Kevin Barlow is hoping that this is the year that HIV and AIDS come out of the closet for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.
Barlow is the executive director of the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN), based in Ottawa. On Valentine's Day CAAN launched the first part of what will be a year long campaign targeting Aboriginal leaders and which will culminate during National Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week from Dec. 1 to 5 with a targeted 5,000 signatures on an on-line petition committing to ending HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination.

CURLERS HEAD TO SASKATOON
National bragging rights will be up for grabs in Saskatoon.
The Saskatchewan city will play host to the 2008 National Aboriginal Curling Championships. The event, which runs from Mar. 21 to 24, will be held at the Granite Curling Club.
The 2007 nationals were also held in Saskatchewan, in the town of Wynyard.
This year's Canadian bonspiel will feature a maximum of 72 teams, competing in four divisions.
The men's category has a 40-team limit. There's also a women's division, which can accommodate up to 16 teams.

Some Aboriginal youth in northern Canadian communities have been having some Fun On Ice this winter.
The Fun On Ice program is organized by the Aboriginal Sports Circle of the Western Arctic.
During the months of January, February and March, the Fun On Ice program was expected to hit nine communities in the North West Territories.
All of the communities were expected to have either an outdoor or an indoor rink.
The Fun On Ice program was pencilled in to visit Trout Lake, Nahhani Butte, Kakisa, Jean Marie River, Wrigley, Gameti, Wekweeti, Colville Lake and Tsiigehtchic.

An Aboriginal Sports Gallery will be introduced as a new feature at the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame and Museum later this year.
The B.C. provincial government announced in mid-February that it was contributing $75,000 to launch the gallery, which will include artifacts, displays, photographs and videos.
The initial phase of the gallery, which will feature an area of 300 square feet, is expected to open on June 21.
And then, if funding is secured, the second phase of the facility will be launched at some point in 2009. The anticipated expanded gallery would cover 1,000 square feet.

Artist-Will Belcourt
Album-Full Moon Blanket
Song-Fire
Label- Independent
Producer-Will Belcourt

One of the first things that strikes you about Smoke From His Fire is the scenic natural setting of the northwest coast that tells of the connection to supernatural forces, of a people's sensitivity and the fortitude of Clan Chief Adam Dick and his people: the Kwaxkwaka'wakw.
"It's a story of survival; it's a story of how people dealt with the coming destruction of their culture, and every culture had their own method of trying to preserve what was under siege," said Kim Reclama-Clutesi, co-producer, co-director and writer of Smoke From His Fire.

Windspeaker: What one quality do you most value in a friend?
Art Napoleon: My best friends are trustworthy, dependable, loyal, funny and free of judgment. True friends are hard to stumble on.

W: What is it that really makes you mad?
A.N.: Corporate/consumer madness and the basic garden variety stupidity surrounding most corporations and consumers.

W: When are you at your happiest?
A.N.: Camping with loved ones in the real wilderness.

W: What one word best describes you when you are at your worst?
A.N.: Insane

Ontario based media producers will have the opportunity to pursue professional development through a 21-day residency at the Banff New Media Institute at the Banff Centre with the financial support of the Quebecor Fund.
The Quebecor Fund Scholarship, under the banner of The Banff New Media Institute & Quebecor Production Fellowship will support two Ontario based producers at a value of up to $5000 each.

"February 21 is a date that will not be forgotten by the Cree Nation," said Matthew Mukash, Grand Chief of the Quebec Cree. That is the date he and the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and non-Status Indians signed an Agreement Concerning a New Relationship between the Government of Canada and the Cree of Eeyou Istchee.
The Cree of Eeyou Istchee live in nine communities on the shores of James Bay and Hudson Bay, as well as further inland.

Aboriginal art is in a renaissance period on the prairies, but more needs to be done to encourage its continued success, according to an expert from the University of Regina (U of R).
Dr. Carmen Robertson, assistant professor of art history in the department of visual arts at the U of R, shared information about Aboriginal artists and images of their work during a presentation entitled, "Red Renaissance: Aboriginal Arts from the Flatlands" on Jan. 31 in Regina.