Our sensitive little mascot does not—repeat, does not—need to know that this recipe has gone viral.

I love what Mike Rowe is doing with the fame he’s gained from the TV show Dirty Jobs.

At mikeroweWORKS.com, he’s launched an effort to celebrate labor. He’s convinced that decades of hard work’s being denigrated (on TV, in movies, in books, by parents who say “Study hard so you won’t have to do that”) have helped create the shortage of skilled labor and that the shortage will make it all the harder to improve our national infrastructure (Obama budget or no). He’s out to help reverse that.

He says that his 200+ “apprenticeships” on Dirty Jobs helped deepen his appreciation for hard work. Now he considers the program to be Stage 1 of his high-aiming crusade.

Stage 2 is mikeroweWORKS.com. I recommend taking it in like so:

• Watch the video below (fittingly enough, created on Labor Day)
• Read this interview (Mike Rowe interviewing Mike Rowe)

Mike freely admits that it’s all still taking shape. I hope it keeps moving toward its worthy goals. I’m glad to see that it’s getting support from Grainger.

Attention, wildlife control professionals: PIG® Mat is great for catching skunks!

That’s what we hear from a customer in the critter control business. He throws the mat over the skunk (I know I’ll think of this the next time I unfurl a sheet over my bed), and the Mat absorbs the spray. He’s passed on the tip to others in the business.

What do you stink—er, think—of that?!

I’m going to throw some depressing words at you, but please hang in there and read to the end …

Months of newscasts delivering details of unimaginable corporate greed have stoked our collective cynicism and grown a sense of panic.

Government bailouts, handouts and help for seemingly everyone but the average worker threaten to dull our sympathies and crush our faith.

Many wonder whether American manufacturing as we know it will continue to exist.

We question whether we’ll be able to maintain our high standard of living.

Is anyone thinking about those who work hard to keep our facilities running?

People still want to believe in something good, if they could just find it among the reports of so much being so bad.

… because those words appear within one of the most heartwarming manufacturing-related stories that you’ll read today.

Snow’s an absorbent.

Ice floes = natural containment booms.

An iceberg can be like a huge chocolate with an oil center. Mmmm.

Read more in this cool article (yep, pun intended).