Aldermen decided not to go to a public plebiscite or request an expert panel review before voting 10--3 in favour of removing fluoride from the city's water supply.

The vote means the compound, which has been added to drinking water since 1991 at a current cost of around $750,000 annually, will now only be found in natural levels of 0.1 to 0.4 mg/L from the Bow and Elbow Rivers. Calgary previously maintained a level of 0.7 mg/L in all drinking water.

With a provincial election looming in the not-too-distant future, the Alberta political climate is heating up. Both the Alberta Liberal party and upstart Wildrose Alliance are clamoring for voter support in the wake of Progressive Conservative Premier Ed Stelmach's Jan. 25 announcement that he will not attempt another bid for office. That same day, Wildrose leader Danielle Smith was at the University of Alberta where she answered questions on crucial student topics such as tuition and debt forgiveness.

The Decemberists have a penchant for instruments usually found in polka bands, churches and orchestras. Among this musical diversity, their new album The King is Dead somehow finds peace, tolerance and a middle ground. Their lyrics are a Pandora's box of the musical world- sometimes morbid and yet sometimes hopeful too.

The Go! Team
Rolling Blackouts
(Memphis Industries)

This past weekend, the undefeated University of Calgary men's volleyball team slammed the University of Manitoba Bisons during a pair of weekend games. The Dinos now lead CW with a 16-0 record and are ranked third in CIS.

The Dinos' last two games of the season are against the University of Alberta Golden Bears in what will be an Alberta showdown. The Golden Bears, currently ranked second in CW and CIS, are sitting with a 15-1 record, riding an 11 win streak.

The Dinos women's hockey team and University of Manitoba Bisons began Friday's game with some unfinished business. In a somewhat odd and unique situation, the two teams completed a disputed Nov. 14 shootout before playing their regular game. The shootout was originally won by the Bisons, but the Dinos challenged the shootout winner saying it should not have been allowed. Oddly enough, Friday's game would also go onto a shootout.

The third Annual Burton Canadian Open -- a rare megacontest for all snowboarders -- was in full swing this past weekend at Canada Olympic Park. Since the competition has an open style format, any snowboarder can enter the competition, but must make it through various preliminary rounds. Only professionals are given a bye to the finals.

This is the largest competition in Canada with a total of $50,000 purse prize for the winning riders. The only comparison to this type of event would be the X Games.

Competition for CW men's hockey playoff spots is going to be tight down the stretch with six teams vying for just four spots. The Dinos are one step closer after sweeping the Manitoba Bisons this weekend, picking up some all-important points in the process.

The Dinos went into the weekend series ranked fourth behind the third-place Bisons. They are now ranked third in CW with five games remaining in the season.

It's almost that time of the year again: the last push before Reading Week. Unless you're a robot built by engineering students, chances are your stress has steadily risen since the first week of January, most of which comes from procrastinating on assignments. Don't kid yourself, friends, I know you all would prefer to do anything other than those pressing essays. That's why you're reading this article instead of studying, isn't it? I thought so.

James Blake was a remarkable success story last year. The Brit stormed the Internet with the release of two critically acclaimed EPs and managed to place as the runner-up in the BBC's Sound of England poll that highlights up-and-coming English musicians.