#milk production cooperatives

[townpostin]

Deputy Commissioner Reviews Cooperative Schemes for East Singhbhum

Focus on Self-Reliance in Fisheries and Milk Production Through Cooperative Societies Meeting outlines plans for warehouse construction and expansion of cooperative initiatives. JAMSHEDPUR – Deputy Commissioner Ananya Mittal chaired a crucial review meeting of cooperative departmental schemes, emphasizing the district’s path to self-reliance in fisheries and milk production. "Our goal is to…

[autism-freaks]

I think it's a common misconception that domesticating animals is somewhat like enslaving them. It really is more of a symbiotic relationship. No wild animal would have willingly put up with early humans if they didn't get something out of it. Wolves wouldn't have stayed with us and become dogs if they weren't getting food and safety out of it. Many large herbivores that are now domesticated could and would have easily trampled their early human captors or broken their enclosures open if they didn't have a reason to stay. Sometimes individual animals still do if we don't give them what they need.

The animals that have stayed with us for thousands of years have evolved to cooperate with us better. Dogs have additional facial muscles around their eyes that wolves lack in order to mimic human facial expressions. Sheep grow their wool perpetually while their wild counterparts don't because a bigger fleece means they're more likely to be allowed to breed and be kept around. Domestic dairy cows produce much more milk than wild bovine species and domestic hens lay more eggs. Do you know how energy costly producing eggs or milk is for an animal? It's pretty intense! They wouldn't be able to do that if we hadn't given them the food and safety from predators and the elements to.

And we really need to show these animals respect and gratitude for what they give us by taking excellent care of them. They gave up a lot to be with us, often including the means to take care of themselves in the wild. That's a huge reason why I'm not against using animal products, but I hate factory farming. They are still living, breathing creatures with needs and feelings. They deserve a comfortable life and, when the time comes, a humane death.

[farmerstrend]

Kenya Dairy Board’s 10-Year Plan: More Milk, Sustainability, and Climate Action

The Kenya Dairy Board unveils a 10-year plan to transform the dairy sector by focusing on sustainability, increasing milk production by 2.5 billion litres, and ensuring environmental and economic benefits for farmers. Kenya’s 10-year Dairy Industry Sustainability Roadmap aims to produce an additional 2.5 billion litres of milk annually, promoting sustainable farming, reducing greenhouse gas…

[mariacallous]

Milton Orr looked across the rolling hills in northeast Tennessee. “I remember when we had over 1,000 dairy farms in this county. Now we have less than 40,” Orr, an agriculture adviser for Greene County, Tennessee, told me with a tinge of sadness.

That was six years ago. Today, only 14 dairy farms remain in Greene County, and there are only 125 dairy farms in all of Tennessee. Across the country, the dairy industry is seeing the same trend: In 1970, more than 648,000 US dairy farms milked cattle. By 2022, only 24,470 dairy farms were in operation.

While the number of dairy farms has fallen, the average herd size—the number of cows per farm—has been rising. Today, more than 60 percent of all milk production occurs on farms with more than 2,500 cows.

This massive consolidation in dairy farming has an impact on rural communities. It also makes it more difficult for consumers to know where their food comes from and how it’s produced.

As a dairy specialist at the University of Tennessee, I’m constantly asked: Why are dairies going out of business? Well, like our friends’ Facebook relationship status, it’s complicated.

The Problem with Pricing

The biggest complication is how dairy farmers are paid for the products they produce.

In 1937, the Federal Milk Marketing Orders, or FMMO, were established under the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act. The purpose of these orders was to set a monthly, uniform minimum price for milk based on its end use and to ensure that farmers were paid accurately and in a timely manner.

Farmers were paid based on how the milk they harvested was used, and that’s still how it works today.

Does it become bottled milk? That’s Class 1 price. Yogurt? Class 2 price. Cheddar cheese? Class 3 price. Butter or powdered dry milk? Class 4. Traditionally, Class 1 receives the highest price.

There are 11 FMMOs that divide up the country. The Florida, Southeast, and Appalachian FMMOs focus heavily on Class 1, or bottled, milk. The other FMMOs, such as Upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest, have more manufactured products such as cheese and butter.

For the past several decades, farmers have generally received the minimum price. Improvements in milk quality, milk production, transportation, refrigeration, and processing all led to greater quantities of milk, greater shelf life, and greater access to products across the US. Growing supply reduced competition among processing plants and reduced overall prices.

Along with these improvements in production came increased costs of production, such as cattle feed, farm labor, veterinary care, fuel, and equipment costs.

Researchers at the University of Tennessee in 2022 compared the price received for milk across regions against the primary costs of production: feed and labor. The results show why farms are struggling.

From 2005 to 2020, milk sales income per 100 pounds of milk produced ranged from $11.54 to $29.80, with an average price of $18.57. For that same period, the total costs to produce 100 pounds of milk ranged from $11.27 to $43.88, with an average cost of $25.80.

On average, that meant a single cow that produced 24,000 pounds of milk brought in about $4,457. Yet, it cost $6,192 to produce that milk, meaning a loss for the dairy farmer.

More efficient farms are able to reduce their costs of production by improving cow health, reproductive performance, and feed-to-milk conversion ratios. Larger farms or groups of farmers—cooperatives such as Dairy Farmers of America—may also be able to take advantage of forward contracting on grain and future milk prices. Investments in precision technologies such as robotic milking systems, rotary parlors, and wearable health and reproductive technologies can help reduce labor costs across farms.

Regardless of size, surviving in the dairy industry takes passion, dedication, and careful business management.

Some regions have had greater losses than others, which largely ties back to how farmers are paid, meaning the classes of milk, and the rising costs of production in their area. There are some insurance and hedging programs that can help farmers offset high costs of production or unexpected drops in price. If farmers take advantage of them, data shows they can functions as a safety net, but they don’t fix the underlying problem of costs exceeding income.

Passing the Torch to Future Farmers

Why do some dairy farmers still persist, despite low milk prices and high costs of production?

For many farmers, the answer is because it is a family business and a part of their heritage. Ninety-seven percent of US dairy farms are family owned and operated.

Some have grown large to survive. For many others, transitioning to the next generation is a major hurdle.

The average age of all farmers in the 2022 Census of Agriculture was 58.1. Only 9 percent were considered “young farmers,” age 34 or younger. These trends are also reflected in the dairy world. Yet, only 53 percent of all producers said they were actively engaged in estate or succession planning, meaning they had at least identified a successor.

How to Help Family Dairy Farms Thrive

In theory, buying more dairy would drive up the market value of those products and influence the price producers receive for their milk. Society has actually done that. Dairy consumption has never been higher. But the way people consume dairy has changed.

Americans eat a lot, and I mean a lot, of cheese. We also consume a good amount of ice cream, yogurt, and butter, but not as much milk as we used to.

Does this mean the US should change the way milk is priced? Maybe.

The FMMO is currently undergoing reform, which may help stem the tide of dairy farmers exiting. The reform focuses on being more reflective of modern cows’ ability to produce greater fat and protein amounts; updating the cost support processors receive for cheese, butter, nonfat dry milk, and dried whey; and updating the way Class 1 is valued, among other changes. In theory, these changes would put milk pricing in line with the cost of production across the country.

The US Department of Agriculture is also providing support for four Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives to help dairy farmers find ways to keep their operations going for future generations through grants, research support, and technical assistance.

Another way to boost local dairies is to buy directly from a farmer. Value-added or farmstead dairy operations that make and sell milk and products such as cheese straight to customers have been growing. These operations come with financial risks for the farmer, however. Being responsible for milking, processing, and marketing your milk takes the already big job of milk production and adds two more jobs on top of it. And customers have to be financially able to pay a higher price for the product and be willing to travel to get it.

[disneytva]

The Disney Afternoon: The Making of a Television Renaissance Hints Potential Section Dedicated To Current And Upcoming Disney TVA Productions

New details have merged from The Disney Afternoon: The Making of a Television Renaissance by Jake S. Friedman, Disney Publishing Worldwide And Disney Editions Deluxe slated to be part of Disney Television Animation’s 40th Anniversary and 100th Series debut on 2024 has given new updates in what to expect with the book.

Recently it was revealed that a new section on the book is named "THE NEWEST WAVE: Or Rewrite History", no idea what it is but based on the book's release i wouldn't bet that the section is a celebration to the current "Disney Afternoon" with the following lineup:

-Phineas And Ferb

-Big City Greens

-Monsters At Work

-Mickey Mouse Funhouse

-The Ghost And Molly McGee

-Rise Up,Sing Out

-Alice's Wonderland Bakery

-The Proud Family Louder And Prouder

-Chibiverse

-Hamster And Gretel

-Firebuds

-Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur

-Kiff

-Hailey's On It!

-Playdate With Winnie The Pooh

-Primos

-Robogobo

-StuGo

-Ariel

-Zombies The Re-Animated Series

-Tiny Trailblazers

-Cookies & Milk

-The Witchverse

-Rhona Who Lives By The River

-Dusty Dupree

-InterCats

-Fantasy Sports

-Royal Prep Academy

-Darkwing Duck Reboot

-TaleSpin Reboot

And upcoming shows on development for Disney Channel,Disney Junior and Disney+ at Disney TVA from the following creative members “Cheyenne Curtis, C.H Greenblatt, Thurop Van Orman, Nic Smal, Lucy Heavens, Amy Hudkins, Monica Ray, Latoya Raveneau, Daron Nefcy, Noah Z Jones, Ryan W Quincy, Molly Knox Ostertag, Raj Brueggemann, Dave Cooper, Jose Zelaya, J. G. Quintel, Pedro Eboli, Mark Satterthwaite and Patrick McHale” 

📚The Disney Afternoon: The Making of a Television Renaissance

Jake S Friedman

Disney Publishing Worldwide

Disney Editions Deluxe

November 5, 2024

When the Disney Afternoon premiered in 1990, kids tossed their backpacks aside to watch their favorite Disney television characters. Unlike with feature films, these stars had a new adventure every weekday, and their audience journeyed with them on a daily basis. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Disney raised the bar with a lineup of innovative, high-quality television animation. The characters were endearing, the writing was clever, and the art was exceptional. Those who grew up with these characters have continued their love affairs for shows like Darkwing Duck, Gargoyles, TaleSpin, and the irrepressibly beloved DuckTales, deep into adulthood. For the first time, learn the history of the Disney Afternoon shows, read interviews from the creative teams, and revel in rare, behind-the-scenes artwork, plus get the full making of story of the modern-day DuckTales series and the meta-driven Chip 'n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers film and its legacy connections to the past for a new generation of fans.

[fatehbaz]

[C]olonial policies to monitor and restrict Indian cattle were coterminous with policies to monitor and restrict Indian humans. [...] [T]he ‘milk-line’ [...] has been said by [colonial] scholars since the nineteenth century to bisect the region. [...] [This] reified and naturalised what remains a contentious division between South and Southeast Asia along the western borders of Myanmar. [...] [D]enaturalise [...] this border by uncovering the colonial history of how milk became entangled in the immanent political geography of British Burma. [...] As part of imperial writings on the distinctiveness of the colony's cultural landscape, milk informed the imaginative geography of Burma as a place distinct from India. [...]

---

[T]he turn-of-the-century writings of colonial scholar officials and travel-writers [...] generated a particular imaginative geography [...]. These authors rendered Burma a ‘unique geographic entity’ [...]. Being unable to acquire milk whilst travelling Burma was a frequent gripe in imperial writings. In this it stood in contrast to the rest of British India. [...] Imperial writings on dairy consumption – or, rather, the lack of it – in Burma reified this geography [...]. Burma was where you could not get milk in British India. [...] But the difficulty of milk did not end with the cow. Once produced, the milk itself was liable to adulteration and infection necessitating state and scientific intervention. Limiting the mobility of dairy cattle and removing them from urban areas through policies designed to order and police space were central to colonial schemes for improving milk production [...]. By the twentieth century most of the dairy production in the colony was conducted by Indians who had migrated to Burma with their own cattle. [...]

The rendering of cattle as lively commodities in the milk industry was seen to be in tension with their commodification in a different economic sector, the rice industry. 

This was overwhelmingly the most important part of Burma's colonial economy. 

The late nineteenth century saw a rapid expansion of the deltaic rice frontier. By the opening decades of following century the Burma delta had become the largest rice producing region in the world. The importance of plough cattle was reflected in their market value, which doubled between the end of World War One and 1930. [...] 

In particular, they worried that the bloodlines of the Burmese breed of oxen, apparently favoured by cultivators, were at risk. [...] Indian milch cattle were considered a particular threat. This imperial imperative to protect a so-called ‘Burmese’ breed of ox reified and naturalised Burma as a geographic entity, with Indian cattle figured as invasive.

These concerns were entangled with colonial policies regarding the human Indian population in the colony [...].

---

[There was] a growing recognition of the importance of [Burmese] cattle to the production of rice in the Burma delta. [...] The stocky, strong Burmese ox [...] was thought to be especially suited to labour in paddy fields [...]. Burma was imagined as being constituted of upland areas where cattle were bred and the southern deltaic region where they were worked [...]. This was an animal geography that was transgressed by mobile herds of milking cattle imported from India residing along the sides of waterways and in the railway towns [...]. Following the colony's transportation network, migrant Indian cattle penetrated the spaces [...] To many officials, by the start of World War One the existing measures for protecting Burmese plough cattle from the ‘evils’ of Indian milch cattle were deemed inadequate. The push for greater controls began in 1915 with an agricultural and cooperative conference held in Mandalay. [...] ]C]olonial officials came to frame Indian cattle as a problem breed. The conference was attended by over nine hundred people from across Burma, including [...] state officials. It unanimously agreed that action had to be taken to protect [Burmese] cattle from Indian cattle.

Their suggested course of action was three-pronged: taxation, prohibition and segregation. [...] Attitudes to Indian cattle in the colony were conterminous with attitudes to Indian people.

The interventions [in cattle segregation] [...] can be considered as part of a wider range of state controls placed on Indian migrants to Burma. The timing of these committees was synchronous with inquiries into the sanitary conditions that Indian workers travelled and lived in [...]. At the same time [...], the state introduced compulsory medical checks and vaccinations on human arrivals from the subcontinent. In addition, the concerns expressed by officials contributing to these reports on cattle in Burma were indicative of British officialdom's paternalistic attitude towards the Burmese people, viewing their role as protecting the Burmese from the Indian and Chinese populations. The administrative view of the colony, which by the turn of the century held it to be culturally distinct from India, was increasingly imagining it as a separate geo-political entity. Officials began planning for it to be separated from British India.

During the interwar years anti-Indian sentiments gained ground [...]. Indian migrants were figured by some as a threat [...]. There were a number of anti-Indian riots in the 1930s [...]. The 1935 Government of India Act was enacted in 1937 separating Burma from India [...].

---

All text above by: Jonathan Saha. “Milk to Mandalay: dairy consumption, animal history and the political geography of colonial Burma.” Journal of Historical Geography Volume 54. October 2016. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Presented here for commentary, teaching, criticism purposes.]

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil's Landless Rural Workers' Movement partners with China to use solar energy in cooperatives

The MST, as it is known, focuses on energy transition, leaving the dependence on wood burning and hydroelectricity

João Pedro Stedile, leader of the Landless Rural Workers' Movement (MST, in Portuguese), was in China to talk with institutions and companies that have already started partnerships involving the movement's settlements.

The MST is also looking for a solution to an energy problem Brazilian rural cooperatives, including the MST, face. The movement has 185 cooperatives and 1,900 associations, which run 120 small and medium-sized agro-industries.

The main production chains in MST settlements are rice, milk, meat, coffee, cocoa, seeds, cassava, sugar cane and grains, according to the movement.

The problem is that the agro-industries need steam and hot water to pasteurize food. “Today, unfortunately, the pasteurization process is done in wood-fired boilers,” he explained in an interview with Brasil de Fato.

“There are also electric boilers, but they are very expensive, especially after the privatization of hydroelectric plants [in Brazil], including Eletrobras [a Brazilian-based hydroelectric plant, the largest in Latin America],” Stedile laments.

Continue reading.

[artg371-progresstracking]

Project 2 - Research pt. 1 (in the field)

This week we went to Old Country Market - Goats on Roof in Coombs. We were given 4 questions to answer so here's my research:

What does the packaging tell you about the brand?

The packaging tells the consumer so much about the product. It tells the buyer who the target audience of the product is and many aspects of the brand. This includes aspects like the brand ideals, the price point, where and how the product is produced, and if the product comes from a small business or a large company.

How does it do that, very specifically?

The packaging specifically does these things in many ways. The target audience is shown through the imagery, colour and language used on the packaging. The brand ideals are shown through the ecological concerns expressed through the packaging itself. The price point is expressed through the design of the packaging like simplicity vs complexity. The other aspects are expressed through language. The language could be community specific or more targeted towards the general population, and it could be more cooperate in nature or more sincere and grateful.

What differentiates each "flavour"?

Each flavour can be differentiated by a few different design aspects including colour, graphic elements/illustrations, or typography and language.

How very specifically is this done?

In this example specifically, the different flavours have different main colours on the packaging. The main logo, pattern, and certain elements are the same colour but the backgrounds are different colours. In this packaging there isn't much else that separates the two variations, but there is differences in the type on the packaging. Specifically, stating either "milk" or "dark" chocolate and also stating the cocoa percentage help the buyer to distinguish one flavour/variation from another.

After my research and some reflection, I have decided to try to create my own lip gloss brand. My ideas for this are that they will be different fruit flavored lip glosses that are targeted towards preteens and young high schoolers who are just starting to use makeup. My main goal is to create a brand that is fun, playful, and not intimating.

[melbmemories]

1978 Launch of Big M.

Big M flavoured milk was launched in Victoria with overtly sexy imagery of milk running down the cleavage of girls in skimpy bikinis. It competed directly with Coca Cola as a cool teenage drink. The four initial flavours were Chocolate, Banana, Iced Coffee and Strawberry, followed later in the year by Blueberry. The equivalent drink in NSW was Moove, launched the same year.

Big M was introduced in January 1978. It marked the beginning of branded milk products in Victoria after the Victorian Dairy Industry Authority (VDIA)had replaced the Victorian Milk Board. The force behind the innovations was Chairman Des Cooper, along with his marketing manager Peter Granger.

The commercial was created by the George Patterson advertising agency in Melbourne – then the largest agency in town. By March, it was reported that Big M had claimed 13 per cent of the non-alcoholic beverage market and had reached $1.5 million in gross sales. In 1978 the VDIA also announced sponsorship of the VFL Little League and the Big M Melbourne Marathon.

The soft drink companies reacted to the challenge, threatening to pull their fridges out of milk bars if Big M was displayed next to their products. Retailers had long sold products including cream and fruit juices from the fridges they rented from companies such as Cadbury Schweppes, but it seems the popularity of Big M had prompted a re-think. The Dairy Industry Authority promised to replace any confiscated fridges.

The campaign to promote the new product significantly increased overall milk sales, benefiting dairy farmers who had been going through difficult times.

The trademark was sold in 2000 and the brand was marketed by Lion Pty Limited which was, in turn, owned by Kirin Holdings in Japan. Lion controlled the Pura, Dairy Farmers, Dare, Farmers Union, Classic, Big M and Masters brands of flavoured milk in Australia. In January 2021, the Lion Dairy and Drinks business was sold to Bega Cheese, putting the brands back in Australian hands.

by Tony Beyer

[zeta-neubourn]

M'kay, new rule: if your website kicks me to the home page after I click a link from a Google search to look at a specific product, I'm literally considering blacklisting your site.

Imagine going to the store and having something in mind you need, like milk or something, and as soon as you get to the dairy, some stenchbeast yanks your arm over to detergent and say "WELCOME TO STORE!" I'd freakin' leave. I literally have a blacklisting extension on Brave for this. It started with AI trash results, it'll end with your site. Don't. Tell. The. Customer. What. You. Want. Them. To. Want... you cooperate stenchbeast. You smell of partnership sell-out deals that put money over customer experience. SHTINK. YOU SHTINKY. You activate my 'Tisms.

[cptnbeefheart]

whats ur favorite capt beefheart album ? trying to get into him for the 1st time 😁

i think safe as milk is a good introduction to beefart because its more produced than some later stuff. it has ry cooder on it! and i'm pretty sure frank zappa is the "the following tone is a reference tone" intro to Electricity. they were buddies in high school and would butt heads bc they both had like really strong stubborn personalities. i love this album i've been feeding off of it for like 4 years now its actually so good. also i recommend looking up info about the production of trout mask replica bc its really crazy and funny. a lot of really weird stories about him. and his art is interesting. he kind of stole the name Captain Beefheart alice cooper style. clear spot is another great album very similar to safe as milk!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

I'm coming to Minneapolis! Oct 15: Presenting The Internet Con at Moon Palace Books. Oct 16: Keynoting the 26th ACM Conference On Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing.

#20yrsago SF writers on Schwarzenegger http://www.infinitematrix.net/faq/editorials/index.html

#20yrsago eMusic turns into a steaming pile https://memex.craphound.com/2003/10/09/emusic-turns-into-a-steaming-pile/

#15yrsago WalMart now says they’ll keep the DRM servers on forever https://memex.craphound.com/2008/10/09/walmart-now-says-theyll-keep-the-drm-servers-on-forever/

#15yrsago New Zealand’s copyright minister starts screaming when asked whether it’s fair to cut people off from the Internet on the basis of three unsubstantiated accusations of copyright infringement https://web.archive.org/web/20081009013140/http://it.gen.nz/2008/10/07/ministers-why-we-changed-the-copyright-act/

#15yrsago Kids need to agree to 120+ pages of EULAs in order to watch BluRay Sleeping Beauty https://web.archive.org/web/20081013163001/http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/10/09/sleeping-beauty-blur.html

#10yrsago Lauren Beukes and her daughter explain Gaiman’s Fortunately the Milk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On4vgU6envM

#10yrsago EFF’s guide to the NSA’s official malware https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/10/how-nsa-deploys-malware-new-revelations

#5yrsago Facebook’s new product: every-room cameras for your home https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/08/facebook-portal-are-you-serious-rn/

#5yrsago Victory! Google will not bid on $10B Pentagon cloud computing contract https://web.archive.org/web/20181009051823/https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2018-10-08/google-drops-out-of-pentagon-s-10-billion-cloud-competition

#5yrsago Facebook’s top lobbyist threw Kavanaugh a victory celebration in his home https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/technology/facebook-kavanaugh-nomination-kaplan.html

#1yrago $100 billion later, autonomous vehicles are still a car-wreck https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/09/herbies-revenge/#100-billion-here-100-billion-there-pretty-soon-youre-talking-real-money

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

[farmerstrend]

From Maasai Land to Kiambu: Why Farmers Across Kenya Are Flocking for Dairy Cattle in Kiambu

“Discover why Dairy Cattle in Kiambu are in high demand, as farmers from across Kenya flock to the county for its superior breeding conditions and resilient cattle breeds.” “Learn how Dairy Cattle in Kiambu are transforming the dairy industry, with local breeders offering high-yield, disease-resistant cows to farmers nationwide.” “Explore the booming business of Dairy Cattle in Kiambu, where…

[biscuitdetective]

I don’t know where else to put this but I really like the OC questions here and wanted to try answering them for Cygnus and Dominic, so I’ll just stick them here.

1. Go to drink order

Cygnus: Rose vanilla tea - it must be loose leaf, brewed in a teapot and poured into a tea cup. Precise quantity of milk and 1 brown sugar cube.

Dominic: double shot espresso, it can be in a mug or a cup or paper or styrofoam. He doesn’t particularly care about the taste. Depending on the day he has increased the shots.

2. Grooming routine :

Cygnus: He spends a lot of time on this. He prefers baths to showers and likes floral scents. He files his nails. He is obsessive about his hair always staying the same length, and has Dominic cut it for him if it starts to grow out. He is very particular about always looking tidy, and also hates getting his hands dirty. He won’t ever eat with his hands unless it’s certain sweets (but uses a fork or spoon for most) - he would also try to eat pizza and burgers with a knife and fork.

3. Dominic gets things done as quickly as he can, so he prefers showers. He didn’t used to care much about the quality of his shaving products, but Cygnus bought him fancy ones to use. He only spends a few seconds brushing his hair.

4. Where does their disposable income go?

Cygnus: Dominic. Most of the money he has access to is dedicated to Dominic’s salary. He also likes to buy high quality and expensive sweets and tea, and occasionally clothing (although a lot of it has to be tailor made or from women’s, because typical menswear doesn’t run small enough - and it’s a really bad idea to ever suggest he tries looking in the children’s section)

Dominic: Before he met Cygnus, he spent a lot on lottery and racing tickets, but most would go to paying off his debt. After he starts working for Cygnus, he still spends a lot on his debt, but he also spends a lot on gifts for his mother.

Scars/tattoos:

Cygnus: He gets a majorly plot relevant scar eventually. (A bullet wound). Otherwise, he has emotional scars aplenty, as OCs tend to.

Dominic: He’s a brawler, do has numerous small scars over the years. He also gets a major plot relevant one. His emotional scarring is also significant, because his self esteem is directly tied to how useful he can be to people (resulting in a fear of ever being ‘useless’).

5. Last time they cried:

Cygnus: Before employing Dominic he made a decision to stop crying when he was very young and was proud of the fact that he hadn’t since - however he actually just repressed and bottled up his emotions, and doesn’t realise they could break out any time. He would cry the most if anything happened to Dominic.


Dominic: Prior to Cygnus, when the horse he bet on came last, it would have brought tears to his eyes. He doesn’t cry easily, but he can get into a depression spiral if he starts to think he could ever fail at being useful.

6. Siblings or only-child:

Cygnus: He was technically raised an only-child by his mother, but he was the product of an affair. He has a half-brother (same father) named Dimitri who is both younger and taller than him. Since Cygnus’s extended family all hate him, Dimitri was intentionally raised to antagonise him - if literally anything went wrong in his life, no matter how selfish, Dimitri’s mother would find a way to say it was Cygnus’s fault, whether he had anything to do with it or not. This was her way of trying to ensure that Dimitri would grow up resenting Cygnus as much as she did and fully cooperate with the rest of the family’s plans to remove him from it. Cygnus actually does not see Dimitri as a threat, and enjoys making fun of him when he can, although Dimitri isn’t often smart enough to realise. It does genuinely irritate him that he’s shorter than him despite being older, but tries to conceal that.

Dominic: He was intended to be an only child but I haven’t ruled out giving him some younger siblings.

7. Describe the shoes they’re wearing:


Cygnus wears loafers or oxfords exclusively, usually dark brown or black. He takes good care of them and makes sure they’re polished often. He also always wears socks with garters, because he believes they are the mark of a distinguished gentleman.


Dominic: It used to be ‘whatever fits’, but Cygnus got ergonomic dress shoes for him. Cygnus also makes sure he shines them often, and made him wear garter socks too, although they’re covered by his pants.


8. Describe the place where they sleep.


They sleep in the same room, because Cygnus is much too paranoid for any other arrangement. There’s a sliding door separating the beds, so the room is divided in half - and Dominic’s half has both the window and door, so it isn’t possible to access Cygnus’s half without going through Dominic’s. They both live in a fancy high-rise apartment, but prior to this Cygnus lived in a large gated house (which he ran away from) and Dominic in a run-down 1 bedroom apartment - which they both lived in briefly until Cygnus got the new one.


9. Their favourite/least favourite holiday.


Cygnus: He doesn’t like any holiday, or even his birthday, given that they all remind him of his mother and so he never celebrated any after she died. He starts to enjoy these again after getting to celebrate them with Dominic.


Dominic: He likes christmas, and visits his mother every year for it if he can. He didn’t want to stop doing this, so he starts to bring Cygnus with him.


10. What objects do they carry round with them?


Cygnus: Dominic. He won’t go anywhere without his bodyguard. He also carries a notebook and pen, and anti-nausea medication. While he doesn’t carry it around, one of the few items he left home with was the white cat plush his mother gave him as a child (he hides it in a drawer.) He also wears a swan cuff link on his left wrist.


Dominic: He has a bullet-proof vest and a concealed pistol. He also wears the other swan cufflink from Cygnus’s pair on his right wrist. Cygnus gave him this when he first employed him and makes sure he always wears it like a badge. The cufflinks themselves were given to Cygnus by his father.

[papermoonloveslucy]

THE DESILU DAIRY

Milk!  It does a sitcom good!

The Desilu Dairy is in business providing milk, cream, and yogurt to the Queen of Comedy!  Mooo!

At their Chatsworth Ranch, Lucy and Desi had a dairy cow named the Duchess of Devonshire. Devonshire Cream is a clotted cream dairy product produced from North Devon Cattle in Cornwall and Somerset England.

“The Elves” (1949) ~ Liz (Lucille Ball) and George (Richard Denning) arrive home from vacation to find that someone has been ordering strawberry ice cream from the milkman every day, and the pink trail leads to the doorstep of their new neighbors.

Upon arriving home, the Coopers notice that their porch has been painted white. Upon closer inspection, they realize it isn’t paint - but milk. Their ‘milk card’ has been tampered with to order strawberry ice cream while they were away - yet none is found. During the early part of the twentieth century, dairy products were usually delivered to homes, rather than shopped in a market. The milkman was part of daily life. Housewives would leave notes (or cards, as above) to request items outside their standing delivery order: Milk, eggs, yogurt, butter, and ice cream, were all offered. It was not uncommon to see back porches with milk boxes and or empty bottles ready to be returned to the dairy.  This service has all but disappeared in favor of supermarkets.

“The Sleigh Ride” (1949) ~ Mr. Negley the mailman decides to use his motorcycle to pull the holiday sleigh, but the load proves to much and the milkman’s old horse is pressed into service. Unfortunately, the horse stops at every milk stop on his route. In the days before milk truck delivery, the dairyman in rural America would deliver dairy products by horse and wagon.  

“The Gum Machine” (1949) ~ When George finds the cream for the coffee has soured, he insists Liz tell the milkman about it - stand up for her rights. The milkman arrives, delivers the milk, and then leaves. Liz chickened out. George calls him back to tell him Hogan’s Frolicking Milkmaid Cream was sour. The milkman (Hans Conried) says that Mr. Hogan will take it out on the cow!  He gives them free items instead of losing their business.

MILKMAN: “You see, we can’t afford a radio program!”

“Valentine’s Day” (1949) ~ When Mr. Negley the butcher storms off, Katie the maid (Ruth Perrott) isn’t too bothered. She has a date with the milkman instead! She’s written him a poem which she left it in an empty milk bottle.

I love you, dear, don’t be surprised. Leave two quarts of homogenized!

“The Gossip” (1952) ~ When Lucy overhears a juicy story about Grace Foster running away with the milkman, Ricky bets her she can’t go without gossiping. To win the bet, Lucy enlists the milkman and a jealous Mr. Foster in her scheme. 

MILKMAN: “He’s after me!  All my milk’s gone sour!” 

Bobby Jellison played the milkman, the “cottage cheese Casanova” and “cow juice peddler” (as Bill Foster calls him).

MR. FOSTER: “From now on, we drink goat’s milk!”

“Lucy’s Bicycle Trip” (1956) ~ The gang bikes from Italy to France and takes shelter in a barn for the night. For breakfast, the farmer brings them bread and cheese, but the milk must come from the cow!  

Lucille Ball was able to produce one good stream of milk from the cow, but she didn’t think the lights caught the stream enough for it to show on camera. Writer Madelyn Pugh later said, 

"It was the mangiest cow I’d ever seen. I went down to the set, and Lucy said, ‘You wrote it, YOU milk it!’” 

Lucille Ball shared the cover of a March 1960 issue of “The Police Gazette” with a cover story claiming that “Milk Can be the Drink of Death”!

“Together For Christmas” (1962) ~ After trying in vain to share their holiday traditions, Lucy and Viv decide to go back to traveling to their respective relatives for the holidays. Lucy says she left a note for the milkman. 

Until the end of the 1960s or so, most suburban homes had daily milk delivery, which involved leaving milk bottles on the porch (sometimes in a milk box). If a customer did not wish to have milk (or other dairy products) delivered that day - or for a period of days - it was standard procedure to ‘leave a note for the milkman’.

“Lucy Discovers Wayne Newton” (1965) ~ Newton sings an ode to his dairy cow, “Bessie the Heifer,” a 1951 country-western novelty song.

Bessie turns up again in the final recording studio sequence - with all Newton’s other farm animals. 

“Lucy and the Countess Lose Weight” (1965) ~ On a lunch break at the health farm, Lucy and the Countess realize if they want a drink with lunch, they are going to have to milk a cow. 

To calm Bossie the cow while Lucy milks her, the Countess hums “The Blue Danube”. Lucy punctuates the downbeat with squirts of milk from the cow’s udder.  

“Guess Who Owes Lucy $23.50?” (1968) ~ Van Johnson sings “Happy Birthday to You” to Ethel - the prize dairy cow of a Texas oil tycoon. 

“Lucy the Shopping Expert” (1969) ~ Lucy teaches Kim about getting the best deals in the grocery store. In the dairy aisle, Lucy loses control of the nozzel on a can of whipped cream. 

“Lucy’s Lucky Day” (1971) ~ Lucy goes on a game show named “The Milky Way to Riches” that is sponsored by the Dover Dairy. 

When Mr. Larson the milkman (Billy Sands) rushes in with good news, Lucy teases him by guessing that Elsie the Cow had triplets. Elsie was the cartoon cow mascot of the Bordon Dairy Company from 1936 until it went out of business in the mid-1990s. Larson tells Lucy that she has won Dover Dairy’s customer of the year and will receive a free pint of raspberry apricot yogurt every week for a year.

“Lucy and the 20/20 Vision” (1971) ~ In order to pretend to be surprised by Harry at the door, Lucy acts as if she was putting out the milk bottle. At the time, rural delivery of milk and other dairy products to residential homes was common. In order to ‘recycle’ the milk bottles, homeowners would put the empty bottles on the porch at night, so the milkman could take them away early the next morning. A famous example of this was seen in the closing credits of the primetime cartoon sitcom satire “The Flintstones” (1960-66, inset photo).

“Lucy, the Other Woman” (1972) ~ Lucy's milkman has a crush on her but his angry wife (Totie Fields) thinks Lucy is having an affair with the dairy deliveryman. Herbie Faye plays Lester Butkus the milkman. According to the insignia on his hat, he works for the Cloverleaf Dairy. This means that in the year since “Lucy’s Lucky Day” the Carter family has switched dairies. 

Mr. Butkas brings Lucy a free pint of banana fudge yogurt, adding to his wife’s conviction that he’s sweet as cream over Lucy.   

The Butkus living room. A milkman lives here! 

[fearsmagazine]

AS WE KNOW IT - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Buffalo 8

SYNOPSIS: “Set in Los Angeles in the late 1990s, struggling writer James Bishop grapples with the emotional shrapnel of a recent breakup with his longtime girlfriend, Emily. As James holds up in his Hollywood Hills home with writer's block, his eccentric best friend Bruce shows up with bad news. The city has plunged into chaos by an unusual zombie outbreak, courtesy of tainted soy milk, wreaking havoc on James' semi-charmed kinda life. With the streets of Los Angeles swarming with the undead, James, Bruce, and Emily come together to barricade themselves in the house while reconciling their personal struggles. And occasionally, letting in the only food delivery service still operating, Abracadabra.” -Press Release

REVIEW: Josh Monkarsh’s film feels like a play as James’ home is the main setting and much of the story unfolds in the living room, kitchen and bedroom. The limited locations add to the feel of a 90’s sitcom, from “Seinfeld,” to “Friends” and the late 90’s “Freaks & Geeks.” Clearly these characters are in their mid to late 20’s but their lack of maturity make them seem much younger.

Monkarsh, DePaolo and Francis’s script is jam packed with 90’s references and bits and gags that rely on period as well. One of the jokes between James and Bruce is their love of “Waterworld,” which they watch on a laserdisc (yes, I still have a player and a collection of laserdiscs). It is clearly a love letter to that period of time when life was simpler and complicated in different ways before the advent of the smartphone, tablets and laptops. The absurdity of the zombie plague being caused by tainted soy milk takes a back seat to the relationship between the three characters, and Rory, the delivery person who happens to be an old acquaintance of Bruce, makes for a nice distraction.

The film has a rather dry pacing, and even Bruce’s chaotic moments come at a slower pace. There is an overall malaise that you would expect from the zombies. Somehow it all works and becomes engaging. Each actor brings elements to their performances that make for likable and sympathetic characters, even Bruce. It’s a great ensemble cast, but I have to say actor Danny Mondello creates this memorable character that could have easily been cliched but comes off fresh and memorable, like an early Joe Pesci performance. Actor Chris Parnell received a nice amount of screen time, with an additional scene during the credits, and it would have been nice to see a bit more of Pam Grier.

I enjoyed the cinematography, costumes and production designs that captured the period. The editing sustained my viewing engagement. The zombie make up and designs are simple and effective, as well as the special effects, with nothing too gorey. I liked Michl Britsch’s score. It enhanced the comedic tones of the film and added slightly more energy to the film.

AS WE KNOW IT is a relationship comedy set against the backdrop of a zombie outbreak taking place in Los Angeles. The film is kind of a 90’s American slacker reworking of “Shaun of the Dead,” with a tone similar to Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don't Die,” but without some of the film’s more bizarre moments. A fun and mildly funny trip down memory lane with some likable characters who take center stage over the zombies. Monkarsh does a nice job with the material but given his film credits to date I’m not sure when and if will see Monkarsh venturing into the horror genre again soon.

CAST: Mike Castle, Oliver Cooper, Taylor Blackwell, Chris Parnell, Pam Grier, and Danny Mondello. CREW: Director/Screenplay/Producer - Josh Monkarsh; Screenplay - Brandon DePaolo & Christopher Francis; Producers - Daniel Cummings, K. Asher Levin & Joshua Fruehling; Cinematographer - Stephen St. Peter; Score - Michl Britsch; Editors - Yvonne Valdez & Rebecca Weigold; Production Designer - Lorus Allen; Costume Designer - Zoe Poledouris-Roche; Special Effects - John McConnell; VFX Supervisor - Kevin Vanhook. OFFICIAL: https://asweknowitmovie.com/ FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/-0U1pgXaygk?si=MqlxM792N7xDsdPX RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10th New York City, Chicago, Seattle; Nov. 15th Los Angeles; Nov. 17th Boston; Dec. 1st Calabasas.

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri