Jack Deal Business Consulting, Aptos and Santa Cruz, California 95066; 831-457-8806

	jackddeal these Greenfolk can be very good customers so why not give them what they want or at least in the manner they want it? Good business? less than 5 seconds ago from web
	jackddeal others want both a paper and digital receipt; if you are in business you know the type...ha! less than 5 seconds ago from web
	jackddeal they stop all unsolicited mail and plan their trips to save gas. These kinds of customers will absolutely love your paperless company less than 5 seconds ago from web
	jackddeal these 'Greens' ask their grocery store to have a 'recycle receipt' box at the checkout counter less than 5 seconds ago from web
	jackddeal Greenfolk also know paper kills trees and the paper industry is one of the dirtiest industries on the planet. less than 5 seconds ago from web
	jackddeal These Greenfolk live what they feel and they get upset if they see you throwing a can or piece of cardboard in the regular trash... less than 5 seconds ago from web
	jackddeal Many customers and clients also prefer paperless. Ecology and 'going green' has become an obsession in many areas of the world. less than 5 seconds ago from web
	jackddeal paperless payroll is actually an employee benefit as employees don't have to wait for their checks or drive to a bank or ATM to deposit it less than 5 seconds ago from web
	jackddeal your company can almost eliminate payroll related paper by doing direct deposits and allowing employees private online access less than 5 seconds ago from web
	jackddeal anywhere your company is not legally required to have paper might be a good area to eliminate paper less than 5 seconds ago from web
	jackddeal Paper such as authorizations, invoices, receipts, bids, contracts, etc. are often required by law... less than 5 seconds ago from web
	jackddeal By eliminating paper one can reduce different types of fixed expenses that take up both time and money. less than 5 seconds ago from web

Posted by Jack D. Deal at 03:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What no paper?  You have got to be kidding...

No, not really.  Paperless started in a place called Silicon Valley where a few tech companies decided that paper was a relic just like the tape cassette and Corvair.   Paper?  We don't need any stinkin' paper...

And then there are those of us that have fought with paper all our lives.   We lose it, misfile it, spill coffee on it, loan it, rip it, tear it and wrinkle it.   We actually do a lot more things with it and that is the problem.  

A computer, if you know how to use one, is a much more efficient way to track and store data than a filing cabinet.   What the techies really like about computer storage is they can determine how to organize the data and information and even how to search and retrieve it. 

Not so with filing cabinets and reams of paper.   Paper has to go in a certain file or it cannot be found...no cross indexing in a filing cabinet.   Or if you are like me, you end up with piles of papers that need to be filed meaning that many of my paper files are incomplete at best.  

And how about those really thick paper files?   Ever spent ten minutes going through a thick paper file to find out it was misplaced or in the very back of the file?  

And how about those poor dyslexic souls that space out on their A, B, and C's and always misfile?
There is no Google search function for a filing cabinet that can compensate for human error.    

And of course it is always true that the really urgent and critical piece of paper is the only one that cannot be found...the Murphy's Law of Paper.  

In Silicon Valley the office rent is so high it makes storing tons of paper a very expensive proposition.  The paper itself is expensive and then there are filing costs, storing costs, retrieval costs, etc.   By eliminating paper one can reduce different types of fixed expenses that take up both time and money. 

So if going paperless is more efficient and effective, what is to stop any company from going paperless? 

Some paper is required by law and unless your company is in a Mafia-related business it is in your best interest to abide by the law.   Paper such as authorizations, invoices, receipts, bids, contracts, etc. are often required by law and should be included in your company's best practices.   Sorry.

But anywhere your company is not legally required to have paper might be a good area to eliminate paper.   For example, your company can almost eliminate payroll related paper by doing direct deposits and allowing employees private access to their online 'paycheck stubs.'
 
Paperless payroll is actually an employee benefit as employees don't have to wait for their checks or drive to a bank or ATM to deposit it.  Saves paper, gas and time...   

Many customers and clients also prefer paperless.   Ecology and 'going green' has become an obsession in many areas of the world.   These Greenfolk live what they feel and they get upset if they see you throwing a can or piece of cardboard in the regular trash and not the appropriate recycling bin.  

They also know paper kills trees and the paper industry is one of the dirtiest industries on the planet.  

These 'Greens' ask their grocery store to have a 'recycle receipt' box at the checkout counter; they bring their own bags so it's never "paper or plastic."  

They stop all unsolicited mail and plan their trips to save gas.   These kinds of customers will absolutely love your company for going paperless.  And tell all their Greenfolk friends.

Obviously it's good business to give the customer what they want.   Some, like me on a small purchase, don't want a receipt at all.    Others want an email or digital receipt so they can store and file it on their computer.  

Still others want both a paper and digital receipt; if you are in business you know the type...ha!   But despite being picky these Greenfolk can be very good customers so why not give them what they want or at least in the manner they want it?   Good business, no? 

As computer memory costs continue to approach zero, massive data storage is now relatively inexpensive or almost free.   And with improved security, in many instances digital files are also more secure than paper files; one big advantage is that digital files never need shredding.  

Even if your company cannot go paperless there is a strong likelihood that a good percentage of your company's paperwork could be reduced.   It's cheaper, more efficient, greener and in many instances more secure.   Most importantly customers love it. 

Go ahead; throw your printer into the trash or rather the recycling bin.  What's not to like about that?

Posted by Jack D. Deal at 06:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking out across the dark Caribbean night from Punta Allen one sees three equally sized glowing areas on the distant horizon to the north.   The furthest out is Cancun, the next Playa del Carmen and the last Tulum.  

Cancun has a bit less than a million people; Playa has 300,000 and Tulum now over 30,000.   Playa Del Carmen is the fastest growing municipality in Mexico. 

But from Punta Allen each lighted area appears to be the same size since Cancun is farther away than Playa and Playa is farther away than Tulum.   The three groups of lights are a reminder of the environmental impact of civilization, including light pollution. 

In the next 20 years these three lights will merge.

Biologists report the coral reefs are dead out from Cancun, dying off the coast of Playa Del Carmen and starting to die off Tulum.   Progress, people and pollution are taking their toll.  

If the reefs die, scuba diving will go soon thereafter and that is a major source of tourist dollars.   Scuba diving, unlike snorkeling, is not cheap.
  
The turtles are also moving south.  Cancun has too much activity so the turtles are moving down the Riviera Maya coast and eventually will all move into the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve.  

The turtles are of course protected and the cute critters even have a radical environmental group just to make sure they stay around.   

But many other creatures, like the pink conch and the jaguar, are slowly dying off as well.  Such is progress.

The beaches too are dying.  

Hurricane Wilma devastated the beaches on the Cancun strip and the replaced sand was not white and had broken shells in it and was not pleasing to the tourists.  

Playacar Resort in Playa del Carmen is now being overtaken by water as the beach has totally washed away.  Que pasa?

Hurricanes and storms seasonally move through the coast causing widespread damage and beach erosion.   At our favorite beach south of Akumal we could see a good 15 meters of beach erosion had occurred not far from Oscar and Lalo's. 

Speaking of Oscar and Lalo's they are no longer at the beach after Hurricane Dean of August 2008.   They are on the highway now.  Somehow the ambience is not the same.

And in case you were wondering, it's all taken now.   The beaches from Cancun to Tulum are resorted out.   There are no free beaches left.  That's it.  That's why in the not too distant future the lights from Cancun, Playa and Tulum will merge.   

Ah Cancun.  Time to go sunbathe on the rocks.
 
Below Tulum the Sian Ka'an reserve is nature's last stand and it is getting hit as well.   Entering the national park one is surprised at the number of luxury weekend homes with private access.  

And big fences.  Some like Yvette Mimeux' Casa Palancar, have guards and barbed wire fences.  Some national park. 

The Hotel Strip in Cancun is not the only place where beach access is limited...despite Mexican federal law.  

The technicality is that one is allowed on the beach but access to the beach is considered trespassing and access denied.  Unless Yvette gives you the password.    

If you don't believe it, go out to the Cancun hotel strip and see how far you have to drive to find a public access beach.  Go out on the strip and see how far you have to drive to find a place to park. 

The big political concern is that the degraded beaches and environment in general will scare away the tourists.    Duh.  At some point, it certainly will have an impact.  

Less than 20 years ago one could snorkel off the beach in Playa del Carmen and see coral and fish.  No more.  Now that same beach is a boat launch.  

It's true the snow birds will still come to the Riviera Maya because it's just too cold back in Chicago in the winter.   And the Germans will come to sunburn their posteriors. 

But wise up developers.  At some point even the insane Germans will begin to look at other, less spoiled areas.    Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua would love the business.    

And they still have beaches.

Posted by Jack D. Deal at 04:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The jaguar or panthera onca has to be one of the most magnificent animals on Earth.   Maybe the most magnificent.   Only the tiger and lion are larger cats.   Our Maya friend Aniceto says we have a jaguar den on our ranch; probably some shallow limestone cave covered by dense growth.   Part of our ranch is virgin rainforest.    

We've never seen our jaguar but he has.   One evening coming back from his "milpa" he saw it in the middle of the road.   Usually they don't come out at all when it is light, but this one did.   The jaguar or "el tigre" as he is called by the Maya, probably was hungry and looking for a tepe, tejon or javalina.   Humans eat the same food, though we barbecue tepe and the jaguar chomps it down raw. 
    
The jaguar kills its prey by biting the neck and skull of its victim.  As the keystone predator in the jungle, the jaguar serves a great function by eating the predators that kill smaller prey.  Except for man, the jaguar has no enemies.   Not many friends either, but that comes with being at the top of the food chain and having a very nasty bite.  

My Mayan friends say they can never remember an incident where a jaguar attacked a human.   That certainly doesn't mean a jaguar wouldn't attack a human; but in the wild they really don't.   Even so, when most Maya go deep into the jungle, they carry a shotgun.   

Clearly man is more afraid of the jaguar than the jaguar of man.   Maya men tell of times when they would be startled to look to the side of the path and find a jaguar sleeping peacefully; in the deep jungle "el tigre" takes his siesta wherever he pleases.   

The jaguar cannot be domesticated and has little fear of man.   It is also considered to have the most unpredictable behavior of any animal in captivity.  Jaguars aren't meant to be in captivity.  It's not what they do.   Jaguars are wired for one thing and it has nothing to do with cages. 

A Maya familiar with the jungle can spot jaguar tracks, dung and the plant life the jaguar disturbs while traveling through the jungle.    To an untrained eye such signs go unnoticed.  Rule number one is when in the deep jungle take a jungle man along as a guide.  
     
Unfortunately the jaguar can climb trees and have been seen jumping from tree to tree.   Hence the tree house I plan to build on my ranch will provide no protection from the jaguar...ha.   I can imagine sleeping one night and waking up to a pair of large eyes staring me in the face; maybe a giant boa or maybe a jaguar.     

My one concern is one day we will be out walking around on the ranch and come across the den with little jaguars in it...oh, boy.   Well, no one said the jungle was without some risk.  The jaguars, however, readily eat cattle, sheep, turkeys and dogs.  

Several weeks back, Aniceto took me back into the jungle and we saw dog hairs in jaguar dung.   Aniceto said that his friend had two dogs eaten by the jaguar one night...and his friend could hear his dogs yelping as the jaguar dragged them off into the jungle.   Since dog is man's best friend, that sound had to be unnerving.
 
Several months before, his friend's cousin shot a jaguar trying to make off with a sheep.   It took four men to carry the jaguar out of the jungle.  Jaguars can grow up to 200 pounds and eight feet long including the tail.  That makes them king and keystone of the jungle ecosystem.   

The Maya see them as predators and not endangered.   One's perceptions change if one has little children playing around the jungle palapa; "el tigre" certainly might be considered much more of a predatory threat.   But fortunately one does not hear of jaguars foraging for small humans outside villages way back in the jungle.   The jaguar is smart enough to leave children alone...common jaguar sense probably passed down from generation to generation. 

The jaguar is a representative of the truly wild and that which cannot be tamed.   For most of us, the jaguar is a symbol of the magnificence of the wild and what nature has created over the eons including a very nasty bite.  

Let's hope we both keep our respect and distance and don't find ourselves peering at each other in the pitch black jungle night.  And that's very okay by us because in the deep jungle it's always big advantage jaguar...

Posted by Jack D. Deal at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The day trippers going up and down California Highway 1 often miss the fun of a side trip to Moss Landing Harbor.   It's a good stretch, a quick walk on the beach and maybe some seafood if you aren't paranoid about the mercury or whatever else may be inside those ocean critters.  

Actually Moss Landing is no longer just a speed zone by the big power plant and the Little Baja trinket shop. The town is still surrounded by strawberry and artichoke fields but it is changing.  In a couple of hours one can see almost all of Moss Landing and then be on your way.  

But these days if you strike up a conversation with a local the odds are it will be with an oceanographer and not a commercial fisherman.

With Watsonville and Santa Cruz to the north and Salinas and Monterrey to the south, one would be hard pressed to find a better coastal California location than Moss Landing.   It is also hard to believe that the same water that slowly winds out of the Elkhorn Slough eventually mixes in the Monterey Canyon a mile deep just off the coast from Moss Landing.   And it's hard to believe that most of Moss Landing is just a sand bar.  

Ever wonder what happens to a sand bar in an earthquake?   In the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake Moss Landing found out.   Seawater began to filter up through the sand as if the sand bar itself were coming apart.  What would happen in the really Big One?

But earthquakes didn't kill the fishing industry.   Moss Landing is a rusting relic of a once powerful industry; there aren't as many fishing boats in the harbor anymore.  Say it ain't so Joe but with all the science and technology that goes into the Monterey Bay, none yet has been able to figure out how to quickly save the fish.  

As a consequence the shortened seasons and restricted fishing areas have all but eliminated the fishing industry.   How many thousand tons of fish a year did Cannery Row once produce?  

Just as the fishing jobs went the way of Davy Jones locker, research and more research has rapidly taken its place.   What was once quaint and salted fish talk now is eco-tech speak, whatever that is.   Rusty pick ups have been replaced by Audis and Volvos with eco bumper stickers.   Salty fishermen have been replaced by oceanographers. 

It used to be fun to walk around to the fishing and boating related stores and businesses although like the fish many are gone now too.  The employees of Long Marine Lab or the Monterey Bay Marine Labs at Cal State don't buy bait, ice or tackle. 

In fact, they might eat but they probably bring their own bean sprouts and tofu burritos.   No deep fried fish and chips and Coronitas for this bunch...besides; they know too well what's in that fish as well as the grease it's fried in...

Seen as a tourist pit stop, Moss Landing ten years ago got in on the tail end of the antiques boom which brought a string of antiques stores to downtown Moss landing.   Some are still limping along today.   Business is down but the rents are better than Monterey or Carmel.   The yearly Moss Landing Antiques Fair helps but weekdays are especially slow in the antiques and collectibles trade.   Sort of like the fishing boats...pretty quiet. 

Phil's Fish Market and Eatery is still cooking though like anything it has lost something as it got bigger.   In the old days everything on the menu was good.   Now it's hit or miss, even with old favorites like the seafood platter.   

Somehow Phil couldn't scale from six tables to 50 and keep his quality.   The fish just isn't as fresh but quality always proportionately diminishes with growth, no?  Still, Phil's is one of the few restaurants left standing. 

Clearly the biggest landmark and eyesore is the Moss Landing Power Plant, a couple  of monster smokestacks designed to generate 560 Megawatts of electricity built right on the Elkhorn Slough Estuary.  

There has been a fledgling movement by eco extremes to replace the eyesore with another power source; but unfortunately no one has been able to figure out just what that power source would be.     The plant emits about one million tons of carbon dioxide annually and puts about a billion gallons of heated water into the cold Pacific Ocean daily.  

Solar and wind power won't cut it here, though the winds on the Moss Landing section of the Monterey Bay are steady and strong.  The fact is no one on the Central Coast is willing to give up electricity just yet.  Fish maybe, but not electricity. 

Let's just hope the really Big One doesn't come anytime soon our dear Moss Landing will still stay on the California map.

Posted by Jack D. Deal at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The first few days after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, Santa Cruz was landlocked.  Highway 1 was closed in both directions as were Highways 17 and 9.  Highway 9 was the first to open and that's what I used to get to San Jose and the Bay Area.  It took several extra hours so I also spent the night in hotels.   But the phones eventually worked and the power was fine and business continued if not somewhat altered.   Altered is an understatement; after a major earthquake, nothing is the same. 

The Loma Prieta quake was limited in scope even though it measured 7.1 on the Richter scale.   Many of the hardest hit areas were in the unpopulated mountains.  But who can forget the scenes of the collapsed 880 freeway at Oakland?   

The Hayward Fault is a different fault and runs directly under Highway 880 in the East San Francisco Bay.   What is important to remember is Highway 880 runs along the Bay and Highway 680 runs along the foothills.  880 and 680 are the only north south freeways in the East Bay.  That's it, folks.   Although all communities are now planned, none seemed to plan for the Big One on the Hayward Fault. 

If a major quake hits the Hayward fault, it will most certainly disable Highway 880, the main artery of the east bay.   If in fact damage occurs also on Highway 680, there will be no north-south traffic.   Millions of people will be stranded in their own shaking neighborhoods.   

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has showed that the economic loss from a 6.9 Hayward Fault shaker would be greater than that of Hurricane Katrina.   An estimated 87,000 employers and one and a half million jobs will be directly at risk.   Something around $100 billion dollars in wages.  That's almost a fifth more than the total damages of Hurricane Katrina.  Hard to believe such a small area carries such a major economic clout.

The economics are there because the East Bay is filled with technology and related companies.  Many of the jobs are highly skilled and well paying.   There are many bigger companies that could withstand some damage but many smaller companies running on tight budgets would simply go bankrupt.   The bigger picture problem is many of these smaller companies are the most innovative in the U.S. although they often run on a day to day cash flow. 

The actual figures on the fault are alarming.  Since 1315 it has had a major quake every 140 years and it's been 139 years since the last big one.   Statistically, it's due.  With each passing year the odds increase.  It's not a matter of if, but when.   

The economic multiplier and waves of negative economic impact will spread afterward just as we locals saw after the Loma Prieta earthquake.  Many regional service and small manufacturing companies will see their revenues drop drastically as wave after wave of economic impact hit in the post-earthquake region.   In the after effects of the Loma Prieta quake, we could see three month interval negative economic waves hit, usually with a string of corresponding failures and bankruptcies. 

Today's managers know the fault will one day slip and the ground will turn liquid and violent.   But it doesn't appear that there is an exodus out or alternative planning.  Yet.  That will of course change with a significant shift on the Hayward fault.   

Let's hope for the best and pull for the home team on this one because even if you don't live in California this one will affect you.  We can hope that maybe instead of the Big One it will be a series of smaller ones that will gradually relieve the pressure on the Earth's continental plates.   

But don't count on it.   The only certainty is that the ground will eventually move...

Posted by Jack D. Deal at 03:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

California is headed for the Really Big One and it's not an earthquake. All the earthquakes in California's history will not equal the damage this Big One causes because this disaster will also shake the United States and the world.

California, world economic powerhouse that it is, will be brought to its knees by an ecological disaster of previously unknown proportions.

The simple fact is California is going dry. Everybody knows this. We use more water than we have, if that's possible. The purpose of this article is to establish the parameters for the official closing of the State of California and the opening of California National Park.

To set the stage, let's look at a little background.

If there is one thing we Californians have it is taste. We always have. The rest of the country may be stuck in chicken fried steaksville but we have organic bean curd.

California has always set the style scene; just look at Beverly Hills and East LA. Let's face it, we in California are just hot stuff and everybody everywhere knows it.

The Good Folks in Omaha or Birmingham that aren't so hip plant puny little flower gardens with stuff like roses and petunias. We affluent and not so affluent Californianos plant the whole damn jungle. We call it the whole damn jungle because it is. Look at Eddie Murphy's house. You don't see puny petunias at Eddie's house. It's all green; just like the jungle.   

"Jungle landscape is not native", says Ken Foster of Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping http://www.terranovalandscaping.com . 

Uh-oh Eddie. When mandatory water rationing hits his barrio Eddie will have to decide which plants or lawns he can water and which he can't. Of course he could truck in water or maybe not take showers anymore. Or not do laundry. But with Eddie's bucks he could use Perrier.

I'm not sure how funny Eddie would find that joke; Perrier is not cheap.  Is it all doom and gloom?

"We're hearing the buzz from home buyers," says Foster, "they don't want a landscape they will have to turn around and replace.  Landscapes can run into the tens of thousands of dollars."

Now the eco guy is talking. What we Californians understand most is dollars. Dollars is us. So reading between the lines what it means is an eco landscape is worth more than a dead traditional lawn and dead garden landscape. Uh-oh. Eddie just lost Five Big Ones off his pad's assessed value.

Now a few heads are turning. Show me the money. If there is one thing we really do understand in California it's money. And dollars. We understand dollars too.

We understand that a lot of those dollars are in Sacramento where special interests are sparring for a piece of California's water pie. A lot is at stake.  Actually everything is at stake. With no water California turns into a bad Mel Gibson movie and a great National Park.

A big piece in this poker pot is agriculture. A farm is like a car wash in that neither works very well without water. Farmers and Ag interests will continue to fight with suburbs and cities for dwindling water supplies. And water bills keep going up. Is Ag them or us? Somewhere something has got to give.

Unfortunately for us the first thing to give is Government. Government here is laying a big egg all around. Greedy Gridlock is clearly not the answer. Our two political (not people) parties have opposing solutions that involve different scenarios for carving up the water supply pie.

What about us? We meekly inquire.

They've even stopped denying they are manipulated by special interests. It doesn't matter. Nobody wants to stand up. Nobody wants the hot potato. Nobody except folks like Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping crying out in the suburban jungle wilderness.

So most likely we will end up doing nothing of substance to prepare for this approaching Armageddon. Government will wait until we run out of water and then form a committee.

Some of us will welcome the opportunity to catch rain in buckets and not use toilets or shower anymore. Maybe do like the birds and flop around in the dust. There's a few of those types already camped out in the mountains outside Santa Cruz.

Others like Eddie will have to sacrifice and cut down the size of their front lawns to 125 acres or less. Families in Turlock and Hollister will become skilled in the finer art of the sponge bath. Farmers from Watsonville and Delano will load up their tractors and head for Oklahoma and Georgia in search of land with water.

California will be declared a new national park and school kids can see the remnants of Disneyland on their field trips. Children, don't forget your water bottles.

You laugh and think the joke about Eddie Murphy feeding his lawn Perrier during an extended drought is funny. I think it's funny too. But the very next time you turn on the faucet just think of what it would be like if nothing came out. A Perrier with that shave, monsieur?

Think of the price of a head of lettuce at $9.00, a one day school week and zero golf. Nada. Water, water where hast thou gone? What kind of twilight zone is this?

Welcome to California National Park!  And please, don't forget to bring your water bottles, kiddies.

You just know how those places charge so much for everything once you get inside...

Posted by Jack D. Deal at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)