LET’S CELEBRATE


McLuhan’s basic thesis is that “all media – in and of them- selves and regardless of the


messages they communicate – exert a compelling influence on man and society.


television’s impact on politics: “Ken- nedy was the first TV President because he was the first prominent American politician to ever understand the dy- namics and lines of force of the televi- sion iconoscope. As I have explained, TV is an inherently cool medium, and Kennedy has a compatible coolness and indifference to power, bred of personal wealth, which allowed him to adapt ful- ly to TV. Any political candidate who doesn’t have such cool, low definition qualities, which allow the viewer to fill in the gaps with his own personal iden- tification, simply electrocutes himself on television – as Richard Nixon did in his disastrous debates with Kennedy in the 1960 campaign. Nixon was essen- tially hot; he presented a high defini- tion, sharply-defined image and action on the TV screen that contributed to his reputation as a phony…” Kennedy won on television, Nixon on paper.


I recall that debate vividly today. On


TV, there was no question that Jack Kennedy won. However, three days later, I was able to read the complete debate in the New York Times. It was a revelation. The transcript showed that Nixon was very bright, very aware and an excellent debater; on paper, he was not the loser in the debate. I only vague- ly understood what had happened when McLuhan published The Gutenberg Gal- axy two years later. But Understanding Media (published another two years lat- er) made understanding those debates much easier. McLuhan still has a lot to say about


today’s society and he is still very much worth reading today. His writings con- tinue to provide insights into what is happening to our society. The Hon. John Reid was the Liberal MP


for Kenora-Rainy River, ON from 1965- 1984.


Beyond the Hill • Winter 2012 Mount Rundle in Banff National Park in winter.


the creation of the Dominion Parks Branch, which was formed in 1911. But the very first national park,


I


Banff National Park, was created even earlier, in 1885. Just 26 square kilo- meters in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, it was intended to attract tourists to the hot springs tucked along the spec- tacular route of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Myron Thompson, who represented


the Reform party and then the Con- servatives in Parliament, was the MP for the Wild Rose district for nearly 15 years, from 1993-2006. “It was a pleasure,” says Thompson. “It was really interesting to be able to


n 2011, Parks Canada celebrated their 100th anniversary, commemorating


visit the park with the rangers.” The needs of the constituents weren’t


so different, he says, from elsewhere in his riding. The major issue was the safe- ty of both the people and the animals in the park, in an area where wildlife and tourists often meet. The twinning of Highway 1, a major road through the park, and working with the Banff Cen- tre (an arts centre) were also highlights, he says. Banff is just one of 46 national parks


and marine conservation regions, from Tutktut Nogain National Park above the Arctic circle, to Fundy National Park in New Brunswick. Even so, Banff is one of Canada’s most popular parks, with almost 3 million visits in 2010, and it is also a UNESCO heritage site.


Page 23


National parks 100th birthday


By Katherine Dunn


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