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February 19

Why people send Teddy Bears during Valentine's day?

I've noticed that the online store always have teddy bear for sale as a valentine's day gift. Why teddy bear instead of other cartoon toys? A history issue?

70.112.139.137 06:42, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Because a grizzly bear, unlike a fluffy bunny, is more likely to be able to steal your heart away? Because of the general infantalisation of contemporary culture? Because Teddy Roosevelt is the sexist president ever? Sorry about that, probably just tradition. Nothing to stop you sending the stuffed sheep of love (kinky), the stuffed snake of love (suggestive), or the stuffed parasite of love (in bad taste). meltBanana 14:11, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Apropos snake, some other cute animals worth considering is the Pussycat, Cunny-bunny, and the eager beaver. 惑乱分からん 14:39, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I once got a stuffed Lockheed Constellation for Valentine's Day. --Charlene 09:22, 22 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

How about a stuffed Atlas rocket or dachshund ? StuRat 17:36, 26 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

TV show with some sort of diamond

Does anyone remember a TV show from the 80's or 90's that involves teams solving various puzzles and culiminates with them in a giant diamond grabbing for something (money maybe)? These puzzles were always timed and only one or two team members at a time could go into a room to solve different 3D tasks (like re-arranging some levers and pulleys to make a machine run). Thanks!

Are you British? Sounds like The Crystal Maze. -Multivitamin 08:20, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Music with quotations

Does anybody know any pieces of music that use musical quotations? Yes you are right this is just a blatant expansion requests putting a expansion template on a page rarely gets results. meltBanana 14:21, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Would you like to define "musical quotation"? There are several pieces that are supposed to mimic birdsong, or other noises such as a steam train. Would they count? Also there are a finite number of musical phrases, so does the quotation have to be deliberate to count as quotation? I assume reprises and motifs wouldn't count.--Shantavira 14:59, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

There would be literally thousands of examples, even after excluding unintentional quotations. Just 2 examples that come to mind straight away from "classical" music: Shostakovich's 15th Symphony quotes Wagner, Rossini amongst others. Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals quotes Offenbach, Mendelssohn, Berlioz and Rossini. I'd love to see a long list of such quottations. JackofOz 23:55, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I would say it should be confined to intentional quotation of a phrase from an earlier or contemporary composer's work, preferably not quoting themselves. I just found the article an I felt it should be either improved or removed, I was trying the first first. meltBanana 00:19, 20 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I took the liberty of suggesting a collaboration at Wikipedia:WikiProject_Reference_Desk_Article_Collaboration#Existing_article_collaboration. La Marseillaise in Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture - not very subtle, but it was the first one that came to my mind. ---Sluzzelin 00:41, 20 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Check out Quodlibet Bunthorne 07:30, 20 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Hayato Date's E-Mail Address

I've asked for Masashi Kishimoto's e-mail address, now I'm asking, does the director of Naruto, Hayato Date, have an e-mail address, too?

Same answer as last time, I'd guess. Try his company first. 惑乱分からん 15:57, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Digable Planet's Trumpet (possible sample)

In the song "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" by the Digable Planets there is a very familiar I believe trumpet lick. I was wondering if anyone knew if that was a sample of music that they play live. It's the main part so if you listen to it you probably could figure it out. Thanks to anyone who can check it out.--Bobpalloona 20:26, 19 February 2007 (UTC)BobPalloona[reply]

Ahh, Digable Planets' album Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) is a classic. Anyway, the article mentions five different samples used for the song? Does any sound familiar? To me, James Brown's back-up band The_JB's sounds most likely, if any...) 惑乱分からん 20:58, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah, that's what the article says, but there's no way that's the JB horns. Too mellow, too jazzy, sounds like late 50s or early 60s, somewhere near hardbop or modal jazz. ---Sluzzelin 22:06, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, looks like it's Stretchin by Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers. It was recorded in 1978, so I was off by decades, but the style wasn't too far off. The trumpet lead is played by Valery Ponomarev. ---Sluzzelin 22:12, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Aha, well, the article mentions Stretchin by James Williams (whoever he is...) 惑乱分からん 23:42, 19 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

He was a jazz pianist, composer and educator who died a few years ago. He plays piano on that particular recording and also wrote the tune. So I guess he deserves the credit. ---Sluzzelin 00:06, 20 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]