Mardi Gras' excess doesn't come cheap

Will Ferrell took on the role of King of the Bacchus parade during Mardi Gras on February 19, 2012 in New Orleans, LA.

For me, Mardi Gras has significance not as a day of indulgence, but, like Christmas Eve perhaps, as a day that precedes a particularly solemn season.

To most of us, the after Mardi Gras mess is nothing but a nuisance. But a St. The 19-year-old mother of an abandoned baby boy found last week in a side yard For some shoppers, it's not just what they buy, but the thrill they get from .

(Bloomberg) It's Mardi Gras Eve (if we can use that term), which means Brazil's Carnival is running strong (The Independent) — and New Orleans, Mobile, Ala., and other places that value good times are letting them roll. (NOLA.com) John Glenn and NASA

For me, Mardi Gras has significance not as a day of indulgence, but, like Christmas Eve perhaps, as a day that precedes a particularly solemn season.