07 Sep 10 Why You Should Hire an Architect

An architect is a well trained professional who has experience in planning, designing and the construction of buildings and the management 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 concrete reality. If you have great ambitions for your home or business, then an architect can ensure 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 costing of 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 hire 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 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 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 hire 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.

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02 Sep 10 Tents and Marquees

Event Tents, such as wedding tents are for when you want to make a fantastic 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 fantastic
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 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 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 basic
and your budget may be low. Look for cheap tents that offers a waterproof Polyester roof and a good 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 dull as a website address or they can be a design extravaganza.

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 formulating 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.

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23 Aug 10 New Zealand’s Top Holiday Cities

New Zealand has a magnificent array of beautiful landscapes. Like enormous mountain ranges, sweeping coastlines, lush rainforests, deep fiords, snow capped mountains and steaming volcanoes. These panoramic wonders have all made New Zealand an appealing destination for all kinds of holidays.

Awesome travel packages and holiday specials are available on quality accommodation in modern city hotels and luxurious wilderness lodges at discounted prices. Among the top holiday destinations in New Zealand, Queenstown, Christchurch and Auckland would definitely be there. Travel Online is a celebrated online specialist travel operator and provides astounding tourist services for New Zealand. Travel Online provides an instant quote and booking service for accommodation in cities right across the country.

Queenstown
The international resort town of Queenstown is situated on the shoreline of Wakatipu Lake. This beautiful region is among the most picturesque locations on the globe. Throughout the year adventurous and thrilling sports like jet boating, bungy jumping, and white water rafting take place. This town is the epicentre of the entire world’s bungy jumping activities too. With the advent of winter, the town gets transformed to an alpine wonderland with snowboarders and skiers from all corners of the world assembling at the annual Winter Festival.

There is constant request for Queenstown Accommodation all round the year and Travel Online offers a select group of hotels best suited for New Zealand holidays. 1, 2, 3 or 4 bedroom apartments, with modern facilities, gyms, spas and fantastic views are available at various holiday retreats across the city. Larger apartments with more bedrooms, tennis courts, private jetties and fitness centres are also available at a higher price. Luxury complexes with studio rooms in the vicinity of cafes, bars, and restaurants are also found in Travel Online’ Queenstown Accommodation selection.

Christchurch
When choosing a place to stay in Christchurch look for hotels that give views over the attractive Victoria Square, across the mesmerizing Avon River or towards the epochal Anglican Cathedral. Situated on New Zealand’s South Island, this cosmopolitan city is always abuzz with colourful festivals, shopping spots, theaters and art galleries. Hotels overlooking Victoria Square provide visitors with an insight in to the city’s English history.

Individuals accommodated in the vicinity of the Christchurch Cathedral will find hotel rooms with a Manhattan-style feel. Tradition and elegance are everywhere in these hotels along with a keen eye on service excellence. Spacious bedrooms with full-fledged kitchen facilities are common, along with hi-tech conference facilities, resort-like leisure features like spas, saunas, gyms, and swimming pools. Many of these hotels provided by Travel Online are located in the vicinity of the Technology Park, the International Antarctic Centre, and the airport. Travelers who want to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the cosmopolitan life will find suitable accommodation in the radiantcountryside surrounding the city.

Auckland
Auckland, also known as the City of Sails, is situated in between 2 harbors and has more boats per person than anywhere on the planet. Within minutes a person has the chance of sailing away on yachts to isolated nearby islands, living the high life in the casino, surfing at winding beaches or tasting the exotic wines at local vineyards. Hotels come in stylish and comfortable studios, and luxurious executive / marina suites. Travel Online caters to the tastes of corporate and business tourists and can beat any price seen on Auckland accommodation advertised. Auckland harbor is breathtaking, and is seen perfectly from atop Sky City and the surrounding accommodation.

Affordable and comfortable apartments are available for casual tourists, equipped with kitchens, laundries, and balconies to provide a wonderful holidaying experience. Visitors to Auckland adore visiting the Antarctic Encounter, which showcases the only penguins present in the sub-Antarctic region. More encounters include cage-bereft shark dives, scuba expeditions and snorkel safaris. New Zealand is waiting.

Travel Online has a wide range of Queenstown accommodation close to all the snow action and cosmopolitan Christchurch accommodation surrounded by all that theatre and art. For holidays in and around the water, Auckland accommodation is as good as anywhere in the world.

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17 Aug 10 Repairing Flooded Carpet: A cheap job is a good job right? Wrong….

Don’t allow a novice 24 hour carpet cleaner attempt to repair your carpets damaged by water. These are the worries you need to be watchful of:

Overcharging. An inexperienced water restoration carpet cleaner may pack the job up with extra steps. E.g. using dehumidification for the flooded carpets is not needed.

Not having the correct equipment. They can hire equipment from hire businesses to dry the carpet. This is acceptable, but an experienced water damage cleaner will own all their equipment so they can offer a speedy response and hopefully a better value job.

Proper moisture metre. If they don’t have the choice moisture meter, they cannot see whether the carpet is dry enough. This furthers the danger of future mould growth. Removal of this in future may be required.

If they aren’t specialised. There are many “Carpet Cleaners” in this industry who do repair work on the “side.” i.e. they aren’t those who complete this sort of job everyday. Be aware of them. Repairing carpet water damage is an art. Reinstalling carpets on the gripper strips is best to be taken on by a professional, otherwise they can be damaged irrepairably.

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

How large is their Yellow Pages advertisement: This can be an indication as to how much work they are doing already. A full-size Yellow Pages ad slot can cost more than $50 000. If they have invested in a large ad, you have some expectation that they are established.

Where do they rank in Google? The higher the rank in Google, the more webpage clicks there have been for the business.

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

Do Insurance companies source them for their carpet damage jobs? This is a better indicator. If insurance companies source them, the business is very likely to be excellent at their skill. Insurance companies generally use the companies that provide them the top value for their money.

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

What type of commitment can you get from them on a phone call? Try to pin them down to a rate for water extraction, water removal and initial inspection. If they wouldn’t give you a price for this only, you know they are not going to serve you, so move on.

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

If you stick to these tips you are sure to get a Flood Damage Restoration professional who can get the job done 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.

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07 Aug 10 Eight Steps to Great Web Design

Take charge of getting your site established by a developer and understand the process it will save you money and aquire you a site that actually works the intended purpose!

1. Comprehending your business and how you are currently positioned in your market.
In order to create 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 examine 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 attain 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 fast development. The more interaction and information you allow 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 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 repeated for most of your pages for your site.
Present your content in a pre-proofed word processed document; don’t get 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 very important later on in not only interacting with the reader but for Search Engine Optimisation.
One last tip for content; formulate a decent amount of content but formulate it in a way that a reader may achieve 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 use and know 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 created for you. You can guarantee if it is has just been written for you then it will not work 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 bring your site live make sure you have completed 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 discussed 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.

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06 Aug 10 Tips to Creating a New Business Logo

A logo is a essential step to forming a business. It is the face of your business. And like your face expresses the tone of your business, gestures the service and reveals the professionalism or lack there of.

People spend a lot of money on the creation of their logo and walk away with no artwork files. Then a couple months down the track when they require 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 unnecessary and may cause difficulties when trying to recreate the logo exactly as determined 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 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 sighting 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 crucial decision as it not only could change the output costs but can also limit 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
Assure you get a back up disk of your logo as a master file and ensure 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 manage. 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
Assure 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 acquire 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.

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31 Jul 10 How to Create a Style Guide

How many times have you commissioned business cards to print and picked up yet another version of your corporate colour? Ever been enthusiastic to see your advert in the latest newspaper and then caught that the crucial tag line is gone or your logo has been wrecked.

There is only one way to avoid this from happening and that is to use a style guide. Not only will a style guide aid you control 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 : Outline the audience for your Style Guide. Is this for staff to use 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 specify to the business and team.

Step 4 : Make certain you layout all the design templates so it is clear how and where the logo and branding sits on all the different pieces of collateral that may be reprinted.

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

Step 6 : Insure 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 validated as correct.

Get your Style Guide completed 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 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.

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19 Jul 10 Projectors: LCD Verses DLP (The downfall of DLP technology)

The most typical question asked when looking for a new projector for the home, office, or classroom is: should I take an LCD projector or a DLP projector? LCD, short for ‘liquid crystal device’ and DLP, standing for ‘digital light processing’ are the two commonplace projector imaging technologies. With so many business brands and different models available, it can be overwhelming for customers to make a decision between the two technologies. The simple fact of the matter is that LCD projectors offer far better image quality and colour accuracy. The following article will explain why DLP projectors struggle with reproducing a similar grade of image quality.

Imagine a set of blinds in your house on your bedroom window. With the twist of a rod you can turn the shutters open or closed, depending on whether you want to let light in or not. That is exactly how an LCD projector works. Each pixel functions like a single shutter on a set of blinds to either pass light through or to block it. DLP on the other hand is created of millions of microscopic mirrors or ‘pixel elements’ as the professionals like to call them. Each pixel element operates to either reflect light or block it.

How the light source is processed from the point at which the projector turns on to when the content reaches your screen is ultimately significant in regard to image quality, brightness and colour accuracy. LCD projectors direct white light from the lamp by cutting it into red, blue and green components, by three mirrors which transfer the coloured light to 3 individual LCD panels. The 3 LCD panels cast the elements of the image by turning each pixel on and off. The pixels are then simultaneously processed in a glass prism to deliver the projector image. Something important to know about LCD projectors is that all three colours are sent onto your projected surface all at the same time. The way a DLP projector runs is vastly different and even how an image shows up is not the same. With DLP, white light from the lamp is directed through a turning colour wheel with transparent red, blue and green segments, at speeds up to 11,000 rpm/s. This method of making an image creates a sequence of red, blue and green light. The millions of micro mirrors as mentioned above reflect the coloured light on the pixels to create the image elements. The elements of the image are cast in sequence on the screen, one colour at a time. The viewer’s vision will then pull together each coloured element of the image into the single total image. In LCD projectors, all colours are available all the time to create the best brightness and great colour accuracy. In DLP, only one colour is available at a time, and so causing lower colour brightness and accuracy. Some developers have included a white segment in the colour wheel to improve brightness generally, but this goes and lessens colour accuracy.

I read in forums all the time that DLP has a higher contrast ratio and thus must be superior quality. For those unsure, 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 system is capable of. DLP projectors do possess high contrast specifications when compared to a majority of LCD projectors. At first glance, this seems to be a plus, however, in the real world, the true black level is determined by the ambient light in the room while the projector is being used. Do not be fooled by contrast specifications on websites and in brochures.

When the content you are trying to project needs moving images, DLP projection technology can also create image imperfections, or ‘artifacts’. The most common artifact that a DLP projector creates with moving images is colour break up. Colour break up is incontrovertible in DLP systems because moving images change position between the time red, blue and green colours are shone. LCD projectors do not have this problem because every colour is processed at once. DLP developers have developed 3DLP solutions using 3 chips to solve the colour break up artifacts, but the cost of these projectors make them not practical for the majority of businesses and consumers.

Another differentiation between LCD and DLP is how they match the balance for the refractive qualities of light. Jump back to high school science, and recall when they taught you how the different colours of light refract different amounts when passing through the same lens. The disadvantage 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 in different ways. Usually with a DLP projector, some yellow colour will be projected above and a superfluous blue will be projected below an image containing something as simple as a straight black line. In manufacturing LCD projectors can be set to remove these effects on the projected image, as each colour is projected on a separate LCD panels.

The isolated real buy point (excluding price) with choosing a DLP projector is its smaller size and weight. However, this is only relevant in regard to transport and has to be traded off against the image plusses of LCD projectors. If overall picture quality is crucial to you, then the solution is a no-brainer. Go for an LCD projector! LCD projectors will always show bright, colourful images with fewer image errors. If you desire to learn more about LCD technology in more detail, see this spectacular resource website: Explore 3LCD. If you have any additional questions, go to Projector Central and send me an email.

Jonathan King is the sales and marketing manager with Projector Central, Australia’s premier online provider for projectors. Brisbane-based, Projector Central has serviced Australia for 15 years. For data projectors in Brisbane and Interactive Whiteboards, contact Projector Central today.

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16 Jul 10 Yachting and Yacht Clubs

As the Dutch rose to preeminence in sea power during the 17th century, the first yacht was a leisure craft used first by royalty and later by the burghers in the canals and then in the protected and unprotected waters of the Low Countries. Yacht racing was incidental, arising as private games. English yachting started with King Charles II of England during his exile in the Low Countries. On his restoration 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 called Mary. Charles and his brother James, the duke of York (James II, reigned 1685–88), made other yachts and in 1662 raced two of them from the Thames, from Greenwich, to Gravesend, and back, on a £100 bet. Yachting rose as classy for the wealthy and nobility, but after that period the habit did not last.

The first yacht association in the British Isles, the Water Club, was formed at about 1720 at Cork, Ire., as a cruising and unofficial coast guard group, and held large naval panoply and gravity. The closest thing to racing boats was the “chase,” for which the “fleet” pursued an imaginary enemy. The club endured, largely as a social club, until 1765, and in 1828, after merging with other groups, it became the Cork Yacht Club (later the Royal Cork Yacht Club).

Yacht racing began in some ordered 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 ascended to monarchy in 1820, it was known as the Fleet to His Majesty’s Coronation Sailing Society. The Thames Yacht Club seceded with a racing fight, to become the Royal Thames Yacht Club in 1830. The first English yacht group had been started 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 organisation at Cowes became the Royal Yachting Club, likewise at the ascension of George IV. All members were required to own boats of at least 20 tons (20,321 kg). Sailing races for large bids were held, and the social life was splendid. Ultimately Royal Yachting Club boats increased in size to more than 350 tons.

In North America, yachting started with the Dutch in New York in the 17th century and continued when the English took control. Sailing was for the most part for pleasure and rose to its epitome in George Crowinshield’s Cleopatra’s Barge (1815), which sailed on the Mediterranean Sea and created a benchmark of luxury and sophistication for the later yachts in those waters from the late 19th century. The first continuing American yacht organisation, the Detroit Boat Club, was formed in 1839. In 1844, John C. Stevens instigated the New York Yacht Club while on board his schooner Gimcrack.

Kinds of sailboats
The first sailing yachts followed the lines of such naval craft as brigantines, schooners, and cutters from the 17th century through to the later half of the 19th century. The style of bigger yachts was initially greatly affected by the victory 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.) found its namesake after its success at Cowes in 1851. Early yachts were not designed and manufactured in the modern sense, with merely a model used. Not until the second half of the 19th century did what was called naval architecture come about. Not until the 1920s did the application of the research of aerodynamics do for the craft of sails and rigging what science had done earlier for hulls.

Because nearly all sailboats had to be individually manufactured, there was a desire for handicapping boats previous to the one-design class boats were designed. Therefore, a rating rule came into being, which ended up in the International Rule, accepted in 1906 and edited in 1919. In modern times, one of the rapidly growing areas in sailing is that of one-design class boats. All boats in a one-design class are manufactured to the same specifications in length, beam, sail area, and other aspects (for an example of a two-person sailboat, see illustration). Racing between these boats can be had on an even keel with no handicapping required. A prime example is the standard International America’s Cup Class taken on for participants in the 1992 America’s Cup race.

For the time that yachting belonged largely for the nobility and the rich, expense was no problem, and the size of boats grew, in both length and weight. The ascendancy and popularity of smaller boats happened in the second 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 trip around the world (1895–98) sailed single-handedly by the naturalized American captain Joshua Slocum in the 11.3-metre Spray demonstrated the hardiness of less sizeable craft. Later in the 20th century, notably after World War II, smaller racing and recreational 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 setting sail single-handedly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Kinds of power yachts
Following the decade 1840–50, at which point steam began to emulate sail power in commercial craft, the steam engine, and later the internal-combustion engine, were increasingly favoured in personal vessels. Large power yachts were progressed to a high element, and long-distance sailing became a preferred pastime of the well off. The early power yachts were paddle-wheel boats; these then gave rise to boats powered by the completely submerged screw or propeller kind of propulsion. Like naval and merchant vessels, auxiliaries possessing both sail and power were the yacht standard for a number of years. By the later half of the 20th century, several yachts were still auxiliaries, but the larger part were only power yachts with gasoline or diesel engines.

During the last decade of the 19th century there was a boom in the construction of bigger steam yachts. Conspicuous within 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 at least 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 gave active service during World War II.

As larger and more reliable internal-combustion engines were produced, many large boats started using them for power. The creation of the diesel engine, employing heavy oil for fuel, was furthered for World War I. In the decade following, bigger power-yacht building blossomed, reaching a climax in the Orion (1930) at 3,097 tons. During that time the biggest auxiliary yacht built was the four-masted, steel, barque-rigged Sea Cloud (1931) of 2,323 tons.

The building of larger power yachts lessened from 1932, and the trend from then was for smaller, less expensive craft. After World War II, lots of small naval vessels were sold to private owners for conversion to yachts. In the late 20th century, yachting is a widespread loved competition enjoyed by thousands of yachtsmen who are actually owning and keeping their own small leisure craft. The number of boats and owners has increased steadily, not only in the traditional areas on the sea but also on inland waterways and lakes.

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08 Jul 10 Proportional, Progressive, and Regressive taxes

Taxes are categorized by the effect they have on the distribution of income and wealth. A proportional tax is one that places the same relative burden on all the taxpayers—i.e., when tax liability and income increase in relative scale. A progressive tax is characterizable by a more than proportional increase in the tax onus in relation to the rise in income, and a regressive tax is recognisable by a less than proportional rise in the comparative burden. So, progressive taxes are viewed as reducing a lack of equality in income distribution, while regressive taxes are found to have the effect of an increase in these inequalities.

The taxes that are generally believed to be progressive include individual income taxes and estate taxes. Income taxes that are categorically progressive, however, could become less so within the upper-income group—particularly if a taxpayer is able to lessen his tax base by nominating deductions or by taking particular income parts from his taxable income. Proportional tax rates that are applied to lower-income categories would also be more progressive if exemptions of a personal nature are made.

Income measured over a given period may not absolutely provide the most appropriate measure of taxpaying requirement. For example, transitory growth in income may be saved, and during temporary declines in income a taxpayer could choose to provide for consumption by decreasing savings. Therefore, if taxation is compared with “permanent income,” it would be less regressive (or more progressive) than if held in comparison with annual income.

Sales taxes and excises (save luxuries) are usually regressive, because the spread of personal income consumed or spent for specific goods decreases as the level of personal income grows. Poll taxes (aka head taxes), calculated as a flat amount per capita, obviously are regressive.

It is not simple to determine corporate income taxes and taxes on business as progressive, regressive, or proportionate, because of the uncertainty around the ability of businesses to shift their tax expenses (see below Shifting and incidence). This difficulty of determining who bears the tax burden is dependant essentially on whether a national or a subnational (that is, provincial or state) tax is being determined.

In considering the economic purposes of taxation, it is essential to differentiate between differing ideas of tax rates. The statutory rates will be dictated in the law; 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 increases by one dollar. Hence, if tax onus rises 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 rise as income rises. Heavy analysis of marginal tax rates must consider provisions as well as 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 more than nominated by the statutory rates. Since marginal rates display how after-tax income increases or decreases in response to changes in before-tax income, they are the important ones for assessing incentive effects of taxation. It is even more difficult to know the marginal effective tax rate applicable to income from business and capital, since it may be reliant 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 signify the portion of total income that is paid in taxation. The pattern of average rates is the one that is relevant for judging the distributional equity of taxation. Under a progressive income tax the average income tax rate grows with income. Average income tax rates commonly 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 fundamentally by high-income households could swamp these effects, allowing regressivity, as shown by average tax rates that decline as income rises.

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