In the beginning, the abatement program was 100 percent responsible for getting things going. Now there is a discussion going on about whether or not it's still needed.

We've seen data from various sectors showing the economy is beginning to stabilize. Not only employment, but the manufacturing sector as well. And holiday retail sales, consumption and housing look OK. So, we have all these powerful stimulants that are going to contribute to growth as 2002 unfolds.

Hopefully, I'll have the report by the beginning of the season, and then we can discuss it with the (NFL) Players' Association to see whether there are changes that we can make that would perhaps increase the penalties for players who might engage with others in a course of conduct that was designed to circumvent the (drugs-testing) program.

If any good comes from the catastrophe, it will be that it signaled the beginning of the media's reassertion of aggressive, in-your-face reporting, in which it confronts government wrongdoing, rather than just swallowing the government's public-relations handouts.

These standout ratings for CMT and the Miss America pageant are just the beginning of a long and successful relationship. The buzz and promotion surrounding the pageant were like no other in our history and the ratings were a resounding victory for the network.

He was in the general vicinity, he was multi-tasking and in fact, was there during parts of the procedure but not there during the entire insertion to removal of the device.