Sometimes these Internet postings can get crazy. No, I was not on my death bed, and yes, I’ve had to cancel traveling for a while. I have been ordered to rest more, but the bottom line is I’m feeling better and I do appreciate all of your concerns.

– Many actors wore “white ribbons” in support of marriage equality.

– Oscar winning Milk written by Dustin Lance Black gave one of the most down-to-earth and beautiful speeches ever.

– Whoopi Goldberg wore one of the ugliest gowns in Oscar history!

– A big “thank you” to Actor Sean Penn who let the world know about the anti-gay demonstrators outside the Kodak Theatre.

– TV’s “Entertainment Tonight” fashion expert Cojo’s face looked like one big ball of silicone.

– If I hear or see the song and dance “Jivo Ho” from India one more time, I’ll go postal.

– Those little boys and girls from the Indian slums were paid only $200 for their work on Slumdog Millionaire.

– Get rid of those boring technical award categories.

– Loved that past winners in the top-actor categories were made presenters together (long live Shirley MacLaine and Sophia Loren).

– 36 million Americans heard those wonderful words from Oscar winners Penn and Black, “the great Cleve Jones.”

Sean Penn said those words in his acceptance speech. This is the second time gay icon Cleve Jones has been responsible for Oscar gold, first as the founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt when the documentary Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt won an Oscar for best documentary and now for Milk. We have been friends for over three decades (both of us picked ourselves up from the “street life”) A close friend of Harvey Milk, Jones now lives in Palm Springs and is a labor union official (been very involved in the local Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel boycott). In fact, Cleve ran for Milk’s supervisor seat and though he didn’t win, I am proud to say that I raised money for him from San Diego. Though Cleve has been with presidents, world figures and major stars, he remains the same down-to-earth activist with a big heart. Not long ago, Congressman Bob Filner presented Cleve Jones with the Nicole Murray Ramirez Lifetime Achievement Award at The San Diego LGBT Community Center and then Cleve proceeded to roast my ass! By the way Cleve, I loved you on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show. Your hair cut and color job were fabulous! Love you. Mean it!

I first met Harvey Milk at a San Francisco bar that was hosting an Imperial Court event in the early 1970s. Harvey was a long-haired hippie and a friend of a candidate for Empress of San Francisco. The “gay establishment” didn’t like Harvey but bar owners and drag queens loved him and he liked everyone. We became friends because we were involved with “homosexual civil rights” and we both loved politics. I would see Harvey a lot of times as I traveled and stayed in San Francisco and he always bought his clothes (a few suits) from second hand stores. When he got assassinated, I named a San Diego gay student scholarship after him and raised money for a plaque on a Balboa Park bench in his memory and it’s still there.

It should not surprise any of us that San Diego, New York, Seattle and Miami were named as the four cities in America that will probably be targets for the next 9/11 terrorist attack. It was somewhat unsettling though to see the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation bring this up at a news conference in Washington, DC. Let’s not forget that some of those 9/11 terrorists lived in San Diego with a few going to local colleges and living in an apartment complex among us. Why are we a possible target? Let’s see, we have marine bases, navy ships, submarines, military airports etc. But probably most inviting is our uncontrollable border next to Mexico. Why do you think I’ve urged you many times to keep an “emergency kit” in your home? Let’s not forget that we are supposed to be hit with the next “big” earthquake!

The rise of parents killing or abusing their children is at an all-time high. Then there is that crazy “Octomom.” But every study or report from Child Protection Services shows that when it comes to GLBT parents there is about zero percent abuse. I’ve spent a lot of time around GLBT parents including brunch and an afternoon at Robert Gleason and Marc Matys’ beautiful home with their two wonderful children. GLBT parents are the most loving and caring, period. You don’t ever see GLBT parents in those ugly headlines we have been seeing more and more of this past decade. The really sad thing is that people, courts and organizations are still trying to take children away from GLBT parents.

Last week, District 3 City Councilman Todd Gloria and District 5 City Councilman Carl DeMaio visited a mobile needle-exchange distribution site in the District 2 area of Downtown. While Gloria has always supported the San Diego Harm Reduction Center’s San Diego Clean Needle Exchange Project, DeMaio does not. Still he was at least willing to educate himself more by getting up front and taking a closer look at the program for himself. Both men talked to clients, many of whom were from almost every district and every lifestyle. The San Diego Clean Needle Exchange Project has been in effect for many years now, and DeMaio was concerned about making drug counseling “more” demanding for all clients.

I got a call recently from former City Attorney Mike Aguirre who is now back in private practice where he made millions suing bad corporations. Aguirre is happy with private life and has no regrets. He would have personally taken on the second firefighters’ lawsuit like he did with the first one (our current City Attorney assigned a well-known conservative Republican deputy city attorney). Mike said he believed he would have won the case, and no one can deny that for more than 30 years Mike Aguirre had a solid record in support of GLBT civil rights, including taking a stand against discrimination by the Boy Scouts of America. Though some want Aguirre to run for City Council in the future, he has no comment.

Stop the press! I just got a call that the Greater San Diego Business Association’s popular and beloved Executive Director Joyce Marieb will be retiring from 10 years of outstanding service. Joyce has been a true leader – not only for the GSDBA but for our community and civil rights movement as a whole.

This year’s Hillcrest Mardi Gras was the biggest and best ever, but what I noticed was this year’s crowd was much more mixed with gays and straights and everyone had a great time together. I think with the bad economy and continuing national bad news, people just wanted to get away and have a good time and Mardi Gras was the answer. Sherman Mendoza of the Caliph and I had a fabulous time. Thank you to Matt Ramon of Urban Mo’s for the VIP treatment!

San Diego’s gay Academy Awards since the 1970s, yes the Nicky Awards are coming to the Birch North Park Theatre in May. The 92103 Awards had to be postponed until later this year, since the trophies haven’t yet come from China. It must be a slow boat! For more information about the Nicky Awards, call 619-602-9453.

Feminist icon Gloria Steinmem will be in San Diego for a special reception at the San Diego LGBT Community Center on Friday, March 6, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Among the sponsors of this event is the San Diego Human Relations Commission. There will be more information in my next column.