THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK: MOST UNUSUAL EXCUSES FOR BEING LATE TO WORK

Ngo Okafor photo shoot at Peak Performance

Early on in my career as a model and actor, I had a reputation for being late. Part of it was cultural (in African culture, extreme lateness is accepted), but most of it was just poor time management. I’m never late now though!!!! Getting ready for work may take a few minutes for some or a few hours for others. No matter how long it takes you to head out the door, there may be some days when it seems as though the clock’s against you. According to a new CareerBuilder study, 26 percent of workers admit to being tardy at least once a month, and 16 percent are late once a week or more.

“Employers understand that every now and again circumstances will arise that are out of a worker’s control and, unfortunately, cause a late arrival to work,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “It escalates to a problem when the behavior becomes repetitive, causing employers to take disciplinary action. More than one-third of hiring managers reported they had to fire someone for being late.”

Excuses, excuses
Hiring managers shared some of the most memorable excuses they’ve heard from employees who were late getting to the office. While 31 percent of workers pointed to traffic as the most common cause for tardiness, some answers were more memorable than a bad commute:

 

    • Employee dropped her purse into a coin-operated newspaper box and couldn’t retrieve it without change — which was in the purse.

 

    • Employee accidentally left the apartment with his roommate’s girlfriend’s shoes on and had to go back to change.

 

    • Employee’s angry wife had frozen his truck keys in a glass of water in the freezer.

 

    • Employee got a late start because she was putting a raincoat on her concrete duck in her front yard, because rain was expected later that day.

 

    • Employee’s car wouldn’t start because the device measuring blood-alcohol level showed he was intoxicated.

 

    • Employee attempted to cut his own hair before work and the clippers stopped working, so he had to wait until the barber shop opened to fix his hair.

 

    • Employee’s car was attacked by a bear. (Employee had photographic evidence.)

 

    • Employee drove to her previous employer by mistake.

 

    • Employee claimed to have delivered a stranger’s baby on the side of the highway.

Avoiding a late arrival

The key to being punctual and avoiding your employer’s frustration is to understand your schedule and be prepared. If you have free time in the evening, take advantage of the extra minutes and prepare your meals, clothes and bag or briefcase then. Likewise, if you need daylight to get moving, set the alarm for an earlier wake-up time to avoid rushing and running late. Also check how the weather may affect your commute, and leave ample time to get to the office. These small steps can get you to work on time and save you from trying to come up with a believable story.

Posted by Ngo Okafor

The most downloaded black male model photo gallery and blog

www.getingo.com

From Msn.com

RUNNING GETS YOU RIPPED! THE BEST RUNNING SHOE FOR YOUR FEET AND WHY

Ngo Running at Peak Performance

RUNNING GETS YOU RIPPED!!! Contrary to what many people may say, I am living proof that running burns the most calories, helps with weight loss and wll bget you lean. When boxers and wrestlers need to lose weight and get to their fighting weight, what do they do; THEY RUN!!! Running is tough and not everybody can do it. Before you embark on a running program, be sure to consult a physician.

Before you get out there and start running, you must make sure that you have the proper equipment. YOU MUST HAVE PROPER SHOES IN ORDER TO PREVENT INJURY!!! To figure out what type of running shoes you should buy, you first need to know that kind of feet you have. A knowledgeable salesperson at a running specialty store can help you find the right running shoe for your foot type, but you can also figure out what type of foot you have on your own. One way is to just look at your foot. A more accurate method is to examine your footprint by either running in the sand or on paper with wet feet.

There are three different types of feet:

Flat Feet

If you’re looking at your foot, you’ll know you have flat feet if you don’t see any arch. The bottom of your foot, from your toes to your heel, is completely flat. If you do the footprint test, your print will look like a foot-shaped blob. You won’t see an inward curve from your big toe to your heel.

Problem? If you’re flat-footed, you’re most likely an overpronator, which means that your feet roll inward when you run.

What to Buy: You will probably need a running shoe that maintains your stability. Look for the words “motion control” and “stability” on the box of running shoes you are considering. In addition to motion-control shoes, some flat-footed runners also need to wear orthotics (custom-made shoe inserts that correct foot issues).

High-arched Feet

You should be able to easily determine if you have high arches — you’ll notice a high and definite arch on your foot. If you do the footprint test, your print will curve inward, making the middle part of your foot look very skinny. When you push your hand against the bottom of your foot, your arch will stay rigid.

Problem? If you have high arches, you probably supinate or underpronate, which means your feet roll outwards as you run. It’s very important that runners with high arches periodically re-measure their feet because running will cause their arches to gradually fall, making their feet longer.

What to Buy: You need to look for flexible running shoes with a soft midsole that absorbs shock. When buying running shoes, look for options with the words “flexible” or “cushioned” included in their descriptions.

Neutral or Normal Feet

If you’ve examined your foot or your footprint and it doesn’t look flat-footed or high-arched, you most likely have a neutral or normal foot. Your footprint will have a noticeable curve inward, but not by more than 3/4 of an inch.

Problem? As long as you pick a running shoe that doesn’t counteract your foot type, you shouldn’t encounter any problems. This is the most common type of foot, and it’s also the least susceptible to injury provided it’s outfitted with proper footwear.

What to Buy: If you have normal feet, you can choose from a wide variety of running shoes, including ones made for neutral runners or those with slightly flat-footed or high-arched feet. Don’t pick running shoes that have a lot of stability or motion control.

By Ngo Okafor

The mos downloaded black male model photo gallery and blog

www.getingo.com

From About.com

WHY DO OLYMPIANS BITE THEIR MEDALS?

It’s a familiar pose by now: Fresh-faced Olympian grins while pretending to take a bite from the hard-won gold medal hanging around his neck.

But why do athletes feign chomping on their prized medallions, anyway?

Most likely to satisfy the pose-hungry media, says David Wallechinsky, president of the International Society of Olympic Historians. There are only so many things to do with a medal, and the excited champions are usually appeasing requests from the gallery of Olympic photographers when they bite down on their booty.

“It’s become an obsession with the photographers,” says Wallechinsky, co-author of ”The Complete Book of the Olympics.” ”I think they look at it as an iconic shot, as something that you can probably sell. I don’t think it’s something the athletes would probably do on their own.”

He’s seeing the practice more this year than ever before, especially among swimmers — though he has no idea why.

Photogs have caught star gymnast Gabby Douglas, track champ Sanya Richards-Ross and swimmer Ryan Lochtegiving their medals some tooth. Lochte’s shots sometimes feature the added bonus of a jewel-encrusted “grill.”

It’s not just an Olympic phenomenon, though. Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal famously gnaws his trophieswhen he wins.

Historically, the practice of biting into metal seems to have its roots in money counterfeiting. Money handlers would bite down on coins to test their authenticity, said David W. Lange of Numismatic Guaranty Corporation. Gold is a relatively soft medal and would show wear when distressed.

They nailed it! Fans pay artistic tribute to Olympics

Since coins have not contained precious metals for about the past 50 years, it would be silly to try munching on them nowadays.

So how much of an Olympic gold medal is actually gold? It varies by the Games.

This year, the gold medal consists of 1.34%, or about 6 grams, of gold. The remainder is 93% silver and 6% copper.

The amount of gold used to make a medal shrunk after each of the two World Wars, according to Olympic medal collector and expert Jim Greensfelder. Gold medals were made of solid gold at three Olympics — in 1904, 1908 and 1912 — but the medals themselves were smaller.

10 JOBS THAT ARE MAKING US ALL FAT!!!

I knew it!! I knew that it was our bosses and our jobs that are making us put on those extra pounds. Here’s to sticking to it to the man for making gain weight and putting our lives at risk of diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and early heart disease.

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Noticed a few extra pounds around your middle since entering the work force? Everyone warned you about the “freshman fifteen” when you went off to college, but did anyone mention the “work force twenty” when you landed your first gig?

Maybe that’s because not all jobs are created equal: Some positions are more prone to weight gain than others. The folks over at CareerBuilder have the top 10 troublesome positions for keeping fit:

1.       Travel agent

2.       Attorney/Judge

3.       Social worker

4.       Teacher

5.       Artist/designer/architect

6.       Administrative assistant

7.       Physician

8.       Protective services (police, firefighter)

9.       Marketing/public relations professional

10.     Information technology professional

Why did these particular jobs make the list? According to a new study by Harris Interactive, high levels of stress and lack of movement throughout the work day are the main culprits. The study found that 44% of surveyed workers have gained weight at their jobs. More than half of them blamed the weight gain on sitting at their desk all day — even eating lunch at their desks. (How is online editor not on this list???)

Not surprisingly, the study found that habits like eating because of stress, regularly getting take-out, skipping meals because of deadlines, and office treats also contributed to work-related weight gain.

But check out these stats: As many as 10% of workers eat their lunch out of a vending machine. And 71% said they snack during the workday.

Unfortunately, you can’t fully fault on your job. “More and more companies are implementing healthy living initiatives in the workplace,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “But only 10% of workers say they take advantage of the benefits.”

Want to start shedding those free-workplace-donut-induced pounds? Haefner recommends taking more steps throughout the day (get away from behind that desk!), packing your lunch, and drinking more water.

Have you gained weight after starting a job? How do you plan on getting in shape this summer?

From HLN.com

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Ngo Okafor

The most downloaded black male model

Nigerian American black male model photo gallery and blog

www.getingo.com

KEVIN COSTNER AND STEPHEN BALDWIN GET READY TO FIGHT

When I first saw the caption that mentioned a fight between hollywood heavyweight Kevin Kostner, and Stephen Baldwin, I thought that they were going to engage in a fist fight. Why, I wondered, but I quickly found out that Stephen Balswin claims that he got hustled. It’s about to get serious.

Read more…

(CNN) — Lawyers for Kevin Costner and Stephen Baldwin began choosing jurors Monday to decide a legal dispute between the two actors stemming from the 2010 Gulf oil spill.

Baldwin and a New Orleans businessman say Costner and others tricked them into selling their stock in a company that made oil spill cleanup machines the same week BP placed a $52 million order for the technology.

The judge has ordered both actors to attend each day of the trial, which is being heard in a federal court in New Orleans.

The oil separation technology was developed in the 1990s by a company created by Costner, but Baldwin became involved while in New Orleans to produce a documentary about the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico in May 2010.

Baldwin and Spyridon Contogouris decided to sell their stock soon after getting it because of differences with other shareholders, according to the lawsuit. They signed an agreement to sell their shares to Patrick Smith, who then transferred them to a company partly owned by Costner, on June 11, 2010.

BP announced on June 15, 2010, it would lease 32 machines from the company.

If Smith and Costner had told them BP was placing a huge order, they would not have sold, the suit said. The 10% of the company that Baldwin sold for $500,000 should have been worth $3.8 million, while the 28% stake sold by Contogouris for $1.4 million was worth $10.6 million, the suit said.

Lawyers for Costner and Smith contend Baldwin and Contogouris sold their stock “with eyes wide open, to get out of a soured business relationship and to invest in other ventures.”

They knew that BP might place the order, a defense filing said. It was widely reported in the news and Costner testified about it to Congress two days before the stock sale.

Contrary to trying to trick Baldwin into selling his shares, Costner was “dumbfounded,” “flabbergasted” and “furious” when he learned Baldwin and Contogouris had sold out “because it enabled plaintiffs to cash out their interests” before the company had earned any money, the defense filing said.

Costner and Baldwin are both on the list of witnesses expected to testify.

THIS IS WHY YOU’RE NOT MARRIED!

I put in several hours of research each day, to find interesting, informative topics to share with you. I found this really great article on Huffington Post written by Tracy McMillan.

DISCLAIMER!!!!!

This post might offend some people, but remember that it was written by a woman, not me.

Read More:

You want to get married.  It’s taken a while to admit it.  Saying it out loud — even in your mind — feels kind of desperate, kind of unfeminist, kind of definitely not you, or at least not any you that you recognize.  Because you’re hardly like those girls on TLC saying yes to the dress and you would never compete for a man like those poor actress-wannabes on The Bachelor.

You’ve never dreamt of an aqua-blue ring box.

Then, something happened.  Another birthday, maybe.  A breakup.  Your brother’s wedding.  His wife-elect asked you to be a bridesmaid, and suddenly there you were, wondering how in hell you came to be 36-years-old, walking down the aisle wearing something halfway decent from J. Crew that you could totally repurpose with a cute pair of boots and a jean jacket.  You started to hate the bride — she was so effing happy — and for the first time ever you began to have feelings about the fact that you’re not married.  You never really cared that much before.  But suddenly (it was so sudden) you found yourself wondering… Deep, deep breath… Why you’re not married.

Well, I know why.

How?  It basically comes down to this:  I’ve been married three times.  Yes, three.  To a very nice MBA at 19; a very nice minister’s son at 32 (and pregnant); and at 40, to a very nice liar and cheater who was just like my dad, if my dad had gone to Harvard instead of doing multiple stints in federal prison.

I was, for some reason, born knowing how to get married.  Growing up in foster care is a big part of it.  The need for security made me look for very specific traits in the men I dated — traits it turns out lead to marriage a surprisingly high percentage of the time.  Without really trying to, I’ve become a sort of jailhouse lawyer of relationships — someone who’s had to do so much work on her own case that I can now help you with yours.

But I won’t lie.  The problem is not men, it’s you.  Sure, there are lame men out there, but they’re not really standing in your way.  Because the fact is — if whatever you’re doing right now was going to get you married, you’d already have a ring on.   So without further ado, let’s look at the top six reasons why you’re not married.

1.  You’re a Bitch.       Here’s what I mean by bitch.  I mean you’re angry.  You probably don’t think you’re angry.  You think you’re super smart, or if you’ve been to a lot of therapy, that you’re setting boundaries.  But the truth is you’re pissed.  At your mom.  At the military-industrial complex.  At Sarah Palin.  And it’s scaring men off.

The deal is:  most men just want to marry someone who is nice to them.   I am the mother of a 13-year-old boy, which is like living with the single-cell protozoa version of a husband.  Here’s what my son wants out of life:  macaroni and cheese, a video game, and Kim Kardashian.  Have you ever seen Kim Kardashian angry?  I didn’t think so.  You’ve seen Kim Kardashian smile, wiggle, and make a sex tape.  Female anger terrifies men.  I know it seems unfair that you have to work around a man’s fear and insecurity in order to get married — but actually, it’s perfect, since working around a man’s fear and insecurity is big part of what you’ll be doing as a wife.      2.  You’re Shallow.      When it comes to choosing a husband, only one thing really, truly matters:  character.  So it stands to reason that a man’s character should be at the top of the list of things you are looking for, right?  But if you’re not married, I already know it isn’t.  Because if you were looking for a man of character, you would have found one by now.  Men of character are, by definition, willing to commit.

Instead, you are looking for someone tall.  Or rich.  Or someone who knows what an Eames chair is.  Unfortunately, this is not the thinking of a wife.  This is the thinking of a teenaged girl.  And men of character do not want to marry teenaged girls.  Because teenage girls are never happy.  And they never feel like cooking, either.      3. You’re a Slut.       Hooking up with some guy in a hot tub on a rooftop is fine for the ladies of Jersey Shore — but they’re not trying to get married.  You are.  Which means, unfortunately, that if you’re having sex outside committed relationships, you will have to stop.  Why?  Because past a certain age, casual sex is like recreational heroin — it doesn’t stay recreational for long.

That’s due in part to this thing called oxytocin — a bonding hormone that is released when a woman a) nurses her baby and b) has an orgasm — that will totally mess up your casual-sex game.  It’s why you can be f**k-buddying with some dude who isn’t even all that great and the next thing you know, you’re totally strung out on him.  And you have no idea how it happened.  Oxytocin, that’s how it happened.  And since nature can’t discriminate between marriage material and Charlie Sheen, you’re going to have to start being way more selective than you are right now.

4.  You’re a Liar.       It usually goes something like this:  you meet a guy who is cute and likes you, but he’s not really available for a relationship.  He has some condition that absolutely precludes his availability, like he’s married, or he gets around town on a skateboard.  Or maybe he just comes right out and says something cryptic and open to interpretation like, “I’m not really available for a relationship right now.”

You know if you tell him the truth — that you’re ready for marriage — he will stop calling.  Usually that day.  And you don’t want that.  So you just tell him how perfect this is because you only want to have sex for fun!  You love having fun sex!  And you don’t want to get in a relationship at all!  You swear!

About ten minutes later, the oxytocin kicks in.  You start wanting more.  But you don’t tell him that.  That’s your secret — just between you and 22,000 of your closest girlfriends.  Instead, you hang around, having sex with him, waiting for him to figure out that he can’t live without you.  I have news:  he will never “figure” this out.  He already knows he can live without you just fine.  And so do you.  Or you wouldn’t be lying to him in the first place.

   5. You’re Selfish.      If you’re not married, chances are you think a lot about you.  You think about your thighs, your outfits, your naso-labial folds.  You think about your career, or if you don’t have one, you think about doing yoga teacher training.  Sometimes you think about how marrying a wealthy guy — or at least a guy with a really, really good job — would solve all your problems.
Howevs, a good wife, even a halfway decent one, does not spend most of her day thinking about herself.  She has too much s**t to do, especially after having kids.  This is why you see a lot of celebrity women getting husbands after they adopt.  The kids put the woman on notice: Bitch, hello!  It’s not all about you anymore! After a year or two of thinking about someone other than herself, suddenly, Brad Pitt or Harrison Ford comes along and decides to significantly other her.  Which is also to say — if what you really want is a baby, go get you one.   Your husband will be along shortly.  Motherhood has a way of weeding out the lotharios.

     6. You’re Not Good Enough.      Oh, I don’t think that.  You do.  I can tell because you’re not looking for a partner who is your equal.  No, you want someone better than you are:  better looking, better family, better job.

Here is what you need to know: You are enough right this minute.  Period.  Not understanding this is a major obstacle to getting married, since women who don’t know their own worth make terrible wives.  Why?  You can fake it for a while, but ultimately you won’t love your spouse any better than you love yourself.  Smart men know this.

I see this at my son’s artsy, progressive school.  Of 183 kids, maybe six have moms who are as cute as you’re trying to be.  They’re attractive, sure.  They’re just not objects. Their husbands (wisely) chose them for their character, not their cup size.
Alright, so that’s the bad news.  The good news is that I believe every woman who wants to can find a great partner.  You’re just going to need to get rid of the idea that marriage will make you happy.  It won’t.  Once the initial high wears off, you’ll just be you, except with twice as much laundry.

Because ultimately, marriage is not about getting something — it’s about giving it.  Strangely, men understand this more than we do.  Probably because for them marriage involves sacrificing their most treasured possession — a free-agent penis — and for us, it’s the culmination of a princess fantasy so universal, it built Disneyland.

The bottom line is that marriage is just a long-term opportunity to practice loving someone even when they don’t deserve it.  Because most of the time, your messy, farting, macaroni-and-cheese eating man will not be doing what you want him to.  But as you give him love anyway — because you have made up your mind to transform yourself into a person who is practicing being kind, deep, virtuous, truthful, giving, and most of all, accepting of your own dear self — you will find that you will experience the very thing you wanted all along:

Love.

Tracy McMillan is a TV writer whose credits include Mad Men and The United States of Tara. Her memoir I Love You and I’m Leaving You Anyway is now available in paperback from Harper Collins/It Books. She lives in Los Angeles with her 13-year-old son.