Wedding season is off to a red-hot start. I'm writing this from Valencia, Spain (where it's literally red-hot, and also gorgeous) and I'll be back on the nuptial train next weekend in upstate New York.

It's unclear how anyone affords 8-10 weddings in one season, both from a time and money standpoint, but tens of thousands of 25-35 years olds will be giving it a go this summer - myself included.

As always, please forward IQNEWS to a friend if you're a fan!

You may want to sit down for this one. On second thought, maybe stand.

New research has confirmed just how bad sitting for multiple hours at a time can be (an activity as common as breathing in today's digital age).

The study, which tracked more than 100,000 adults from 21 countries over 10+ years, found that more time spent sitting during the day was tied to serious health risks. Those who regularly sat for eight or more hours a day were found to have a ~20% higher risk of heart disease or dying from any cause, compared to those who only sat for four hours. Prolonged sitters were also ~50% more likely to develop heart failure.

Some factors to consider...

• The one-two punch. A combo of prolonged sitting + lack of physical activity was found to be particularly harmful - nearly as bad as smoking.
• Lace up your tennies. Getting in more exercise when not sitting offset the risks of prolonged sitting.
• Or just...sit less. Those who sat the least had the lowest risk of early death and heart disease.

Want to let your cat get some fresh air on your deck, but don’t want to risk them escaping through the railings? You could build a "catio," but there’s an easier solution...

All you need is a cat harness and a large wooden cooking spoon.

To begin, put a cat harness (Google is your friend here) on your fur baby. Next, thread a wooden spoon through the tubular opening on the top of the harness so that the spoon runs horizontally to your cat. Make sure the spoon is nice and tight so it won’t come loose.

When (not if) your cat tries to squeeze through the deck slats, the spoon will block them from doing so.

Here's a video that shows this cat control hack in action!

1. Being in the sun for only two hours makes you realize how resilient plants are.
2. We really don’t appreciate the fact that email is free.
3. Dogs would love it if dog food makers put a toy in the kibble bag like kids’ cereal.
4. We all likely have a talent for something we haven’t tried yet.
5. Most of the people that have slipped on banana peels were probably testing to see if you could actually slip on a banana peel.

Booker T. Washington “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”

Today I learned that in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt gave an eighty-four-minute campaign speech with an undressed bullet wound in his chest. (more here)

reverie [ reh-ver-ee ] - noun
a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream
A knock on the door broke her reverie.

Q: What is the national animal of Scotland?
A: (see below next section)