Alternative fuels including wind, solar, geo-thermal, ethanol, coal seam gas and natural gas.

Why You Should Hire an Architect

Posted: September 8th, 2010 | Author: squadron | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments »

An architect is a well qualified expert who has experience in planning, designing and the construction of buildings and the oversight of construction jobs.

Also, one is not considered an architect until he or she has properly passed all the necessary courses and accredited programs to procure a license in order to practice architecture. When practicing architecture, the architect can have free reign to design the building or group of buildings, as well as the space around it that still counts as part of the property. These ideas form the planning stage of the project and can take months to finalise.

The reason why architects are so important to the success of any building plan is simple: they can put your ideas into a feasible and concrete reality. If you have great ambitions for your home or business, then an architect can make sure that those plans will come true.

But aside from the actual design of the building, there are so many other complex factors (beyond the scope of inexperienced people) that need to be examined, and these are also covered in the responsibilities of the architect.

For example, there are some architectural firms that not only design the building for you, but they also prepare the tender documents for the pricing of the entire project, and are the ones that most commonly talk to the contractors, stakeholders and any third parties involved in the assignment.

When you engage an architect, you will not have to be bogged down by all the small but important technical details. All you have to be concerned about is if whether or not the building is coming along according to your plans originally established with the help of the architect.

The architect is also very helpful before construction begins. If you do not have an actual plan but do have an idea on what you want your structure to look like, then that is where the professional can help you on the endeavor.

All you have to do is to present them with some ideas and they can be the ones to take care of site analysis, the assistance you may need in zoning and planning, any environmental impact studies you may need, bidding and contract negotiation with the contractor and his men, and so much more.

The architect that you hire will be involved in all of the aspects of your project. Essentially, you are hiring an architect because you require a trained expert to take charge of planning and designing the building or dwelling as well as provide the necessary feedback and support throughout the entire project.

Engaging an architect is like taking on a business partner for your project, one who is knowledgeable, knows the risk areas around the project and knows how to minimize those risks, has the necessary people skills to work with contractors in order to hire additional resources within budget.

A good architect will treat the project as though it is his or her own and will devise creative ideas and plans to the manager, and discuss in great detail the advantages, disadvantages, any problems of a particular strategy.

These are just some of the many important benefits and key reasons why you should engage an architect. There are so many more reasons that really prove that any project worth going through with has to be under the supervision of a highly qualified architect. In the end, it all boils down to the fact that you have a dream construction project, and your architect is the person to make all these dreams become reality.

Looking for Brisbane architects? For renovation architects Brisbane, contact Dion Seminara Architecture. They are leading home improvement architects. Brisbane office is located in Morningside.


Tents and Marquees

Posted: September 2nd, 2010 | Author: squadron | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , | No Comments »

marquees-pavillion-3Event Tents, such as wedding tents are for when you want to make a fabulous outdoor scene. They are generally structures installed at a location for a period of time.

Why A Tent?
Commercial Tents are used as protection from the sun, rain or a gathering place. They can make a stunning and creative atmosphere for any event.

Tent Rentals
Tents can be rented or leased for a day, a weekend, weeks, months, etc. For one or two day events, the Tents are usually installed a few days before the event, depending on scheduling and weather, and remain until a few days after the event. Many rentals are quoted for the entire week, allowing for time to set up and design the interior and exterior. Some Tents are built for exceedingly long-term events and have been installed and remain installed for years.

What Kind of Tent Should I Rent?
Tent rental companies come in all sizes – from small-sized companies with just a few Tents to exceedingly large-sized companies – carrying dozens of several sizes and styles of Tents. Some general rental companies rent from tent rental companies to accommodate their client’s needs.

You may know you want to use a standard Tent for your event, or your event planner may already have in mind to use a Tent. You have options! There are lots of other fabulous
structures and Tent styles out there. Some are unique and make a statement of their own. Ask the rental company you’re working with for a list of the type styles they have on hand.

Usually, the varying types of Tents available in most companies are (the names vary depending of the company):

Folding Tents Easy and fast to use and always in demand. Very popular, because usually is the less expensive tent. Fast, flexible, cost effective and long lasting.

They are used by:

  • Corporate brands across most industries
  • Government & Council buyers
  • SME business marketers
  • Franchisees
  • Agricultural exhibitors
  • Emergency services & community groups
  • Folding Tents create brand exposure opportunities.
  • You can reach your audience at the right time, in the right place with the right message.

Inflatable Tents An exciting and fun alternative Tent. Easy & fast to set up. Be sure they have removable printed roof because in that way you can share the investment with other licences.

What Size Tent Will I Need?

The size of Tent depends on a few factors:

1. The number of guests you expect
2. Layout or seating arrangements or the style of event:

* Reception with what type of tables?
* Speaker engagement with what type of seating?
* Will you need a dance floor?
* Will you need display areas for your products?

If you are interested in a Tent, you can expect to need about 2,000 – 2,500 square feet for 200-seated guests. That could mean a 40 x 60 size Tent (Always ask the Tent rental vendor directly and they’ll give you the best dataabout the size of Tent you’ll need).

Therefore, the key rule is; know what you are going to use your tent for. The choice of tents is amazing, almost on par with the choice of cars that you can buy.

So if you need a tent for the family BBQ, for example, your needs are fairly basic
and your budget may be tight. Look for cheap tents that offers a waterproof Polyester roof and a decent warranty for under $600.

If you need a tent for a school or sports club you will need a range of sizes, and colours. Most plain colour Tents s range between $995- $2900. If you are keen to promote yourself, you can have your names printed for around $150-$300. Printing logos usually be a little more expensive.

In the last 5 years, portable Tents have become important to businesses for their marketing. The essential need for these buyers is a prominent and exact reproduction of their logo. Sign written or printed Tents can be as boring as a website address or they can be a design masterpiece.

Remember, if it is for commercial purposes, the aim is to build awareness of your company with your printed Tent. Printed corporate Tents range in price from $1500- $4000. Good ones will really catch your eye.

Once you have decided on what sort of buyer you are and how you are going to use your Tents, a good Tents company will offer you a choice of frames, a warranty of between 3-5 years and help with designing the printing-if you need it.

For more information about tents, contact Extreme Marquees. We have a range of cheap tents, for all sorts of home and business applications.


Repairing Flooded Carpet: A cheap job is a good job right? Wrong….

Posted: August 18th, 2010 | Author: squadron | Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »

Don’t allow a novice 24 hour carpet cleaner show up to repair your carpets with water damage. These are the cautions you need to be wary of:

Overcharging. An unprofessional water restoration carpet cleaner may pack the job up with superfluous steps. E.g. using dehumidification on the water damaged carpets isn’t always needed.

Using the correct equipment. They sometimes hire equipment from hire businesses for the carpet. This is acceptable, but a professional water damage cleaner will have all their equipment so they provide a quicker response and hopefully a better value job.

The right moisture metre. If they don’t have the correct moisture meter, they can’t know whether the carpet is repaired. This increases the danger of future mould. Removal of this may be required in the future.

Specialised. There are a whole lot of “Carpet Cleaners” in this industry who do water damage repairs on the “side.” i.e. they do not complete this kind of repair often. Be aware of them. Fixing carpet water damage is an art. Removing and repairing and reinstalling the carpet needs to be done by a professional, otherwise it can be permanently damaged.

You could be wondering, how do I find a credible Flood Restoration Business? Below I have listed some pointers to look for when hunting around for a carpet flood damage business:

How large is their Yellow Pages ad: This can signify how much work they do already. A full-size Yellow Pages ad can cost more than $50 000. If they have got a large ad, you have some indication that they will deliver the goods.

Where do they come up in Google? The higher they are in Google, the more “online votes” there have been for this business.

What Qualifications do they have? The minimum qualification they require is a IICRC qualification for Applied Structural Drying and Water Damage Restoration.

Do Insurance companies use them for water damage jobs? This is a top indicator. If insurance companies use them, the business is likely to be efficient at their job. Insurance companies tend to use the companies that give them the better value for their money.

What kind of Equipment do they have? They should own a minimum of 100 Air movers. If they have this many, this could indicate they have been going for a good time. We took 8 years to acquire that many wet carpet drying air movers.

What level of commitment can you get from them by calling over the phone? See if you can pin them down to a set price for water extraction, water removal and initial inspection. If they won’t give you a rate for only this, you know they are not willing to assist you, so move on.

Response Time – Our Water Damage Brisbane business commits to a 59 minute response time to water damage emergency. The business needs to be responded to ASAP. Mould can come inside a 24 hour period.

If you stick to these tips you are sure to choose a Flood Damage Restoration technician who knows how to do the job.

If you have carpet water damage Brisbane, call us for flooded wet carpet drying. Brisbane storm season is approaching and you may need storm damage carpet cleaning. Brisbane and surrounding areas serviced.


Podiatry as a Career in Australia

Posted: August 13th, 2010 | Author: squadron | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , | No Comments »

As a practicing podiatrist in Brisbane, Australia, I am often asked by parents if podiatry would be a good career for a school leaver to contemplate . There are many things to recommend a career in podiatry including:

  • You can be self employed: This is a prospect that is increasingly being denied to other health care providers such as optometrists and even GPs . Big Business controls a lot of health practices. Consider how often you see an independent optometrist these days – can they compete on price with the multinational chains?
  • Legal Issues: In Australia (unlike the USA where things are very different), podiatrists very, very rarely get sued . The nature of podiatry practice does not lend itself to accidentally harming one’s patients. Also, you never have to give your customers the bad news that their condition will be terminal.
  • Working Hours: Emergency call outs are very unlikely. This is great news for those among us who like their sleep uninterrupted.
  • Financial Reward: Whilst it is true that podiatry doesn’t pay as well as being a doctor or dentist , the pay is generally commensurate with other allied health providers.
  • Instant Gratification: One of the most fulfilling aspects of working as podiatrist is the instant gratification! People come in with pain and leave happy. You will see a plethora of bite-sized jobs each day, many with a cure you can provide immediately. From someone that has worked with unanimously grumpy customers in a past career, believe me when I tell you, it makes the day much less stressful when people leave you smiling.
  • Philanthropy: Podiatry will give you plenty of opportunity to help relieve the suffering of your fellow human beings.
  • Self – Determination: Podiatry gives a professional the power to determine their own course of action for the benefit of their patients. This is unlike a career in nursing for example where one acts under the instruction of a doctor.
  • Clear Job roles: The only people who can work as a podiatrist are those with a podiatry degree . The clear roles that this demarcates relieves the need to find your ‘niche’ after university – as someone with a more generic Bachelor of Science degree might need to do.
  • Got the urge to travel? There are many places across the world that do not train their own podiatrists including Tasmania, the Northern Territory, all of Asia and all of the Middle East. If you want to travel the world, Australian podiatrists can be registered in any Commonwealth country and are especially in demand in Singapore, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and other far flung fields.
  • Variety: In any given day, a podiatrist will see a big range of complaints. There may be an ingrown toenail or two, a painful corn, a sports injury, some sacroiliac pain and at least a couple of painful arches . The key to being a good podiatrist is to be a great problem solver. Every patient is an individual with a unique condition requiring a well considered solution.

How do you train as a podiatrist ?

To qualify as a podiatrist means six Australian Universities:

  • Curtin University
  • La Trobe University
  • Charles Sturt University
  • Queensland University of Technology
  • University of South Australia
  • University of Western Sydney.

Last year, the entry score for the QUT was OP 8.

Stephanie Cosgrove graduated as a podiatrist from QUT in 1990 and with a Master’s degree in Applied Science (Podiatry) in 1996. Since 1991, she has worked in private practice as a Podiatrist Brisbane. She received three university prizes during her studies, including the award for excellence in design and manufacture of orthotics. Brisbane has been the site of her private practice since 1991 which has grown to four locations and eleven staff. If you want to Walk Without Pain consider a visit to Brisbane’s most innovative podiatry practice today. Call for an appointment now on 1300 A1 Feet.


Eight Steps to Great Web Design

Posted: August 7th, 2010 | Author: squadron | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | No Comments »

Take charge of getting your site conceived by a developer and comprehend the process it will save you money and gain you a site that actually works the intended purpose!

1. Understanding your business and how you are currently established in your market.
In order to establish a site that truly meets your requirements; you first need to have a full knowledge of your business including your products, and/or services and more importantly their market position. You then have to consider how you want to explain your business and what it offers in 7 seconds or less. Sounds impossible? Well that is the average time that a user will consider the point “is this site I searched for?”.

2. Budget and estimation
Have a budget in mind and don’t be afraid to let the developers know what it is. In saying this: BE REALISTIC, $500 will never see a great web site created, nor will they be anything left in the bank to market it.

3. The creative process
Be armed with example sites and more importantly the elements of the site you like so they can acquire an understanding of what you would like to see on your site and also what you find frustrating about other sites. This will build a good profile and identify not only what type of site to build for you but your tolerance to colours, animations, layouts etc. for your requirements which will allow for effective development. The more interaction and information you accord them in the beginning the more time you will save everybody in the long run by getting what you want 1st time round. Check with the designers on how many rounds of changes come with the contract, most will allow for a total conceptual redesign only once and 2 rounds of changes after that.

4. Production and Content
After the home page design is made, the developers will more than likely acquire the general layout of this concept and then formulate the inner page template. It is this template that will be duplicated for most of your pages for your site.
Submit your content in a pre-proofed word processed document; don’t become too creative with the document fonts etc. as these will not be preserved when the content is copied into the code of the site. It is preferred that you do use bolding, underlining, headings and sub heading though ,as these highlights are transferred into the site and are crucial later on in not only getting the point across to the reader but for Search Engine Optimisation.
One last tip for content; formulate a decent amount of content but provide it in a way that a reader may attain a summary of what you are trying to get across in the 1st couple of paragraphs and an image or to. The rest of the paragraphs that get into finer details ARE FOR GOOGLE !

5. Development Programming and CMS
If your website contains Content Managed Areas (CMS) or has any other dynamic sections the developers will wrap your design around a content management program such as Joomla or Drupal or they may have a custom built system. Make sure that you get to see how the CMS system works on another site they have developed or an example site they may have. You need to know that you can use and comprehend the system when your site is complete.

6. Testing and training
We work closely with the developers to test your site especially if there are any CMS or special programs that have been made for you. You can guarantee if it is has just been written for you then it will not operate 100% first time round. This is a where things can get ugly in the process you must understand the way the program works and test it as if you were normal website user. If it doesn’t make sense to you, odds are it won’t make sense to your audience. Make sure you test your website on more than just your browser, try to test it on Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. All of these browsers are avialable on the internet for free!

7. Launch – going live
When the developers are ready to make your site onlive make sure you have finished the above testing step until you are happy that this website is the best representation of your business / product it can be. Remember even though you can change things after going live it is still a poor reflection on your business if there are spelling mistakes or broken images when you launch.

8. Marketing
There is little point in having a website if nobody visits it, make sure as part of you contract you have considered search engine optimisation and or search engine marketing as part of your website build. This is the absolute most important factor of the whole process. If you are the only one looking at your site then you are in trouble.

Remember Search Engine Optimisation is about 30% Onsite (getting your site correct for Search Engine to index correctly) and 70% Promotion. Any developer who tells you otherwise hasn’t been in the industry too long.

For more information about web design Brisbane, contact Web Site Blue. Our web designers understand marketing as well as design.


Tips to Creating a New Business Logo

Posted: August 6th, 2010 | Author: squadron | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | No Comments »

A logo is a decisive step to creating a business. It is the face of your business. And like your face expresses the tone of your business, indicates the service and demonstrates the professionalism or lack there of.

People spend a lot of money on the formation of their logo and walk away with no artwork files. Then a couple months down the track when they need to put signage on their new building they cannot track the design studio down that formulated the original logo for them and so incur costs to have it redone. This is redundant and may cause obstacles when trying to replecate the logo exactly as completed originally.

We have created some basic tips you for to think about when creating a logo. Hopefully these will help you from experiencing any future difficulties.

Tip 1
First things first – you need to decide if you would like your logo to have an accompanying icon. It is desired that if your service or product name is not in your business name then perhaps an icon will assist in portraying a clear message across to your target audience.

An icon can add an extra element to your branding in that you could use the icon on its own on collateral where perhaps you are looking for a more illustrative finish without losing recognition.

A good example of this is the well-known and executed Fedex logo.

Tip 2
Colour can be an crucial decision as it not only could alter the output costs but can also hinder your output use. Think about the end result and what you will be bringing your branding onto in the future. Make sure your designer is aware of this as they should design accordingly.

Tip 3
Confirm you get a back up disk of your logo as a master file and ensure that it includes all the files needed for the different printing formats.

Creative software updates frequently and some programmes become obsolete. Make certain you have a copy of your logo as a PDF – with the text converted to curves.

Tip 4
Using images in your logo is not very easy to regulate. For example it is difficult to reverse into black and white. Images also have limitations when it comes to size – they can only be reproduced to a certain size before they start pixilation.

Tip 5
Using gradients in your logo is not recommended. This too can have limitations when it comes to output for ie: gradients are hard to reproduce when embroidering fabrics.

Tip 6
Confirm sure the font is legible. Some logos need to be reproduced on small pieces of collateral ie: post stamps. It is important that in this case the text is
readable

Tip 7
Ensure that you acquire a copy of your logo in CMYK high resolution 300 dpi (for printing use) and RGB 72 dpi(for web use).

Tip 8
It is important to have a style guide of your logo. It will clearly show you how to use your logo so it looks exactly the same every time it is reproduced. This allows you to keep your corporate image consistent.

Tip 9
Make sure that you get a letter from the design studio declaring that you own the copyright to your logo.

If you follow these tips then not only will you receive a well-designed logo but you will also own the artwork. And when it comes to reproducing your collateral you will be doing it the most cost effective way.

For logo design Brisbane and web design Brisbane, contact Bydaughters today for a free two hour consultation.


How to Create a Style Guide

Posted: July 31st, 2010 | Author: squadron | Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »

How many times have you dispatched business cards to print and procured yet another version of your corporate colour? Ever been thrilled to see your advert in the latest newspaper and then noticed that the crucial tag line is missing or your logo has been squashed.

There is only one way to thwart this from happening and that is to set up a style guide. Not only will a style guide aid you steer the reproduction of your logo – it will also help you sustain your brand recognition – which many argue is one of the strongest selling tools.

We have placed the below steps together for you as a starting point.

Step 1 : Define the audience for your Style Guide. Is this for staff to work in-house or is this for suppliers and contractors to refer to?

Step 2 : Outline what your output uses are. This is important because you will require different logos and file formats for example, black and white publication adverts in comparison to vehicle graphics.

Step 3 : Define the tone for the copy and content required. For example you may needcopy rules for printed content and then copy rules for website content.

Content rules cover all punctuation rules and how to specify to the business and team.

Step 4 : Assure you layout all the design templates so it is clear how and where the logo and branding lies on all the different pieces of collateral that may be reproduced.

Step 5 : Make certain to take into account any contributing logos or logos of business that are linked with you. It’s also important that you send a copy of the layout to these companies to guarantee they accept the layout of their logo as they too may have their own Style Guide and hierarchy layout rules.

Step 6 : Make certain that grammar, spelling and contact details are correct.

Step 7 : Assure that when suppliers are using the Style Guide they understand~know~discern~apprehend} that a proof needs to be dispatched~sent~mailed~commissioned}to you to be confirmed as correct.

Have your Style Guide finished and as tight as possible. Then have it saved in an email friendly file format and have a couple printed. Once this is done we strongly advocate a training session – whereby your design studio comes in and trains your staff on how to utilize the Style Guide and most importantly your brand.

For graphic design Brisbane, logo design Brisbane and web design Brisbane, contact Bydaughters today. We help your brand build business.


Projectors: LCD Verses DLP (The downfall of DLP technology)

Posted: July 19th, 2010 | Author: squadron | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | No Comments »

The common question heard when purchasing a new projector for the home, office, or classroom is: do I buy an LCD projector or a DLP projector? LCD, which stands for ‘liquid crystal device’ and DLP, standing for ‘digital light processing’ are the two most popular projector imaging technologies. With so many business brands and different models available, it can be confusing for consumers to decide between those technologies. It comes down to the fact that LCD projectors give far better image quality and colour accuracy. The article below will explain why DLP projectors struggle with projecting a comparable level of image quality.

Think of a set of blinds in your room covering your bedroom window. By twisting a rod you can turn the shutters open or closed, according to if you want to let light in or not. And such is exactly how an LCD projector works. Each pixel works like its own shutter on a set of blinds to either allow light through or to block it. DLP on the other hand is created of millions of microscopic mirrors or ‘pixel elements’ as the pros like to call them. Each pixel element operates to either reflect light or block it.

How the light source is processed from the time the projector switches on to when the content reaches your screen is absolutely important for image quality, brightness and colour accuracy. LCD projectors process white light from the lamp by cutting it into red, blue and green components, by three mirrors which direct the coloured light to 3 individual LCD panels. The 3 LCD panels make the elements of the image by switching each pixel on and off. The pixels are then meshed in a glass prism to send the projector image. An important point to know about LCD projectors is that all three colours are sent onto your projector screen simultaneously. The way a DLP projector functions is very different and even the produced image shows up is not the same. With DLP, white light from the lamp is sent through a spinning colour wheel with transparent red, blue and green segments, at speeds up to 11,000 rpm/s. This method of forming an image forms a sequence of red, blue and green light. The millions of micro mirrors mentioned above reflect the coloured light on the pixels to form the image elements. The elements of the image are cast in sequence on the screen, one colour at a time. The viewer’s eyes will then put together each coloured element of the image into a single total image. With LCD projectors, all colours are available all the time to offer the highest brightness and fantastic colour accuracy. In DLP, just one colour is available at once, resulting in lower colour brightness and accuracy. Some DLP designers have added a white segment for the colour wheel to improve overall brightness, but this goes and detracts from colour accuracy.

I see in forums all the time that DLP gives a higher contrast ratio and ergo must be superior quality. For those unaware, the contrast ratio is a measure of a display system defined as the ratio of the luminance of the brightest white to that of the darkest black that the technology is capable of producing. DLP projectors do possess high contrast specifications compared to many LCD projectors. At one glance, this appears to be a plus, however, in truth, the true black level is determined by the ambient light in the room when the projector is being utilised. Do not be tricked by contrast specifications on websites and in brochures.

When the content you are trying to bring to life includes moving images, DLP projection technology also creates image imperfections, or ‘artifacts’. The most commonplace artifact that a DLP projector creates with moving images is colour break up. Colour break up is inherent in DLP systems because moving images change between the time red, blue and green colours are displayed. LCD projectors do not have this downside because all colours are projected simultaneously. DLP builders have created 3DLP solutions using 3 chips to fix the colour break up artifacts, but the price of these projectors make them hardly practical for the majority of businesses and consumers.

Another difference between LCD and DLP is how they make up for the refractive qualities of light. Take yourself back to high school science, and remember when they taught you how the various colours of light refract different amounts when projected through the same lens. The problem with DLP projectors is that they have the one same panel with the same lens to project Red, Blue and Green. All 3 colours are different and refract light differently. Generally with a DLP projector, an extra yellow colour will come through above and an extra blue will show below an image as simple as a single black line. In manufacturing LCD projectors can be fixed to minimize these effects on the projected image, because each colour is projected on a separate LCD panels.

The one veritable plus (excluding price) with buying a DLP projector is its smaller total size and weight. However, this is only relevant for transport and needs to be traded off against the image superiority of LCD projectors. If resulting picture quality is crucial to you, then the decision is simple. Go with an LCD projector! LCD projectors will consistently make bright, colourful images with fewer image mistakes. If you need to learn more about LCD technology in more detail, have a gander at this tremendous resource website: Explore 3LCD. If you have any additional questions, get onto Projector Central and send me an email.

Jonathan King is the sales and marketing manager with Projector Central, Australia’s number one online shop for projectors. Brisbane based, Projector Central has been servicing Australia for 15 years. For data projectors in Brisbane and Interactive Whiteboards, contact Projector Central today.


Yachting and Yacht Clubs

Posted: July 16th, 2010 | Author: squadron | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | No Comments »

As the Dutch found preeminence in sea power during the 17th century, the initial yacht became a leisure craft used first by royalty and later by the burghers for the canals and then in the protected and unprotected waters of the Low Countries. Racing yachts was incidental, arising as private games. English yachting started with King Charles II of England during his exile in the Low Countries. On his return to the English royalty in 1660, the city of Amsterdam sent him a 20-metre (66-foot) leisure boat with a beam (maximum width) of 5.6 m (18 feet), which he called Mary. Charles and his brother James, the duke of York (James II, reigned 1685–88), built more yachts and in 1662 raced two of them from the Thames, from Greenwich, to Gravesend, and returning, on a £100 bet. Yachting rose as classy with the affluent and nobility, but after that time the habit did not last.

The first yacht club in the British Isles, the Water Club, was started in about 1720 at Cork, Ire., as a cruising and unofficial coast guard association, and held great naval panoply and gravity. The closest thing to racing was the “chase,” when the “fleet” pursued an imaginary enemy. The club endured, mostly as a social club, until 1765, and in 1828, by merging with other societies, it was known as the Cork Yacht Club (later the Royal Cork Yacht Club).

Yacht racing was seen in some ordered fashion on the Thames about the mid-18th century. The duke of Cumberland founded the Cumberland Fleet for Thames racing in 1775. When George IV came to the throne in 1820, it was named the Fleet to His Majesty’s Coronation Sailing Society. The Thames Yacht Club seceded following a racing fight, to become the Royal Thames Yacht Club in 1830. The first English yacht society had been formed at Cowes on the Isle of Wight in 1815, and royal funding made the Solent – the strait between the mainland and the Isle of Wight – the continued setting of British yacht racing. The club at Cowes became the Royal Yachting Club, also at the ascension of George IV. Each member was required to have boats of at least 20 tons (20,321 kg). Sailing tests for large bids were held, and the club life was splendid. Eventually Royal Yachting Club boats increased in size to over 350 tons.

In North America, yachting began with the Dutch in New York in the 17th century and continued when the English held dominance. Sailing was for the most part for pleasure and rose to its epitome in George Crowinshield’s Cleopatra’s Barge (1815), which traveled on the Mediterranean Sea and established a standard of luxury and sophistication for the later yachts in the area from the late 19th century. The first continuing American yacht club, the Detroit Boat Club, was started in 1839. In 1844, John C. Stevens founded the New York Yacht Club while on board his schooner Gimcrack.

Kinds of sailboats
The first sailing yachts were within the lines of such naval craft as brigantines, schooners, and cutters from the 17th century until the latter half of the 19th century. The design of sizeable yachts was originally largely put upon by the success of America, which was drawn by George Steers for a syndicate started by John C. Stevens, and it was the boat for which the America’s Cup (q.v.) found its namesake after its win at Cowes in 1851. The first yachts were not designed and crafted in a contemporary sense, with just a model used. Not until the latter half of the 19th century did what was called naval architecture come into action. Not until the 1920s did the employment of the research of aerodynamics do for the design of sails and rigging what it had already done for hulls.

Because nearly all sailboats were individually custom-built, there arose a desire for handicapping boats before the one-design class boats were made. Therefore, a rating rule was written, which resulted in the International Rule, adopted in 1906 and edited in 1919. Today, one of the fastest flourishing areas in the sailing industry is that of one-design class boats. All boats in a one-design class are built to standard dimensions in length, beam, sail area, and other elements (for an example of a two-person sailboat, see illustration). Racing between those boats can be done on an even keel with no handicapping necessary. A prime example is the standard International America’s Cup Class taken on for racers in the 1992 America’s Cup race.

For the time that yachting belonged largely for the nobility and the rich, expense was no issue, and the size of boats developed, in both length and weight. The promotion and popularity of smaller craft came in the later half of the 19th century in the sailing of the Englishmen R.T. McMullen, a stockbroker, and E.F. Knight, a barrister and journalist. A journey around the world (1895–98) led single-handedly by the naturalized American captain Joshua Slocum in the 11.3-metre Spray proved the value of small yachts. Later in the 20th century, notably after World War II, smaller racing and leisure craft became more popular, down to the dinghy, a preferred training boat, of 3.7 m. In the late 20th century, boats of less than 3 m were sailed single-handedly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Kinds of power yachts
Following the decade 1840–50, at which point steam began to take the place of sail power in public vessels, the steam engine, and later the internal-combustion engine, were increasingly employed in personal vessels. Large power yachts were furthered to a high degree, and long-distance travel was a fond pastime of the affluent. The early power yachts were paddle-wheel boats; these then gave rise to boats powered by the fully submerged screw or propeller kind of propulsion. Like naval and merchant yachts, auxiliaries possessing both sail and power were the yacht archetype for a number of years. By the second half of the 20th century, a lot of yachts were still auxiliaries, but the larger part were exclusively power yachts that had gasoline or diesel engines.

During the last decade of the 19th century there was a boom in the manufacture of more sizeable steam yachts. In particular within these was the Mayflower (1897) of 2,690 tons, with triple-expansion engines, twin screws, and a compartmented iron hull, and was manned by a crew of at least 150. The Mayflower, bought by the United States Navy in 1898, was the official yacht of the president of the United States until 1929 and saw active service during World War II.

As bigger and more reliable internal-combustion engines were created, many bigger craft were using them for power. The establishment of the diesel engine, using heavy oil for fuel, progressed during World War I. From the decade following that, large power-yacht creation flourished, climaxing in the Orion (1930) at 3,097 tons. From that time the largest auxiliary yacht manufactured was the four-masted, steel, barque-rigged Sea Cloud (1931) of 2,323 tons.

The manufacture of bigger power craft fell away from 1932, and the fashion thereafter was in preference of smaller, less expensive yachts. From World War II, many small naval vessels were bought by private owners for conversion to yachts. By the late 20th century, yachting has become a widespread loved activity enjoyed by thousands of yachtsmen individually manning and upkeeping their own small pleasure yachts. The number of boats and sailors has increased steadily, not only in the traditional areas by the seacoasts but also on inland waterways and lakes.

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Proportional, Progressive, and Regressive taxes

Posted: July 8th, 2010 | Author: squadron | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , | No Comments »

Taxes are differentiated by the effect they have on the placement of income and wealth. A proportional tax is one that impinges the same relative burden on each taxpayer—i.e., in the case where tax liability and income move in relative levels. A progressive tax is recognised by a higher than proportional growth in the tax onus in regard to the growth in income, and a regressive tax is characterized by a less than proportional growth in the related liability. Hence, progressive taxes are thought of as removing a lack of equality in income distribution, but regressive taxes may have the result of increasing these inequalities.

The taxes that are usually considered progressive include individual income taxes and estate taxes. Income taxes that are initially progressive, however, might become less so in the upper-income class—in particular if a taxpayer is permitted to lessen his tax base by nominating deductions or by taking particular income components from his taxable income. Proportional tax rates when applied to lower-income classes would also be more progressive if such personal exemptions are declared.

Income measured over the period of a given year might not necessarily give the most accurate measure of taxpaying ability. For example, transitory growth in income can be saved, and during temporary declines in income a taxpayer could select to pay for consumption by taking from savings. Thus, if taxation is compared with “permanent income,” it can be less regressive (or more progressive) than when made comparable with annual income.

Sales taxes and excises (except luxuries) tend to be regressive, because the spread of one’s income consumed or spent for a specific good declines as the level of personal income increases. Poll taxes (aka head taxes), calculated as a fixed amount per capita, patently are regressive.

It is difficult to classify corporate income taxes and taxes on business as progressive, regressive, or proportionate, due to uncertainty regarding the ability of businesses to shift their tax expenses (see below Shifting and incidence). This difficulty of dictating who bears the tax burden rests for the most part on whether a national or a subnational (that is, provincial or state) tax is being debated.

In considering the economic effect of taxation, it is relevant to differentiate between various ideas of tax rates. The statutory rates include those specified in the legislation; commonly these are marginal rates, but occasionally they are median rates. Marginal income tax rates indicate the fraction of incremental income that is taken by taxation when income is increased by one dollar. Hence, if tax burden rises by 45 cents when income increases by one dollar, the marginal tax rate is 45 percent. Income tax legislation often contain graduated marginal rates—i.e., rates that rise as income grows. Structured analysis of marginal tax rates must consider provisions in addition to the formal statutory rate structure. If, for example, a particular tax credit (reduction in tax) declines by 20 cents for each one-dollar growth in income, the marginal rate is 20 percentage points greater than specified by the statutory rates. Since marginal rates signify how after-tax income changes in response to changes in before-tax income, they are the important ones for regarding incentive effects of taxation. It is even more complicated to understand the marginal effective tax rate applicable to income from business and capital, because it may rely on factors such as the structure of depreciation allowances, the deductibility of interest, and the provisions for inflation adjustment. A basic economic theorem holds that the marginal effective tax rate in income from capital is nothing under a consumption-based tax.

Average income tax rates determine the part of total income that is demanded in taxation. The pattern of average rates is the one that is relevant for appraising the distributional equity of taxation. Under a progressive income tax the average income tax rate increases with income. Average income tax rates generally increase with income, both because personal allowances are allowed for the taxpayer and dependents and also due to that marginal tax rates are graduated; on the other side of things, preferential treatment of income received mostly by high-income households can dwarf these effects, producing regressivity, as displayed by average tax rates that lower as income grows.

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