Latest news with #MartinVanBuren
News18
3 days ago
- General
- News18
Do You Really Know What 'OK' Means? 99.9% People Have No Idea!
It's the word we say without thinking, during phone calls, text conversations, meetings, and even arguments. 'OK' is everywhere. It's one of the most widely used terms in the English language, understood across cultures and continents. But here's a question that stumps most people: what does 'OK' actually stand for? (News18 Hindi) Most of us assume that 'OK' is simply short for "okay". Despite its simplicity, the full form of OK is unknown to the vast majority of people. According to several informal surveys floating around social media, 99.9 percent of people do not know what OK actually stands for. And while the phrase feels modern, its roots go back nearly two centuries. (News18 Hindi) The word gained further popularity in the 1840 US presidential election, when supporters of Martin Van Buren used the slogan "Vote for OK". Van Buren, who hailed from Kinderhook, New York, was affectionately nicknamed "Old Kinderhook". The abbreviation OK suddenly served a dual purpose - referring both to his nickname and the previously coined "Oll Korrect". The slogan went viral by 19th-century standards, and the term OK started gaining national, and eventually global, traction. (Source: YouTube) Other commonly used abbreviations have undergone similar transformations. 'ie' comes from the Latin 'id est,' meaning 'that is.' 'eg' stands for 'exempli gratia,' which means 'for example". (News18 Hindi) The word 'PIN,' used for debit and credit card security, stands for 'Personal Identification Number". (News18 Hindi) Even SCUBA, now used as a word on its own, actually expands to "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus". (News18 Hindi) And then there's AM and PM, used to divide the day into hours - AM stands for "ante meridiem", or before noon, while PM means "post meridiem", after noon. (News18 Hindi) Some even trace OK back to Greek origins, suggesting it may be derived from "Olla Kalla", which roughly translates to "all good". Though this theory has less scholarly support, it continues to circulate as part of the word's lore. What makes OK fascinating is that it's an abbreviation that lost its capital letters over time. It became so embedded in everyday language that people stopped treating it as a short form of anything. In that sense, OK is not just a word; it's linguistic history hiding in plain sight. (News18 Hindi)
Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Qatar's $400-million aircraft gift to Trump: Legal, ethical concerns up in the air
In 1839, US President Martin Van Buren was offered two live lions by the Sultan of Morocco. A year later, the Sultan of Oman sent horses, pearls, and other treasures for the President. Van Buren, adhering to the US Constitution, turned to Congress. The lions were sent to a zoo, while the pearls now rest at the Smithsonian. Almost two centuries later, President Donald Trump is setting the stage to accept a $400-million gift — a Boeing 747 jet from the royal family of Qatar. The jet, officials say, would serve temporarily as Air Force One and eventually find a home in Trump's presidential library. The offer has ignited a firestorm, not only because of the staggering value but because it challenges a longstanding tradition of restraint around foreign gifts. The plane in question — the luxury Boeing 747 fitted with three bedrooms, a private lounge, and an executive office — is one of the most extravagant gifts ever offered to a US president. The plane is likely to be re-fitted and used temporarily as Air Force One. The two Air Force One planes have been in use for almost 40 years, and their revamp has been delayed for various reasons. Trump, who is annoyed by the delays, has called the offer from Qatar 'a great gesture' that would be 'stupid' to turn down. Trump posted on Truth Social: 'The Defense Department is getting a gift, free of charge, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40-year-old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction.' A Qatari official was quoted by CNN as saying that the plane was being given from the Qatari defence ministry to the Pentagon, and that it would be modified to meet Air Force One's safety and security standards. Speaking about the matter, Andrew Moran, a constitutional law expert at London Metropolitan University, told the BBC: 'This is certainly stretching the Constitution. We have not seen a gift on this scale or of this nature in American history.' However, when explaining the deal, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had said, 'The legal details of that are still being worked out, but of course, any donation to this government is always done in full compliance with the law.' Apart from the question of accepting a staggeringly expensive gift, there are two other concerns — the Air Force One is the official vehicle of the US President, and a foreign nation supplying it sits odd with Trump's claims of making the US a manufacturing powerhouse. Then there is the security aspect. The Air Force One is equipped with a variety of defence and communications equipment. Accommodating all of this on a foreign-made, refitted plane would not be easy. The Trump administration has faced controversies over foreign gifts earlier too. A 2023 House Oversight Committee report found that over 100 items from foreign governments were unaccounted for, including a life-size painting of Trump from El Salvador and golf clubs from Japan valued at over $250,000. A spokesperson for Trump said the items were received either before or after his presidency. The US Constitution's Emoluments Clause — Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 — was designed to shield the republic from foreign influence. The clause reads: 'No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.' Besides the clause, there have been a number of laws also by the Congress related to lawmakers accepting foreign gifts, such as the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act of 1966, which means that congressional consent is required for the acceptance of foreign gifts above a certain value. US law allows federal officials to retain gifts valued under $480. Anything above that amount is legally considered a gift to the United States, not to the individual. It must be reported and handled through the White House Gift Unit. If a president desires to keep a gift personally, they can purchase it at fair market value. How have some notable gifts been handled in the past? Foreign dignitaries have routinely offered US Presidents numerous gifts — from animals to artwork to antiquities. Most of these items are not kept by the president personally, but are instead logged, assessed for value, and often stored in the National Archives or displayed in presidential libraries. President George W Bush once received 300 pounds of raw lamb from Argentina and a puppy from Bulgaria. Neither remained in the White House. The puppy was rehomed via the National Archives; the lamb, like many food gifts, was reportedly destroyed due to safety concerns. During Bill Clinton's presidency, the President of Azerbaijan gifted a custom-woven rug featuring portraits of Clinton and his wife Hillary. It now resides in government storage. Barack Obama's gifts ranged from cufflinks to a double-decker bus pencil sharpener, all catalogued and archived. Even Queen Victoria's gift of the 'Resolute Desk' to President Rutherford B Hayes in 1880 —crafted from the timbers of the HMS Resolute — required a diplomatic note and congressional consultation before it took its place in the Oval Office.
