The plea agreement was extensive and is clear. Mr. Rasch and I discussed it thoroughly, and it's my understanding that he had a clear understanding of the contents of the agreement.

The plunge in inventory accumulation does suggest that firms are not confident enough to add merchandise to their shelves. But they will not be able to do this indefinitely because everyone knows that sporting empty shelves in a rising growth environment is not prudent.

The people who fear humor - and there are many -are suspicious of its power to present things in unexpected lights to question received opinions and to suggest unforeseen possibilities

The people who own Internet stocks are taking on a very high level of risk. Myself and most of the other managers at the conference are concerned about people who own and trade those stocks not understanding the risks they're taking.

The positives are closure. We're going into the Big Ten tournament and we want our student-athletes to have the opportunity to participate in this tournament understanding there won't be any sanctions they have to deal with. ... They can play without that stress.