Need a stylish, sophisticated “man bag”? An alternative to that backpack you’ve been using since college, or that boring briefcase you’ve been using in your endless attempt to look professional? Check out the new line of bags from Graf + Lantz.
This season, the designers have brought on additional styles to their iconic Juant Tote collection, fold-over styles and boats bags assortment. This Resort 2012 Graf + Lantz added a twist to their classic Parker bag, adding waxed canvas to the mix. This is a perfect all-around bag to bring on vacation — be it the Caribbean, Hawaii or Europe, you are sure to arrive in style with these classic head-turning totes.
Graf + Lantz are masters of color-blocking and mixing bold bright colors. For the Parker take horween leather straps, minimal Nickel hardware detailing, zip or magnetic closures, and pockets both in and out, these new pieces are 100% cotton waxed canvas. Utilizing the rare, intricate and age-old technique used by early mariners (before the age of heavy-duty water absorbent Nylon and PVC materials that took ages to dry), this process of impregnating cotton with a paraffin based wax, woven into cloth provides the utmost in waterproofing. These bags are not only ideal for those splendid yachting and sailing trips abroad, but they will also effortlessly transition into your day-to-day life.
Graf + Lantz have always been known for paying meticulous attention to form, function, detail and the highest qualities of handcrafting. The varied color combinations of olive, navy, rust, grey and natural gives this collection an astute sense of color, eye-catching visual appeal and clean lines.
For the purposes of this review, I tried the Carry On, made of merino felt with tan leather. To say the bag was well made was an understatement. And even though it was lightweight, flexible and easy to carry, it was tough. This is the perfect bag for the man in your life (or yourself if you happen to be the man in your life) who spends a lot of time travelling. The rectangular shape lends itself well to a laptop, business documents or magazines, and the inner pockets on opposing sides of the interior serve to hold smaller items like an MP3 player or various electronic accessories needed during travel. And on top of that, the bag just looks cool when you’re strolling through an airport or transit station.
The Graf + Lantz collection can be found at high-end boutiques and specialty stores nationwide, as well as major department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Barneys New York. Also, feel free to review the entire collection at www.graf-lantz.com
In 2012, more than half of the adult population wagered on the Super Bowl. From sports books to casual office pools, fans bet an estimated $10 billion on this single game. Rapper Birdman placed $5 million on a Patriot win and lost it all. Losses are inevitable in sports betting, but a few tips can make sure you win more often.
Sports analysts spend a lot of time studying the statistics and numbers throughout the season so that they can accurately predict the outcome of future games. The industry’s top experts rarely meet an accuracy rate of more than 50%. Even computer betting systems fall short of perfection. AccuScore, for instance, is the system that powers many prediction forecasts including ESPN, CBS Sports, and Yahoo Sports and it is one of the most accurate with a success rate of about 55%. Expert picks are great guidelines but you shouldn’t rely completely on an educated guess when you make your wagers.
#1: The Underdog May Come Out on Top
Analysts and handicappers examine player abilities, recent game trends, and similar facts to decide which team has the best odds of winning. Other factors, such as the team’s drive or new play developments, affects the outcome of the game as well. It’s not very likely that the lowest ranked team will beat the team in the number one spot, but with a good point spread, underdog bets have great potential.
#2: Parlay Cards Aren’t the Answer
A reputable Sports Book allows players to wager on sporting events, political campaigns, awards shows, and more. There are also a variety of betting options available for each event. Parlay cards are popular with many sports games because of their attractive payouts. With a parlay card, a better can wager on multiple games with a single bet. If all the selections win, the payout is rather impressive. If just one team loses their game, however, the player wins nothing.
#3: Several Bets Are Better than One
It is tempting to put your entire bankroll on a ‘sure thing’, but there are no definite wins in sports betting. The best way to make sure you walk away with a profit is to place several small bets and not one large one. Payouts on smaller bets are less, but the odds of winning continue to improve with each wager.
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a seasoned sports book player, wagering on your favorite events and matches is fun and exciting. If you pay attention to the secrets above, it can also be profitable.
We met Jabari Parker earlier this year when we were invited to cover the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards. As a junior, the talented young man was named the top high school basketball player in the country, and he was one of the most prized recruits heading into this season. I interviewed him as you can see above, and I jokingly tried to convince him to pick Ohio State, but it looks like he’ll be heading to Duke. Check out the entire interview, as he’s a fine young man. Duke fans will probably love him.
With websites like Reputation.com cropping up, many companies are looking at how they can monitor their online presence. Here are three things you can do:
The Problem: False and Negative Content
Empowered consumers can now go online and report every experience they have with you or your business. This is great if they had a good experience, but it can be very harmful if something went wrong and they were unhappy. Even a company with mostly positive reviews can be harmed by a bad review if it comes up first in Google search results. Not only are consumers reporting their experience, scam sites and your competition may be outright lying about your products and services in hopes of damaging your reputation. To combat this, people like author Michael Fertik (founder of Reputation.com) are offering advice and tools to monitor and control your online reputation.
1. Awareness: Knowing What’s Being Said
One of the biggest problems a company or professional may face is ignorance when something negative is going around about their product. That’s why something like Google’s Me on the Web tool is so beneficial. Mashable explains how you can set up this tool so that it sends you an email notification whenever someone mentions you or your company in a blog post, review, or status update. Many online reputation management companies will alert you of these mentions as well.
2. Acknowledgement: Responding to the Negative
One of the first things you can do when wanting to change your online image is to address any negative feedback currently online. If your company has a negative review, comment on that review as soon as possible. By responding quickly to negative feedback, you turn to conversation back to the positives of your company and how you want every client and customer to be happy. After reviewing and responding to negative feedback, take a long look at your company to recognize and address any shortcomings the feedback highlighted.
3. Action: Creating the Positive
Next, you need to create positive content that will push negative feedback and comments out of the top search results. ReadWrite reports that writing this type of positive content can reduce negative content from 80 percent of top search results down to 30 percent. Wondering what this content should say? Think about the image you want to have and what message you want people to read about you or your company. By creating quality content that is optimized, you can begin to put your message first when a person researches your company.
You don’t have to feel powerless when discovering a poor online reputation. By being aware of the problem and responding accordingly, you can take back the conversation and establish a good online reputation.
