Alligators

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

    Greetings from Quito, Ecuador.  Today I visited the equator...I'll probably post those "steam beer" columns when I get back in two weeks.  I'll be on the Amazon tomorrow and obviously away from my notes.

PANAMA HATS:  They're from Ecuador.  My tour guide said the naming is from the Panama Canal (about 1914), but I know he's years off.  I'll see what research I can do.

ALLIGATOR:  Lawyers here earn about twice as much as doctors.  People call lawyers "alligators."  What, they don't have "sharks" around here?

DON'T TAUNT THE ALLIGATOR UNTIL YOU CROSS THE CREEK:  A recent quotation from Dan Rather.  The Cowboys were up big against the New York Giants, but lost the game in overtime.  Check Nexis for the exact quote.