Krewe du Vieux and Krewedelusion (R-rated)

Though Carnival doesn’t “officially” start until 12 days before Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French), the city’s unofficially-official start is certainly the one-two satirical-parade punch of Krewe du Vieux and Krewedelusion. The bawdy R-rated parades lampoons local, national and even international politics with the addition of jabs at the Olympics-host Russian policy toward gays. With throws ranging from earplugs to liquor, it’s a fun adult night parade in the French Quarter.

Why Football Matters Vol. 2

The city of New Orleans is debating whether to move Halloween to make way for the Saints game that Sunday. Beyond figuring out how to watch a game and trick-or-treat at the same time, we’d never figure out how to wear our Saints’ gear and a costume at once.

Silly? Maybe. But I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my country, about how divided we’ve let ourselves become over everything from red and blue states to which creature to like in the Twilight series. Maybe a city willing to move what’s become a children’s holiday to make way for a football game seems backward somehow, but this city understands something that the country seems to have forgotten – united we stand, divided, we fall.

“If God is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise part 2” and more oil ranting

On the 5 year anniversary of Katrina, I decided to let the rain do me in and stayed home to watch the second half of Spike Lee’s “If God is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise.” Once again, it opened with a montage of faces, many of which are now familiar to me as a result of Lee’s documentaries on Katrina, a few that are now familiar to me as people who share my community.