FAMILY & MONEY

Matt James: Did He Bang Bachelor Contestants BEFORE Fantasy Suite Week?

We’re just a couple of weeks into his season, but it already seems like Matt James could easily wind up earning the title of most-beloved Bachelor in the history of the franchise.
(One way he could seal the deal is by giving his final rose to Abigail Heringer Just sayin’!)
He’s charming, respectful, and it seems that his motivation for going on the show is not to boost his public profile, but to find his future wife.

In other words, he’s there for the right reasons.

But if recent rumors from the show’s set are to be believed, it seems that Mr. James has a freaky side.
He’s not as freaky as say, Armie Hammer, but more freaky than you would expect from a guy who kicked his season off with a group prayer.

According to new report from Page Six, the owner of the Nemacolin Woodland Resort — where Matt’s season was filmed — has spilled some serious tea about the extra-curricular boning that took place off camera.
“Sex and love is in the air,” Maggie Hardy Knox said of life at the swanky Pennsylvania getaway spot.
That might sound like a 5-star Yelp review, but coming from Knox, it’s actually a complaint.

The owner says there was a bit too much sex in the air — and it was happening at times and places where it shouldn’t have been.
Knox says she’s contractually prohibited from going into greater detail, but she adds that Matt and his suitors didn’t always follow the resort’s code of conduct.
“Sometimes there’s some hanky-panky going on where it should not have been, but I can’t tell you everything that was going on,” she told Page Six.

“We are on 3,000 acres, so there’s a lot of land, and a lot of woods out there,” Knox added.
“There were things going on inside and outside of the hotel all the time.”
Knox went on to say that her staff found some unpleasant forms of physical evidence that left them worried about catching something more permanent than Covid.

“We actually found a used condom in the tree branch,” she stated.
So does that mean Matt violated the sacred rules Bachelor Nation?
Knox said the alleged “hanky panky” was taking place where and when it shouldn’t have been.

Is she implying that Matt took some of the ladies on an authorized trip to the Bone Zone outside of the confines of Fantasy Suite Week?
If so, this accusation could dramatically alter the way that Matt is perceived by fans.
Just last week, viewers were praising him for bucking recent trends by not making out with every contestant he sits down with for a one-on-one conversation.

Now, we learn that Matt might have been sneaking out of his room late at night for outdoor bang-a-thons with willing suitors!
That’s the kind of thing that can earn you a stern-talking to from an irate Chris Harrison!
But regardless of whether or not the topic of Matt’s low-key smash sessions is ever addressed on the show, Knox promises there’s plenty of drama in store this season.

The Bachelor Spoilers: Matt James’ Final Rose Winner Revealed! [UPDATED]
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“Hair will be pulled and weaves will fly,” she told Page Six.
Something tells us Queen Victoria will be involved in all that hair-pulling.
We hope no one was injured by airborne crown!
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FAMILY & MONEY

Chris Lopez: It’s Hard to Coparent Because Kailyn’s a Friggen Atheist!

It’s no secret that Kailyn Lowry and Chris Lopez don’t get along and rarely ever have.
Somehow, the only baby daddy who was a repeat customer is also the one with whom she has way more problems.
This time, they’re not arguing about haircuts or fights.
Chris says that it’s challenging to raise children together when they have such different beliefs.

Chris Lopez has an unfortunately named podcast, PTSD — Pressure Talks with Single Dads.
“I’m a spiritual person. I’m not religious,” Chris stated on a recent episode.
“I’m a spiritual person,” he repeated. “I believe in a higher power.”

“The mother of my kids, I don’t know, doesn’t really,” Chris says, referring to Kailyn Lowry who is not religious.
He says that their difference in beliefs “causes some conflict” as they co-parent.
Why? Because, Chris gripes, their kids “don’t know” anything about spirituality.

Chris details that, for example, he prays before eating a meal.
He wanted to teach Lux, who is three years old, that some people do the same thing.
Specifically, Chris wants to rope Lux into doing the same — holding hands, praying, and then saying “amen” before eating.

“This little boy has the biggest problem with just saying ‘amen,'” Chris complains.
“No lie. Like he has a fit,” he gripes.
Chris describes: “Damn near about to cry because I’m just like, ‘Yo, just put your head down and say amen.’ Doesn’t want to do it.”

Fortunately, Chris says that he ultimately does the right thing.
He explains: “I’m like, ‘Okay just do what you want.”‘
However, he is adamant that he plans to teach his son about spirituality whether he wants this or not. 

“I’m not going to shy away from what I believe in because another parent don’t,” Chris declares.
“We just have to come to some type of agreement,” he says, “you know, a respect level.”
Chris continues: “You may not believe in something, but I do, so respect that.”

He points out that interfaith conflict — or this less formal version of it — is nothing new or unique to them.
“Some parents believe in whatever and other parents don’t,” Chris reasons, “so there’s conflict.”
That is true … but from his description, it sounds like the only one causing any conflict is Chris.

There are a couple of conflicts at work, here.
The first is Chris making unilateral decisions about Lux’s upbringing despite his initial total disinterest.
Kail, based upon Chris’ own description here, sounds totally neutral in this. The two of them need to communicate directly.

The second is … Chris is welcome to pray at any time that he likes, including before meals.
But whether religious or spiritual, those practices need to come from a place of sincerety.
It is good that Chris allows Lux to decline, but why is he trying to push this on his son at all? If Lux gets older and wants to pray before meals, surely he will do so.

For the record, I’m not hating on praying before meals — I’m a religious person myself. But that’s my choice.
Kailyn shouldn’t raise Lux to believe what she does. Chris shouldn’t raise Lux to believe what he does. Only Lux should decide his religious or spiritual beliefs, and for the moment, he’s three.
Right now, just let him live his life. If he wants to know about either parent’s views on, well, anything, he can always just ask. Assuming that Chris remains part of his life, anyway.

Kailyn Lowry: Chris Lopez FORCED Me to Get a Paternity Test for My Baby!
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FAMILY & MONEY

Christine Brown Forms New Partnership, Remains Desperate for Money

Give Christine Brown some credit, okay?
This time around, upon sharing a message on Instagram, at least the veteran Sister Wives star didn’t claim that Americans should watch My Little Pony in order to overcome their political divides.
She’s come a long way!

A few days after issuing this strange proclamation, however, Brown has once again raised the ire of some fans and followers.

Christine published the photo above this week, including with it a caption that reads as follows:
I adore @kendrascott jewelry! (Paired with my #lularoeclara ) YOU can save 20% off your KENDRA SCOTT purchase with a code, MESSAGE me for YOUR code.
#kendrascott #citycreekcenter #onlineshopping (#lularoeretailer)

As far as we can tell, this is the first time Brown has shilled for Kendra Scott Jewelry online.
It’s far from the first time that she’s used her official social media page to practically beg for money, however.
In September, Christine started selling mascara as a way to pad her bank account, not long after revealing that her teenage daughter needed back surgery.
Brown asked fans to donate to her in order to assist with the medical expenses associated with this procedure last fall.

But she also joined the platform Cameo as a way to rake in some cash herself.
All of these montetary maneuvers have come amid more and more evidence that Kody Brown really has dug his loved ones into a deep financial hole.
We now know that he owes thousands of dollars in taxes and that he continues to make multipe rent and mortgage payments on the homes he owns in Arizona.
Moreover, Kody has made no progress on the Coyote Pass property he purchased years ago in Flagstaff, turning this into a sunk cost that has forced the family to move into all the aforementioned houses.

TLC, meanwhile, has not yet confirmed a new season of Sister Wives.
So Christine and company can’t even count on their usual salaries from that program/network, either.
It’s a pretty huge mess.

Last week, meanwhile, after the U.S. Capitol was attacked by Donald Trump supporters, Christine made headlines for her unusual and naive take on the treasonous act.
“It was so hard to watch and I wish that people would just be kind, and let the democratic process that we’ve been fighting for happen,” she wrote, adding:
“Anyway, we are watching it and I debated whether I wanted to sit with my kids and I did.
“We watched it all together, we were scared at some points, and we talked about it some more and then we flipped it to My Little Pony.”

Okay. Fair enough.
“For some reason, the animated ponies can work together and figure things out, even though they come from two opposite sides,” continued Christine.
“It was bizarre how the My Little Pony episode, if we could just all watch that, not just the leaders in America, but all of the people in America watch My Little Pony and learn from it, I’m pretty sure yesterday wouldn’t have happened.”
Yep. Christine believes that if people just watched My Little Pony… there would have been no uprising.

It’s a cute idea.
We wish it were that simple.
Alas, however, readers.
Alas.
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Japan

Osaka coronavirus deaths top Tokyo’s as Japan logs 6,607 new cases

Japan reported 6,607 new coronavirus infection cases Thursday, marking a daily count above 6,000 for the first time in four days.
The number of severely ill COVID-19 patients rose by 20 from the previous day to a record 920, according to the health ministry.

Miyagi and Chiba prefectures reported 87 and 488 new infection cases, both record highs. The number of new cases stood at 985 in Kanagawa Prefecture, its second-highest daily count, and 341 in Fukuoka Prefecture, its first figure above 300 in five days.
Osaka Prefecture saw 592 cases. The number of deaths linked to the virus grew by 11 to 714 in Osaka, exceeding Tokyo’s 707. The nationwide death toll increased by 66.
The 11 prefectures under the government-declared state of emergency reported 5,266 cases, representing about 80% of the nationwide total.
Tokyo reported 1,502 new cases Thursday, with the number of seriously ill patients remaining at a high level, straining the capital’s medical system.
The number of severe cases came to 135, down six from the previous day, while cases among people age 65 or older, who are likely to develop more serious symptoms, stood at 202.
Thursday’s figures came after 3,849 tests were conducted on Monday, a low test number due to Coming of Age Day. The latest tally brought the cumulative total in the capital to 80,068.
During a coronavirus meeting held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government the same day, members of an expert panel said the recent rise in cases in which infection routes cannot be traced is indicating an “explosive expansion” of infections.
New cases are found each day at an unprecedented speed, the panel warned, urging the metropolitan government to take effective measures immediately.
“It is most important to reduce the number of new cases and seriously ill patients in order to avoid the collapse” of the medical system, they said.
The nationwide cumulative total of confirmed cases topped 300,000 on Wednesday, the day the country expanded a state of emergency originally declared for the Tokyo metropolitan area last week to several more prefectures.
According to a Kyodo News tally, the nationwide cumulative total surpassed 100,000 on Oct. 29 and reached 200,000 nearly two months later on Dec. 21. It only took about three weeks for the cumulative total to hit the 300,000 mark.
In addition to Tokyo, which confirmed a record 2,447 new infections on Jan. 7, other prefectures that have huge urban populations, including Osaka and Aichi, have similarly been struggling amid a sudden rise in numbers since the start of the year.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday declared seven additional prefectures to be under a state of emergency.
Coronavirus deaths across the country surpassed 4,000 as of Jan. 9, with as many as 70 deaths seen per day recently. Those suffering from serious symptoms hit a record 900, up 19 from the previous day.
The surge has been increasing the strain on the country’s medical system, with some hospitals already being forced to turn patients away.

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FINANCE & TECH

Petco Stock Jumps In Debut After Third IPO Prices Above Forecasts

Petco stock soared in its trading debut Thursday after its initial public offering prices above forecasts late Wednesday.
X The pet supply retailer raised $864 million from its IPO after selling 48 million shares at $18 each, above the expected range of $14-$17. At that price, the company’s market valuation tops $4.6 billion.
Petco Health and Wellness (WOOF) will join the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol WOOF. Goldman Sachs and Bank of America are the lead banks for the IPO.
Shares jumped 69% to 30.39 on the stock market today.
The isn’t the first time Petco has made a public debut. It first went public in 1994 before going private in 2000. Then it went public again in 2002 before going private again in 2006.
According to IPO research and advisory firm IPO Boutique, Petco is “well-oversubscribed” and, it added, “the underwriters are currently guiding pricing to the high-end or above the $14-$17 range.”
More pet-focused IPOs are on the way in 2021. BarkBox, a popular monthly subscription service for dogs, is expected to go public via a merger with Northern Star Acquisitions, a blank-check company, in the second quarter. It will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker BARK.
IBD Live: A New Tool For Daily Stock Market Analysis
Petco Stock Joins Rally
Pet ownership has boomed during the Covid-19 pandemic as Americans went on adopting sprees. Shelter Animals Count, a database that follows 500 shelters around the U.S., said adoptions rose 15% in 2020 vs. 2019.
Americans also spent more money on their pets last year. A LendingTree poll in October found that 1 in 3 pet owners increased spending on their pets during the pandemic even as unemployment rose and other types of spending fell.
The trend has lifted other pet stocks like Chewy (CHWY) and Freshpet (FRPT), while PetMed Express (PETS) and PetIQ (PETQ) have been more mixed.
Chewy stock fell 1% Thursday after surging 8% Wednesday. Freshpet dipped 0.5%.
Follow Gillian Rich on Twitter for investing news and more.
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FINANCE & TECH

Buy Shopify, ServiceNow, and 5 Other Cloud Stocks, Says Oppenheimer

Shopify could benefit from an acceleration in e-commerce, says Oppenheimer.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Another day, another set of recommendations for how to play the cloud.
Since the start of the year, a number of analysts have weighed in with thoughts on the outlook for the cloud software sector, after the group cranked out fantastic returns in 2020. On Thursday it was Oppenheimer analyst Brian Schwartz’s turn.

In a 116-page report, he laid out the case for taking a more selective approach to the sector this year, noting that multiple expansion is likely to be limited after last year’s fat gains. But he has plenty of stock picks to offer, and as part of his call adjusted ratings on several stocks.
“Our 2021 outlook … is positive because of the potential for outsized stock returns, though we expect share outperformance for this year to come more from upside to estimates and company-specific catalysts,” Schwartz wrote in his research note.
“SaaS [software as a service] technology presents a powerful market setting for durable growth and cash generation, and is experiencing accelerating market adoption from the Covid-19 pandemic,” he continued. “While SaaS valuations have reached the top shelf versus historical averages… we think the premiums are justifiable [because of] the scarcity of public SaaS names, investors searching for growth in a slow-growth macro recovery, heightened consolidation and private-equity interests for these names, investors playing catch-up and chasing performance, and low rates.”
Schwartz raised his ratings on both Shopify (SHOP) and ServiceNow (NOW) to the equivalent of Buy from the equivalent of Hold, and set target prices of $1,300 for Shopify and $600 for Service Now.
The analyst concedes that he’s “late to the party” on both stocks, but adds that he sees both companies gaining market share, innovating and “remaining in the Street’s good grades in 2021, even with any missteps.” He also downgraded eGain (EGAN) to the equivalent of Hold from the equivalent of Buy, in part because the stock has rallied 57% since mid-December 2019.
For Shopify, the analyst offered five reasons to own the e-commerce software company’s stock. First, he noted that the company operates in a “very large and accelerating” market. Second, he argued the company should be a “rule of 40” company for a long time to come—referring to companies that can grow revenue at better than 40% with gross margins above 40%. Third, he said the company can gain share in the global market; he also noted that the pandemic is driving an acceleration in e-commerce; and finally, he wrote that the company’s “international opportunity is still ahead.”
As for ServiceNow, Schwartz writes that the company “stands out … as the pioneering trailblazer in SaaS for IT services management.” He adds that ServiceNow “has transitioned and progressed over the years into a verifiable cloud platform success story as it rides atop a best-in-class and unified platform with multiple product pillars of substantial scale, profits, and growth trajectory.”
Schwartz includes both Shopify and ServiceNow on his list of top picks for 2021. Other picks include Adobe (ADBE), Paycom Software (PAYC), Coupa Software (COUP), Medallia (MDLA), and Workday (WDAY). He suggests that investors avoid Paylocity (PCTY) and 2U (TWOU), as well as eGain.
Despite the upgrades, Shopify was down 0.5%, to $1,194.27 on Thursday afternoon, while ServiceNow was off 0.7% to $518.04. eGain shares were down 0.8%, while the S&P 500 was up 0.1%.
Write to Eric J. Savitz at eric.savitz@barrons.com […]

FAMILY & MONEY

Merkel considers MEGA-LOCKDOWN; as Germany reports record deaths

Merkel considers ‘MEGA-LOCKDOWN’ shutting public transport as Germany reports a record 1,244 coronavirus Covid deaths in 24 hours while mutant UK strain rips through the countryGermany considering tighter measures as over 25,000 new cases recordedExperts concerned the current measures are not strict enough for new variantIn France, government is expected to announce new Covid-19 measures soonUnlike some of its neighbours a full lockdown appears off the agenda for now  France has promised to expand its currently lagging vaccination programmeBy Chris Jewers For Mailonline and Afp and Wires Published: 12:59 EST, 14 January 2021 | Updated: 13:24 EST, 14 January 2021 […]

FAMILY & MONEY

241 comments

BBC had too many Remainers and not enough Brexiteers on Question Time, corporation’s incoming chairman Richard Sharp tells MPs as he admits giving £400,000 to ToriesRichard Sharp said there were time voices in Brexit debate were ‘unbalanced’ He said he thought Question Time featured more Remainers than Brexiteers Mr Sharp has donated approximately £400,000 to the Conservative PartyBy Faith Ridler For Mailonline Published: 13:36 EST, 14 January 2021 | Updated: 14:55 EST, 14 January 2021 […]

FAMILY & MONEY

BBC had too many Remainers and not enough Brexiteers on Question Time, corporation’s incoming chairman Richard Sharp tells MPs as he admits giving £400,000 to Tories

BBC had too many Remainers and not enough Brexiteers on Question Time, corporation’s incoming chairman Richard Sharp tells MPs as he admits giving £400,000 to ToriesRichard Sharp said there were time voices in Brexit debate were ‘unbalanced’ He said he thought Question Time featured more Remainers than Brexiteers Mr Sharp has donated approximately £400,000 to the Conservative PartyBy Faith Ridler For Mailonline Published: 13:36 EST, 14 January 2021 | Updated: 14:55 EST, 14 January 2021 […]

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FAMILY & MONEY

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More than three-quarters of mothers on maternity leave have had to scrimp, dip into savings or ask family for help to cover income gapMothers forced to find new ways to cover typical shortfall during maternity leaveMost common cut back is on every day shopping such as groceries and clothing  Nearly fifth of mothers been given financial help by friends or family members By Lydia Catling For Mailonline Published: 13:38 EST, 14 January 2021 | Updated: 13:40 EST, 14 January 2021 […]