I've lived in the Myrtle Beach area for 26 years now and I've learned when to avoid the touristy spots.   I also know when it's safe to be on the highways and when to take the backroads.   We're a tourist mecca...that's what the Grand Strand has hung its hat on...so it confused me to no end a handful of years ago, when several area governments decided they wanted to pass laws and rules to run motorcyclists out of town.     In case you don't know, May along the Grand Strand is essentially Bike Month...with the Harleys here for 10 days followed by sport-bikes here Memorial Day weekend.      In the late 90s and early 00s, both rallies became a bit over-grown, closing down highways with traffic and pretty-much making it impossible to get around.      It started to regulate itself and get back to a more managable size when rules were passed to require helmets and to restrict where, and how many, vendors could set up.     That led to several years of motorcycle-less highways during May - which was the intent - but it also devastated businesses that rely on tourists.       Things ARE starting to come back somewhat, but they will never be back to levels we saw in previous decades.    That's a shame.   We are a tourist community and should welcome any group that wants to come here and spend money.   Like any group, if they break the local laws, they will be held accountable...but we shouldn't pass special laws aimed solely at them.       It's always been my contention that there are more residents that are either in favor of the bike rallies or who are indifferent to them...than those who are against them.   It's just that the anti-bike forces are better organized, and have more money, power and political sway than the pro-bike groups.       

Here's another female factoid of the day -- and it's good news, ladies! Women live longer than men. It's true now, it was true hundreds of years ago, and at least for me, personally - it's true with my grandparents. Here's why...scientists in Japan found that men's bodies produce fewer T-cells and B-cells than women as they get older. T-cells protect us from infections, and B-cells produce antibodies. And it suggests that the female body is designed to last a little longer than the male body. The male body just starts breaking down sooner and becomes more prone to diseases than the female body. In the U.S., the current life expectancy for a man is 75.35 years. For a woman it's 80.51 years.  

Bottom line -- women live longer than men because their immune systems don't age as quickly.

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22528388

http://jezebel.com/women-live-longer-than-men-because-of-our-feminazi-immu-506684246

...to win the Powerball ! Although nobody (including me) won the Powerball last night, the good news is that someone or "somebodies" most likely will hit it BIG this Saturday! The estimated jackpot this weekend is around 500 MILLION bucks! If, er, I mean, WHEN I win the lottery, I have planned out EXACTLY what I will do with my new found wealth! One million each to the Amreican Cancer Society, The American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and the March Of Dimes; One million to the schools my kids attended, 10 million to my mom, sister, brother, and in-laws, pay off all my debt, stash about 10 million, buy the biggest, baddest, state of the art RV to drive all over the USA, and give the rest of it to my kids! So when I win this weekend, there will be NO DOUBT what my plans are.....:-)