– Advertisement – Anthony Farmer, an Airbnb host in Texas, has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Airbnb.Jimmy Zuninga Photography courtesy of Anthony Farmer – Advertisement – Farmer was able to file a public lawsuit against the company after Airbnb failed to pay the required legal fees for arbitration cases on time. A new California law allows plaintiffs to take their cases out of arbitration and to court if the company stalls payments beyond 30 days of receiving an invoice.“Them not paying the arbitration was just another slap in the face,” Farmer said. “It’s shocking and disgraceful.”Prior to the pandemic, Farmer relied on Airbnb as his primary source of income. Farmer used a strict cancellation policy that would have entitled him to at least a portion of a reservation booking if a guest needed to cancel. That was overridden by Airbnb’s extenuating cancelation policy. Although $655 may not appear like a lot of money, he was counting on that money to pay his mortgage, utilities, homeowner association fee and other costs that come with running a short-term rental, Farmer said. “This is definitely impacting me during the pandemic,” Farmer said. “I’m pissed about it. I’m angry, to be frank, and I’m sure that I’m not the only person impacted.”Blumenthal said they hope the case is granted class action status so other hosts who have similarly been impacted can join the lawsuit. With the company preparing to IPO, this case could be of interest to the public, Blumenthal said. “I think the public and potential investors would want to know as much as hosts how much money Airbnb has that, if our lawsuit is correct, is legally owed to the hosts,” Blumenthal said.In March, Airbnb activated an extenuating circumstance policy to provide guests impacted by the pandemic with full refunds for their bookings, overriding hosts’ refund policies. Many guests complained that when they tried to claim those refunds, they were either unable to recoup the money in full, had to jump through numerous hoops or were not given the refunds at all. Later, Airbnb announced it would establish a $250 million coronavirus relief fund for hosts, returning 25% of what they would have normally received under their cancellation policies, but many hosts who spoke with CNBC complained that they were not receiving the correct amounts or any payments at all. In August, more hosts complained that they were missing payments from the company. Airbnb blamed these missing payments on “a small technical issue.”“I want justice for other hosts who’ve been hurt by this, and I want Airbnb to be held accountable,” Farmer said. Airbnb did not respond to a request for comment. – Advertisement –
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky.John van Hasselt | Corbis | Getty Images A short-term rental vacation host has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Airbnb, alleging that the tech company violated its contract with hosts when the company offered full refunds to guests in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in March. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco by Anthony Farmer, an Airbnb host in Texas. Farmer had been a host with Airbnb for three years. Farmer stopped hosting with Airbnb as a result of $655 he claims the company owes him from canceled reservations. The lawsuit alleges three claims against Airbnb: breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and violation of California consumer protection laws. The lawsuit comes as Airbnb gears up for an initial public offering following a rough year for the company and the travel industry as a result of Covid-19. Hosts have complained about the company’s handling of guest cancellations due to the pandemic, with the company in March enacting an extenuating circumstances policy that overrode many hosts’ refund policies. Hosts have also complained about missing payments while many guests have complained that Airbnb has not given them refunds for trips affected by the pandemic. – Advertisement – “Because of the Covid crisis, hosts aren’t getting paid, guests often aren’t getting refunds and Airbnb is just coming out way ahead,” said Aaron Blumenthal, attorney at Gibbs Law representing Farmer. “Something that the lawsuit will be seeking is an accounting of where the money is.”The lawsuit is notable as it comes after Farmer first tried to take legal action against Airbnb through arbitration court, as stated in Airbnb’s terms and services for hosts. To file his case in arbitration, Farmer worked with FairShake, a company that helps consumers file legal claims against companies. FairShake has been working with a number of Airbnb hosts to pursue legal action against the company since March. “Neither the guests nor the hosts were getting that money back,” said Teel Lidow, CEO of FairShake. “That’s what got us started putting together this arbitration campaign that eventually led to this class action.”
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Palace went ahead after 12 minutes at Selhurst Park and through an unlikely source in Scott Dann. Eze floated a corner in from the left and stand-in captain Dann was able to guide a header past Meslier in the Leeds goal.It was just reward for a bright start by Hodgson’s men. Leeds then thought they had levelled five minutes later, but Bamford’s fine flicked finish over Vicente Guaita was ruled out for offside by video assistant referee Mike Dean. It looked like the striker was onside – and Palace took full advantage of the reprieve as Eze doubled Palace’s lead with 22 minutes on the clock to continue his fine afternoon.Mateusz Klich went down but the hosts carried on and won a free-kick on the edge of the visitors’ area. Eze, a summer signing from QPR, took responsibility and curled his shot into the top corner for his first Palace goal. 
Image:Crystal Palace led 3-1 at the break against Leeds at Selhurst Park Leeds continue to pay price for leaky defenceThis was billed as the battle of the oldest managers in the division, Roy Hodgson and Marcelo Bielsa, both of whom guided their clubs to 10 points from seven games respectively.Both have coached across the globe over the last 40 years, with spells in several European leagues and on the international scene, but this was the first time they went toe-to-toe on the touchline – and the encounter didn’t disappoint. Team newsCrystal Palace make three changes for the visit of Leeds with James McArthur, Ebere Eze and Jordan Ayew recalled to the starting XI. Eagles captain Luka Milivojevic was sent off at Wolves and serves the first of a three-match ban while Jeffrey Schlupp and Michy Batshuayi drop to the bench for Roy Hodgson’s men.Leeds, who also lost last time out to Leicester, have Ezgjan Alioski and Pascal Struijk back in the team with Marcelo Bielsa leaving Pablo Hernandez and Jamie Shackleton out of the matchday squad. Raphinha and Jack Jenkins take up their positions on the bench for the clash between the two oldest managers in the division. 
Image:Ebere Eze curls his free-kick in via the underside of the crossbar 
Image:Bamford was denied a first-half equaliser by a marginal offside call 
Image:Patrick Bamford crashes in his seventh Premier League goal this term Eze, making only his fourth league start since his £19.5m switch from QPR last summer, then produced a brilliant free-kick to extend Palace’s lead (22).That came after Patrick Bamford had seen an equaliser ruled out for offside by VAR, but the Leeds striker thrashed in his seventh Premier League goal of the season to reduce the arrears (27).Helder Costa inadvertently stabbed Patrick Van Aanholt’s cross past Meslier at his near post before the break (42) before Jordan Ayew sealed the victory with a fine finish from Wilfried Zaha’s pass (70).- Advertisement – – Advertisement – Crystal Palace moved up to sixth in the Premier League as Ebere Eze inspired them to a fine 4-1 win over Leeds United at Selhurst Park.Scott Dann’s first goal since December 2017 gave Palace an early lead (12), as the centre-back rose to head beyond Illan Meslier from Eze’s corner.- Advertisement – With little sign of a comeback being staged, Tyler Roberts was introduced by Bielsa, as Guaita was called into action to tip Ezgjan Alioski’s low drive around the post.Leeds were then thankful to Alioski tracking back to deny Wilfried Zaha a clean strike at goal as the game continued to resemble a basketball match in the final third.Leeds were pressing and pushing to set up a tense finish, but they were punished with Palace finding a fourth through their out-ball as Wilfried Zaha unselfishly picked out Ayew for a composed finish underneath Meslier. It was the 17th goal Leeds have conceded already this term, undermining their bright return to the top flight. The drama didn’t end there in the opening period as Bamford pulled a goal back for Leeds in the 27th minute. Klich headed down for the one-time Palace loanee and he controlled with his chest before firing past Guaita.It was Bamford’s seventh goal of the campaign and got the visitors back in the contest with more than an hour left to play.His side ought to have halved the deficit when Pascal Struijk failed to connect well with Jack Harrison’s corner six minutes into the restart, before the lively Eze flashed another swerving shot just wide of Meslier’s left-hand post. The result leaves Leeds in 14th place ahead of the remaining weekend fixtures, while Palace are sandwiched between Everton and Wolves on 13 points. Eagles soaring – Opta statsCrystal Palace have lost just one of their last five home Premier League games (W2 D2), after losing five of the seven before that (W2).Leeds United have conceded 17 goals in their first eight Premier League games this season, last shipping more at this stage of a top-flight campaign in 1946-47 (22).Crystal Palace scored 4+ goals in a Premier League game for the first time in 46 fixtures, last doing so in a 5-3 win over Bournemouth in May 2019.Leeds United have won just one of their last 21 away league games against London sides (D6 L14), beating QPR 3-1 in December 2017.What’s next?Crystal Palace travel to face Burnley on Saturday, November 21; kick-off 3pm. Meanwhile, Leeds host Arsenal the following day at 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event. 
Image:Jordan Ayew takes Wilfried Zaha’s pass to tuck home Palace’s fourth – Advertisement –
The broader U.S. market is seeing a larger number of shares do well after being dominated by a handful of mega-cap names for most of 2020, signaling a comeback for the so-called average stock.The Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight exchange-traded fund (RSP) has jumped more than 6% this week, while the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) is up just 1.8% over that time period. Those gains helped the RSP narrow its year-to-date performance gap against the SPY.Those gains came as investors cheered positive coronavirus vaccine news that lifted expectations of a broad economic recovery, shifting money away from tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft and into beaten-down names such as United Airlines and cruise operator Carnival. But for investors who want to ride this market shift, but in a less risky way, the RSP could be the way to go. Traders work the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.NYSE – Advertisement – – Advertisement – – Advertisement –
The commission, appointed by the government but independent, said it was aware of reports of “ethnic profiling” being undertaken in the area.- Advertisement – – Advertisement –
Wales host Finland, live on Sky Sports Premier League, while Republic of Ireland face Bulgaria at the Aviva Stadium, live on Sky Sports Arena. Both Nations League games take place on Wednesday at 7.45pm. Republic of Ireland have now scored just one goal and are winless in seven games under new boss Kenny, failing to score in any of their last six matches. His team had Jeff Hendrick sent off for a professional foul in injury time.Meanwhile, Wales have now kept seven straight clean sheets in competitive matches as they remain in a good place ahead of next year’s European Championships.Wales will win the group and gain promotion to the top tier if avoiding defeat against Finland in Cardiff on Wednesday.What’s next?- Advertisement – 
David Brooks pushed Wales closer to promotion in the Nations League as they beat toothless Republic Of Ireland 1-0, leaving Stephen Kenny still waiting for his first win in charge. In the sixth meeting between the teams in the last three years, Wales were second best until the introduction of Kiefer Moore with 30 minutes to play and the more direct approach did the trick as Brooks headed home after Gareth Bale kept the play alive at the back post.- Advertisement –
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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced Apr 28 it had found 23 live cattle that potentially had been exposed to the same feed that the infected cow ate early in its life. “To date, a number of animals from this group are known to have been exported to the United States,” the agency said. The report on the exported cattle came the same day the USDA released an estimate that the United States may have between four and seven more BSE cases. Three cases have been found so far, one in a Canadian-born cow and two in native-born cattle. The CFIA said exported cattle also were identified in investigations of previous BSE cases in 2003 and 2005. See also: He and Canadian officials said it is highly unusual to find more than one BSE-infected animal in a herd. “However, we will continue to work with Canada to locate as many animals of interest in this case as possible,” Clifford said. The BSE caseCanada’s fifthoccurred in a 6-year-old dairy cow in British Columbia. In reporting the case Apr 16, Canadian officials said the cow had been kept out of the human food and animal feed supplies. The cow was born after Canada banned putting protein from cattle and other ruminant animals into cattle feed in 1997. The agency announced Apr 28 that Canada had reported that 15 “feed cohorts”cattle that were exposed to the same feed as the infected cow when it was younghad been exported to the United States. The announcement raised the possibility of more BSE cases, since cattle are believed to contract the disease from contaminated feed.
The CFIA found the infected cow’s 2004 calf, which had been slaughtered, according to an Apr 28 Reuters report. The agency was still looking for the cow’s 2005 calf, the story said. May 1, 2006 (CIDRAP News) The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is hunting for 14 cattle that might have shared feed with Canada’s latest cow infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. One of the imported cattle had already been found in Washington state and was to be killed and tested for BSE, John Clifford, USDA’s chief veterinary officer, said in a statement. “The disposition of the remaining 14 animals is still being determined,” Clifford said. The United States stopped importing live Canadian cattle after Canada’s first BSE case was found in May 2003. The border was reopened in 2005 to cattle younger than 30 months old. USDA statement on BSE investigationhttp://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/content/2006/04/bsecan.shtml
The survey also included questions about other preparedness variables such as emergency response plans, surge capacity, equipment, and collaboration with outside organizations. Officials said future bulletins will detail those findings. Dec 11, 2006 (CIDRAP News) Soon after the terrorist attacks of 2001, Congress approved emergency funds to teach hospital staffs how to recognize and respond to bioterrorism attacks, and today the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its first report on those efforts. The survey revealed that teaching hospitals were better trained for handling bioterrorism than other types of hospitals were. Hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations were well ahead of other hospitals in training the following employees about terrorism response: nurses, staff physicians, laboratory employees, nurse practitioners, physicians, and residents. However, only 9.5% of the hospitals in the survey were not accredited. Eighty-eight percent of the hospitals said their nurses had been trained in recognizing and treating patients exposed to at least one of seven diseases potentially associated with bioterrorism (smallpox, anthrax, plague, botulism, tularemia, viral encephalitis, and hemorrhagic fevers) or to chemical or radiological attacks. One unexpected finding was that staff physicians were far more likely than residents to have received training (75.1% versus 39.3%), a gap that was wider in nonteaching hospitals than in teaching hospitals. The survey showed that more than three quarters of hospitals had taught their key personnel how to implement a “Hospital Emergency Incident Command” system or similar program. But the authors voiced concern that a quarter of the nation’s hospitals are unprepared for a “chaotic event.” The information in the report, published today in a CDC bulletin, came from 2003 and 2004 supplements to the annual National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys conducted by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. The survey was designed to assess terrorism preparedness training and identify training differences related to hospital characteristics. Niska RW, Curt CW. Training for terrorism-related conditions in hospitals: United States, 2003-04. Advance data from vital and health statistics, no 380. Hyattsville, Md., National Center for Health Statistics, 2006 [Full text] “The original assumption was that physicians in the midst of their specialty education would be more likely to have received training in the current medical issues,” the authors wrote. Though they noted the residents may have received preparedness training at their home teaching hospital, they said more efforts are needed to implement recommended bioterrorism content into medical school curricula. “Information about the strengths and limitations of terrorism preparedness in US hospitals is crucial in planning how future funding could be used to improve the domestic defensive posture,” the report states. In hospitals that had 24-hour emergency departments or outpatient clinics, 86% of clinical staff members were trained to recognize and treat smallpox, and 82% were trained to recognize and treat anthrax infections. “This study presents baseline data for terrorism preparedness training, with respect to various hospital characteristics, to help inform emergency physicians and other healthcare professionals for future planning efforts,” the report says. Of 874 hospitals included in the survey, 739 (84.6%) responded. See also: Dec 11 CDC press release on hospital training for terrorist attackshttp://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/06facts/terrorism2003-04.htm
Aug 1, 2007 (CIDRAP News) A Mayo Clinic study indicates that many hospitalized influenza patients shed flu virus for at least 7 days after they fall ill, suggesting that the current recommendation to use infection control precautions for 5 days may be inadequate. “I don’t know that I would jump from anything in this article to a recommendation to change the isolation guidelines in any setting,” Tapper said. The researchers cite several limitations to their study that might have swayed the results toward either underestimation or overestimation of how long patients were infective. For example, because other patients and hospital staff were not tested, it is uncertain whether the detection of flu virus by PCR meant that the patients were actually capable of spreading the virus. Even for patients who tested positive by culture, “being culture positive doesn’t necessarily imply that you’re infectious,” Tapper added. “I think the study nicely shows that virus may be detected for a longer period of time, but whether that translates into a longer period of transmission is not clear.” Nonetheless, the results “suggest that hospitalized patients who are older and/or have chronic illnesses could shed influenza A virus for several days beyond the period those individuals are traditionally thought to be infective,” the article states. “A recommendation for prolonged isolation precautions might be necessary to prevent influenza outbreaks in acute care facilities.” In the study, one type of test showed that 22 of 41 patients were still shedding the virus 7 days or longer after the onset of their illness, according to the report in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. Another testing method showed that 12 of the 41 patients were still infective at 7 days or later. The researchers found no link between prolonged virus shedding and either antiviral treatment or previous vaccination. Those who received antiviral treatment shed the virus an average of about 2 fewer days (5.7 versus 7.5 days) than those who were not treated, but the difference was not statistically significant. Citing an author-acknowledged limitation of the study, he told CIDRAP News, “The majority of the findings [of continued shedding] were based on PCR rather than culture, and PCR might have detected nonviable virus. The fact that a PCR assay remained positive at 5 or 7 days, I’m not sure how to interpret that in terms of clinical communicability.” PCR testing was positive for influenza in 22 (54%) of the 41 patients at or after 7 days, whereas two culture methods (tube and shell vial) yielded flu virus in 12 (29%) of the 41 patients, the report says. All the patients who tested positive by culture also had positive PCR results. The longest period of flu virus shedding shown by any method was 14 days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends “standard” and “droplet” isolation precautions for hospitalized flu patients for 5 days after symptom onset, the report says. This recommendation, the authors say, “could be insufficient for such patients, and prolonging isolation measures for the entire duration of the hospital stay might be more prudent to prevent outbreaks in hospitals during the influenza season.” He suggested that further studies on the topic should involve larger numbers of patients and should test whether PCR-based findings of virus shedding are associated with infectivity in animal models. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to test respiratory tract specimens for influenza A. If the initial test was positive, additional throat swabs were taken and tested at 2, 3, 5, and 7 days after the first specimen, if the patient remained in the hospital. The 41 patients used in the final sample included 35 from whom specimens were obtained at least 7 days after symptom onset, plus another six whose samples tested negative earlier than 7 days after onset. (For the other nine patients, researchers could not determine whether shedding persisted at 7 days, so they were excluded.) “This finding raises the concern that hospitalized patients who are older and/or have chronic illnesses could shed influenza A virus beyond the 5- to 7-day period that has traditionally been considered to be the time of infectivity,” says the report by Surbhi Leekha and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn. Noting that the patients in the study were mostly elderly and had underlying chronic conditions, he said, “These are exactly the patients you’d expect to shed for a longer period of time. So it’s hard to generalize from this group to the general population.” Michael L. Tapper, MD, hospital epidemiologist and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, praised the study but said it would be premature to recommend changing the infection control guidelines for hospitalized flu patients without further research. The authors recruited 50 patients who were hospitalized for at least several days for influenza from December 2004 through mid-March 2005. The patients’ median age was 72, and 48 of the 50 had an underlying chronic disease, such as heart or lung disease or diabetes. About two thirds of them had received a flu shot. Leekah S, Zitterkopf NL, Espy MR, et al. Duration of influenza A virus shedding in hospitalized patients and implications for infection control. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2007 Sep;28(9) (early online publication) [Full text]
Design and tourism have always gone and will go together, from hotel design, tourist infrastructure to fashion.When we talk about fashion, one of our incredible trump cards, as well as a missed opportunity, is positioning Croatia as the country where the tie was created. Almost every man in the world will put a tie on himself at least once, even if they knew that it was the work of Croats – it would be real branding and marketing.However, the opportunity to at least slightly “correct” this missed opportunity came to two young creative entrepreneurs, Vanessa and Marija, who through their brand TIE ME (Fresh me) make unique butterfly bows, and now they have completed the offer with butterfly bows inspired by Croatian cities .This brand is known for handmade butterfly bows in various colors and patterns, and the new collection contains recognizable motifs of Croatian coastal towns. Pastel tones, cute illustrations, professional workmanship and quality material are some of the main trump cards of the new collection, they point out from TIE ME and add that these bow ties are not only a fashion accessory but also easily become a souvenir of Our Lady. “The goal is to offer original and handmade products, each element of which is made in Croatia. The brand also offers the possibility of personalizing the product by making a fabric of your choice or binding the text. ” entrepreneurs point out.I certainly agree that butterfly bows are inspired by Croatian cities, a great different and quality souvenir, handmade, and most importantly, it tells an authentic story, a story about Croatia, not China. Perhaps the idea for hoteliers and caterers to order butterfly bows that carry an illustration of their cities in order to promote their city and Croatian tourism and thus support domestic design, products and production. For now, Dubrovnik, Šibenik, Split, Rovinj and Pula are on offer, and I am sure that young entrepreneurs can make other cities on request.Great story, isn’t it? Be the ambassadors of Croatian tourism.
See more about the TIE ME brand here
For the third year in a row, Valamar Collection Dubrovnik President Hotel 5 * and Valamar Collection Isabella Island Resort 4 * / 5 * deservedly entered the company of the most luxurious hotels, chosen by the World Luxury Hotel Awards, which confirms the quality of luxury hotels around the world.Hotel Valamar Collection Dubrovnik President 5 * was awarded as the best European luxury resort on the beach (Luxury Beach Resort), while Valamar Collection Isabella Island Resort 4 * / 5 * won the award as the world’s best luxury island resort (Luxury Island Resort). “We are honored to be in the company of the best this year as well, and not only that according to the profession, but also the guests themselves. This recognition belongs to the entire Valamar Riviera and all employees who tirelessly but passionately approach their basic mission: providing unforgettable moments to our guests. In the year when we presented our Valamar brand promise to the world All You Can Holiday, this award means a lot more to us”, Said on that occasion the director of Valamar Collection Isabella Island Resort Denis Prevolšek.”Luxury is not something that is taken for granted so easily. We need a strong and harmonious team of efficient, hardworking, dedicated and motivated employees who will take that step further every day to give every guest the feeling that they are here, with them, the most important in the world and that there is no wish that will not be fulfilled. This is exactly what is done at Valamar, and it is an exceptional honor when guests and the profession recognize it. “, Ivan Sabljić, director of the Valamar Collection Dubrovnik President Hotel, added. The prestigious international award is considered by the best luxury hotels around the world to be the pinnacle of achievement; It is a recognition of the profession that they have managed as a luxury hotel to put their personal stamp in the hotel industry and thus stand out and differentiate themselves from other high category hotels. This award is perceived in tourism as a kind of Oscar that is presented to the winners at a gala ceremony at the end of the year. This year the ceremony was held in exotic Bali.