Nephew of the Week: Eric Kelly
Eric Kelly is Alexandria Markstone, who we call Miss Kelly May, because we met her in the month of May. He is the former Miss Gay Iowa USofA and former Miss Iowa USofA At Large, and he is now calling Tampa his home. He is a fun new member of the management staff at Hamburger Mary’s Ybor. Besides being a beautiful woman, Eric is also a very HOT guy! YES, he is single too! Let’s all show Eric some Southern hospitality.
You Just Can’t Make This Stuff Up!
Back in college, we all worked several jobs. One of my jobs was working the night shift at a convenience store. It was the night shift’s responsibility to clean the store. Our mean old manager was so cheap. She would have us take soap and cleaning supplies from the bottles on the shelf, then replace them with water. The bottles were then put back on the shelves for sale.
Every morning she would come in and complain that the store was not clean enough. Then one night I got the idea to take some Pine-Sol off the shelf and put some into the air filter. The next day she said the store looked clean! I worked there there for another year. She always said nobody cleaned as good as me! Try this trick at home on your partner and see what happens!
CDC Awards Metro with Funding to Support HIV Prevention
On July 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it awarded Metro Wellness & Community Centers with $350,000 over five years in new funding to provide HIV High Impact prevention. This funding is part of the CDC’s $216 million project to reduce the rates of infection in the hardest-hit areas of the United States.
Florida currently ranks first in the nation for newly diagnosed HIV cases, and third in the nation for newly diagnosed AIDS cases. Hillsborough County ranks first in the state with newly diagnosed HIV cases and Pinellas County is seventh. “The epidemic in our area is alarming especially for those under 29 years of age. Through Metro’s HIV testing alone in the month of June there were 10 new positive persons identified,” said Lorraine Langlois, CEO.
The CDC adds to current funding from the Florida Department of Health for increased prevention education for positives and high risk negative programming. “This type of programming helps us increase awareness and health among those who have been diagnosed with HIV, and hopefully reducing the transmission of HIV. This funding is perfect timing with our new primary care clinic which will offer PrEP treatment among other LGBTQ services.” says Priya Rajkumar, VP. This is the first time in years that a community based organization in Tampa Bay has received direct funding from the CDC for HIV prevention. Metro is one of only three grantees in Florida to receive funding.
Travel: Dunedin
This small beach city has a picturesque view of the Gulf of Mexico. The “Scottish settlement” has a great diversity in art and culture. The annual Scottish Highland Games in the spring draw in thousands to see the bagpipers and competitive athletics. The art is abundant and promoted 
Two great famous beaches are Caladesi Island and Honeymoon Island beaches. Both are on the “Best Beaches in America” list according to “Dr. Beach” and Caladesi Island was voted #1 beach in America.
Now is the time to take a ride and explore; walk the beautiful 4-mile waterfront, tropical parks and extended marina. There are great restaurants throughout this historic city.
