Retired Teacher on a Holiday Mission!

VOL.4 NO. 11

NOVEMBER

Lola Astanova "The Forever Ticket"

2 ANNUAL ND

MIAMI

GALA

Bay Harbor 1st Luxury Resort

The Altair Hotel

Nicki Minaj goes Kosher

Ⓤ

"Fine Wine Line in a Can"

Sports Betting

Gov. & Tribes Sign Off

2021

FOUNDER | Jay Shapiro Luxury Chamber Media Group jay@southflorida.in

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Gucci - GG Running Bracelet White Gold 2 carats $9650.00 JR Dunn Jewelers

Gucci - GG Running Ring White Gold 2.38 carats $10,690.00 JR Dunn Jewelers

Altair Hotel to Open as First Luxury Hotel and Resort in Bay Harbor

Nestled on the prestigious island of Bay Harbor on the edge of Biscayne Bay within walking distance to the pristine beaches of Bal Harbour lies The Altair Hotel, Miami Beach's newest luxury hotel. Overlooking nearby golf courses and the Intracoastal Waterway, The Altair Hotel Bay Harbor offers an intimate hotel experience with resort-like amenities centrally located alongside Miami Modern architectural gems and a short walk to Bal Harbour Shops and within close distance to Aventura Mall, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale International Airport and Miami International Airport.

Located at 9540 West Bay Harbor Drive, the 96-room boutique property features designs created by Interiors by Steven G, offering guests a modern coastal beach house aesthetic within bright studio suites featuring floor to ceiling glass windows, spacious one-bedrooms, and two-bedroom corner suites. All rooms and suites feature contemporary furnishings in light, neutral tones, with luxurious fixtures and appointments. Additionally, larger suites are appointed with fully functioning kitchens making it the ideal location for multi-generational families to enjoy.

Amenities include a rooftop pool and whirlpool, panoramic water views and sweeping green landscape vistas complete with cabana style seating perfect for lounging during the day. The lobby serves as a communal backdrop with indoor and outdoor waterfront viewing conveniently located near the fitness center. Valet parking and 24-hour reception with concierge services will be available in addition to in-room dining, poolside attendance and housekeeping. Guests seeking to venture out and explore are invited to use the bicycles, scooters, kayaks and paddleboards on offer. Additionally, The Altair Hotel Bay Harbor caters to the Jewish community through its daily kosher breakfast and Shabbat elevator.

The Altair Hotel Bay Harbor will soon welcome a high-end kosher restaurant. In addition to the restaurant the hotel will roll out a property wide kosher cuisine program that will include in-room dining, poolside service, and more.

Developed by PPG Development LLC and managed by leading real estate investment and hospitality management company, Highgate, The Altair Hotel Bay Harbor is located at 9540 W. Bay Harbor Drive, Bay Harbor, FL 33154. For more information and for booking details, please visit thealtairhotel.com/.

The Annual 2022 Stock & Investing Report What to Look Forward to In 2022 First- a few statements about the author of this article. I am a longer term bull for the stock market. In recent years markets have been great. Even with the Covid pandemic huge -33% drop in early 2019, it came back 100% in just 1 month. And has continued well higher.

The S&P 500 has almost doubled since 2019. Total returns for the S&P 500 have been well above the long-term average the last few years: 2019: +31.5% 2020: +18.4% 2021 YTD (as of 11/12): +23.78% Certain stocks are long term holds. Others are short term trades. But being a bull does not mean one has to be locked into staying only long. A nimble investor/trader learns to adjust to current events.

This article presents some trading ideas to the reader. Always do your own Due Diligence research (DD) to decide what you want to trade.

Also, any stocks or fund possible movements suggested are based only on my opinion. I am not a financial advisor and have never been employed or paid by any of those mentioned.

Macro outlook.

Expect ongoing political battles over federal spending and the debt ceiling, climate change, and student debt.

Last year stimulus payments increased consumer spending. And much of that money went into the stock market from people who were under lockdown & could not work.

That spigot is now turned off.

The new head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and possibly a new Federal Reserve chair may reshape policy.

Crude oil has surged about 80% in 2021 The increase is somewhat from economic recovery from the pandemic, but more from Biden administration anti-oil agenda restrictions that limit oil exploration, stopped the Keystone Pipeline the 1st days of his administration and are hindering production in the U.S. The United States became a net petroleum exporter in 2020. The first time in the 70 years the government has tracked the trade in petroleum that America shipped more oil abroad than it imported. Under the current administration the United States imports more than it exports, making it a net importer of petroleum.

Worker shortages persist as many older Americans retired during Covid and others left the workforce. Many left to take care of their families. Others have started their own businesses. There was a lot of 'free' government money to live off of. That spigot is now turned off.

Supply chain pressures have really hit in 2021, and look like they will continue through 2022 (and possibly even into 2023).

Businesses have passed on price increases to the consumer. (At some point that will top out and then businesses will be hit at the profit line.

The result has been a prolonged spike in inflation. On Wednesday November 10, the inflation number came in at +6.2%. That is the highest since 1992...29 years since such a bad number! Groceries climbed 1% in October (like anyone who shops for food needs to be told) & 5.4% higher than same time last year. Thank you Mr. Current President! And both bond & stock markets reacted with a sell off. Those in government say inflation is transitory. Most not talking government spin doubt this & expect 2022 to see more inflation worries. Adding fuel to sell offs in the stock & bond markets.

The expectations now are for 2 interest rate hikes in 2022 and another 2 in 2023. The impact, even with interest rates being historically so low, could hit hard. Rising interest rates hurt corporate profits through higher borrowing costs. Some 'experts' predict a -7% to as much as -10% drop in corporate profits. That would be seen at the bottom line, similarly affecting stock prices.

And the infrastructure bills will hit. Tax increases for corporations could impact profit margins. Rising interest rates, inflation and tax increases have a negative impact on the stock market & bond market.

And while the original floated tax hikes of the current administration were never going to take place, it was always "throw out an incredibly high number we know we will never achieve to negotiate down to what we really want". Sounds a lot like pages taken from "The Art Of The Deal".

Continued ...

Look at some recent history for some clues: At the beginning of February, 2021 Nasdaq was at 13403.39. By mid February it was 14095.47. Fine, until an interest rate scare came along, moving up to 1.85%. People panicked. People feared what the FED might do. Markets tumbled. Nasdaq dropped -10.5% in just 3 weeks from that 14095.47 to 12,609.16 by March 8. a -10.54% drop. SQQQ is 3 times the inverse (-3x) of the daily performance of the NASDAQ-100 Index.

What gets hit the most are the extremely high price-to-earnings ratio (PE) stocks.

The PE for the S&P 500 is 21.71. This is up from the historic average of 16.81 over the last 25 years. That might not sound like much, until you realize that is 29% higher than historic numbers. Interest rates near zero hurt yields on new bonds, leaving investors with cash to invest into equities. ~But now the word of the day is 'taper'. Less loose money soon. Starting in December 2021, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will begin tapering net new purchases of bonds downward from $120 billion per month to an eventual goal of zero by the middle of 2022.

President Biden's appointees will form a majority on the Federal Reserve Board. Recall the lyrics in the dance song Cha-Cha Slide...' Left foot two stomps. Slide to the left....Clap, clap, clap, clap your hands'.

And also there is a lot of talk of Fed chair Jerome Powell being replaced. That could also rock the markets some.

Can you spell/smell bubble-trouble? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cathy Wood's ARKK ETF is a solid example of what can happen. This ETF is deep into those very high PE multiple stocks that are well above the traditional historic levels. ARKK was riding in the higher $150's. February 16 high of day was $159.70. By March 5th the low of day hit $106.55, a -33% drop in just 2 1/2 weeks. Then it came back some to mid $120s., even hitting $130.28 high of day on April 14. And then 1 month later it once more cratered to $97.22 low of day on May 13. A -25.3% drop. That is graffiti written on the wall as a guide.

These stocks are highly sensitive to interest rate bumps. Can you spell/smell bubble-trouble? __________________________________________________________________________________________________

A very popular area in 2021 has been EV- electric vehicles. Rivian had it's IPO Wednesday November 10. It came public at double Ford's market cap. Compared to monster large Ford, they aren't really putting tires to the road yet! And there are numerous other companies vying for the EV dollars. Of course everyone knows about Tesla, many have heard of Lucid. But there are a lot of others. EV company stocks (high PE) can be very vulnerable to interest rate fluctuations. Also the new battery companies & hydrogen fuel companies.

Can you spell/smell bubble and see the graffiti written on the wall.

And we already know expectations are for 2 interest rate hikes in 2022. __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bonds: they are inverse to interest rates- interest rates go up, bond prices go down. The 30 years bonds will move more than the 10 years bonds.

Newer bonds have been issued in this low interest rate environment. When interest rates go up, these will be highly sensitive to the inverse move.

And funds of bonds are even more sensitive. Therefore an inverse bond fund could prove to be a highly profitable investment when those rates move up.

TTT is one to review. It is Proshares three times the inverse (-3x) of the daily performance of the ICE U.S. Treasury 20+ Year Bond Index. If bonds go down= TTT goes up. At the beginning of February TTT was $33.30. Then the interest rate scare hit.

And we already know expectations are for 2 interest rate hikes in 2022. Inverse bond funds could provide a profit hedge against those increases. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Natural Gas: Natgas is a futures contract. Prices tend to increase as winter cold hits & inventory storage gets drawn upon. Fears of colder weather & increased draw down of stored Natgas. Then prices tend to drop off after the winter cold/fears subside. Even an odd year like 2018, where Nat Gas dropped in later December, from the current similar mid November time period, it went UP another 17.1% before starting to drop again.

At this time weather predictions are for a globally milder than last year winter. That can have an effect on Natgas price movement to go lower faster.

But also this year there are also political considerations. Russia's Putin wants the new Nord2 Natgas pipeline approved. Germany is the last holdout.

So Putin, who claims to want to help lower the extremely high Europe/Asia Natgas prices, seems to be reducing/shutting off the flow somewhat (while saying he is not) until he gets what he wants. and that can help Natgas prices rise. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ NVDA is a top, solid company. Great earnings growth. Will play a big part of the Metaverse. In 2021 NVDA has already increased +133% from start at $130.48 to current $303.90. Even with the previously discussed inflation/interest rate concerns, expect more growth in 2022 from one of the best companies one can find. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ While airlines & cruise lines have had some decent recovery from pandemic lows, they still have not gotten anywhere near back to pre-pandemic traveler levels. As the new meds come into play (the Pfizer drug, Paxlovid, reduced the risk of death 100% and hospitalization by 89% when taken within 3 days of the first symptoms.), people will again travel more. Bringing increased revenues to airlines & cruise lines, which should translate to increased stock prices. Look at SAVE, LUV, DAL, CCL, RCL & NCLH. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Expect the midterm elections to utterly change the make-up of Congress to a Republican majority. Certainly in the House & very possibly in the current 50-50 Senate. While not specifically talking politics, be very aware that if this does happen there will be a huge change in what programs & laws get passed. This will mean a very different environment to invest in- both the long side for moves up of stocks, but as well to short others that might benefit now but could head down after elections. To read the entire article click HERE

Piece by Zella Dupont Now on Display at The Downtowner Businessman RC (Roger Craft) Indulges in Sustainable Art While Supporting "MIAMI VIKES"

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hat happens on a fall Sunday in South Florida when the afternoon sun strives to shine through on a partly cloudy day? Begging to share yet reluctant to shine, hoping the standards will somehow align!

On November 14th, 2021 Zella unveiled her Vikings chair at the Historic Downtowner in Fort Lauderdale. The Historic Downtowner has been home to the MIAMI VIKES - MN Vikings Fan Club of South Florida since 2017.

The football fan club was founded in 2009 and The Downtowner (DT) was founded in 1925 by arcade developer Fred Maxwell. Urban legend has it that Al Capone has visited the establishment located along the south side of the prestigious new river. The only gangsters visiting this old haunt nowadays include weekend warriors and wannabe pimps dressed to the hilt in purple and gold regalia!

Why did the modern sustainable art guru "Zella" agree to produce a piece of art-furniture for a venue that happens to be aligned with a football fan club?

Cliche as it may, its not what you know its who you know! Stephen Anderson is the muscles behind the art. A yacht carpenter from Minnesota he helps with the production process of turning the old recycled truck tires into modern functional furniture. Stephen is a long time member of MIAMI VIKES and good friend of James Loretz who happens to be one of three co-founders of the coveted football fan club. Mr. Loretz recently had dinner at DT and mentioned to RC that its an upcycled product which is beneficial to the environment and has artistic value as well as a business co-branding component strengthening the relationship between DT and MIAMI VIKES. The Sunday afternoon art unveiling event was well attended by the Chairman Jay Shapiro, President Luke Rainbow, Vice-President Elect John Benincasa Laub, Stephen Anderson, Co-Founder Jim Loretz, Co-Founder Christine Cloutier, Eva Schultz, Zella Dupont and Jeff Cohen from Minnesota.

It's a long road to the Super Bowl!!! Recycle your treads and keep on truckin!!

Stephen & Jeff Unveiling the Art

The Artists: Zella Dupont, Stephen Anderson, Eva Schultz

Continued previous page >

About Zella Dupont' South Beach Concept:

Imagine - enjoying an amazing work of art that is both beautiful and functional. You can use this piece of craftsmanship to enhance your decor while sitting in comfort as you relax. Any home or office would be lifted to a new level of style and flair with the addition of one of these distinctive pieces.

It all started on a sunny day in tranquil, picturesque, rural Tennessee on a scenic terrace where the setting of land and mountains spoke - with no human in sight. A phone call from a good friend in Germany brought about a crazy idea about creating a high end , up-cycled, eco-friendly, one of a kind, functional work of modern art. To make this wonderful idea a reality, the challenge was to create a high end , executive, usable work of art for those with discerning taste and an appreciation for the ‘special.’ To that end, we have created - no, imagined - upscaled art that speaks to the artist, reveals to the discriminating aficionado and opens up a sense of appreciation for the unusual and the beauty to anyone open to the experience. `Our art is produced with recycled tires. Not in a million years could one imagine that used tires could be so incredibly beautiful and effectively useable. Our artisans use their ingenuity to craft one-of-a-kind masterpieces. No two pieces are the same, so when you own South Beach Concept art, you own your own unique gift.

Be bold! With a South Beach Concept piece, you’ll be on top of the world.

SouthBeachConcept.com

LOLA launches "The Forever Ticket" NFT to commemorate her new album, launched by Miami Art House Piano virtuoso and social media millionaire Lola Astanova is doing something unusual to commemorate her new album. The music star has announced the launch of her first digital artwork NFT with a unique feature – The Forever Ticket. Named after the album "Love in the Time of Covid", the original art piece created by artist Cem Altibas will also grant its collector lifetime access to any public performances by Lola Astanova anywhere in the world. Listed for an auction on OpenSea digital marketplace, "Love in the Time of Covid" marks Astanova's first crypto-art release.

"For me, this art piece and the album capture the essence of this moment in time," says Astanova, "It is the first time in my life when I felt, on a visceral level, the power of art to touch and connect lives, so I wanted to do something lasting and memorable to express this emotion."

The new album was produced by 11-time GRAMMY® & Latin GRAMMY® winner Julio Reyes Copello, whose previous credits included albums by Jennifer López, Ricky Martin, Thalia, and Marc Anthony. "Love in the Time of Covid" features classical compositions, as well as three new pieces by Lola Astanova, Julio Reyes Copello and a Latin GRAMMY®-nominated composer Jorge Mejia. The album also boasts the recording and mixing techniques that are historically used in jazz and intended to create a more intimate listening experience.

The album was released on all major music platforms worldwide on September 29, 2021.

The NFT auction will continue on OpenSea platform until December 1, 2021.

What Is Red Light Therapy All About? The term “red light therapy” gets thrown around a lot within the weight loss and wellness community. And to most people, that may be a bit intimidating. It really shouldn’t be, though. Red light therapy is gaining popularity because of its excellent weight loss results. Fat loss and weight loss are just some of the effects of red light therapy. However, these sessions have also been documented to improve both aesthetics and health conditions in many patients.

Integrating red light therapy also known as phototherapy into your wellness plan not only gets you to your goal quicker, but it can also provide benefits that weren’t on your top priority list.

What is red light therapy?

Red light therapy is the application of specific wavelengths of light to the body to increase blood flow and improve cellular performance and achieve therapeutic benefits that helps your body heal directly at the cellular level with no downtime and no pain. Light from the sun powers life on earth, and humans are no exception. We have billions of cells, and each one of them needs energy to do their job and keep our bodies in balance. We convert this energy from food every second and do so most efficiently in a vital process called cellular respiration. Red light therapy targets the cells directly and increases the blood flow to the cell. Inside every cell is something called the mitochondria, also known as the powerhouse of the cell. When the mitochondria is activated it will allow your body to purge any unnecessary toxins and unwanted fat and the mitochondria will stimulate the ATP production which is your energy. ATP function fuels everything your body does. The more ATP energy you make, the better you look, feel, heal and perform. When ATP is fully activated, your cells may start to repair damaged tissue and nerves that have been damaged by inflammation Red light is used to reduce inflammation, improve blood flow, heal wounds, and rebuild cells and melt any unwanted fat.

Seminole Tribe of Florida Signs Agreements with Five Pari-Mutuels In Preparation for Hard Rock Sportsbook Mobile App Launch in Florida

Five Florida pari-mutuels have entered into marketing agreements with the Seminole Tribe of Florida in preparation for the launch of sports betting in the state.

News of the pari-mutuel agreements is among the highlights of a Gaming Compact news update to the people of Florida from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr and Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen. The Gaming Compact was signed by Governor DeSantis and Chairman Osceola in April. It was overwhelmingly approved with bipartisan support by the Florida Legislature in May and it was deemed approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior in August, less than three months ago.

"The Gaming Compact is a mutually-beneficial partnership between the State and Seminole Tribe that positively impacts all Floridians," said Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. "In addition to our revenue sharing contributions, we are hiring hundreds of Floridians and investing millions of dollars in the state."

"As was promised when it was signed, this historic compact is expanding economic opportunity, tourism, and recreation in Florida," said Governor Ron DeSantis. "Not only will this compact bring a guaranteed $2.5 billion in revenue over the next five years, but it also brings together Florida pari-mutuel businesses from across the state in a creative partnership with the Seminole Tribe providing increased access to safe and transparent sports betting in Florida. Today's announcement is a great success for the state and the Seminole Tribe, and I look forward to the announcement of additional partnerships to come."

The new Gaming Compact guarantees a minimum of $2.5 billion in revenue sharing for Florida over the first five years. The state received its first monthly revenue sharing contribution from the Seminole Tribe in October, when a $37 million payment was transmitted.

The five pari-mutuels that have signed agreements with the Seminole Tribe are Palm Beach Kennel Club, West Palm Beach; Hialeah Park Casino, Hialeah; Ocala Gainesville Poker and Ocala Breeder's Sales Company, Ocala; Tampa Bay Downs, Tampa and TGT Poker & Racebook, Tampa. The pari-mutuels will market the sportsbook at their facilities and to their customers and in return earn 60 percent of the profits that are generated from their marketing efforts. Additional marketing agreements with Florida pari-mutuels are expected to be announced soon.

"Today's announcement follows through on the Tribe's commitment to include pari-mutuel marketing partners in Florida sports betting.

They are an important component for the coming launch of sports betting throughout the state of Florida," said Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and Chairman of Hard Rock International, which is owned by the Seminole Tribe. "We have already exceeded the Compact's requirement for a minimum of three pari-mutuel agreements and we look forward to developing more relationships with parimutuels around Florida."

Palm Beach Kennel Club President Patrick J. Rooney said, "PBKC is excited and honored to be a marketing partner of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which is bringing sports betting to this great state."

Hard Rock Sportsbook is building on the legacy of the Hard Rock brand in Florida, where its two flagship hotel-casino complexes are located. Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla., are preparing for the launch of retail sports betting, which will also be available at four more Seminole Casinos located in Immokalee, Brighton, Coconut Creek and Hollywood, Fla. For more information, please visit www.hardrocksportsbook.com.

Retired Teacher on a Holiday Mission!!

Ron Bates Collects Funds for The Little Schoolhouse

Ron Bates and Pilot Andy Dillon

Minnesota Donor and Ron

Ron and Ann Roess

The Little Schoolhouse Preschool is a Community service project sponsored by the First United Methodist Church since 1968. Because of this generous church we are able to have this low cost Christian Pre-School and Day care Program.

Our Mission is to provide quality Christian education which will strengthen and preserve families while nurturing and enhancing each child's well-being and potential.

A.P.P.L.E. Accredited- Accredited Professional Pre-School Learning Environment GOLD SEAL QUALITY OF CARE STATE OF FLORIDA BROWARD COUNTY QUALITY RAITING 4+ STARS U.M.A.P. - United Methodist Association of Preschools

Thomas W. McCormick Scholarship Foundation Nuccia Honored at 33rd Street Wine Bar 11.15.21