If you're not from Marin County, you should know that Terra Linda is a sleepy little community in North San Rafael. That's right here in the heart of Marin County, just north of San Francisco.
In the heart of Terra Linda is a favorite local Mexican Restaurant named Panchitos Mexican Restaurant. Since the late Seventies it is a destination for the neighborhood to get good Mexican food with friendly, fast service.
They cover all the typical California Mexican comfort food favorites. Personally I go for the chile rellenos. Can't wait to try out their popular take out and catering menus.

This is the perfect place for families, kids and also for local companies that want to have Mexican food catered.

Dinner favorites such as enchiladas, chile rellenos, taco, burritos and tostadas as well newer house specialties including carne azada, tilapia fish tacos and shrimp diablo keep the families coming back.

Go Panchitos!

Bay Area theater lovers!

Come watch "The Lion in Winter" showing in scenic Sonoma at the Russian River Hall through April 29, 2012.

The New York Times described this brilliant play as "A work of intelligence, astringent wit, and much theatrical skill." Curtain Call Theatre at the Russian River has a distinguished cast performing this ambitious stage production under Artistic Director Michael Tabib.

The traditional Gala performance is on April 28. All other performances are:

• Fridays & Saturdays at 8PM
• Sunday matinees at 2PM
• Fridays are "Pay What You Can"
• All other performances are $15 General admission and $12 Seniors over 60 and Students with ID
• Still the lowest priced live theater experience in Sonoma County

Reserve your seats now for The Lion in Winter!

See James Goldman's theatrical masterpiece at:

Russian River Hall
20347 Highway 116
Monte Rio, CA

For details and Reservations call 707-849-4873 or visit www.russianriverhall.com

So you want to go green with your nonprofit or small business? And you'd like a nice award or certificate to prove to everyone that you are indeed going green?

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area the Bay Area Green Business Program is not that hard for businesses to join, since many of the requirements are multiple choice (as in "meet 3 of the following 5 requirements").

Kahl Consultants did not have to make changes at all, we managed to meet the requirements without any additional expenses or efforts (aside from filling out a questionnaire and going through an on-site audit). However we had already invested in green items such as energy efficiency, solar power, water conservation, recycling, and so on.

In Marin County, CA, there is an additional level of green certification called the Marin County Sustainable Partners Program. Kahl Consultants was one of the first companies to receive the Sustainable Partner award, and it was considerably more difficult to achieve certification than for the Bay Area Green Business Program.

Another popular green certification is GREEN AMERICA's Green Business Seal of Approval, which Kahl Consultants received in 2010.You can learn more about the green aspects of Kahl Consultants in our Green Business section.

Are you interested in going green with your company or nonprofit? The key to going green is to start right away with the "low hanging fruit" (the easy steps) and then commit to doing regular improvements - across the board - over time.

Do online scammers never sleep? There is a whole new wave of online SCAMS related to BUSINESS NETWORKING.

Have you received a SPAM from someone like the "National Association for Professional Networking" asking you to sign up for a business networking opportunity? Please be careful that you don't fall for these PHISHING attempts.

There are many similar emails and organizations offering business networking opportunities. Be careful if you get an and unsolicited email with a networking offer or similar offer for "special businesspeople like you".

Some of these spams come from real businesses with very shady practices, others come from complete and utter scammers. There is even a category for such spam - VANITY SPAM or Flattery Spam.

What are these scammers up to? First they mine your personal information online (quite easy nowadays). Then they ask for more additional personal information, for example in the guise of a "verify your profile" or "sign up for more information" request. They ask for phone numbers, company name, type of business, title... If you do answer you become a victim! You might as mail in a photocopy of your credit card with a sample of your handwriting.

Scammers change their names, websites and email addresses regularly. Here are just some sites and names to look out for:

Executive Who's Who 

National Association for Professional Networking

National Academic Networking Association

Distinguished Professionals Online

Learn more here:

http://www.spamdiary.com/category/vanity-spam/

Wikipedia Who's Who scam

Tomorrow Saturday March 18 the Moon will be closer to Earth than that it has been since 1993!

The "supermoon" appears 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than lesser full Moons (as always this is with weather permitting). A casual observer probably won't tell the difference.

This full Moon almost coincides with perigee (which is when the Moon is closest to Earth). That means a very large range of high and low ocean tides. The highest tides lag by a few days depending on your location. For example, here in San Francisco, CA the highest tide (6.5 feet) will be attained on March 22. Any storms at sea now can aggravate coastal flooding. Such an extreme tide is known as a perigean spring tide (spring from the German word springen – to "spring up," and not the spring season).

Try to catch the Moon near the horizon, and it can appear enormous. This is due to the famous “Moon illusion” where a Moon looks incredibly large when it is seen near trees, buildings or other foreground objects. You can check the times for Moonrise and Moonset for your area by going to these websites:

Sun or Moon Rise/Set Table for One Year: U.S. Cities and Towns

Sun or Moon Rise/Set Table for One Year: Locations Worldwide

For extra credit brownie points visit this site:

10 Things You Didn't Know About the Moon

For example, did you know we can see more than half the Moon from Earth? Yes we can actually see 59 percent (almost three-fifths)!

Why? The Moon's rotation is uniform but its rate of revolution is not. So sometimes we see just around the edge of each limb!

The images you see in this article is a small version of a half-gigabyte gigantic image of the Moon. This image was stitched together from images taken by a Moon-orbiting satellite called the Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter.

P.S. Happy Mooning!

This article was published in the SVNA newsletter:

Kahl Consultants Small Business Web Services has been awarded the Green America Business Seal of Approval. The seal is presented to businesses that go beyond product and service quality to set the highest standards in environmental sustainability and social justice.

"We are thrilled to earn this coveted Seal of Approval," said Kahl. "It's one of the most respected and recognized symbols in the green marketplace." Kahl Consultants' Founder and President Alex Kahl is an environmental and energy consultant. Kahl Consultants' mission is to help small business and nonprofits with online technology in an environmentally and socially conscious manner.

A related article about our Green Seal was published by the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce:

Kahl Consultants Small Business Web Services has been awarded the Green America Business Seal of Approval. The seal is presented to businesses that go beyond product and service quality to set the highest standards in environmental sustainability and social justice, and work to solve, rather than create, environmental and social problems.

To be considered for the Seal of Approval and earn a listing in the annual National Green Pages^TM, businesses complete a rigorous screening process to ensure they meet Green America's standards for the environment, community and labor.

Kahl Consultants' Founder and President Alex Kahl is an environmental and energy consultant whose knowledge of environmental business practices ensures that Kahl Consultants is constantly reducing its environmental impact and actively promoting green practices with its clients and partners.

"We are thrilled to earn this coveted Seal of Approval," said Kahl. "It's one of the most respected and recognized symbols in the green marketplace and a powerful way to set Kahl Consultants apart as a leader in its field."

With the award of the Seal of Approval, Kahl Consultants is now an Approved member of the Green Business Network, a distinguished and celebrated group of companies that use their products and services as a vehicle for social and environmental change.

Another short article about our Green Seal was published as Business News by the North Bay Business Journal in February 2011.

 

Kahl Consultants Small Business Web Services has been awarded the Green America Business Seal of Approval. The seal is presented to businesses that go beyond product and service quality to set the highest standards in environmental sustainability and social justice, and work to solve, rather than create, environmental and social problems.

To be considered for the Seal of Approval and earn a listing in the annual National Green Pages^TM, businesses complete a rigorous screening process to ensure they meet Green America's standards for the environment, community and labor.

Kahl Consultants' Founder and President Alex Kahl is an environmental and energy consultant whose knowledge of environmental business practices ensures that Kahl Consultants is constantly reducing its environmental impact and actively promoting green practices with its clients and partners.

"We are thrilled to earn this coveted Seal of Approval," said Kahl. "It's one of the most respected and recognized symbols in the green marketplace and a powerful way to set Kahl Consultants apart as a leader in its field."

Kahl Consultants is solar powered as well as energy efficient. Its water conservation measures include using water-saving fixtures, graywater (recycled water), and collected rainwater. Its landscaping features drought-tolerant native plants. The company educates visitors on how to reduce junk mail, junk faxes, and spam. It avoids working with socially and environmentally destructive corporations.

Kahl Consultants is certified as a Bay Area Green Business. The Green Business Program recognizes businesses that demonstrate compliance with environmental regulations, conserve energy, water, and other materials, implement environmental practices that prevent pollution, and share environmentally responsible practices with other businesses.

With the award of the Seal of Approval, Kahl Consultants is now an Approved member of the Green Business Network, a distinguished and celebrated group of companies that use their products and services as a vehicle for social and environmental change.

More on Green America and the Green Business Network
The Green Business Network (GBN) offers a vibrant community of over 4,000 environmentally and socially responsible businesses, the oldest and largest of its kind in the US. GBN is powered by Green America, a non-profit whose mission is to harness the economic power of consumers and businesses to create a more just and sustainable economy. More information on GBN can be found at www.greenbusinessnetwork.org.

More on Kahl Consultants
Kahl Consultants is a certified green, solar powered business serving small business and nonprofit clients worldwide since 1996. Based in San Rafael, CA, it services hundreds of satisfied customers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Marin County and Sonoma County, as well as national and international clients. Its mission is to help small business and nonprofits with online technology in an environmentally and socially conscious manner.

Get ready for WINTER SOLSTICE coming on December 20 this year. That's the shortest day and longers night in the Northern Hemisphere.

If you live in North America you'll get a chance to see a TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE on the very same day! Well, that is assuming the skies are clear, of course!

Here on the West Coast the lunar eclipse begins around 9:30 p.m. PST Monday. The entire eclipse will be observable and it lasts just a few hours.

Learn more:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/111597159.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40688030/ns/technology_and_science-space/

 

 

This youtube video shows a summary of a lecture on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) given by Alex Kahl of Kahl Consultants. This SEO lecture teaches small business and nonprofit owners how to optimize websites for search engines with a limited budget. Contact Kahl Consultants to learn more about our SEO services.

Did you know that email marketing using double opt-in email blasts is more cost effective than website marketing?

Better yet, when you combine your website with email marketing you get a synergy effect and this is an most cost effective way to market online. Throw in some social networking a la Facebook or LinkedIn and you can even sell ice to Eskimos.

Before we go any further - we do not condone spamming in any shape or form. Do not purchase any email lists and then send out emails to those lists. Only use DOUBLE OPT-IN EMAIL MARKETING.

Lets focus on how to create EMAIL BLASTS. Here are some very basic tips that you can follow.

TOP TEN EMAIL BLAST TIPS

1.  DO NOT USE OUTLOOK! Do not use any email software! Sign up for an EMAIL SERVICE where you can create professional looking email campaigns and track the effectiveness and the results. 
2. Many email blast services offer nonprofits FREE or reduced price services. Some even offer free entry level services for commercial use; these are usually limited to a certain number of recipients.
3. Use DOUBLE OPT-IN mailing lists. Let your users sign up for the service, and DO NOT SPAM. 
4. Create an email template that matches the style of your website. This will reinforce your identity and branding.
5. KISS (Keep it Short and Simple). If you have long articles only include the entry paragraph. Then link to your website for the full article. Also try to cover no more than 3 or 4 subjects per email blast.
   
6. Think VISUAL. Have at least one image to accompany each article
7. Include all your pertinent contact infos in every email.
8. Give your readers something for nothing - a discount, a freebie, some free tips, free advice, etc.
9. Do not send out too many emails. Monthly is good. 
10. Add a sign up form to your website and let your visitors sign up for your email news.
    

Ready to start your email campaign? Some of the most popular email blast services are:

MailChimp

• Free for up to 1000 contacts with up to 6000 emails a month
• Unlimited emails for $15/month
• 15% discount for non-profits

http://www.mailchimp.com/pricing/view-all

Vertical Response

• *Free for up to 10,000 emails.

http://www.verticalresponse.com/pricing/

Constant Contact

• The most popular Email Blast service.
  
• $12/month for 500 contacts and unlimited emails; Prepay 12 months and pay $10.50/month

http://www.constantcontact.com/email-marketing/pricing/

iContact

• $24.65/month with annual contract
• 20% discount for non-profits
  

http://www.icontact.com/affordable-email-marketing/

 

Please contact Kahl Consultants for free advice about email marketing.