Matthew C. Scallon's Page

I know my neighbors --or is it "neighbours?"-- to the north took vicariously glee some 8 years ago when we in the U.S. waited for Floridians to figure out either how to vote or how to count, which ever came first. Well, now, it looks as though they're having their own fun with PM Stephen Harper asking Governor General Michaëlle Jean to "prorogue" parliament until 26 January, 2009.

Prorogue. For us "southerners," that's a new word. I had to look it up. It means, "to ask for public assent to exte… Continue

So, I've bitten the bullet and signed up with NPR's much heralded API. While there are some positives, like Facebook-like features on my account, I just don't see it as comparable to the benefits of the BPP.

Does anyone else have any thoughts?

He may have been born, much like another notable Chicagoan, in New York, but he was the voice of the quintessential Chicagoan. When someone asks me what Chicago's like, I used to tell him, "Read Studs Turkel."

The best thing I could say about Studs was that he treated everyone the same way. It didn't matter if you were a single mother on welfare or the president of First Chicago Bank. Studs treated both people with the same level of dignity.

He may not have believed in God --or maybe he was he… Continue

I miss the show. I miss the blog. I miss the BPP staff. Certainly, the BPP staff misses the show far more than an audience member like me ever could. Though, I must say this: the show has had at least one lasting positive effect on my life, an effect that presented itself at work.

You see, as an engineer, I'm used to working around people with poor social skills. While my social skills may not make me very popular by normal society's standards, I am regular social butterfly compared to other en… Continue