JC Penny's: I'm voting for EVIL.

JC Penny's ANA Line

While Omaha and I shopped for gifts, we stopped at JC Penny's and I saw something that floored me. Apparently, it got to Omaha too, because right before I spoke she said, "Does that bother you?"

It did. JC Penny has to be out of their fucking minds to put out a "petite" line of clothing called "Ana." The marketing genius who came up with that can't have been unaware that "Ana" is the nickname for the "anorexia as a lifestyle" subculture. Someday, I hope he gets the proper staking out on an anthill he deserves.

It's good to see others have made the same connection. The Consumerist raised the alarm over a year ago, but it seems that ANA got a major rollout in the 2008 holiday season.

They can argue that the name is an acronym for "A New Approach" all they want, it's offensive to market to a population that's wrestling with an obsessive/compulsive disorder by encouraging it. Either Penny's is evil or stupid, and given that the line was launched in 2006, I'm voting for evil.

The day after Christmas is the New Black (Friday)

In February, Border's Books was trading for about $10 a share. As December rolled around, Border's stock price had collapsed to $1 a share, and as of Christmas the stock had fallen to less than half that, closing Christmas Eve at $0.38 per share.

Ouch.

Some people think Borders will survive until February; there are others expecting a fire sale sometime in the next week or so.

I wonder if now is the time to grab all the Java, Wikimedia, and DHTML books I've been holding off on purchasing.

US News and World Report says that Christmas sales were so bad, post-Christmas sales promise to have the deepest cuts in history. I'm not a big fan of shopping, and I sorta doubt sex toys will be on sale, but maybe I'll brave the weather and head out to see what I can find in the coming week.

The most awesome counterintelligence move EVER

Now this is thinking with your head:

The Afaghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift.

Four blue pills. Viagra.

"Take one of these. You'll love it," the officer said.

The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes -- followed by a request for more pills.

And unlike giving them weapons, there's not likely to be any, uh, blowback. I love this part: "Afghan tribal leaders often had four wives -- the maximum number allowed by the Koran -- and aging village patriarchs were easily sold on the utility of a pill that could 'put them back in an authoritative position.'"