Category: Written By Mike

migrated from pd

Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barsky’s!

Shari

Many of you know Barsky. He’s my good friend, my trusted ally, and the only director I know willing to work with me on a weekly basis. What many of you may not know is that Barsky often needs to be restrained. His temper of late has become unpredictable, and his ability to play well with others is virtually non-existent. On Dirty Jobs, he has become a danger to himself and others, and so I, in the interest of public safety, have had to take steps. Happily, my friends at Master Lock have devised a new line of Work Truck Read More

Farmers vs. Teachers?

Shari

From the MRW Water Cooler: I don’t need a fight with the teacher’s union any more than I need one with PETA, or OSHA, or the EPA. And as the son of two teachers, I don’t need any trouble with my parents either. (Believe me, nobody want that.) But this business in Wisconsin is fascinating, and this article goes right to the heart of something we’ve discussed here at length – the changing definition of a “good job.” It’s interesting what we value, and how those values change over time. But only on a perpetually full stomach could we allow such Read More

Oops, I did it again…

Shari

I’d like to take a minute and tell you about Kimberly-Clark, a modest little operation in Wisconsin that’s been cleaning up our bodily fluids for the last hundred years, and mrW’s latest supporter. Kimberly-Clark makes everything from Kleenex to Kotex. (Alphabetically of course, there isn’t much between Kleenex and Kotex, but you get the idea.) They manufacture safety equipment, medical supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, and a truly comprehensive line of diapers, including Huggies, Depends, Little Swimmers, Goodnights and something called Poise, which Whoopi Goldberg is very excited about. (They make lots and lots of diapers.) In addition to making diapers for Read More

The Crumbling Infrastructure Bandwagon

Shari

From Mike’s forum on Discovery: Q: Mike – I’m not on the Crumbling Infrastructure Bandwagon. It’s very much a case of a buzzword becoming truth, and like the now discredited Global Warming farce, naysayers are branded as ignorant clods. They are pitied as being blind to Undeniable Truths. Speaking from the perspective of the uneducated prol, here’s how I see it: The American Society of Civil Engineers is hardly an objective observer in this matter. Civil Engineers do a great many things, but most make their living designing, building and maintaining, what? Infrastructure! There are three problems here. First, of Read More

Education Affords the Choices ~ Honorable Jobs ARE the Good Jobs

Shari

From the MRW Water Cooler: Q: Mike, I’m a public school teacher in Texas, one of the lowest ranking states in education. I’m doing what I can one 8th grader at a time. Would it be offensive to the people who go out and work these dirty jobs every day (yes I know I need them to keep my cozy little world running!) to reference some of the ones I’ve seen as a “stay in school” message? It’s my job to use what kids like to try and motivate them, and they love this show. I’m not all about political Read More

Mr. Rowe Goes to Washington (and Peoria, etc.)

Shari

October 10, 2010 Finally home, and man am I tired. Frankly, I don’t remember the last time I felt this whipped. Then again, I don’t remember the last time I’ve been this old. Coincidence? Probably not. Looking back, I can see now that each of the last ten days required a separate part of my brain. Which is probably why nothing got my undivided attention. Started in Peoria, where I got to know the big shots over at Caterpillar, and some of the smaller shots as well. Really an amazing company and a very nice bunch of regular folks. They Read More

The Future of Farming

Shari

The last time I was in Indianapolis was the summer of 2003. I remember it pretty well because I was still sulking about The Colts being moved there without my permission and not quite over their inglorious departure from my hometown of Baltimore twenty years earlier. My bitterness melted away however in nearby Plainfield at The National Chimney Sweep Training School, the site of my very first Dirty Job. There, I was instructed in the fine art of “flue maintenance,” and engulfed inflames while attempting to extinguish a raging creosote fire from the top of a rickety demonstration platform. Things went downhill Read More

Building Symmetry

Shari

Funny thing about symmetry – you never know it’s going to happen until the moment it actually does, and then all of a sudden, you say things like “Well, how about that? That was very symmetrical.” Which is pretty much what happened when I heard from “Go Build Alabama.” “Go Build Alabama” is a website built to champion Skilled Labor. It’s funded by the construction industry and the state of Alabama, and similar in many ways to mikeroweWORKS. I know this because the organizers told me as much when they first called a few months ago to tell me they Read More

John Adams ~ Independent, Politically Incorrect and Would Look Great on a $50 Bill

Shari

From Mike’s forum on Discovery: Q: As we celebrate our nation’s birthday ~ the 4th of July, have you ever considered which president you would have liked to have met? — Pen   John Adams My reasons why are between the covers of McCullough’s biography on the man and his presidency, and too numerous to mention here. But for starters, he was a true patriot who almost single-handedly got the second Continental Congress to declare our independence. He wrote amazing love letters to his wife everyday. And he was the only founding father to never own a slave. In spite Read More

Mike Replies To A Slightly Offended, Not Very Enthusiastic Scout

Shari

Dear Mike Rowe, Hello, I am a boy scout in Iowa, and I read the letter you sent to a boy who was contemplating whether or not to become an eagle scout. I am sorry to say this, but I am slightly offended by the meaning I interpreted when you brought up taking the path to become an eagle scout, or living a life of predictability and mediocrity. I honestly am not a very enthusiastic scout, I know that, others have told me that, and I doubt I will go for my eagle. But, I am one of the top Read More

To What Degree Do You Think A College Degree Matters?

Shari

From Mike’s Forum on Discovery: Q: Mike I’m curious how you, who attended 6 years of college, came to appreciate and respect the people who do the less glamorous jobs. Did your parents raise you to appreciate every one’s struggle? Seems like a simple point these days, but it’s shocking how many people still think that schooling has anything to do with wisdom, knowledge or value to society. What’s your opinion? — M My opinion is that, in general, a college experience will make you a much richer person. A college degree however, will not. As you suggest, the pursuit Read More