Totally Useless information: "Found: The source of ... belly-button lint"

Vienna chemist says hairs around navel pull fibers, other matter in

—Rex W. Huppke

March 9, 2009

A chemist in Vienna has taken the term "navel gazing" to its logical extreme and guaranteed himself a curious epitaph: Unraveler of the mysteries of belly-button lint.

Georg Steinhauser discovered that there is a certain type of body hair responsible for directing lint into the navel. The researcher spent three years studying 503 pieces of schmutz from his own belly button, then published his conclusions in the journal Medical Hypotheses under the title, "The nature of navel fluff."

Among other gems, the article notes: "Accordingly, and to the author's personal experience, navel lint seems to be a phenomenon that affects primarily male adults."

Steinhauser found that hairs around the belly button have a scaly structure that pulls fibers from clothing and then directs those fibers—along with dead skin, fat, sweat and dust—into the belly button.

He wrote that scales on the hair act like "barbed hooks," catching a "melange of foreign materials" and coalescing them into easily removed clumps of lint. Thus, Steinhauser posits, men with abdomen hair likely have "cleaner and more hygienic belly buttons than those who do not"—provided, of course, they go to the trouble of actually removing the lint clumps.

For those who don't want to deal with the lint altogether, Steinhauser recommends a good belly shaving.

Soldiership

A couple of questions I was pondering the other day:

Is Soldiership too easy? Should we require people to have a job that they are responsible for? Should there be more personal sacrifice?

Does the picture of soldiership that our people demonstrate encourage people to want to be soldiers?

If it was more difficult to be a soldier would more people want to become one? Would they see high the level of commitment/sacrifice and be motivated to do the same or would they be scared off?

Should the process to become a soldier be more challenging?

100% Chance of Snow

Today I was looking forward to snow. I think it was the forecast that got my hopes up. On the Norfolk Daily News website it said, "Chance of snow, 100%".

After reading that in the morning, I began to get prepared. I made sure my snowblower was ready. I got my shovels in place and checked to see where my gloves were. Later in the morning I even canceled Teen-Night thinking that it would be too dangerous to drive.

The forecast was dead wrong. It was 100% wrong. We did not even get one snowflake. The closest thing to snow that I saw today was some dandruff that fell out of my son's hair.

That's the last time I trust the weather forecast. It played with my emotions all day and I was let down.

Interesting Day

Sundays are interesting days. I really never know what's going to happen or who I am going to talk to.

Today, after we had just started our service, a woman walks in who is obviously drunk and/or high. She then proceeds to give a word of encouragement after every part of the service. After my wife lead the praise time she said out loud, "Good job. I love those songs." After the scripture was read she said, "Carol, I liked the way you read that scripture." As I was asking for prayer requests she randomly said "Jesus is Lord".

I really didn't know how to respond to this woman. I asked my wife to talk to her outside of the chapel, but the woman refused to go. She said that she promised to be quiet.

She didn't keep that promise.

Although it was an awkward service, I'm glad this woman felt like the Salvation Army was a safe place to go in her condition. That's what I want our church to be. A place where anyone can come. No matter who you are or what you have done, you are welcome.

I took some time to pray and talk with this woman after the meeting. She has obviously gone through some traumatic times.

I can't think of a better place for her to be.

It really never ends

I had a good day at work yesterday. I went to a couple of meetings, worked on my sermon, and we had our youth programs.

At the end of the day and after dropping all of the kids off it was about 6:30PM. I was tired and was ready to go home, relax, and spend some time with my kids.

Then I realized I had forgotten something. Earlier that day one of the kids that I had dropped off told me that his mom was in the hospital. She had gotten her gall bladder removed and was still there recovering.

So I gave my kids and my wife a kiss and told them I would be back soon; I had to go visit someone.

On the way to the hospital I realized that as an officer there is really no time off. I can say I'm taking a day off or that I am done working for the day, but in reality I'm always available for work. There might be some down time when there is nothing going on, but I am always "on call".

If something happens to a member I need to be there. If there is something at the Corps that needs to get done, I have to get it done. If someone wakes me up in the middle of the night because of a family emergency I have to be ready to be a source of support and guidance.

Imagine if a Corps member called me to ask me a pressing question and I said, "Sorry I can't talk to you right now; it's my day off." Or, "Sorry, I can't talk because I have already clocked out for the day."

That just isn't right. My work never ends.

That's the way it should be.

Scattering Seeds

My wife preached yesterday and something stuck out to me from what she said. She explained that it is our job to scatter seed; that is, we have to do our best to proclaim the truth about Jesus.

Sometimes the seed will fall on deaf ears. Other times the seed will take root for a little while, but then it soon dies. Then there are those good times when the seed actually creates deep roots and eventually fruit is produced.

When we proclaim the truth about Jesus and spread that seed, we really never know what kind of ears it will fall on. Some people might listen, some might not. Some will welcome the good news and others will laugh in our face.

The main thing is that we need to continue explaining the truth regardless of the response of the hearers. One problem is that we may be reluctant to proclaim the truth because we are afraid of an unfavorable response.

That must not stop us.

Our job is to proclaim, the rest is up to them.

A cool couple of verses

These verses caught my eye as I was preparing for my sermon for next week:

Colossians 1:28-29 "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me."

I have read this chapter before, but it's amazing how sometimes things pop out. These 2 verses summarize what I want to do as an officer.

God strengthens me for his work even though at times I wonder how I will be able to do it all.