I’ll start this off with…
How likely is the average person to shake hands with an a-list celeb in their lifetime (in your opinion).
And have you ever done so? (If so, with whom?)
You can ask one yourself after you give an answer to mine.
Hmm, I’d say it depends on where the average person lives. I know that a friend of mine in LA has gotten the chance to shake hands with a few movie star type folks, while over here in Georgia I’ve never had that kind of chance. Phil Mickelson did say hello to me once, though.
How likely is the average person to go skydiving? Have you ever?
I’d say the vast majority of people will live their entire lives without shaking hands with a celebrity.
I’ve shaken hands with Bill Clinton, Stephen Sondheim and Kitty Carlisle. I’ve spoken with Barbra Streisand, but didn’t shake her hand. And I’ve had sex with an extremely well-known *Jeopardy! *champion, and we shook just about everything except hands.
How likely is it for the average person to view a total solar eclipse? And have you ever? (I have, several times).
panache45, you probably think this song is about you. 
I guess it depends on your A list. When i was a little girl, I shook hands with Ike. When I was 17 I shook Bobby Kennedy’s hand. When I was 15, I hugged a woman who at 99 years old, made Thanksgiving dinner on a wood burning stove. Her 101 year old husband raised the turkey, and the corn. He plowed the fields with a mule. They were on my A list.
On the other hand, I met Tom Robbins at a cocktail party, but he’s not A list as far as I can tell. I’ve met a number of Hollywood types, but none of them impressed me much. Not A list material to me, but maybe to you, or to someone else.
Depends on who you consider an a-list celebrity. I’ve met and shaken hands with a number of people big in 90s alternative music (Courtney Love, Trent Reznor, Beck, etc.). A-list if you like the music, b-list (or lower) otherwise.
The person I’m most proud of having met, however, was Shari Lewis. With Lambchop. I didn’t shake Ms. Lewis’s hand, but Lambchop did give me a “kiss” on my cheek after insulting me.
Whether this develops as a “whose hand have you shaken” or a sort of a game, I don’t think it’s an IMHO thread.
Moved from IMHO to MPSIMS.
I have met, shaken hands with (in order of my rather faulty memory) _Dalhi Lama, David Bowie, Ringo Star, George Burns, Peirre Truedeau, and tons of other “celebs” …
I used to work for a newspaper (Edmonton Sun)… and when a celebrity was too “hot” to interview in public they would come to the newspaper offices. It was easier/more convienient/ allowed them more control of the interview if it was not done in public. As a staff member, I got to meet and greet them.
You may all bow now…
Grins
FML
Considering that total solar eclipses only occur once about every 370 years at any given point (cite), I’d say it’s less than a 50% chance that any given person has done so. I’ve done it once in my 30-odd years of life.
How likely is it for the average person spend time in jail or prison at some point in their life? And have you ever?
My WAG would be about 10% of the population to have spent time in a correctional institution. I spent 3 days in jail when I was younger and not as bright.
How likely is it for the average person to fire a handgun in self-defense? Have you ever?
SSG Schwartz
I’d say well under 1% - maybe 1/10 of 1%, even counting soldiers into the equation. And no, I have not.
I’d like to see a few other people try this one, so I’m not changing the question.
For Lobsang, I think that without a strict definition of ‘A’ list celeb, you’re going to get a lot of positives. People go to conventions, people go to rallies, and they are there for celebs that they find completely compelling. I’d say most people will meet and shake hands with someone from their personal ‘A’ list at some point in their lives.
I know I have - Jacques Cousteau.
For SSG Schwatz’ question. I’ll put the number higher than you do - say 1-2%. A LOT of domestic cases don’t get reported, after all. But, no I’ve never had to use a firearms for any purpose other than re-enactment.
**
How likely is the average person to shake hands with an a-list celeb in their lifetime (in your opinion).
And have you ever done so? (If so, with whom?)
You can ask one yourself after you give an answer to mine.**
IMHO not very likely to shake hands. I live in California and have spotted a lot of celebrities and the A list changes constantly. Shake hands? Willie Nelson, country music icon and The Celebrity now that The Man in Black is gone.
How likely is the average person to deliver a baby on their own ( just you and mom until baby made three…oh, and mom is a perfect stranger to you )?
See, my thought is that probably barely 1% of the world population even owns a handgun.
OneCentStamp brings up a good point. If we’re talking about the entire world, the odds go waaay down for a lot of things (and perhaps way up for others). I’ll base my answers on “how likely is the average person living in a developed, westernized nation…”
How likely is the average person to shake hands with an a-list celeb in their lifetime.
Depends how strict the A-list is. I’d say 5%.
I’ve shaken hands with a few celebs, but probably not international A-listers.
How likely is the average person to go skydiving?
If they want to skydive, probably 75%.
If they don’t, 0.001%
Hasn’t happened to me.
How likely is it for the average person to view a total solar eclipse?
2%. It’s pretty rare to have one happen right where you happen to be, and not all that many people are interested (or solvent) enough to travel to where one is scheduled to happen.
Never seen a total one, and I’m unlikely to travel to one unless it happens when I’m not working and the round trip is less than $500.
How likely is it for the average person spend time in jail or prison at some point in their life?
If a night in the clink for public intoxication counts, then probably 15%
I never have.
How likely is the average person to deliver a baby on their own?
Despite it being a sitcom staple, this is really unlikely to happen unless you (and the mother) have decided beforehand to deliver the baby yourselves. As a completely unexpected event, I’d say 0.01%. As a completely unexpected event involving a mother you’ve never met before (the typical sitcom scenario), 0.0001%
And no, I never have.
How likely is it for the average person to fire a handgun in self-defense?
Even in the US, I’d put this at about 0.01%, as long as “self-defense” doesn’t include “the guy really pissed me off”, “he started fighting back” or “the cops were about to catch me”. In countries where handguns are an extreme rarity, such as Japan, I’d say about 0.00001% (1 in 10 million).
David Letterman at an Indy car race in Portland, Jay Leno at a car show in Seattle and Bruce Springsteen before a concert in Tacoma. They may not be “A” list to a lot of folks, but I have met quite a few current and past NASCAR drivers over the years.
What percentage of males have suffered from brownage of the underwear while trying to cut a fart? I would say it has happened to at least 50% but only 20% of those would admit to it.
guilty 
And I agree with the 50% assessment. 
I shake hands with my penis every day. Definitely an “A” list celeb
How are you defining “a-list?”
I’ve shaken hands with Harry Chapin, Barbara Eden, Wayne Rogers, Tony Randall, Phil Donahue, Erma Bombeck and Rip Taylor.
I’ve worked (but not necessarily shaken hands with) with ESPN’s Dan Patrick (when he was know as Dan Pugh), Golf Channel’s Inge Hammond (when she used the 1st name Allison), NFL Network’s Fran Charles, conservative talk show radio host Mike Gallagher, and CBS’s Julie Chen.
I’ve never lived anywhere other than the Midwest, but I did have a job that allowed me more access than most folks had.
How likely is it for the average person spend time in jail or prison at some point in their life? And have you ever?
In 2003, 3.2 percent of the population of the US was either in jail, prison, on probation, or on parole.
This doesn’t include someone who was in the pokey for a couple hours for a minor consumption, or traffic issues, or something of that ilk. And the statistics were for just one year.
I’d hazard the guess of about 30%. Really.
And yes, I would fall into that category.
In 2002, approx 6% of all youth had been in some sort of detention facility.
According to the 2002 NSDUH,
almost 1.5 million youths (6 percent)
aged 12 to 17 had been in a jail or a
detention center at least once in
their lifetime.