Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2011 January 6

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January 6[edit]

The end of the land[edit]

England has Land's End, France has Finistère, Spain has Finisterre. Are there any other countries that have a geographic feature that translates as "Land's end"? --Carnildo (talk) 08:12, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Lands End, Cabo San Lucas, Baha California Sur, Mexico.Buster Seven Talk 08:32, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I googled on the phrase "means land's end" and found:
That's as many as I felt like chasing. I certainly do not claim that they are all correct. --Anonymous, 11:47 UTC, corrected 23:27, January 6, 2011.
There are also a Landsende in Hooge, Germany and a Landsende in Rømø, Denmark. --Saddhiyama (talk) 12:01, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
And there is a Landsenden in Norway. --Saddhiyama (talk) 12:06, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Landsenden is the name of a farm and a blog, and I suspect the only people who are aware of its existence are the residents, neighbours and their friends and family, the readers of the blog, and perhaps some genealogists. Verdens Ende (the end of the world), on the other hand, is a geographic feature which is quite well known. --NorwegianBlue talk 22:50, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Tanjung/tanjong is probably better translated as cape, headland, promontory or something of that sort. (Tanjong is an older spelling.) See wiktionary:tanjung (Only Indonesian) or [1] (click on Kamus Bahasa Inggeris, wrong way but should give you an idea or perhaps Istilah Malaysia as well) or heck even Tanjung. If you're going to include tanjung you have a lot of candidates [2] [3]. There is also the related semenanjung which means peninsula. Nil Einne (talk) 16:39, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
BTW I forgot to mention I'm not sure were tanjung comes from. It may derive from tanah hujung which would roughly translate as 'lands end' 'end land' Nil Einne (talk) 17:14, 8 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Not to mention Lands End in Maine, Lands End Light on St. Helena Island in South Carolina, Lands End in San Francisco CA, Lands End NZ, Lands End in Indonesia and so on. Just about every country which has a shoreline seems to have one! Collect (talk) 12:16, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

"Pen Fro" means something like "head of the region", but this is the name not of Pembrokeshire but of its county town, Pembroke. Marnanel (talk) 13:19, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Well, originally it was the name of the cantref or administrative area. Penfro cantref gave its name to the town, and the town later gave its name to the county of Pembrokeshire. Ghmyrtle (talk) 13:39, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
But it is not, and has never been, in England, (even if the area was once referred to as "The little England beyond Wales"). --ColinFine (talk) 19:52, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
It could be argued that legally it was, certainly between 1535 and 1707.... Ghmyrtle (talk) 23:07, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Curiously, the Great War memorial outside Pembroke Castle honours those who "died for England". Still "Little England" in 1918? Alansplodge (talk) 18:36, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Or it could be argued that I goofed, which is correct. I even thought "Is that in England or Wales?", but still didn't actually check. Sorry about that. --Anon, 23:28 UTC, January 6, 2011.
Some argue that there is no England, and there is no Wales. There is only England and Wales. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 21:02, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Others would argue that that is even less true than it was before since the National Assembly for Wales was created in 1999. Ghmyrtle (talk) 22:15, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
South Australia has World's End at 33° 46' 0" South, 139° 3' 0" East. As you might suspect, there isn't much there. --TrogWoolley (talk) 17:35, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Then there's this place, which I hear has a real good steak (that doesn't even mind being eaten). --Jayron32 18:12, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
There's another World's End in Massachusetts. The name is misleading and hyperbolic, because it is just a small peninsula protruding into Boston Harbor, with land visible in every direction. Marco polo (talk) 19:02, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
And there is a World's End halfway down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh between the Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Royal Mile is a rather modern term to cover the distance between those two prominent sites, which actually begins at Castlehill before becoming the Lawnmarket, and then the High Street, and then the Canongate. The crossroads between the High Street and Canongate was, in Mediaeval times, genuinely regarded as being the end of the world for those living in the "Old Town", given that there was a tollbooth erected there that most folk would have been unwilling to pay to pass through, not having any business to conduct on the other side. There is a famous pub on that crossroads called, "The World's End" which is the site of the last-known sighting of 2 young girls who were subsequently found murdered, thus forever instilling in the minds of we locals, the "World's End Murders". 92.29.45.20 (talk) 19:16, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Wivelsfield railway station is at World's End. DuncanHill (talk) 23:44, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Tianya Haijiao does not literally mean "world's end", but the name is an idiomatic expression meaning the ends of the earth, so in that sense it is a world's end. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 13:06, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
There's a World's End in the Horton Plains National Park in Sri Lanka. - Akamad (talk) 17:32, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

turmeric where to purchase[edit]

please advice stores that sell this herb. (cleveland ohio area) ty — Preceding unsigned comment added by MIKE1939 (talkcontribs) 18:01, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It is common. Supermarkets sell it. Just look in the spice section. Or ask store personnel where it would be located. I removed your email address, as inclusion of that is not advisable. Bus stop (talk) 18:04, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
It's not a very sharp or scientific distinction, but in culinary lingo, turmeric is a spice, while oregano e.g., is an herb. See Herb#Culinary_herbs for clarification. SemanticMantis (talk) 18:47, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I never understood that term when in the USA - "an herb". I get "an apple" or "an orange", but "an herb"??? I know there will always be exceptions to traditional English usage, and I am not having a dig at how American English has drifted from its parent tongue, but "an herb" is as wrong-sounding as "an car" or "an dress". Can anyone explain how that jarring difference came into common USA usage? And, by the way, "herb" begins with an "h" followed by an "e" so what is the problem with pronouncing it as HERB, and not URB? Thanks 92.29.45.20 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 19:06, 6 January 2011 (UTC).[reply]
Why is the <h> audible in honey but not in honesty? See also Phonological history of English fricatives and affricates#H-dropping and h-adding. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 19:25, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Why do now and slough rhyme with each other, and low rhymes with dough, but now does not rhyme with low, and slough does not rhyme with dough? Welcome to the English language! Googlemeister (talk) 19:30, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
PS. Penzeys Spices on Chagrin Blvd in the SE of Cleveland would have turmeric. Googlemeister (talk) 19:34, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Slough rhymes with 'few' in AE though, not with 'now'. 75.41.110.200 (talk) 21:22, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
(EC) You answer your own question. Americans pronounce 'herb' as URB, so when I type 'an herb', I hear 'an urb', much like 'an urban environment.' This is consistent with English grammar rules for indefinite articles and USA pronunciation. If you choose to pronounce the H, then you would say 'a herb'. I agree that pronouncing the H and using 'an' sounds wrong. If you don't like the way we pronounce 'herb', that's fine, but don't begrudge us the use the correct article. SemanticMantis (talk) 19:34, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I think most everyone is aware that there are differences between AmEng and Brit/CommEng. But if there was a list ordered by Coefficient of Irritability, the herb/urb difference would probably appear at or near the top. To non-Americans it just sounds completely weird and thoroughly objectionable, hence the above comment from 92; but I guess Americans also scratch their head about this guy called Herb others are always talking about when they get to discussing culinary things. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 20:14, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Sure, it cuts both ways. I just wanted to clarify that the the difference in pronunciation mandates a difference in the correct article, which 92 above seems confused about. Saying 'an herb' in AmEng is completely correct; the incorrectness of 'an car'. is totally unrelated. SemanticMantis (talk) 20:34, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
The pronunciation of herb without aspiration didn't come into common USA usage, it was there all along. The OED, treating of the pronunciation of herb across the English-speaking world, says that "the h was mute until the 19th c[entury], and is still so treated by many". It cites William Caxton as writing "He toke an erbe", for example. So it's the British, not to mention the Australians, who are guilty of deforming the language. I hang my head in shame. --Antiquary (talk) 21:24, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Oh no, it's the New Zealanders who are most to blame in this area. You look and I'll point.  :) -- (Jack of Oz) 202.142.129.66 (talk) 22:44, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Ha, I suspected as much...thanks for digging into the OED Antiquary :) SemanticMantis (talk) 01:30, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I've made this point before, but Americans speak the generally more conservative version of English, and although the language is named for the English, it is the English who have departed further from our common linguistic heritage. Marco polo (talk) 02:42, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Some would say that, since the English "own" the English language, they have the right to alter it as they see fit without seeking approval from their transatlantic cousins or anyone else; but the reverse does not apply.  :) -- 202.142.129.66 (talk) 02:52, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
All languages change over time, and some varieties of English have had deliberate changes made. I don't think any regional variety has any right to dictate to others (I object to the south of England dictating pronunciations to the north). Perhaps, eventually, we will lose the language called "English" and have separate languages called "American", "British", Australian", etc. but, personally, I would prefer to acknowledge minor differences and facilitate easy communication. Dbfirs 11:01, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
My father (speaks Southern RP with just a hint of a West Country accent) insists on saying "an hotel". Alansplodge (talk) 18:31, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Do you mean that he sounds both the "n" and the "h"? The standard pronunciation (from the French, without the "h") used to be "an 'otel". I always sound the "h" (and so omit the "n"), but I'm a northener. Dbfirs 08:00, 8 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
It's about the only "h" he drops - not bad for someone who has lived in east London since 1920! Alansplodge (talk) 12:30, 8 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
It's a root, like ginger, and roots are not usually called herbs to my knowledge. Every full grocery store sells ground-and-dried turmeric, but the OP may be asking about fresh turmeric, which is easily available at natural grocery stores here in Berkeley, but I'm not sure about the Cleveland area. (The fresh form is much more interesting than the dried form, by the way.) Looie496 (talk) 19:38, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
If you are looking for the actual root, you should try an Indian grocery, of which there are several in the Cleveland area. Indian groceries can also sell you large quantities of dried, ground turmeric powder at a much lower price per pound than the supermarket. Since I have time on my hands, I will list them for you. There is a cluster in the Parma area (Patel Brothers: 440-885-4440; Krishna Indian Grocery: 440-292-0240; India Grocer: 440-885-0215; Laxmi Groceries and Spices: 440-842-2402), there's one in Warrensville Heights (Indo-American Foods: 216-662-0072), and there are two in Mayfield Heights (Lakshmi Plaza: 440-460-4601; Indo-American Convenient: 440-446-8200). You might phone a couple that are convenient to you and see if they have what you need. Marco polo (talk) 21:07, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
In regard to the question of what an herb actually is, the Herb article indicates that the usage of the term varies. In the broadest sense, any part of a plant can count as an herb. I tend to think of herbs as being the leafy parts, but that's only one interpretation. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 14:07, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Without looking it up...What is the largest herbaceous plant? (Happen to have just found out earlier today) |:~) Buster Seven Talk 03:17, 8 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
The Banana. Buster Seven Talk 20:30, 8 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Amazing Adventures Of Spider-man Ride[edit]

It has that Grey Deside plays the voice of Scream and Frank Welker plays Electro do you think it's true or not? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bandrade77 (talkcontribs) 23:25, 6 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know. Do you have evidence to the contrary? --Jayron32 03:08, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I can't see why they would say so if it wasn't... The mentioned actors alone would probably have issues with their names being used if they weren't actually used... gazhiley.co.uk 13:04, 7 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]