Wednesday, March 1, 2006 (New Orleans):
The crowds were small and the costumes wickedly satirical as Mardi Gras reached its climax in New Orleans on Tuesday.
The culmination of the eight-day pre-Lenten bash fell nearly six months after the August 29 storm that smashed thousands of homes and killed more than 1,300 people, the vast majority of them in New Orleans.
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=New+Orleans+celebrates+Mardi+Gras&id=85305
Even amid the typical debauchery - including early morning drinking and skimpy costumes in the French Quarter - there were no escaping reminders of the storm.
The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, the 97-year-old predominantly black club, paraded amid homes that still bear dirty brown watermarks from the floodwaters that covered 80 per cent of the city.
The club - which lost 10 members to Katrina - staged its annual parade with actual Zulu warriors from South Africa, a first for the group.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who dressed up in National Guard uniform, said he was happy with the turnout, particularly the number of children who had come along.
The city still has less than half its pre-storm population of almost a half-million, but cheering revellers crowded into Bourbon Street, with many saying it was important to keep celebrating.
"You have to have fun, tomorrow is another day, today is Mardi Gras," said New Orleans resident Hall Moser. (AP)
"Even amid the typical debauchery - including early morning drinking and skimpy costumes in the French Quarter - there were no escaping reminders of the storm"
Yep, one look around and it is plain to see that Nagin is still pretending to be mayor.