Sorry, Pentagon: No one listened to your ridiculous request that the media not treat 2,000 casualties any differently, calling it an "artificial mark." (Actually, Michelle Malkin listened to you, but she's a shrill idiot.) Even the right-wing New York Post splashed it on its cover today.
Meanwhile, Operation Truth launched a new ad campaign today pushing for "a clear mission" in Iraq and "the tools they need to achieve it." Go watch it.
Plus, check out cartoonist Mike Luckovich's tribute from today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Howard Stern is leaving Fresno. (Well, he's leaving everywhere, actually -- skipping off to the greener pastures and stripper poles of XM satellite radio.) While Infinity announced this morning that Adam Carolla is replacing Stern on the West Coast and "Diamond" David Lee Roth will take over East Coast duties, Fresno is getting an expanded diet of Infinity's Jack-FM.
Anyone know how it's doing in Frez so far? The "iPod shuffle" format has been successful in L.A., but it's been a bust here in New York, primarily because it's "too white." (Don't expect to make the playlist, Prussian Blue.)
What does this all mean? Nothing really. I don't know anyone who listens to radio anymore, aside from Internet broadcasts of KEXP and KCRW. In the end, we're all just waiting around until someone can give us a portable music player with a high-speed Internet connection. Then no one will be talking about any of this Clear Channel-Infintity-satellite radio crap.
In other news, check out our sweet new Flickr sidebar. It features the three most recent photos tagged with the word "Fresno." Feel free to tag your own pictures and put 'em up.
Okay, now we feel bad. Traffic on Fresyes blew up over the weekend, primarily because of our "Nazi Olsen Twins" coverage. In order to improve our karma and make up for the unnecessary publicity we gave to those girls, I'd like to point everyone to a much better teen-pop duo: Smoosh. The Seattle-based sisters, who have opened up for the likes of Pearl Jam and Death Cab, are now touring the West Coast and aren't white supremacists.
As for the Nazi sisters, Fresno Famous readers helpfully pointed out that their grandfather once cut down a tree with the Virgin Mary on it, and their mother April was once arrested for riding a horse down Fresno's Blackstone Avenue wearing only KRZR bumper stickers on her body. From the Fresno Bee, 1994:
"Gaede, riding a white horse near Blackstone and Shaw avenues, wore bumper stickers across her breasts, a G-string, a cowboy hat with bunny ears, a white bunny tail and cowboy boots.
"She was participating in Fresno radio station KRZR's 'Wild Hare' promotion. Prize money, including $ 10,000 for first place, is to be awarded to contestants who do something wild as long as it is legal."
Classy.
We, meanwhile, can't wait for the day Lamb and Lynx Gaede finally rebel against their parents, redeem themselves, and go to prom with two nice black men.
Watch out, Mary-Kate, Ashley and Hitler: Bakersfield has its very own white supremacist teen pop stars!
Lamb and Lynx Gaede (not to be confused with Seattle's teen-pop darlings Smoosh) are turning heads and burning crosses with their own brand of sugary, infectious Aryan hate music. The sisters go by the name "Prussian Blue," and they've already scored gigs opening for David Duke. According to their interview with ABC's "Primetime Live":
"We're proud of being white, we want to keep being white," said Lynx. "We want our people to stay white … we don't want to just be, you know, a big muddle. We just want to preserve our race."
Where, oh where, did little Lamb and Lynx pick up their viewpoints? Let's see…
(Their mother) April home-schools the girls, teaching them her own unique perspective on everything from current to historical events. In addition, April's father surrounds the family with symbols of his beliefs -- specifically the Nazi swastika. It appears on his belt buckle, on the side of his pick-up truck and he's even registered it as his cattle brand with the Bureau of Livestock Identification.
Meantime, it appears Lamb and Lynx's mom is ready to leave the Central Valley. They "decided that Bakersfield was not 'white' enough, so she sold her home, and hopes that she and the girls can find an all-white community in the Pacific Northwest."
Okay, he's not a lawyer. Park rangers at Kings Canyon National Park dug up the remains of a body believed to be a World War II airman who crashed in 1942. The body was found in a glacier on 13,710-foot Mt. Mendel. Not as cool as discovering the existence of hobbits, but fascinating nonetheless.
I've got nothing else for you people today, except that Fresno Famous now has forums, Pink is the New Blog is suffering from "exhaustion" and the Fresno Bee's Beehive is buzzing with... absolutely nothing. We are going to keep a vigil until someone at the Bee decides to start paying attention to that g.d. Website.
Now, to take a right turn, we have the Central Valley equivalent of Halley's Comet: Once every 75 years, Fresno Famous actually says a kind word about Mayor Alan Autry. I know, we're shocked, too.
Did you see all those TV reports about the poverty-stricken neighborhoods in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina? Well, guess what… Fresno has just beat out New Orleans to become the most poverty-stricken city in the United States, according to a new study by the Brookings Institution.
"In such areas, 40 percent of residents or more are below the poverty line. Forty percent of adults are unemployed and not looking for work. The pockets also have high crime, and lack quality housing, jobs and schools."
According to the study, Fresno has a 43 percent concentrated poverty rate, compared to New Orleans' 37 percent. Expect more analysis and hand-wringing as the week progresses. But either way, it's sad news.
-The Big Fresno Fair starts tomorrow, and as we all know, there's nothing like the intoxicating smells of cinnamon rolls and cow crap. Two great tastes that taste great together. Feel free to share your Fair memories in the comments section.
-I'm hardly one to throw stones, but it's been a whole week since the Fresno Bee updated its blog. What's the dealio, Bee people? Did Matt Thompson forget to leave you the Blogger password?
Fresyes is a web collective whose current interests include (but are not limited to) rock music, the central valley, new york city, chipotle burritos, "granny gridlock" and people who hamper the flow of pedestrian traffic.
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Sorry, Pentagon: No one listened to your ridiculous request that the media not treat 2,000 casualties any differently, calling it an "artificial mark." (Actually, Michelle Malkin listened to you, but she's a shrill idiot.) Even the right-wing New York Post splashed it on its cover today. 
