On a cold and grey Chicago morn, another little baby child is born

[asthmaticeog]

in the Ghetto.

[EstimatedProphet]

1. And the baby looks amazingly like a red X

[asthmaticeog]

3. It's not a baby! It's Elvis!

Doing one of the stations of the cross! Mr. Presley never posed for photos in the manner of the stations that I know of, though. The image was obviously created with digital image-manipulation software, perhaps "Photoshop" by the Adobe company, which is by far the most popular example of such software!

[EstimatedProphet]

6. So Elvis looks like a red X? I didn't know.

[asthmaticeog]

7. How very odd.

I've cleared my browser cache (a part of computer memory that retains oft-viewed images and documents so they don't have to completely reload from the server over and over) twice now, and it still shows up for me!

Perhaps you could "right-click" (using the right button on your "mouse") and either select "View Image" or "Properties" and thus view this very amusing image in one of those ways!

[EstimatedProphet]

9. Nope

I'm guessing it's blocked by my server.

[asthmaticeog]

2. Interestingly, though Americans tend to associate the word "ghetto"

with inner city African-American neighborhoods, the word may be derived from the Italian word "borghetto," or "small neighborhood!"

[Nickster]

4. ....in the Ghetoooooooo.......

[ronnykmarshall]

38. Good backup singin'!

:thumbsup:

[asthmaticeog]

5. Though the word may have originated in Italian,

"ghetto" comes to our vernacular most directly from - are you ready for this? - Yiddish, the pidgin language of European Jews! Take that, Professor Griff!

[dolo amber]

8. Whatchoo talkin' 'bout asthmaticeog?

[asthmaticeog]

10. I'm talking about Professor Griff, the leader of the S1W!

They were stage dancers for the famous rap-music combo Public Enemy, though they posed as the band's bodyguards! They did this to make a political point!

[asthmaticeog]

11. Many great cities were once in and of themselves ghettos!

Terezin and Soweto among them!

[asthmaticeog]

12. The '70s situation-comedy program "Good Times" was set in a ghetto!

It was produced by Norman Lear, auteur of "All in the Family," "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and "704 Hauser!"

[no name no slogan]

13. Did you know "Good Times" was a spinoff of a spinoff?

The Esther Rolle character was originally the maid on "Maude", which was a spinoff from "All In The Family".

Now, for a Good Times quiz! Complete the following lyrics:

"Temporary layoff, Good Times
Easy credit ripoff, Good Times
Scratching and surviving, Good Times
_______________________, Good Times"

[asthmaticeog]

15. Oh, I know!

It's "Hanging in a chow line!"

I learned that by watching "Chapelle's Show" on the Comedy Central cable television network, home of DU faves "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (whose real name is Jon Leibowitz!) and "The Colbert Report!"

Comedy Central is a subsidiary of Viacom!

[no name no slogan]

25. Wow! I bet that means that

You Know Black People!™

Maybe you can answer this for me then, "is pimpin' easy?"

[asthmaticeog]

27. It sounds like it would be very difficult!

Turning out bitches, procuring their clients, managing their financial affairs and keepin' they asses in line? That's no life for me!

In many jurisdictions, pimping is considered a sex-crime in its own right!

[asthmaticeog]

14. Uncharitably, I think, some affluent whites use the word "ghetto"

to describe things that they deem somehow unfit or beneath them:

"Ohmigod," said MacKenzie, "I look SOOOOOO ghetto in these department store sunglasses!"

I think that's not unlike racism.

[EstimatedProphet]

16. MacKenzie is a Scottish clan!

As such, the chieftain is referred to only as MacKenzie! He is never referred to by his given name!

[XNASA]

17. And his Mama cried.

[asthmaticeog]

18. You've found the Priscilla Presley toast!

Before her appearance on a toast point (toast is sliced bread which has been browned by exposure to dry heat!), Priscilla Presley was married to ELVIS PRESLEY! Their common surname isn't just a coincidence!

[EstimatedProphet]

19. Toast is heated slices of bread!

The heating process recooks the bread and makes it crispy! That's why it's called toast!

But of course you knew that, because you included it in your post!

[TommyO]

20. I think Eric Cartman's cover of "In the Ghetto" was better

than Elvis'

[asthmaticeog]

21. LOL! Who is Eric Cartman?

Was he on "American Idol?" I don't keep up with the popular music!

[ghostsofgiants]

23. Dude, South Park.

[XNASA]

24. I think he was in the Raspberries.

[asthmaticeog]

26. YES!

Eric Cartman formed the Raspberries with former members of "The Choir!" Later, he went on to have hits with "All By Myself" and "Hungry Eyes!"

He and his mom have the same stylist!

[no name no slogan]

29. ROFLcopterz!!111oneeleven!!11

[JVS]

31. He was the 6th Beatle

[ghostsofgiants]

22. Shit yeah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asZ1PeRU8uo

[WCGreen]

28. And his momma cries.....

[asthmaticeog]

30. "In the Ghetto" was written by Mac Davis!

He was best known as a songwriter until the early to mid 1970s (a decade in the latter half of the 20th Century), when became known as a singer (and a HUNK!) in his own right, charting hits with the songs "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" and "Baby Spread Your Love On Me!"



He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000, which, as an astonishing number of people don't know, was the last year of the 20th Century, not the first year of the 21st!

[Bunny]

40. Incredibly, he also wrote Oh Lord It's Hard to Be Humble.

Sang it, too!

[JVS]

32. video here

Elvis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmVFnhO3A98

Cartman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asZ1PeRU8uo

[cemaphonic]

33. The KLF album 'Chill Out' has a track that combines samples of that song

with some of the most amazingly soulful steel guitar work.

[swag]

34. Come off it! That didn't really happen.

[asthmaticeog]

35. Did I ever tell you about the time I went on a date with Elvis' stillborn twin Jesse?

For a dead baby, he sure could fuck like a tiger!

[enigmatic]

36. Mac Davis, baby

He always out Hasselhoffed Hasselhoff:

[asthmaticeog]

37. Other acts besides Elvis have performed "In the Ghetto!"

Taylor Hicks
DNX vs. the Voice
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (where do they come up with these names LOL!)
Dolly Parton
Wing
The Cranberries
Toni Braxton
Natalie Merchant

And of course, as others have pointed out - on this very thread! - Eric Cartman of the Raspberries!

[Zuiderelle]

39. This thread is just chock full of wonderful information.

Maybe a bit tedious, but nonetheless, impressively banal. As they said back in the day, "I'm not broke, I'm just badly bent," and "Old man Can't is dead and he left a little boy named Try."


:thumbsup:

[jpgray]

41. Didn't you date Elvus once?

[asthmaticeog]

42. The rapper Buster Rimes did a song called "In the Ghetto" - a completely different song!

I can't find any information on whether he's related to Lee Ann Rimes, but if so, there sure is a lot of talent in that family!

[Adsos Letter]

43. That picture on the lower left is plumbing the depths of my psyche as we

"speak". Great...another trip to the therapist.