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 professional 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 courses and accredited programs to procure a license in order to practice architecture. When practicing architecture, the architect can have freedom 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 important 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 considered, 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 the plans originally devised 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 professional to take carriage 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 hindrances 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 daring 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 spectacular
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 entertaining 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 fundamental
and your budget may be tight. 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 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 key need for these buyers is a prominent and identical reproduction of their logo. Sign written or printed Tents can be as dull as a website address or they can be a design masterpiece.

Remember, if it is for commercial purposes, the aim is to build recognition 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 let a novice 24 hour carpet cleaner attempt to repair your carpets damaged by water. These are the cautions you need to be careful of:

Overcharging. An inexperienced water restoration technician may build the job up with superfluous extras. E.g. using dehumidification for drying the flooded carpets may not be needed.

Not using the correct equipment. They sometimes hire equipment from hire businesses to dry the carpet. This is all right, but a professional water damage technician will possess all their equipment so they provide a quicker response and hopefully a better value job.

Does not have a proper moisture metre. If they don’t have the correct moisture meter, they cannot see if the carpet is dry. This increases the problem of mould growth in the future. Removal of this would then be required.

Specialised. There are a lot of “Carpet Cleaners” in this industry who do water damage work on the “side.” i.e. they aren’t those who deal with this sort of task often. Be aware of this. Fixing carpets is an art. Removing and repairing and reinstalling the carpet needs to be done by a professional, otherwise it can be damaged irrepairably.

You might be wondering, how do I locate a good Flood Restoration professional? Below I have set out some pointers to check for when you call around for a carpet flood damage business:

How big is their Yellow Pages ad slot: This can be an indication as to how much business they get already. A full-size Yellow Pages ad slot can cost about $50 000. So if they have got a big ad, you can have some assurance that they are established.

Where do they show in Google? The higher they are in Google, the more click-ins there has been for this business.

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

Do Insurance companies use them for their own water damage jobs? This is a better indicator. If insurance companies hire them, the business is bound to be superb at their work. Insurance companies will tend to use the providers that give them the top value for their client’s money.

What kind of Equipment do they have? They should own at least 100 Air movers. If they possess this many, this could indicate they have been going for some time. It took our business 8 years to acquire that many wet carpet drying air movers.

What type of commitment can you get with them through a phone call? See if you can pin them down to a fee for water extraction, water removal and initial inspection. If they won’t give you a rate for this only, you know they are not interested in serving you, so move on.

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

If you focus on these tips you are sure to find a Flood Damage Restoration professional who knows how to do the job right.

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 frequently asked by clients 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 face malpractice suits. The nature of podiatry practice does not lend itself to accidentally harming one’s patients. Also, you never have to give your patients 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 dentist or medical practitioner, the salary is generally commensurate with other allied health providers.
  • Instant Gratification: One of the most fulfilling aspects of 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 more pleasant when people leave you smiling.
  • Philanthropy: Podiatry will provide you a lot of opportunity to help eliminate the suffering of your fellow human beings.
  • Self – Determination: Podiatry provides a clinician 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 work as a podiatrist are those with a podiatry degree . The clear roles that this defines relieves the requirement to find your ‘niche’ after university – as someone with a more generic Bachelor of Science degree might need to do.
  • Do you like to travel? There are many places in 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 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 huge range of complaints. There may be an ingrown toenail or two, an excruciating corn, a sporting injury, some sacroiliac pain and at least a couple of painful plantar fascias. The essence of being a good podiatrist is to be a great problem solver. Each patient is an individual with a unique problem requiring a well considered solution.

How do you train as a podiatrist ?

To qualify as a podiatrist provided by 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 know the process it will save you money and get you a site that actually works the intended purpose!

1. Understanding your business and how you are currently positioned in your market.
In order to author a site that truly meets your requirements; you first need to have a full comprehension 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 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 construct a good profile and realise not only what type of site to construct for you but your tolerance to colours, animations, layouts etc. for your requirements which will allow for efficient development. The more interaction and information you confer 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 construct the inner page template. It is this template that will be replicated for most of your pages for your site.
Submit your content in a pre-proofed word processed document; don’t get 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 inferred 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 establishing with the reader but for Search Engine Optimisation.
One last tip for content; present a decent amount of content but formulate it in a way that a reader may attain a summary of what you are trying to infer 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. it is essential that you know that you can utilize 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 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 available to download on the internet for free!

7. Launch – going live
When the developers are ready to make your site live 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 crucial step to forming a business. It is the face of your business. And like your face represents the tone of your business, gestures the service and displays 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 redundant and may cause obstacles 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 assist in conveying 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 Nike logo.

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

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

Creative software updates frequently and some programmes become obsolete. Ensure 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 troublesome 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
Assure 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
Make sure that you get 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 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 mailed business cards to print and picked up yet another version of your corporate colour? Ever been thrilled to see your advert in the latest newspaper and then spotted that the crucial tag line is gone or your logo has been squashed.

There is only one way to stop this from happening and that is to create a style guide. Not only will a style guide help you steer the reproduction of your logo – it will also help you bolster 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 : Outline the audience for your Style Guide. Is this for staff to utilize 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 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 attribute to the business and team.

Step 4 : Confirm 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 repeated.

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

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

Step 7 : Make sure 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 established as possible. Then have it saved in an email friendly file format and have a couple printed. Once this is done we strongly advise 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 typical question heard when purchasing a new projector for the home, office, or classroom is: would I buy an LCD projector or a DLP projector? LCD, which stands for ‘liquid crystal device’ and DLP, an acronym for ‘digital light processing’ are the two top projector imaging technologies. With so many brands and types available, it can be difficult for clients to pick between those technologies. The simple fact of the matter is that LCD projectors have far better image quality and colour accuracy. The article below will explain why DLP projectors struggle with reproducing a comparable rate of image quality.

Think of a set of blinds in your room over your bedroom window. With the twist of a rod you can make the shutters open or closed, according to whether you want to let light in or not. This is exactly how an LCD projector behaves. Each pixel operates like its own shutter on a set of blinds to either send light through or to block it. DLP on the other hand is constructed of millions of microscopic mirrors or ‘pixel elements’ as pros like to call them. Each pixel element operates to either reflect light or block it.

How the light source is processed from when the projector switches on to when the content reaches your screen is ultimately important to image quality, brightness and colour accuracy. LCD projectors process white light from the lamp by dividing it into red, blue and green components, by three mirrors which send the coloured light to 3 individual LCD panels. The 3 LCD panels form the elements of the image by processing each pixel on and off. The pixels are then meshed in a glass prism to create the projector image. Something important to realise about LCD projectors is that all three colours are projected onto your projected surface at once. The way a DLP projector operates is very different and even the produced image appears is not the same. With DLP, white light from the lamp is directed through a rotating colour wheel with transparent red, blue and green segments, at speeds up to 11,000 rpm/s. This method of creating an image requires a sequence of red, blue and green light. The millions of micro mirrors described above reflect the coloured light on the pixels to produce the image elements. The elements of the image are sent in sequence on the screen, one colour at a time. The viewer’s eyes will then draw each coloured element of the image into a single full image. In LCD projectors, all colours are available all the time to create the best brightness and great colour accuracy. In DLP, just one colour is available at a time, causing lower colour brightness and accuracy. Some DLP designers have added a white segment in the colour wheel to improve general brightness, but this then detracts from colour accuracy.

I hear in forums all the time that DLP gives a higher contrast ratio and as such must be better quality. For those who are 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. DLP projectors do offer high contrast specifications compared to many LCD projectors. At first glance, this seems to be a benefit, however, in reality, the true black level is determined by the ambient light in the room while 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 forms with moving images is colour break up. Colour break up is to be expected in DLP systems because moving images change position between the time red, blue and green colours are projected. LCD projectors do not have this problem because the colours are projected at once. DLP developers have created 3DLP solutions using 3 chips to solve the colour break up error, but the price tag of these projectors make them almost impossible for the large part of businesses and consumers.

Another point of difference between LCD and DLP is how they compensate for the refractive qualities of light. Remember back to high school science, and they taught you how different colours of light refract various amounts when shone through the same lens. The problem with DLP projectors is that they utilise the one same panel and the same lens to project Red, Blue and Green. All 3 colours are different and refract light in a different way. Usually with a DLP projector, a spill of yellow colour will be projected above and some blue will come through below an image containing something as simple as a single black line. While being built LCD projectors can be adapted to minimize these effects on the projected image, because each colour is processed on isolated LCD panels.

The sole true buy point (excluding price) with choosing a DLP projector is its overall smaller size and weight. However, this is only relevant to mobility and cannot be traded off against the image superiority of LCD projectors. If the result of the picture quality is crucial to you, then the answer is no-brainer. Choose an LCD projector! LCD projectors will definitely create bright, colourful images with fewer image errors. 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 further questions, go to Projector Central and send me an email.

Jonathan King is the sales and marketing manager of Projector Central, Australia’s top online shop for projectors. Brisbane based, Projector Central has serviced 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 came to dominance in sea power during the 17th century, the early yacht was a leisure craft used initially by royalty and secondly by the burghers on the canals as well as the protected and unprotected waters of the Low Countries. Yacht racing was incidental, arising as private games. English yachting began with King Charles II of England during his exile in the Low Countries. On his reaffirmation to the English throne in 1660, the city of Amsterdam presented him with a 20-metre (66-foot) pleasure boat with a beam (maximum width) of 5.6 m (18 feet), which he then named Mary. Charles and his brother James, the duke of York (James II, ruled 1685–88), ordered for more yachts and in 1662 raced two of them from the Thames, from Greenwich, to Gravesend, and returning, on a £100 punt. Yachting became popular for the wealthy and nobility, but after that period the trend did not last.

The first yacht club in the British Isles, the Water Club, was started around about 1720 at Cork, Ire., as a cruising and unofficial coast guard organization, and had large naval panoply and gravity. The closest thing to racing boats was the “chase,” in which the “fleet” pursued an imagined enemy. The club went on, largely as a social club, until 1765, and in 1828, after joining with other groups, it was known as the Cork Yacht Club (later the Royal Cork Yacht Club).

Yacht racing began in some organized method on the Thames around the mid-18th century. The duke of Cumberland founded the Cumberland Fleet for Thames racing in 1775. When George IV came to sovereignty in 1820, it was then known as the Fleet to His Majesty’s Coronation Sailing Society. The Thames Yacht Club seceded following a racing dispute, to become the Royal Thames Yacht Club in 1830. The first English yacht club had been started at Cowes on the Isle of Wight in 1815, and royal sponsorship made the Solent – the strait between the mainland and the Isle of Wight – the continuing setting of British yacht racing. The club at Cowes became the Royal Yachting Club, likewise at the rise of George IV. All members were required to possess boats of at least 20 tons (20,321 kg). Sailing matches for high stakes were held, and the club life was lovely. Ultimately Royal Yachting Club boats grew in size to bigger than 350 tons.

In North America, yachting was first accomplished with the Dutch in New York in the 17th century and went on when the English took power. Sailing was largely for fun and found its epitome in George Crowinshield’s Cleopatra’s Barge (1815), which sailed on the Mediterranean Sea and created a benchmark of luxury and elegance for the later yachts in those waters from the late 19th century. The first continuing American yacht organisation, the Detroit Boat Club, was started in 1839. In 1844, John C. Stevens began the New York Yacht Club aboard his schooner Gimcrack.

Kinds of sailboats
The Early 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 style of large yachts was first heavily put upon by the win of America, which was designed by George Steers for a syndicate started by John C. Stevens, and it was the boat for which the America’s Cup (q.v.) had its namesake after its success at Cowes in 1851. The first yachts were not designed and built in a contemporary sense, with just a model for an outline. Not until the later half of the 19th century did what was called naval architecture come about. Not until the 1920s did the application of the study of aerodynamics do for the design of sails and rigging what it had earlier done for hulls.

Because almost all sailboats had been individually custom-built, there was a need for handicapping boats previous to the one-design class boats were built. Hence, a rating rule came into being, which resulted in the International Rule, taken on in 1906 and amended in 1919. In the present day, one of the rapidly flourishing areas in the sailing industry is that of one-design class boats. All boats in a one-design class are created to the same dimensions in length, beam, sail area, and other areas (for an example of a two-person sailboat, see illustration). Racing between those boats can be done on an even playing field with no handicapping at all. A great example is the standard International America’s Cup Class adopted for yachts in the 1992 America’s Cup race.

So long as yachting was an activity largely for the nobility and the rich, cost was no issue, and the size of boats developed, in both length and weight. The rise and desire of smaller yachts occurred in the second half of the 19th century from the sailing of the Englishmen R.T. McMullen, a stockbroker, and E.F. Knight, a barrister and journalist. A voyage around the world (1895–98) captained single-handedly by the naturalized American captain Joshua Slocum in the 11.3-metre Spray proved the seaworthiness of smaller craft. Following this in the 20th century, notably after World War II, smaller racing and pleasure boats became more popular, down to the dinghy, a popular training boat, of 3.7 m. In the late 20th century, boats of less than 3 m were traveled in single-handedly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Kinds of power yachts
After the decade 1840–50, when steam was set to emulate sail power in public vessels, the steam engine, and later the internal-combustion engine, were favoured increasingly in personal vessels. Sizeable power yachts were furthered to a high standard, and long-distance sailing became a fond occupation of the wealthy. The early power yachts were paddle-wheel boats; they then gave way to those powered by the completely submerged screw or propeller kind of propulsion. As in the case of naval and merchant yachts, auxiliaries carrying both sail and power were the yacht archetype for many years. By the latter half of the 20th century, several yachts were still auxiliaries, but the larger part were solely power yachts that had gasoline or diesel engines.

From the last decade of the 19th century there was a rise in the design of bigger steam yachts. In particular among these was the Mayflower (1897) of 2,690 tons, containing triple-expansion engines, twin screws, and a compartmented iron hull, and was manned by a crew of more than 150. The Mayflower, purchased by the United States Navy in 1898, was the official yacht of the president of the United States until 1929 and saw active service in World War II.

As larger and more dependable internal-combustion engines were developed, many bigger yachts were using them for power. The creation of the diesel engine, with heavy oil for fuel, was furthered during World War I. In the decade following, bigger power-yacht building flourished, climaxing in the Orion (1930) at 3,097 tons. During that point the biggest auxiliary yacht built was the four-masted, steel, barque-rigged Sea Cloud (1931) of 2,323 tons.

The manufacture of large power boats declined from 1932, and the style from then was in preference of smaller, less expensive boats. From World War II, many small naval boats were sold to private owners for conversion to yachts. In the late 20th century, yachting has become a internationally popular sport enjoyed by thousands of yachtsmen personally owning and keeping their own small recreational yachts. The popularity of yachts and yachtsmen increased steadily, not only in the traditional locations along 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 can be categorized by the effect they have on the allocation of income and wealth. A proportional tax is a tax that imposes the same relative onus on every taxpayer—i.e., in the case where tax liability and income increase in the same proportion. A progressive tax is recognisable by a greater than proportional rise in the tax burden in relation to the growth in income, and a regressive tax is recognised by a less than proportional rise in the related burden. Thus, progressive taxes are viewed as removing inequalities in income distribution, whereas regressive taxes are found to have the result of an increase in these inequalities.

The taxes that are usually believed to be progressive include individual income taxes and estate taxes. Income taxes that are declarably progressive, however, may become less so for the upper-income group—especially if a taxpayer is allowed to lessen his tax base by claiming deductions or by excluding some certain income parts from his taxable income. Proportional tax rates which are applied to lower-income classes could also be more progressive if personal exemptions are claimed.

Income measured over the period of a given year may not absolutely provide the most appropriate measure of taxpaying requirement. For example, transitory rises in income could be saved, and within temporary declines in income a taxpayer may elect to pay for consumption by reducing savings. Thus, if taxation is held in comparison with “permanent income,” it should be less regressive (or more progressive) than if it is held in comparison with annual income.

Sales taxes and excises (with the exception of those on luxuries) are mostly regressive, because the portion of own income consumed or spent on a specific good lowers as the level of personal income grows. Poll taxes (aka head taxes), levied as a set amount per capita, patently are regressive.

It is hard to dictate corporate income taxes and taxes on business as progressive, regressive, or proportionate, because of a lack of certainty around 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 decided.

In assessing the economic purpose of taxation, it is essential to differentiate between differing ideas of tax rates. The statutory rates include those nominated in the legislation; generally these are marginal rates, but in some cases they are median rates. Marginal income tax rates indicate the fraction of incremental income that is demanded by taxation when income is increased by one dollar. Ergo, if tax burden grows by 45 cents when income increases by one dollar, the marginal tax rate is 45 percent. Income tax laws often contain graduated marginal rates—i.e., rates that increase as income rises. Heavy analysis of marginal tax rates must 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 rise in income, the marginal rate is 20 percentage points more than indicated in the statutory rates. Since marginal rates display how after-tax income changes in response to changes in before-tax income, they are the appropriate ones for considering incentive effects of taxation. It is even more difficult to realise the marginal effective tax rate applied to income from business and capital, since it may depend on such considerations as the structure of depreciation allowances, the deductibility of interest, and the provisions for inflation adjustment. A basic economic theorem shows 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 paid in taxation. The pattern of average rates is the one that is important for judging the distributional equity of taxation. Under a progressive income tax the average income tax rate rises with income. Average income tax rates usually rise with income, both because personal allowances are granted for the taxpayer and dependents and also because marginal tax rates are graduated; on the other hand, preferential treatment of income received predominantly by high-income households could swamp these effects, allowing regressivity, as signified by average tax rates that lessen as income increases.

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