by M.D. Dupuy

The streets are finally clear from all of the Halloween foot traffic, and it’s time to make room for some two-wheeled vehicles for tomorrow’s Day of the Dead themed Alley Cat Bike Race. The route of the half race/half scavenger hunt challenge will remain undisclosed until cyclists begin their wild journey through the Quarter and downtown, finally ending at Handsome Willy's for some refreshing post-ride brews.

by M.D. Dupuy

Though some saw Siberia's recent pause in live music as an example of chilly relations with the powers that be, their foray at City Hall today was no Russian winter. The underground club's owners and many of their supporters appeared before the City Planning Commission for a rezoning request that would allow live music again at 2227 St. Claude. The commission to approve Siberia's request to obtain necessary permits to continue hosting live music following their mid August shut down by the city, as long as the ownership abides by the commission's 14 provisos.

August 18th, when French astronomer Pierre Jules Cesar Janssen discovered helium (1868), when women’s suffrage was granted under the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment (1920), when Nabokov’s Lolita was first published in the U.S., when Robert Redford (1936) and Patrick Swayze (1952) were born, and when Christopher ‘Into the Wild’ McCandless (1992) died. It’s also a day for:

July 4 may have passed, but our city runneth over with French heritage, so we might as well celebrate L'Hexagone's national holiday, too. Bastille Day celebrates the storming of the Paris prison of its name. On the 14th of July, 1789. Parisians attacked the prison, carried the French governor's head off on a pike, and, for their troubles, freed a grand total of seven prisoners, two of which were lunatics. In any case, it's a big deal over in France, and there is reason to drink! Click through to find out how NOLA makes France's holiday our own.

May 16, when 14-year old Marie Antoinette marries 15-year-old Louis Auguste (1770), when  Edgar Allan Poe marries his 13-year-old cousin Virginia (1836), when root beer was invented (1866), and National Teacher's day in Malaysia. Now for NOLA's noteworthies: 

Each week, NoDef will travel to local masters of mixologies, and learn about some of their favorite drinks. For our inaugural week, we travelled to our satellite office at the Lost Love Lounge. Co-Owner William Walker chose to eschew transient trends, and, instead, kick off the series with an old classic: the Sazerac.

No one appreciates a bar, drinkery, saloon, lounge, or gin-joint more than the people of New Orleans! In 2010, we saw some classics reemerge, one close, and a few great new bars open. In the world beyond High Life, cocktailing and wine really took off. This new star continues to rise into 2011.

by Dee Dee Rosenkrantz

Sunday boasted the largest field yet in the four-week old Pinewood Derby racing series at the Lost Love Lounge. The NoDef  No. 13 car finished the night undefeated. Despite evidence of uneven speed being distributed from each of the newly-refurbished track's four lanes, enigmatic 13 car owner B.E. Mintz was left remarking that the course was "very nice potato."  Seven entries raced, with No. 13 sweeping the heats in one-on-one action, then winning three straight in the finals. The result is yet another qualification from the NoDef Racing Team for the January 9th Championship.

Late Sunday night, the interior of the Marigny's Lost Love Lounge was engulfed by a large wooden track. Shortly before eleven, champagne was popped and the inaugural season of Pinewood Derby was underway. Yeah, Pinewood Derby... those little five ounce wooden cars that Cub Scouts race in Elementary School.

by Arielle Schecter

Have you ever felt that despite the veritable cornucopia that composes the New Orleans celebrations calendar, there just isn't a festival that represents your specific interests? Well, if you're into self-empowerment through non-corporate anti-racism/homophobia/sexism spoken word poetry, boy, do I have good news for you!