background for warm-up:

short sellers bet against shares by borrowing the security, then selling it. if the stock drops, they buy it back at the lower price, return it to the lender and pocket the difference as profit.

let’s be very clear… the primary reason the typical retail investor (you) can’t short Facebook (FB) TODAY
is because “shorts” looking to bet against Facebook early face an uphill battle. honest traders will admit the stock will be hard to borrow, at least for a few days – and, only the best-sourced hedge fund managers will able to find lenders.

a buddy of mine that is a prime broker at one of the top underwriters of the IPO said the firm would not be lending shares, at least until the initial settlement in the first three business days of trading. this is a form of “managed” risk.

seriously.

…and, it’s legal.

seriously.

“I don’t know how many shares will be available for shorting,” said the broker, who requested anonymity (hell yeeeeah). “We would only provide them once the deal has stabilized.”

voila!

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

that’s a world-wide headline that resulted from urinating swimmers blamed for the death of 500 Carp (fish) in Northern Germany’s Eichbaum lake.

the cause of death was apparently (I refuse to use the word, evidently) increased phosphate and algae production that dropped oxygen-levels in the sizable lake. so, ironically, the fish died of asphyxiation. this essentially means water-breathing creatures drowned due to a lack of oxygen while submerged.

…that’s how my mind works. and, yes, I do, and often, feel quite lonely over here. rather along the lines of relative thinking, which follows the view of the Heterodox and the Authentic Life.

so…

…talk about “global warming”.

this might really piss people off. but, the fish were only carp. so, there were a lot of dead carp floating around – which is better than a bunch other stuff floating around with the same letters, and numbers of letters, but in a different order.

all that said, I’ll circle-back to global warming. if one hundred swimmers in a lake can create that much phosphate, create algae, and upend an entire lakes ecosystem, what is happening around the rest of the planet?

and, this is why I prefer surfing in the ocean than boating on a lake.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

it’s no surprise that Facebook’s IPO is now as inevitable and comparable to anything relative to teen-aged self entitlement and adult wife-swapping.

…isn’t that what Facebook is for?

c’mon… all this and I still can’t find the Greg Trussell I knew in college, class of 1984. Greg, if you’re reading this, what’s up?

even when Facebook has tons of cash, I bet it’ll still ask users to ‘like’ Papa John’s damn pizza, everyday.

originally, the whole point of a company going public was to raise money for growth and also allow citizens to share in the fortunes of the company by stock acquisition. it made a  lot of sense… consumers would by the companies products and also shares. that ecosystem was self-sustaining and aligned with capitalism.

[pause for gripping sound bites]

Mark Zuckerberg, creator of the popular social networking site Facebook, is being sued by two former classmates who claim he stole the idea. What do you think?

“Poor guy. Sounds like he could use a smiley-face comment.” - Antonio, Systems Anaylst

“I hope the site isn’t shut down before I figure out what the poke feature is for.” - Paige Foster, Valet

“They probably would have guarded their secret more carefully had they only known that people’s basest voyeuristic and exhibitionist predilections could be exploited for money.” - Kyle, Rigger

[end of pause]

but, I can’t reconcile a Facebook IPO. the company does not create, build and deliver products like Apple, or even Google, if you want to stretch your imagination along with a sense of reality. Apple’s share price makes sense. the company offers products that people value enough to buy more of daily (read this Motley Fool article, because I said so). so, the company has value which is reflected in it’s stock.

but wait… should I at least try to be open-minded? consider the following drivel, op-ed, Surprise! Turns Out Mark Zuckerberg Is A Great CEO, by the nefarious Henry Blodget /1, no less.

its not the “cover jinx” (read the story!) that will kill this IPO… its the fact that the original investors are cashing out at the high. based on my own (admittedly small and anecdotal) research (that reads trite, doesn’t it?), about ten percent (10%) of the people I know have completely deleted their Facebook profile, and the volume of posting is trending down… and, according to my kids, their friends have dropped their Facebook time in favor of Pinterest. I suspect that FB activity is way down, but information like that is being hidden, while glowing articles, underwritten by Goldman Sachs sycophants will proliferate, until after the IPO.

in fact, this is such a puff piece its laughable. coming from the beacon of integrity known as Henry Blodget. I wonder how many shares he was promised for writing this article — conveniently at the start of Facebook’s PR campaign for their IPO. Its not as though Blodget has a history of falsely inflating IPOs for his own personal benefit…oh wait, that’s why he was convicted 12 years ago!

looking at Facebook (not literally; Joanne and I refuse to use it), all I see is a tapestry of self absorption and entitlement. as the Facebook IPO prepares for launch, current polls already have American’s convinced the social media platform is a fad.

all 1,472 employees of Facebook, Inc. reportedly burst out in uncontrollable laughter Wednesday following Albuquerque resident Jason Herrick’s attempts to protect his personal information from exploitation on the social-networking site. “Look, he’s clicking ‘Friends Only’ for his e-mail address. like that’s going to make a difference!” howled infrastructure manager Evan Hollingsworth, tears streaming down his face, to several of his doubled-over coworkers. “oh, sure, by all means, Jason, ‘delete’ that photo. man, this is so rich.” according to internal sources, the entire staff of Facebook was left gasping for air minutes later when the “hilarious” Herrick believed he had actually blocked third-party ads.

any rationalization for the strike price is out the window along with any logical valuation protocols. so, why isn’t this a red-flag for everyone? if the opening price is $38 per share, what analyst in his right mind is going to tout that for long? their objective will be to lie about how great the company is just long enough for their traders to dump the stock into someone else’s lap. what growth strategy could possibly make sense that will fuel a sustained growth trajectory for the stock that could reward investors long-term?

well… I’ve given this some thought, and I’ve come-up with some possible new Facebook features analysts could get worked-up over, tout, and rely upon to hoodwink unsuspecting pensioners that are generally clueless about social marketing, and are hoping to cash-in on the Facebook “craze” – which is oh-so apropos.

to wit…

SweetSpace.com, the new social networking start-up from Caltech wunderkind Ima Felon, will launch soon with the stated intent of bridging the gap between Facebook and Facebook. “the easiest way to explain SweetSpace is that it’s essentially Facebook meets Facebook,” says Felon, noting that like Facebook, SweetSpace.com will allow its members to communicate publicly by having a wall that people can post to, but, like Facebook, members will also be able to message other users privately. “ultimately, the goal of SweetSpace is to be Facebook for the Facebook generation.” Felon added that the new site will have pri­vacy issues comparable to Facebook, but assured users it will deny them, just like Facebook.

in its ongoing effort to enrich the way people connect and interact, Facebook will  introduce a new feature that allows users to cancel their accounts. “to complement our recently overhauled interface – which now provides users with a real-time log of every single thing their friends are doing at any given moment – we’ve added a function that allows people to delete their entire profile with the click of a button,” said company spokesman Sef Entitled, describing how the change would bring “an exciting new level of user control” to Facebook. “it’s a really cool feature we’re happy to be offering for the very first time.” the company later confirmed that account closures would not stop Facebook from continuing to acquire, permanently store, and sell all information about its current and former users until the day they die.

after deciding to disable his Facebook account in an effort to increase productivity, Chad Fakid announced in a Facebook update Thursday that he was now “off the grid.” “I’m dropping off the radar for a while,” wrote Fakid, 36, who lives in a two-story house with running water, electricity, regular garbage pickup, wireless Internet access, and high-definition satellite television service. “if you need something, text me.” Fakid has not been heard from since earlier this afternoon, when he confirmed via Twitter that he was “maintaining radio silence” and then checked in to his local coffee shop on Foursquare.

in an effort to enhance its social media presence, Walgreens pharmacies announced Wednesday the launch of ”RxSocial,” a new Facebook plugin that enables users to ”view, share, and comment on” the prescription drugs their friends are taking. “our goal is to create an interactive community that lets your friends see what your current dosage of Xanax is, what method of birth control you prefer, or whether you’re likely to have any spare Adderall,” said Walgreens e-commerce chief Sona Chawla, explaining that drug purchases show up automatically on users’ Facebook profiles and appear in their friends’ news feeds. ”RxSocial even offers a real-time view of which drugs are trending right now.” at press time, Gina Sims of Lawton, OK had picked up her lithium.

I don’t know if Facebook is really just a fad. but, the stock is probably a short opportunity. the floor is where Goldman Sachs picked-up their shares.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

1/ In 2002, then New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, published Merrill Lynch e-mails in which Blodget gave assessments about stocks which conflicted with what was publicly published. In 2003, he was charged with civil securities fraud by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He agreed to a permanent ban from the securities industry and paid a $2 million fine plus a $2 million disgorgement.

I’m by no means bored today. not in the very least.

and, with my hair actually a bit on-fire this morning I found myself looking at a pop-up message on my iMac dutifully (although the word, “grimly” might offer some much needed drama) advising me that the batteries on my mouse were low.

I immediately swung into action, rummaged through my astonishingly useful clutter drawer, found two AA batteries, and deftly acted as my own “IT Guy”. this involved lobbing the older batters into the trash basket – one underhanded, and the other with an elegant sky-hook that offered a rewarding and resounding “THUNK” to the experience when the woeful battery found “the hole”.

however, while I was performing at such optimal levels my mind wandered, ever so briefly, to the pair of NIKE running shoes I had some what more carelessly (I’m pondering the word, “nonchalantly” as well) tossed into the trash only last night. they easily had over four hundred miles on them, but I really liked them, and they had carried me through some reasonable adventures, so I was loathe to give them up. but, experienced and savvy runners know to be disciplined around cycling their boots.

…in any event, the thought struck me that those batteries and shoes had served me well, but it was easy to throw them away; toss them aside.

we certainly need to be grateful for the little things. but, we probably should not take anything for granted.

thusly, this post is setting the stage for the next post, with a date, as yet uncertain. but, hints include: Where The Wild Things Are, Milestones, Death, Reunions and Lacrosse.

also… I think I did very well by my Boys Select lacrosse team this season (we went 19-6 as we head into the Playoffs). but, I anticipate being tossed aside.

I am very needy, in that I like to be useful.

more later.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

but, were I a tree. I’d want it to be a really cool tree. Possibly a useful example of the species. perhaps a Spanish olive tree overlooking a great, and old city.

…I genuinely love old cities. …and, colorful window shutters. …blue window shutters.

meanwhile, I rap about “finishing well” and living an “authentic life” a great deal on this blog. I can prove it by you simply exploring prior posts, if you dare. and, I also share similar thoughts through public speaking, my business coaching practice, and daily rants at Starbucks.

earlier this week I received an email from a Mom of of one of my Lacrosse players. her identity is more important to her awesome and noble husband, and their Lacrosse-stick-wielding progeny, and less so you. however, her words echo sentiments I capture from time-to-time, and fuel my august desire to make a difference in lives around my own.

she said (this is actually an excerpt):

I admire you so. Where do you get your heart and drive? We are so blessed!! Thank you for all you do on behalf of all of us!! Thank you!!!

while I’m not chest-thumping, here – I certainly do enough of that elsewhere, I find myself with a few extra moments this morning reminding myself for posterity, and I’ll take you with me, hoping that the final moments of my life find me satisfied. better yet, I have the words, “well done” reverberating in my ear, even as I fade to black. or, possibly coming into the light.

I don’t expect a large group to amass for my funeral. I’m not even certain such a glum event is appropriate for someone like myself. just plant me under a tree. hey… that just gave me an idea for yet another post.

perhaps good men that knew me well will tell my daughters stories about their Dad – and, how much I loved them (and, those men and other people in my life). and, talked about them, and their Mother, every chance I had. hopefully a few lads will tell their own charges that, “Coach Brian said hitting is the third thing you do in Lacrosse”, and my fearsome Shockers alumni will tell their own daughters that their “off-boot-toe dictates the direction of a well-kicked ball”, and, there really is a difference between being pleased and being satisfied”.

I have been surrounded by so many examples of why my life is rich. I can only prey, and I do, that I can offer in return my best self as an example in return.

In the years to come, feel free to kick any tree, and say hello.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

…it’s shaking China like Rottweiler with a rubber ducky.

okay… so that image makes little sense. but, it’s dramatic, and fun.

and, I TOLD you, all of you, collectively, this was going to happen. so, that gives it “foretold” status.

I’m talking about this,

Apple Profit Rises on Higher iPhone and iPad Sales

here’s another link (right, → HERE) just in case you can’t sort out that offered above.

I do, in fact, discuss Apple a lot on this Blog. but, that’s because I’m passionate about the company, it’s products, the people (that make and use those brilliant products) around the company, the way it changes our lives, comprehensively, the manner in which it kicks Google’s (silly Android, anyway) and Microsoft’s asses, and the way we can all build wealth because all of that is good. … as in, using your super powers for good, good.

to wit, I gave you a heads-up around that article above when I posted, Apple’s Siri will definitely speak Chinese.

meanwhile, there was some serious profit-taking in the last week that dropped the stock almost one hundred points leading up to Apple reporting it’s numbers at the bell yesterday. just so we are clear, that was financial services insiders taking profits and shorting the stock to create room to buy it back-up ↑ again.

Jon Coriel emailed me Monday saying, “I wish I has listened to you five years ago when you told me to buy Apple. I could have retired by now”.

can you imagine what those people that listened to me back in 2000 are doing, today (remember that 2000 figure as you continue to read this post)?

…what ever. but, Jon is correct.

so… here’s another chest-thumping prediction… I’m still saying that I believe Apple is a $1000 stock – unless it splits before that. but, if it does split, it will still go to the equivalent of $1000, which means it will be a $2000 stock by today’s standard.

don’t take my word for it. just ask over a BILLION (1.324 billion as of Monday) Chinese that understand just how profoundly Apple products are changing the world. how many more people are there in China than we have here in just the United States? is it double? more? well… its actually about three times our own population, just so you know. is it possible Apple could hit the same percentages in China it has in North America?

for it’s best perspective, just go back and pick-up Thomas Friedman’s The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century (and, → here, for a different look) and you just might have that perfect epiphany. Do it!

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

my excuse(s) for not blogging much these days seat themselves squarely on Lacrosse.

yes… I still coach my Shockers (although Haley Anne is actually a Breaker). But, both Haley Anne and Emma Jo find themselves on undefeated Soccer teams this season (despite the coach), and these days are rich indeed.

Joanne often resents the time I spend blogging. but, I completely understand. blogging is genuinely a great exercise in self-absorption. but, I really do try and use myself as an example, most of the time, regardless if the result paints me in a good or poor light. I want it to be a worthy and noble effort through a life well-lived; an authentic life.

how many of you know that Haley Anne is named after my Mom, Barbara Anne, and Joanne? And, that Emma Jo is also meant to honor my wife? I look at my daughters and I see the women that both were, and remain, forces of nature and incredible influencers through my existence.

in any event, I still play Lacrosse. and, I hope to play a lot of it this summer for a couple of teams. however, I’m a bit frustrated by my achilles again. so, we’ll see. but, through all of that I have “my guys”. Coaching boys in Lacrosse is am amazing experience. …more on that later, though. this is about almost everything else; a bigger picture, if you will. I must.

coaching (sports and in business, for that matter), of any sort, is another form of self-absorption. back when I was a volunteer fire fighter in Lousiville, Colorado, I found myself being interviewed by the local paper over some harrowing event. and, the reporter asked me,

“why do you put yourself in harms way when you don’t even get paid?”.

I looked at her, and probably a bit askance, and I offered, “are you kidding? I get to wear cool gear, ride backwards on fire trucks – and, I’m a FIRE MAN!”. I actually feel selfish and self-absorbed that I get to do this”. I told her how, that morning after the fire, as we rolled-out, there was a small group of young boys watching us from a street corner. there was awe in their faces. awe, and admiration. I gave them a wink and a thumbs-up, and I really did feel like a hero.

Lacrosse makes me feel that way. so, another possible post is around the concept of Braveheart.

but, it was the events of that life-changing day (a cool Colorado evening with the great promise of a rich and full life, and the leering wake-up call of an ugly death) that led me to my current career, in fact. but, that’s another story. certainly for another time (but, I need to make a note of it. hopefully one of you will remind me).

mind you, I get similar questions from the parents of kids I coach. such as, “why do you give these kids so much time?”, and, “how do you do this?”

I’m going to discuss that in the next couple of weeks. because there is a lot of good-and-bad, trials-and-tribulations mixed with that – balanced by an incredible sense of accomplishment and self-worth.

I love Lacrosse. I love my family. I love life. I love giving of myself. and, everything I’ve done with my life has brought me to a point where I feel I can make a great difference in the lives of the people God surrounds me with. okay… that strikes me as another blog post idea.

are you beginning to wonder what the hell this has to do with a squirrel?

well… this might come as a shock to some, but not necessarily others. Joanne will tell you, in no uncertain terms, that I am not often as sympathetic or compassionate as she feels I ought to be. I believe that trait in myself is valid and that comes from being raised by a military officer (my Dad) and also a Mom (the ideal officers wife and Mother) that were both convinced that doing anything is worth giving it everything you can. that’s something I teach all of my players, and it’s a driving philosophy in terms of how I manage myself by the hour with a higher sense of purpose and accompanying standards. but, sometimes… okay, often… really ALWAYS… I come across as exacting, uncompromising, certainly demanding, and clearly seemingly unsympathetic.

that was until I faced the squirrel.

I’m that guy that finds himself driving down a road and unconcerned if a squirrel frantically tries to evade tires. that’s an ugly image. but, it’s an obvious and practical reality. Joanne, on the other hand, will throw her car into another lane to save a squirrel, duck, dog, or deer.

but, about two weeks ago, as I was driving home from Lacrosse practice, as providence would have it, a hapless squirrel skittered across my path. I steeled myself and surprisingly managed to evade him, and found myself pleased by the result as I took a peak in my rear view mirror. “off to home and hearth, little fellow”, thought I.

not but a few days later was I facing the same challenge. and, the thought did, indeed, cross my mind that this could well be that same damn squirrel. I really did try to avoid the critter, but I felt the awful and final “thump” under my truck tire. instantly I was, myself, genuinely distraught. as I looked in the rear view mirror, to my horror I saw the squirrel flailing in the street. with my heart in my throat and a cold sweat on the back of my neck I slowed down. numbly I backed-up knowing I had to put the stricken creature out of it’s misery. and, the horror I experienced was comparable to Sarajevo.

when I got home Joanne and Haley Anne were in the midst of a fifteen-year-old-girl-issue. and, evidently Joanne was having a rowe with her own Mom and one of her sisters. as I listened to to the details of all that I found myself uncharacteristically engaged with a softening heart. there is a lot more going-on in my head and heart relative to all manner of venture, adventures and efforts. but, four days ago I told Joanne that a lens I wanted to start looking through life with in terms of how I related to people, ironically, would going to be about “honoring the squirrel”.

so, God has a whacky sense of humor, to be sure. he gave me and all my Southern California, Lacrosse-playing buddies daughters, for one thing. and, he throws us a curve-ball (some times they may look like a squirrel), to change-up our view(s) of the world. but, I don’t want to look back on my life and miss an opportunity to make sure that everyone I meet and know; that’s in my life, feels loved, valued – and there is compassion, possibly the option for compromise.

that’s it. you, collectively know, even the simplest of maxims’s must needs have its vociferous story attached (or affixed?) to it.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

I can tell you that Steve Jobs was waiting for the Qualcomm chip that’s in the new iPad for good reason.

you can bet the iPhone 5 on 4G LTE will not be a battery-hog.

it’s now only a matter of posterity, but I think Apple made a good decision in not going to 4G too early.

by the way… I’m on my first full week using the Samsung Galaxy Note. the cellular service is better on AT&T than my iPhones have been. but, now that the most recent iOS 5.1 update is available from Apple, we’ll all start seeing 4G. that may have helped resolve the problems I had with service along Freemanville Road. but, any Google device still pales by comparison to the iPhone. I still define Android as awkward to use while iOS enables iPhones to do precisely what you expect and went them to do.

so, I doubt it will be too long before we hand the Galaxy off to another Ministry. but, we remain open-minded, and trying.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

but, I’ll wager there is not one parent in Poland that would value the health or well-being of their children less than Apple, the company.

so… what do we value? and, how do we assess value? what do things cost us, all, or at all?

I learned a long time ago in Bosnia that freedom, and things that can be taken for granted, don’t come by cheap.

everything has a cost. every…  …thing.

by the way… Bosnia is only five hundred and forty five (545) miles from Warsaw Poland.

for the moment lines of battle are being drawn-up with mandates being handed-down from board rooms around the globe relative to such things as data and texting – a medium many of us certainly do take for granted; possibly can’t live without – but, fail to comprehend what happens behind the scenes, and at the bottom-line.

dramatic, you say? consider this provocative notion… I feel that data is going to be like electricity or water. none of these resources completely free. however, few worry about giving someone a glass of water at home, or letting them plug-in to charge an Apple iPhone or MacBook (or, Android device [hint...see recent activity on my Linkedin profile. but, I'll BLOG about it soon]).

meanwhile…

“Text messaging is free, and calling is going to be free,” said Joe Stipher, CEO of Pinger said while attending the 2012 Mobile World Congress (“MWC”) that ended yesterday.

that free-thinking is becoming a reality. but, what you eventually don’t pay for is going to cost companies and shareholders a great deal.

that’s okay, I say. but, we need to, at the very least, understand.

it would be needless to say that mobile companies are not happy at the flood of free messaging services like, Pinger, piggy-backing their networks. there are a good many such services cropping-up. just Google “free texting” to start your own investigation. the change and evolution is inevitable – it always is. wanting the change is easy. but, defining the winner is never simple.

telecom Italia SpA chief executive Franco Bernabe also spoke-out at MWC stating that, “free messaging services are undercutting the ability of phone companies to invest in their networks”. to be sure, paid texting, or SMS, has been a cash-cow for phone companies that uses minimal network capacity.

“…the new players have based their innovation in the mobile domain, without a deep understanding of the complex technical environment of our industry. This is increasingly creating significant problems to the overall service offered to the end user and driving additional investments for mobile operators,” Bernabe said.

okay then… apparently after years of study, the big telecommunications operators announced this very week that they will try to fight back by introducing software this year embedded in new cellphones that will allow users to do the same sort of Internet-based messaging and voice calls that consumers want without paying separate fees.

cool. that reads (or, sounded) something like, “if you can’t beat them. join them”. but, I doubt it. the cost of that update is based on a heavy responsibility of Board of Directors whose reality are shareholders that, ironically, want the freedom, if you will, for themselves, but not the consumers of the products of companies they’ve invested in.

this is like “whack-a-mole” at Chucke-E.-Cheese’s. the cost will pop-up elsewhere, either in hidden fees or more expensive devices or contracts.

Me? I buy stocks of companies that find ways to innovate, change the world, and create wealth. So, those dividends make paying a bit more for products people need, want – and, can’t live without, like Apple’s make watching everyone else keen into the night, or stumble like zombies through the night somewhat more bearable.

no one  said the Laws of Natural Selection were designed to be fair.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork