The Law of Averages In Real Everyday Life

There is a saying that 50% of people will like you, and 50% of people will dislike you. Sayings like these can prompt one to consider the law of averages.

Briefly stated, the more you do something or the more you have of something, the better your chances are on averages. It's basically a numbers game.

Many like to put the law of averages in practice when they gamble. This could even be a raffle or playing the lottery. The more tickets you buy, the better your chances are.

Life really is a gamble anyways. Proper usage of The Law Of Averages can tip the scales in your favor.

If you're looking for a job, you want to apply to as many places and opportunities as possible.  It can also make rejection hurt less. Options are always great.

There are many (especially men) that use the law when dating and finding that special someone. They talk to as many people as possible, go out on dates, socialize and such. Dating sites and speed dating events were designed with averages in mind.

The Law of Averages is not much different from practice and repetition. Often the best way to learn or master a craft or a skill is to put it to use. The more you do it, the better you can become.

The principles and examples I have outlined can be used for good and evil. Let's hope that more people will use them for positive benefits.

Text Neck Is Serious

Usage of cellphones has increased hundred fold over the past few decades. The introduction and expansion of smartphones into mini computing and texting devices that are often touchscreen or tailored to heavy eye and finger usage have been popular.

There are always side effects obviously. Outside of contract committments, data capping, and the overall expenses, you cannot forget the wear and tear physically. And no this is beyond carpal tunnel. There is a condition called text neck.
Trust me, text neck is very real. Often many of us do it out of habit. This goes along with proper poise and posture. Several people drop their necks while playing with their cell phones. This causes tension on the back neck tissue and muscles and can even cause nerve damage in the upper back.

However, awareness and prevention is key. An ounce of preventiom is worth a pound of cure. What you want to do is try to hold your neck and back in an upright position. Then hold your phone in front of your face to avoid even slumping your eyes. Also, use both hands if possible to increase comfort.

I have practiced these techniques personally and the differences in comfort is astounding. Lying down and holding your phone over you is also effective.

Many of love our iPhones, Galaxys, Notes, and other mobile devices. Therefore, we deserve to use them without fear of suffering permanent damage to your upper body torso. 

Balance is key in achieving goals and living a healthy life. Apply this balance to your cell phone usage and you can avoid those annoying neck pains and cricks.

Jury Duty: Does Doing Your Civic Duty entitle you to more pay?

It seems many of us try to avoid jury duty anyway possible. Unfortunately, not voting is a bad way to go, depending upon your state. Many states look at driver's license records to select jurors.

One of the main reason people commonly try to get out of jury duty: the low pay. Some states only pay $15/day, not including your mileage. Also, your place of employment may or may not pay you for the time you're missing from the job. I've been on both sides of that coin personally.

Jurors are definitely underpaid and outside of tax purposes, there really isn't a lot of good reasons for this. Especially when you have judges, baliffs, lawyers, and such making lots of money during a trial. Jurors are important to the judical system, but aren't given the thanks they deserve.

Jurors could have skipped out or make hundreds of excuses. However many of them suck it up and take that low pay to do their civic duty. It makes no sense to pay people as much per day as people make per hour to register voters in an election year.

One solution would be to pay everyone minimum wage, plus a stipend per case you're chosen to be part of. That stipend could vary according to that person. However, I believe many states, even the poorer ones, could afford to place this in their budgets.

I'm not sure if you must have a high school education to be a juror in every state but that should also be a requirement. Also, you must have had gainful, taxable employment for six months. These are some of the things that could warrant paying jurors more. 

Another thing you may have to cut out on is the amount of mileage paid. This would balance the overall scales.

Any other suggestions to pay people more for doing jury duty? This is a problem that needs addressing.

Hardees breakfast is awesome, and should be served all day

Hardees (primarily based in the Southeast) has arguably and unequivocally the best breakfast you will find in fast food. They have platters, sandwiches and their trademark Rise and Shine biscuits.  I stack Hardees biscuits right up there with KFC, Bojangles, and my mother's bread.
Most Hardees restaurants are crowded during their breakfast hours (6am-11am) and they are staffed appropriately to handle these crowds. After 11am till closing time, there aren't many people that come through and not many people working as well. I have found through research and observation that Hardees sales are down once again. They suffered a spike pre-2003 until Carls Jr. bought them out. Now they're back in another downward spiral. 
The first thing I would do to improve sales at Hardees would be to offer breakfast all day long. Bojangles does it, and Carls Jr even offers it. Hardees could as well and it would help, even if only temporarily.
The facts and numbers are there. People love to eat breakfast for any meal. It's delicious and often quick and easy to prepare. That is what has helped chains such as Waffle House thrive.
However, Hardees must go beyond breakfast to continue to be relevant. They have to have the right variety. They must offer more than simply Thickburgers and overpriced double cheeseburgers that wouldn't even satisfy a fifth grader's appetite. They need to restore some of the basics and favorites from the 80s and 90s such as the Fish Filet and the Big Deluxe.
Hardees is in trouble and it's unfortunate because so many people enjoy their food, notably their breakfast. However, like in-store movie rentals, they don't want to fade into obscurity. Think about restaurant chains such as Quincys, Shoneys or Pizza Inn. Remember how good they once were? Now maybe my point is clearer.
It appears Hardees needs executives and management that are trying to see what Carls Jr is doing right and stop trying to be like Jack in The Box or McDonalds and introduce bizarre menu items.
I would love to see Hardees have 24 hour breakfast. However, there are many changes necessary to make this a reality.

Drive Thru Windows And Dollar Limits

This is something I regularly ponder everytime I'm in a fast food drive thru. You always have that car full of people that seem to be buying out the restaurant.  One can see bag after bag, drink after drink, being carried into the window. They have to be spending at least $50.

Now why didn't they all just go in, especially if it's more than one separate order?

The drive thru is designed for quick convenience. This blurb may sound a lot like my ATM one but that's okay. You see many drive thrus being clogged up for this reason. McDonalds and 24/7 places such as Cookout and Jack in the Box seem to fill up faster. Then all you're wanting is a McDouble and a shake.

I've researched, polled folks, and brainstormed in order to figure out a solution. The logical one would be to have a dollar limit for drive thru services to be rendered. Say $20/carload or you must go inside.

Now I understand a balance of vehicles in the drive thru and patrons in the restaurant must be maintained, especially depending upon the staff. However, if you have a large order, you should go inside, call it in, or both. This would solve the problem for a family of five, three of those being small children that you don't want to take inside.

The drive thru system has revolutionized the restaurant business. Many sit down restaurants such as Applebees even have curb side service and parking.  This may not be a bad idea for fast food places.

Nonetheless, this must be monitored closely. It may take extra technology and possibly even an extra staff member or two. However, the end result and rewards can be worthwhile.  Business would pick up as service would be rendered faster, and the drive thru would no longer be abused by a truck full of drunken co-eds all getting the #1 Extra Value meal.

My hope is the corporate executives are brainstorming this as well and see it as a problem. It must be addressed. Fast food is already unhealthy enough. They have to figure out a way to continue attracting folks to their restaurants.

Stay tuned for more on this subject of fast food and restaurants. It seems to be a good topic of discussion. After all, we all have to eat.

More Money Than Sense: Guys Spending Way Too Much Money On Women

This is kind of an addition to my last post about when women turn the tables and do men wrong. One of the main ways is by spending all of their money.

Men will spend insane amounts of money on a woman, and they don't necessarily have to be wearing a G-string and swinging from a pole. Guys use their wallets and credit cards often instead of their brains and hearts to get beautiful women.
There are times when they get little to nothing in return. Often they are spending beyond their means and end up broke, sad, and alone.

Men like this tend to have more money than sense. They are neither smart financially or when it comes to women. They don't have much game to get a real woman. Therefore they go after money hungry golddiggers and loose women. Men like this feel if they cannot get a good woman, they will buy one. And often that price tag is steep. They try to put themselves in the game and give them an edge. They feel if they can help a woman get what she wants, he will get what she wants.

Too bad this isn't always this simple.

Now don't get me wrong. I personally believe in sharing the rewards and fruits of my labor with a special woman. However, I have a saying "I play the arcade, not Vegas". This simply means that I'm into fun and spending a reasonable amount of cash. However, I don't go beyond my means and take outrageous gambles. Many fellas play Vegas and end up on the short end of the stick.

Guys need to find a female that is simple but requires more effort than a platinum card to get. At some point, you don't want a play thing. You want a real woman, someone who pulls their weight and can take care of themselves. They will appreciate what you give them, and will have your back in tough times.

Money is important in most any relationship. However the love must be there for it to have a long shelf life.  Keep some cash in your wallet, use some financial sense, and don't let go of the special and sincere things required to get and keep a woman.

There are good people out there to date. One simply must understand you shouldn't have to buy them and vice versa.  Show them your heart and spirit, and let any money be a great side blessing. There is a reason the love of money is the root of all evil.

Dogging Men Out: The Women That Do It And How The Tables Have Turned

It appears women are becoming more than whores. The paradigm has shifted and they are becoming more like men far as how they approach the game of love.
Women now, especially the younger generation, have become the players and heartbreakers. I have seen this since I started dating. But the number of women that are playing men, blowing them off, not answering calls, etc has increased.
Once upon a time, you could blame a lack of father figure for this. However, that seems to have the opposite effect for ladies with good fathers. Often they can become rebellious because their father may have sheltered them or because they see how great Daddy is, and find that boring. They're not trying to settle too soon.
Therefore, are the pool of available men to blame for this? Well the bad men certainly can be the culprits as they have some of these women so twisted and scorned. Steve Harvey has also gotten into women's heads over the years, getting them to "Think Like A Man". Apparently thinking like yourself is no longer vogue. However, some men are just dumb and horny. They're the ones who will allow themselves to get played and manipulated by women. Sometimes it isn't their fault, but often they aren't thinking with the proper head.
Women have started to realize the power of sex, and lack thereof. There are many that basically cheat life and get what they want without hard work. They become business women as their bills are paid, their children wear nice clothes, and they go on extravagant vacations.
Personally, I believe in spoiling that special someone. However, give and take must exist, and I've grown too old to let a woman take advantage of me. I've had women parade other guys around me, never call back, and when I ask for her number, give me a fake number. The latter is tougher now of course with cell phones. 
I read a FB status the other day from an obviously bitter woman. She said that ALL men are bad until they prove her otherwise. This behavior helps fostering gold digging and selfish behavior. Women, I assure you there are good men out there. Just don't allow yourself to become a shell of who you formally were because of a romance gone wrong.
Two wrongs do not make a right, so turning the tables on the opposite sex is dangerous and dirty. Keep your head up in the game of love and you can have more satisfaction.

Seven Coaches That Do Not Belong In The NBA

Every coach or player in the NBA, or any sport for that matter, is not meant to be a head coach. Some should simply stick to playing or even commentating. Not everybody can be a Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Greg Popavich or Larry Brown. Here are seven that I believe should hang up their whistles for good.

1. Mike D'Antoni

This man runs a bizarre offense that is not suited for the NBA and almost neglects defense. He could win with the Suns, made my Knicks relevant again, and is leading the Lakers to clinch a playoff berth. However, he won't win you a championship. His "seven seconds or less" offense lasts about that long come playoff time.

2. Avery Johnson

He is actually pretty accomplished, leading many teams to the playoffs and the 2006 Mavericks to the Finals. However, he doesn't seem liked by the league, and his teams seem to falter at crunch time. I like the guy, but he should stick to broadcasting.

3. Flip Saunders

The Pistons had become a force again in the East. Then Flip Saunders come, some stars leave, and he can't win with the veterans he has. It's sad when your go-to guy is Rodney Stuckey. He hasn't proven much successful with any other team either.

4. The Van Gundy brothers

Jeff and Stan will get their teams to the promised land, but like Moses, will not reap the rewards. Jeff had the good sense not to return to coaching. Here's hoping after floundering for so long that Stan will also.

5. Isaiah Thomas

He was awesome as a player, but horrible as a coach and worse as a GM. He replaced one of the greats, Larry Brown, with himself, and fell flat on his face. Perhaps he needs to stay away from the NBA altogether.

6.  Mike Brown

Mike is excellent at coaching defense, but he just cannot handle the pressure of coaching an NBA team, even if he has a star studded roster. You have to be balanced on offense and defense to win in the league, plus you have to be tough as nails inside. Mike doesn't have their personality, and often his teams do not either.

7. Kevin McHale

Like Isaiah, he was a good player in the NBA, but not so good as a GM or coach. His latest failure was the Timberwolves. Since Kevin Garnett left in 2008, they have yet to sniff the playoffs, although they have had plenty of playmakers.

Are there any coaches you would add or delete from this list?

Seven Common Myths

Myths have been around for as long as the Earth has existed. They continue to grow and become more outrageous.

My research for this blog led me to all sorts of different myths, wives tales and urban legends. However, these are seven that stand out in my eyes.

1. Bubble gum gives you indigestion

My great grandmother Lanier told me this as a small child when I would swallow my gum. I would call her bluff also. Little did I know that many older people passed this down to prevent children from choking on chewing gum. It does digest, and thus does not interfere with your system any better or worse than another candy or good item.

2. Christopher Columbus discovered America

I am personally outraged that we as a progressive nation still celebrate Columbus Day. And for what?  Columbus basically found a new world that was already inhabited by American Indians. They were here first, he came from Italy on a three ship expedition. Now if you care to be technical, it was actually Amerigo Vespucci years later than sailed the ocean blue and named our land America. However, the native Americans were here first and definitely not Columbus.

3. Jesus's ethnicity and birthdate

One must read the Bible with some understanding and back knowledge.  Many parts of the Bible took place in the Middle East,where it is also really hot. Shepherds would go out at night only during the late spring/early summer. Therefore, Jesus is not white. He's actually not black either. He's more of Middle Eastern descent, which can entail a few races. Also, he could not have been born on December 25th, according to Biblical evidence based on shepherds and wisemen.  The miniseries on History channel even depicts Jesus as white, which of course is inaccurate.

4. It's dangerous to talk on the cell phone while pumping gas.

There have been many studies over the years to dispute this claim. It is actually very safe to have a cell phone conversation while at the gas pump. This myth is similar to the old microwave myth about UV rays and such.

5. Reading in the dark damages your eyes

This one was a shocker to me. However, dim to dark light does not damage any part of your eyes. It may be better to read in the light, but the darkness will not harm your eyesight.

6. Fingers get wrinkly when too wet.

The wrinkling of the fingers and your skin is actually a layer that forms between your skin and the water. Incidently, it's not wrinkles, or they would not go away.

7. Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same spot.

I already knew this.  I've seen lightning strike the same tree several times. Also, the Empire State Building is struck several times/year by lightning. Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod on the premise that lightning strikes a certain spot more than once.

Fair Weather Fans

They are everywhere, and are well known. Often these types of sports fans are called bandwagoners, as they root for the team that's winning at the time, rather than pick a team and stick with them through wins and losses. This, readers, is also a fair weather fan.

The most common fair weather fans currently root for the Miami Heat since LeBron joined with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, and they have been dominant since. These fans may suddenly be into NASCAR now that Danica Patrick is making a splash. They are fans of which team or players are on top right now.

Throughout the years, I have seen fair weather Cowboys, Yankees, Tar Heels, Saints, Patriots, Bulls, and even Spurs fans. They are more of a fan of fads and trends moreso than even winning or the actual team itself.

Speaking of the Miami Heat, they actually won their first NBA title in 2006. However, I can count on my hand the number of Heat fans I knew before LeBron James became a member. Now they seem to be everywhere, especially among the youth. It reminds me of the 90s when it seemed like everyone was a Bulls fan because of Michael Jordan. Now I don't see as many Bulls fans, although they are winning.

The wins and notoriety are what attracts these fickle fans. But again, it's more than that. They like the teams and players they like because of the novelty and trends attached to them. Suddenly, Heat and 49ers hats and gear look cool. Everyone is glued to the set whenever these teams are playing. Also, when they play within driving distance, you make sure you have good tickets for that game.

I noticed that while there are lots of Carolina Panthers fans, the fanbase grew threefold when Cam Newton was drafted and performed so well. The GMs knew Cam would boost ticket and merchandise sales for a fledging franchise, plus he may help them win. Many owners grasp this concept of putting together the hottest coaches and players together for financial reasons. The salary cap in certain sports makes it more of a challenge, but the managers have to make money. This starts with putting butts in the stadium seats.

Therefore, the fair weather fans are good for business. However, when that team is going through a rough patch, they find the next best team out there and abandon the other teams.

I'm proud to say I'm a true diehard sports fan, and will not jump ship just because my squad isn't winning. It's fans like me that keep the teams trying and help pull them out of their slumps. Loyalty is important, and teams and players can sometimes tell who's been down with them from day one, and who's a fly by night fan. It's really not that hard.