"If you want to see what America will look like in another year, another two years of Joe Biden’s administration, look to Europe. Look at what’s happened there and the devastation that they’re enduring," says South Dakota governor.

Airbnb defines its notorious cleaning fee as a “one-time charge” set by the host that helps them arrange anything from carpet shampoo to replenishing supplies to hiring an outside cleaning service—all in the name of ensuring guests have a “clean and tidy space.” But as many frustrated Airbnb customers will tell you‚ this feature is viewed as more of a nuisance than a convenience. According to NerdWallet‚ the general price for a cleaning fee is around $75‚ but can vary greatly between listings‚ with some units having cleaning fees that are higher than the nightly rate (all while sometimes still being asked to do certain chores before checking out). And often none of these fees show up in the total price until right before the booking confirmation‚ leaving many travelers feeling confused and taken advantage of.However‚ some hosts are opting to build cleaning fees into the overall price of their listings‚ mimicking the strategy of traditional hotels.Rachel Boice runs two Airbnb properties in Georgia with her husband Parker—one being this fancy glass plane tiny house (seen below) that promises a perfect glamping experience. @rachelrboice Welcome to The Tiny Glass House 🤎 #airbnbfinds #exploregeorgia #travelbucketlist #tinyhouse #glampingnotcamping #atlantageorgia #fyp ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim Like most Airbnb hosts‚ the Boice’s listing showed a nightly rate and separate cleaning fee. According to her interview with Insider‚ the original prices broke down to $89 nightly‚ and $40 for the cleaning fee. But after noticing the negative response the separate fee got from potential customers‚ Rachel told Insider that she began charging a nightly rate that included the cleaning fee‚ totaling to $129 a night.It’s a marketing strategy that more and more hosts are attempting in order to generate more bookings (people do love feeling like they’re getting a great deal) but Boice argued that the trend will also become more mainstream since the current Airbnb model “doesn’t feel honest.” "We stay in Airbnbs a lot. I pretty much always pay a cleaning fee‚" Boice told Insider. "You're like: 'Why am I paying all of this money? This should just be built in for the cost.'" Since combining costs‚ Rachel began noticing another unexpected perk beyond customer satisfaction: guests actually left her property cleaner than before they were charged a cleaning fee. Her hypothesis was that they assumed she would be handling the cleaning herself."I guess they're thinking‚ 'I'm not paying someone to clean this‚ so I'll leave it clean‚'" she said.This discovery echoes a similar anecdote given by another Airbnb host‚ who told NerdWallet guests who knew they were paying a cleaning fee would “sometimes leave the place looking like it’s been lived in and uncleaned for months.” So‚ it appears to be that being more transparent and lumping all fees into one overall price makes for a happier (and more considerate) customer.These days‚ it’s hard to not be embittered by deceptive junk fees‚ which can seem to appear anywhere without warning—surprise overdraft charges‚ surcharges on credit cards‚ the never convenience “convenience charge” when purchasing event tickets. Junk fees are so rampant that certain measures are being taken to try to eliminate them outright in favor of more honest business approaches.Speaking of a more honest approach—as of December 2022‚ AirBnb began updating its app and website so that guests can see a full price breakdown that shows a nightly rate‚ a cleaning fee‚ Airbnb service fee‚ discounts‚ and taxes before confirming their booking.Guests can also activate a toggle function before searching for a destination‚ so that full prices will appear in search results—avoiding unwanted financial surprises.This article originally appeared on 11.08.23

Animals can be far cleverer than we give them credit for‚ especially creatures we don't think of as having distinct personalities. Most of us expect cats and dogs to do show us their unique quirks‚ but what about a flying squirrel? A video is making its way around the internet that has people giggling over the dramatic antics of a large pet flying squirrel. It includes no narration explaining what's happening and no context—it just shows a flying squirrel repeatedly faking its own death by broom. That's right. Death by broom. And from the way it looks‚ the little bugger came up with the idea on its own and made multiple attempts to create a convincing crime scene. This is one you just have to see. Twitter user @Birrellebee wrote that the squirrel "faked his own death‚ and created a whole crime scene…for attention. I think I'm in love." Whether the squirrel really did this just for attention or for some other reason isn't clear‚ but no one seems to offering a more plausible explanation for it. Watch: \u201cThis flying squirrel faked his own death‚ and created a whole crime scene\u2026for attention. I think I\u2019m in love. \u201d — Sarah Bee\ud83d\udc1d (@Sarah Bee\ud83d\udc1d) 1685808791 While some people have expressed understandable concern over flying squirrels living indoors as pets‚ we don't know what the living situation here really is. Maybe the squirrel was injured and rescued. Maybe it can't survive in the wild. We simply don't know.What we do know is that this adorable rodent deserves an Oscar for its performance. The way it gracefully somersaults right into position. The placing of the broomstick on its neck and splaying itself out flat on its back. The checking to see if anyone is looking. The repositioning of the murder weapon multiple times to figure out which one seems more believable.Was that really what it was doing? Who knows. But it was a genuinely incredible performance nonetheless.And of course‚ the people of the internet didn't disappoint in the comments. \u201c@pimlius @nycsouthpaw Well‚ maybe he should\u2019ve thought of that‚ befor being such a wee drama queen. Nobody likes an attention whore.\u201d — Sarah Bee\ud83d\udc1d (@Sarah Bee\ud83d\udc1d) 1685808791 \u201c@RIDICULO_pathy @BirrelleBee I love this squirrel \ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udd70\u201d — Sarah Bee\ud83d\udc1d (@Sarah Bee\ud83d\udc1d) 1685808791 “@GreigBeck @BirrelleBee @MAllanScott It’s an insurance scam.” \u201c@GreigBeck @BirrelleBee @MAllanScott It\u2019s an insurance scam.\u201d — Sarah Bee\ud83d\udc1d (@Sarah Bee\ud83d\udc1d) 1685808791 \u201c@Marx_Bros_Thing @BirrelleBee Same\u201d — Sarah Bee\ud83d\udc1d (@Sarah Bee\ud83d\udc1d) 1685808791 This article originally appeared on 6.6.23

When Jimmy Kimmel takes to the street‚ you know you’re in for a good laugh at just how little we actually know about‚ well‚ seemingly anything. That goes for anatomy too. In this case‚ female anatomy.In a segment called “What Do You Know About The Female Body?” men try—and hilariously fail—to answer even the most basic questions‚ like “does a female have one uterus‚ or two?” much to the amazement of some of their female partners. Here are some of the very best bits of nonwisdom:Woman have LOTS of fallopian tubes and ovaries‚ apparently.When asked‚ “how many fallopian tubes does the average lady have?” one man prefaced with “I know I’m gonna be way off‚” before answering “four.” He was right about being way off‚ indeed. Women usually have one fallopian tube on either side of the uterus‚ making that two fallopian tubes. Another guy guessed that a woman has not one‚ not two‚ but six ovaries. Which‚ in case you didn’t know‚ is three times more than the correct answer (two ovaries‚ one on either side of the uterus). Where would a woman keep four extra ovaries? Her purse?A mammogram examines the stomach.The interviewer also asked: “What part of the body does the mammogram examine?""The lower half…" replied one man. Yikes. And when asked to demonstrate where exactly the “lower half” is‚ he gestured toward the uppermost part of his belly‚ seemingly avoiding the actual area a mammogram covers entirely.PMS is all in the mind‚ but only annually.The next question up was “What does PMS stand for?"One man shyly answered‚ “Post…mental…syndrome?”One outta three ain’t bad. But the correct answer is premenstrual syndrome. And it definitely happens more than “once a year.”An IUD is a “mammogram device.”Oh‚ and a NuvaRing is a “pap schmear‚” and a speculum is the actual “IUD.” Holy moly‚ if you thought IUDs were uncomfortable before…Things really took a turn once the graphics came out.And men were asked to point to where the cervix is. Plenty of things were pointed at—like the uterus. But sadly‚ no cervix findings.Changing gears‚ the interview instructed the men to “point at something you know.” To which one man replied (inaccurately) “uh…that’s a baby?” Unless the woman is giving birth to a colon‚ that was incorrect. Later in the video‚ a man is asked “where does the baby go?”“In there‚” the man answers after pointing to the ovaries. (Spoiler alert: It doesn’t go there. A fetus grows in the uterus‚ which this man thought was the cervix.)His wife‚ a gynecologist no less‚ chuckled “I’m mortified…I’m apparently not a very good educator at home for my husband.” Though this is just for pure fun‚ it is food for thought. A woman’s autonomy over her own body has been the subject of much controversial discussion lately. And I can’t help but wonder how certain politicians/leaders would fare if given the same questions. Perhaps it is unwise to try to govern that which is not fully understood‚ just saying.You can catch the full segment here:This article originally appeared on 01.14.22

The art of holding a groove together. The post The guitarist Jimmy Page said “didn’t make mistakes” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

"We're all in there and we're all contributing." The post Cindy Wilson picks the ultimate B-52’s “anthem” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.