Letters to the Editor: What the 1828 dictionary definition of 'insurrection' means for Trump - Yahoo News - Dictionary

To the editor: I possess a copy of Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary of American English, one of the few dictionaries available when the 14th Amendment [adopted in 1868] was written. ("Can Trump be on the ballot in 2024? It can hinge on the meaning of 'insurrection,'" Nov. 3)

It defines "insurrection" clearly, accurately, and authentically, as it was meant at the time:

"A rising against civil or political authority; the open and active opposition of a number of persons to the execution of law in a city or state. It is equivalent to sedition, except that sedition expresses a less extensive rising of citizens. It differs from rebellion, for the latter expresses a revolt, or an attempt to overthrow the government, to establish a different one or to place the country under another jurisdiction. It differs from mutiny, as it respects the civil or political government; whereas a mutiny is an open opposition to law in the army or navy. Insurrection is however used with such latitude as to comprehend either sedition or rebellion."

The last sentence is important. It shows that the scope of insurrection is very broad. It includes insurrection itself, sedition or rebellion.

The lawyers on both sides of the argument over whether the 14th Amendment bars former President Trump from appearing on the ballot appear to be making up what they want "insurrection" to mean, whereas this dictionary clearly, accurately and authentically states its meaning at the time.

Let's please insist that the lawyers adhere to the authentic and broad definition.

Wayne Howe, Irvine

..

To the editor: The 14th Amendment cites "insurrection or rebellion" as violations of the U.S. Constitution. As president, Trump took the oath to "protect, preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States." Trump violated his oath by attempting to subvert the transition of office to President Biden, thus committing a rebellion against the Constitution.

Trump was informed by his U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director that the 2020 election was the most secure in history. Trump's attorney general at the time informed him there was no voter fraud that would overturn the election.

Notwithstanding being so informed, over the past three years Trump has claimed through the media, public appearances and rallies that the election was rigged and stolen from him by widespread voter fraud.

Trump's acts of constitutional rebellion are contained in the Department of Justice and Georgia indictments. Those charges more than justify Trump's disqualification from the 2024 election.

Joseph S. Avila, Montebello

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Letters to the Editor: What the 1828 dictionary definition of 'insurrection' means for Trump - Los Angeles Times - Dictionary

Nov. 11, 2023 3 AM PT

To the editor: I possess a copy of Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary of American English, one of the few dictionaries available when the 14th Amendment [adopted in 1868] was written. (“Can Trump be on the ballot in 2024? It can hinge on the meaning of ‘insurrection,’” Nov. 3)

It defines “insurrection” clearly, accurately, and authentically, as it was meant at the time:

“A rising against civil or political authority; the open and active opposition of a number of persons to the execution of law in a city or state. It is equivalent to sedition, except that sedition expresses a less extensive rising of citizens. It differs from rebellion, for the latter expresses a revolt, or an attempt to overthrow the government, to establish a different one or to place the country under another jurisdiction. It differs from mutiny, as it respects the civil or political government; whereas a mutiny is an open opposition to law in the army or navy. Insurrection is however used with such latitude as to comprehend either sedition or rebellion.”

The last sentence is important. It shows that the scope of insurrection is very broad. It includes insurrection itself, sedition or rebellion.

The lawyers on both sides of the argument over whether the 14th Amendment bars former President Trump from appearing on the ballot appear to be making up what they want “insurrection” to mean, whereas this dictionary clearly, accurately and authentically states its meaning at the time.

Let’s please insist that the lawyers adhere to the authentic and broad definition.

Wayne Howe, Irvine

..

To the editor: The 14th Amendment cites “insurrection or rebellion” as violations of the U.S. Constitution. As president, Trump took the oath to “protect, preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Trump violated his oath by attempting to subvert the transition of office to President Biden, thus committing a rebellion against the Constitution.

Trump was informed by his U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director that the 2020 election was the most secure in history. Trump’s attorney general at the time informed him there was no voter fraud that would overturn the election.

Notwithstanding being so informed, over the past three years Trump has claimed through the media, public appearances and rallies that the election was rigged and stolen from him by widespread voter fraud.

Trump’s acts of constitutional rebellion are contained in the Department of Justice and Georgia indictments. Those charges more than justify Trump’s disqualification from the 2024 election.

Joseph S. Avila, Montebello

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Samsung to add real-time translation to smartphone model - Tech Xplore - Translation

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

South Korean smartphone giant Samsung Electronics will roll out a real-time translation service on calls using AI technology next year, a company representative told AFP on Friday.

Samsung is the world's largest smartphone maker accounting for a fifth of global sales between July and September, as Apple trails in second with 16 percent of the market, according to market tracker Counterpoint.

The new real-time translation feature will be incorporated into Samsung's new Galaxy flagship model, which will launch early next year, the representative said.

It will enable "real-time translation in audio and text as the callers are on the line", the spokesman said, adding that it has not been determined how many languages will be supported.

The translation will be enabled even if a call partner uses a non-Samsung smartphone, as the new model will use "on-device AI technology".

Speaking to a foreigner using the new AI feature will be "as simple as turning on closed captions" on streaming shows, Samsung said in a press release, with private conversations safely locked in on the phones.

The unveiling comes as the South Korean firm is racing to develop its generative AI model called Samsung Gauss, which comes in three fields of language, code and image, and is currently used among company staff.

The company will incorporate the AI system into its wide range of products in the near future, it said, without specifying timing or the models.

© 2023 AFP

Citation: Samsung to add real-time translation to smartphone model (2023, November 10) retrieved 10 November 2023 from https://ift.tt/5M6Bqk4

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

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Samsung details 'Galaxy AI' and a feature that can translate phone calls in real time - The Verge - Translation

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Samsung wants to make sure you know it cares about AI, too. In a new blog post, the company previewed what it calls “a new era of Galaxy AI” coming to its smartphones and detailed a forthcoming feature that will use artificial intelligence to translate phone calls in real time.

“Galaxy AI is a comprehensive mobile AI experience, powered by both on-device AI developed at Samsung and cloud-based AI enabled by our open collaborations with like-minded industry leaders,” Samsung wrote in the post. “It will transform your everyday mobile experience with the peace of mind you count on from Galaxy security and privacy.”

Samsung’s live translate feature, which the company is calling “AI Live Translate Call,” will be built into the company’s native phone app. Samsung says “audio and text translations will appear in real-time as you speak” and that the translations will happen on device.

The company says Galaxy AI is coming “early next year,” so it seems likely that Galaxy AI features will be included with Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup of smartphones. Those phones are rumored to launch in 2024. The company also reportedly demonstrated its generative AI model called Gauss at an event this week, which will apparently power features on mobile devices beginning next year, so I’m taking that to mean that Gauss will be a key part of the Galaxy S24 lineup, too.

AI-powered features seem like they’re becoming the next battleground for smartphone makers. Google, for example, has a suite of AI-powered tools to help you edit and improve photos with its Pixel 8 lineup. Apple is reportedly spending a lot of money every day to train AI, and I have to imagine all that investment will show up in some AI-powered features for iPhones.

And smartphone makers will soon have to compete with AI-focused hardware products like Humane’s cellular-enabled AI Pin — though you can get a preview of that device in our exclusive leak published ahead of Thursday’s launch.

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Dent's debut novel, a dictionary-inspired mystery of 'linguistic clues', goes to Zaffre - The Bookseller - Dictionary

Zaffre has bought the debut novel, Guilty by Definition, from “Countdown” star and lexicographer Susie Dent. 

Kelly Smith, senior editor, acquired world rights from Rosemary Scoular at United Agents. Guilty by Definition will be published in hardback, e-book and audio in summer 2024.

Guilty by Definition is a mystery set at the heart of the Clarendon English Dictionary, where a series of anonymous letters challenges its team of lexicographers to unravel a thread of linguistic clues. Hinting at secret lives and a personal link to one of the editors, the letters could lead to the truth behind a decades-old disappearance and an untold chapter in the evolution of English. 

Dent said: “I am so thrilled to be joining Bonnier Books UK on a completely new venture. Guilty by Definition draws on my work as a lexicographer and etymologist; both jobs involve clues and evidence, and the parallels between word detectives and the real kind seemed a perfect basis for a mystery novel. 

“The story will lay a trail of linguistic clues that the characters—and, I hope, the readers—must unravel if they are to solve a mystery that has lingered for years. Even the most everyday words have secret lives; it turns out the most normal-seeming people do, too.”

Smith, who was recently promoted at Zaffre, said: “Guilty by Definition perfectly blends Susie Dent’s inimitable talent as a wordsmith with a compelling and moving mystery of a woman’s determination to uncover the truth about her sister’s disappearance. It has been such a pleasure to work with Susie on her first fiction project and I can’t wait to publish this spectacular story next summer.” 

Dent has previously has only worked on non-fiction projects such as the Roots of Happiness (Puffin) and An Emotional Dictionary (John Murray). She attended Oxford University and worked for the OED, so the setting of the novel is inspired by her own knowledge of the city, where she still lives. She hosts the "Something Rhymes with Purple" podcast with Gyles Brandreth and first appeared on Dictionary Corner of the TV show "Countdown" in 1992.

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Samsung teases its own AI-based real-time phone call translation - Engadget - Translation

We've already seen Google's "Live Translate" working its magic on phones calls, but to date, this feature is still exclusive to Pixel devices. If you happen to be a Samsung fan, though, chances are you may get to use a similar feature — without having to install third-party apps — early next year.

According to the Korean giant, its next phone — our money's on the "Galaxy S24" family — will come with "Galaxy AI," which is "powered by both on-device AI developed at Samsung and cloud-based AI" from providers. Part of this package will include "AI Live Translate Call," which will show real-time translations in the form of a chat log during phone calls — as is the case in the demo screenshot showcasing a dialog between a New York-based English speaker and a Seoul-based Korean speaker. As a bonus, the tool throws up an "add event" button whenever there's a mention of a time and a date, to let you instantly mark the calendar for your foreign acquaintance.

There's not much else here about Galaxy AI, except that "it will change how we think about our phones forever," said Wonjoon Choi, EVP and Head of R&D, Mobile eXperience Business. There's no word on whether Galaxy AI will also include Samsung's Gauss generative AI capability, but given the exec's wording and the recent similar offerings from Google, we wouldn't be surprised if we're getting the whole shebang in the Galaxy S24 lineup next year.

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Kraft lobbies dictionary company on behalf of its 'moist' mayonnaise - masslive.com - MassLive.com - Dictionary

Does the word “moist” scare you? Would you buy a product called “moist mayo”?

These questions and more come to mind in the wake of a larger-than-life jar of mayonnaise showing up on the steps of Merriam-Webster’s headquarters in Springfield on Monday.

The words “real moist” are front and center on the jar. The 6-foot-4 jar was placed by none other than Kraft Real Mayo, a branch of the company known for its macaroni and cheese meals.

The company’s mission is to get the word “moist” searched online as much as possible to receive Merriam-Webster’s coveted “Word of the Year” award — and change perception of the word.

In years past, the dictionary company’s award was given to gaslighting in 2022, vaccine in 2021, and pandemic in 2020.

The word “moist” has received decades of bad rap, thanks to 2010s internet. Urban Dictionary refers to “moist” as “a word people pretend to hate because the internet told them to.”

Kraft Real Mayo Brand Manager Frances Sabatier said most people don’t know why they don’t like the word.

“Kraft Real Mayo has such a devoted fanbase of mayo lovers, and we want to embolden them to help us change the perception by searching the word ‘moist’ online so many times that it’s elected Merriam-Webster’s word of the year,” Sabatier wrote in an email.

Maisel Torres, 17, of Springfield, talks about the giant mayonnaise jar he encountered while walking down Federal Street past Merriam-Webster Dictionary headquarters. The Kraft food company delivered the jar to make their case for designating "moist" the dictionary's "word of the year". Don Treeger / The Republican) 11/8/2023The Republican

Maisel Torres, 17, came across the outsized jar Wednesday afternoon. He said the it brings color to the Federal Street neighborhood. He added that mayonnaise is not the word that comes to mind when he hears the word “moist.”

Instead, it’s cake and brownies.

However, Kevin Drayton, of Springfield, said he does think of mayonnaise when he hears “moist.”

A Merriam-Webster representative could not be reached for comment.

According to its website, however, the word was pronounced “moiste” by the Anglo-French and was first used in the 14th century.

The brand has more than the Springfield stunt in mind. It is planning to host a “Search-A-Thon” livestream on Twitch on Nov. 18 with the help of gaming influencers who intend to encourage viewers to search the word “moist” as much as possible, Sabatier said.

In addition to the that, Kraft plans paid advertisements on the social media sites Instagram, TikTok and Reddit, as well as on-the-ground canvassers, all designed to raise awareness about its “Search Moist” campaign.

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