Mardi Gras is returning to New Orleans even if Katrina has chased off the majority of the New Orleans residents. The festival, normally 12 days, will be cut short to 8 this year. This has to be a good thing to revitalize the spirits of New Orleans residents after the horrible year they have gone through.

Since Hurricane Katrina, Jolie Bonck has been living in a FEMA trailer in front of her flood-wrecked house.
But on Friday, she will lead a raucous streetcar party to celebrate Twelfth Night, the start of the Carnival season leading up to Mardi Gras.
Bonck will appear as Queen MRE Antoinette, dressed in a blue tarp and labels from the ready-to-eat meals that were distributed to hungry residents after the storm.ABC News.