SCOTLAND will be exempt from Gordon Brown's plans to fly the Union flag from every public building, it was confirmed yesterday.

How to stop junk mail

Junk mail. Piles of it. In your mailbox, every day. You don't want it. Most of the time, you didn't ask for it. But when it arrives, you have to "do" something with it: Shred it. Trash it. Recycle it.You'll probably never eliminate "all" the mail you don't want. But with a little effort, you can remove your name from enough mailing lists and databases to cut down some of the clutter.We've rounded up some of the best tips for opting out of the direct-mail deluge. Follow these steps and you're bound to lessen your mail carrier's load.Remember: You won't see results right away, because a lot of direct mail is prepared and addressed in advance. So wait at least two or three months before you throw up your hands in disgust.It's a painstaking process -- but so is handling all that junk mail, right?Credit card offersIf you're not shopping for a new credit card, opt out of those pre-approved offers.

Report Subscriptions, ACH Processing, and Payment Updates Mark Summer Upgrade of Travis Software's WebCOBRA.com

Travis Software Corp., a market leader of Advanced Employee Benefits Software Administration, announced today the Summer 2007 upgrade of its WebCOBRA.com system. The new version offers more enhanced features, including Report Subscriptions, ACH Processing, and a Payment Schedule of Qualified Beneficiary (QB) premiums for easy review of upcoming payment amounts.

The newly enhanced version of WebCOBRA.com allows for more control over reporting capabilities.

Restaurantpartner.com Provides Restaurants and Foodservice Professionals the Future to On-Demand Marketing Solutions

Restaurantpartner.com, a new membership based website launched June 25th, offers restaurants and foodservice professionals a one-of-a-kind, self serve marketing office and resource center.

The Restaurantpartner.com Marketing Office brings the power of a professional marketing department right to a member's computer. It allows members to create their own custom direct marketing campaigns through an online Direct Mail Center and Email Builder.

Stop junk mail before it's garbage

Each year, more than 100 million trees are chopped up and 28 billion gallons of water are used to create the paper that goes into junk mail, according to the company GreenDimes. And Alameda County garbage officials estimate that 5 percent of the waste sent to landfills is junk mail.

You can go a long way toward reducing the amount of garbage you create by getting off the mailing lists used to send such unsolicited mail.

You can find a company to do the legwork for you. Companies like GreenDimes, www.greendimes.com, can notify all the mailing list companies in exchange for a fee -- about $36 a year for GreenDimes.

You can also do it yourself. You can get help by ordering a kit at www.stopjunkmail.org or call (877) 786-7927.

You should also write to request that your name is removed from mailing lists.

How to stop junk mail

Junk mail. Piles of it. In your mailbox, every day. You don't want it. Most of the time, you didn't ask for it. But when it arrives, you have to "do" something with it: Shred it. Trash it. Recycle it.You'll probably never eliminate "all" the mail you don't want. But with a little effort, you can remove your name from enough mailing lists and databases to cut down some of the clutter.We've rounded up some of the best tips for opting out of the direct-mail deluge. Follow these steps and you're bound to lessen your mail carrier's load.Remember: You won't see results right away, because a lot of direct mail is prepared and addressed in advance. So wait at least two or three months before you throw up your hands in disgust.It's a painstaking process -- but so is handling all that junk mail, right?Credit card offersIf you're not shopping for a new credit card, opt out of those pre-approved offers.