Arc of Greater New Orleans, a local organization that provides employment to people with handicaps, announced that it collected 33 TONS of mardi gras beads for recycling this year.

This reminds me of the fact that after each day’s parades during Carnival season (and sometimes there are as many as five per day), crews come out at night and restore streets that look like they were well, hit by a hurricane, to near pristine pre-parade condition.

Speaking of which, why do the heroic, generous and resourceful people of New Orleans not get credit for the amazing job they’re doing rebuilding their city in the face of government neglect, fraud and sometimes even active interference? This is not a perfect place, but it does many, many things admirably that the rest of the world and the country could learn from.

Here’s the direct link for ARC.