Mike O'Connell

Home run derby. Match play? I’m in. Honestly I can’t believe it took them this long to come up with it. Selig does it again.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/07/tech/mobile/reservation-hop-app-controversy/

I’m pretty sure I love just about everything this app entails. Selling restaurant reservations for cash? That’s brilliant. Why did it take until 2014 for this to occur?

Okay, there’s a potential issue of fraud here, given that some reservations are knowingly not being used. This issue could be solved by simply requiring a credit card and a “no show” fee. Trust me, some day soon restaurants will do this themselves, not through some third party.

I think the most interesting statement in the article centers around this wave of anger over “making money off something that should be free.” Something that should be free. That is so god damn hilarious I don’t even know where to start. Yeah, everything should be free.

A little econ lesson, starting with an old saying: time is money. Time spent in procuring reservations? Last-minute reservations? There’s no value in that? Seems to me we’re finally putting a real price on something that had a hidden price all along.

Things that should be free. This is what happens when journalists and “San Francisco” types mix.

A cursory poll of my “little students” yesterday offered a mix of answers to the question how will you spend your Fourth of July? Not a single one mentioned the way I used to spend my Fourth: heading to a public park to celebrate and of course see a fireworks display. I posed this to my older students last night in class and we discussed the various reasons why 19th and 20th century-styled community gatherings are no longer en vogue. Too busy, too noisy, legitimate concerns of safety in large crowds. Too easy to sit at home in your hyper-individualized world with your iPad and smartphone. Just more “bowling alone,” I suppose, a phrase I consider more and more prescient (I used to consider it merely observant) these days.

In the 19th and early 20th century it was a common practice in towns across America for a public official, say a mayor or a justice of the peace, on the Fourth of July, to recite the Declaration of Independence in some public square, a courthouse lawn or public park for example. This practice faded in recent generations, and though I tried to revive it in Binghamton in the 2000s, I too let the ritual end. I guess I’m part of the problem, then, and yes, I plan to spend this Fourth of July at home. Dang. Well, I’m reading the Declaration of Independence today, to my son at least, and reminding him, and myself, of the great virtues of this country, established in its founding and hopefully continued today.

The world is filled with minor heroes. Neighborhood legends, and those just on the cusp of fame. Unlike textbook heroes, we know them personally, and can speak to them informally, they no less heroic for associating with the common man. The world has one fewer of those heroes now, with the death of Dr. Steven Porter last week.

I met Dr. Porter in the fall of 1996. He was a teacher and administrator at Binghamton High School. Over the next four years I would take one of his music courses every year. He was, in fact, the only administrator at the school who still taught courses, and he was fond of pointing this out. I’m grateful he did, for I’m sure I learned more about music and about life from him than I did from any other instructor before or since.

Dr. Porter grew up in New York City, studied to be a classical pianist, and began teaching at an early age. His interests were quite varied, ranging from domestic and international politics to food and travel, baseball, art, and musical theatre. He could discuss any of these subjects and more at great length, and would do so in class. Sometimes we’d spend an entire class period talking about nothing related to music, yet we’d all walk away having learned something important, and I never felt we wasted one moment of classtime.

I think the greatest lessons I received from Dr. Porter came when he didn’t like something I had written or composed. (I have heard similar stories from others.) Dr. Porter was unsympathetic to ’90s educational theories of self-esteem and political correctness. If something wasn’t good he would tell you; there were no ribbons or medals for participation.

When I was a senior I’d asked Dr. Porter to be my advisor on the “extended essay” I needed to graduate even though the subject was history and politics, not music. He did me a great favor by trashing my first draft in no uncertain terms. His suggestions produced a final draft was a great improvement on the first and I’ve remembered the episode ever since. Funny that my thesis–the harm done by public welfare programs–was the complete opposite of his own worldview. That’s the mark of a good teacher.

Dr. Porter was one of the few teachers I stayed in touch with after high school. I talked to him every so often over the past 14 years, asking his advice on political or professional matters, and his words were always wise. He’d ask me how I was doing, personally, as well, and he was genuinely pleased to hear things were good. I remember his saying once that one of his joys in “old age” (his words) was seeing his students grow up to be successful adults. Not just students, but people. He had no children of his own, just thousands of students through the years who considered him a teacher, friend, and confidant. I know he helped many students through some rough times.

Dr. Porter had a genuine concern for the wellbeing of others. He cared about people, and sought to alleviate suffering where he found it. He and his wife rescued and rehabilitated abandoned dogs, and raised and trained seeing-eye dogs for the blind. These were a few of his “hidden talents” he’d speak about it class, never in a heroic or braggadocious way, just in the manner unsung heroes operate.

Yesterday I took a glance at my bookshelf and saw no less than seven books written by Steven Porter, books about music, movies, politics. He wrote many more, all in the same conversational style he used in class. I guess that’s what I’ll remember most about him: the conversations. I didn’t realize until much later that somehow I ended up structuring my classes the same way. The beginning is just a conversation about some current event. Before you realize it you’re in the middle of the lesson: the learning sneaks up on you. There were no overhead slides, no youtube videos, no trickery. Just people. And a tradition of learning and scholarship going back thousands of years.

Those of you who knew Dr. Porter have your own stories to remember. I hope they are as fond as mine. Those of you who did not know him, I hope you have people in your life you can think of in such a way. Not quite famous, not quite so well-known outside of those who knew him personally, but a great man nonetheless.

With so much talent and ambition, one wonders whether a Steve Porter would be disappointed he never achieved the fame and notoriety of those just a notch more lucky. Some certainly might. I remember his saying once if he could describe his life he would label it “underachiever.”

Not so. Not so.

http://drstevenporter.net/index.htm

I’ll admit it. I’ve jumped on the bandwagon. As I do for a few weeks every four years, I’ve begun to care about soccer.

Yes, I was heartbroken Sunday evening as much of America was. (And seriously, this “extra time” garbage has to go.) You can be sure I’ll be tuning in to hear Team USA’s noon match against Germany tomorrow, work be damned. It’s not exactly the first day of the NCAA Tournament, but one step at a time.