A gigantic multi-colored peace sign served as theatrical backdrop. A near capacity throng of approximately 1,150 stared at it blankly, on occasion, in between idle chatter and sips from plastic cups. Expectantly, they awaited Michael Franti & Spearhead to take to the Rialto Theater stage. It was a sweltering Friday night, June 8, and for the uninitiated the temperature was soon to rise.

Here are a few highlights.

When the funky guitar lick on “Once A Day” began to ring out—a song about unexpected moments in life—that’s when Michael Franti manifested. “Tucson, how you feeling?” The audience roared back. It goes without saying some days evince beauty and others far less than. “I had a really challenging moment when my son was diagnosed with a kidney disease. Moving through the initial tears made us realize life is precious. We need to hug, kiss and be close to each other every day and through that we could rise up and face his illness together,” says Franti, providing the backstory behind the song.

A trajectory of optimism was set for the evening.

For “The Sound of Sunshine” Franti was accompanied by a brightly dressed young girl. They jumped about and sang in unison, “And that’s the sound of sunshine coming down.” Soon, the band was pogoing up and down with elation too.

“Maybe you’re missing someone tonight? This is a song about loneliness,” says Franti, before counting in “I Got Love For You.” “I know today is a day that I might cry/I know you’re leaving to somewhere/Hope to find the peace of mind you’re seeking/In the back of a Greyhound bus you can be who you are/...I’ll be waiting right here for you.” Which after a few minutes the band cleverly segued into U2’s. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For…”

Find more Claytoonz here.

Tucson Bicycle Service. There are places where you buy a bicycle. There are places where you get your bicycle fixed. And then there’s Tucson Bicycle Shop, which does both! After 18 years of experience as a Shimano certified bicycle mechanic, Mario Lizarazu is bringing a service-focused shop down to Fourth Avenue. They offer everything from one-time tune ups to basic and pro-level annual plans, which include tune ups, free bike checks and discounts on parts and labor. If you’re a bike lover, it’s a place with perusing. And if you’re a bike lover in need of some maintenance, it’s doubly worth checking out. To celebrate its recent opening, the shop is offering 10 percent off tune ups and service plans through the end of 2018. Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Tucson Bicycle Service, 234 E. 22nd St. Service prices vary.

2001: A Space Odyssey. You know what’s a great movie? This one. You should see it. If you know what it’s about, that’s all the reason you need to go see it. And if you don’t know what it’s about, you still certainly recognize the name, and that’s proof enough of its importance. Either way, I’ll see you at The Loft for their new 70mm screening. 12:30 p.m./4 p.m./ 7:30 p.m., Wednesday June 27 and Thursday, June 28. 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. $10. Details here.



Lunch Specials for a Good Cause. Get your pizza fix and help out the community all in one meal. For the duration of June, (and it's almost July, can you believe it?!) Barro’s Pizza and Pepsi are teaming up to raise funds for the Arizona Cancer Foundation for Children with a daily lunch special. Specials include a slice of pizza and small drink for $2.75 or two slices and a drink for $4.25. Barro’s will donate all proceeds from the lunch special (up to $20,000) to the nonprofit. 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 1-30. 5884 W. Arizona Pavilions Drive. Details here.

Events compiled by Emily Dieckman, Dylan Reynolds, BS Eliot, Ava Garcia and Jeff Gardner.

Sal jaywalks. Tom slips a candy bar in his pocket at a 7-11 and leaves without paying. Jim robs a bank. Chris kills someone in cold blood.

Sal, Tom, Jim and Chris are all criminals. They all broke the law.

So, if jaywalker Sal condemns killer Chris for the murder he committed, does it make sense to respond, "Oh yeah? You're a lawbreaker too, Sal. You're a fine one to talk!"

That is false equivalence at its essence: equating two things which share one quality but are far different in intensity. Offenses — whether they're related to crime, politics, lying, what have you — are not created equal. Pundits and politicians like to play the false equivalence game when someone is condemned for something they've done. "Oh yeah, what about ...?" Whenever that happens, we have to ask ourselves, are the two offenses close to the same in intensity? Or in frequency? A serial shoplifter is more deserving of condemnation than the one-time offender, just as a serial liar is a worse offender than the occasional liar. Here's the general rule of thumb when defining false equivalence: jaywalking and shoplifting aren't in the same league as bank robbery and murder.

Example. Recently, Trump lied more than a dozen times when he was talking to the press corps on the White House lawn. Lying is so reflexive with him, I'm not sure he can distinguish lies from the truth. A standard response from his supporters is, "Oh yeah, what about when Obama said you'll be able to keep your doctor if we pass the Affordable Care Act?" It's true, Obama lied when he said that, and he very likely knew he was lying in an effort to help pass the ACA. Do we have an equivalence here, Obama's ACA lie versus Trump's compulsive, corrosive, hateful, hurtful lying which he resorts to whenever he wants to "prove" his point or distort the reasons behind his policy? Absolutely not. Not by any reasonable standard of comparison.

But let's forget about Trump for a moment. When Obama was saying everyone could keep their doctor, which turned out to be true for many but not all people, Republicans were saying Obamacare included "Death Panels." "They want to pull the plug on grandma!" Republicans screamed. That lie was far more explosive and corrosive than Obama's, and it was never true. "Death Panels" was named Lie of the Year in 2009 by PolitiFact. Creating a "What about?" equivalence between Obama and Trump when it comes to lying is blatantly absurd. But even at the moment when the ACA was in the balance, the Republican lies about the program — there were many, "Death Panels" was the worst — far outstripped Obama's lie. They are not equivalent. Anyone who says they are is distorting the record.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief program is offering a reward of up to $1,500 for information leading to an arrest for the illegal killing of a javelina found June 17 northeast of 491 W. Hammerhead Way, accessible from South 12th Avenue.

Game and Fish determined that the javelina had been shot.

“Poachers are criminals,” said Regional Supervisor Raul Vega of Game and Fish in Tucson. “They are thieves who steal wildlife from Arizona citizens. This appears to be a crime of opportunity, or a case of trying to get rid of a nuisance. Either way, it’s illegal.”

Information may be provided to Operation Game Thief at 1-800-352-0700, 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week, anonymously if need be. Callers should reference OGT#18-002050.Information may also be provided on-line at azgfd.gov/ogt_form.shtml.

Citizens contacting Operation Game Thief in 2017 resulted in 76 citations for wildlife violations, with civil fines of $74,500.