Luke Judge

Updated June 1, 2010 22:37:00

The Government is at war with the Opposition and the resources industry over the mining tax (ABC Contribute: Araluen)

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he does not expect to strike a deal with miners over the Government’s proposed super profits tax any time soon.

The Government is at war with the Opposition and the resources industry over the tax and is also under fire for rushing through a $38 million ad campaign to counter miners’ claims.

On Tuesday Mr Rudd pledged to stand firm on the tax as he faced more attacks from Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in Parliament.

Mr Abbott twice tried to suspend Question Time and force Mr Rudd to answer claims he has misled Parliament, but he was gagged by the Government.

Fronting the media before Question Time, flanked by Treasurer Wayne Swan and Resources Minister Martin Ferguson, Mr Rudd said negotiations with miners was going well but there would be no agreement for weeks, or possibly months.

“This is going to take quite some time yet,” he said.

“We don’t intend to be railroaded by any particular timetable.”

Mr Rudd was also forced to defend the Government’s decision to approve the $38 million advertising campaign by using an exemption to its own rules.

“The reason for using the particular provisions concerning pressing or compelling circumstances was because we confronted the reality of a mining industry about to dig deep into its pockets … to run a campaign which we described as misinformation,” he said.

Mr Rudd said industry claims about the tax’s likely impact were “balderdash” and “bunkum”.

In Question Time Mr Rudd was asked if the campaign was referred to the Independent Communications Committee for vetting, but he said he could not “enlighten” the Parliament on whether it had.

Mr Abbott twice tried to force Mr Rudd to address the Parliament over the Government’s actions.

“This PM is a fraud,” he said.

“My advice to Mr Rudd is dump the tax.”

His motions were defeated.

Tags: mining

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Somehow the Rabid One is always either totally single, or quickly  rushed into a relationship—the kind of relationship where you move in together way too fast. I’ve never really been tempted by the dating demon. However, last week I received quite a shock when I dove head first into the shallow puddle that is the casual dating pool.

Now I know what you’re thinking. “Rabid Nick, dating is just the easier, cuter, free spirited younger cousin of a committed relationship.”

Balderdash! The terms “simple” and “dating” don’t belong in the same sentence. From my recent experience, these seem to be the twisted rules of the dating scene:

==Rule 1==

Since you and your special lady friend (or supple guy buddy) are not in a relationship, you’re single and thus are still allowed to paint the streets with the musk of your sexiness.

–Verdict–

FAIL: The lovely, adorable, anonymous member of the dating scene who I’ve been on a few dates with has clearly stated that if I so much as make out with another woman (or boy even, sorry Hopper), she’ll call it off, whatever the hell it is we’re doing. The Rabid One’s relationship sense is vibrantly tingling,  which is okay considering the next rule.

==Rule 2==

Since there’s no commitment, any party that calls off this supposedly simple arrangement, concedes that no drama will be produced, once said party starts hitchhiking on “leaving you in the dust highway.”

–Verdict–

DOUBLE FAIL:Another random lady in the Rabid One’s “friend zone” let me know that she adamantly agreed with my naïve summation of rule number one. However, she also said that if a guy she was doing the dating tango with kissed another woman she would rain down fire and herpes scares on him in revenge. No, that doesn’t sound like drama at all, says the lying drama llama.

==Rule 3==

Considering it’s a short, simple, commitment free exchange, any physical interactions, such as making out will take place in double the amount of time it would take two love puppies in a full relationship. A good girl doesn’t rush into the sack.

–Verdict–

ABSOLUTE BOLLOCKS: In all honesty this one IS true, but it’s truly a hippopotamus of hypocrisy. Holy mother of nuns, dating girls are flamboyant teases. The Rabid One has many times ascended the mountain of first date “home runs,” but it’s certainly not guaranteed. Things getting a little bit heated though would be a lovely consultation. A year or two ago I was shoved away during some heavy petting for attempting to take second base. It was like the 3rd base coach was giving me the signal to keep running and the opposing team had two short stops.

“I don’t want to rush things,”she protested. “That’s relationship territory.”

Fair enough, but since you’ve made it clear that this shares the same rules as a relationship, I cry foul.

“But trust me,”she teased. “I really, really want to. You have no idea.”

Do NOT Google “Rabid Nick’s Blue Balls,” for serious.

So that’s as far as I need to go. The only differences between being in a relationship and casual dating is that dating makes things far more complicated without the sexual payoff. Now instead of moving in together we stay separate while still basically playing house. I appreciate the attempt, or the sales pitch of

“Hey, this is totally different, and fantastically better,”

but a duck with a Darth Vader mask is still just a duck.

Become a fan of  The Rabid One at

RabidNick.com

and

Follow him on his Twitter feed

for more posts and assorted shenanigans.

Feel free to show him he’s wrong, while on a date…

Posted in Relationships & Dating, Sex and Love | Leave a comment

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How can you increase your vocabulary, be creative, learn about the language and have fun all at the same time? Play board games that promote language skills! No matter what your age or native tongue, these board games will strike the fancy of any of your word crafty friends!

Like anything else, practicing healthy habits and developing new speech and language skills can escalate self-confidence, improve memory and cognition. If you were told that this process could be accomplished by playing games and having fun, would it sound too good to be true? Well, it is true. Here are a few games that will really bring joy this holiday season and build language and cognitive skills!

- Mad Gab-an excellent game for learning the importance of stress in words.- Taboo-learn to describe an action, idea, or thing using different words.- Cranium-develops word finding, spelling, unscrambling, and vocabulary skills.- Scattergories-a game that requires you to express yourself quickly.- Balderdash-learn to use creative word expression.- Scrabble-an all time classic that builds vocabulary and spelling.

Do you fumble when trying to pronounce new words? Mad Gab gives you the opportunity to explore how stress on words changes the meaning completely. Figure out the following group of simple words as fast as you can (for more points): Poor Toe Reek Hoe OR Mack Her Owe Knee Inch He’s. Can you figure it out? This game proves that stressing the right syllables is important to figure out words and it shows you how we link words together to form thoughts. The slogan for this game is: It’s not what you SAY, It’s what you HEAR!

Do you fall short sometimes trying to select the correct words in speech? Learning to describe actions and ideas coherently is an important skill. Most ideas can be expressed in multiple ways. We can say the same thing using different words. As we grow older, finding the right words is a skill that sometimes slips, but Taboo helps us to exercise new ways of communicating a thought or an event. In this game, you must describe something without using specific words that are listed on your card. For example, try describing sugar without saying the words sweet, white, brown, coffee or candy! The game further develops speaking with clarity. When you aren’t understood, being able to communicate more clearly is essential for the times when your listerner needs clarification.

Improving your vocabulary will reap benefits throughout your life. New vocabulary helps build knowledge while ensuring brain activity for the aging brain. When you can use and speak new words, you’ll produce a message that is clear and intentional. By playing with new words, you may also be able to access them more readily and decrease the number of times that you experience word finding problems. Both Scrabble and Cranium help develop vocabulary skills.

Having difficulty thinking quickly? A game that requires fast thinking is just what you need. Sometimes when we want to express ourselves quickly, we need the skill of saying things concisely. Scattergories helps develop quick thinking. In this game, you match categories using words that start with the same letter. The catch? You only have three minutes to come up with the words to fit the categories.

Balderdash is a game of bluffing! OK, maybe that’s not such a good thing in real life but it sure is a lot of fun in a game. You will have to display a lot of confidence to hide your bluff. In this game you provide silly or serious descriptions of events and your team decides if you are telling the truth or bluffing.

If you are someone who likes to play games by yourself, there are plenty of language developing games available to play alone. Crossword puzzles, JUMBLE puzzles and word searches are all excellent games for vocabulary building. You can extend the learning by looking up unfamiliar words in the dictionary and writing them down in a small notebook. Next, use these new words in every day speech. Go back to these words as often as possible to make sure that they become automatic to you.

Working on developing your language skills is fun and entertaining with any of these award winning games for all ages. If you are doubtful about planning the entertainment at your next event, why not introduce a game that shows your playful side but is a learning experience, too! Don’t forget to add them to your holiday list this year!

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