At a news conference Nov. 30, Edmonton businessman Kit Li described the end stages of his liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus. "I was like a 10-month pregnant woman all the time," he said.

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University fundraising campaign hits target - early
The skeptics said it couldn't be done, but the U of A's first campus-wide fundraising team proved them wrong as the campaign reached its $144.65 target this month, 20 months ahead of schedule.

People or profits?
The next time you dash into your warm car, head over to a shopping mall to buy gifts and toys, stop for a minute and think: How many people died so you could have oil and fuel for your car, or worked all day in a sweat shop to make soccer balls, running shoes, T-shirts or handbags?

Hand movement for stroke victims now possible
Imagine going through life with one hand tied behind your back, trying to cook dinner, zip up a jacket, open a tin can or put the cap back on the toothpaste tube. It may not sound like a big deal, but it is for about three million people in North America (300,000 in Canada and 10,000 in Edmonton).

President Fraser takes stock of 1998
If there's one thing President Rod Fraser has little patience for, it's an "overzealous attention to bureaucratic detail." He considers bean counting a waste of time, and has encouraged graduating students to nurture a similar disdain.

Eugenics began as a Darwin family affair, historian says
The father of evolutionary theory profoundly feared the results of inbreeding in his immediate family, says Dr. James Moore, and he passed those fears on to his children and ultimately his country.

Gunnars' Night Train a mournful journey towards self-determination
Kristjana Gunnars' Night Train to Nykobing is about one kind of journey towards self-determination, specifically a woman's struggle to free herself from the false expectations of romance.

A "maple leaf" dream come true
During the darkest days of the apartheid regime in South Africa, one mother sighed, looked at a picture of a Canadian flag she had hung on the wall and promised her seven children: "Some day, I'm going to take you there." That some day is now for her daughter, Desiree Blankenberg, 30, a University of Alberta master's student in educational psychology (special education).

Spirits of apartheid foes live on
For Indira Haripersad, listening to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu speak was like listening to her father all over again. "My father was a quiet, unassuming man, gentle and shy. But he was very passionate about what he did and what needed to be done in South Africa."

Native students honor Archbishop Tutu
"I don't think words can describe how I actually felt standing beside him," said Aboriginal Students' Council president Doris Gladue. "It's definitely something I will never forget, something I can probably tell my grandchildren."

A Cappucino Christmas
Not sure what to get Dad for Christmas? Another bad tie, a stupid puzzle, power tools he'll never use? What about a cappuccino machine? Not just any cappuccino machine - the Ferrari of cappuccino machines, as designed by U of A students.