Tents and Marquees

2010 September 2
by squadron

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 remarkable
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 incredible, 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 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 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 cost a little more.

In the last 5 years, portable Tents have become important to businesses for their marketing. The essential need for these buyers is a prominent and premium 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.

New Zealand’s Top Holiday Cities

2010 August 23

New Zealand has a majestic array of beautiful landscapes. Like imposing mountain ranges, majestic coastlines, breathtaking rainforests, deep fiords, snow capped mountains and steaming volcanoes. These picturesque 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 slashed prices. Among the top holiday cities in New Zealand, Queenstown, Christchurch and Auckland would definitely be there. Travel Online is a outstanding 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 scenic locations on the globe. Throughout the year adventurous and stimulating 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 cutting-edge 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 astounding Victoria Square, across the transfixing 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 staying 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. Huge 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 brilliantcountryside surrounding the city.

Auckland
Auckland, also known as the City of Sails, is located in between 2 harbors and has more boats per person than anywhere on the planet. Within minutes a person has the flexibility of sailing away on yachts to isolated nearby islands, living the high life in the casino, surfing at endless 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 magnificent, 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 memorable holidaying experience. Visitors to Auckland adore visiting the Antarctic Encounter, which showcases the only penguins present in the sub-Antarctic region. More adventures 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.

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

2010 August 18
by squadron

Don’t allow an inexperienced 24 hour carpet cleaner attempt to repair your carpets with water damage. These are the worries you must be careful of:

Overcharging. An amateur water restoration technician may build the job up with superfluous inclusions. E.g. using dehumidification to dry the flooded carpets is not needed.

Having the correct equipment. They may borrow equipment from hire places for drying the carpet. This is permissible, but a professional water damage technician will possess all their equipment to enable a faster response and hopefully a better value job.

Proper moisture metre. If they don’t have the correct moisture meter, they won’t be able to see whether the carpet is fixed. This enhances the danger of mould in future. Removal of the mould in future may be required.

Specialised. There are a whole lot of “Carpet Cleaners” in this industry who do water damage repair work on the “side.” i.e. they aren’t the ones who complete this kind of repair each day. Be wary of that. Repairing carpets is an art. Taking carpet off the gripper strips then reinstalling them needs to be completed by a professional, otherwise they can be damaged beyond repair.

You might be pondering, how do I decide on a professional Flood Restoration professional? Below I have selected some pointers to check for when you are calling around for a carpet flood damage business:

What size is their Yellow Pages ad slot: This can be an indication as to how much repair work they are getting already. A full-size Yellow Pages ad slot can cost upwards of $50 000. If they have paid for a bigger ad, you get some promise that they are professionals.

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

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

Do Insurance companies use them for their water damage jobs? This is a top indicator. If insurance companies source them, the business is likely to be good at their skill. Insurance companies tend to use the providers that provide them the top value for the money.

What Equipment do they have? They should own at minimum 100 Air movers. If they own this many, this shows they have been up and running for a good time. We took 8 years to acquire that many wet carpet drying air movers.

What level of commitment can you get from them by calling on the phone? Try to pin them down to a rate for water extraction, water removal and initial inspection. If they don’t give you a fee for this at the least, you know they are not willing to serve you, so move on.

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

If you stick to these tips you are sure to choose a Flood Damage Restoration business who knows what they are doing.

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

2010 August 13

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

  • You can be self employed: This is a choice that is increasingly being denied to other health care providers such as optometrists and even Family Doctors. Big Business controls a lot of health practices. Consider how often you see an independent optometrist these days – can they compete on price with the multinational chains?
  • Legal Issues: In Australia (unlike the USA where things are very different), podiatrists very, very rarely get sued . The nature of podiatry practice does not lend itself to accidentally harming one’s patients. Also, you never have to give your customers the bad news that their condition will be terminal.
  • Working Hours: Emergency call outs are very unlikely. This is 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 best things about being 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 provide you plenty of opportunity to help relieve the suffering of your fellow human beings.
  • Self – Determination: Podiatryallows a practitioner the power to determine their own course of action for the benefit of their patients. This is unlike a career in nursing for instance where one works under the direction of a doctor.
  • Clear Job roles: The only people who can claim to be a podiatrist are those with a podiatry degree . The clear roles that this delineates relieves the need 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 around 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 travel the world, Australian podiatrists can be registered in any Commonwealth country and are especially in demand in Singapore, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and other far flung fields.
  • Variety: In any given day, a podiatrist will see a large range of complaints. There may be an ingrown toenail or two, an excruciating corn, a sports injury, some back pain and at least a couple of painful arches . The essence of being a good podiatrist is to bea good problem solver. Each patient is an individual with a unique problem requiring a well considered solution.

How do you become a qualified as a podiatrist ?

To qualify as a podiatrist requires 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

2010 August 7
by squadron

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

1. Knowing your business and how you are currently positioned in your market.
In order to formulate 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 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 loaded with example sites and more importantly the elements of the site you like so they can accomplish 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 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 effective development. The more interaction and information you give 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 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 suggested 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; provide a decent amount of content but formulate it in a way that a reader may attain a summary of what you are trying to get across in the 1st couple of paragraphs and an image or to. The rest of the paragraphs that get into finer details ARE FOR GOOGLE !

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

6. Testing and training
We work closely with the developers to test your site especially if there are any CMS or special programs that have been made for you. You can guarantee if it is has just been written for you then it will not 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, chances 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 on the internet for free!

7. Launch – going live
When the developers are ready to make your site onlive 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 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.

Tips to Creating a New Business Logo

2010 August 6

A logo is a imperative step to building a business. It is the face of your business. And like your face conveys the tone of your business, gestures the service and screams 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 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 redone. This is needless and may cause difficulties when trying to replecate 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 suggested 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 looking for a more illustrative finish without losing recognition.

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

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

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

Creative software updates frequently and some programmes become obsolete. Insure 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 arrange. 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
Make certain 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
Ensure that you acquire a copy of your logo in CMYK high resolution 300 dpi (for printing use) and RGB 72 dpi(for web use).

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

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

If you follow these tips then not only will you get 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

2010 July 31
by squadron

How many times have you sent business cards to print and received yet another version of your corporate colour? Ever been enthusiastic to see your advert in the latest newspaper and then noticed that the crucial tag line is not present or your logo has been ruined.

There is only one way to avoid this from happening and that is to use a style guide. Not only will a style guide help you oversee the reproduction of your logo – it will also help you strengthen 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 want 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 : Make sure 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 affiliated with you. It’s also important that you mail a copy of the layout to these companies to guarantee they agree with the layout of their logo as they too may have their own Style Guide and hierarchy layout rules.

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

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

Have your Style Guide finished and as established as possible. Then have it saved in an email friendly file format and have a couple printed. Once this is done we strongly advocate a training session – whereby your design studio 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)

2010 July 19

The common question that is asked when looking for a new projector for the home, office, or classroom is: do I get an LCD projector or a DLP projector? LCD, standing for ‘liquid crystal device’ and DLP, an acronym for ‘digital light processing’ are the two most popular projector imaging technologies. With so many different brands and types available, it can be difficult for the buyer to decide between those technologies. The fact is that LCD projectors have superior image quality and colour accuracy. The article below will tell you why DLP projectors struggle with bringing up a similar level of image quality.

Think of a set of blinds in your home for your bedroom window. By twisting a rod you can turn the shutters open or closed, depending on if you want to let light in or not. And that is exactly how an LCD projector works. Each pixel operates like its own shutter on a set of blinds to either pass light through or to block it. DLP on the other hand is made up of millions of microscopic mirrors or ‘pixel elements’ as experts like to call them. Each pixel element functions to either reflect light or block it.

How the light source is processed from the point at which the projector is switched on to when the picture reaches your screen is vitally significant for image quality, brightness and colour accuracy. LCD projectors shine 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 make the elements of the image by switching each pixel on and off. The pixels are then combined in a glass prism to create the projector image. Something important to remember about LCD projectors is that all three colours are directed onto your screen at once. The way a DLP projector operates is vastly different and even the produced image shows up is not the same. With DLP, white light from the lamp is processed through a rotating colour wheel with transparent red, blue and green segments, at speeds up to 11,000 rpm/s. This method of projecting an image requires a sequence of red, blue and green light. The millions of micro mirrors mentioned above reflect the coloured light on the pixels to construct 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 combine each coloured element of the image into the single full image. From LCD projectors, all colours are available all the time to create the best brightness and fantastic colour accuracy. In DLP, only one colour is available at once, causing lower colour brightness and accuracy. Some developers have added a white segment in the colour wheel to improve overall brightness, but this goes and 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 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 technology is capable of. DLP projectors do possess high contrast specifications compared to a majority of LCD projectors. Initially, this can seem to be a plus, however, in reality, the true black level is determined by the ambient light in the room when the projector is used. Do not be fooled by contrast specifications on websites and in brochures.

When the content you wish to view requires moving images, DLP projection technology also creates image imperfections, or ‘artifacts’. The most often seen artifact that a DLP projector shows with moving images is colour break up. Colour break up is unavoidable in DLP systems because moving images keep changing between the time red, blue and green colours are displayed. LCD projectors do not have this disadvantage because every colour is sent at the same time. DLP manufacturers have come up with 3DLP solutions using 3 chips to fix the colour break up artifacts, but the cost of these projectors make them almost impossible for the majority of businesses and consumers.

Another difference between LCD and DLP is how they compensate for the refractive qualities of light. Remember back to high school science, and recall how different colours of light refract different amounts when projected through the same lens. The disadvantage with DLP projectors is that they take the one same panel and the same lens to project Red, Blue and Green. All 3 colours are not the same and refract light in a different way. Often with a DLP projector, a superfluous yellow colour will come through above and some blue will be projected below something as simple as a single black line. In manufacturing LCD projectors can be fixed to take away these effects on the projected image, as each colour is refracted on its own LCD panels.

The only real advantage (excluding price) with taking a DLP projector is its smaller overall size and weight. However, this is only relevant with regard to mobility and cannot be traded off against the image superiority of LCD projectors. If the outcome of the picture quality is crucial to you, then the answer is no-brainer. Choose an LCD projector! LCD projectors will constantly show bright, colourful images with fewer image blips. If you wish to know more about LCD technology in more detail, check out this fantastic resource website: Explore 3LCD. If you have any more questions, get onto Projector Central and send me an email.

Jonathan King is the sales and marketing manager for Projector Central, Australia’s leading online shop for projectors. Based in Brisbane, 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

2010 July 16

As the Dutch rose to dominance in sea power during the 17th century, the early yacht had been a leisure craft used mostly by royalty and later by the burghers for the canals and the protected and unprotected waters of the Low Countries. Yacht racing was incidental, borne from private games. English yachting started with King Charles II of England during his exile in the Low Countries. On his reaffirmation to the English monarchy in 1660, the city of Amsterdam sent him 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, sovereign 1685–88), ordered for other yachts and in 1662 raced two of them from the Thames, from Greenwich, to Gravesend, and returning, on a £100 punt. Yachting was found to be popular among the wealthy and aristocracy, but after that time the trend did not last.

The first yacht group in the British Isles, the Water Club, was started at about 1720 at Cork, Ire., as a cruising and unofficial coast guard organization, with much naval panoply and rigour. The closest thing to racing boats was the “chase,” when the “fleet” pursued an imagined enemy. The club went on, mostly as a social club, until 1765, and in 1828, by conglomerating with other clubs, it became known as the Cork Yacht Club (later the Royal Cork Yacht Club).

Yacht racing began in some organized method on the Thames about the mid-18th century. The duke of Cumberland instigated the Cumberland Fleet for Thames racing in 1775. When George IV ascended to monarchy in 1820, it came to be known as the Fleet to His Majesty’s Coronation Sailing Society. The Thames Yacht Club seceded with a racing argument, 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 sponsorship made the Solent – the strait between the mainland and the Isle of Wight – the continued location of British yacht racing. The association at Cowes became the Royal Yachting Club, again at the ascension of George IV. Every member was required to possess boats of at least 20 tons (20,321 kg). Sailing races for large stakes were held, and the social life was wonderful. It came to be that the Royal Yachting Club boats increased in size to over 350 tons.

In North America, yachting started with the Dutch in New York in the 17th century and persisted when the English took control. Sailing was mostly for fun and found its apogee in George Crowinshield’s Cleopatra’s Barge (1815), which cruised on the Mediterranean Sea and created a minimum of luxury and elegance for the later yachts in those waters from the late 19th century. The first continuing American yacht club, the Detroit Boat Club, was formed in 1839. In 1844, John C. Stevens began the New York Yacht Club while on board his schooner Gimcrack.

Kinds of sailboats
The first sailing yachts were within the lines of such naval craft as brigantines, schooners, and cutters from the 17th century through to the second half of the 19th century. The design of large yachts was first greatly put upon by the victory of America, which was drawn by George Steers for a group headed by John C. Stevens, and it was the boat for which the America’s Cup (q.v.) was named after its success at Cowes in 1851. The first yachts were not designed and built in a contemporary sense, with only a model used. Not until the latter half of the 19th century did what was called naval architecture come into being. Not until the 1920s did the employment of the research of aerodynamics do for the structure of sails and rigging what it had earlier done for hulls.

Because almost all sailboats had to be individually manufactured, there came a need for handicapping boats as this was before the one-design class boats were made. Therefore, a rating rule was created, which is found in the International Rule, adopted in 1906 and edited in 1919. In the present day, one of the fastest blossoming areas in the field of sailing is that of one-design class boats. All boats in a one-design class are built to the same dimensions in length, beam, sail area, and other elements (for an example of a two-person sailboat, see illustration). Racing for such boats can be held on an even keel with no handicapping required. A perfect example is the standard International America’s Cup Class taken on for racers in the 1992 America’s Cup race.

So long as yachting was an activity mostly for the aristocracy and the affluent, expense was no issue, and the size of boats developed, in both length and weight. The rise and popularity of smaller boats 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) led single-handedly by the naturalized American captain Joshua Slocum in the 11.3-metre Spray made plain the value of less sizeable boats. Later in the 20th century, notably after World War II, smaller racing and pleasure yachts became commonplace, down to the dinghy, a favourite training boat, of 3.7 m. In the late 20th century, yachts of less than 3 m were traveled in single-handedly across the Atlantic Ocean.

Kinds of power yachts
Post the decade 1840–50, when steam started to take the place of sail power in market craft, the steam engine, and later the internal-combustion engine, were increasingly favoured in pleasure boats. Bigger power yachts were progressed to a high standard, and long-distance travel was a fond occupation of the affluent. The early power yachts were paddle-wheel boats; these then gave rise to yachts powered by the fully submerged screw or propeller kind of propulsion. As well as naval and merchant craft, auxiliaries possessing both sail and power were the yacht fashion for several years. By the second half of the 20th century, several yachts were still auxiliaries, but the large part were only power yachts containing gasoline or diesel engines.

In the last decade of the 19th century there was a rise in the design of large steam yachts. In particular of these was the Mayflower (1897) of 2,690 tons, that had triple-expansion engines, twin screws, and a compartmented iron hull, and was manned by a crew of over 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 for World War II.

As bigger and better quality internal-combustion engines were created, many big boats began using them for power. The establishment of the diesel engine, employing heavy oil for fuel, was furthered for World War I. From the decade following, big power-yacht creation blossomed, climaxing in the Orion (1930) at 3,097 tons. In that time the biggest auxiliary yacht built was the four-masted, steel, barque-rigged Sea Cloud (1931) of 2,323 tons.

The manufacture of larger power boats declined after 1932, and the fashion after that was toward smaller, less pricey yachts. After World War II, lots of small naval boats were traded by private owners for conversion to yachts. By the late 20th century, yachting is a globally loved competition enjoyed by thousands of yachtsmen personally sailing and maintaining their own small pleasure yachts. The amount of boats and yachtsmen has 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

2010 July 8

Taxes can be differentiated by the effect they have on the distribution of income and wealth. A proportional tax is a tax that places the same relative requirement on each taxpayer—i.e., where tax liability and income move in the same levels. A progressive tax is characterized by a more than proportional increase in the tax onus in regard to the growth in income, and a regressive tax is characterized by a less than proportional rise in the comparable liability. Ergo, progressive taxes are regarded as fighting the lack of equality in income distribution, while regressive taxes may result in increasing these inequalities.

The taxes that are usually regarded as progressive include individual income taxes and estate taxes. Income taxes that are nominally progressive, however, may become less so within the upper-income class—particularly if a taxpayer is able to lessen his tax base by nominating deductions or by leaving out some particular income parts from his taxable income. Proportional tax rates when applied to lower-income groups will also be more progressive if personal exemptions are declared.

Income measured over the course of a given period might not necessarily provide the most suitable measure of taxpaying ability. For example, transitory growth in income can be saved, and during temporary declines in income a taxpayer could choose to provide for consumption by reducing savings. Ergo, if taxation is made comparable with “permanent income,” it will be less regressive (or more progressive) than if compared with annual income.

Sales taxes and excises (except those on luxuries) are usually regressive, because the share of individual income consumed or spent for a specific good declines as the level of personal income is raised. Poll taxes (aka head taxes), calculated as a set amount per capita, clearly are regressive.

It is not simple to term 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 nominating who bears the tax burden depends essentially on whether a national or a subnational (that is, provincial or state) tax is being debated.

In assessing the economic purposes of taxation, it is relevant to differentiate between several points of tax rates. The statutory rates are specified in legislation; generally these are marginal rates, but sometimes they are average rates. Marginal income tax rates signify the fraction of incremental income taken by taxation when income grows by one dollar. Therefore, if tax onus rises by 45 cents when income grows by one dollar, the marginal tax rate is 45 percent. Income tax statutes commonly contain graduated marginal rates—i.e., rates that grow as income rises. Structured analysis of marginal tax rates need to regard provisions as well as 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 specified in the statutory rates. Since marginal rates indicate 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 nominate the marginal effective tax rate applicable to income from business and capital, because it may depend 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 display the percentage of total income that is required in taxation. The pattern of average rates is the one that is necessary for considering the distributional equity of taxation. Under a progressive income tax the average income tax rate increases with income. Average income tax rates generally rise with income, both because personal allowances are granted for the taxpayer and dependents and because marginal tax rates are graduated; on the other hand, preferential treatment of income received mostly by high-income households can swamp these effects, allowing regressivity, as shown by average tax rates that lessen as income increases.

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