Is it not clear at this point that the fate of our economic system should not be subject to the whims of a single person? This has been like watching great-grandpa, who never drove a car, trying to parallel park a Winnebego on a city street. Yeah, he's got the biggest vehicle and may eventually get it into a space. But there is gonna be so much damage. And so many enemies.

We will never know some of the informal language that was bandied about among speakers in the time of Beowulf.

A common criticism for an editorial cartoon: "It's not funny." The common response from an editorial cartoonist: "You're right." That's because the main goal of an editorial or political cartoon (a good one anyway) should be to stir a thought or even start a conversation. Humor can help, but it isn't necessary.

There are so many interesting bits of language in the world, we can’t help but notice. The question is, when you notice someone saying something interesting, should you point it out?

Abraham Lincoln famously described our particular form of government as "of the people, by the people, for the people." So it seems to me that if we slash and cut and terminate all of the "people" parts, there will be no constitutional republic left. And a real danger of it perishing from the earth.

In a criminal case, you just might need a linguist.

I think there is a deeper issue, and it disturbs me more that the capricious behavior of Secretary Linda McMahon and the Trump Administration actively dismantling the department: They seem to care more about their ideological victories than they do about the actual students. Much more. If, in fact, they are thinking about students at all.

On this shamrock-filled episode of Stateside, we discuss the NCAA basketball bracketology as we prepare for March Madness. We also revisit a conversation with a Detroit-based poet and visual artist whose book explores the boldness of Black Detroit. Lastly, we engage in a conversation with a professor who seeks to expand our understanding of the individuals who influenced American country music.

There's competitive forensics, but there's also forensic medicine, forensic accounting, and forensic linguistics too.

The situation with the Line 5 oil pipeline that runs through Michigan isn't the most topical issue I could have picked this week. It's more of an ongoing issue that (I hope) most Michiganders are familiar with. The point I'm attempting to make, however, is extremely topical. And that topic is: propaganda works.