Tough-guy actor and martial arts expert Chuck Norris sued publisher Penguin on Friday over a book he claims unfairly exploits his famous name, based on a satirical Internet list of "mythical facts" about him.
Penguin published "The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 facts about the World's Greatest Human" in November. Author Ian Spector and two Web sites he runs to promote the book, including www.truthaboutchuck.com, are also named in the suit.
The book capitalizes on "mythical facts" that have been circulating on the Internet since 2005 that poke fun at Norris' tough-guy image and super-human abilities, the suit said.
It includes such humorous "facts" as "Chuck Norris's tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried" and "Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits," the suit said, as well as "Chuck Norris can charge a cell phone by rubbing it against his beard."
"Some of the 'facts' in the book are racist, lewd or portray Mr. Norris as engaged in illegal activities," the lawsuit alleges.
Norris, who rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s as the star of such films as "The Delta Force" and "Missing in Action," says the book's title would mislead readers into thinking the facts were true.
"Defendants have misappropriated and exploited Mr. Norris's name and likeness without authorization for their own commercial profit," said the lawsuit.
The suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks unspecified monetary damages for trademark infringement, unjust enrichment and privacy rights.
Norris, whose real name is Carlos Ray Norris, claims in the suit he is protective of what his name is associated with. He has recently made U.S. headlines for backing Republican presidential candidate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
A spokesman for Penguin, owned by Britain's Pearson, was not immediately available for comment.
#4
Highland Park is an EXTREMELY wealthy section of Dallas. Nothing but mansions. Ross Perot lives there.
The high school in that section has been a regular State Championship caliber football program. And that is saying something, being Texas football is very competitive.
Here's some light metal you'll probably like no matter what your musical preferences! :-)
Looks like it starts out by picking up after a nuclear strike somewhere in the US, then a montage of US military actions, sacrifices, and connections back up through where the video started. Shame on those who would choose to give away our forefathers' sacrifices - especially those that didn't survive to have children. Shame on those who choose to remain ignorant or disrespectful.
One of many good lines along the way: "I walk beside you but you may not see me; The strongest among you may not wear a crown!"
Some call it brainless, others inappropriate in the post-apartheid era but Jacob Zuma, the new leader of the African National Congress, is in no mood to stop singing his signature Umshini Wami. "If you erase the songs, you erase the record of history," said Zuma of the anthem which has become a familiar accompaniment to his rollercoaster ride from court to the presidency of the party.
Umshini Wami (Bring Me My Machinegun) was first popularised by members of the ANCs Umkhonto weSizwe during the struggle against the apartheid regime.
But 13 years on from the ANC's triumph in the first multiracial elections, it is not only the white minority who feel the song should be confined to the archives.
"The song has military character used during the struggle against apartheid and its no longer relevant today," said Andrew Mlangeni, a former ANC combatant. "It basically says: 'Give me my weapon, I am going to fight apartheid'. Who are you fighting? Your own people? The fight is over and that song must no longer be sung," added Mlangeni who, like Zuma, served time on Robben Island.
In an attempt to forge a new sense of unity in the post-apartheid era, South Africa adopted a hybrid national anthem which includes verses in five different languages - isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sesotho and English.
But while the national anthem was sung by delegates at last week's ANC conference in Polokwane, the atmosphere was electrified when Zuma supporters began singing Umshini Wami.
Critics of the song not only feel uneasy about the lyrics but also that Zulus, South Africa's largest ethnic group, have embraced it as their unofficial anthem in a country where tribalism is frowned upon. Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota, who has also criticised Zuma supporters for wearing T-shirts with the words "100% Zulu-Boy", sparked fury in some quarters for calling those who sang the song "brainless".
However, Cabinet colleague Pallo Jordan said it was wrong to see the song as being divisive. "In any revolution one of the mobilising tools is culture and music .... Why should we abandon it?" said Jordan, the Minister of Arts and Culture.
The row over the song echoes a similar controversy over the success of singer Bok Van Blerk's De La Rey about a general from the Boer War.
Zuma, who has been going out of his way recently to build bridges with the Afrikaans community, said both songs celebrated the different communities' heritage. "You've heard me defend De La Rey. That was one of the greatest generals South Africa has ever produced. Afrikaners, if they did not sing about De La Rey, who else would they sing about?," Zuma said in a recent interview.
As well as being sung at the conference, it was also chanted by supporters during a 2006 trial when Zuma was ultimately cleared of rape and at other court appearances in connection with a corruption inquiry.
Zola Skweyiya, a former Umkhonto weSizwe cadre and who now also sits in Mbeki's Cabinet, said the song was first designed to forge solidarity among fighters in their camps in exile in the 1960s, and it is "still about solidarity". "The song is about solidarity, togetherness for a common goal. It is part and parcel of our history and we can't wipe it out," he said. "Just like in church, everyone had his favourite song. The ANC is a broad church."
..."Motorists Against Detection, the vigilante anti-speed camera group have announced a summer of MADness which will see them target for destruction all speed cameras in the UK. Its now going to be a period of zero tolerance against all speed cameras, said their campaigns director Capt Gatso...
"The group claims speed cameras are just money-making machines and they have given the authorities long enough to prove their worth. The first camera to fall in the summer campaign is in south east London on the A2 at the Sun in the Sands roundabout on-slip heading northbound towards the Blackwall Tunnel.
"Capt Gatso, the group's campaigns director...said: "We have completely pulled it out of the ground, it is now lying flat. You can see some of our handiwork posted on www.speedcam.co.uk.
"He added: In many areas the cameras have not saved one life - the statistics for road deaths haven't gone down. In some areas they have actually gone up - in Essex, for instance, which has a high density of cameras there are more people being killed. We are now planning to target any and all cameras until the Government sees sense and rethinks its road safety policy. Before we had speed cameras we had the safest roads in Europe - since their introduction this is no longer true."
The announcement will surprise many in road safety circles since the group has publicly declared it would not attack cameras outside schools or on high streets. But Capt Gatso said: We need to focus attention on what the cameras are about. Weve said we wouldnt attack the ones in built up and urban areas but thats not where most of the cameras are. There are a lot of frustrated people among our members who have seen the number of cameras increase while road safety levels have fallen.
Indeed, the only thing the cameras have done successfully is to reduce the number of traffic officers patrolling our roads and lose a lot of decent people their driving licences and their livelihoods. (Giving them lots of spare time to wander around with big jugs of petrol and huge flammable tires to be flung round the necks of videocams.)
"MAD is the UKs only direct action anti-speed camera group and its been going since summer 2000. In that time they have taken out just over 1,000 cameras. Their membership who are normally law-abiding people - vary in numbers but there is a hard core of around 200 people throughout the UK who use Internet chat forums, encrypted email and pay as you go phones to keep in touch and plan campaigns.
"The group says it has perfected a new and quick way of destroying speed cameras which will enable them to destroy a roadside camera in just a few seconds...".
#1
Since every time I drive into the District of Columbia a ticket arrives in the mail for me a few days later, I'm asking the states of Maryland and Virginia to ticket any cars with DC plates. Fair is fair, and our states should fatten off the wallets of DC citizens, just as DC fattens off us.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/23/2007 16:59 Comments ||
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#2
"The group says it has perfected a new and quick way of destroying speed cameras which will enable them to destroy a roadside camera in just a few seconds...".
Shotgun? Any of those left over there?
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/23/2007 17:06 Comments ||
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#3
A gun? Lemme see... Paint gun spitting out a quick-hardening opaque resin?
Meaning it is a process, shotgun destruction would be immediate.
An angle grinder to cut wires and a dynamite stick to gut the enclosure seems to be the way it's been done, but they seem to use some flammable substance to burn 'em to a crisp. Probbly a mix of gasoline and a detergent--an impromptu napalm.
Caught at Ace of Spades where Dave In Texas has a better title: "An Ordinary Miracle". The humanity of our military is something we can all be proud of - this man goes even farther. God Bless him
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/23/2007 14:09 ||
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Dang, Frank - give some warning, will ya'?
That's definitely a (wonderful) two-hanky read. Thanks for posting.
"Baba" is a mensch of the first order.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/23/2007 15:33 Comments ||
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Just want to echo the comment by Barb Skolaut: Major (formerly Capt.) Southworth is quite a man. According to the article he is up for re-election as DA in 2008 if I understand correctly. Google the man's name and send him a contribution for re-election.
There appears to be another story buried in the story of Major Sputhworth and his adopted son. A story that needs to be told: the story of the Catholic nuns at Mother Teresa's Orphange in Baghdad where major Southworth was "found" by his new son. As near as I can tell, the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's Order) seek out the most God forsaken awful places to ply their faith. The good sisters are persecuted accordingly and inordinately by members of the ROP. Coincidence? I'll let you make the call. Theirs (the nuns of the Missionaires of Charity) is a story to be told. It won't be. Why? There is no way to spin a positive and uplifting story that pits the compassionate humanity of a small group of Catholic nuns against the banal brutality of a group of orthodox islamic barbarians. That is to say, there is no way the story can be spun without bringing shame to the adherents of islam.
Merry Christmas Major Southworth. Thank you.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
12/23/2007 18:55 Comments ||
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More on the problems of the 5th Bomb Wing, the folks who forgot about the nukes earlier this year. Hat tip to Spook 86 at In From The Cold.
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE The 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base will be allowed more time to prepare for a major inspection that will help determine whether it will be recertified, base officials said Wednesday.
The bomb wing was decertified in a portion of its wartime mission after a late August incident when six nuclear-tipped cruise missiles were mistakenly loaded at the Minot base onto a B-52 bomber from Barksdale AFB, La. A Barksdale crew then flew the plane to the base in Louisiana. Air Force officials at the Pentagon said the incident occurred because of airmen not following the proper procedures, along with a lack of leadership and supervision.
On Wednesday, a team of command-level inspectors completed an Initial Nuclear Surety Inspection of the bomb wing. The inspectors have been at the base since Sunday. The inspectors at the base this week were here in advance of the official Nuclear Surety Inspection originally set to begin Jan. 23. The Nuclear Surety Inspection is a regularly scheduled inspection for the bomb wing. However, the successful completion of the Nuclear Surety Inspection and other inspections, as well as various high-level visits from Air Force officials, will determine whether the bomb wing will be recertified.
The Air Combat Command inspectors gave us a very thorough look and determined we deserve more time to incorporate the long-term changes in our procedures and to give our teams the opportunity to make those processes second nature, said Col. Joel Westa, commander of the 5th Bomb Wing. Inspections are always a good thing. They provide an objective look at the processes and procedures, and I believe this team is setting us up for success. I have full confidence in the hard-working airmen here who are committed to the mission."
Westa replaced Col. Bruce Emig as the 5th Bomb Wing commander Nov. 1. Emig and several other officers from Minot and Barksdale were relieved from duties following the nuclear weapons incident. Most of the personnel with the bomb wing who were decertified were munitions people.
The bomb wing operates and maintains B-52 bombers. Our mission continues as we have been all along, and along with that, our priority is to make long-term improvements in how we do things, and our focus is on ensuring that were doing things the right way. When we are certain all the necessary changes have been made, command officials will inspect the base and make that determination when the time is right, said Maj. Laurie Arellano, acting chief of Public Affairs at the Minot base.
Getting this mission perfected and recertified is the No. 1 priority of the command and the wing, Arellano said. We are taking a holistic look at the wing. That includes ensuring that we fill leadership positions that are currently vacant and build the teams necessary, with the leadership in place to oversee the long-term changes.
The bottom line is the command-level inspectors here this week determined more time is needed before the next inspection. The inspectors have determined we need more time to make the necessary changes and allow us to accomplish long-term solutions, including filling critical leadership billets that are currently vacant, Arellano said. We are thankful we can take the time needed rather than being forced into an artificial timeline, so the NSI will be postponed until the wing and the command are confident the right people and processes are in place.
No date was set for the Nuclear Surety Inspection.
The 91st Space Wing at the Minot base, which has Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, will go through its Nuclear Surety Inspection with Air Force Space Command headquarters as scheduled next month.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/23/2007 11:41 ||
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...The real clue here is the empty command billets. I don't know how the system is set up today, but when I was in SAC 78-84, an empty or newly filled (up to IIRC 60 days) command or supervisory billet was grounds for a pass on quite a bit.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/23/2007 15:01 Comments ||
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The Muslim college student who aided a group of Jews who were attacked on the subway as they were celebrating Hanukkah received another special honor Friday this time from his own community.
Walter Adler and Hassan Askari have been almost inseparable since a bias attack on the Q train several weeks ago. They've become local celebrities. Friday they were together again in Jackson Heights as Askari was honored by his fellow Bangladeshis for coming to the aide of Adler and his friends.
Im from the capital, Im from Dhaka, and I feel great. It's good to be recognized as being from Dhaka, said Askari. Ninety percent of the people from our country is Muslim, so we are very proud. He did a very good thing. That's what Islam taught us, said community activist Hasanuzzaman Hassan.
In addition to the praise and recognition, Askari got a $250 check and an unlimited monthly MetroCard from the America-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce, as well as a proclamation from Senator John Sabini. Some of the merchants and business leaders wanted to show their love and respect and their appreciation for someone who has become a hero to them and I think it's a great thing, said Sabini.
Askari and Adler say the other great thing is their newfound friendship. He came over to my parents house on the last night of Hanukkah. I think that I have some interest in attending a Jumah [Friday prayer] with him sometime in the coming weeks, so that I can understand a little bit more about his religion, said Adler.
Both men say they are also planning to use their story to try to bring their communities closer together.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
