News editors often see companies trying to boost their image by turning loose press releases that associate them with another company. They're generally intended to give said company more credibility or let you know how popular their products are. Sometimes, the announcements are legitimate, though not necessarily newsworthy (I've run a few stories based on these announcements when they've sounded interesting). For Example, Company A announces that company B just bought a boatload of their computers. Or, Company C is using Company D's chips in an upcoming product. Other times, the associations don't seem to make any sense at all, and some are downright comical. It's only Tuesday, and I think we have a winner. A company called LivePerson Inc. let us know yesterday that it will open a Live Chat Cyber Cafe inside The Coffee Station, the only restaurant in Crawford, Texas. Crawford TX is where President George W. Bush (or Dubya, as we call him around here) owns a 1,600 acres of land with a great big ranch where he rest his brain when he gets away from Washington. According to the release, Dubya recently said (but not to LivePerson), "...when I'm not in Washington, there's a pretty good chance you'll find me on our place in Crawford, Texas." Aside from the fact that the Prez owns a ranch outside of Crawford, there's absolutely no connection between the company and the president. The CEO of LivePerson is quoted in the release as saying "Who knows, maybe even President Bush or First Lady Laura Bush might stop in and chat over the Internet." Like he's going to show off his computer skills in public the way he's shown off his verbal skills. To further strengthen the association, the release goes on to say, "Located 18 miles southwest of Waco, Crawford is about 90 miles north of Austin and convenient to Fort Hood for those flights in on Air Force One. The small town has one traffic light, restaurant, ice cream parlor and no immediate plans for a hotel." Y'all come back now ya hear?

While we're on the subject of the President, many of us here in the U.S. will be receiving meager tax rebate checks this month (the "Dubya check"). The amount of the check is a spit in the ocean compared to what we have to pay out each year in taxes. However, you can put the money to good use. Do your part for the economy and go out and blow the whole wad on computer hardware. Just a suggestion.