As Hurricane Floyd heads for Florida, many ASMers residing in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and other parts of Florida and the east coast are boarding up their homes, packing up their families and heading for shelter. Three thousand miles away, in Earthquake Country, I write this newsletter. Events occurring at such a distance always used to be happening "to the other guy". As our alumni search grows, and we find each other all over the world, "the other guy" is no longer a faceless person in the crowd of humanity. The "other guy" is someone we care about, part of our family.

The Internet and GoLancers.COM has shrunk our world. We can reach out and touch each other as if we were in the same physical location. We are all connected.

As Floridians prepare for what looks to be turning into a Class 5 hurricane, Californians are reminded of "The Big One". How many of us are prepared for that big earthquake they keep telling us will happen … some day? We are constantly reminded by the media to prepare, yet the vast majority of us live blissfully in a world of "que será - será". Prepare? How? Unlike our counterparts on the east coast, Californians can't board up, pack up and head for cover. Perhaps someday we will have the warning system that is now in place for hurricanes. Someday …..

I applaud all of you in the southeast. I am not so sure I would want to know that a 7.0-8.0 earthquake was about to hit Southern California. I guess it is all in what you are used to. By the time this newsletter is distributed, Floyd will be history. I hope to have heard from the majority of you in Florida. Let us know that you are safe and sound and how you fared.

When things get back to normal, I want you all to gather at Casa Juancho and have a maxi-mini reunion! Salud!

[Floyd moved on to wreak havoc further north and several large earthquakes have caused major devastation in Taiwan and Mexico. From all of us, who have not experienced the wrath of Mother Nature recently, our prayers and best wishes go out to those of you who have.]

From Rafa Diaz-Balart '68:

Thank God Hurricane Floyd missed us. Yesterday, we did not even get the strong winds that had been forecasted. Only a few rain drops here and there! Living in Miami we are used to these scares; obviously we are always thankful when one of these potential disasters misses us. Due to the niño/niña effect, this year we expect more hurricanes than in previous years. But statistically, we only get hit by a bad one every 60 years or so. (The last one being Andrew in 1992, preceded by the one in 1926).

Unfortunately, The Bahamas must have suffered tremendously. Being a poor country, their ability to prepare for these disasters is always less than what is done in the U.S.) We are praying for the people of the Carolinas, as it now seems that that is where Floyd is going to hit land. The best news is that it has weakened a bit, but it still will be devastating for where it hits land. Thanks for your concern and thoughtfulness.

From Bill Caram '63:

Thanks for your concern. Fortunately we were spared again. We just got a little wind and a little rain. The main force stayed offshore and is now heading north.

From Alex de la Cal '70:

Looks like the storm will spare us. We were all ready but spent most of the afternoon gathered with our neighbors enjoying a relaxing time together.

I'm off to Hong Kong on Sunday and hope the new hurricane out there does not strike while I am away.

You did a great job at the reunion and I saw all the wonderful comments that everyone sent you. These types of gatherings are few and far between and will leave wonderful memories for the rest of our lives.

From Marcelo Salup '72:

Stroke of good luck: it will miss us entirely and according to the latest news, we will not have winds of over 50 - 60 mph, which is no big deal.

Thanks for the note. Really appreciated.

From Agustín (Gus) González '83:

Thanks, we are lucky hurricane Floyd missed us but, it is going towards South and North Carolina let's pray for them.

Monday, turned out to be very hectic. I went to work as usual, even though the hurricane was close no hurricane watch had been posted. Around 9:30 AM Dade-County was put on hurricane watch and later on in the late morning (11:00 AM) it was upgraded to a hurricane warning.

At 3:30 PM I left the office and drove to my mother's home in Kendall. I picked up the keys to the beach apartment and headed for Miami Beach; traffic was not fun. After I secured the apartment I return to my home to start preparations. On the way I decided to stop to fill my car's gas tank. This task took an hour due to pump re-fueling and long lines for service.

I started to put up the storm panels around 7:45 PM; this event took 2 1/2 hours.

At 10:45 PM I went back to my mom's home. My dad was out of town on a business trip in Chicago - last year the same thing happened with hurricane Georges. I was done putting the storm panels at her home by 2:30 AM. I left a few panels off, these I would do in the morning when I would pick her up to ride out the storm at my house.

After, I got home at 3:00 AM I switched cars and took Lynette's (my wife) car to fill it up at a 24 hour station near the house. When I returned home a few of my neighbors were still working on their homes. I helped them and continued to clear my garage to accommodate the patio furniture, car, etc ...

At 4:45 AM I went to one of the neighbor's home with a couple of COLD beers. We sat around till 5:30 AM watching the latest weather advisory.

Between 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM - I slept. I needed some rest ... almost 15 hours of continuous labor since I had left the office.

At 8:30 AM I went to my mom's house - put up the last panels ... secured the home and returned to my home with mom, the cat (George) and all the "important documents".

By 12:00 NOON I was done securing my home. Sat down to have lunch ... and by 1:00 PM I fell asleep next to the cat (George) - both of us were out cold till 5:00 PM when they announced on the news that the hurricane warnings had been lifted.

By 6:00 PM - mom, the cat (George) and all the "important documents" were back on their way to my mom's house. I removed several of the panels from the front door, back terrace French doors, and a couple of windows.

I was back home by 8:15 PM - had a bite to eat. At 9:00 PM some of the neighbors came over and we played dominos till 11:30 PM.

Yeah, the next day I returned to work ... but, came home early to remove some of the panels and take out the patio furniture. I won't be removing all the storm panels since hurricane Gert is another hurricane in the middle of the Atlantic. The forecast is that it will move NW but, currently it is moving WEST at 12 MPH and it is a category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 MPH.

Now, it is 2:32 AM and I am on the World Wide Web happy to be chatting with you !!!

[Editor's note: There is only one person who sleeps less than me … that would be Gus!]

From Brandt Secosh (Kennedy Space Center):

[Editor's note: Brandt Secosh is the NASA Quest correspondent at the Kennedy Space Center. He sent this journal to the folks at Quest (http://quest.arc.nasa.gov) as soon as he had power to logon again after Floyd passed KSC and moved north. Although Brandt is not an ASMer, his journal is worth reading.]

HURRICANE FLOYD VISITS FLORIDA

By: Brandt Secosh

http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/team/secosh.html

September 13, 1999

Monday, September 13th began a pretty crazy week for Kennedy Space Center. Hurricane Floyd was bearing down on Florida, with Kennedy Space Center as one of its potential targets for landfall. By 9:00 a.m. many of the HURCON plans for all of the workers were placed into effect. All of the offices on the bottom floor of the Headquarters building where I work began following the outlined steps in the hurricane plan. Those steps included securing equipment, making backups of computer files, sandbagging entrances and re-enforcing windows with plywood.

Hurricane Floyd is a massive category IV hurricane. The main elements of the hurricane that threaten Kennedy Space Center are the winds, which are measured at 155 mph, and the storm surge, which could be as high as twenty feet. This would place my office completely underwater reaching the bottom of the second floor in the Headquarters building.

There is much to lose if a storm hits Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Air Station right next door. A rocket can cost anywhere from $55 million to $340 million. Each orbiter costs approximately $2 billion. All four of NASA's $2 billion orbiters are in the Orbiter Processing Facilities (OPF) and/or the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB). The OPF is designed to withstand winds up to 105 mph, and the VAB can withstand up to 125 mph. A multi-million dollar radar mapper to be launched in November was stored within a specially designed cargo canister inside a payload processing building built to withstand winds up to 110 mph. A U. S. laboratory and other parts of NASA's International Space Station were secured in the same building. Gear for a Hubble Space Telescope repair mission in late October was covered up in a spacecraft processing center built to withstand winds of 125 mph. Four rockets were secured at their launch pads at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) and protective service towers have been placed were around them. The towers are built to withstand winds up to 120 mph.

At 3:30 P.M. Eastern Time, all workers were released to go and prepare their homes for Hurricane Floyd and standby for evacuation orders. I arrived at my home around 4:00 and began placing plywood on all the windows. After talking with my wife, Stephanie, we decided to stay and ride it out. My parents had called and said they were going to Alabama, my brother went to Ocala, one of my sisters went to Kissimmee, and my other sister was preparing to go to west Orlando. After preparing our home, we began helping our neighbors board up and prepare for Floyd. Many of our neighbors are elderly and were very appreciative for the help!

September 14, 1999

O.K.! This is getting a bit scary now. The hurricane seems set on coming right to Kennedy Space Center, and it seems to be homed in on my front door. This is, without a doubt, one of the most well developed and massive storms I have ever seen. The satellite imagery is incredible! I am going out for batteries and supplies and to check on the neighbors.

This afternoon, the rains began and the winds started picking up. There was an eerie feeling seeing everybody leaving and all of the houses boarded up. Evacuation orders have now been ordered for the barrier islands, and the traffic is backing up on the Interstate and the bridges from the barrier islands that access the Interstate.

It is now 9:00 P.M. eastern, and the news channels are indicating that Floyd may be making a shift to the north! This is really good news because the hurricane force winds may stay in the ocean and only the tropical storm winds (74 mph or less) will hit the mainland.

It is 11:30 P.M. and it has been confirmed that Floyd has turned North! The winds are now around forty mph with stronger gusts. It has been strange inside the house because we can't see outside. We can only hear the winds and occasional branches and debris flying around. We have been boarded up since Monday, and it is weird not be able to tell if it is day or night.

September 15, 1999

The power went out around 5:00 A.M. Wow! We really dodged a bullet here. Floyd did take the northerly path that was predicted by the National Hurricane Center. In this National Hurricane Center graphic you can see the path that Floyd took and is now on its way to South Carolina. We have gone out to clear branches and limbs from the yard. Our neighbor has a fifty-foot oak tree that has blown down, but fortunately it missed their house. The most damage has come from beach erosion and fallen trees. We are all very grateful because this could have been a huge disaster and we were certainly spared! All reports that I have heard about Kennedy and CCAS indicate that no real damage has been sustained. It is scary to realize that all of the nation's orbiters that were located at KSC could have been lost. I am sure that there will be a lot of talk about this in the future to develop a plan to disperse the orbiters.

The rains are still coming down, but this all seems mild considering what it could have been! I can't wait to get these boards off the windows! I seem to be a bit more claustrophobic than I thought! As soon as the phone lines are restored, I will get this journal out to the Space Team Online.

The boards are down now, and Stephanie and I made a quick trip to the beach this evening to surf some really nice waves! Now we will be watching what GERT does over the next few days.

GoLancers.COM Registration:

If you haven't registered (or re-registered) at GoLancers.COM, please do so as soon as possible. Go to http://www.gomiami.com/members/asm/register.asp . The new email directory will allow you to update your own information, but best of all, it will allow you to search for others based on name, graduation year, or location. When everyone has registered, we will have a very powerful search capability. If you don't remember if you have registered, please do a search on your name or graduation year and double check. The system currently allows you to duplicate your information, which is not what we want. We are looking into fixing this problem, but may have to live with it. So, please check first. Only enter the information you are comfortable providing. The only information that will be posted online will be: Name, Graduation Year, Email Address and City/State. Enter N/A in any field you choose not to fill in. If you have any difficulties registering, or do not have internet access, please send an email to JazBaggins@aol.com . We would be happy to step you through the process or register for you. Be sure to use the Browse function to verify your completed registration.

PLEASE NOTE: The old email directory will be removed effective October 31^st, 1999.

OneList.COM Subscription:

Please subscribe to ASMGoLancers@onelist.com . This mailing list will be used to keep you updated on changes and additions made at http://www.GoLancers.COM and http://www.amerschmad.org . Please go to the following URL to sign up:

This mailing list will allow you to communicate directly with everyone else who registers (hopefully, all alumni will do so). Gus will use this forum to let you know about changes to the GoLancers web pages, upcoming events or anything else alumni related. Kim Cullen '91 (ASM Alumni Coordinator) will also be able to use it to inform you of changes to the official website or other "official" alumni news.

You can discuss your thoughts on Reunion 2001 (Madrid), suggest mini-reunions, talk about past reunions, or any other thing related to ASM alumni. The list is currently unmoderated, so I would like to propose a few rules:

1) Do not use this list to send jokes, chain letters, or solicitations of any sort.

2) Keep it clean. This is a kid safe site and I don't want to have to place restrictions in order to ensure that it remains so.

3) If you use an email other than your regular email address, please let me know who you are. I want to know who is subscribing, to ensure that all have ties to ASM.

4) Please do not respond to the entire mailing list when you your response is directed to an individual. Use the email directory at GoLancers.COM to locate individual email addresses.

Have your children sign up at our ASMGoLancersKids site. The URL for that one is:

The kids site is intended to facilitate communication between all the children of ASM alumni and current students at the American School of Madrid. I will be moderating the list, so all messages will come through me before they are routed to the distribution list.

Please try these mailing lists. If you don't like them you can unsubscribe. If you want to limit the number of individual emails you receive, subscribe to the digest version of either or both lists. Please send me your comments about this system. If you have difficulties, please email me at MFeareyASM@aol.com and I will try to help you.

Members of the Class of 1969 are reminded to register for the ASMGoLancers1969 mailing list as well. This will allow members of the class of 1969 to communicate amongst themselves. Anyone can set up a onelist community for his/her class. If you do, please name it ASMGoLancers19xx (where xx is your graduation year) and email Gus at (asm@GoLancers.com) to let him know to post the information.

Starting next month, I will use this forum to inform you when new newsletters have been posted at GoLancers.COM.

From Kim Cullen'91 (ASM Development Head & Community Liaison):

[Kim wrote the following in a letter to Class Agents on September 22, 1999.]

ASM opened the 1999-2000 school year on Monday, September 6. With a high enrollment (about 620 - the highest in almost 10 years!), many bright and talented students, and some outstanding new faculty and staff, this year promises to be a great one!

On the Alumni front - great things are in the making here as well! The program did very well last year, thanks to both extraordinary effort on the part of our class agents, as well as cooperation and collaboration among some key people at the school. In the absence of a physical measure of success, I judge how well the program did by it's visibility, recognition, and reputation among the ASM community (both immediate and extended). Here are some of the highlights of the 98-99 school year:

The Class Agent program recruited representatives from almost all of ASM's 38 graduating classes.

• ASM's faculty and staff received regular updates on the Alumni Program as well as Class Agent Lists.
• The official Alumni web pages were expanded from a one-page questionnaire to a 25-page informative web site.
• The alumni News, ASM's first Alumni newsletter was published in January 1999.
• The Alumni Coordinator presented the Program to the Board of Trustees in a 20-minute power-point presentation.
• The Alumni Liaison Program was initiated to recruit office assistance in the Alumni office while exposing seniors to the Alumni Program and its activities.
• Nine members of the class of 1999 volunteered to serve as Class Agents (!!).
• The Class Agent Handbook was expanded and distributed to all Class Agents and prospective agents.
• The Alumni Program Mission Statement was approved.
• ASM's 40th anniversary reunion (Reunion 2001) was announced, and attendance surveys have started rolling in!

1999-2000 looks just as promising with some significant events and activities being planned. Here are just a few:

• ASM's official alumni web pages will be redesigned so as to become more compatible with the Unofficial web site, GoLancers.COM.
• Monthly letters to Class Agents will now be sent on a quarterly basis.
• ASM will host a Madrid Alumni Wine & Cheese Event in December 1999.
• ASM Seniors will be introduced to the Alumni program with a kind of "Intro
• to Alum Life 101".
• The Alumni News will be enhanced and published once again in January 2000.

In addition, Reunion 2001 planning is a major goal, and we hope to recruit Reunion Chairs by the end of 1999. We received quite a few responses regarding possible attendance, but I need your help in talking up the event. Please spread the word that the Reunion 2001 is now officially happening, and encourage your classmates to plan on attending.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that this month, ASM bids farewell to a super class agent. Michelle Fearey LaGue Mock ('69) has decided to step out of the limelight in order to make way for some new Sixties leadership. On behalf of all of us Michelle, THANK YOU for all of your hard work. Your enthusiasm has indeed been inspirational to all of the Class Agents, and your energy will be missed. Michelle will remain active in the alumni program through her sponsorship of the unofficial alumni web site, http://www.GoLancers.COM. Everyone is encouraged to check out the site - web master Gus Gonzalez (Class Agent '83), and his fellow sponsors Michelle Mock and Steve Shepard ('72) have done a fantastic job!

Finally, as some of you know, I got married this summer to ASM alumnus Gonzalo Gimeno ('91). After a wonderful honeymoon trip to Peru, I returned to ASM to take on the same job, but with a new twist. I have been appointed Development Head & Community Liaison. While Alumni Affairs are still a critical aspect of my job, my focus will be increasingly on Development (Internal and External Public Relations, ASM Community Events, and Fundraising). While I will work hard on the Alumni Program, I depend on you, ASM's Class Agents, to continue to work hard as well. Please continue to send in your alumni updates, meeting the deadlines published in the CA Handbook (October 15, February 15, and June 15).

Class Agents are some of ASM's best public relations agents. Keep spreading the good word about ASM! And, as always, if you have any suggestions or comments, or questions about things going on at the school, please let me know.

Many, many thanks for all of your help!

Saludos,

Kim Cullen

Development Head and Community Liaison

American School of Madrid

Apartado 80

28080 Madrid

Spain

Tel: 34 91 740 19 03

Fax: 34 91 357 26 78

E-mail: asmdev@mx3.redestb.es

Internet: http://www.AmerSchMad.ORG

Your 'Have A Nice Day' Laugh is:

[Sometimes I receive an email that just needs to be forwarded. This is one of those. Reprinted from HAND! Have A Nice Day! Enjoy!]

Guidelines for Enlightenment

by Swami Beyondananda

1. Be a Fundamentalist--make sure the Fun always comes before the mental. Realize that life is a situation comedy that will never be canceled. A laugh track has been provided, and the reason why we are put in the material world is to get more material. Have a good laughsitive twice a day, and that will ensure regularhilarity.
2. Remember that each of us has been given a special gift, just for entering - so you are already a winner!
3. The most powerful tool on the planet today is Tell-A-Vision. That is where I tell a vision to you, and you tell a vision to me. That way, if we don't like the programming we're getting, we can simply change the channel.
4. Life is like photography. You use the negative to develop.
5. It is true. As we go through life thinking heavy thoughts, thought particles tend to get caught between the ears, causing a condition called truth decay. So be sure to use mental floss twice a day. And when you're tempted to practice tantrum yoga, remember what we teach in Swami's Absurdiveness Training class: *Don't get even, get odd.*
6. If we want world peace, we must let go of our attachments and truly live like nomads. That's where I no mad at you, you no mad at me. That way, there'll surely be nomadness on the planet. And peace begins with each of us. A little peace here, a little peace there, pretty soon all the peaces will fit together to make one big peace everywhere.
7. I know great earth changes have been predicted for the future, so if you're looking to avoid earthquakes, my advice is simple. When you find a fault, just don't dwell on it.
8. There's no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world, and we'll never have to change it again.
9. If you're looking to find the key to the Universe, I have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is: there is no key to the Universe. The good news is: it has been left unlocked.
10. Finally, everything I have told you is channeled. That way, if you don't like it, it's not my fault. And remember, enlightenment is not a bureaucracy. So we don't have to go through channels.

--- by Swami Beyondananda

HAND! Have A Nice Day!

To subscribe to HAND list, send email TO: majordomo@bapp.com in body of MESSAGE type: subscribe HAND

To unsubscribe to HAND list, send email TO: majordomo@bapp.com in body of MESSAGE type: unsubscribe HAND

From Joe Condrill (Overseas Brats President):

Since 1986, OVERSEAS BRATS has been there to serve your needs! We're provided information on searching for friends and classmates and how to do that both by the internet and for those internet-challenged. Publicity about our search for anyone associated with overseas schools has resulted in publicity in more than 350 publications.

We're also heavily involved with alumni groups and reunion committees. Since 1981 we've cataloged more than 725 reunions involving 85,113 participants, and assisted more than 160 groups/reunion committees with their activities. Our magazine has provided free publicity to these different alumni groups and reunion committees. We're also doing this by providing many web links at: www.overseasbrats.com . OVERSEAS BRATS exists because of these and many more reasons.

Regardless whenever/wherever we lived abroad, we (and that's 4 Million of us!!!) have a lot in common....we knew many homes growing up....we all had our share of wonderful friendships and great memories....and we all represent a unique, extended family. Probably 80% of our backgrounds read like very similar stories.

Until 1986, there was no organization that tried to coordinate things and help bring people together, share our experiences, serve as a networking vehicle, and become a unique support group. While the internet has done MUCH to facilitate people finding people (and there is a LOT of "Overseas Brats" activity on the net these days!!!), there is still a need - above and beyond the net - to make some sense of all of this. After all, we are a special community, and each of us represents a unique contribution to an incredible and beautiful tapestry!

All the above has happened because a couple thousand people believe in this concept of bringing people together, and have become members of OVERSEAS BRATS to make it happen.

Soooo--- what is happening?

1. Homecoming'99, the all-schools reunion event held in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in early August had 3,000 present, according to the Associated Press. Out of more than 1,000 American overseas schools that existed or are still in operation, we had representatives from 317 of these schools. Of this number, 88 schools/groups had some form of get-togethers involving as few a five people up to 275. We've prepared a Homecoming'99 directory which will be sent out after November 1, 1999. Also being prepared is the photo and editorial coverage of Homecoming'99 which will be in the December 1999 edition of OVERSEAS BRATS magazine. Both the directory and the December 1999 edition of OVERSEAS BRATS magazine are available at a nominal charge for those who couldn't attend the event.
2. The next all-schools reunion event is Homecoming 2001 which will be hosted by OVERSEAS BRATS and held during the Summer of 2001 in Wichita, KS, to coincide with the ground-breaking of "OUR" new home --- the American Overseas Schools Historical Societies (AOSHS) Historical Park. The AOSHS Historical Park, once completed, will have a museum, visitor's center and archive. OVERSEAS BRATS has given time, money, and editorial space and other help to AOSHS to make this a reality.
3. There are some opportunities to get-together with your own kind this year! These include:

• The "New Orleans Gathering," Oct. 21-24, at the New Orleans Airport Hilton. This is the annual OVERSEAS BRATS national convention, and we have course sessions, speakers, and exhibition and more planned! Meet some of the hoteliers and convention & visitors bureaus from around the U.S. that want your kind of business. Some schools (Chofu, Berlin, YoHi) are using the event to stage their own events too! Four days of FUN! And we have regional events (one day affairs) tentatively scheduled for:

• The Washington, DC metropolitan area, Saturday, November 6;

• The Tidewater (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News) area of VA, Sunday, November 7;

• Central Florida (Kissimmee), Saturday, November 13;

1. Effective December 1, 1999 all OVERSEAS BRATS members will be listed in alphabetical order according to the country(s) they lived in on the official OVERSEAS BRATS web site at: www.overseasbrats.com. Should you want to get listed, check with me. Instructions will be provided on how to contact someone who is listed on this web site which is seeing more than 1,000 visitors weekly.

As we approach a new millenium, OVERSEAS BRATS is renewing its' commitment to help and serve you! Here too, is a special opportunity for you to be apart of something that is exciting. Join us and get involved with an organization that is making things ***happen*** for thousands of "Overseas Brats!" Have a terrific day!

Very Sincerely Yours,

Joe Condrill, President

OVERSEAS BRATS

[Reprinted with permission from Joe Condrill.]

Gone But Not Forgotten:

George C. Scott passed away on September 22, 1999 at his home in Westlake, California at the age of 71. Perhaps best known for his Oscar winning role in the movie "Patton", Mr. Scott was also an ASM parent during the filming of that movie. My brother, Joe LaGue, remembers this ASM moment: "During a Saturday school event, I remember watching the man who would become famous for his role in Patton, George C. Scott, spending the day with his family. I don't know if he was enjoying the festivities, but he seemingly spent an eternity flicking and sticking his Swiss Army Knife into the turf." On behalf of the entire ASM community, I extend our condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Scott.

Voice of the Sixties can be found at: http://www.gutech.com/asm/asmart.htm   This newsletter is dependent upon input from ASM 60s alumni. Please send your stories, mini-bios and any news you would like to share to MFeareyASM@aol.com. Comments and suggestions are encouraged as well.