The Wordsmith Blog™

Remember when Sergio Ramos dropped the Coppa del Rey while celebrating Real Madrid's victory in the Spanish cup? And how the bus then drove over the trophy? Well, Germany have managed something even more embarrassing. Yes, Die Nationalmannschaft have managed to take a piece out of the World Cup. When Germany returned home with the trophy, wild celebrations ensued in Berlin, complete with a dramatic unveiling of Philipp Lahm holding the prize aloft. But somewhere amidst all the jumping, frolicking and merriment-making, the Cup sustained a bit of damage. In fact, a small piece of it is now missing, as the German Football Federation president president Wolfgang Niersbach revealed. "At one point, a small piece of our World Cup trophy was chipped off," Niersbach told Die Welt. "But do not worry! We have specialists on the case who can fix it. We have investigated persistently who it was that damaged the trophy, but the investigation was concluded without a result

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has approved 10 days paternity leave for any male civil servant in the state whose wife delivers a new baby. The measure is to afford them the opportunity of attending to developmental needs of the child. Fashola also jerked up the maternity leave from three months to six, to allow the nursing mother give their child exclusive breastfeeding for the period. Head of Service, HOS, Mrs. Oluseyi William, who disclosed this yesterday, at a joint briefing with the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lateef Ibirogba and Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina, in Ikeja, said the new approved policy took immediate effect. According to Williams, "male officers to whom a new baby (or babies in case of multiple birth) is born would be entitled to 10 working days paternity leave in relation to and at the time of his spouse's first two deliveries. "Female officers shall be entitled to 24 week

ETIQUETTE ESSENTIALS: Do's and Don'ts of Workplace Etiquette Keep the work flowing smoothly with these tips for office etiquette. I hope you are off/set for the closing phases of July? Its been a cold rainy month. Here are a few basic etiquette pointers to keep things cool and copasetic in the workplace. 1) Do respect your coworker's space. Offices, even if they are cubicles or open desks, should be respected as belonging to the 'owner.' Knock on the cubicle door or otherwise announce yourself and refrain from leaning on someone else's desk. 2) Don't default 'reply all'. Keep 'reply all's' to a minimum and only when the whole group is interested in your answer. When sending a group email where replies only need to be directed to you, consider BCC. Instead, be a good email-er and preface subject lines with FYI: or Response needed: (just keep URGENT: for the most important situations- or try a phone call!) 3) Do make work-friends. Some of

Nigerians(To Whom It May Concern) can now start getting prepared for a change of particulars as regards their states of origin. Following the proposition submitted and accepted by delegates at the National Conference, 19 new states are to be created out of the existing 36. Details of the 19 new states proposed by the ongoing National Conference t be created in addition to the 36 already in existence have been identified. This was contained in the documents obtained Saturday. For the proposed Edu State, which will be created out of the present Niger State, it will be made up of Agagie, Bida North, Edati, Agbakoba, Katcha, Lapai, Labun and Mokwa Local Governments with its capital in Bida. Apa State will be carved out of the present Benue State and made up of Agatu, Apa, Otukpo, Oju, Obi, Obi, Ohimini, Okpokwu and Ofbadigbo Local Government Areas with capital in Otukpo. If Kainji State is created, it will be created from the present Kebbi and Niger states and it will be made up of Danko/W

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is INGESTED by an organism and ASSIMILATED by the organism's cells in an effort to PRODUCE ENERGY, MAINTAIN LIFE, or STIMULATE GROWTH. While, a recipe is a set of instructions that describes how to prepare/achieve or make something. WELCOME TO THE TABLE. Let's have life as a meal! I did not set out writing this piece with any intent to stir up your culinary skills or condemn in any case for those who lack one. But instead, my desire was to put across to you a basic life message in simple palpable terms. Highlighted(In block letters) are words I would want you to take cognizance of. This Recipe Of Life has got ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS,i.e Something to help you face different challenges as you encounter them in your journey. You really will have to INGEST

The following are some secret codes on the blackberry mobile phones. 1. * # 06 # code works knows number IMEI mobile phones. not only works for blackberry devices only. Code applies universal GSM particularly on mobile devices. IMEI itself is a series of 15 unique code that serves as a mobile identity. This code is useful when you want to match the IMEI mobile phone with BOX 2. Alt + NMLL  (no need to type in capital letters / holding the shift key) button is used to change the appearance of the graphics signal indicator rod (bar graph) to display a large number of decibels. As for the blackberry devices with SureType input method such as pearl (8100, 8110, 8120, 8130, 9100) and pearl filp (8220.8230). All you have to do is hold down the Alt key and type NNMLL (additional letters N required for sharing the letter with the letter B). To restore it you can simply enter the code again  3.Alt + Shift + H This code serves to bring up the help screen. This display contains a lot of important

"How Did It Get So Late So Soon?" The question left on the lips of the one who has just been announced late. Some things we want done , but we sadly leave undone for reasons not far fetched; Fear & Fright, Procrastination & Carelessness, Ignorance & Shallow mindedness. But amongst all these, one combination stands tall i.e ; HESITATION + LACK OF COURAGE ---------------------TOO LATE------------------------ A time comes when we're screwed NOT FOR WHAT WE SAID, BUT FOR WHAT WE DIDN'T SAY. And we face the ugly music, NOT FOR WHAT WE DID, BUT FOR WHAT WE FAILED TO DO. A time comes when we're judged NOT FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE, BUT FOR WHAT WE DID NOT BELIEVE. And we're stranded, NOT FOR JOURNEYS WE MADE, BUT FOR JOURNEYS WE FAILED TO MAKE. A time comes when we're disgraced NOT BY THE PEOPLE WE MEET, BUT FOR PEOPLE WE REFUSED TO MEET. And we're sorry, NOT FOR THE RISKS WE TOOK, BUT FOR THE RISKS WE DIDN'T TAKE. A time comes when we'

Lack of sleep isn't the only thing sapping your energy. Little things you do (and don't do) can exhaust you both mentally and physically, which can make getting through your day a chore. Here, experts reveal common bad habits that can make you feel tired, plus simple lifestyle tweaks that will put the pep back in your step. You skip exercise when you're tired Skipping your workout to save energy actually works against you. In a University of Georgia study, sedentary but otherwise healthy adults who began exercising lightly three days a week for as little as 20 minutes at a time reported feeling less fatigued and more energized after six weeks. Regular exercise boosts strength and endurance, helps make your cardiovascular system run more efficiently, and delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. So next time you're tempted to crash on the couch, at least go for a brisk walkyou won't regret it. You don't drink enough water Being even slightly dehydratedas lit

Toilets - we all use them but seldom like to talk about them. The flushing toilet was invented by Sir John Harrington in 1596 for Queen Elizabeth I. He was originally barred from the Royal Court for spreading smutty stories, but after his invention, he was allowed back. Having whet your appetite for fascinating toilet facts, let us look at 15 more. 1. The film 'Psycho' was the first movie to show a toilet flushing - the scene caused an inpouring of complaints about indecency 2. Pomegranates studded with cloves were used as the first attempt at making toilet air-freshner 3. Hermann Goering refused to use regulation toilet paper - instead he bought soft white handkerchiefs in bulk and used them 4. Over $100,000 US dollars was spent on a study to determine whether most people put their toilet paper on the holder with the flap in front or behind; the answer: three out of four people have the flap in the front 5. King George II of Great Britain died falling off a toilet on the 25th

Dentists brainstorm in Lagos THE health hazard inherent in the use of toothpicks or other sharp objects on the teeth may be more severe than most Nigerians thought. Besides there link to most oral discomforts, they are potential recipe for grave diseases like mouth cancer, dentists have warned. The dentists, under the aegis of the Nigerian Dental Association said this at a briefing to herald their biennial general meeting, currently holding in Lagos. Theme of the conference is: 'Nigeria at 100 years: The dentistry perspective.' Scheduled for discussion at the scientific conference are challenges like low oral health awareness and a huge need for oral health care among the populace; misconceptions and absence of coordinated system for collective oral health date in the country. Others are inadequate manpower to meet the oral health needs and inadequate distribution of available oral health facilities. Member of the association, Dr Evelyn Eshikena observed that several of the den

1. You know the relationship has no long-term potential. After dating for a while, if you realize that the relationship will eventually run its course, ending it is likely the best thing for both of you. You want to find someone who will be in it for the long haul. 2. The relationship has run its course. Maybe you didn't get out early enough. Get out now. When the relationship feels over, let it be over. Don't cling to it just because you've wasted so much time on it already. 3. You've been hurt physically or emotionally. Some damage can't be undone. Staying in an abusive relationship will only deepen those wounds with time, it won't heal them. Seek professional help if you're not sure how to leave. 4. You've been cheated on, or you've cheated. Rarely can dating relationships rebound from infidelity. Let him/her go. 5. Someone else is on your mind. Do. Not. Cheat. If you're constantly wishing your significant other was someone else or that you co

I trust you have heard the phrase , "Have a great week!" Times innumerable. Though having a great week, or not, rely to a great extent on the wings of fate, of course no one know exactly what lies ahead the next minute. Shall we for this reason live on carelessly and unplanned? An emphatic "NO", I submit should be the answer. Staying positive, and assuming that you can orchestrate a great week, I'll submit the following as steps or technique you should follow in order to have one. One good part of these guidelines is that they help you achieve your set goals too. To achieve/have a 'Great Week', time management must be kept at opium. Time management and goal setting are tough for most or us, mainly because it takes discipline, accountability, and it's not fun. Enjoying your week's journey while keeping your eye on what you want most out of life if key in this . A beautiful part of this guidelines is; It's practical, simple, flexible, an

Many did not notice, but some did, Cameron Laws and Me likewise. The opening ceremony organizers displayed the wrong flag while announcing Nigeria on Thursday. Instead of Nigeria's flag, it projected an image of Niger's flag onto the globe at midfield during the ceremony. Twitter user, Cameron Laws, pointed out the blunder. Nigeria's flag features three vertical stripes, with a white stripe sandwiched between two green stripes. The country's crest is in the middle of the white stripe. Niger's flag features three horizontal stripes. The top stripe is orange, sitting above a white stripe and a green stripe. There is an orange circle in the middle of the white stripe. The neighboring African nations share a 450-mile border and maintain friendly relations. Nigeria is currently ranked No. 44 in FIFA rankings. Niger is ranked No. 112 and did not qualify for the World Cup. This is not the first time the wrong flag has been displayed during a major sportin