelphia fans are passionate. And yes, we will cheer our athletes when they win for us and boo them when they lose, but we'll also be the first to defend them from outside attacks. Philadelphia is a beautiful city with a wonderfully diverse and incredibly welcoming population, and it deserves much better than what it has received from the biased world of sports journalism.