Earlier we blogged about an amazing back-to-back win by Lance Mackey and the sled dogs from his Comeback Kennel. He had just taken first place in the 2008 Iditarod, and had won the Yukon Quest.

An unidentified man driving a snowmachine early Saturday morning, possibly under the influence of alcohol, crashed into the back of the dog sled driven by two-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey during the All-Alaska Sweepstakes and seriously injured the key sled dog in his Comeback Kennel.

Mackey broke down in tears Saturday, telling how his most-prized dog, Zorro, was critically injured as the canine was riding in the sled’s basket from Safety to Nome — less than 22 miles left in the 408-mile race.

“I was flashing them like mad with my headlamp,” Mackey said. “I was shining my headlamp right in his face, but they kept on coming at me. I jumped aside, and by 30 feet farther up the trail, there was a snowmachine sitting on the middle of my sled.”

The machine impaled the sled bag with its runners.

“Three or four dogs were sucked underneath, and Zorro was trapped in the sled bag,” Mackey said. “We had to physically remove (the snowmachine) from the sled.”

The accident happened several miles west of Safety, the third-to-last checkpoint. The driver who hit Mackey and his partner on another machine helped Mackey right the mess, then left as Mackey continued on.

Mackey’s sled made it to Nome but was ruined. It was of no consequence compared with his dogs, he said.

“I would give my life for my dogs. I can’t make anyone know how important animals are to me.”

Mackey finished the race and did not immediately know Zorro was severely injured. He got some rest and when he awoke he could see his favorite dog was in trouble and called the race veterinarian. When the vet arrived, Zorro was lying on his side and “shocky.” He was given pain medication and fluids, which stabilized him enough for a flight aboard Alaska Airlines to Pet Emergency in Anchorage. Zorro had broken ribs and perhaps internal injuries. Other dogs had injuries, but they were not life-threatening, Mackey said.

The historic All-Alaska Sweepstakes was supposed to be the final race of Zorro’s storied career.

“If he lives, I don’t think he is going to want to race to Nome again.”

Nine-year-old Zorro has been the top stud in Mackey’s Comeback Kennel, helping the cancer survivor in 2007 become the first musher to win the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest in the same year. But that year Zorro became ill at White Mountain, the Iditarod’s second-to-last checkpoint, and did not get to finish. Like his owner, Zorro made a comeback last month in the Quest, helping Mackey capture his record fourth straight title. Zorro was not part of Mackey’s 2008 champion Iditarod team because he had saved Zorro for the Sweepstakes

“He’s priceless,” said Mackey. “Nine of my Sweepstakes dogs were descendents of Zorro.” And 40 of his 80 dogs at home are related to Zorro.

Mackey wants to give the snowmachine driver a chance to come forward “like a man and make it right.”

Mackey made a plea for race officials to keep snowmachines away from the trail at the end of the race because it has become a growing safety issue. About two weeks ago on the Iditarod Trail, a snowmachine killed a dog running in Jennifer Freking’s team. The Minnesota musher was parked on the Yukon River when a snowmachine took the life of Lorne, a 3-year-old female Siberian Husky.

“The public needs to be aware of this issue,” Mackey said. “Running from Safety to Front Street is almost suicidal. I almost got hit on the way into Nome during Iditarod and then was almost hit half an hour later.”

Update on Zorro: April 6

The veterinarian treating Lance Mackey’s sled dog Zorro says he will make a full recovery from injuries suffered when he was hit by a snowmobile.

But Kobi Johnson, an Iditarod trail veterinarian and part of Mackey’s team, says Zorro’s racing days are probably over. The 9-year-old faces weeks of recovery for broken ribs and severe bruising.

Johnson says an MRI and an examination by a neurological specialist at The Animal Emergency Clinic in Tacoma found no need for emergency surgery.

In addition to four broken ribs, Zorro had a minor concussion, severe bruising in the spinal cord area of the last rib in the back, one injured disc, severe bruising to back and chest muscles, some lung bruising and some internal bleeding, which has stabilized.

The silver-sable husky mix, was sent home on Friday. He is able to walk and, even better, wag his tail!

Zorro will begin 6 - 8 months of recovery with veterinarians in Fairbanks. He will retire from racing and become a family pet, possibly siring another generation of prizewinning sled dogs.

“It’s very, very good news. It’s a huge relief,” said Zorro’s owner and musher, Iditarod champ Lance Mackey, who is in Seattle with his wife, Tonya, and Zorro. “He’ll be one of the children in the house now.”

Meanwhile, the snowmobile driver who hit Mackey’s sled dog has come forward. Mackey put out a plea Saturday in Nome for the driver to identify himself, and that happened Sunday, he said.

Mackey declined to name the individual but said the person was “absolutely devastated by what happened,” the musher told Nome radio station KNOM. Mackey said he expects the person to make reparations. He also said alcohol was involved.

Mackey’s Comeback Kennel

KOMO-TV video of Zorro heading home

One might only hope.

Thanks to its place of prominence in the capital, 24 Sussex Dr, the Prime Minister’s residence, is always easy to spot. As Ottawa went dark last night for Earth Hour, it was even easier

Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s lights stayed on

Mangez le gâteau, eh?

The ever-illuminated Peace Tower on Parliament Hill went black at the stroke of 8 p.m, as did the lighted Canada signs that adorn federal buildings in the capital

Stornoway, official residence of Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion, was almost impossible to find among the mansions in Ottawa’s upscale Rockcliffe neighbourhood. Dion, a former environment minister, even delivered a speech by candlelight in Toronto.

Rideau Hall, home to Governor General Michaëlle Jean, was dark, and even Harper’s attack dog, federal Environment Minister John Baird, was at his Nepean home “with the lights off, of course,” said a spokesperson.

But two ground-floor rooms in the benighted Prime Minister’s house stayed on and inquiries to a PMO spokesperson were not returned. The third-floor offices on Parliament Hill that house the Prime Minister’s Office were also among the few lights that stayed on

At least he didn’t leave his SUV idling in the driveway for the whole hour.

A pox on you, sir.

The only point of light in a vast stretch of the frozen Arctic Ocean dimmed slightly last night as the Canadian Coast Guard research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen symbolically joined the global movement for the environment.

For safety reasons, the Coast Guard could only shut off a handful of the ship’s external lights to mark Earth Hour.

Yet the gesture had added significance because the icebreaker is halfway through a 10-month research expedition focused on understanding Arctic climate change. Drawing public attention to the urgency of climate change is the drive behind Earth Hour.

“We’re not a city, but we are doing what we can without compromising our mission or the safety of people on board,” said Captain Lise Marchand.

At 8 p.m. local time, the sun was still shining brightly on the vessel’s location at the 71st parallel of latitude south of Banks Island in the western Arctic.

But when twilight cane shortly before 9 p.m., Coast Guard officers didn’t turn on the spotlight that normally shines on the ship’s funnel, illuminating a maple leaf.

Also left dark were giant spotlights that usually illuminate the ice in front and behind the 98-metre vessel. Some deck lights were dimmed as well but chief engineer Stéphane Dufour said he had to ensure that crew members or scientists didn’t stumble on the extra equipment crammed into every available cranny outside.

The Amundsen, normally bristling with lights here in the ice, was now more like when it is moving through the water.

One exception was the spotlight that shines on the bottom of the ship’s gangway, to provide warning of any curious polar bears that might try to board.

Some of the 40 researchers said they intended to shut down personal computers and douse their cabin lights.

The ship’s lights are the only ones on the frozen Beaufort Sea for hundreds of kilometers in any direction. On land, the nearest artificially lit human settlement is Sachs Harbour, roughly 50 kilometres to the north on Banks Island.

Chief scientist Tim Papakyriakou said Canadians need to be more aware of the valuable research into the Arctic environment made possible by federal funding for the Amundsen and for a network of Arctic scientists.

“Climate change of some kind has been with us for a long time. We need to understand the Arctic system and the natural processes much better if we are going to deal with it,” he said.

Source: Toronto Star, March 30, 2008

The CCGS Amundsen, a Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker, her crew and scientific entourage returned safely to port last fall after a year of conducting new scientific research in the Northwest Passage of Canada’s Arctic. This icebreaker acted as a floating platform for scientists from around the world in studying the effects of global climate change near the Beaufort Sea.

Year Long Arctic Expedition

At 8 p.m, as lights across the Greater Toronto Area went out, the international space station sailed across the darkening sky above the David Dunlap Observatory.

More than 400 people showed up at the Richmond Hill observatory last night for Earth Hour; more than double what organizers hoped for.

Lineups to peer through the outdoor telescopes were dozens deep as families took turns gazing at Saturn.

A native fire burned in front of the large white dome.

Many came in support of the observatory and the island of nature around it, which local environmentalists and heritage activists are trying to preserve as a landmark heritage site.

The land is currently owned by the University of Toronto and may soon be sold.

“This is where the earth meets the sky. That people want to spend Earth Hour here shows there is a obviously a call for it [to stay an observatory]” said an organizer with the observatory defenders’ group.

“This will be sold to a developer, and that is what our fight is to protect against,” she said.

The University of Toronto has declared the facility surplus and are putting the observatory, and the 75 hectares of parkland surrounding it, up for sale to the highest bidder. Despite support by the town through restrictions on lighting and emissions that might cloud its view of the night sky, urban growth around the observatory has reduced its scientific value.

But the property is worth up to $100 million on the open market. Which is money the town doesn’t have. They ideas on frustrating the sale and development of the property but at the end of the day its going to happen.

There are a number of groups that have joined the fight. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada would like to see it become a community observatory to provide astronomy outreach and education.

A group called Save the DDO want to see the David Dunlap Observatory preserved as a historic landmark, an operating observatory for scientific research, and a natural landscape for the people of the GTA to enjoy.

And the Richmond Hill Naturalists see the need to preserve the site for greenspace as there is so little of it left.

Save the Dunlap Observatory

Roo Borson, Ten Thousand
Image: Van Gogh, Starry Night Over the Rhone

I remember how thrilling it was, back on December 31, 1999, to watch new year’s celebrations being launched around the world, beginning with the Marshall Islands. The December news had been filled with debates over last minute generator purchases, reminiscent of the backyard bomb shelter discussions in the 1950s.At midnight, though, amid the celebratory fireworks, the cheery lights were still burning brightly in the Pacific, then New Zealand and Australia, and then west from there.

This March 29, we celebrate Earth Hour, a symbolic acknowledgement of our small blue planet and a global call to action over climate change. Communities around the world are powering down during this hour of contemplation.

Earth Hour celebrations kicked off in Israel yesterday - a day early in recognition of the Sabbath.

Today, New Zealand was the first country to mark the hour, with church bells ringing out from Christchurch Cathedral. It was followed an hour later by Suva, the capital city of Fiji and then the east coast of Australia.

Thousands gathered in Melbourne’s Federation Square for an hour of entertainment and celebration, joining famous landmarks throughout the country including the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Parliament House in Canberra.

Australia has had an enthusiastic response to the hour, with all the capital cities as well as dozens of regional centres taking part in both going dark and hosting a range of themed events. Almost all of the top 100 companies on the Australian Stock Exchange committed to turning off the lights and reduce their carbon emissions by 5%.

The first Earth Hour was held on March 31, 2007, as part of a campaign by the World Wildlife Fund to bring attention to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. An estimated 2 million Sydney residents participated, resulting in a 10.2 per cent drop in energy for the hour, according to Energy Australia.

“We have been overwhelmed by the success of this event,” said WWF spokesman Charlie Stevens. “I think it is the simplicity of that has made it such a huge success. It is a small thing but such a fantastic message.”

Here on the south coast of Canada, we had an opportunity to see the stars again (for the first time since the northeastern blackout of 2003) and, in the new darkness and evening quiet, contemplate the fragility of our small blue planet.

What is amazing is that so many in the global community have pulled together for this celebration.

Associated Press coverage of Australian and Asian Earth Hour

Toronto Star images

Toronto Star: Special Section on Earth Hour

Mary Oliver, The Swan

An intense and joyful observer of the natural world, Mary Oliver is often compared to Whitman and Thoreau. Her poems are filled with imagery from her daily walks near her home in Provincetown, Massachusetts: shore birds, water snakes, the phases of the moon and humpback whales. Oliver has been called “a patroller of wetlands in the same way that Thoreau was an inspector of snowstorms” and “an indefatigable guide to the natural world.”

Image: Mikhail Vrubel, Swan Princess, 1900. Oil on canvas.

From over at Drawn!, some very cool street art and maybe food for thought for green projects around the La Ville Reine. A fundraiser for the Red Rocket maybe?

These plastic bag animals spring to life whenever a subway train passes below.

Plastic Bags in NYC

Joshua Allen Harris’ Air Bear at Wooster Collective

The Art of Richard The

“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”

Begun in the autumn of 1957 and published posthumously in 1964, Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast captures what it meant to be young and poor and writing in Paris during the 1920s. A Moveable Feast is considered by many to contain some of his best writing.

A correspondent for the Toronto Star, Hemingway arrived in Paris in 1921 with his young wife, Hadley, and baby son, Bumby (John), and the ambition to be a great writer. In that small tranquil world there was no need for a formal introduction. Everybody frequented the same cafés and ate in the same restaurants. Acquaintances were easily made and in a very short time Hemingway knew everyone who was someone÷or destined to be.

This was three years after the trauma of the Great War and at the beginning of the transformation of Europe’s cultural landscape: Braque and Picasso were experimenting with cubist forms; James Joyce, long living in self-imposed exile from his native Dublin, had just completed Ulysses; Gertrude Stein held court at 27 rue de Fleurus, and deemed young Ernest a member of une génération perdue; and T.S. Eliot was a bank clerk in London.

According to Hemingway, there was nothing lost about his generation. There was no movement, nor any tight bands of pot-smoking nihilists wandering around looking for a cause. There were a lot of people of the same age who had been through the war, and they came to Paris to write or compose or do whatever they had in mind. Paris gave them the freedom they needed.

His territory ran the length of the Boulevard Montparnasse from the Closerie des Lilas at the Observatoire to the Restaurant du Petit Trianon opposite the railway station, and by one route or another down to Saint Germain-des-Prés and the Seine.

Among these small, reflective sketches are unforgettable encounters with the members of Hemingway’s rag-tag circle of artists and writers, some also fated to achieve fame and glory, others to fall into obscurity. Some of the prominent people to make an appearance in the book include Aleister Crowley, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ford Madox Ford, Hilaire Belloc, John Dos Passos, James Joyce and Gertrude Stein.

Hemingway spends a great deal of time in the cafes, drinking and eating rather well for a pittance. His kindest comments are about Sylvia Beach, the American who ran an English bookstore called Shakespeare and Company — it was a hangout for English-speaking authors and others, and was an oasis for individuals seeking English-language books.

He depicts his genteel poverty and his obsession with gambling on horse races. He is deeply in love for most of the book with Hadley, who loses all of his manuscripts at a train station. He courts influential people such as Ford Madox Ford, who is described very unfavourably, and has great admiration for war veterans. His artist friend Pascin invites him to share his models, but he declines.

His friend Ezra Pound is trying to get up a collection for T. S. Eliot to rescue him from mundane bank work. He teaches Pound boxing. He cuts off his friendship with Gertrude Stein, repulsed by her lesbian relationship with Alice B. Toklas. He debates the merits of Dostoevsky with poet Evan Shipman. Ezra Pound charges him with delivering opium to the addicted poet Ralph Dunning, but Dunning rejects the help. Hemingway devotes three chapters to the very annoying F. Scott Fitzgerald and his hawkish and manipulative wife Zelda.

In the bittersweet final chapter, he describes an idyllic time spent in the Austrian Alps with Hadley. Pauline Pfeiffer arrives and an affair develops which eventually destroys his marriage.

It was during these years that the as-of-yet unpublished young writer gathered the material for his first novel, The Sun Also Rises, and the subsequent masterpieces that followed.

“You belong to me and all Paris belongs to me and I belong to this notebook and this pencil.”

This is the Paris that Hemingway knew as a young man - a map drawn in his distinct prose of the streets and cafés and bookshops that made up the city where he, as a young writer, sometimes struggling against the cold and hunger of near poverty, honed the skills of his craft.

In anticipation of Earth Hour, 8 - 9 pm this Saturday, at which time we are all requested to turn off lights and appliances and take part in community activities that encourage energy savings and acknowledge global warming, let’s remember the blackout that blessed this city on a hot day in August, 2003.

The Northeast Blackout of 2003 was a massive widespread power outage that occurred throughout parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, and Ontario, Canada on Thursday, August 14, 2003. It was the largest blackout in North American history.

In areas where power remained off after nightfall, the Milky Way and orbiting artificial satellites became visible to the naked eye in metropolitan areas where they cannot ordinarily be seen due to the effects of light pollution.

There was speculation about terrorism, then finger-pointing at Canada. But a joint federal task force finally identified that the main cause of the blackout was FirstEnergy Corporation’s failure to trim trees in part of its Ohio service area. The report said that a generating plant in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, went off-line amid high electrical demand, and strained high-voltage power lines, located in a distant rural setting, and later went out of service when they came in contact with “overgrown trees.” The cascading effect that resulted ultimately forced the shutdown of more than 100 power plants.

It was a magical time here in Toronto, when you could share the camaraderie in a neighbour’s yard where they had a wind-up radio, and marvel at the total blackness, and finally see the stars.