Is This the Most Quoted Disney Film in Southern Utah?

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Ah Disney, so many childhood memories for so many people, even if they love to milk a property dry like an anorexic cow.Southern Utah has a LOT of growing families within its red dirt filled canyons, so that means there needs to be something to keep the kids entertained.For me, and probably everyone else, Disney movies were the distraction that let mom and dad catch a break to…I don’t know…eat? Sleep? Shower? All the above?This comes with some serious consequences however, as kids will no doubt OBSESS over their preferred Disney flick to the point where the script becomes part of their daily vocabulary.Which means parents have to find a Disney movie that they know will not make them want to tear their own hair out on the 184th time they’ve heard it today.Now, I don’t have a study to go behind my findings, but what I do have, is personal experience. I believe I know what Disney movie was the choice of poison for my generation (I’m 28 by the way).I heard quotes from this film every day during elementary, intermediate, middle, and high school. So when I asked my friends growing up what DVD they ruined as a kid from watching it too much, it hit me.“Oh yeah, it’s all coming together.”“The Emperor’s New Groove” is without a doubt the most quoted Disney movie in Southern Utah, that is, in my generation.It’s the perfect movie to distract the kids with. It’s nonstop in its pacing and comedy, It’s so INCREDIBLY quotable, and it’s short.The film clocks in under 90 minutes, 78 minutes to be exact. This means the kids won’t get bored and will make it to the credits without bothering the parents when they’re…eating? Sleeping? Showering? Staring at the ceiling?You want to know how I know it’s the most quoted Disney movie in Southern Utah? Have you been to a restaurant in Southern Utah on your birthday?What’s the birthday song the waiters begrudgingly sing to you? Most of the time, it’s not “Happy Birthday to You.”It’s this.Is it original to “The Emperor’s New Groove”? Nope! I just wanted to state this fact nonetheless.Am I wrong? If you think so, I’d love it if you told us on Facebook what you think is Southern Utah’s most quoted Disney film.Inside Walt Disney’s Storybook Mansion for RentTake a peek inside Walt Disney’s iconic Los Angeles mansion, now available to rent.Gallery Credit: Jacklyn Krol

Filming wraps on movie ‘Winter Harvest’ as Iowans head next to Italy (AUDIO)

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

A filmmaker who was born in Italy and now calls Iowa home says shooting should wrap today in Oskaloosa on the first round of filming on his latest movie.
Max Leonida, the Film Artist-in-Residence at William Penn University, says after spending much of his life in his native country and then a decade in Los Angeles, he’s thrilled to be directing his latest work, “Winter Harvest,” in the Hawkeye State, what he calls a viable location for filmmakers.
“Working in such a beautiful community where everybody is so supportive,” Leonida says, “we realized that basically filming over here, even if there’s not a real tax incentive, and we can work on that in the future, we can go to the legislators and try to rebuild some kind of film commission and tax rebate so that we can attract other production here.”
A movie that costs $2-million to make in Iowa, he says, would’ve run $15- or $20-million in Hollywood. Some scenes were shot in Ottumwa, with others in Des Moines, including at the Iowa Capitol, though the majority of the three weeks of filming was in Oskaloosa.
The 54-year-old Leonida tells Radio Iowa they’ll be taking a break for the next few weeks, then will resume filming in Italy for another month or so. Many local Iowans and William Penn students and staff are being used in the film, as actors, extras and as members of the crew.
“Some of them were so committed, so passionate and overachieving on the set that we decided to bring some of them with us in Italy. How about that?” Leonida says. “How many universities can claim that they’re making a feature film and bringing the students overseas, not for an internship, for a real job? I think it’s pretty cool.”
Leonida is passionate about how he and his wife became U.S. citizens in Iowa in 2022. He says he intends to return to Oskaloosa with his team to begin editing and producing the film.
“Students will be exposed to some high level professionals working on the editing, and usually post-production, the whole process takes two or three months, so let’s say January, February, March,” Leonida says, “so by April, we should be done with the first good final cut.”
The film is set in the early 1980s and follows the true story of an American military general who’s kidnapped by an Italian terrorist group. Leonida has directed 28 previous films and says he got his start in the movies as a ten-year-old boy in Milan with a Super 8 camera.
“That was not even a movie, actually. It was like, that was my crappy stuff that I was doing because I was in love with the job, of course, and I was willing to be a storyteller,” Leonida says, laughing. “So I involved all my friends, my sister, and I was doing some very poor and bad stuff, but that’s my beginning actually.”
Leonida plans to enter “Winter Harvest” in a variety of international film festivals, including Cannes, and intends to have the world premiere in Iowa in mid-2025.
Hear Matt Kelley’s full interview with director Max Leonida below:

Woman says tourists are told ‘big lie’ about Lanzarote holidays

Travel

As the UK endures another bout of dreary weather, many are dreaming of escaping to sunnier climates.The temptation to jet off to a warmer destination is strong, especially when faced with the relentless British rain. One holidaymaker has just returned from Lanzarote with an important tip for those considering a winter getaway to the island.Tasha Penney, who goes by @tashapenney_ on TikTok, advises travellers not to put too much faith in weather apps when it comes to Lanzarote’s climate. In her revealing video, she said: “If you’re coming to Lanzarote, and you’ve been worried about the weather, because when you look up online about Lanzarote weather, it always says windy, cloudy, overcast.”It pretty much says the weather’s like not great most of the time. Don’t be worried, because it’s all a big lie.”We’ve been here for three days and, every day, it’s said it’s going to be like 24C, cloudy. It actually predicted rain yesterday. None of the times we’ve had any of that. It’s been clear blue skies, the clouds are like that.”Further dispelling doubts, Tasha mentions that the actual temperatures felt much higher than forecasted, reassuring potential visitors that they needn’t fret over the island’s weather. When it came to the weather, she couldn’t complain at all.Her video has since gone viral, racking up hundreds of views and prompting numerous comments from viewers, many of whom are contemplating a Lanzarote holiday later this year.Sunseekers have shared their love for Lanzarote, calling it the perfect year-round getaway. One enthusiast exclaimed: “Lanzarote is great all year around. My second home.”Echoing this sentiment, another said: “I was here for a week. It was roasting, overcast three days, sunny four. Probs it was highest 30.”Adding to the island’s praise, a third person mentioned: “I’m going with my best friend in December to break up the cold. Can’t wait.”A fourth holidaymaker chimed in from the island, writing: “Here now and it’s lush. It’s rained a little bit, usually late at night or for less than a minute, but it’s been so hot.”The allure of Lanzarote, nestled in the picturesque Canary Islands, isn’t surprising considering its reputation as a superb winter sun destination. The island typically boasts a pleasant average temperature of 20C in January, rarely dipping below a comfortable 16C.What’s more, trips there are pretty affordable. To save money, you can either book a package deal or find cheap flights and cater for yourself.

Ryanair issues urgent warning to everyone travelling from the UK today

Travel

Ryanair has warned those travelling to and from the UK today (October 18). The low-cost airline has shared a travel update from its website due to weather conditions.According to its website, heavy fog could cause “potential disruptions.” The Met Office has also issued a weather warning for those living in the East Midlands, East of England, London and South East, South West England, and West Midlands.Those travelling today have been advised to check travel conditions before leaving home and allow extra journey time.”Affected passengers will be notified, and any passengers travelling to/from the UK on Friday, October 18, should check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight”, according to the airline’s website.Ryanair continued: “We regret any inconvenience caused to passengers by these weather conditions, which are outside of Ryanair’s control and affect all airlines operating to/from the UK on Friday, October 18.”However, this isn’t the only travel delay from Ryanair. The ongoing staff shortages across Europe are due to repeated air traffic control (ATC) disruptions.The airline has apologised to its customers, which is affecting all European airlines. According to Ryanair: “ATC services, which have had the benefit of no French ATC strike disruption this summer, continue to underperform (despite flight volumes being five percent behind 2019 levels) with repeated ‘staff shortages’.”On Friday, October 18, Ryanair’s first wave departures were again delayed due to ATC “staff shortages”. These repeated flight delays due to ATC mismanagement are unacceptable.”We apologise to our passengers for these repeated ATC flight delays which are deeply regrettable but beyond Ryanair’s control. We encourage passengers to visit atcruinedourholiday.com and demand that the EU Commission take urgent action to improve Europe’s ATC system.”Since last year, there have been several days of ATC strikes, making airlines cancel thousands of EU overflights.Ryanair said: “These French ATC strikes have delayed/cancelled the flights of over 1.2 million airline passengers.”

Tiny Bookshop is a relaxing escape for book lovers

Arts & Culture, Books

Haven’t we all dreamed about running away? Tossing all of your responsibilities into the bin, emptying your bank account, burning off your fingerprints and vanishing into the unknown? Maybe that’s just me. Still, whether it be a desire for adventure, longing for a more peaceful existence or the need to live in a place lacking security cameras, I’m sure the thought has crossed all of our minds at least once.
Tiny Bookshop

Developer: Neoludic Games
Publisher: Skystone Games
Release: 2025
Download the demo on: Steam

My personal ‘get away daydream’ usually revolves around returning to mid Wales (though, having discovered the joy of living near amenities, I doubt I ever will). I’m even really sure what I’d do when I go there. I’ve always wondered whether I’d be good at running a bookshop, but I’d definitely end up spending more time reading the books than selling them. Thankfully, Tiny Bookshop lets me live out this dream without having to change a single thing about my life. It even begins with you leaving your old life behind to sell pre-owned books out of a wagon in the town of Bookstonbury-by-the-sea. A win for nominative determinism if ever there was one.

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Selling books is serious business though; you can’t simply fill your shelves with fantasy novels and watch them fly off the shelves. There are seven different genres you can stock, and each book takes up one precious space on your shelves. In the beginning, you can stock 40 books and, while that may sound like a lot, deciding how much of each genre to place on your shelves soon becomes a careful balancing act. Due to this, you’ll need to invest in some book-selling strategy. At first it’s a good idea to stock your shelves evenly, but overtime you’ll become more specific with your choices, as the more you sell, the more you learn about which genres appeal to Bookstonbury’s residents.
Your customer’s tastes will differ depending on where you set up the shop. I found the beach to be the perfect place for selling fantasy and kids books (so much so I sold out), while the customers at the harbour preferred travel books. Their clothes are also a good indicator about what genres a customer will prefer; someone wearing a brown shirt and red shorts, for example, tells me they’re in the market for the classics and crime novels, as those are the colours assigned to those two genres. Managing your stock and figuring out which genres to sell where is a fun experience as it feels like you’re solving a little mystery with every new location you visit.

Image credit: Eurogamer/neoludic games

You’re not just sitting back and watching your customers purchase books, though. Every location in Bookstonbury comes with its own set of challenges – whether it’s selling a certain number of books specifically to sailors or transporting furniture to the flea market for a regular customer. Every so often a customer will also need help picking out a book; here you’ll be given a description of what they’re looking for, hinting at the specific genre and possibly a plot element, to help make your decision. It was through this that I discovered, rather than all being silly inventions, many of the books you sell in Tiny Bookshop are real world titles. It’s a lovely little touch and, if you’re an avid reader, may also help you when it comes to making a recommendation.
That said, the books don’t just need selling in Tiny Bookshop – they also need to balance. Financially. Each location has a parking fee and restocking your shelves is achieved through buying boxes of pre-owned books through the local newspaper. However, you won’t know how many books you’ll receive or even the genre in some cases, so one purchase can easily change your plans for the next day. If you found yourself inundated with fact books, for example, you may forgo buying more books to pay a higher parking fee at a location frequented by non-fiction lovers instead. There’s also a variety of decorations you can purchase for your wagon – from fairy lights to a raw fish for some reason… Some may even increase the likelihood of customers buying a specific genre, but be warned: these decorations can also negatively affect another genre and increase your parking fee.

Image credit: Eurogamer/neoludic games

I first played Tiny Bookshop back at EGX 2022 and am impressed to see how the game has developed since then. The act of book selling is far more engaging more thanks to its additional systems, and the ability to move around the locations you visit, finding objects or talking to characters, make the town of Bookstonbury feel far more alive. Tiny Bookshop promises to be a wonderfully relaxing escape for anyone who loves the written word or dreamed about opening a bookshop, especially since you don’t have to worry about real-world financial failure.

What are some accidental science discoveries? – Ask Your Science Teacher

Science and Health

Larry Scheckel

Question: What are some accidental science discoveries?Answer: There are quite a few. Penicillin, X rays, Teflon, the Rosetta Stone, vulcanized rubber, nylon, the laws of gravity, quinine, the electric battery, dynamite, the Dead Sea Scrolls, vaccination, the Big Bang, radioactivity, saccharin, the microwave, Play-doh, Corn Flakes, Super Glue, and Velcro are just a few.A more accurate and better description would be to use the term “serendipity.” These were chance discoveries that led to momentous scientific developments. We should not discount the efforts and genius that went into these discoveries. Louis Pasteur said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Careful observation, curiosity, a sense of timing and history, and just plain good luck are all involved.Let’s pick Teflon. On April 6, 1938, a young Ph.D. from Ohio State was a newly-hired Du Pont chemist. Roy J. Plunkett and an assistant, Jack Rebok, were working on trying to develop a new nontoxic refrigerant.

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Dr. Plunkett opened a tank of tetrafluoroethylene. No gas came out. The two young scientists could have thrown the tank out and pulled out a new one to continue their experiment. But they were curious. They knew the valve was not defective because they could run a wire into the opening.They sawed the tank open and looked inside. They found a waxy white powder clinging to the inside walls of the tank. They knew enough chemistry to realize that the gas had combined with something to form a solid material, a new polymer.The waxy white powder had some neat properties. It was not affected by acids, bases, or heat, and no solvent could dissolve it. It had extremely low surface friction, i.e. it was slippery. They called it Teflon.The scientists working on the first atomic bomb in the early 1940s needed a material for gaskets that would resist the very corrosive gas, uranium hexafluoride, used to extract the Uranium-235 needed to build the first atomic bomb. The Dupont company molded Teflon into valves and gaskets for this purpose. The public did not know anything about Teflon until after the war.The first Teflon-coated muffin tins and frying pans came out in 1960. Results were not that good. It was difficult to get the Teflon to bond to metal surfaces, and too many people used scouring pads that they had traditionally employed on their metal cookware. Off came the Teflon. DuPont finally hit the Teflon jackpot in 1986 with their new generation Silver Stone Supra that was twice as durable.We might know Teflon for cookware, but Teflon is also one of the few substances that the body doesn’t reject. Teflon is used on heart pacemakers and sections of material used to take the place of the aorta. Teflon is used for artificial corneas, substitute bones in the chin and nose, hip and knee joints, ear parts, heart valves, sutures, dentures and bile ducts.Teflon is applied to the outer layers of space suits. Nose cones and space fuel tanks are coated with Teflon. Spacecraft that traveled to the Moon and beyond had wiring and cables insulated with Teflon. Teflon can resist the ultraviolet radiation of the sun.In 1951, Roy Plunkett gave a talk to a scientific convention in Philadelphia detailing his accidental discovery. Attendees were given a Teflon-coated muffin pan to take home.Plunkett retired from DuPont in 1975, was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 1985, enjoyed fishing and golfing near his home in Corpus Christi, and died in 1994 at age 83. His greatest joy, he said, was getting calls and letters from people who were alive because of a Teflon pacemaker or aorta.Sources: sciencealert.com, history.com
Larry Scheckel taught science at Tomah High School for 38 years and was named Tomah Teacher of the Year three times. Send comments and questions to [email protected].

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‘The Apprentice’ movie review: explosive or exploitative?

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

(Credits: Far Out / Scythia Films) Fri 18 October 2024 9:11, UK Ali Abbasi – ‘The Apprentice’ When I heard that Ali Abbasi was directing a Donald Trump biopic, I must admit, I was slightly conflicted. I hadn’t gotten along too well with his 2022 film Holy Spider and worried that The Apprentice might toe a similar line of using something politically relevant for entertainment value without really saying anything about the subject matter. But after Trump personally filed for a cease and desist on the film’s release, I wondered whether I could be wrong. The million-dollar question was: how would they portray the former and potential future president of the United States?The danger with making a film like this is that it could be too sympathetic to Trump, and when I first saw Sebastian Stan on screen, I worried that this could be the case. We first see him as an anxious and pathetic wannabe, desperate to sit with the cool kids in Manhattan’s exclusive clubs but throwing up in the back of a taxi after barely two drinks. His father is overbearing, he’s the butt of every joke, and, ultimately, the antithesis of all he aspires to be.However, after a chance meeting with ruthless New York attorney Roy Cohn (played by Jeremy Strong), Trump’s luck starts to change. And it is this relationship that the film most concerns itself with, observing the exchange of power between both men and the creation of evil as Trump evolves from a snivelling schoolboy to scum of the earth.Strong’s performance is beautifully contradictory; he is someone we first respect out of fear as we watch him proudly share his golden rules of tax evasion and dirty manipulation tactics. Cohn is a cut-throat killer; no method is off limits, and when we see his underground basement of illicitly obtained recordings of public officials admitting to personal affairs and bribery, we understand precisely the kind of lawyer he is. Upon seeing this room, Trump stammers, “But… isn’t that illegal?” Cohn throws his hands up in the air as if to say, “My dear boy, that is the point!” But we eventually grow to pity him so deeply as his pain becomes the only human aspect of the film, slowly watching a man whose humanity has been hollowed out by a world that sucked up his one gift, left with no one standing in his corner. But make no mistake, the man is still a monster, but a monster that we can better understand. We see his vulnerabilities laid out in the open as the public mercilessly picks apart and harasses him about his sexuality, back-tracking on the steely image he once had. Partial redemption is possible for some, but not for Trump.(Credits: Far Out / StudioCanal)As their friendship deepens, Cohn teaches Trump (my computer, somewhat appropriately, keeps auto-correcting his name to trauma) how to further climb the slippery ropes of Manhattan real estate and schmooze his way up the social ladder, marrying Ivanka at the beginning of his moral demise, we slowly begin to see the semblance of the Trump we know today. Stan is constantly evolving and workshopping his portrayal of Trump throughout the film, gradually building the strange collections of quirks and tics that we know him by today.As Trump conquers the grimy monopoly board of over-bearing New York sky-scrapers, we see the growth of his own narcissism and the dangerous mentality that has terrorised a nation of people: a man who is unable to see the truth and surrounds himself with delusion and people who won’t say no to his childish demands. His brother is an addict, and Trump turns him away when he begs for help. He cruelly tells his wife that he isn’t attracted to her anymore and then sexually assaults her. He dismisses Cohn and his friendship, believing himself to be above his company after discovering he has AIDS. And here is where the film began to play on my mind. While the behaviour on display of Trump is truly despicable, the movie aligns itself with him the whole time. There are moments where we see glimmers of Ivanka’s loneliness and the dehumanising treatment she’s subjected to, but Abbasi never lets us linger in the perspective of people who disliked or were critical of Trump, and without any comparison to people who openly objected to his behaviour, it doesn’t feel as though the film is biting enough to be mocking or critical enough to be constructive, we’re just meekly following him on this relentless power trip with an aggressively high-energy soundtrack.While the film is technically innovative, with the second half being shot on an entirely different camera that creates a grainy, VCR style as Trump becomes as cheap and empty as a reality TV show, I fear that the storytelling is not as punchy or innovativeAbbasi’s portrait of one of the most harmful people in the world ultimately felt hollow and a little spineless. Making a film about a politically charged and topical current issue doesn’t automatically add weight to the story, and in order to be genuinely subversive and controversial, it needed to say more than point out that Trump is a bad person. This isn’t breaking news; we’ve known it for a while. And considering how powerful Trump is and all the battles they faced to get the film made, it feels a shame not to make something bolder.While The Apprentice is certainly entertaining, at what cost does it entertain us? Using the monstrosities of this person for entertainment feels exploitative, and by not projecting any criticism onto the character, it feels like it is just that. It’s not mocking enough to be satirical and not honest enough to be explosive. By not commenting on the wider impact of his actions, it makes an otherwise forceful and dynamic film feel slightly weak and cowardly, creating a docile commentary of America’s most dangerous lunatic.[embedded content]Related TopicsSubscribe To The Far Out Newsletter

What’s the typical American tourist in Spain like?

Travel

Spain has been a popular tourist destination for northern Europeans for decades, but in the post-pandemic period the profile of holidaymakers has begun to shift somewhat.
Now we seem to be in what the Spanish press has dubbed the ‘golden age’ of American tourism in Spain. 
Looking at the numbers, they could be right: in 2023 a staggering 3.83 million American tourists came to Spain, spending 35 percent more than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
American tourism to Spain is certainly on the up and there seems to be no sign of stopping it.
Increasing numbers of Americans are travelling to Europe anyway, something that Spain, as one of the continent’s (indeed the world’s) premier tourism destinations, has reaped the rewards of.

But more practical aspects have also helped, particularly improved flight connections between Spain and the U.S, notably new routes from New York to Málaga, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife.
David César Heymann, tourism economics at Caixa Bank, told Spanish daily El Mundo that the boom in tourism from the United States is one of the major industry changes in the post-pandemic sector. “Although the vast majority of spending continues to come from European countries, tourism from North America has made substantial progress and contrasts with the fall in Asian tourism, which has lagged behind,” he said. 
Prolonged Covid-19 restrictions were a major factor in holding back Chinese tourism in the early-2020s, while the relative weakness of the yen has reduced the number of Japanese tourists coming to Europe overall.
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What’s the typical American tourist in Spain like?
Survey data and information from the Spanish tourism board gives us a pretty good idea of who the typical American tourist is.
Firstly, Americans, wherever they come from, tend to spend well in Spain. Very well in fact, and significantly what other tourists do. In 2023, the average expenditure by American tourists on trips to Spain was €2,024, compared to €1,277 for other tourists.
The priorities of these wealthy US visitors have changed. “Before they’d come to Spain to go to a meeting or to reach an investment decision. They’d travel alone, or in a pair. Now they bring the whole family, book out several suites and stay several days,” Alejandro Bernabé, head of the Four Seasons in Madrid, told Spanish business daily Expansión.
Figures from TurEspaña show that American tourists mainly visit Catalonia (38 percent of total expenditure), followed by Madrid (26 percent), Andalusia (10 percent), the Balearic Islands (10 percent) and Galicia (4 percent).
Their main activities when in Spain are visiting cities (68 percent), shopping (58 percent), cultural visits (62 percent) and gastronomy (34 percent).
“Americans show a great interest in Spanish culture and the increased usage of English helps to make them feel more comfortable. They take part in authentic experiences, which boosts sectors such as museums, shows and gastronomy,” Robert Lowe, director general of Madrid’s Mandarin Oriental Ritz, told Expansión.
In terms of where in the US these tourists come from, there are five states that stand out. 
Survey data cited by tourism website HostelTur shows that 13 percent of all American tourists in Spain come from California, followed by Texas (10 percent), Florida (7 percent), New York (7 percent) and Illinois (5 percent), which means that those five states make up 42 percent of all visits.
There are also some rather interesting socioeconomic breakdowns too, with tourists from California far more likely to be Millennials (66 percent), as well as those from New York (52 percent).
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Floridians visiting Spain were pretty evenly spread, with Millennial tourists, Boomers, Gen X and Gen Z all representing roughly a quarter each.
Tourists from Illinois tend to be older, with 41 percent of those coming to Spain being part of the Boomer generation, and 18 percent Generation X.
Holiday makers from California, Texas and New York were found to be more likely to travel in a group, whereas those from Florida and Illinois more likely to travel alone.
Most Americans across all groups are more likely to book with a travel agency than they are themselves, besides those from Texas.

Opinion: I’m a business owner. I want a president who works as hard as I do.

Business News

Let me tell you why I’m voting for Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election. As proprietor of Smokey G’s Smokehouse on the Detroit riverfront, I’m proud of my Black-owned Detroit business, where we recently celebrated our 10-year anniversary.We need a leader that stands up for Black business owners, not leaders who stoke hate, separation and fear. The growth of Smokey G’s Smokehouse could not have happened without our incredible staff, and of course our customers, who come down to our restaurant to enjoy the best smoked meats in Michigan.But it hasn’t been easy.During these 10 years, we encountered former President Donald Trump’s chaotic handling of a global pandemic and his so-called “achievement” of giving huge tax cuts to big corporations and billionaires. He never looked out for small businesses like mine, and I don’t expect that to change if he is given another opportunity to return to the White House. Now, I don’t believe the president of the United States is supposed to prop us up, but rather to enact policies that encourage small-business growth. Harris’ economic policy aims to do just that.Opinion:Trump takes a shot at Detroit, in Detroit. The joke’s on him.A hand up for small business ownersBeing a Black business owner is hard. It’s been proven that Black business owners find it harder to obtain loans and other lines of credit than their white counterparts. This can create cash flow obstacles that can sink Black businesses. For someone like me, who is responsible for the livelihood of seven to 10 staff members at any given time, there is no room for cashflow challenges. It was refreshing to hear that Harris recently unveiled an “Opportunity Agenda,” which includes a proposal of forgivable loans of up to $20,000 to Black entrepreneurs.Look, we feel the same burden of inflation and higher costs of goods as other food service businesses. For example, my supply costs are up 10% since the pandemic. But I’m smart enough to know that the global supply chain grinding to a halt during the pandemic is one of the biggest reasons for these costs. This is why inflation has occurred around the world — not just here at home. So, I’m not buying the idea that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris caused this inflation. Harris aims to make it easier for first time homeowners to purchase a home. She also wants to help small businesses grow by expanding the start-up expense tax deduction for new businesses from $5,000 to $50,000, and reducing barriers that can make it harder to grow a small business. These policies help Black business owners like me.Opinion:Trump is no conservative. We’re Republican men and we’re voting for Kamala HarrisA president who will work as hard as I doAfter six years of festivals and pop-ups, Smokey G’s Smokehouse moved into our storefront nearly a week before the first recorded case of COVID-19 in Michigan. When the pandemic hit, the uncertainty of those times was palpable. I didn’t know if I would have a business after COVID, as Trump appeared on TV saying things like we should look at injecting bleach to stop COVID.  But we did survive, thanks in part to the steady and dedicated leadership of the Biden-Harris administration. The next 10 years of my business deserves a leader who works as hard as I do. It’s clear to me that Harris’ leadership is needed as we embark on a new chapter in our country. Greg Sims II is the owner of Smokey G’s Smokehouse in Detroit. Submit a letter to the editor atfreep.com/letters and we may publish it online and in print.