Letters: 28 Years Later offers lessons in humanity

Montreal Gazette

02-07-2025

The poster for the film 28 Years Later features what appear to be hundreds of human skulls stacked in a pyramid. Presumably, these are skulls of those who have fallen to the 'rage virus' first introduced in 28 Days Later in 2002.
But this third instalment in the series is about far more than incredibly disturbing sequences of bloody mayhem. Surprisingly, characters like Dr. Kelson, played by Ralph Fiennes, have many poignant lessons to teach us about humanity.
Physicians should watch this movie because it shows how to communicate with a patient in a respectable way. Politicians should watch it because it proves that beauty in the world trumps the ugliness of war. And people in general should enjoy it for the perfectly balanced action and horror tempered by genuine moments of affection.
Nathan Friedland, Roxboro
Sowing the seeds of peace
We must be grateful to Allison Hanes for her column about the tragedy of genocide and mass killings and for shedding light on Heidi Berger's work in genocide education.
Instead of subscribing to war, let us follow the inspiring example of the Green Legacy Hiroshima organization, which has distributed, worldwide, the seeds and saplings of trees that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
These trees have served as an inspiration for the rebirth of Hiroshima and are considered trees of peace.
Montreal and Hiroshima are sister cities, and saplings from a surviving ginkgo biloba tree were planted in Montreal in 2018 in the name of peace.
Let us plant trees instead of killing people with bombs.
Shloime Perel, Côte-St-Luc
Education is key to disease prevention
In the 1950s, '60s and '70s, parents had their children vaccinated against serious and highly communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, polio and measles, for their own health and for society at large.
Many parents today are ignorant of the harm such diseases cause or are misinformed about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
We need to better educate people about the science and importance of disease prevention and ensure all children are vaccinated against any communicable disease before they enter the school system.
We do not want to repeat the tragic past of children dying from preventable diseases.
Mary Armstrong, Montreal
Call for vigilance in Côte-St-Luc
Re: ' Côte-St-Luc mayor proposes measures Montreal could take to help Jewish community feel safer ' (The Gazette, June 10)
As a resident of Côte-St-Luc, it was reassuring to read that our mayor, Mitchell Brownstein, urged Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante to take immediate action in response to rising security concerns for the Jewish community.
Since Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, there has been a spike in antisemitic incidents. In response to this grave situation, Brownstein proposed several measures Plante could take, including the creation of buffer zones around vulnerable locations.
He also appealed to citizens to be vigilant and report anything suspicious.
We all have a civic duty to protect our freedom and security.
Vivianne M. Silver, Côte-St-Luc
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