Vow of poverty. The gag-inducing quote of the day comes from Gerald Levin, the former chairman of AOL Time Warner, also in today's Times:

Mr. Levin, 63, will receive $1 million a year from AOL Time Warner until 2005. His pension, earned over 30 years, will amount to about $350,000 annually, less than the multimillion-dollar payouts of many chief executives. Mr. Levin said he was not complaining. "My needs are small," he said. "I'll be O.K."