Ends and odds, 3/13/07

Al Gore: Prophet or alarmist? Here's a reasonably balanced evaluation from the New York Times, considering that the Times generally buys into Gore's theories.

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I wondered how long it would take before someone sued YouTube over copyright issues. Now I know.

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I've never trusted financial analysts who tell me to live in a cardboard box and eat baloney sandwiches while giving them 90 percent of my income so I will have enough to retire on. Now I know that other people doubt the advice of a well-known financial guru.

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During the table games debate in the Legislature, I wondered why we never heard anything from Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center about plans for casino gambling at Cross Lanes. After the bill passed, the racetrack's owners announced plans for a 200-room hotel, 100,000 square feet of gambling space, a billiards room and a spa.

I have to wonder if the hotel is a loss-leader for the track. Without a hotel, the gambling license would be prohibitively expensive.

I also have to wonder what the market area for a casino at Cross Lanes would be. It would have to draw a different demographic than what the slots bring in. Who would play these table games?

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Yes! The governor says he will have the state police collect pertinent data on ATV deaths. (Thanks, Chris Stirewalt).

We can talk all we want about ATV safety, but until we have some real data collected by law enforcement agencies, we can't address the real problems out there.

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