Chuck Norris |
You'll undoubtedly have seen the posters and Internet "facts" making light of the incredible athletic abilities of the undefeated world martial arts champion now honored with "Amazing Chuck Norris Facts," such as:
- "Chuck Norris has already been to Mars; that's why there are no signs of life there."
- "They wanted to put Chuck Norris on Mount Rushmore, but the granite wasn't tough enough for Chuck's beard."
- "Chuck Norris can lead a horse to water AND make it drink."
- "Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming that 'Law & Order' are the names of his left and right legs."
- "Chuck Norris sleeps with a night-light because the dark is afraid of him."
- "Superman owns a pair of Chuck Norris pajamas."
- "There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live."
- "When the boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris."
There's one more now, and you can see "proven" for yourself: "When Chuck Norris does push-ups, he doesn't push himself up. He pushes the Earth down."
Norris, who now is a columnist for WorldNetDaily, appears in a video that "demonstrates how he can truly push the earth down!"
The YouTube video notes that permission for the video clip was given by the family of 13-year-old Nickolas (Nick) Yancy Nischan, in whose honor and memory Norris made the tape.
According to the website for the foundation named after Nick, the story of the video is told in the newest book from Chuck Norris, "The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book: 101 of Chuck's Favorite Facts and Stories."
Nick's parents, Tim and Tammy Nischan, write that Nick was diagnosed with an ependymoma brain tumor at the age of 7, and battled it for more than six years, through multiple surgeries, chemo treatments and relapses.
"He went to school, played football and basketball, and was an active part of our church youth group," they write. "Unfortunately, the cancer was relentless. Nick endured four more recurrences in the next two and a half years with brief periods of 'normal, happy' life in between surgeries. We tried special diets, herbal treatments, and many other alternative medicines along the way, but in August of 2008, Nick's cancer returned with a vengeance spreading throughout his body and eventually taking him home to his Heavenly Father.
"Not once in the 6 and 1/2 year battle did Nick question his illness or complain of the unfairness he was enduring. Not once did Nick become angry. His peace throughout the battle is a living testimony to the power of God. We pray that his foundation will in some small way return the peace and hope which Nick gave us to the world around us," they wrote.
The "facts" about Norris are hits on posters ("Chuck Norris did, in fact, build Rome in a day," and "There is no such thing as global warming; Chuck Norris was cold so he turned the sun up") and on the Internet, and now is the subject of his new book.
In the chapter about Nick, Norris explains:
"Gena and I have been honored to assist the Make-A-Wish Foundation numerous times over the years by helping to fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. The nation's largest wish-granting organization has brought children and their families to many of my movie and television sets, giving them hope, strength, and joy to endure difficult times."
Written by Norris and Todd Dubord, the chaplain for his Top Kick Productions, the explanation continues:
"This past year, we heard about a young man named Nick, in Tennessee, who gave up his wish to meet me so that his family could experience a little relief and comfort from the hardships of watching him suffer. As he had done many times before, Nick sacrificed his own desires and instead asked for a wish that would bless his family.
"When Gena and I heard about this, we wanted to fulfill his wish, but because of other pre-scheduled events, we were unable to visit Nick in person. What we were able to do was put together a video at my Texas ranch, in which my family, my friends, and I were able to offer Nick and his family some words of encouragement while giving them a tour of our oak-tree-filled prairie during a Texas sunset.
"Before sending the video, which was tied to Steven Curtis Chapman's inspirational song 'God Is God,' we prayed for Nick and his family. We heard he watched it over and over and over before he passed away. Nick truly exemplified the courage in death that he did in life, summarized by his favorite Bible verse: 'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.'"
Along with the video of greetings for Nick, Norris made the "push-up demonstration" video.
Norris continued, "There's obviously nothing funny about children with life-threatening medical conditions. But most of us realize that, even in life's darkest moments, there's a place to lighten someone's spirit with a little respectful humor."
The "Official Chuck Norris Fact Book" book includes not only the longtime actor's 101 favorite "facts," but the stories behind them, and the core values by which he lives his life: freedom, faith, family, fitness and fight.
There are some 40,000 of these jokes, er, "facts" floating around the Net.
Chuck Norris' career began, not in movies, television or in the world of Internet trivia. The man who has employed martial arts in so many of his pictures first came to the world's attention as a real-life martial arts star. He was a six-time undefeated World Professional Middleweight Karate Champion. He was also a renowned teacher in the martial arts, with celebrity students including Steve McQueen, Bob Barker, Priscilla Presley and Donnie and Marie Osmond.
He has gone on to found the United Fighting Arts Federation with over 2,300 black belts all over the world. In 1997, Norris achieved another milestone in his life by being the first man ever in the Western Hemisphere to be awarded an eighth-degree Black Belt Grand Master recognition in the Tae Kwon Do system. This was a first in 4,500 years of tradition.
Norris is also a powerboat racer. In 1991, he and his team won the World Offshore Powerboat championship.
Then he went on to setting a new world record by racing a 38-foot Scarab boat 605 miles across the Great Lakes, from Chicago to Detroit, in 12 hours and 8 minutes.
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