Page 12

Solvent sniffing really doe smelt your brain, says a physician in Edmonton's inner city.

"All of those substances that can be sniffed - they can dissolve organize material, and our bodies are made up of organic tissue," said Dr. Amy Borkent, a family physician at Edmonton's Boyle-McCauley Health Centre.

"The place that most of that happens is in the brain."

Page 12

Inhalant, like alcohol, are central nervous system depressants. However, the inebriating effects and the way one becomes intoxicated are quite different.

Feelings of euphoria, self-importance and recklessness are more striking with inhalants. There is also a greater loss of control. Hallucinations and behavior resembling psychosis are common.

With inhalants a high occurs more quickly than with alcohol, because inhaled vapors are absorbed through the lungs and mucus membranes and are transported immediately to the brain.

Page 11

Twenty-five years of addiction awareness and counselling services have resulted in a national award for the Metis Addiction council of Saskatchewan.

The Canadian Centre of Substance Abuse Medallion of Distinction for Saskatchewan was presented to the council in Prince Albert on Nov. 16.

"The Metis Addictions Council of Saskatchewan has made important contributions to the alcohol and drug abuse field in Saskatchewan.," said Leila Campbell, chairwoman of the selection committee.

Page 10

The last day Jill used drugs, she was sick, tired and staying in an Edmonton inner-city hotel infested with cockroaches. Her possessions consisted of the clothes on her back.

She had hit bottom.

The Metis woman from Saskatoon said she had been on the streets for nine years, since she was 17. She came to Edmonton in 1986 to escape an abusive spouse.

Although she also worked as a waitress at times, she eventually began working the streets.

"The drug use got so bad, I had to work on the streets to support my habit. I couldn't get enough of it."

Page R8

Tackling fear of 20th century medicine and its practitioners is the goal of a unique series of videos on health care.

Narrated in Aboriginal languages, the six 10-to-15 minute productions deal with issues ranging from registering in a hospital to medical testing and women's health. The producers, Paskwayak Productions in a joint venture with the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, believe the videos will help people deal with fears and mistrust they may have when dealing with the health care system.

Page R7

Brian Seesequasis has been thinking about doing a mural for quite some time. That's only natural considering the Beardy Okemasis band member lives down the road from a town full of murals.

Duck Lake, Sask is becoming famous for mural depicting the history of the West. Murals, collectively entitled Faces of Honour, depict the price and passion of a young nation, telling the story of Indians, Metis and pioneers who settled the land.

Page R6

The National Native Role Model Program has a new way of selecting their representatives - by the nominee's peers.

"Role models are now nominated by youth in their communities," said Arlene Skye, program director of the National Native Role Model Program.

The program is designed to reach First Nations and Inuit youth across Canada.

It was initiated and is administered by the Kahnawake Shakoliia'take-hnhas Community Services Board in Quebec, and funded by Addictions and Community Funded Programs and Medical Services Branch, Health Canada.

Page R5

Although called "vertically challenged" by the ringside announcer at the Northlands Coliseum, Todd Junior Buffalo stood tall when the dust had settled at the Canadian Finals Rodeo XXI in Edmonton Nov. 13.

Buffalo rode to three straight wins in the Boys Steer Riding to open the five-day national championship, then coasted to victory and winning of $2,061.40.

"I drew good stock the first three days," said the newly crowned champion after the sixth go-round Sunday afternoon. "Then some of the other gets got better steers than I did."

Page R3

To prevent AIDS from becoming the next big killer of Canadian Aboriginals, Natives have to go beyond education and prevent, an AIDS worker says.

"It's true that safer sex will stop the spread of HIV," Linda Day of the B.C. First Nations AIDS Society told the B.. HIV/AIDS conference in Vancouver this month.

"But the unhealthy and destructive behaviors that lead to unprotected sex and careless needle use must also be addressed," she told the plenary on Aboriginal and AIDS.

Page R2

With the use of computers in Native schools and communities, many Native children and adults are using the Internet to receive an education.

On a chilly Tuesday morning, a Lakota woman sends her two children off to school. It's a busy day for her; she is working on her masters degree thesis in business administration. The is attending a university over 2,000 kilometres away via e-mail and discussion groups on the Internet.