Mandalay Bay victims compensated; Elton John goes nuclear

There is no dollar value adequate for a human life but the going rate this week is $275,000. That’s how much will be donated to the families of each of the 58 people killed at Mandalay Bay. According to WFAA-TV, “$275,000 also will be paid to 10 other people who were paralyzed or suffered permanent brain damage in the Oct. 1 shooting on the Las Vegas Strip.” Interestingly, the victims fund that is making the payouts has a gaming-industry connection, having retained Golden Entertainment spokesman Howard Stutz to be its media representative. The gaming industry is among the 90,000 donors chipping into this GoFundMe campaign that grew into a nonprofit corporation. Seven hundred dimes came from the industry’s Vegas Strong concert, while an enterprising Henderson school raised another $66,000 (!) from T-shirt sales. And no, they probably don’t say, “I was shot in Las Vegas and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.” As far as how the money was divvied up, that was the determination of “a committee of victim advocates, mental health and medical professionals, lawyers, donors and others.” They done good.

Indecline, the activist group behind the naked Donald Trump statue has struck again. It changed a Battlefield Vegas billboard from “Shoot a .50 caliber for only $29” to “Shoot a school kid for only $29.” I suppose I should deplore the vandalism but I find myself admiring its panache instead. It seems one of the more creative ways of raising awareness in the post-Parkland climate. Also, I’d like to add that at every Las Vegas gun range I’ve patronized, the instructors’ first and foremost priority is firearm safety, a sober demeanor that is 180 degrees removed from the foaming-at-the-mouth hysteria of National Rifle Association President Wayne LaPierre.

* An Elton John concert at Caesars Palace got a little too touchy-feely for Sir Elton’s taste. He retaliated with a flurry of f-bombs and harrumphed offstage. Feeling the need to explain himself, the singer-songwriter later wrote, “Last night in Las Vegas a fan put his hands on the piano keys while I was playing and continued to do so even after I asked him to stop. He then proceeded to reach over the piano and try to take pictures, completely disrupting the performance. I bring fans onstage every evening when we play Saturday Night in the set, it is always a lovely part of the show where I get to meet them, shake their hands and have them right there with me while I play.They have always been very courteous to the fact we are in the middle of playing a song live. This guy was rude, disruptive and had no care or respect for our show and so I let him know how I felt, then left the stage until they had removed him.” The moral is, don’t get on Sir Elton’s bad side or you’ll find yourself out on the street.

* There was a time when some Las Vegas casino companies were hellbent on suppressing Indian gaming. Now they stand to benefit as the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention comes to Vegas for the first time, dropping anchor at the Las Vegas Convention Center on April 17. It’s not just Sin City that’s benefiting. The show is drawing over 40 first-time vendors, in part because of the size of the venue and partly because, well, it’s Vegas. If you like, you can review the convention program and see if there’s something of interest.

* The Trump administration is still bent on confiscating tip income and reattributing it to management. If you’re opposed to this, it’s not too late to take action. And if you think’s it’s good policy, you’re free to add your two cents as well. Unite-Here seems to be sitting this one out.