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You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Sunday Morning Open Thread

Sunday Morning Open Thread

by Betty Cracker|  January 19, 20147:29 am| 45 Comments

This post is in: Dog Blogging, Domestic Politics, Open Threads

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If you Google “dog selfie,” you’ll get images of what are clearly human-orchestrated photos that make it appear that a dog took a selfie. Here is the genuine article:

daisy_selfie

No thumbs required. And like most genuine selfies, it doesn’t present the photographer in the most flattering light.

Speaking of dogs, the movie “Up” got dogs exactly right. The film has been out for a couple of years, but the mister and I just got around to seeing it last night. Please feel free to discuss dogs, movies or whatever.

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Reader Interactions

45Comments

  1. 1.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 19, 2014 at 7:36 am

    SQUIRREL!!!

  2. 2.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 19, 2014 at 7:40 am

    Kind of like walking into the White House Correspondents Dinner and yelling, “SCANDAL!!!”

    (i wonder, would that be like yelling “FIRE!” in a crowded theater?)

  3. 3.

    WereBear

    January 19, 2014 at 7:42 am

    I do love that movie.

    I need to record my podcast today, and then dinner at a neighbor’s. One floor down :)

  4. 4.

    Linda Featheringill

    January 19, 2014 at 7:56 am

    Love Up!

    We saw it again over the holidays and it’s still fun.

    First World problem: SIL apparently is hot blooded and INSISTS that the thermostat be set to where he is comfortable. Brrrr! Grumble, grumble.

    Sausage gravy is scheduled for breakfast. Yum.

  5. 5.

    Amir Khalid

    January 19, 2014 at 8:06 am

    Okay, so just how did the puppeh take the selfie?

  6. 6.

    WereBear

    January 19, 2014 at 8:07 am

    @Amir Khalid: Their paw pads have the same effect on touch devices as our fingertips.

    This works so well with cats they have their own games.

  7. 7.

    Amir Khalid

    January 19, 2014 at 8:11 am

    @WereBear:
    And how was puppeh holding the smartphone?

  8. 8.

    Linda Featheringill

    January 19, 2014 at 8:14 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    Game for cats:

    http://www.ipadgameforcats.com/

  9. 9.

    PurpleGirl

    January 19, 2014 at 8:15 am

    @WereBear: I love watching cats and kittens playing their games with iPads and tablets.

    Re: Up! Great movie and that first portion of it is so tender and disarming… if you don’t feel a tear at least forming, you have no feelings.

  10. 10.

    gene108

    January 19, 2014 at 8:18 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    And how was puppeh holding the smartphone?

    I assume the device is on the ground or other flat surface.

  11. 11.

    Betty Cracker

    January 19, 2014 at 8:19 am

    @Amir Khalid: I had my iPhone in camera mode to take some pictures of the kids playing with our other dog. The pictured dog was sitting next to me on the sofa, and she kept pawing at the phone, so I set it on a pillow to see if she’d touch it, and she did. If she could talk, I’m certain she would scold me for publicizing a photo that makes her look fat.

  12. 12.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    January 19, 2014 at 8:21 am

    Doglius is snuggling upstairs with the Mrs. They’re the later risers in the household.
    @Linda Featheringill:
    We have that temperature regulation problem as well. I’m comfortable at 70, she likes it around 60. We compromise with 62 degrees and me in 3 layers of clothes.

    Today I have to finish inventing/building something, then start writing it up for publication. This used to be fun when I wasn’t averaging 65 hours/week at my day job. Now it’s a chore that I don’t think I can continue doing.
    I just did a tally and I worked 12 weekend days from 11/02/13 – 01/12/14, including spending New Year’s abruptly out of the country. But I did spend POLARVORTEXMAGEDDON!!1! in Mexico instead of Michigan so there’s that.

  13. 13.

    WereBear

    January 19, 2014 at 8:25 am

    @PurpleGirl: I would love to get the cats an iPad. But I don’t have one yet!

    Went two years with the Chromebook and saved enough money to get me a laptop when it became obvious that the Chromebook had a lot of strengths, but working on book length projects was not one of them. I put a lot of time into investigating that, too.

    Now the cats do love watching videos on the Chromebook, which has become my “out of the house” laptop device.

  14. 14.

    Hal

    January 19, 2014 at 8:42 am

    Steve Kornacki has a panel discussing the Hoboken Mayor’s allegations. Included is a Republican nj legislator twisting himself into a pretzel defending Christie all the while admitting he knows nothing about her allegations. Christie is former prosecutor, corruption is abhorrent to him! Um, I guess he’s never heard of Eliot Spitzer.

  15. 15.

    MattF

    January 19, 2014 at 8:42 am

    Going to see ‘Her’ this afternoon. I’ve been a Spike Jonze fan ever since ‘Being John Malkovich.’

  16. 16.

    April

    January 19, 2014 at 8:46 am

    Calendar? DId the calendar come out yet? Or did I miss it?

  17. 17.

    Betty Cracker

    January 19, 2014 at 8:47 am

    @MattF: I’d like to see that too. Sounds interesting.

  18. 18.

    Betty Cracker

    January 19, 2014 at 8:53 am

    @April: John mentioned it in a post recently. It’s coming out soon IIRC.

  19. 19.

    OldDave

    January 19, 2014 at 8:56 am

    Speaking of dogs, the movie “Up” got dogs exactly right

    That’s not the only thing it got just right. The opening sequence, especially the silent Carl and Ellie aging progression, is *perfect*.

    Calendar? DId the calendar come out yet? Or did I miss it?

    It did, very recently. Mine is in transit. Link: http://www.cafepress.com/balloonjuice/11015984

  20. 20.

    PurpleGirl

    January 19, 2014 at 9:03 am

    @Hal: Yes, CC is a former federal prosecutor, who was known for staying in the MOST expensive hotels when traveling for business.

  21. 21.

    MattF

    January 19, 2014 at 9:04 am

    Krugman blog post on the undeserving rich:

    http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/the-myth-of-the-deserving-rich/?_php=true&_type=blogs&module=BlogPost-Title&version=Blog%20Main&contentCollection=Opinion&action=Click&pgtype=Blogs&region=Body&_r=0

    Wherein he somehow manages to not mention another writer on the NYT op-ed page whose initials are “David Brooks.”

  22. 22.

    Amir Khalid

    January 19, 2014 at 9:13 am

    @PurpleGirl:
    Christie’s superiors at DoJ must have given him some grief over his travel expenditure. At any ratre, they should have. Did he just blow them off?

  23. 23.

    WereBear

    January 19, 2014 at 9:16 am

    @Amir Khalid: This was during the Bush administration, when corruption was simply performance art.

  24. 24.

    Ultraviolet Thunder

    January 19, 2014 at 9:21 am

    @MattF:

    Kthug already took a precisely aimed shot at Brooksie in another blog post. He chided him for distorting the inequality issue by comparing the top 5% to the 95%. Krugman then pointed out the radical difference between the wealth gains of the 1% and the next 4%, putting the issue back in the proper context.

  25. 25.

    JR

    January 19, 2014 at 9:23 am

    Yeah, “Up” isn’t a bad movie by any stretch, but there is just no way in hell I’m ever going to put myself through watching that opening sequence ever again.

  26. 26.

    MattF

    January 19, 2014 at 9:27 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: Yes, you’re right. I remembered Krugman’s earlier post that after posting my comment. Has there ever been a case where Brooks was not finding a new way to reassure the privileged few?

  27. 27.

    big ole hound

    January 19, 2014 at 9:33 am

    “Cone of Shame” should be an annual award for the most corrupt member of Congress.

  28. 28.

    WereBear

    January 19, 2014 at 9:37 am

    @big ole hound: I love that idea! May it go viral.

  29. 29.

    Betty Cracker

    January 19, 2014 at 9:47 am

    @big ole hound: That is an outstanding idea. It would be difficult to narrow a very long list down to a single deserving candidate though.

  30. 30.

    negative 1

    January 19, 2014 at 10:03 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder: That’s not fair — bringing actual facts to a Bobo column.

  31. 31.

    Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason

    January 19, 2014 at 10:12 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder:

    This used to be fun when I wasn’t averaging 65 hours/week at my day job.

    Ugh. I had the same problem in 2011. Even though I had some time to spare in the evenings and weekends I had no gumption left to get up and do what I liked.

  32. 32.

    YellowJournalism

    January 19, 2014 at 11:19 am

    @JR: That’s the sign of a great film: so moving it kills you to watch it again.

  33. 33.

    donnah

    January 19, 2014 at 11:40 am

    re: difficult movie scenes. I sob like a baby every time I watch Sling Blade. The segments where Billy Bob revisits his family home are gut-wrenching. And the first part of Return to Me also breaks my heart.

    I cry at the drop of a hat, for sure, but these destroy me.

  34. 34.

    Liberty60

    January 19, 2014 at 11:41 am

    The missus and I love that scene at the opening of Up that sketches the lives of the lead character and his wife.
    With such a effortless minimum of time, it is a beautifully lump-in-the-throat inducing way of desccribing two people and their life of joy and heartbreak together, and set the Ed Asner character for the rest of the movie.

    And yes, they got the dog exactly right.

  35. 35.

    kindness

    January 19, 2014 at 11:46 am

    Betty you gotta tweet that image with some whitty quote just as a real selfie should. Make a contest for best lines.

  36. 36.

    Bill Arnold

    January 19, 2014 at 11:54 am

    @Ultraviolet Thunder:
    Re the recent P. Krugman piece about 1%,
    Paul Fussell, in a 1980s book “Class” about class and class markers in America, broke the American class system into “Bottom out-of-sight”, “Destitute”, “Low proletarian”, “Mid-proletarian”, “High proletarian”, “Middle”, “Upper middle”, “Upper”, “Top out-of-sight”. He was more into class markers than income (and how they can be invisible to lower classes), but roughly, the dividing line between upper-middle and upper is about the 1% mark. Top out-of-sight would be assets of $100 000 000 or more, approximately (maybe 200M in 2014 dollars). He missed practical distinctions in the “top out of sight” class though (the class markers including extremely expensive assets). There are at least three, lower TooS, middle TooS, upper TooS, (100M – 1B, 1B-10B, 10B+).
    (You can a pdf scan of this book on line. no link since it may not be legal.)

  37. 37.

    Betty Cracker

    January 19, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    @donnah: The end of “The Color Purple” makes me cry my eyes out — when the sisters are reunited.

  38. 38.

    Bill Arnold

    January 19, 2014 at 12:01 pm

    I’ve lost some interest in Christie(-as-a-threat) since the non-GWBridge-scandals have started emerging (as expected). If anybody wants something serious to worry about, the “Prevent Negotiation With Iran Act Of 2013” is pretty worrying.

    As noted elsewhere, the following appear intended to trigger sanctions prematurely. (Or more cynically, to bludgeon the president with the threat of impeachment threats if he doesn’t.)

    301.a.2.(H)
    Iran has not directly, or through a proxy, supported, financed, planned, or otherwise carried out an act of terrorism against the United States or United States persons or property anywhere in the world;
    [Literally not possible to fully satisfy this clause.]

    301.a.2.(I)
    Iran has not conducted any tests for ballistic missiles with a range exceeding 500 kilometers; and
    [it will be argued that satellite launches are ballistic missile tests. Also this is a new condition.]

    301.a.2.(F)
    the United States is working toward a final agreement or arrangement that will dismantle Iran’s illicit nuclear infrastructure to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapons capability and permit daily verification, monitoring, and inspections of suspect facilities in Iran so that an effort by Iran to produce a nuclear weapon would be quickly detected;
    [2.b.(3) declares that Iran has no right to enrichment or reprocessing facilities, Iran reads the NNPT differently. Article III.3 and all of Article IV seem to support Iran’s position.]

    From 2 Sense of Congress on nuclear weapon capabilities of Iran.
    2.b.(3)
    the Government of Iran does not have an absolute or inherent right to enrichment and reprocessing capabilities and technologies under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, done at Washington, London, and Moscow July 1, 1968, and entered into force March 5, 1970 (commonly known as the “Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty”);

  39. 39.

    rikyrah

    January 19, 2014 at 12:11 pm

    Michelle Obama’s Star-Studded 50th Birthday Party

    Family and friends left the White House at 2 a.m.
    BY: LYNETTE HOLLOWAY
    Posted: Jan. 19 2014 10:25 AM

    Stars like Beyoncé, former NBA superstar Magic Johnson, singer Smokey Robinson and actor Samuel L. Jackson showed up at the White House Saturday evening to help Michelle Obama celebrate her 50th birthday, CNN reports.

    Family and friends left the gathering about 2 a.m. The celebration reportedly featured entertainment by Beyoncé, who performed several songs.

    The first lady’s invitations generated controversy earlier after it was revealed that they advised guests that only drinks and light snacks would be served.

    But the food menu, or lack thereof, didn’t appear to bother any of those who attended. They mostly wanted to talk about how great the 50-year-old first lady looked, and how much in love President Obama is with his wife, the report says.

    Michelle Obama donned red and black and looked stunning, CNN reports.

    http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/01/michelle_obama_s_star_studded_50th_birthday_party.html?wpisrc=topstories

  40. 40.

    rikyrah

    January 19, 2014 at 12:18 pm

    50 and fashionable: How Michelle Obama used style to move a nation
    By Harriette Cole
    updated 9:12 AM EST, Fri January 17, 2014

    And yet, for many women, 50 is the age when we reach our stride. It’s when we begin to love our maturing bodies. When we claim our personal style. When we step into our own power.

    So, what does the new 50 look like? Two words: Michelle Obama.

    When you go through the endless scroll of photos of the first lady — from Inauguration Day, when she first was cloaked in edgy designer Isabel Toledo, to a recent state dinner honoring the British Prime Minister where she was wearing a sleek, off-the-shoulder dress from American design house Marchesa — you see a fabulous and undeniable evolution.

    Obama has the nerve to look younger, fitter, and more comfortable in her skin than she did seven years ago. How she does it is an inspiration to all of us over 50.

    http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/17/opinion/cole-michelle-obama-fashion/index.html?sr=tw011614michelleobamabirthday1p

  41. 41.

    Betty Cracker

    January 19, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    @rikyrah: Why on earth would it be controversial that the invitation stated drinks and light snacks would be served? Were they expecting Thanksgiving dinner?

  42. 42.

    rikyrah

    January 19, 2014 at 12:20 pm

    Fifty, Fierce and the First Lady
    Michaela Angela Davis on the significance of Michelle Obama at that special age

    “I love your wife.”

    I’ve had one chance to say one thing to the president of these whole United States and that’s what I said? He was Senator Barack Obama at the time, a presidential hopeful. It was summer 2007 and the hope of Black, young and progressive America was so fresh and thick on him he left some in my palm after I shook his hand, the dew of hope in my grip.

    “Well, I do too” he said, then shot me that sly spectacular smile.

    We snapped a photo and that was last I saw of that Illinois senator.

    That one thing I said to the President, was the truth. I did love his wife.

    I loved what she symbolized, I loved her station, her stature, her style, her skin, and I loved her big, smart smile.

    I remember like it was today, the moment I learned I loved her.

    A small cadre of significant sisters had an event: “Women of Harlem present Michelle Obama.” It was early Spring and the uptown air held a bit of a chilly sting, so her supple kid leather gloves were so appropriate, so old school chic and new school gangster. I noticed her details. I watched as she entered the room of leading women most of whom she had never met, as if we were her besties and this was her birthday tea. She wore a light wool topcoat with a perfectly modern sheath dress beneath. She was taller than I had imagined—actually, I’d never really imagined her. I dared not imagine a First Lady like this: warm, engaging, funny and Black from a distance (a description I boosted from Melissa Harris Perry, who borrowed it from her BFF Professor Blair L.M. Kelley). I was pleased she wasn’t delicate; she had a substantial physical presence that had to be reckoned with. Nope, she was “not his little wife.” She glided her way around the room with purpose, no wasted moves. When it came time to give her campaign pep talk she got loose, giving us real talk. Though I can’t quote anything she said that day, I’ll never forget how she made me feel: relevant. She was not yet the First Lady, not restrained by the enormity and complexity of what the Obama White House would become. There were no big cameras, no official press; she was not squeezed under the global media microscope. She brought Michelle, the Black girl from Chicago to the party— sarcastic but not mean spirited, possessing a couture type swag that let’s you know she could be a boss without being bougie.

    http://www.ebony.com/entertainment-culture/fifty-fierce-and-the-first-lady-405#.UttWR7RMGM-

  43. 43.

    rikyrah

    January 19, 2014 at 12:21 pm

    Oprah in Azzedine Alaïa at the 2014 Critics’ Choice Movie Awards

    Posted on January 17, 2014

    Miss Oprah says, “I don’t need any damn Oscar nomination. Check my shit out.”

    http://tomandlorenzo.com/2014/01/oprah-in-azzedine-alaia-at-the-2014-critics-choice-movie-awards/

  44. 44.

    Narcissus

    January 19, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    Geez nice titty shot

    I thought this was a family blog for families

  45. 45.

    Yatsuno

    January 19, 2014 at 1:51 pm

    @Narcissus: Not doggie porn. Please. I do NOT want to see doggie porn!

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