The groundbreaking ceremony of a new Walmart in eastern New Orleans on Monday began with a prayer. The construction marks a milestone in the community’s rebuilding: The superstore has been absent from the area since Hurricane Katrina and the Federal Flood, which closed a location at 6901 Bundy Road.

by M.D. Dupuy

It didn’t seem much like Black Friday at Wal Mart on Tchoupitoulas this afternoon. Customers had their choice of parking spaces, lines were one and two deep, and no one was scrambling for the last discounted TV or kitchen appliance. “Black Friday,” actually began Thanksgiving night at 8pm, and not everyone was happy about the extended bargains. Beginning at 11am, approximately 40 people stood in solidarity with Walmart employees, demanding fairer practices and scheduling.

In a city where Do Whatcha Wanna is the mantra, it's no surprise to see odd developments breaking all over the place. Around here, the news of the weird is not simply a chance to laugh at strange things happening to normal people. It also has implications on real-life concerns, like politics and Mardi Gras. So, in no particular order, here's our list of 2011's outliers. It's no surprise that between the lines of this rundown is the story of the Year As It Was. Open wide:

A moment of fussing wih the tape recorder provided just enough time for Mr. Ghetto's phone to ring, again.

"Wally wally wally wally wally wally wally wally. "