College Briefs

Chuck Norris Showdown With Brown Student Continues

You might think that the chief product of Chuck Norris is pain, but a lawsuit involving the publishing of a Brown student’s book lampooning Norris suggests that he too has a more sensitive side. The book, entitled The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World’s Greatest Human, was published in late November, prompting Norris to take legal action against Brown junior Ian Spector, the book’s author, according to the Brown Daily Herald. Spector initially created a website entitled Chuck Norris Random Fact Generator that hits visitors with facts parodying the martial arts expert’s antics. The website’s popularity eventually sparked the interest of book publishers in Spring 2006, the Herald reported. With a cover depicting Norris clutching a crumbling earth and standing on a dinosaur’s skeleton while a woman grabs onto his leg, the book contains factoids such as “Chuck Norris can divide by zero,” and, “Chuck Norris’ tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried,” according to the website that inspired the book. Norris sued for unjust enrichment and privacy rights on Dec. 21. The trial is ongoing.

In ER for Intoxication, Princeton Student Strikes Nurse

A Princeton University student is facing charges for assault after purportedly striking an emergency room nurse who was treating her for alcohol intoxication, the New Jersey Times reported. Lisa Bendele, a junior at Princeton and a senior writer for The Daily Princetonian, was taken to University Medical Center on Jan. 20 for what police described as ”high alcohol intoxication.” An act of drunken aggression landed Bendele in a Princeton Borough police station later that morning, where police officially charged her with aggravated assault, according to the New Jersey Times. Police released the student on her own recognizance later that day.

Accused of Illegal Downloading, MIT Students Asked to Settle

On the heels of the 407 letters sent by the Recording Industry Association of America to college students earlier this month, 19 MIT students have received requests to “preemptively settle lawsuits” for illegally downloading music on peer-to-peer networks, according to The Tech. This marks the third encounter in less than a year between MIT students and the RIAA, which tracks down alleged infringers via their IP addresses. The RIAA also contacted students in May and September 2007, at which time some students gave into settlements while others allowed their records to be subpoenaed. Because the RIAA wishes to avoid ordering costly subpoenas, it communicates regularly through the administration of MIT, which then informs its students. One of the 19 students has so far indicated that he might resist settlement.