The situation in Iraq seems to be getting worse each day. American military casualties topped the 700 mark last week. President Bush’s press conference a week ago was a joke. He skirted around the questions and was reading notes many times. With so many casualties on both sides and no solution on the horizon, the only one I can see benefiting from this war is Cheney’s Halliburton Company. By the way, what kind of “inkling” does the President need for him to act on Al Queda, considering it took so little, and false, information for him to invade Iraq?

On a lighter note, I was one of those millions glued to the television for the final episode of The Apprentice, where Omarosa played the role of Delilah. I think her movie debut should be “The Many Faces of Omarosa”.

There’s a new French bistro in Hillcrest and it’s called St. Tropez. Located on Fifth Avenue, near the corner of Robinson, this café is richly designed to take you to the French Riviera, with trompe l’oeil created by international artist Jerry Calote of San Diego. I spoke with bistro manager Regis Le Commandoux recently and sampled many of their wonderful pastries; in fact, St. Tropez was voted “Best Croissant in San Diego” by The Reader. Founded three years ago, St. Tropez has five other locations in San Diego including downtown, Encinitas and One American Place.

They are open early for breakfast with great French Roast coffee, pastries, omelettes and French fare such as Croque Monsieur or Madame. For lunch or anytime, enjoy the traditional French Onion Soup, croissant-wiches, crepes, quiches, salads and paninis. You can even order ahead by phone for pick-up, and they have a catering menu available for your next party.

So stop by this romantic bistro, and enjoy a cup of coffee and a light meal, while listening to Piaf. The place is truly inviting, the food is good, and the pastries are not only pretty, they’re yummy. Or just stop by to say hello to Regis, who’s simply adorable, especially when he speaks with a French accent. Au Chante!

The 2004 San Diego LBGT Latino Awards is slated for Sunday, May 16, at 6:00 p.m., at The Center. Produced by Rafael Holquin, the Premios Latinos seek to recognize outstanding Latino members of the San Diego GLBT community. The beneficiaries of the awards night are the Azteca Project and Bienestar Human Services.

Winners will receive a beautiful Aztec warrior statuette, for such categories as Best Latino Theme Bar Nights, Latino Restaurant, Latino Business Person, Community Volunteer, Bartenders and other categories including Performer of the Year. Voting will take place the night of the event. Special guest performers include Liberia, and many other prominent Latino talents. Tickets are $10 ($5 with student ID) and are available at Obelisk Bookstore and at Bienestar. For more information, call (619) 871-9167.

The gayest place in Hillcrest – Hamburger Mary’s – celebrated its 12th anniversary last week with a huge celebration. The place was festooned with boas and the free champagne was flowing. The loyal crowd was treated to a lavish buffet, and a special strawberry and chocolate fondue station. There was also a special section to sample Mexican fare from Mary’s younger sister, Margarita Mary’s. After all these years, Mary’s remains one of the most fun places in Hillcrest and should be declared a gay landmark!

The wait is finally over! Margarita Mary’s is slated to open April 29. They have assembled a great staff, including the gorgeous Joey Aruda, and I hear the food will salsa its way to your table. This will not be your fast food type of Mexican food, but rather authentic and fresh. See you all on opening night! Arriba!

Boy, do I just impress you all with my multilingual abilities? But you don’t have to be Latino, nor speak Spanish to enjoy Cinco de Mayo. All you need to do is bring your celebration mood to Bourbon Street, and they will provide all the food, fun, drink specials, and hot Latino guys and gals. You know that the boys at Bourbon Street will be pulling out all the stops. Since cinco means “five”, there will be five days of celebration beginning on Saturday, May 1. Rumor has it that they might have a “Sister Nicole” piñata for charity. And remember, this is all free, except your drinks, chico. Ole!

Over at Bacchus House, Franceska will be hosting the Cinco de Mayo celebration on Wednesday, May 5, with a show at 9:30 p.m. DJ Ruben Casas spins spicy Latino dance music, and there will be Corona and margarita specials all night.

Persian Heritage Rug and Antiques will have a huge 10th anniversary sale going on at The Center, Friday, April 23, to Monday, April 26, from 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m., at The Center, with part of the proceeds being donated to The Center. I wonder if those hot Persian men in their ads will be around to roll out the carpet? … The GSDBA “Gay to Z” Expo will be at the Town & Country Hotel on Thursday, April 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. There will be some very educational and informative sessions all day, plus you’ll walk away with bags of goodies. …

Damien Lux, Mr. Styles and Doug-E-Fresh presents “BAD” – an ‘80s Rock Electro Night – every second and last Wednesday of the month at Wolf’s Bar. Starts April 28, from 9:00 p.m. on, with $1 draft beer and special guest DJs. Are you bad enough to try? “REACH” is back at Rich’s on Saturday, April 24, with great house music by DJ David Harness of San Francisco. Also, it’s hot go-go boys every Friday night at Rich’s, and it’s free to you with local gym card or military ID. … Also, on April 24, it’s the “Underwear Party” at the San Diego Eagle. You get $1 off cocktails if you check your clothes. Just be sure your underwear is clean. … It’s Disco Revival with Fifi every Wednesday night at The Brass Rail. Showtime is 9:30 p.m., with disco hits and go-go boys till closing.

What’s new here at the GLT, you ask? Well, we’ve partnered with SDPix.com and they will be sponsoring our new GLT ClickPix section. (Try saying that real fast 10 times.) So strike a pose when you are about town, you’re on candid ClickPix. … Have you noticed that our classifieds section seems to be growing bigger each week, and not from the “escort” service providers. In fact, more and more people are finding that they get results from our classifieds Personals section for cheap – just $49 for 13 weeks. Call the experts at the GLT – Ken or Steve. They promised to find me a husband within two weeks. And I believe them. Only those with real paying jobs need apply. BTW, have you checked out our website www.gaylesbiantimes.com lately? Most sections of the paper are online, including the complete Dining Guide, and past issues of the paper. And if you miss me sometimes, you can also find me under Social, because that’s what I am. … Lastly, Pride is fast approaching, so be sure you or your business is included in our Pride issue and pullout guide. This is usually a keepsake issue, so call your sales rep right away for early bird rates and best placement.