why say anything nice when you can say nothing at all

*the title is not a reference to anything, other than a BNL song*

One of the guys from the water treatment facility (which I support) brought me a brand new 2008 wildlife calendar and a can of peanuts, both clearly branded with the logo of the contractor who handles all of our chemical treatment needs. Thanks to the recent email in circulation regarding the gift policy, I know it's that shameless branding which makes this gift acceptable. The exact same thing, if not labeled as such, could be considered a bribe. Tricky devils - how did they know that a can of peanuts and a wildlife calendar are all it takes to bribe me to - well, do nothing. Their biggest computer problem since I got here was a failing floppy drive.

OK, I suppose one could argue that the bigger problem there was that they still use a floppy drive. Apparently the water treatment world hasn't caught up with this decade's technology.