Rob Butcher

Lucky dog. Optimist. Shunner of Agendas. Smile - life is good. Bullish on America. A.I., Tesla, SpaceX. “Happiness is reality minus expectations” - Elon Musk

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

Social media feeds our personal predilections, rendering us unable to distinguish between fact and fiction.

Our minds ossify, unaware that our reality is shared only among like-minded individuals.

We find ourselves isolated from the inconvenient truths and perspectives of others.

All the while we are blissfully self-assured that the realty we know is the truth and that the world around us has gone mad.

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

Ground News the only website (actually, a news aggregator), of which I am aware, to provide a reliable list of sources for news. News organizations, right and left, have business models that are no longer viable. As a result, they have adopted methods to trick readers into clicking on ads, publishing advertisements in the form of articles and optimizing for engagement and viral social media interaction. Even news articles behind paywalls are usually user-unfriendly and require continued proof of subscriber status.

The industry is a mess.

And all of that is before one critiques today’s lowered “standards” of journalism and the loss of objectivity in the newsroom.

For much of the country, podcasts, Substack, blogs and social media have replaced the traditional mainstream media.

In such a world, one can only be certain of one thing: every news story is suspect. If you find a trusted source, watch out for confirmation bias. Competing ideas and perspectives are your friends. Peace.

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

I have a different take. This is as loud an alarm one can have about relying on analysts for price targets at brokerage houses. An analyst gets replaced and Chase’s recommendation is the polar opposite of what they were recommending the day before?!?! Really? Clearly, the previous analyst is out of favor or out to lunch. Caution listening to his future advice.

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

@TheSonOfWalkley Hmmm. Remind me why I would want Chase advising me on investing? Seems like a brain transplant just took place. Disturbing for anyone relying upon such analysts.

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

Does America make mistakes? Of course it does.
As a country, America has high ideals and we sometimes do not rise to the occasion. Other times we do. No country has a clean track record. The best we can do is to keep trying to improve. I believe our best bet is transparency of government and freedom of speech to criticize those in power. I am proud of our country. I look at our history and see acts of courage, generosity and sacrifice. Not everywhere to be sure, but pointing out the positive in American actions seems to be out of favor these days. I compare America with past “empires” and I have no problem saying America shines in comparison. That does not mean we should not hold ourselves to a higher standard and always aim to do better. I only note that it is refreshing when I see a company like Blue Bell Ice Cream willing to show the less popular, patriotic side.

And yes, the cynic in me knows they are likely only doing so to sell me their product. I am drawn to this marketing and I will purchase their product. I presume those who do not appreciate such a self-serving display of patriotism will act differently. Ben and Jerry’s beckons.

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

Never had it but I’m buy buy buying it. So happy to see when we cease cowering and stand tall and proud of who we are.
Every country/peoples has atrocities. America shines in comparison. If you are a critic of the US, be fair and critique every other nation of its standing. You will find your arguments against America lacking.

[KIRO 7 @KIRO7Seattle]

Blue Bell revives Red, White & Blue Bell flavor to celebrate America’s 250th birthday https://t.co/4jCcSiOymr

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

That is a good point. I would suggest that right and wrong should both be called out, one with praise and the other with righteous scorn.

I think right and wrong should not be determined by whose team is at bat. Nor should we apply our judgement selectively.

When the USA taxes its citizens, the citizens have every right (and I would argue a duty) to criticize the policies they don’t like.

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

X is uniquely yours. If you don’t like it, you can change it.

To some X is a cesspool - unregulated, uncomfortable, and unsafe.
To others, X is a bastion of free speech.

I find X to be a refreshingly free and open marketplace of ideas - current events showcasing the best of humanity, as well as the gritty, unvarnished musings of our lesser angels.

X is my classroom. And I am here to learn.

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

@Hana_b30 So, logically, you can find the age of a person by counting the number of rings they have.

[Deep philosophy @DeepPhilo_HQ]

"Nature does not punish the evil, it punishes the weak."

- Nietzsche

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

@seattleiscrazy Building Dystopia, one vacancy at a time.

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

@archpng Beautiful. Many don��t appreciate these doors of il Duomo, as they are opposite the North Doors of the Florence Baptistery, made by Lorenzo Ghiberti between 1403 and 1424. They represent his first masterpiece, before the celebrated Gates of Paradise. https://t.co/ljWOKJbDxy

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

@MacRumors New merch looks like old merch.

[Words of Wise | Mindset Coach @Wordofwise_]

“The world owes no man a living, but it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.”

— John D. Rockefeller

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

@masteringmanhd “Mad Dog” Mattis.

If you don’t want all of your generals thinking this way, what way would you prefer they think?

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

@EvaLovesDesign Californium is priced just about the same as Hawaiium and Washingtonium.

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

@stevemur So, only fools pay? Is that what Metro is teaching us?

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

In other news, Riyadh Air takes delivery of their first 787 Dreamliners today.

[Ben Bearup @TheAviationBeat]

NEWS: Riyadh Air plans to take delivery of their first 787 Dreamliners today.

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

Nice plane. Too bad America doesn’t make jetliners.

[Ben Bearup @TheAviationBeat]

NEWS: United Airlines takes delivery of their first A321XLR today.

▪️Starlink onboard
▪️20 lie-flat Polaris seats
▪️50 on order

[The Ways of A Gentleman @Gentleman_Ways]

“A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.”

-John Burroughs

[Rob Butcher @RobButcher]

@TheAviationBeat Nice plane. Too bad America doesn’t make jet liners.