Yawn! A Primer of the Lazy Lifestyles of Some Humans

Before we explore the burning questions about who was - and is - the laziest person on the planet I want to say up front, it isn't me, regardless of what my wife says.

Let's warm up with some historically idle contestants starting with an Englishman named Jeemiah Crlton, an heir to a large fortune at 19 years old.

In his exceedingly short bio, it says that he took to his bed and stayed there for the next 70 years, just because he wanted to. He had more than 40 servants who took care of all his needs and bathed him until he died at 89.

Then we have the case of the 19th century prime minister Lord Melbourne as a candidate for the laziest man in history. Somehow, history fails to explain how he became the Prime Minister by accident and then slept his way through seven years of British history. In his long life he proudly failed to do pretty much anything.

Now that we have had a little history of lethargic legends let's take a look at current sluggish candidates and information on how to join Montenegro's Laziest Citizen contest. 

The Guinness World Book of Records doesn't keep track of records for laziness because it's not possible to objectively measure this quality.

However, you can still see a new annual slothfulness record set at the annual Lazy Citizen Competition in the Montenegrin village of Brezna in August. 

The lack of action centers on contestants remaining in bed in hope of winning a 1,000-euro prize for the one who remains horizontal for the longest time.

While some people may appear "naturally lazy" there's no credible evidence to suggest that anyone is inherently born lazy; instead, differences in motivation and energy levels, along with environmental factors, likely contribute to varying levels of effort people put into tasks, making it seem like some are naturally inclined towards laziness.

Top 5 Countries with the most sedentary lifestyles

(according to a Stanford University Study)

1. Indonesia tops the chart of most inactive countries with the lowest average daily steps, clocking in just 3,513 average steps per day.

2. Saudi Arabia is on the list with 3,807 average steps per day.

3. Malaysia comes in third with 3,963 steps because of urbanization and their preference for motorized transport is the key reason behind this trend.

4. The Philippines marks 4,008 steps per day.

5. South Africa ranks 5th with an average of 4,105 daily steps.

As it Stands, I'm giving Bernard Williams the last word on laziness; "I like the word indolence. It makes my laziness seem classy."

Three Cheers for Cheerleaders!

I lusted after cheerleaders in high school like millions of other "hormone raging" young men back in the 1960s.

 I even dated a cheerleader/song leader off and on during my junior and senior years. There's just something magic about cheerleaders I can't fully define - beyond the obvious lust factor. Their cheerful faces and exuberant personalities make them stars in any setting. 

But it wasn't until after I got out of the Army in 1971 that I got a cheerleader for life on August 31st, 1974. 

I married Shirley Ann Holloway (photo right) who just happened to be a cheerleader at Buena Park high school in Orange County, California. She's been my biggest booster ever since.

Cheerleading runs in the family as our granddaughter Carissa is a cheerleader (has been since she was a freshman) and is getting ready to graduate this June. Her cheerleading squad came in 2nd Place in the Oregon Cheerleading State Finals, recently, an achievement that hasn't happened since 1994 at her high school. 

Did you know that cheerleading originated as an all-male activity in the United States? 

As early as 1877, Princeton University had a "Princeton Cheer" according to The Daily Princetonian. The very first cheerleader was University of Minnesota student Johnny Campbell (photo left) in1898. 

Campbell directed the crowd with this cheer, "Rah, Rah, Rah, Ski-u-mah, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!"  

Women didn't get in on the fun until 1923, when the University of Minnesota allowed women to participate in cheerleading. It took other schools' years before they gave women the green light to be cheerleaders. 

Author Kieran Scott wrote in his book Ultimate Cheerleading: "Girls really took over {cheerleading} for the first time in the forties when collegiate men were drafted for World War II, creating an opportunity for more women to make their way onto sporting event sidelines." 

The first cheerleading camp was created by Lawrence Herkimer, a former cheerleader at Southern Methodist University and inventor of the Herkie jump, in 1951. 

It was held in Huntsville, Texas and there were 52 girls in attendance. It was so popular Herkimer was asked to hold a second, where 350 young women were in attendance. Oh yeah! Herkimer also patented the pop-pom.

Herkimer also created the National Cheerleading Association to help grow the activity and provide cheerleading education to schools around the country in 1951 around the time professional cheerleading began.

Today professional cheerleaders and dancers cheer for sports such as Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Hockey. There are only a handful of professional cheerleading leagues around the world. 

As it Stands, "a good cheerleader is not measured by the height of her jump but by the span of her spirit." - Anonymous