Month: September 2011

Itake you back to the fall of 1986, where I'm living in a tiny dormitory on the second floor of Marks Hall for Deans Scholars on the campus of the University of Southern California.Across the hall lived a gaggle of very loud film students, and it was very hard for them to find any privacy, ... Read more

Yes, I’ve watched the Republican debates. Yes, I have strong opinions about them. Yes, I’ll write about them. Don’t rush me.I don’t know why I’m so reticent to talk about Election 2012. It’s not that I hate the non-Huntsman candidates – it’s just that I have absolutely no enthusiasm for them. Nothing in these debates ... Read more

Twodays before 9/11/11, I posted the following Facebook status update:"As 9/11's 10th anniversary approaches, I find I'm one of maybe six total Americans who misses George W. Bush."I received a number of responses. Some sounded like this:"I hope I'm at least #7...""I'm one of the 4 that love him.""Loved him.""I miss him - I could ... Read more

Here'sa puzzler for you. Suppose you lived in a world that was identical to this one except for one key difference. In this other world, there is a magical button you could push that would spur economic growth to 10%, bring the country to full employment, and, for good measure, eliminate the federal deficit. If ... Read more

So it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and I have nothing profound to say. I've already said marginally profound things on this subject here and here, and the Internet and the media are full of tributes and remembrances, so I thought I'd take a different tack in my approach today. One of my memories, ... Read more

(HappyBirthday to my twin sisters!)So last Saturday night, I went with my parents, my aunt, and my three boys to the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. (Mrs. Cornell stayed home with the girls, who were either sick or uninterested.) It was a lot of fun, but I couldn't help wondering why this was considered such a highbrow, ... Read more

DCComics has erased almost 75 years of continuity and rebooted all the storylines in all of their superhero comic books. Last week, they released Justice League #1, which featured a story where Green Lantern meets Batman and discovers that he's just a "guy in a freakin' bat suit? Are you freakin' KIDDIN' ME?" In the ... Read more

Iwould show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. - Book of Mormon, Ether 12:27

Every year since the beginning of time, the extended Cornell family attends Aspen Grove ... Read more

Oncethere was this guy. He’s a good guy. But he just wants to be an ordinary guy. But then something extraordinary happened, and now he can do stuff that no other guy can do. He’s not sure what to do with his new abilities, but there’s this girl he likes, and she won’t give him ... Read more

"Behold,if they will not believe my words, they would not believe you, my servant Joseph, if it were possible that you should show them all these things which I have committed unto you." - Doctrine and Covenants 5:7

I recall a very frustrating conversation with an O.J. Simpson supporter. I was mounting a very credible ... Read more