Openings for Tonight's Overnight Camp!

Hello Troops,
We have a couple openings on tonight's Overnight Camp. Because you're reading it on the blog, you'll get the discount. Instead of $43.00 you pay $35.00. You must be between 10 and 14 years old (you'll be joining 5th and 6th graders from Cedar Ridge Elementary).

If you're interested, please call the Center 801.785.8713

Enjoy your 3 Day Weekend!

Mr. W.

A New Column

Hello Troops,
The Troubadour covers topics related to the Space Education Center and society as a whole. It is a place where we reward innovative thinking. It is a place where imagination is celebrated.

Tackling today's tough social issues requires the same kind of imaginative thinking as writing a piece of unforgettable music or producing a movie that brings audiences to their feet. With that in mind, The Troubadour will start showcasing these Societal Imagineers who's thinking, ideas and proposals are unique, innovative and worthy of consideration. I should warn you that these posts may cause an increase in blood pressure because tinkering with society is political and politics can be divisive. But if we are to solve our nation's problems we need innovative thinking and new ideas. Rocking the ship of Status Quo is bound to be controversial.

This new series is called.

The Doctor is In

Imagineering from The American Interest.

Moving from “time-served” processes of certification (four year BA degrees, three years in law or divinity school) to certification based on achievement can make education dramatically cheaper. It is sheer madness that most students spend 12 years in school, and another four in college. Why exactly should all kids the same age be in the same grade? One size does not fit all; why shouldn’t high school kids go free when they can pass the equivalent of a GED? And for that matter, shouldn’t school districts encourage and reward teachers and schools that are able to graduate students faster? Among other things, this would allow some of the resources not spent on babysitting high-achieving kids to go to kids who really need the help. How “right wing” is that?

The same goes for college. Oxford and Cambridge graduate their students in three years — yet few people think British college grads are less accomplished than their American peers. What is sacred about the four year BA? Wouldn’t a shift to an exam based system (students who make qualifying scores on the appropriate exams would be certified as graduates) allow more people to advance farther at less cost? And there’s an element of social justice here: the kid from a no-name school who scores high on the exam will have an edge on the Ivy League kid who partied through college and just scraped by.

And From the Imaginarium

You old timers remember this from your childhood? Was there anything more awesome?

Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope....

Space Center Honors.

Hello Troops,
We've had a few recognitions recently that I'd like to post so everyone can celebrate the good things that happen here at the Space Center.

This is Mr. Daymont. He likes soda. He likes soda so much that one is never enough. In this picture you see him reaching for my soda.
"Want!" he said with hand outstretched.
"No. One is enough," I answered as I snapped the picture. What followed wasn't pretty. He doesn't take kindly to "No". Especially if it involves a sugary snack.

Mark is one of our special Flight Directors. The Home brings him by so he can watch and clap for us in the corner of the Magellan Control Room. He is our number one fan and a real lover of "Space Trek" (we tried to teach him to say "Star Trek" but he'll have none of it).

Occasionally Mr. Daymont has a bad day. It happens when his oatmeal at the Home isn't prepared properly. Instead of putting two teaspoons of sugar on his Quaker Oats, the cafeteria ladies give him one. Such a slight causes him to go mad. That's when the Home calls and asks if we would like to tend him for a few hours while they clean oatmeal from the walls and sheets of his room.

If you see Mark on your next visit to the Center, be sure to stop and thank him for his support and enthusiastic clapping. Be sure to hid all sweets before approaching. He has a keen sense of smell and can sniff out a carbohydrate from ten feet.

This is a picture of Natalie, Christine and Mark. Christine is giving us the thumbs up. She and Natalie just finished cleaning Mark's face. Someone stupidly gave him a handful of M and M's for an especially enthusiastic clap when the staff took the Magellan Bridge as Orion Pirates. Luckily he didn't mess up his Space Center shirt.

We're celebrating the February birthdays in this picture. We celebrate staff birthdays at the end of every month. The reasoning is sound. Mrs. Houston only has to bake one cake. We save money on candles. Then there's the singing of "Happy Birthday to You". If you've ever head the staff sing then you'd be grateful we only sing once a month. Anything more might cause a visit from the United Nation's Human Rights Commission. Then there is the problem of birds dropping dead from the sky around the school. Our singing is a real nasty business.

This is Mrs. Houston, a Space Center educator. She looks a bit disheveled because of the singing moments earlier. I'm still gritting my teeth. Not to worry, my jaw relaxes before I'm needed to run the next mission.

And now the recognitions. Miranda was awarded her Year of Service Pin. She's still shivering form the singing fifteen minutes earlier (and I'm still gritting my teeth).

Miranda is receiving her Odyssey Pin from Emily. Great job Miranda. Emily on the other hand, received a warning for wearing long johns under her Space Center shirt. She complains about the cold, but is that any excuse for punishing us with protruding long johns?

This is Bro. Alex congratulating Jorden on receiving his Phoenix Pin. Jorden is actually taller than Bro. Alex, but because of Bro. Alex's temperament, Jorden must stoop down to keep his head lower than Bro. Alex's.

You're asking about Bro. Alex's smile? Alex is preparing for missionary service. We've been working with him on his people skills. That smile is the result of three months work. Do you like it?


This is Jace. Jace was awarded his Voyager Pin on this particular camp. Jace has been working on his Voyager pass since the 5th grade. It was a joy to finally get to give him is pin, especially considering he's an 8th grader now at PG Junior (my jaw is beginning to relax).

Thanks to our Awesome Staff and Volunteers. Now I get to take Mark back to the Home. He's still in the Magellan Control Room clapping for a mission that ended 45 minutes ago.

Mr. W.

The EdVentures Starts Anew

Hello Troops,
It's Monday morning here in Pleasant Grove and time to start another week of EdVentures at the Space Education Center. There are about one gazillion kids anxiously waiting their turn at the what many call "The Best Field Trip in Utah". Our staff had their mandatory one day off for R and R and are already up and about, getting ready for the excitement.

I enjoyed Sunday's rain and the cooler temperatures. I enjoyed it even more when I remembered the oven we call July and August. Let's enjoy each day of this transition to summer. And speaking of summer, have you enrolled in one of our summer camps yet? If not, then get with it. We're working on new missions we're sure you'll enjoy.

OK, time for a few things from the Imaginarium, then I'll hit the road and trek to the Center.


I found this for all our 'green' Space Center campers, staff and volunteers. Save the environment and purchase a bamboo keyboard and mouse.

Chess Wars! It was a bloody day on the battle field. The King was cornered with no hope for rescue.
A good thought with one caution. Careful not to 'waste' too much of it. Remember what I always say, "Some of us have to work for a living?" and "Time is money". And yes, you'll fire back with "You're only young once."

True. So true.

Meanwhile, back in Libya........


Have a great day Troops and I'll see many of you in the trenches.

Mr. Williamson

Saint Sheila. My Hero.

Hello Troops,
Some time ago I wrote about the Space Center’s Patron Saint Sheila. The article was a tribute to Sheila Powell, one of the Space Center’s three field trip teachers.

The people I proclaim ‘Saints‘ encapsulate my vision of heroism. They are selfless with their fellow man. They are kind to a fault. They bear their burdens with a strength that inspires. All this, and much more, defines our Saint Sheila.

Sheila’s rise to sainthood is the result of several factors. Sheila was a sixth grade teacher in the Jordan School District. That fact alone drew Vatican attention. Sheila is a cancer survivor. Cancer survivors no longer exist in the same world as you and I. They experience life differently, knowing how fragile it is and how quickly it can end. They have the power to stop time and enjoy life’s special moments. You see them sometimes, standing alone, looking at something so innocent to us that it would hardly cause a moment’s thought, yet they sit memorized - lost in the fraction of a pleasant second.


A few weeks ago Sheila’s father passed away. It was yet another burden for her to carry, being the eldest and responsible for her surviving mother.

And finally, this week’s news.
“I’ve got Parkinson’s Disease,” she told us on Monday. It was said much like you would say you were coming down with a cold. The calmness of the statement was followed by the brightening of her halo. Such a statement can leave the listener uncertain of how to respond. For a moment you visualize the meaning, then realize the uncertain road ahead. The “I’m so sorry,” that inevitably follows are the only words that manage to surface.

And so, our Saint Sheila embarks on another journey of faith, with us beside her.

Recently I overhead several of the staff discuss a member of BYU’s basketball team. I believe his name was Jimmer. The word ‘hero‘ was used to describe their perceptions of his character and abilities. I thought for a moment of how life changes you as you age. When you’re young you admire people that excel in doing things you dream of doing well yourself. You make them your heroes. You put their posters on your walls. You dress like them, talk like them, and eat the cereals endorsed by them.


Now that I've reached the Autumn of my life, I choose my heroes differently. My heroes are the men, women and children who carry the burden of misfortune and illness with a faith that inspires me to be a better person. I see them playing a hand none of us would want, and yet manage to do it in such a way that we are all the better for it.

Saint Sheila is my hero.

Thank you Saint Sheila.

Thursday Blues

Hello Troops,
Just about to get ready for an appointment I've dreaded for two weeks. At 8:00 A.M. my path will cross paths with "The Dentist!" (lights darken in your room accompanied by the sound of a distant drill and screaming).

A piece of one of my top molars broke off during an overnight camp a month ago. I was eating an ice cream sandwich of all things. The thought crossed my mind to charge my two dentist visits, along with the soon to be fitted crown, to workmen's comp - considering my misfortune occurred while I was at work. While a nice thought, reason tells me the ploy won't work. Soon I'll feel lighter when walking because several hundred dollars will be missing from my wallet.

I've have my fair share of crowns and one more is just par for the course. What I don't like is that first shot of Novocaine my dentist takes great delight in giving me to start every procedure. In fact I've had to stop him on several occasions from giving me one just to take xrays of my teeth! Then there was the time he was having a bad day and chose to use his drill instead of floss to clean my teeth. I stopped him. We talked for awhile. He calmed down. It seemed a three year old had his way with him in a previous appointment.

Our awesome daytime staff will get the field trip started without me. I should be at work before the mission actually begins. I'm wondering how I'll sound over the Voyager's sound system with half a paralyzed mouth?! Who knows, it could be the best Paklid I've every played.

Well, to get the day started right, let's have a few items from the Imaginarium.

This just in. Another sighting of Fred Flintstone near Utah Lake

Ever feel like this when an upcoming test forces you to study?

And finally. A new book in the Media Center. Generally light reading for your third grader.

Wish me Luck with the Butcher of Orem....... It's time.................

Mr. W

March 1st.

Hello Troops,
February is in the rear view mirror and that's where I'm happy to leave it. I'm looking forward to warmer weather and better behaved snow. This is the time of year when snow generally favors the mountains and not the valleys, which makes me happy. This is the time of the year when snow starts to fill our streams and lakes. That makes me happy. This is the time of year when snow falls nicely through the air giving everyone that "It's snowing" rush but disappears upon contact with my driveway. That makes me happy. Yes, this month will give us a better behaved snow.

We had a great time hosting 70 plus students from Goshen yesterday. They did well in the ships and were outstanding in the classroom.

How about a few smiles to start the month?

Perhaps your idea of a perfect school lunch? This is what's on today's lunch menu in the Imaginarium's Cafeteria. All of this at 100 calories.


Coat hangers for Imagineers. The perfect gift.


One of Norman Rockwell's famous paintings from Life Magazine.


And another version from the Imaginarium's Museum of Modified Art.

And from the "Isn't that True" Department.

And now a Scene from the next James Bond 007 Film.


And from "The Stuff No One Told You Department"


A Thought from our "Stuff you Won't Hear in Church This Sunday" Department.



And our Everyday Blues

I'd love a poster like this to recruit new volunteers. Imagine seeing something like this in your school's hallway.

Have a Great March and I'll see you in the Trenches.

Mr. W.

She's Listing to Port, It's Every Man for Himself!

Hello Troops,
The Battlestar took a direct hit to the engine this afternoon just off the I15 main trading route just off the Provo Transpace Cluster. One moment all was well and the next an unsettling sound, followed by a thumping the likes of which have never been heard on this ship before. The engine was hit and failing fast. The ship cascaded out of hyperspace and cartwheeled in zero gravity. I luckily managed to coax the ship to a nearby Chevron Starbase. And there sat stranded far from the stars of home and surrounded by aliens calling themselves Provans. It was unsettling but I've faced worse. My years of training came to mind as I pondered by options.

I tried to look like I belonged. Being identified in Provo space as an alien has been known to be deadly. They are ones who do not take to 'outsiders' and my appearance all but screamed 'alien'. I began drawing attention. No matter how relaxed I looked I knew it wasn't often they saw a crippled Battlestar smelling ripe for the pickings.

In a matter of minutes I noticed one, then two then four were looking. I ordered a restart of the impulse drive, crossed myself, rubbed my lucky rabbit's foot and ordered 1/4 speed. The thumping grew louder then stabilized. The Battlestar maneuvered out of dock and entered the slower Geneva Trading Route.

It was ever so slow going but the old gal made it as far as the Central Port where she sits, a shadow of her former glory in a large empty lot. I left her there for the night, unable to get her up to home port. The climb would be too much for what once was an engine that could handle Warp 9 without breaking a sweat.

Tomorrow will be another day. The fleet mechanics will have their way with her and hopefully will have good news to report. If not, I'm afraid another ship will be joining the list of others that bravely went before to that great dry dock in the sky. Sigh......

Mr. W.

And Now, A Few Observations

Hello Troops,
The Space Center is safely tucked away for the weekend and all our campers have returned home to tell their tales of heroism and courage. We've had a good and busy week. How about a few things to ponder over to end your week?

We start our Saturday evening read with two things from the "True That" Department.


Did you know that the world's dictators are terrified of white mice?





And from our political desk....

Republicans, what happened?

And something from the closet of whimsical mysteries.....


Have a restful weekend Troops,

Mr. W.

A Problem in Design

Hello Troops,
A question of economy and energy savings compared to safety. I've see these cars buzzing around town. They not only look peculiar and out of place on our roads but completely unsafe. The picture below proves my point.


I was rear ended once in brand new 1996 Saturn. The Saturn handled the impact well. Everyone in the car was OK but our Hart's Big Chills didn't fare so well. Everyone in the car got a free sugar shower. The car's trunk took the brunt force of a lady more concerned with her cell phone conversation than the red light above her.

I think of the Smart Car and shudder at the thought of exposing my health and life, and the safety of my passengers to something that looks like it belongs in a Play School Wombles Set. Don't get me wrong, I trust my driving but can I trust the drivers around me?

In summary, I'll keep my Lincoln Battlestar that gets a mile or two per gallon of gas. You can have your Smart Car delivered in an egg carton. Think of the gas you're saving every day as you venture out onto Utah's highways where the big cars play, risking life and limb.

Mr. W.

Dark matter theory challenged by gassy galaxies result

Hello Troops,
An interesting article on Dark Matter, not to be confused with the magical Red Matter from the last Star Trek movie. You know the stuff, able to produce a black hole when exposed to the vacuum of space. Sometimes I think the writers working the Star Trek franchise should give up any pretense of science and just say the ship and all its equipment works on magic. The buttons and screens are only there for show. We all know it isn't cool to be seen waving a wand in the 23rd century. Instead, the magic is embedded into buttons and touch screens.

Anyway, click here

Dark Matter Theory Challenge by Gassy Galaxies Findings

for an interesting read submitted by Nathan R, a loyal Troubadour reader.

Mr.W

From the 'Stuff No One Told You" Department.