A New Orleans woman had a very nontraditional funeral this week. Instead of lying in a casket she was up, sitting, and holding a menthol cigarette.

This is the downside of never going below the Mason-Dixon line: missing out New Orleans' alcoholic to-go cups. Furthermore, according to Sociological Images' Lisa Wade, go cups also exemplify how easily people will internalize laws that take away a freedom as simple as imbibing wherever you want.

A week or so ago, New Orleans cab driver Sohail Khan allegedly raped a female passenger after she fell asleep in the back of his cab. But then—plot twist!—just two days later he totally did a guy a solid by returning his lost wallet! Sooo...he's pretty much breaking even, right? Sohail Khan, PR wizard, seems to…

Wendell Pierce, AKA the bunk, AKA the best actor and possibly best person alive, launched Sterling Farms, a chain of grocery and convenience stores in the food deserts of his hometown of New Orleans.

Diamond Miles, of New Orleans, walks through the French Quarter selling Super Bowl themed parasols which she and her cousin made for football fans, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013, in New Orleans. The city will host NFL football's Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. (AP…

SandyKatrina is a new Tumblr showcasing photos of Hurricane Katrina survivors holding up letters of encouragement for those suffering to get through the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

If you've ever been on Bourbon Street in New Orleans during a big festival, after the Sugar Bowl, during Mardi Gras, or just some Tuesday night when, for like no reason, the street is packed with wandering-eyed couples from Missouri, you've seen the inevitable cluster of Christians huddling around a tall cross and…

Ever wonder what it's like to be in the middle of New Orleans when a serious tropical weather event is bearing down it? Well, thanks to our unofficial Hurricane Isaac correspondent Lydia Mulero (who's decided to ride out the storm and send us some pretty pictures), you can get up close with the brave Michael Phelps…

Have you ever been to New Orleans? You can drink on the street there — it's magical. But you won't want to drink on the street for the sheer American novelty of it all after you plan your next trip to the Crescent City because Channing Tatum will soon be opening a bar on Bourbon Street where rumor has it (I'm starting…

A 76-year-old New Orleans woman named Millie Campbell has embarked on a quixotic mission to "pray the crime away" in a city whose murder rate is 10 times the national average. Campbell and her fellow prayer vigilante Betty drive around the most dangerous New Orleans neighborhoods, blessing the streets by waving their…

Actress Patricia Clarkson holds on as she rides in the Muses Mardi Gras Parade through the streets of New Orleans, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

Students at Tulane University say the uptown New Orleans neighborhood that cradles their campus has become so treacherous a gauntlet of violent crime that they're afraid to travel to and from school and are calling on university president Scott Cowen to devote more resources to ensuring their off-campus safety. Some,…

[New Orleans, October 23: Students dance at the 6t'9 Social Aid and Pleasure Club Halloween Parade. Image via Getty.]

[New Orleans, August 29. Revelers dance along Royal Street in the French Quarter durning a funeral procession commemorating the 5th Annivesary of Hurricane Katrina. Image via Getty]

[New Orleans, August 29. President Barack Obama with daughters Malia and Sasha and first lady Michelle Obama order lunch at Parkway Bakery on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Image via AP]

[New Orleans, July 26. Jennifer Boudloche celebrates with friend Carrie Spearman outside the New Orleans Arena after Jennifer made it to the next level during auditions for the singing competition series "American Idol." Image via AP]

I was ready to make a health-conscious life change on the basis of this report until I heard: "New Orleans doctors also strongly advise that young women expose their breasts to screaming crowds at least once a year." [Onion]

• Avril Lavigne and Lindsay Lohan had a "huge fight" at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont.

[New Orleans, April 29. Image via AP]

• Police in Florida have arrested a sixth grade boy at the request of his parents, who were enraged after he stole over $7,000 worth of jewelry from his mother and distributed it amongst his classmates. •