Locals join the after-Xmas rush
By Wade H Leonard
December 26, 2008
RadioShack
J.W. Davidson, 92, sat in Leigh Mall early in the morning the day after Christmas — swapping stories with a friend and waiting patiently for Radio Shack to open.
“I got a gift card burning a hole in my pocket,” he said.
Davidson wasn’t the only in Leigh Mall this morning; many of the mall’s stores were packed with shoppers who were looking for huge sales, returning gifts or cashing in gift cards.
At least one shopper, however, was just beginning her Christmas shopping. And while it might seem a little late, Brenda Spotts, who works in the custodial department of Caledonia Elementary School, is getting ready for her family’s untraditional celebration of the holidays.
“We haven’t had our Christmas yet,” she said. “We’re waiting on my grandson to come back from Wisconsin. We’re going to do Christmas on New Year’s this year.”
*
Spotts, like several other shoppers, was on the hunt for typical Christmas fare — clothes, shoes and toys.
“We’re buying all the specials,” she said. “We’ve got clothes, cologne, toys and shoes. We do all our shopping after Christmas.”
As Christmas shoppers meandered the mall, the man most associated with the commercial side of Christmas — jolly old St. Nick — had a representative breaking down the set where he’s been greeting children and finding out what they wanted for Christmas.
Anthony Norwood, the set manager for Leigh Mall’s Santa Claus attraction, felt bittersweet as he packed up Santa’s throne.
“It’s interesting. You get used to all the employees who are there for the four weeks we’re set up,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also hard when you have a bunch of crying kids running around.”
As Santa’s accouterments are packed away until next year, across the building JC Penny looks the way it did during what is supposed to be the biggest shopping day of the year — the day after Thanksgiving.
“We opened up at 5:30 this morning with an after-Christmas sale,” said store manager Mike Law. “We’ve had quite a few people here, and it’s been steady all morning. It used to be a big return day, and it still is, but we’ve turned it into a big sale day because with the gift cards, customers come to cash those in. It’s been much better, actually, than last year. It’s just way ahead of last year.”
One such customer, Tonya Gillespie, is a frequent JC Penny shopper. As of 9:30 a.m. she had been shopping in the store non-stop since they opened — four full hours of JC Penny.
“You have a lot of good buys, good sales,” she said. “You get to catch a lot of things you might need for next year.”
Sunday, December 28, 2008
US offers Viagra to win over Afghan warlords: report
US offers Viagra to win over Afghan warlords: report
Sat Dec 27
Drugstores Online
WASHINGTON (AFP) – CIA agents are offering the potency drug Viagra and other gifts to win over Afghan warlords in the US-led war against Taliban insurgents, the Washington Post reported.
Paying for information is nothing new for the Central Intelligence Agency, but officers have started employing unusual incentives to persuade Afghan local leaders to share intelligence about the Taliban's movements, the Post wrote, citing unnamed sources in the spy service.
"Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people -- whether it's building a school or handing out Viagra," one CIA operative who has worked in Afghanistan was quoted as saying.
CIA agents have offered pocket knives and tools, toys and school equipment, travel visas, medical services including surgeries and sometimes the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra for Afghan chieftains, the paper said.
The aging chieftains often have up to four wives and are open to the Viagra pill as a way to "put them back in an authoritative position," said another official.
More customary bribes such as cash and weapons can create problems, because guns fan fall into the wrong hands and a sudden influx of cash can draw too much attention, agents told the paper.
Four Viagra pills transformed the attitude of one influential 60-year-old warlord who had been wary of the United States.
"He came up to us beaming," one official told the Post.
"And after that we could do whatever we wanted in his area."
Sat Dec 27
Drugstores Online
WASHINGTON (AFP) – CIA agents are offering the potency drug Viagra and other gifts to win over Afghan warlords in the US-led war against Taliban insurgents, the Washington Post reported.
Paying for information is nothing new for the Central Intelligence Agency, but officers have started employing unusual incentives to persuade Afghan local leaders to share intelligence about the Taliban's movements, the Post wrote, citing unnamed sources in the spy service.
"Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people -- whether it's building a school or handing out Viagra," one CIA operative who has worked in Afghanistan was quoted as saying.
CIA agents have offered pocket knives and tools, toys and school equipment, travel visas, medical services including surgeries and sometimes the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra for Afghan chieftains, the paper said.
The aging chieftains often have up to four wives and are open to the Viagra pill as a way to "put them back in an authoritative position," said another official.
More customary bribes such as cash and weapons can create problems, because guns fan fall into the wrong hands and a sudden influx of cash can draw too much attention, agents told the paper.
Four Viagra pills transformed the attitude of one influential 60-year-old warlord who had been wary of the United States.
"He came up to us beaming," one official told the Post.
"And after that we could do whatever we wanted in his area."
CIA offers Viagra for information on Taliban militants
27 December 2008
CIA offers Viagra for information on Taliban militants
Drugstores Online
CIA agents are offering the potency drug Viagra and other gifts to win over Afghan warlords in the US-led war against Taliban insurgents, the Washington Post reported yesterday.
Paying for information is nothing new for the Central Intelligence Agency, but officers have started employing unusual incentives to persuade Afghan local leaders to share intelligence about the Taliban’s movements, the paper wrote, citing unnamed sources in the agency.
"Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people — whether it’s building a school or handing out Viagra," one CIA operative who has worked in Afghanistan was quoted as saying.
As well as the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra CIA agents have offered Afghan chieftains dental work, pocket knives and tools, toys and school equipment, travel visas and medical services including surgeries, the paper said.
The aging chieftains often have up to four wives and are open to the Viagra pill as a way to "put them back in an authoritative position," said another official.
More customary bribes such as cash and weapons can create problems, because guns fan fall into the wrong hands and a sudden influx of cash can draw too much attention, agents told the paper.
The newspaper said the use of Viagra had to be treated with sensitivity as the drug was not always known about in rural areas.
A retired agent was quoted in the report as saying: "You didn’t hand it out to younger guys, but it could be a silver bullet to make connections to the older ones."
Four Viagra pills transformed the attitude of one influential 60-year- old warlord who had been wary of the United States.
Four days later he revealed details of Taliban movements in return for more.
"He came up to us beaming," one official told the Post. "He said, ‘You are a great man’.
"And after that we could do whatever we wanted in his area."
CIA offers Viagra for information on Taliban militants
Drugstores Online
CIA agents are offering the potency drug Viagra and other gifts to win over Afghan warlords in the US-led war against Taliban insurgents, the Washington Post reported yesterday.
Paying for information is nothing new for the Central Intelligence Agency, but officers have started employing unusual incentives to persuade Afghan local leaders to share intelligence about the Taliban’s movements, the paper wrote, citing unnamed sources in the agency.
"Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people — whether it’s building a school or handing out Viagra," one CIA operative who has worked in Afghanistan was quoted as saying.
As well as the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra CIA agents have offered Afghan chieftains dental work, pocket knives and tools, toys and school equipment, travel visas and medical services including surgeries, the paper said.
The aging chieftains often have up to four wives and are open to the Viagra pill as a way to "put them back in an authoritative position," said another official.
More customary bribes such as cash and weapons can create problems, because guns fan fall into the wrong hands and a sudden influx of cash can draw too much attention, agents told the paper.
The newspaper said the use of Viagra had to be treated with sensitivity as the drug was not always known about in rural areas.
A retired agent was quoted in the report as saying: "You didn’t hand it out to younger guys, but it could be a silver bullet to make connections to the older ones."
Four Viagra pills transformed the attitude of one influential 60-year- old warlord who had been wary of the United States.
Four days later he revealed details of Taliban movements in return for more.
"He came up to us beaming," one official told the Post. "He said, ‘You are a great man’.
"And after that we could do whatever we wanted in his area."
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