Randy Nolden

Dad | husband | Brewers fan | Packers fan | runner | unofficial science practitioner | bird nerd | geocacher | CAD geek | Eagle Scout | MacGyver is my idol.

[Randy Nolden @RBNolden]

If there's one thing I've learned from scouting and life in general, it's that being prepared is the greatest superpower there is!

[Randy Nolden @RBNolden]

@TomPurdyWI These pictures are just down the road from your drone shots at Duluth. These are from my parents property.

[Ben @Ben_Oehler]

I can’t believe there are people who think Greg Gard is anything less than a marvelous basketball coach.

[Riley Coyote @RileyRalmuto]

holy sh*t. this is hands down the coolest website i have ever found in my life. it's a live feed of the freaking Hubble Telescope AND James Webb Space Telescope. and the resolution is honestly so incredible i didn't think it was real.

unbelievable.

https://t.co/YQNsG9TVwe

[Evan Drellich @EvanDrellich]

News: All 9 Major League Baseball teams televised by FanDuel Sports Network / Main Street Sports Group have terminated their contracts with the broadcaster: Braves, Reds, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Marlins, Brewers, Cardinals, Rays. Deals can be renegotiated.
https://t.co/OrfnfMcujn

[Vincent Ledvina @Vincent_Ledvina]

Yes, you can really see the aurora with your eyes — but not always as brightly or colorfully as photos suggest. The vivid greens, purples, and reds often seen online are enhanced by camera sensors that collect light over long exposures. Human vision works differently: in low light, our rod cells dominate, allowing us to detect faint movement and brightness but not much color. Because of this, many people perceive dim auroras as grey, white, or pale green rather than the vibrant tones shown in images.

When the aurora is strong and directly overhead — especially in darker, high-latitude locations — your cone cells (which detect color) can engage, and you may see genuine greens and even pink or red hues. However, from lower latitudes or during weak displays, the colors are far subtler and may seem washed out. Factors like moonlight, mild light pollution, or even briefly flashing a light in your eyes can momentarily enhance color perception by activating your cone cells.

So while the aurora is very real to the naked eye, it usually appears less colorful but more dynamic than in photographs — shimmering, shifting, and alive in motion. The true magic lies not in its brightness, but in the experience of seeing the sky itself come to life.

[Randy Nolden @RBNolden]

@BowTiedBroke Dang, I wonder how that bear is using the chainsaw!

[Randy Nolden @RBNolden]

@WxScholl Belleville Wisconsin

[Randy Nolden @RBNolden]

Definitely a strong #Aurora tonight. Photos in Montrose and Belleville Wisconsin. ##northernlights

[Randy Nolden @RBNolden]

Awesome show out tonight! #northernlights #nofilter

[Visit Sault Ste. Marie @VisitTheSault]

It was 50 years ago today the Edmund Fitzgerald set out on her doomed trek across Lake Superior. Slide through our detailed images looking back at her final voyage. 🛎️🛎️

[Randy Nolden @RBNolden]

@Wisconsin_fam Renzo's Pizzeria in Kenosha is excellent! Attica Bar in Green County is really good close to home pizza.

[MLB @MLB]

This view of Brice Turang's homer is a must see 😳

[Randy Nolden @RBNolden]

@RyanKing702 That was my guess as well, but I really don't know.

[Randy Nolden @RBNolden]

Who is this smoking a heater in the Brewers clubhouse?

[ben⛳️🏌🏽‍♂️ @angryobrien3]

Ron Darling makes me want to not have ears #ThisIsMyCrew

[The Real Mike Rowe @mikeroweworks]

A Way Forward

For a while there, I thought the best way to help close America’s skills gap would be to persuade the government to launch a national media effort to reinvigorate the skilled trades. I believed it was critical to make a more persuasive case for the millions of open positions in this country that don't require a four-year degree, by pushing back against the “college for all” mentality, and introducing the country to ordinary Americans who were prospering by mastering a skill that was in demand. Proof, in other words, that those working in America’s essential economy, can still lead a prosperous life. So I went to Congress, several times, to testify about the increasing difficulty of filling these jobs, and the urgent need to challenge the many myths and misconceptions that discourage so many people from exploring opportunities in the trades.

"The evidence demands a verdict," I said. "Parents, teachers, guidance counsellors, and especially students, have to see the evidence with their own eyes. They need to hear directly from America's tradespeople in a completely authentic way."

No one in Congress disagreed with me. In fact, I heard from lots of elected officials on both sides of the aisle who were eager to get such a campaign off the ground. But of course, nothing happened. The politicians wanted the campaign to be all about them, or all about their party. And the ad agencies all wanted to make big, expensive commercials that relied too much on production value, and felt fake to me. I still believe there’s a roll for the government in this endeavor, but I’ve since come to believe the campaign I’d envisioned will not in fact, be led by the feds; it will be led by private industry. Specifically, by those companies who share my belief that creating new jobs, is very different than creating enthusiasm for the jobs we already have. Toward that end, I want to thank Wells Fargo for helping me get this initiative up and running, with a 360-degree media campaign in North Texas. Wells Fargo has not only donated a million dollars to our scholarship fund, they have also committed significant resources to help me tell the true stories of prosperous tradespeople in a variety of key vocations.

Last month, I flew to Dallas and spent a few days filming with dozens of tradespeople. I worked with a terrific agency called TRG, who I’ve been working with for the last few years in Oklahoma around a very successful campaign that highlights opportunities in the energy sector. We focused on AI-proof, six figure jobs that don’t require a college degree, and asked these skilled workers to talk candidly about what it means to possess a truly useful skill in 2025. Like Dirty Jobs, nothing was scripted, and there were no second takes. The result was a lot of very authentic conversation, from which we cut a few dozen messages now airing every day. Each message is a request to learn more about the many opportunities available in North Texas, followed by an invitation to apply for a work ethic scholarship from mikeroweWORKS. These materials have only been on the air for a couple weeks, but the impact is already very, very encouraging. People are reaching out, eager to learn more and explore the possibilities. In other words, it’s working!

As I’m sure you know, the stakes are high. From housing to data centers to automobiles to nuclear powered submarines, companies in the business of building the things we need are desperate – literally desperate – to attract skilled workers. Not a week goes by that I don’t hear from an industry leader, or the CEO of a big company who’s searching for the skilled labor they need. I’ll keep you posted as the campaign evolves, but the writing is on the wall. This is going to work in Texas, and with the assistance of other like-minded corporations, I think it’ll work all over the country. More details are at https://t.co/T2AFe1asMI. The page will continue to grow as the campaign evolves, and hopefully, other pages will soon appear, with the help of other companies like @WellsFargo.

Thanks,
Mike

PS. As you may know, mikeroweWORKS received 10X the number of applications in 2025 as we did the year before. We awarded over $5 million in work ethic scholarships and hope to double that next year. Helping us spread the word is much appreciated, so please, share away!

PPS. Big thanks to everyone in the attached photos. These are not actors. These are regular, hard-working Americans who invited my crew and me into their places of work to show me what goes on out of sight, and all too often, out of mind. They are the essential economy, and their stories are the reason this campaign is working.

[Baseball Quotes @BaseballQuotes1]

Awesome mindset from Derek Jeter on failure

[The Figen @TheFigen_]

Zeus appears to have had a fight with his wife.

[Nature is Amazing ☘️ @AMAZlNGNATURE]

You are looking at the first ever image of another multi-planet solar system