Your Doctor. Definitely the first person you should ask for help, your doctor can assess your health and recommend the strategies best suited to you.

The Drug Store. Can't handle it cold turkey? Don't fret. Over-the-counter nicotine patches, gum, and prescription-only nasal spray are available to soothe your nic-fit freakouts.

The University of Calgary is moving forward with broad new environmental sustainability initiatives, though specific proposals remain undefined.

Editor, the Gauntlet,

Re: "Smoking madder," Aug. 5, 2004

Assuming that every part of Darcy Padula's letter is true, the essential points of the editorial to which she or he responds remain.

On Tuesday, the Students' Legislative Council once again could not approve election bylaw amendments, but this time for lack of quorum rather than for political bickering.

Quiet night on the Mississippi riverbank, plucking the strings of daddy's banjo. The raft listlessly floats by the neighbourhood youngin' digging for skipping stones and the rare bullfrogs. And, of course, all the coal mining--which seems odd in the middle of the Mississippi.

Whether you're rockin' to the latest hip-hop blast, an old Beatles tune or the music of Bob Marley himself, the indelible rhythms, guitar strums and baselines of reggae have influenced virtually all genres of music. It is the underpinning of the many sounds coming from your stereo, but still remains below the public consciousness. The Calgary Reggae Festival Society, established to promote regional and national awareness of reggae music in Canada, has come to change all that.

When Steve Pineo sings he should "ruin a perfectly good friendship" on the title track from his 2000 release, he's singing about moving a platonic relationship to the next level. Never being content with something is reflected in Pineo's attitude toward music.

Coming back to Calgary was an easy decision for King Ujah. The Jamacian-born Toronto based musician may have made his first appearance in Calgary at a Reggae Festival fundraiser this past February, but he'll make sure the city doesn't forget him when returning for the Calgary International Reggae Festival Saturday.

Calgarians who remember Aaron Booth solely from the prog-ish Shecky Forme might be surprised to hear his current work since moving to Toronto. It's a brand new sound, the kind stripping the listener of any reservations and guard he or she may have. Almost entirely abandoning the experimental bent of his former band, Booth has wholeheartedly embraced the solid songcraft and undeniable melodies of Americana, folk and classic pop music.