Abstract
This paper discusses that, after a two-month long oil strike, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is assuring voters and foreign investors that the Venezuelan economy is on track to rebound but economic; but, geopolitical indicators point to a prolonged aftershock for Venezuela and the region. The author points out that the country's overdependence on oil has overexposed the economy to the high volatility in oil prices and the resultant "booms and busts" of the oil industry cycle. The paper reveals another problem: Chavez' s handling of the strike risks tarnishing Venezuela's reputation as one of the regions more stable democracies.

From the Paper
"Venezuela is also in the midst of a difficult restructuring of its foreign debt, which totals $23 billion, leaving it less flexibility in the use of its reserves. President Chavez stated at the end of March that the country would be able meet its $2 billion in foreign debt obligations in 2003 and stave off any defaults. An important component of the foreign debt refinancing is the country's intention to issue a voluntary bond swap. A credit default would jeopardize the security exchange and could trigger further defaults."

Tags:strike, rebound, dependency, debt, volatility

Abstract
This paper explains that grief counseling in schools has grown as a discipline in response to teen suicides, natural disasters, bombings, and shootings. The author points out that trauma experts handle the immediate aftershocks of disaster, and, once they leave, grief counselors take over to provide longer-term help for those who have suffered a loss. This paper concludes that, with school suicides and other traumatic events on the increase, school officials have to be aware of these possibilities and try to provide for them in their planning.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Teenage Suicide
Grief Counseling
Approaches to Grief
Conclusion

From the Paper
"While bereavement is the state of having lost a significant other to death, grief is the personal response to the loss and mourning is the public expression of that loss. Bereavement is an intensely demanding, multidimensional adaptive process and so should be seen as both an opportunity for significant personal growth and a vector of disease when its mental and physical health consequences are considered. Some one third of all bereaved people incur problems for which professional assistance is indicated, and among the problems encountered are increased use of tobacco, alcohol, sedatives, and anxiolytics by the bereaved. Depression syndromes are seen in nearly one half of all grieving people, while 10 percent suffer major depression. Also possible is health deterioration lasting 13 months or longer, including increased physical symptoms and illness, severe depressive mood, and increased health services utilization and hospitalization; this is seen in 15 to 25 percent of the widowed."

Tags:postvention, shooting, bereavement, planning, experts

Abstract
Analysis of the October 1989 Northern California earthquake. Creation of the 7.1 magnitude quake by a slip in the San Andreas fault line. Depth of the quake. Occurrence of aftershocks and their magnitude. Areas of devastation; why some areas suffered greater damage than others. Landslides. Probability of a repeat high magnitude earthquake.

From the Paper
"1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake
The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake occurred at 5:04 PM on Tuesday, October 17, 1989. It was measured as a magnitude 7.1 on the Richter scale, a device utilized for measuring earthquake strength. It lasted about 20 seconds and was centered approximately 60 miles south of San Francisco. The tremor could be felt as far south as San Diego and as far east as Western Nevada. This earthquake was pinpointed along the San Andreas Fault line, long considered one of the most dangerous and active portions of the fault.


The famed San Andreas fault line runs along a northwesterly direction about 800 miles from the Gulf of California up to Cape Mendocino just north of San Francisco. This particular fault has been the source of many large quakes, including the 7.0 1838 quake on the..."

Abstract
This paper discusses the Northridge earthquake that hit the San Fernando Valley area of Greater Los Angeles on January 17, 1994. The paper specifically reviews the economic impact of the earthquake, as well as the psychological aftermath for the residents of the area. It also discusses the news coverage of the earthquake and general related information.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Economic Impact
Northridge Earthquake General Information
Northridge Earthquake News Coverage
Suicides Due to the Northridge Earthquake
Psychological Distress Following the Northridge Quake

From the Paper
"While the earthquake itself didn't result in an increased rate of suicides, the same publication (Prehospital and Disaster Medicine) with mostly the same authors (Bourque, Shoaf, et al, 2002) shows that there was additional psychological distress on the day of the quake. On an average day in LA County there are an estimated 60-80 deaths associated with "cardiovascular events" (IHD, "ischemic heart disease" - heart attacks - and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease ACD). Meanwhile, in the 16 days preceding the January 17 Northridge quake deaths associated with IHD and ACD averaged 73 per day; on the day of the quake, 125 IHD / ACD death occurred. But for the rest of the month of January following the 17th, the average dropped to 57 deaths per day attributed to IHD and ACD."

Tags:richter, deaths, aftershock, damage

Abstract
This paper examines the damage recently caused by the natural phenomena of earthquakes and hurricanes and measures that can be taken to to predict their arrival in order to prepare for them. In particular it looks at Hurricane Dennis, which menaced the coast of North Carolina and Hurricane Floyd, which led to a huge evacuation of people from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. It also discusses the devastating effects of the two earthquakes that hit Turkey in 1999.

From the Paper
"The other major natural disaster in the fall of 1999 has been earthquakes, of which there have been several considered major in impact. Indeed, Turkey has been hit twice in different regions of the country. The earthquake in August left a death toll originally estimated to be about 500. This was a quake of magnitude 7.8 on the old Richter scale, making it almost as powerful as the 7.9 in San Francisco in 1906, which killed 700 people. The earthquake in Turkey struck at 3 am. Dozens of buildings collapsed. It is often noted in American cities when there is an earthquake at that hour that the death toll would have been much higher in the daytime when people were out on the street, but it is not clear that this would be true in areas like Turkey where buildings are not as well-constructed and where most of those killed were sleeping in their own beds when the house collapsed about them."

Tags:aftershocks, tremors, dennis, floyd