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This article is for guys who are looking for the perfect groomsmen gift. Throw out everything you have heard up til now and consider these three essential tips for picking a winning gift for your groomsmen:

1.    Individualize vs Personalize – most grooms make the mistake of giving each of their groomsmen the same gift, albeit engraved. Personalization might be the norm because it is easier and keeps things equal but it does not consider the fact that your groomsmen have varied personalities and interests. One size may not fit all. A groomsmen gift should reflect their diverse individual interests even if it takes a little more thought.

2.    Celebrate Memories – it is hard to image how engraved flasks or cuff links celebrate memories. Your groomsmen are your groomsmen for a reason – they are tied to you and probably each other by memorable experiences. Gifts for groomsmen should somehow capture these memories.

3.    Lasting – Some grooms want to just check the box so take the boring way out by selecting pocket knives or money clips. Let us face it,

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Business Report News Note: The good news is that Washington added 3,100 jobs helping the unemployment rate to drop for the fourth consecutive month (see report here).  The bad news is that Oregon unemployment rate has been unchanged for nearly nine months.

Oregon’s Employment Situation: July 2010 By Oregon Employment Department,

Oregon’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 10.6 percent in July, essentially unchanged from 10.5 percent in June. The rate has been between 10.5 and 10.7 percent for the most recent nine months. Oregon’s unemployment rate was 11.4 percent in July 2009.

The U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 9.5 percent in both June and July. In July, Oregon’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment dropped by 3,000, following a gain of 1,800 (as revised) in June.

Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey Data)

In July, three of the major industries had large seasonally adjusted job declines: government (-5,200 jobs), educational and health services (-2,600), and financial activities (-900). These lo

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It wasn’t long ago that we fell upon a website that was set up to help people who were sold a certain type of insurance plan. The company handles PPI claims for people who have gotten loans or credit cards within the last several years. PPI is the abbreviated term for payment protection insurance; a kind of insurance policy which protects credit card holders and people who have taken out loans if they become unable to work because of ill health or redundancy in some cases.

However, there are several problems that could arise for customers of a PPI policy. The most common problem faced by people in the UK who have taken out one of these policies is that they are often sold a PPI policy that is not the right kind of policy for them. When this happens the customer is then entitled to make a claim for compensation. The pay out that the customer could receive would depend on the type of policy that was sold and how long the customer has paid into the policy.

If you have taken out a PPI policy then it could be worthwhile checking to see if you have a case for compensation. Read more…

Aside from using promotional products for your own needs, you can also turn it into an interesting business opportunity. You don’t need to have a lot of capital to start your own promotional items business, because you can easily drop ship from reliable manufacturers. The promotional products broker opportunities are quite interesting indeed, and it can be a good source of additional income for you or your business.

Before you get started and promote promotional products, you must first find a reliable supplier. Luckily, the right online tool can help you find suppliers as well as get quotes in a matter of seconds. Take your time and find the right online tool to use; since this will be the main business tool you use on a regular basis, make sure you settle for nothing but the best promotional products search tool available.

With the right tool in hand, do a little research and discover various available promotional products. If you want, you can also use the information to construct your own catalogue. T Read more…

Steel giant Corus is to invest £185 million at one of its UK factories in a move described as a “massive boost” today.

A blast furnace at the Port Talbot plant in South Wales will be rebuilt from next summer, improving its safety, environmental performance and reliability.

Capacity at the site will be increased by up to 400,000 tonnes a year as a result of today’s announcement.

Kirby Adams, chief executive of Corus’s owners Tata Steel Europe, said the investment was a major step in achieving its ambition to position Port Talbot as a producer of high-quality strip products.

“Our capital expenditure decisions aim to invest in those who invest in themselves. The commitment and capability shown by our South Wales employees to meet the challenges posed by the downturn, together with the constant support we have received from the Welsh Assembly Government and the local community and unions, are important factors that have led to this decision.

“As a result of this project, the Port Talbot works and our downstream supply chain will be able in the coming decades to continue improving the quality of products and services provided to their UK and overseas strip product customers.”

Corus chief operating officer Karl-Ulrich Kohler said: “This is a major investment designed to provide Port Talbot No 4 blast furnace with a long new campaign life of 20 years. The furnace’s en

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Why do small businesses fail? That’s the question this article answers – and provides resources and advice to help you avoid small business failure.

Public-sector unions and the government were scheduled to meet for another round of wage talks in Pretoria on Thursday evening, an official said.

“It will take place at the PSCBC [Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council] in Centurion tonight,” said public service and administration spokesperson Dumisani Nkwamba.

“It is our hope as government that we would not want to see a full-blown national strike. Our approach as government is that we should find a way to prevent that,” said Nwamba.

Members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the Independent Labour Caucus went on strike this week to demand better wages.

The unions last week rejected government’s revised wage offer of a 7% increase and a R630 housing allowance, as well as a 1,5% fixed-pay progression.

Workers were demanding an 8,6% wage increase and a R1 000 housing allowance, backdated to April 1. — Sapa

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Home owners in a Welsh county are most at risk of losing their houses in repossessions.

Rhondda Cynon Taf topped a list of those at risk, with Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr and Caerphilly also included.

In the UK as a whole fewer people are expected to lose their homes this year after mortgage lenders today reported a decline in repossessions in the quarter to June.

A total of 9,400 homes were repossessed during the second quarter of 2010, down 400 from the previous quarter, and 2,400 below the figure for the same period of 2009, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

The figure led the CML to revise its forecast for total repossessions in 2010 as a whole – it now predicts 39,000 repossessions for the year, compared with November’s estimate of 53,000 and the 47,700 reported in 2009.

The number of mortgages behind with payments also fell. At the end of June there were 178,200 loans with arrears equivalent to 2.5% or more of their mortgage balance. Thi

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