On language

Earlier this year, the principal of Danvers (MA) High School banned students from saying "Meep," the phrase uttered by the Muppets' Beaker, for fear it would lead to a schoolwide disruption.

Students were warned they could be suspended if they said or displayed the word.

It's really a shame -- "Meep" is far better than many alternatives for saying nothing when you need to say something, as detailed in the Boston Globe Ideas section.