Ask Bella

[Irreverend Hugh, KSC]

Is the moon really made out of swiss cheese?

[Zurtok Khan]

What is the best way to play with a pair of B sized boobies?

[Bella]

Is the moon really made out of swiss cheese?

Dear Hugh,

Only on the light side.

[Bella]

What is the best way to play with a pair of B sized boobies?

Dear Khan,

Depends on who they belong to, Khan.
Sometimes there is no safe way to play with a pair of B sized boobies.

[hooplala]

Dear Bella,

Who is Shecky D. Albino REALLY?

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

Dear She Who Eats Souls,

What is the mortality rate of people suffering from an anal stroke?

[LMNO]

I would think that depends on the girth, and the length.

[Maharishi Miyagi Yoda]

Dear Bella,
This question has been bothering me since childhood. It comes in two parts.
Part the first: In many children's cartoons, especially the old Warner Bros. cartoons, when the cartoon character is confronted with a moral dilemma, s/he is often depicted with a little Angel hovering over his right shoulder, whispering "good" into his ear, and a little Devil hovering over his left shoulder, whispering "evil" into his ear. Where, how, why did this image originate?
Part the second: In these same children's cartoons, when a cartoon character does something stupid or is tricked or fooled, s/he is often depicted with a donkey's head. Where, how, why did this image originate, and how did it come to be associated with foolishness/stupidity?

the Maharishi Miyagi Yoda,
still wondering.

[Bella]

Dear Maharishi Miyagi Yoda,

I can answer part the 2nd right off the bat, but will have to consult my SpongeBob Oracle book for the part the first and get back to you, okay?

The donkey head schtick started with A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare, when a fool/actor named  Bottom has his own head replaced with that of an ass and the fairy queen falls in love with him anyway because she's under a love spell. But the first time I ever remember seeing it in the cartoons  was in the animated movie Pinocchio. Pinocchio falls in with bad company and is taken to an island with a lot of other boys. Eventually, they not only have donkey heads, but are total asses and are sold to the carnival. It's a metaphor for what happens to people who are stupid and mule-headed.

[Maharishi Miyagi Yoda]

Dear Bella,
Your answer to Part the Second of my question was very helpful. In all the time that I've been puzzling over the Ass-headed man image, of all the people I've asked about it, you are the first person to mention Pinocchio. When I asked you, I had never seen Pinocchio, and all anyone had ever told me about the film was to let your conscience be your guide and if you lie your nose will grow. I followed up on this lead and rented Pinocchio from a local video store, and was very pleased with what I saw, not just the Donkey stuff, but Blue Faerie and Pleasure Island and the Giant Whale all combined together to leave me feeling that I had just witnessed a classic. This prompted me to follow up with some internet research on Pinocchio, which, as I found, was inspired by a 19th century Italian children's story. I have not finished reading the story, but I am already very impressed by it. You have done much to assist me in my frantic search for my lost donkey, and I eagerly await the reply of the Pythoness of the SpongeBob Oracle on Part the First of my question.

Respectfully,
the Maharishi Miyagi Yoda

[maphdet]

Dear Bella,

How do you think street magic is performed.
How do the magicians convience the audience?

Do you beleive it? Have you seen it in person?

[Bella]

Dear Bella,
Your answer to Part the Second of my question was very helpful. In all the time that I've been puzzling over the Ass-headed man image, of all the people I've asked about it, you are the first person to mention Pinocchio. When I asked you, I had never seen Pinocchio, and all anyone had ever told me about the film was to let your conscience be your guide and if you lie your nose will grow. I followed up on this lead and rented Pinocchio from a local video store, and was very pleased with what I saw, not just the Donkey stuff, but Blue Faerie and Pleasure Island and the Giant Whale all combined together to leave me feeling that I had just witnessed a classic. This prompted me to follow up with some internet research on Pinocchio, which, as I found, was inspired by a 19th century Italian children's story. I have not finished reading the story, but I am already very impressed by it. You have done much to assist me in my frantic search for my lost donkey, and I eagerly await the reply of the Pythoness of the SpongeBob Oracle on Part the First of my question.

Respectfully,
the Maharishi Miyagi Yoda

You're welcome.  I'm impressed that  you rented Pinocchio - isn't it a great movie? The book is even better, I think.

So anyway, SpongeBob surprised me with the answer to your first question. He claims the angel/devil theme was quite common in Medieval times. It showed up in Marlowe's Dr. Faustus (c. 1592), in which  a 'Good Angel' and an 'Evil Angel' try to influence Faustus's thought and actions. Shakespeare also wrote about having two angels - one good and one evil. There were a couple of movies made in the 1940's that brought this theme into the modern public view.

One of these is 'Angel on My Shoulder', which is about a mobster who is wrongly executed and sent to hell. The Devil tells him he can come back to life if he successfully completes an evil mission. So he's sent back to this world with a devil to help him stay on the wrong track.

The second move is "Here Comes Mr. Jordan". The theme is similar to the first movie - only it's an angel sitting on Mr Jordan's shoulder and not a devil. It was right around the time of these two movies that the angel/devil motif started popping up in cartoons.

[Bella]

Dear Bella,

How do you think street magic is performed.
How do the magicians convience the audience?

Do you beleive it? Have you seen it in person?

Dear maphdet,

I've never seen a street magician. Isn't that sad?
Have you seen street magic performed?

I imagine that it works the same as other types of stage magic.
Time to consult SpongeBob again and then I'll let you know what he says, okay?

Bella

[maphdet]

Bella,

I have not seen any street magic in person, only on the telly, and puter.
And quite honsetly I don't trust either.


Yes, please consult, I will be checking back.
And Thank You!!!

[Bella]

Dear revidc,

Are they wavering in and out of this plane of existence?
Full of static?
Or are they merely fuzzy and a bit blurred?