Google: People Also Ask

thought of another question. Interesting that demand is low, but might be increasing today, and that tire companies may be deciding they should use more [synthetic latex is a petroleum product]

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Where does most rubber come from today?

mainland Southeast Asia

Rubber trees require a hot, damp climate, and more than 90% of the world's natural rubber supply comes from mainland Southeast Asia. Supply of rubber is much higher than demand right now, which gives buyers the upper hand—including tire companies that want to reduce the footprint of their industry on the environment.

Apparently for Ramadan to officially start, observers within the faith have to have spotted the crescent moon. This must be ceremonial only these days, unless it ever happens that overcast skies sometimes prevent Ramadan. As it is, Ramadan may start in one region one day but the next day in another region, but has to do with regional differences in moon phase start [I have to believe].

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Has Ramadan been confirmed 2024?

Ramadan 2024 Moon Sighting LIVE Updates: Crescent moon sighted in UAE. Ramadan 2024 Moon Sighting LIVE Updates: The crescent moon of Ramadan was spotted in UAE on Sunday, March 10. Hence, Monday [the next day] has been declared as the first day of Ramadan 2024. [for the UAE]

As far as I can determine, the Islamic calendar is purely lunar and never gets adjusted. Ramadan can thus occur in any season

The 11 days short of a full revolution around the sun is imperfectly made up if they never add leap days. I couldn't find an indication they do. Each month to start requires a sighting of the crescent moon, one site said. Note the 33 year cycle

for confirmation I looked up Ashura and it is not seasonal! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashura

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Is Ramadan seasonal?

As the timing of Ramadan is based on the lunar calendar, Ramadan falls 11 days earlier annually and over a 33-year period, passes through all 4 seasons; with consequential shorter fasts in winter and longer fasts in the summer months
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33 * 11 = 363
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Do Muslims have a holiday in December?

On December 5, Muslims celebrate Ashura. Sunnis, the largest group of Muslims, remember that the Prophet Mohammad fasted in solidarity with Jews who were observing Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement
crossing this out but leaving it in to show how you can be misinformed by google. The below site was the reference, to be fair it doesn't say it's always in December. However, it also is not celebrated at the same time as Yom Kippur as is strongly suggested, though it may have been "at first"...
"probably observed at first on the tenth of the first Jewish month of Tishrei, known as Yom Kippur " per Wikipedia page
https://www.mininggazette.com/news/local-news/2022/12/winter-holidays-there-is-much-more-than-christmas/

I think I got into the weeds

I wonder if I have posted about atomic clocks in the past here?

Anyway, it's hard to get a straight answer when you try to find out how they work. As far as I can determine, a mass of atoms will have a certain frequency of oscillation when irradiated by microwaves at a certain wavelength. This does not seem to be the atoms vibrating, but emitting energy [?] or at least some kind of signal [which I think would have to be the same thing]. If the clock is using a quartz oscillator [which has a vibration measured, I think] then this oscillator is constantly corrected by the more reliable atom oscillation. I can't find where this is succinctly stated like that.

You can buy an "atomic clock", but this works by receiving a signal from a real atomic clock, so that's a gimmick in my book.

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An atomic clock is based on a system of atoms which may be in one of two possible energy states. A group of atoms in one state is prepared, then subjected to microwave radiation. If the radiation is of the correct frequency, a number of atoms will transition to the other energy state. The closer the frequency is to the inherent oscillation frequency of the atoms, the more atoms will switch states. Such correlation allows very accurate tuning of the frequency of the microwave radiation. Once the microwave radiation is adjusted to a known frequency where the maximum number of atoms switch states, the atom and thus, its associated transition frequency, can be used as a timekeeping oscillator to measure elapsed time. [from wikipedia page]
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how do atomic clocks work?

In an atomic clock, the frequency of the quartz oscillator is transformed into a frequency that is applied to a collection of atoms. If the derived frequency is correct, it will cause many electrons in the atoms to change energy levels. If the frequency is incorrect, far fewer electrons will jump
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What is the physics behind the atomic clock?

Atomic clocks operate by creating a quantum mechanical superposition of the ground state | g and an excited state |e , and measuring the evolution frequency f = E/h of the quantum mechanical phase between the two levels.
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Why do atomic clocks drift?

Aubin explains that all atoms display an internal waviness. Occasionally, this waviness is interrupted when two atoms collide. Such interruptions, or “clock shifts,” are responsible for that one second of drift every billion years.

In 'Innocents Abroad' Mark Twain uses the word 'gewgaws' ... it's been so long since I've seen that word I wanted to look it up to be3 sure I knew what it meant. I seem to remember seeing it in old books like that, but I don't think I can say I remember it in conversations. It's a museum piece word, I think.

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a showy thing, especially one that is useless or worthless.
"a house full of Victorian gewgaws"
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Where did the word Gewgaw come from?

Gewgaw derives from Middle English giuegaue. It is a gradational compound of uncertain origin, perhaps akin to the Middle French and French term gogo ... It's been used in English since the late 12th century or the early 13th century.
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What is the meaning of gimcracks and Gewgaws? [from continued 'people also ask', I think the words are used in combination as a phrase a lot]

: a showy object of little use or value : gewgaw. Examples: The harmonica that Carrie kept in her desk drawer was a gimcrack that she had won as a carnival prize many years ago. "
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gim·crack
/ˈjimˌkrak/
adjective
adjective: gimcrack

flimsy or poorly made but deceptively attractive.
"plastic gimcrack cookware"

I had no idea what this word meant till my older brother used it when I was maybe 19 or 20. He was astonished.

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poontang word origin

Origin

1920s: alteration of French putain ‘prostitute’.
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poon·tang
/ˈpo͞onˌtaNG/
noun
vulgar slang•North American
noun: poontang; noun: poon-tang

a woman or women regarded solely in terms of potential sexual gratification.
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What is poon slang for?

Noun. poon (countable and uncountable, plural poons) (US, vulgar slang) Poontang, the vagina, or, intercourse with a woman. I'm gonna get me some poon at this party.

Olaf Scholz has been Chancellor of Germany [replacing Merkel] since 2021, but I couldn't have named him till yesterday, looking him up after seeing the name. I couldn't even have gotten it with Multiple Choice! I confess I have no good excuse, but will trot this one out anyway: we here in the US don't seem to get stories in which he is mentioned. Angela, on the other hand, got a lot of ink, so to speak. I was aware she was no longer in office, is all.

I'll have to use a memory-jogger or I'll forget his name. I think I'll use Sergeant Schultz, and risk remembering the right spelling and pronunciation incorrectly

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Who is the current leader of Germany?

The chancellor is elected by the Bundestag on the proposal of the federal president and without debate (Article 63 of the German Constitution). The current officeholder is Olaf Scholz of the SPD, who was elected in December 2021, succeeding Angela Merkel
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What is the difference between a chancellor and a Prime Minister?

The title "Chancellor" means the same thing as "Prime Minister". For example, Italy has a Prime Minister while Germany has a Chancellor but they have roughly the same job
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How popular is Scholz in Germany?

If general elections were held now, the party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz would only receive 14% of the vote. That is another 2% lower than last month's figure and the lowest since June 2021, according to DeutschlandTrend, a monthly tracking of political sentiment among the German electorate.Dec 8, 2023
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Scholz is usually grouped with the moderate wing of the SPD, and his nomination was seen by Die Tageszeitung as marking a decline of the party's left. Scholz led the SPD to a narrow victory in the election, with the party receiving 25.8% of the second votes and 206 seats in the Bundestag

Scholz, image from Wikipedia


image from Reuters of opponent Laschet, whose defeat was partly blamed on photos etc of him laughing while inspecting an area that suffered a flood. The implication was that he was skeptical of the climate change connection. Seems like a lot to lay on him for laughing, it was stupid to get caught, but probably he was lagging badly anyway

Any kind of serious event is a potential landmine for a politician if they are filmed smiling at any moment, or anything that can be interpreted as disrespectful, or something similar.

not hearing much about Somalia these days

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Is Somalia peaceful now?

Since 2012, when a new internationally-backed government was installed, Somalia has been inching towards stability, but the new authorities still face a challenge from al-Qaeda-aligned Al-Shabab insurgents... Jan 2, 2024

Quote: odiousgambit

not hearing much about Somalia these days

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Is Somalia peaceful now?

Since 2012, when a new internationally-backed government was installed, Somalia has been inching towards stability, but the new authorities still face a challenge from al-Qaeda-aligned Al-Shabab insurgents... Jan 2, 2024

I believe Somalia is still having a civil war.