Summary "Economic crisis takes toll on mental health"

By Charlie Fieldman

The January 10 article "Economic Crisis Takes Toll on Mental Health" published in The Montreal Gazette written by Charlie Fidelman, is about the effects of the current economic crisis on mental health. He starts his article telling readers that only the mental health professionals will not be affected by the economic meltdown since everyone else will be and will need professional help because of it. A number of research have been done proving that a raise in problems such as anxiety, lost of self-esteem and suicides are caused by the financial crisis. Also, many mental health experts think that theft, drug use, alcohol and violence will increase.

In his article, Charlie Fidleman enumerates some examples of suicide events that may be related with the recession and of the present unemployment rate. However, the coordinator of Suicide Action Montreal does not believe that this is true because suicide rates have not yet gone up. Likewise, the author mentions a stress expert who manages the company "Work Smart Live Smart" that affirms that money will be the last cause of their troubles. In fact, a series of other problems such as mental illness, substance abuse and failed romances will affect the number of suicides before money ever will. Moreover, people who tend to complain about basic needs like sleepiness, eating or physical aches tend to be more depressed.

The author writes that it is normal that anxiety and stress will be results of the economic crisis, especially if a person gets laid off. Still, not everyone is the same and some factors such as family, friends and optimism allow each and everyone of them to get better and stay positive. The economic crisis can even lead to some good like an opportunity for change and guidance in one’s life.

Mr. Alan AllnuttEditor-in-chief of The Montreal Gazette
1010 Ste. Catherine St. West, suite 200
Montreal, QC H3B 5L1Dear Mr.Allnutt,


I have been working in the sports and arts departments at The Gazette for over a year now and we have always had the same staff working in these departments. However, you recently hired a new employee, John Stinson, who is not cooperating well with the others in the team.

John Stinson does not respect his coworkers at all and we have received many complaints. he tells inappropriate jokes and yells at whoever he has to work in team with. Mr. Stinson is a very good worker, but his conduct has been bothering the other employees. We have already given him a warning, but he continues upsetting the others in the team.

I would like to schedule a meeting with you to discuss the situation. I do not want to fire Mr. Stinson, but if he does not change his conduct I am afraid we will not have a choice. I am available te meet you either next monday between 1 and 4 o'clock or on wednesday when ever you are free.

Yours sincerely,

Susan Dumouchel,
Assistant-publisher, Arts and Sports department
The Gazette

Summary of an article about my company

The Evolution of The Gazette as an Official Language Minority Newspaper
by John Kalbfleisch

John Kalbfleisch’s article about The Montreal Gazette explains how the oldest newspaper in Montreal isn’t the most popular because of the language it is written in. Using events that occurred during the 228 year old newspaper’s history, the author unravels some important facts about how the newspaper came to be how it is today. For example, although the French population outranked the English population in the 1970s, The Gazette, Montreal’s only English newspaper,was highly supported. He goes on writing about how The Gazette started out to be a French newspaper and how only literate Montrealers used to read it when it was invented in 1778.

When the Gazette’s creator Fleury Mesplet started his newspaper, he lied about its content. Instead of publishing good-hearted articles as promised, he and his editor, Valentin Jautard, published a newspaper based on their personal thoughts that weren’t always noble. They both ended up in jail. After his three years in prison, Mesplet published The Gazette once again, but this time he wrote good and acceptable articles and the newspaper became bilingual. In 1822, The Gazette’s founder passed awayand his paper was written in English only.

The Gazette, being all English, went through some hard times after the death of Mesplet, since the French population was still dominant. Both the French and English population were in some sort of war about who was dominant throughout the history in Quebec for quite some time and the author shows, using many examples, that The Gazette was highly affected by this history. For example, he explains how the Patriot Movement affected the newspaper in the 1930s. The English community was the only one who was interested in reading The Gazette hence it wasn’t doing very well. Throughout history, this newspaper has had some ups and downs, but in the end The Gazette became Montreal’s oldest newspaper and is very popular.