Happy Friday, Gentle Readers,
I pray this missive finds you well. I hope you and your beloved have a happy Valentine's Day. Mrs. Brown and I were going to hit the local revival house for a movie and then go to dinner. However, the offering was "A Farewell to Arms," and if you are familiar with the Hemingway book, you know that is not conducive to the "Valentine's vibe." Oh well, there is still dinner and a lovely Prosecco that we have never tried, so we've got that going for us.
Are they still on about this?
Depending on your politics, this is either a brave and selfless act by fearless environmental warriors or an invitation to field goal practice.
(Warning: turn the sound off after the first five seconds. Beyond that, PJ Media, Townhall Media, and Salem Communications assume no liability for any damage to your hearing or sanity.)
Seriously, tantrums like that are so 2000s. Even '90s. Did you notice that they named the trees? Who has that kind of time? (Hint: unemployed people, that's who.) Our granddaughter named our chickens, but she was eight at the time. And she was still more emotionally mature than these renegades from the Thunberg School of Environmental Policy. Still, it is kind of nostalgic to see them bringing back their greatest hits. It reminds me of a simpler time.
Of course, as someone who has covered environmental issues, I can tell you there are no big bucks in screaming at public meetings. Often, these folx are paid by environmental groups, some of which have in the past gotten startlingly fast paydays from resource management agencies through a little practice known as sue-and-settle. And then there are donations, which come from God-knows-who, although that can and probably does include USAID. And that, to steal a line from "The Sound of Music," "That will bring us back to DOGE!"
Maybe we should call it "womanfacturing?"
Technically, this is not a matter for DOGE, although this woman receives a federal paycheck, and the cooler heads in Illinois should really take some time to consider who they are sending to D.C. They won't, but they should.
Fox News notes that on Wednesday, Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Naturally) attended a hearing for the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade subcommittee on "AI in Manufacturing: Securing American Leadership in Manufacturing and the Next Generation of Technologies." During the proceedings, she uttered this gem:
Yesterday I met with a manufacturing company, but they also are engaged in getting young people more engaged in manufacturing. So, I asked them, "So, how many of those students that are signing up and want to do this? How many are women?" (She noted that the number was around 13%) It was a low number and you had mentioned trying to engage more women in manufacturing. I'm just wondering if just the name manufacturing sounds like a guy.
Us: Let's lead the way and bring jobs back to America 💪🇺🇸
— Congressman Gabe Evans (@repgabeevans) February 12, 2025
Democrats: "Manufacturing" is a sexist term against women! pic.twitter.com/dTeHDafCUH
Sigh. I shouldn't have to do this. No one should, but echoing a comment by Michael Knowles, this is from the Online Etymology Dictionary:
manufacture (n.)
1560s, "something made by hand," from French manufacture (16c.), from Medieval Latin *manufactura "a making by hand" (source of Italian manifattura, Spanish manufactura), from Latin manu, ablative of manus "hand" (from PIE root *man- (2) "hand") + factura "a working," from past-participle stem of facere "to perform" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put").
Sense of "process of making goods or wares of any kind, the production of articles of use from raw or prepared materials by hand-labor or machinery" is recorded by 1620s. Related: Manufactures.
manufacture (v.)
1680s, "convert material to a form suitable for use," from manufacture (n.). Meaning "to make or fabricate," especially in considerable quantities or numbers, as by the aid of many hands or machinery" is by 1755. Figurative sense of "produce artificially, invent fictitiously, get up by contrivance or effort" is from 1762. Related: Manufactured; manufacturing; manufacturable.
Mrs. Brown suggested a compromise: We should just call it "facturing." That's not a bad idea, but someone would eventually say, "Facturing doesn't care about your feelings, which would only trigger everyone all over again.
Wine recommendation
Because you need something to help you celebrate Valentine's Day besides an overpriced card and a Whitman's Sampler.
As I mentioned, we are having Prosecco this evening. But since I write these in the mornings and need to take the dog to the vet in a few minutes, Prosecco is not a good choice for 9:00 in the morning. Instead, may I suggest the 2022 Piatelli Reserve Malbec + Tannat?
As the name implies, this Argentinian wine is an equal blend of Malbec and Tannat. There is a robust presence of dark fruits, with a strong dose of tobacco, smoke, and oak, with a hint of vanilla. It is very dry, with medium-high tannins, skewing toward the acidic arc typical of a Malbec. It has a nice finish and would pair well with a strong pork dish, lamb, or even as an appetizer wine to go with bleu cheese. This is an excellent wine for the price, which will run you around $12 to $15, and a good, cost-effective example of high-altitude Argentine Malbecs.
That's it for me. Have a great weekend, and I'll see you next time.
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