Today is Hanging Out Day

time to save energy by using a clothesline.

Turnoff Week begins today, a time to turn off your electronics and enjoy the world and the people around you (with one notable exception – the radio).

The 101 number one song of the day, originally entitled “The Happy Song” was written by a man whose mother also wrote a number one tune. That never happened before – or since. Hoyt Axton set out to write a song for a children’s animated TV special which never got produced. Later he presented the song to a group he was touring with at the time as an opening act. They had mixed reactions. Some liked it, others didn’t, but they decided to record it anyway. Then it was Axton’s turn for mixed reactions…he didn’t particularly care for the results and was sure that it would not be a hit. As it turned out, it became the biggest hit for the entire year. Exactly 15 years earlier, his mother Mae’s song “Heartbreak Hotel” became Elvis’ first number one. Now it was the son’s turn and on April 19, 1971 it was at the top of Billboard’s Top 100 for Three Dog Night “Joy to the World.”

Now for some other stuff:

This comes as a surprise: Scientists say it’s a bad idea to stretch before exercising. They found our muscles contract after they’re stretched – and actually become tighter than when they were before you stretched. Then you’re more prone to muscle injuries. It reminds us of the great baseball pitcher Satchel Paige who said he rarely exercised because he didn’t want to “jangle things up.” He was a man ahead of his time.

Here’s a big problem around the house – The Center for Disease Control says 80,000 Americans are injured every year from tripping over the family pet. And it turns out dogs are the biggest problem, causing 7 ½ times as many injuries as cats. They say that’s because dogs are bigger and like to stay right at our feet. -That – and when you trip over the cat…the cat blames it on the dog.

A senior Iranian cleric has an answer for all the earthquakes that are taking place lately. It’s extramarital sex. He says dolled up women incite extramarital affairs – and that leads to earthquakes.

Ayatollah Kazem Sedighi made the claims to worshippers at a Tehran prayer service.

And finally, If you’re one of the 53% of Americans that pay federal taxes – you might enjoy this one. General Electric says they filled out over 7,000 tax returns in hundreds of global jurisdictions on their 10.8-billion dollar profit last year. But they didn’t pay Uncle Sam a penny. They made all their profits overseas…and recorded a $408-million dollar loss in the US. Yeah and if you claim your $200 gift to Goodwill, you’re the one getting audited!

Hey, it’s almost Tuesday!