recently it’s around music. as many of you know Emma Jo and I had a good chat about Adele and also Alison Moyet. that got me to thinking about all manner of opportunities inherent in comparison and (or) contrast. life lessons, stuff.

with me, I had her listen to versions of a song both titled, We Are Young. One option is offered-up by the group Fun. it should be ably noted that this option is quite popular with many a youth, others youthful at heart, and featured on a television commercial. that commercial is a good viewing experience offered up by Chevrolet, no less – but, it’s original bar fight inspiration is sinister and dangerous; juxtapositional. well, the other effort is positioned by, Sing Me Insomnia (this version, is ironically, not so popular, generally).

I’ll lay them out in this post for both your listening pleasure, and your own efforts towards making a vital comparison. do it!

for me the bigger question becomes what you do with different messages born of inspiration, but not the same aspiration.

watch the videos and then listen to the words (visa versa is fine). my God, the messaging is so mixed it makes my own head spin. yet, within all of this is realized an opportunity to walk with my little girl, my little buddy, my tiger, though life lessons and examples.

to wit…

We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe), by Fun. and, also, We Are Young, by, Sing Me Insomnia.

lift it up, as you see fit.

I love being a Dad. and, this very weekend we’ll find ourselves at the My Princess Dance!

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

but, let’s not forget the phenomenal artist that was Adele before there was an Adele – and, that would be Alison Moyet, herself.

so, think about how Adele makes you feel, and where you were when you heard her sing for the first time.

yesterday in the truck, on the way to pick up some new shin-guards for soccer, with Adele straining in the background through the radio, my little Emma Jo was telling me all about Adele. I could tell she was touched. and, deeply so. I told her about examples of my own love for music and people that create it. we discussed Alison Moyet, and Emma Jo was actually interested.

but (or, but…), where were you in life when Alison came though with her own ground-breaking effort, Alf?

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

so long Whitney Houston. you really are an Angel, hopefully anyway. you entertained us all both with a golden voice and as a silly neighbor here in Alpharetta horse country.

meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi will ever be your equal in championing the odd cause:

I miss Bill Clinton and all the things he did for his country, that Obama never will.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

but, I know they’ll get better, some how.

perhaps I’ll take that position because I’m an optimist, albeit a Prudent one, mind you. and, a gentleman.

as a contrarian though I can see alternative ways to help Facebook do good, despite their intentions. just read further. do it!

to be fair, John Haydon evidently thinks quite highly of certain tools found on Facebook, if you’re using it as a business page, some how. we’ll follow Mr. Haydon awhile, and sort him out.

however,  that said, I’m steadfast against Facebook. ironically, Google’s Chrome (that’s a browser) has a tool that helps you track how much time you waste on Facebook. I love that. none of my people (in my companies) care about Facebook, and a lot of people hire us to help them make even better decisions. there’s symmetry of purpose, in that.

but, I don’t like it that two of the goodly men I coach in business are in the midst of divorces and Facebook was arguably the ignition-point for each. one fellow rediscovered his ex-college sweetheart, and the other’s wife found a new man on a Triathlon Facebook page for her club. is that tit-for-tat?

just in case you go rooting around on the internet, (Yahoo is still often better than Google, but Bing is kind of awesome) you’ll note that I have a Facebook page. but, just so we are clear, my staff set it up and then we decided to never accept friends on it. I’m a rather unusually disciplined person, but Joanne simply asked that we not allow for any temptations. that’s good enough for me. but, it’s also the tip-of-the-iceburg for a lot of other people.

in any event, one of my brokers (yes, I use them) called today laughing about Facebook. he’ll certainly be able to get shares for us but won’t be recommending them to his people.

“they are for them other folks that are needed to for cannon fodder”, says he.

so… If Facebook says its worth $100 Billion dollars that means it will have to have sales of 27 x sales (currently $1B) and 100 x earnings. for perspective you need to know that Apple is currently at 3.3 x sales and 10 x earnings, and they actually do some good in the world. and, shares in the company will likely help families put kids through college (indeed, they’re helping me put other people’s kids through college) also… I’m willing to bet, and I am as a loyal shareholder and consumer, in fact doing just that, people will want and own iPhones than waste time on Facebook.

so… let other people buy Facebook. the same type that buy into Facebook, I’ll wager. I’ll short you later and put more kids through college.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

by pushing hard for a “reasonable” plan to help Americans with mortgages he can’t lose. if he can successfully navigate an initiative through the House and Senate that works, he is a short-term hero. and, if the GOP elements of the House and Senate resist him he has an “us against them” platform to campaign on.

I’m skeptical Obama is sincere in his efforts. but, this is politicking at its best, providing you value that sort of thing.

sometimes the best defense a coach can teach an athlete is to watch his opponents feet.

peace be to my brothers and sisters.

brian patrick cork

however, those fears can be reasonably set aside for the moment, because its that magical time of year, again. and, the 7th Annual – My Princess Dance is upon us! it is! so, mark your calendars! guard the date, and fiercely so! Saturday, February 18th at 630pm to 9pm at The Foundry at Puritan Hill. stand firm, goodly men, and register, here.

to be sure, you’ve read earlier stories on this Blog from last year, God gave me daughters. What did He give you?, Its time for a Princess to Dance!, the Princess and the me, and, investing in my daughters.

consider forging a few stories of your own.

I have three Princesses in my immediate family with the girl of my dreams at my side, and two daughters that I’m determined will realize their own.

I coach a good number of princesses in soccer. but, that is different. and, the stuff of other stories. you can always read about those adventures, here. now, I’m also coaching young lads in Lacrosse with the best hopes of influencing them to be gallant around any right Princess. more on all that, to be certain.

Haley Anne and I went to the first “Daddy/ Daughter Dance” six short years ago after a heads-up from Woody Faulk (a father of four girls of his own) let me know he would be hosting this inspiring event. it has quickly became an Atlanta-area tradition. Last year the event was renamed, and aptly so, “My Princess Dance,” and held at the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead. More than five hundred fathers and daughters came to that My Princess Dance, and they are, and all of them, forever changed. complete with princesses, carriages, chocolate fountains, and a knighting ceremony, the evening was spectacular.

Haley Anne kicked me to the curb after seventh grade and I started taking Emma Jo to the dance. the experience has been brilliant for us all, and I’m keen to share it with any man that understands how important he is in the life of his daughter. I’m convinced this is a vital bond where God really trusts some of us with daughters. the anticipation builds with talks about pretty dresses and an afternoon getting hair and nails done (or, Mommy can certainly do that!). it’s dancing practice and perhaps a special dinner. then come the shared secrets and the memories that enchant a life-time realized in only the span of a few hours that leave us all the more excited about the next year.

the My Princess Dance is all about the importance of family by stopping the busy-ness of life, and spending time with those we love, and cherish, the most.

read more about My Princess Dance in this story, printed by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution: bit.ly/fLhOUt. do it!

and, then watch the video below for a sense of what is yet to come (sorry if it’s bleeding over on this blog page. it’s videos fault, and not mine own – yet, I’ll forgive almost anything that helps me share this wondrous event with you all.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

my Blog posting has certainly realized itself a rare effort, lame and uninspired of late.

my only excuse has been the holidays and coaching an indoor and a Select Field Lacrosse team.

but, I did find the time to revisit a book that reminded me how much I have always favored alternative music, especially that from the ’80′s and early 90′s. in particular, I’ll have to mention and lift-up The Smiths. and, one of the best chronicles of their significant contribution was, and remains, Johnny Rogan’s Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance.

that was a powerful, charismatic, dynamic and  creative team. likely on-par with Lennon and Mccarthy (Beatles). and, their crushing falling-out was equally telling within the history of musical collaboration.

to wit…

Rogan has offered us an account of the rise and inevitably agonizing fall of English indie phenom The Smiths that is a must-read for any music fan that understands how this band forever changed the music industry by pioneering the alternative recording scene. the book dives deep offering us insight within the steady development of the bands brilliant four albums. you’ll also have an accurate insight into the lives and thinking that drove an unprecedented string of hit singles.

NOTE: what is a bit unusual is this is a partial rewrite of the original book. the first effort famously drove Morrissey, himself, to publicly state that he wished Rogan would “…perish in a car crash”.

charming. but, so Morrissey.

a must read. do it!

meanwhile, enjoy How Soon Is Now by, by (the very same) The Smiths. the tune was recoded in 1984, the year I graduated from University, and released in 1985, the year I stormed Southern California. originally released as a B-side single to William, It Was Really Nothing, it soon after found a home on the Smiths album, Hatful of Hollow. more recently it’s showed-up on the refreshed the eponymously named album, The Sound of the Smiths. I tell you all of this because I suspect you should be wondering.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

I started this post abut a week ago, but kept losing both my enthusiasm and focus.

that was until I ran towards a thought, as opposed to from one.

Emma Jo still exhibits too much wonder and joy this time of year, and I worked hard to savor every moment of that. then I saw an article reminding us, collectively, that there is no validated evidence that Jesus Christ was, in truth, born on December 25th. that started to really bug me. however, Saturday I had a very good run at North Park. I started out a bit sore and thinking I might want to dial it back a bit. but, by the second circuit I was feeling pretty light-footed and decided to put some steam into play. the “zone” realized itself and my mind wandered with my good form. that’s when I was (thunder) struck by the notion that I believed Christ rose from the dead.

just like that.

no justification. no debate. not even a “why not”, to allow for some wiggle-room.

there was this sense that I could not prove it did not happen. and, I’d been playing the Heterodox card so long I had forgotten the circular argument that, ultimately, believing in a thing (any thing) is potentially much like believing in oneself. there are times when we prevail against great odds. and, I’m certain faith has it’s role in that.

so, I’ve elected to keep some of the early thinking alive in this post. however, now you know, as do I.

meanwhile, I fully understand that this post is going to generate a great deal of consternation. I expect the shaking of fists, and possibly teeth gnashing. lofty-minded opinions may be hurled my way.

so… was Jesus really born on December 25th?

does it matter?

so… perhaps the headline should read, instead, “Apple Wins Partial Victory on Patent Claim Over Android Features”.

the ITC said in a final ruling that HTC may import some refurbished phones to offer customers as replacements under warranties and insurance plans. HTC, which is based in Taiwan, is a major maker of phones that use Google Inc.’s Android operating software.

the ban takes effect April 19, 2012 so that wireless carriers will have time to adjust their plans. but, it also means customers have an open-door to bail on HTC devices, and that has grim ramifications for Google, that is again caught in the midst of “evil” /1. this involves a set of important features commonly found in smartphones that are obviously protected by an Apple patent, a decision that could force changes in the way Google’s Android phones function.

Apple spokeswoman Kristen Huguet reiterated an earlier statement, saying competitors (i.e. GOOGLE and HTC) should, “create their own technology”. I’ll add, not steal it from Apple.

NOTE: the ITC ruling can be appealed. But it is one of the most significant so far in a growing array of closely watched patent battles being waged around the globe by nearly all of the major players in the mobile industry. in fact, the case is part of a broader dispute involving Apple, HTC and many other phone makers. in federal courts and before the ITC, companies have been accusing one another of stealing ideas for popular phone features. while the courts can award damages, the commission has the broader and debilitating power to block imports of products and parts made with contested technology.

in fairness to how people might organize their own thinking around stock acquisition, or not, the ruling was only a partial victory for Apple because the commission did overrule an earlier decision in Apple’s favor in the case, involving a patent related to how software is organized internally on mobile devices. in simpler terms, it would have been harder for the defendant, again HTC, one of the world’s largest makers of smartphones that run the Android system, to adapt its devices to avoid infringing that patent. that’s what legal experts say, in any event.

but, this is clearly decisive for Apple; potentially deadly for HTC (whom by the way blew it in negotiations with Apple when they had an opportunity to be part of the build process for the iPhone); and certainly problematic for Google whose advocates have had to constantly twist numbers to make it appear that it can compete with the iPhone in terms of  the masses Android “can have”, and opposed to the iPhone “must have”.

people of discerning taste can eat Apples with better results. and, obviously Androids can’t.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork

1/ Google was supposedly founded under a mandate of “do no evil”. but, that hasn’t worked-out very well, for anyone associated with them.

last night the San Francisco 49ers beat the Pittsburg Steelers in unique fashion. a lot of the details are being reported elsewhere, and are in fact, unimportant to me.

but, the 49ers were, improbably, very important to my Dad. he grew up, literally, dirt poor in South Dakota and Nebraska. his path from poverty to that of an elite military officer through the Army Air Corps that became the the Air Force, somehow equated with his views of San Francisco as the epitome of advantage, opportunity and example. I don’t know a lot of the reasoning around that, but I do know that Dad was happy whenever I saw him, there.

and, when Dad was happy his laugh was genuine, and his smile could light up an entire room, and one evening in particular, an entire stadium.

last night the power kept going out at Candlestick Park, and that was bigger news than the 49ers victory even though it’s certainly been too long since they found the play-off’s.

“The Stick” powered-up in 1960, the year I was born, and the 49ers played their first game in that place in 1971. Dad and I were there. he was just back from another tour in Viet Nam.

it should be noted that The Beatles gave their final full concert at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966. and, inexplicably Dad was there, as well. Dad was something of an enigma, to many. amongst Dad’s favorite songs he firmly counted John Lennon’s Imagine. of course, by way of karma, that song found it’s own light by Lennon’s hand in 1971. I think dad may have viewed himself as a world citizen (a significant part of the songs message). that may explain why he fought so hard for his country and relished the air of San Francisco.

in any event, I spent most of that day nestled under my Dad’s arm while he roared with the crowd. the details of the game were meaningless to me, as were the hot dogs. there was a moment when Dad looked at me and said, “I love this town and this team. Good things are possible here. I sure do love you, son”. although I can’t immediately recall who actually won that particular contest, I can tell you that the 49ers won their second straight divisional title in 1971 with a 9-5 record. they also won their divisional playoff game against the Washington Redskins by a 24-20 final score. I know that because Dad talked about it. and I always listened to my Dad. Dad also loved the Redskins, but mostly, and evidently, because they were associated with Washington, DC. and, Dad was a patriot, albeit not a New England fan.

so… whenever I see the 49ers play, especially at Candlestick Park, I immediately think of Dad and his electric smile.

I love you Dad. I miss you so much. I coach a lot of other guys’ sons in Lacrosse now. it’s all bitter sweet. I try to be a beacon in my own right. I really do. but, thanks for showing me the way and lighting my path. and, you know I’m listening to, Imagine, by John Lennon (for Dad). but, check this out… while I share that particular Lennon’s effort with you all, consider the Imagine cover by Taio Cruz. Dad would have appreciated it. in fact, I would have called him to talk about it. so, I’ll share it with you.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork