By the time she was a teen, she was sketching nudes at a life drawing class ... the parades passed on Mardi Gras 1976, Curtis returned to her balcony with a bounty of beads from exposing herself ...

Think 250 million beads being tossed ... I knew not the art of catching a throw listed by Vincent Spear in his 1969 pamphlet, ...

The event highlights name music acts, creative costumes, wildly decorated floats, beads and confetti galore and Cajun cuisine. Mardi Gras 2000 begins at 6 p.m. daily and will continue through April 1.

Recycling isn't exactly the right word for what happens to New Orleans' Mardi Gras beads. Aside from those used for art projects, they aren't being melted down and turned into something new.

Whether city officials block the drains or not, it seems like a good idea considering the beads—which have been a part of Mardi Gras since the 1970s—don't seem to be going out of style anytime ...

So what is the meaning behind the beads at Mardi Gras? Here's what we know about why the beads were incorporated into this celebration and why the festival was created to begin with. Here's the ...

Mardi Gras is about ephemera, the thrill of the chase. In New Orleans, that's cajoling a strand of special glass beads or a glittered coconut from the hands of a stranger high up on a parade float.