The wife is reading a magazine. "It says here, honey, that listening attentively and paying attention to one's mate when they are speaking is a sign of true love."

The latest brainwave for the Bear radio station's Really Tough Contest is very, very funny. AND it shows how same-sex marriage can easily and legally be manipulated to unintended ends.

"We picked oilfield Steve and carpenter Jason," says Paul. "In a conference call, we laid it on the line. These two straight guys who had never met before were to get married, on air, the next morning.

"Two months ago, we had 400 cadets," says Const. Huculiak. "Now we have 745. You have to stay in school if you want to be a cadet. Eighty per cent have stayed in school. Problems on the Hobbema reserves have dropped by 20%."

Sponsors pay for the uniforms, but cadets don't receive them for free. They work off the $200 cost by volunteer service valued at $7.50 an hour.

"It's a great program. We have 54 trained volunteer instructors, but we have no budget. Our first-year anniversary is coming, but we have no chairs or tables for a party.

"I would make education a single-minded focus of the provincial government," says Mike. "Education is the single biggest diversification of the economy to be had. An educated Albertan can adapt to change.

"I'd make education as high a priority as erasing the debt was a decade ago. I'd set all kinds of educational goals. Education is the best economic-development policy going."

Not much razzle-dazzle at the 65th annual kickoff to the United Way of the Alberta Capital Region campaign, yesterday at the AgriCom. Just a feeling of 1,000 people at the luncheon rolling up their sleeves, ready to work towards the 2006 goal of raising $18.4 million, a 10% increase over 2005. "It's the most aggressive goal in the history of this region," said campaign chairman Ken Knowles, "one, I'm sure you will agree, we will all be proud to attain."

And with the help of generous auction donors and bidders, the Sun's upcoming Christmas Charity Auction will put $55,000 to $60,000 towards that goal - the United Way being one of four charities we are supporting. Happy 65th United Way. You are officially a senior citizen.

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