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 highly qualified expert who has experience in planning, designing and the construction of buildings and the oversight of construction projects.

Also, one is not considered an architect until he or she has properly passed all the necessary education 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 project. These ideas form the planning stage of the project and can take months to finalise.

The reason why architects are so crucial to the success of any building plan is simple: they can put your ideas into a feasible and plausible reality. If you have great ambitions for your home or place of 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 thought out, 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 confused by by all the small technical details. All you have to be concerned about is if whether or not the building is coming along according to the plans originally devised with the help of the architect.

The architect is also very helpful before the actual construction. 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, tendering 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 professional to take charge of planning and designing the building or dwelling as well as provide the necessary feedback and support throughout the entire project.

Hiring 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 use 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 used when you want to make a spectacular 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 different 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 informationabout 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 astounding, 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 rudimentry
and your budget may be low. Look for cheap tents that offers a waterproof Polyester roof and a solid warranty for under $600.

If you need a tent for a school or sports club you will need a selection 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 cost a little more.

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

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 have an unprofessional 24 hour carpet cleaner show up to repair your water damaged carpets. These are the cautions you have to be wary of:

Overcharging. An unprofessional water restoration carpet cleaner may build the job up with extra inclusions. E.g. using dehumidification on the flooded carpets isn’t always needed.

Correct equipment. They might use equipment from hire businesses to dry the carpet. This is acceptable, but an experienced water damage cleaner will have all their equipment to provide a faster response and hopefully a better value job.

Moisture metre. If they don’t have the correct moisture meter, they won’t be able to tell when the carpet is dry. This furthers the potential of future mould. Mould removal may be required.

They are not Specialised. There are many “Carpet Cleaners” in this industry who do restoration jobs on the “side.” i.e. they do not complete this sort of work everyday. Be aware of it. Repairing carpets is an art. Taking carpet off the gripper strips then reinstalling them must be completed by a professional, otherwise the carpet can be permanently damaged.

You could be asking, how do I find a professional Flood Restoration professional? Below I have listed some things to look out for when you call around for a carpet flood damage business:

How big is their Yellow Pages ad: This can indicate how much repair work they are doing already. A full-size Yellow Pages advertisement can cost around $50 000. So if they have invested in a big ad, you get some assurance that they are established.

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

What Qualifications do they have? The fundamental qualification they need is a IICRC qualification about Applied Structural Drying and Water Damage Restoration.

Do Insurance companies source them for their water damage jobs? This is a great indicator. If insurance companies source them, the business is probably going to be good at their work. Insurance companies often use the companies that provide them the top value for the fee.

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

What kind of commitment can you get with them by calling? Ask if you can pin them down to a fee for water extraction, water removal and initial inspection. If they won’t give you a price for this only, you know they are not interested in serving you, so move on.

Response Time – Our Water Damage business based in Brisbane is committed to a 59 minute response time for water damage emergency. The business needs to be attended to ASAP. Mould can come in a 24 hour period.

If you focus on these tips you are sure to locate 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 regularly asked by clients if podiatry would be a good career for a school leaver to consider . There are many things to recommend a career in podiatry including:

  • You can be self employed: This is a opportunity that is increasingly being denied to other health care providers such as optometrists and even General Practitioners . 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 face litigation . The nature of podiatry practice does not lend itself to accidentally harming one’s patients. Also, you never have to give your clients the bad news that their condition will be terminal.
  • Working Hours: Emergency call outs are very unlikely. This is welcome 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 rewarding things about a career as a podiatrist is the instant gratification! People come in with pain and leave happy. You will experience 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 allow you a lot of opportunity to help relieve the suffering of your fellow human beings.
  • Self – Determination: Podiatry affords 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 works under the direction of a doctor.
  • Clear Job roles: The only people who can hold themselves out to be a podiatrist are those with a podiatry degree . The clear roles that this defines relieves the need to find your ‘niche’ after university – as someone with a more generic Bachelor of Science degree might need to do.
  • Like to travel? There are many places across the world that do not make their own podiatrists including Tasmania, the Northern Territory, all of Asia and all of the Middle East. If you want to see the world, Australian podiatrists can gain employment in any Commonwealth country and are particularly in demand in Singapore, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and other far flung fields.
  • Variety: In any given day, a podiatrist will see a great range of complaints. There may be an ingrown toenail or two, a painful corn, a sports injury, some lower back pain and at least a couple of painful plantar fascias. The essence of being a good podiatrist is to be an effective problem solver. Every patient is an individual with a unique condition requiring a well considered solution.

How do you become a qualified as a podiatrist ?

To qualify as a podiatrist necessitates) a four year Bachelor of Health Science degree course {available at 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 control of getting your site established by a developer and understand the process it will save you money and attain you a site that actually works the intended purpose!

1. Comprehending your business and how you are currently established in your market.
In order to author a site that truly meets your requirements; you first need to have a full understanding of your business including your products, and/or services and more importantly their market position. You then have to acknowledge 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 loaded 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 construct a good profile and identify not only what type of site to actualize 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 confer them in the beginning the more time you will save everybody in the long run by achieving 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 created, the developers will more than likely take 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 kept 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 essential later on in not only interacting with the reader but for Search Engine Optimisation.
One last tip for content; provide a decent amount of content but formulate it in a way that a reader may accomplish a summary of what you are trying to present 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 operate on another site they have developed or an example site they may have. it is essential that you know that you can use and understand 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 operates 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 available to download on the internet for free!

7. Launch – going live
When the developers are ready to bring your site live make sure you have completed the above testing step until you are content 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 imperative step to creating a business. It is the face of your business. And like your face represents 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 created the original logo for them and so incur costs to have it recreated. This is needless and may cause complications when trying to replecate the logo exactly as done 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 obstacles.

Tip 1
First things first – you need to decide if you would like your logo to have an accompanying icon. It is hinted that if your service or product name is not in your business name then perhaps an icon will help in getting 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 searching for a more illustrative finish without losing recognition.

A excellent example of this is the well-known and executed Nike logo.

Tip 2
Colour can be an essential decision as it not only could influence the output costs but can also hinder your output use. Consider 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 confirm that it includes all the files required for the different printing formats.

Creative software updates frequently and some programmes become obsolete. Confirm 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 accomplish. 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
Make sure 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
legible.

Tip 7
Confirm that you accept 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 accept 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 graphic design Brisbane 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 sent business cards to print and procured yet another version of your corporate colour? Ever been excited to see your advert in the latest newspaper and then caught that the crucial tag line is nowhere to be found or your logo has been wrecked.

There is only one way to prevent this from happening and that is to create a style guide. Not only will a style guide help you oversee the reproduction of your logo – it will also help you reinforce 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 : Mark 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 : Mark what your output uses are. This is important because you will need 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 requirecopy rules for printed content and then copy rules for website content.

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

Step 4 : Ensure 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 reprinted.

Step 5 : Make sure to accommodate any contributing logos or logos of business that are correlated with you. It’s also important that you mail a copy of the layout to these companies to insure they accept the layout of their logo as they too may have their own Style Guide and hierarchy layout rules.

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

Step 7 : Make certain 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 affirmed as correct.

Make your Style Guide completed and as secure as possible. Then have it saved in an email friendly file format and have a couple printed. Once this is done we strongly suggest a training session – whereby your design studio arrives and trains your staff on how to put to work 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 that is asked when looking for a new projector for the home, office, or classroom is: do I purchase an LCD projector or a DLP projector? LCD, an acronym for ‘liquid crystal device’ and DLP, short for ‘digital light processing’ are the two most popular projector imaging technologies. With so many company brands and different types available, it can be difficult for clients to choose between those technologies. The fact is that LCD projectors provide far better image quality and colour accuracy. The following article tells you why DLP projectors struggle with reproducing a similar grade of image quality.

Think of a set of blinds in your household on your bedroom window. By twisting a rod you can make the shutters open or closed, depending on whether you want to let light in or not. Such is exactly how an LCD projector works. Each pixel functions like an individual shutter on a set of blinds to either pass light through or to block it. DLP on the other hand is constructed of millions of microscopic mirrors or ‘pixel elements’ as the pros like to call them. Each pixel element functions to either reflect light or block it.

How the light source is processed from when the projector turns on to when the picture reaches your screen is absolutely important for image quality, brightness and colour accuracy. LCD projectors shine white light from the lamp by separating it into red, blue and green components, by three mirrors which send the coloured light to 3 separate LCD panels. The 3 LCD panels create the elements of the image by processing each pixel on and off. The pixels are then meshed in a glass prism to send the projector image. Something important to know about LCD projectors is that all three colours are sent onto your wall all at once. The way a DLP projector works is totally different and even how an image looks 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 creates a sequence of red, blue and green light. The millions of micro mirrors mentioned above reflect the coloured light on the pixels to create the image elements. The elements of the image are sent in sequence on the screen, one colour at a time. The viewer’s eye will then draw each coloured element of the image into a single total image. Using LCD projectors, all colours are available all the time to deliver the highest brightness and great colour accuracy. In DLP, only one colour is available at once, and so causing lower colour brightness and accuracy. Some developers have put a white segment for the colour wheel to improve general brightness, but this further damages colour accuracy.

I find in forums all the time that DLP gives a higher contrast ratio and thus must be superior. For those uncertain, 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 machine is able to produce. DLP projectors do possess high contrast specifications when compared to a majority of LCD projectors. Initially, this can seem to be a benefit, however, in truth, the true black level is determined by the ambient light in the room in which the projector is utilised. Do not be fooled by contrast specifications on websites and in brochures.

When the content you plan to bring to life has moving images, DLP projection technology also creates image imperfections, or ‘artifacts’. The most common artifact that a DLP projector displays with moving images is colour break up. Colour break up is incontrovertible in DLP systems because moving images keep changing between the time red, blue and green colours are projected. LCD projectors do not have this characteristic because all the colours are projected at once. DLP manufacturers have formed 3DLP solutions using 3 chips to answer the colour break up problem, but the price tag of these projectors make them almost impossible for most businesses and consumers.

Another point of difference between LCD and DLP is how they match the balance for the refractive qualities of light. Think back to high school science, and recall how the different colours of light refract differing amounts when directed through the same lens. The problem with DLP projectors is that they have the one same panel and the same lens to project Red, Blue and Green. All 3 colours are not the same and refract light at different levels. Often with a DLP projector, some extra yellow colour will appear above and an extra blue will appear below something as simple as a lone black line. In building LCD projectors can be adapted to reduce these effects on the projected image, because each colour is refracted on a separate LCD panels.

The sole true plus (excluding price) with picking a DLP projector is its smaller size and weight. However, this is only relevant for transport and needs to be traded off against the image benefits of LCD projectors. If overall picture quality is vital to you, then the choice is easy. Choose an LCD projector! LCD projectors will constantly produce bright, colourful images with fewer image errors. If you want to ask more about LCD technology in more detail, have a gander at this tremendous resource website: Explore 3LCD. If you have any further questions, get onto Projector Central and send me an email.

Jonathan King is the sales and marketing manager at Projector Central, Australia’s top online store for projectors. Brisbane-based, Projector Central has been serving 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 rose to dominance in sea power during the 17th century, the first yacht had been a pleasure craft used initially by royalty and later by the burghers for the canals and the protected and unprotected waters of the Low Countries. Racing yachts was incidental, arising as private challenges. English yachting began with King Charles II of England during his exile in the Low Countries. On his restoration to the English monarchy 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 named Mary. Charles and his brother James, the duke of York (James II, reigned 1685–88), ordered for additional yachts and in 1662 raced two of them from the Thames, from Greenwich, to Gravesend, and back, on a £100 wager. Yachting was found to be popular among the affluent and aristocracy, but after that time the trend did not last.

The first yacht association in the British Isles, the Water Club, was instigated in about 1720 at Cork, Ire., as a cruising and unofficial coast guard association, with great naval panoply and formality. The closest thing to a race was the “chase,” for which the “fleet” pursued an imagined enemy. The club endured, mostly as a social club, until 1765, and in 1828, after conglomerating with other groups, it became known as the Cork Yacht Club (later the Royal Cork Yacht Club).

Yacht racing began in some organized manner 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 came to be 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 group 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 perpetual site of British yacht racing. The club at Cowes became the Royal Yachting Club, also at the ascension of George IV. Every member was required to own boats of at least 20 tons (20,321 kg). Sailing matches for high bets were held, and the society life was superlative. It came to be that the Royal Yachting Club boats were raised in size to over 350 tons.

In North America, yachting started with the Dutch in New York in the 17th century and went on when the English had power. Sailing was mostly for pleasure and rose to its epitome in George Crowinshield’s Cleopatra’s Barge (1815), which traveled on the Mediterranean Sea and established a minimum of luxury and sophistication for the later yachts in the area from the late 19th century. The first persisting American yacht club, the Detroit Boat Club, was started in 1839. In 1844, John C. Stevens instigated the New York Yacht Club while aboard his schooner Gimcrack.

Kinds of sailboats
The first sailing yachts took the design of such naval craft as brigantines, schooners, and cutters from the 17th century through to the latter half of the 19th century. The craft of large 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 manufactured in today’s sense, with merely a model used. Not until the later 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 structure of sails and rigging what such study had done earlier for hulls.

Because most of all sailboats had to be individually manufactured, there came a desire for handicapping boats previous to the one-design class boats were designed. Thus, a rating rule was created, which resulted in the International Rule, accepted in 1906 and edited in 1919. In modern times, one of the rapidly blossoming areas in sailing is that of one-design class boats. All boats in a one-design class are created to standard dimensions in length, beam, sail area, and other areas (for an example of a two-person sailboat, see illustration). Racing between these boats can be had on an even playing field with no handicapping required. A great example is the standard International America’s Cup Class adopted for yachts in the 1992 America’s Cup race.

As long as yachting was done primarily for the aristocracy and the affluent, money was no issue, and the size of boats increased, in both length and weight. The promotion and preference of smaller yachts occurred in the later half of the 19th century out of 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) sailed single-handedly by the naturalized American captain Joshua Slocum in the 11.3-metre Spray proved the seaworthiness of less sizeable boats. Thereafter in the 20th century, notably after World War II, smaller racing and pleasure yachts became more common, down to the dinghy, a popular training boat, of 3.7 m. In the late 20th century, boats of less than 3 m were setting sail single-handedly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Kinds of power yachts
Following the decade 1840–50, when steam began to take the place of sail power in commercial craft, the steam engine, and later the internal-combustion engine, were increasingly employed in leisure craft. Bigger power yachts were progressed to a high element, and long-distance travel was a favourite activity of the well off. The early power yachts were paddle-wheel boats; those then gave way to those powered by the completely submerged screw or propeller type of propulsion. Like naval and merchant yachts, auxiliaries carrying both sail and power were the yacht standard for a number of years. By the later half of the 20th century, many yachts were still auxiliaries, but the majority were solely power yachts containing gasoline or diesel engines.

During the last decade of the 19th century there was a push in the manufacture of large steam yachts. Notably within these was the Mayflower (1897) of 2,690 tons, that had triple-expansion engines, twin screws, and a compartmented iron hull, and was sailed by a crew of at least 150. The Mayflower, commissioned by the United States Navy in 1898, was the official yacht of the president of the United States until 1929 and was used in active service for World War II.

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

The construction of larger power boats declined from 1932, and the trend from then was for smaller, less costly yachts. After World War II, lots of small naval boats were sold to private owners for conversion to yachts. By the late 20th century, yachting had become a globally popular sport enjoyed by thousands of yachtsmen individually owning and keeping their own small leisure boats. The number of boats and yachtsmen increased steadily, not only in the traditional areas along the sea 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 distinguished by the effect they have on the allocation of income and wealth. A proportional tax is a kind that applies the same relative onus on all taxpayers—i.e., when tax liability and income move in equal proportion. A progressive tax is characterizable by a larger than proportional growth in the tax onus in relation to the growth in income, and a regressive tax is characterizable by a less than proportional increase in the related liability. So, progressive taxes are regarded as fighting inequalities in income distribution, but regressive taxes may have the effect of increasing these inequalities.

The taxes that are generally thought to be progressive include individual income taxes and estate taxes. Income taxes that are initially progressive, however, can become less so within the upper-income demographic—in particular if a taxpayer is allowed to reduce his tax base by declaring deductions or by removing some income elements from his taxable income. Proportional tax rates when applied to lower-income demographics will also be more progressive if exemptions of a personal nature are declared.

Income measured over the course of a given period might not definitely offer the most suitable measure of taxpaying status. For example, transitory rises in income can be saved, and in temporary declines in income a taxpayer could opt to finance consumption by reducing savings. Thus, if taxation is held in comparison along with “permanent income,” it will be less regressive (or more progressive) than if made comparable with annual income.

Sales taxes and excises (save on luxuries) tend to be regressive, because the spread of individual income consumed or spent on specific goods lowers as the level of personal income increases. Poll taxes (also called head taxes), calculated as a fixed amount per capita, patently are regressive.

It is difficult to determine corporate income taxes and taxes on business as progressive, regressive, or proportionate, principally due to a lack of certainty regarding the ability of businesses to shift their tax expenses (see below Shifting and incidence). This difficulty of deciding 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 decided.

In analysing the economic effect of taxation, it is essential to differentiate between several points of tax rates. The statutory rates are those nominated in law; generally speaking these are marginal rates, but for some cases they are median rates. Marginal income tax rates signify the fraction of incremental income demanded by taxation when income is increased by one dollar. Ergo, if tax onus rises by 45 cents when income grows by one dollar, the marginal tax rate is 45 percent. Income tax regulations commonly contain graduated marginal rates—i.e., rates that rise as income increases. Careful analysis of marginal tax rates should regard provisions in addition to the formal statutory rate structure. If, for example, a particular tax credit (reduction in tax) falls by 20 cents for each one-dollar growth in income, the marginal rate is 20 percentage points greater than indicated in the statutory rates. Since marginal rates specify how after-tax income moves in response to changes in before-tax income, they are the appropriate ones for regarding incentive effects of taxation. It is even more complicated to know the marginal effective tax rate applicable to income from business and capital, as it may be dependant on considerations including the structure of depreciation allowances, the deductibility of interest, and the provisions for inflation adjustment. A basic economic theorem determines that the marginal effective tax rate in income from capital is zero under a consumption-based tax.

Average income tax rates show the portion of total income that is demanded in taxation. The pattern of average rates is the one that is in consideration for appraising the distributional equity of taxation. Under a progressive income tax the average income tax rate increases with income. Average income tax rates usually increase with income, both because personal allowances are granted for the taxpayer and dependents and also because marginal tax rates are graduated; on the flip side, preferential treatment of income received mostly by high-income households could dampen these effects, forcing regressivity, as indicated by average tax rates that lower as income grows.

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