Well, this was just a lazy day. I found out that Panama is actually two hours ahead of Alberta, which might help to explain why I have been falling asleep at close to 4 in the morning some nights. It gives me a chance to do what I am doing now.

It was a nice day to watch the rise in the price of gold, a commodity near and dear to my heart. The remainder of this month should prove to be a launch-pad towards $680/oz. and then onto $750 later this year. Thank the Bush administration and their tactile idiocy.

China, with its test of their anti-satellite weaponry, has officially put the world on notice that they will be the next super-power. It is just a matter of time as their middle class begins to bolster their own economy, thus reducing their reliance on the US as a driver.

Just part of things to come.

Onto other things. I have discovered that Panama now requires insurance for all vehicles. This just became mandatory late last year and is only a matter of time until it becomes the full fledged racket that it is in the rest of North America.

It is relatively cheap at an average of $150/year for a new car, but mine will be a little cheaper at about $110/year. So I am told.

Here, you have to get insurance, then get an inspection, and follow that with plates and registration. Not a whole lot different than back home. So tomorrow, I will head down into David and talk to a lady who deals with this sort of thing. A begin to the legwork.

There was a tragic bus accident not too long ago that took the lives of 18 people. Apparently, they burned to death because the emergency exits didn’t work, and the root cause of the accident was bad maintenance. Or, should I say, a complete lack thereof.

In response, the government pulled roughly 1/3 of the buses out of service until they passed inspection (this also applied to all heavy vehicles), made a public apology to the people (after their deaths), and there is now a noticeable difference in the amount of smoking, rolling pieces of crap on the roadways.

Now, the bus I was on to come to David, was no great shakes. Its’ transmission had two bent gears, and one of the tires on the back was completely bald (I didn’t look at the others), but it was in better shape than a lot of the Diversified buses running around Ft.McMurray today. With any government action, the commercial response is always “just enough” to get past the gate again, and there are always ones that fall through the cracks, but like I said, there is a big difference in the quality of the vehicles here now. So hats off to Panama for a good move. It really is about time.

I got the old Malibu started today. I had to put the charger on it for a few hours, but it seemed to weather the months none too bad. It needed a good washing to get the crap (leaves, dead bugs, etc…)out of all the nooks and crannies, and there is a layer of oxidation on everything on the under-carriage, but what struck me as odd was what happened with the interior.

Hmmmm. How to describe this…|-| Just inside the door there is a piece of aluminum that runs along the threshold. On the carpet side of this piece, adjacent to the screws holding it in place, were deposits of what I can only imagine are aluminum sulphate. These showed themselves as white, crystalline deposits. Where these occurred, the metal had been corroded to the point of small holes right through the metal.8|

Underneath this threshold, on both sides, runs a well used electrical chase. Tail lights, stereo power supply, RCA runs, as well as power for accessories. I can only imagine that somehow the power in the battery worked its way from the screws where it was grounded and down into the carpet.:crazy: This is only a guess, but the proximity of the corrosion to the screws is unmistakable.

SO:wave: If ever you are storing a vehicle down here, or anywhere I guess, disconnect the battery. Who knows where else this latent electrical charge has manifested itself. Or in what way. But for now, everything seems to work just fine. The stereo still pounds, the four barrels still crack open when I want them to, and after cleaning up that little mess, I had forgotten what a good, tough old bitch that car really was. I have spent the last few months driving my winter beater, a ’76 Camaro. Another good old car, but the difference in body structure is amazing. The Malibu really is built like a tank.

The wind here is relentless, as usual. Why I don’t see more wind-mills is beyond me, but it sure keeps the heat at bay. At night it is around 20 degrees, but during the day, it is still HOT, so in response to that, I have gotten the equatorial buzz cut again. B)

Again, that is it for now.