We've covered the White House's Internet petition site, We the People, fairly extensively, practically promising to never touch the damn thing ever again — but this one is too good to pass up.

A treaty created last week, asking the Obama administration to support the World Intellectual Property Organization treaty for the blind, which would relax copyright restrictions for material that has been made accessible for blind individuals.

Well, it's come out that the Captcha system the White House is currently using to prove that the signer is human (rather than an automated program stuffing the system) makes it damn near impossible for blind people to use it:

On the White House web site, blind users can select an audio version of the test, but the audio is incomprehensible, according to [National Federation for the Blind] spokesman Chris Danielsen.

And if users want to send email notifying the White House about the problem, well, that also requires a computer-human test with garbled audio, too, he said.

"We had asked people to sign the petition and we're getting these emails saying that people can't," Danielsen told POLITICO.

"The Constitution allows all of us to petition our government for a redress of grievance. It says nothing about needing to be able to see in order to do so."

Zing!

Not sure how the White House plans on addressing this issue, but there's a really sad irony in learning that an outlet that the blind are trying to use to raise their voice to the government is insanely difficult for blind people to use.

If you'd like to sign the petition yourself, you can find it here.

[h/t: TechDirt]

Memes, increasingly, make the Web go 'round, and nothing has struck the Internet's weird, cat-obsessed imagination quite like Arizona's own Grumpy Cat.

Well, someone out there thought "saturating the Internet with a silly lookin' cat's head isn't enough...this cat needs a movie!" Someone else agreed with that thought.

Now, those two people might be in line for raises:

Broken Road Productions, the film studio that brought you such classic titles as Jack and Jill and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, has negotiated a deal for a family film starring the Internet’s favorite curmudgeon, Grumpy Cat. Bad news: It will probably not be 90 minutes of following her while she crawls around her Arizona home, which is what the Internet really wants.

...

Unfortunately, they’re looking to “build a big family comedy around this character,” according to producer Todd Garner, so odds are this movie is going to try to have a plot and characters and lame stuff like that. Grumpycat will probably even talk, too. If that’s the case, then they should get the adorable voice actress that Tumblr Storyboard used in the video below. That might make the inevitably hacky jokes just a little more bearable.

I disagree, Geekosystem writer Victoria McNally. This is the Garfield movie, given new form and shape — and unfortunately, won't have anything to do with Bill F—king Murray.

How do you feel about this idea, Grumpy Cat?

• Us too, Grumpy Cat. Us too.

[h/t: Geekosystem]

The Arbor Day Foundation recently announced a new booklet to help "nature lovers and professional botanists alike" identify trees in Arizona and the Western Region.

I know what you're thinking: "Why would anyone want to learn how to identify trees?" Listen, tree identification is important, and no, Saguaros don't count.

For some, tree identification may be just a hobby. For others, learning to properly identify trees could be extremely beneficial to maintaining a backyard.

Who knows, maybe you have more types of trees than you realized, and maybe they need more care than you thought — or maybe you even have an invasive or non-native species.

Arbor Day Foundation, a nonprofit conservation and education organization, aims to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees, according to its website.

Stated in the press release, the booklet uses a 'unique step-by-step approach for identifying the species of each tree, explaining what to look for in the shape of the leaves, differences in the leaf stems and twig structures and specific characteristics of fruits, flowers, buds and bark.'

The new pocket brochure is available for a $5 donation to the Arbor Day Foundation. Simply send the donation to What Tree Is That?, Arbor Day Foundation, Nebraska City, NE 68410.

I don't know if there's a clear American sports parallel for what's happening tonight at 5:30 in Houston as our own FC Tucson take on Major League Soccer's Dynamo in the third round of the US Open Cup. If the Tucson Padres were matched up against a major league team, that wouldn't be the same, as those two teams would be adjacent in the ranks of baseball leagues. No, FC Tucson, an amateur team made up of teammates who mostly hadn't met two months ago, have already defeated a team one step ahead of them in soccer's hierarchy in Phoenix FC, beat the San Antonio Scorpions last week (one step below MLS) and are now facing the Houston Dynamo, MLS's runner-up the last two seasons.

It's a big deal, and believe it or not, there are people who believe Tucson's own have a shot tonight. Houston is likely starting a team of reserves, resting their starters for this week's league match. So, you never know.

Late notice, I realize, but the game will be on at Playground on Congress tonight, sharing the bar's giant screen with the US vs. Belgium matchup, or you can stream the game online.

Who knows? You might get the chance to witness Tucson sports history.

The Humane Society of Southern Arizona presents James, a 2-year-old, male, domestic short hair.
Reference no: 752962

Do you have a spare sunny spot in your house? James would love to turn it into his favorite nap station. This stunning sweetheart has good looks, a great personality and endless resilience. Found as a stray with a leg that was injured beyond repair, James underwent amputation surgery and bounced back with poise and gratitude. Now that James is feeling better, he can’t wait to finally find a home. Could you be the one to offer him a chance at the good life? Meet this handsome bundle of joy today at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona!

For information, call 327-6088. The Humane Society of Southern Arizona is located at 3450 N. Kelvin Blvd.

The New Republic's Alec MacGillis examines whether changing attitudes about gun violence present an opening for groups such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly's Americans for Responsible Solutions:

The NRA, of course, has real clout. Like many other groups, it lobbies in Washington and state capitals, buys ads and deploys activists during elections, and maintains a ratings system that grades elected officials and candidates on their support for its goals. What sets the NRA apart is its relentless invocation of the Second Amendment, the single-mindedness of its supporters, and the inchoate nature of its hold on politicians. Its approval has come to signify not merely support for gun ownership, but American authenticity. For many in Congress, it’s “a cultural thing,” says one veteran Senate staffer. “You have to pass a cultural test for [constituents] to listen to you on the other stuff.”

And yet for some time now, the NRA’s power has been more a matter of entrenched wisdom than actual fact. Gun ownership is declining—from half of households in the 1970s to a third today. A slew of senators and governors have won campaigns in red or purple states despite NRA F ratings, including Tim Kaine (Virginia), Kay Hagan (North Carolina), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Claire McCaskill (Missouri), and Bill Nelson (Florida), who has campaigned on gun control but has won majorities even in deeply conservative Panhandle counties. Senator Chris Murphy, a rookie Connecticut Democrat who has taken a lead on the issue since the Newtown massacre, points out that, of the 16 Senate races the NRA participated in last year, 13 of its candidates lost. “The NRA is just all mythology,” he says. “The NRA does not win elections anymore.”

• Neftali / Shutterstock.com

Presented in its entirety, here is an op-ed entitled "R.I.P., Boy Scouts of America" by Matt Barber, who can be found on Twitter @jmattbarber.

“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36)

It’s a sad day for both Scouting and for freedom. Indeed, it’s a sad day for America. The century-old Boy Scouts of America (BSA) — created in 1910 to “prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes” — has betrayed its own constituency, mission, oath and law.

Last Thursday, approximately 1,400 adult BSA delegates from around the country gathered in Texas and decided, in a disgracefully lopsided vote, to welcome into its ranks, “open and avowed” homosexuality (boy-on-boy sexual attraction and behavior), thereby disavowing the “morally straight” Scout Oath its members are sworn to uphold.
They voted unwisely.

History will reflect that on this day the BSA turned from morally straight to immorally bent — that this once great organization — founded on “honor,” “reverence” and biblical morality — was crushed beneath the worldly weight of pagan idolatry.

Whereas, for over a century, millions of boys have raised their right hands, swearing “on my honor” to “do my duty to God and my country” — on this day, hundreds of adult delegates likewise raised their right hands, shook their fists at God and flipped their middle fingers at both the boys they serve and the parents who trusted them.

While endeavoring to “gain the world,” this once honorable institution has forfeited its soul.

Scripture admonishes: “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23). This was a catastrophic miscalculation. It was sin, and, tragically, through this sin, the BSA has now effectively sealed its own fate. It has set into motion its own demise.

Even by its own estimates, BSA leadership admits that the decision will likely result in a mass exodus from Scouting. They anticipate that as many as 400,000 Scouts and Scouters will leave the organization (acceptable casualties in the war on morality, I guess). Still, as devastating as this number is, it too represents a gross miscalculation.

Consider, for instance, that when Canada’s version of the Boy Scouts voted in 1998 to welcome open homosexuality, its membership rolls plummeted by over half in just five years, forcing camp closures, staff layoffs and huge budget cuts. Looking north of the border for clues, then, we can expect that, with current membership at around 2.6 million, it’s more likely that roughly 1.5 million Boy Scouts and troop masters will walk.

Then again, we’re talking about “progressive” Canada. This is the good ol’ USA. With over 61 percent of Scouts, Scouters and parents opposing the homosexualization of Boy Scouts, and over 70 percent of U.S. Scout groups sponsored by churches and religious organizations, it’s not unreasonable to expect that defections will even exceed this estimate.

In short, BSA’s betrayal may well result in near-total ruin. The wages of sin is death.

Here’s the reality: Reality has not changed. Objective truth did not suddenly and miraculously reverse itself on May 23, 2013. As BSA has always acknowledged (until Thursday), homosexual behavior remains empirically disordered and immoral. The only thing that has changed is politics.

Ultimately, this decision had nothing to do with “tolerance” or “inclusivity.” Neither did it concern the best interests of the boys who make up Boy Scouting. Instead, this decision was rooted in pure evil. It had everything to do with money. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10).

And wandered from the faith they have.

Now come the many griefs.

Really, three things drove this decision: Fear, greed and politics. A number of high-dollar corporate donors threatened to pull funding from BSA if they maintained the existing policy on sexual morality. Additionally, a number of extremist pressure groups, aided by a sympathetic left-wing media, brought tremendous pressure to bear.
But the pressure’s not going away. The BSA made a critical error in judgment. It showed weakness. This has only whipped these radicals into a heightened frenzy. Within moments of the “gay” announcement, Nancy Pelosi called the move “an important first step.” The Human Rights Campaign demanded “the new policy doesn’t go far enough,” and Mother Jones, a liberal online publication, posted an article titled, “Boy Scouts: You Can Be Gay Until You’re 18.”
Sin is never satisfied. The homofascist thirst for absolute affirmation is unquenchable.

What’s the next step? Activists now demand that adult men who desire sex with other males (“gay” scout masters) be allowed to take your sons camping overnight. Soon they’ll be insisting that “transgender boys” (girls who wish they were boys) be allowed to join as well.

What a camping trip. Imagine the pup tent. Your son and Jimmy — who’s got a crush on him — along with Billy and Billy’s boyfriend Bobby, all snuggly warm in the middle of nowhere. But make room for Sammy (formerly Suzie) and Sammy’s boyfriend Gary (formerly Gertrude).

Don’t forget to hang the disco ball.

And “always be prepared.”

You think there won’t be new membership stagnation? Who wants to sign their boy up for the “Gay Scouts”? What’s a kid gotta to do to earn his “tolerance badge”? Parents, you might want to get out while the gettin’s good. As one Eagle Scout told me, “I’m not leaving the Boy Scouts, the Boy Scouts left me.”

It’s only a matter of time until BSA caves on these demands as well. They’ll admit “gay” men and girls soon. They have no choice. Now that they’ve opened the door, they’ve waived the only legal defense they once had: religious and moral conviction.

But here’s the good news. I and dozens more will be convening for a coalition meeting of pro-family leaders next month in Louisville, Ky., to discuss the creation of a moral alternative to the Boy Scouts. Nature abhors a vacuum. We intend to fill it.

Still, until then, please join me as we mourn the loss of this once honorable organization. The Boy Scouts of America: Born Feb. 8, 1910 — Died May 23, 2013.

May it rest in peace.

Spicy, sweet, hot, funny, giddy — the rich and happy mood of chattering diners clustered with friends could be felt almost upon opening the door to Café Desta, packed as it was with fans of avant indie chamber music on the verge of a historic event. Chris Black’s original Tucson vision, Chamberlab, was turning one year old, and celebrants anticipated an evening of the gang’s greatest hits, delicious as the spirit and the company of its culinary overture.

Program, players and lots of pictures after the jump.

• C. Elliott
• Chamberlab performed for a charmed, SRO audience at Café Desta Saturday night.

With summer and monsoon season fast-approaching, the familiar buzzing of pesky mosquitoes will only get louder...and if you're like me, you've already been dealing with annoying bites for the last month.

What's even worse than waking up with chomped-on toes and itchy ankles — especially when someone in the same household as you never gets bitten.

So why do mosquitoes love munching on some people more than others?

Studies have shown that it is not our smell or sweetness that attract the little critters, but certain characteristics such as blood type, chemical markers emitted from our skin, pregnancy, alcohol and the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from your breath.

According to one study, people with Blood Type O are significantly more likely to be bitten.

Alcohol can also play a major role according to this study, which says that mosquitoes are significantly more likely to bite those who have ingested alcohol compared with those who have not — and those are just a few examples.

Not only are mosquito bites downright nasty, they're a big health concern. The more bites a person receives, the more likely they will contract a mosquito-borne illness, in which case it is crucial to exercise proper precaution and care — including using the right bug spray and mosquito-proofing your yard.

On Tuesday, Hotel Congress was buzzing with friends, family and staff as they celebrated Tom "Tiger" Ziegler's 80th birthday. Ziegler has been working at Hotel Congress as a bartender inside the Tap Room for over 54 years. In honor of Ziegler's birthday Hotel Congress renamed the Tap Room as Tiger's Tap Room and gave him a large cake with his namesake on it.

"I am speechless, " said Ziegler. "It's like a dream come true, like you have to pinch yourself to see if it is true."

• Tiger Ziegler enjoying a beer at his 80th birthday celebration.

• Tiger Ziegler holding a Tiger that was on top of his birthday cake.

• (left) Herb Calleros, cafe manager at Hotel Congress and Nora Jean Miller, banquet manager at Hotel Congress cut and serve Tiger Ziegler's birthday cake.

• Will Schuiteman and Tiger Ziegler enjoy a beer while talking outside of Hotel Congress.

• The new Tiger's Tap Room.

• Tiger Ziegler standing behing the bar counter, inside the newly renamed Tiger's Tap Room at Hotel Congress.