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H-Diplo Article Review 1144, Fallas on Walther, "Dorothy Thompson and American Zionism."
Discussion published by christopher ball on Thursday, October 13, 2022
H-Diplo Article Review 1144
Karine Walther, "Dorothy Thompson and American Zionism." Diplomatic History 46:2 (April 2022): 263-291 https://doi.org/10.1093/dh/dhab107
https://hdiplo.org/to/AR1144
Editor: Diane Labrosse | Commissioning Editor: Thomas Maddux | Production Editor: Christopher Ball
Review by Amy Fallas, University of California, Santa Barbara
Karine Walther has written a powerful and compelling analysis of an overlooked yet deeply influential U.S. Protestant writer's shifting perspectives on Israel, Palestine, and American Zionism during World War II and the early Cold War period. Dorothy Thompson was a pathbreaking journalist and political commentator who covered political issues in Europe, including the Jewish refugee crisis in Europe amid the horrors of German Chancellor Adolf Hitler's genocidal policies during World War II. Thompson was an early and influential advocate of Zionism as a project and solution that could offer Europe's Jews a modern nation-state to protect them from further discrimination and violence. Walther traces the fascinating transformation of Thompson's views on Zionism wherein, after 1946, she became an outspoken critic of the creation of an Israeli state, accusing the Zionist movement and ideology of the very same ethnonationalism that created forms of Jewish exclusion in Europe.
Thompson's trajectory in public life was largely shaped by many of the same influences on other prominent Protestant thinkers of the time. She was raised by a Methodist preacher who espoused many ideals of the Social Gospel Movement, and was mentored intellectually by her undergraduate professor Walter Rauschenbusch, a key scholar of the intersections between Christianity and social justice.[1] Her meteoric rise in journalism came from her reportage and commentary on political events in Europe during the interwar period and, in particular, her focus on the rise of fascism and ethnic nationalism. She wrote hundreds of articles, gave dozens of public talks, and was a frequent commentator on public radio on these issues. She was not only one of the first successful female journalists of her time but she was one of the foremost public intellectuals in the United States regarding the social and political developments in Europe during this critical period.
It was during this peak of her journalistic success and her coverage of the Jewish refugee crisis in Europe when she became imbricated with the Zionism movement in the United States. Initially, she was a supporter of the goals of the Evian Conference of 1938, a summit called by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to find a multilateral resolution to accept more Jewish refugees abroad, including the United States, in light of mass displacement caused by Hitler's increasingly xenophobic policies that left millions of Europe's Jewry stateless. Yet many Zionists in the United States and beyond felt that the effort to resettle Jewish refugees anywhere but Palestine would divert momentum away from their political aims. The future Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion himself claimed that "nothing takes priority over saving the Hebrew nation in its land" (269).
Thompson's influential Zionist colleagues motivated her to initially embrace the ideals of the movement based on the idea of "self-determination in theory, while continuing to support empire in practice" (274). Central to the founding mythologies of this persuasion was the Biltmore Declaration of 1942 which contended that the lands in which Jews were to be resettled in Palestine were both 'unoccupied' and 'uncultivated' – two aspects that contradicted how in practice Jewish settlement had disrupted Palestinian livelihoods during the interwar period into the 1940s.
Despite these inconvenient truths, Thompson lent her political capital toward the cause of establishing a Zionist state in Palestine– a position she expressed in her 1946 book Let the Promise be Fulfilled which argued that a Western-styled Jewish nation-state would not only solve the 'Jewish Question' but also bring civilization uplift to Arab populations in the region.[2] She was joined by other influential Protestants in public life such as Frank Buxton, editor of the Boston Globe, who argued that supporting a Jewish state in Palestine was a civilizational task akin to the phenomenon of 'manifest destiny' in the United States (275).
Walter argues that Thompson's early support for Israel was motivated by her own conviction in the supremacy of the US political model against the forces of fascism and communism. Echoing other American political figures of the time, Thompson believed that "the entire future of man on this planet depends on our will… to become the liberators of the world" (270). She embraced Israel's foundational myths as potential for spreading US political ideals in the Middle East even as it contradicted core values of liberal democracy. For instance, 'self-determination' was only legible for Thompson within a white 'Western' civilizational paradigm granted to Jews while simultaneously denied to Palestinians: "As she argued in her 1946 book…Jewish settlers should be allowed to 'peaceably colonize and cultivate their soil in justice: let the United Nations, and especially Great Britain and the United States, extend to the Arab population some of the immense benefits of western civilization which the Jews have extended to themselves'" (274).
Despite her initial support, Thompson began to feel increasingly skeptical about Zionism after visiting Palestine in 1945. Her visit coincided with an increase in terrorist activities by the Zionist paramilitary group, the Irgun, across Jewish settlements that initiated Palestinian flight due to Zionist violence. Largely in response to an open letter signed by notable Jewish-Americans against Irgun's leader Menachem Begin, Thompson also lent her pen to writing critique of the violence which received swift and hostile responses from Zionist organizations and colleagues (277). In response to hate mail, newspaper editors felt pressured into publicly disavowing her articles and the New York Post even dropped her column (278). Arthur Hays Sulzberger, a Jewish-American critic of Zionism and publisher of the New York Times, supported Thompson and viewed the attacks as an effort to censor her freedom of speech into the late 1940s.
Following the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, Thompson became a more outspoken critic of Zionism but was shocked at the unabated character attacks and accusations of anti-Semitism that threatened to upend her career in journalism. In response, she continued to foster more collaborative and diplomatic efforts which led her in 1952 to become one of the founding members of the American Friends of the Middle East (AFME), a group whose aim was to repair diplomatic relations with the region amid the fallout due to the US government's support of Israel. She was joined by other prominent Protestant and Christian members such as Professor William Ernest Hocking, Professor Bayard Dodge, Professor Philip Hitti, and Pastor Harry Emerson Fosdick.
Yet their discourse and funding sources started to reflect the diplomatic, security, and geostrategic struggles of the US against an atheist Soviet Union during the early Cold War period. Thompson, among others, argued that the American model offered the best promise for the world because US political ideals were "based on equality of right for every individual citizen and religious group, with neither inherent rights nor inherent prejudices for or against any national groups— which are simply not recognized" (286). Walther accurately observes that this position was reinforced by a pro-Americanism that neglected or intentionally obscured the prevalent issues around racism, national status, and class in the United States at a time when the Japanese were interned and there was great resistance to the Civil Rights Movement. Further, the organization clandestinely received funds from the CIA.
Yet Thompson's adamant commitment to critiquing the Zionist and later Israeli national project put her at the center of controversy that contributed to the end of her journalism. The weight and continued personal attacks led her to recognize that this shift in her position on Zionism lost her "thousands [of] scores of personal friends. It has closed platforms to me which once eagerly sought me as a speaker. It has mobilized against me one of the most powerfully organized and zealous groups in American public life . . . And it has often filled my heart with tears" (290). Just as critiques of Israel today are demonized, Thompson's early example of this kind of outspokenness in the press continues to reverberate in today's public and academic sphere.
Walther's intervention contributes to a growing body of scholarship interested in unpacking the religious ideas and mobilization of US political interests in Israel and Palestine.[3] She attends specifically to the burgeoning early Cold War context of the US political debates on Zionism, providing an indispensable contribution to scholarship which mostly focuses on Zionism and American political thought after the 1967 War. Given Thompson's prominence and prolific work spanning hundreds of articles, dozens of books, and a popular radio show, Walther's article rightly asserts the prominence of her role and influence within this literature.
Walther's essay demonstrates an impressive range of historiographic connections– from the fields of US diplomatic history to modern Middle East studies. In particular, the work of historians on Middle East history is a notable highlight and includes the work of scholars such as Joel Beinin, Ilan Pappe, Tom Segev, and Nur Masalha, as well as the New Israeli Historian school which brought to bear critical views of the founding of Israel amid the declassification of the sources of the period in Israeli archives during the 90s and 2000s.[4] Walther cites work published in flagship journals of the Middle East Studies field such as the Journal of Palestine Studies and the Middle East Studies Journal. She engages these fields with a rigorous interrogation not only of Dorothy Thompson's published works but of her network of colleagues, affiliates, and interlocutors between the 1930s-1950s and covers the views of Americans who were based in the region during this critical period of the early Cold War on Israel and Palestine
Walther finds that although Thompson was able to change her thinking on Zionism, her personal beliefs continued to reflect a belief in the superiority of US liberal values and political interests. She analyzes these important contradictions of Thompson's views while also providing an empathetic and critical intervention at a time when academics and journalists face similar threats of censure for providing criticism of a violent project of settler colonialism in our contemporary moment.
Amy Fallas is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of History at UC Santa Barbara. She is currently a Research Fellow at the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) for 2021-2022 and the Coptic Studies Fellow for 2022-2023 at the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University to work on her dissertation "Their Own Poor: Communal Identity, Charitable Societies, and the Making of Sectarianism in Modern Egypt 1879-1939." Her research examines religious difference, communal institutions, sectarianism, and historical memory in modern Egypt as well as transnationally between El Salvador and Palestine during the twentieth century.
[1] Walter Rauschenbusch. A Theology for the Social Gospel. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1961).
[2] Dorothy Thompson. Let the Promise Be Fulfilled: A Christian View of Palestine. (New York: American Christian Palestine Committee, 1946).
[3] Daniel G. Hummel, Covenant Brothers: Evangelicals, Jews, and U.S.-Israeli Relations (Philadelphia, PA, 2019); Amy Kaplan, Our American Israel: The Story of an Entangled Alliance (Cambridge, MA, 2018); Samuel Goldman, God's Country: Christian Zionism in America (Philadelphia, PA, 2018); Rashid Khalidi, Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East (Boston, MA, 2014).
[4] Joel Beinin, et al. The Struggle for Peace: Israelis and Palestinians (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2021); Pappe, Ilan. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (London: One World, 2015; Tom Segev and Haim Watzman. The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust. (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2005); Nur Masalha. Imperial Israel and the Palestinians The Politics of Expansion. (Sterling: Pluto Press, 2000); Avi Shlaim, "The Debate About 1948," International Journal of Middle East Studies. 27:3 (1995): 287-304.
Categories: Review, H-DiploPub
Keywords: United states, Israel, Zionism, Dorothy Thompson, Karine Walther, Amy Fallas
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Reading Round-Up: Ghosts of the Past
Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss is told from the perspective of teenage girl Silvie during the days she spends living in a recreation of an Iron Age settlement in Northumberland with her parents and a group of students, led by Professor Slade. Silvie's dad is determined that things should be done authentically although he's relented as far as pyjamas, underwear, toothpaste and tampons are concerned thanks to some intervention from Silvie's mum. Silvie attempts to keep her dad happy but is drawn to the students and eventually joins them in sneaking to the Spar in the nearest village. As the book progresses, Silvie's dad's obsession with how they should be living becomes more and more rigid and the tension builds until a horrific act is committed. Moss uses the juxtaposition of contemporary society with Iron Age life to highlight themes of toxic masculinity and gender roles, questioning whether those men who conform to outdated stereotypes have a place in modern society. Ghost Wall is a superb book made all the more powerful by its brevity.
Thanks to Granta for the review copy.
Melmoth, Sarah Perry's third novel, contains many stories connected by Melmoth, the loneliest being in the world. Perry's Melmoth (as opposed to Charles Maturin's in Melmoth the Wanderer) is a woman condemned to wander the world haunting those who've been complicit in acts of harm. We meet her at the point when Helen Franklin, whose story threads through the novel, is also about to see her. Helen, forty-two, a translator living alone in Prague, is given part of a written confession by the recently deceased J.A. Hoffman. Once Helen has read the portion of the story, she returns to her friend Karel's house where other stories in the form of letters, a journal and a testimony are given to her. But the story which really haunts Helen Franklin is her own. Through these tales, Perry explores our complicity in the sins and atrocities committed in the world. As Melmoth bears witness to these acts so do we, and while the characters are haunted by Melmoth she too appears at the edge of our vision, forcing us to examine our own behaviour. Melmoth is a compelling, terrifying, overtly political examination of humanity. Those of you who've been reading this blog for some time/follow me on Twitter will be aware that I'm a huge fan of Perry's previous novels After Me Comes the Flood and The Essex Serpent. When I reviewed Perry's debut I said that I wished I'd written it, I feel similarly about Melmoth.
Thanks to Serpent's Tail for the review copy.
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward is told from multiple perspectives: two members of the same family – Jojo, a 13-year-old boy and his mother, Leonie – and the ghost of another boy, Richie. Jojo, baby Kayla, and their mother, Leonie, live with Leonie's parents. Michael, Leonie's white partner and father of the children, has been in prison for three years. He's about to be released and the majority of the book covers the journey to and from the jail. Leonie is a drug user, as much addicted to the presence of her dead brother, Given, who appears to her when she's high, as she is the substances themselves. She struggles to take care of her kids so Jojo watches over Kayla while Pop, Leonie's father, watches over Jojo. Pop tells Jojo stories about his time in Parchman prison and a boy named Richie, the ghost of whom joins them when they arrive to collect Michael. Everyone is haunted in some way, not only by the dead who linger nearby but by the history of the treatment of black people in America. Ward shows how the effects of slavery permeate life today, focusing particularly on the intersection of race and class. Although this is the story of one family, it echoes the realities for many. It's a heart-breaking and very necessary read.
Barbara Kingsolver's latest novel Unsheltered contains a dual narrative, set in Vineland, New Jersey. In the contemporary strand, Willa Knox and her family have moved into a house they've inherited following the closure of the college where her husband, Iano, taught and the loss of the house that came with the job. Iano's dying father Nick is living with them and their seemingly wayward daughter, Tig, has recently returned from Cuba. In the first chapter of the novel, Willa discovers the house is structurally unsound and her son, Zeke, is left to raise a baby alone following his girlfriend's death by suicide. Needing money for the repairs to the house in order to shelter her ailing family, Willa begins some research. In 1871, Thatcher Greenwood is attempting to introduce Charles Darwin's latest ideas into his teaching, much to the chagrin of the school's leader. His next-door neighbour, Mary Treat, is much more enthusiastic about his plans. A self-trained biologist, Treat conducts experiments in her living room and corresponds with Darwin himself. Delightfully, Treat is based on a real woman (and reminded me of Elizabeth Gilbert's novel The Signature of All Things). Kingsolver draws parallels between the two eras through fear of change and people's reactions to it. Willa repeatedly states that her and Iano have done everything right: they had good jobs, they worked hard, they raised a family. They expect to have property, money and stability in their 50s but those things are gone. Halfway through the novel I became frustrated at what I perceived to be white people problems – if things are terrible for the white middle class then we're all fucked, woe is them – but then I realised that Kingsolver knows her audience. She's writing for the white middle class pointing out how they've contributed to the destruction of the environment, the rise of the far right, the tyranny of capitalism. She doesn't leave them – or us – without hope though but it comes from what might appear to be an unexpected source: Millennials. Alongside Mary Treat, the most compelling character in the novel is Tig. Unconventional, attuned to the needs of society and the planet, she – and her friends – might just have the answers we need.
Thanks to Faber for the review copy.
This entry was posted in Barbara Kingsolver, Fiction, Jesmyn Ward, Review, Sarah Moss, Sarah Perry, Women of Colour and tagged After Me Comes the Flood, Barbara Kingsolver, Ghost Wall, Jesmyn Ward, Melmoth, Sarah Moss, Sarah Perry, Sing Unburied Sing, The Essex Serpent, Unsheltered by naomifrisby. Bookmark the permalink.
6 thoughts on "Reading Round-Up: Ghosts of the Past"
Elizabeth Mclean on November 30, 2018 at 1:01 pm said:
Thank you Naomi. Very cogent summaries of very good books perfectly suitable for Christmas gifts. Have a wonderful holiday season. Blessings to your family.
A Life in Books on November 30, 2018 at 2:41 pm said:
Ghost Wall is Moss' best novel yet, I think. Such a powerful depiction of control in so few pages.
thewritesofwoman@gmail.com on November 30, 2018 at 4:37 pm said:
It's the only one I've read but it did make me want to go back and read all her others.
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How to Get Rid of Motion Sickness and Pink Eye: 3 Tips for Avoiding an Excess Of The Flu
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How to treat constipation and prevent colitis – advice from the stars
From the stars to the home, celebrities are sharing advice on managing constipation.
Read moreDr Mark Walshe, chief medical officer at the British Dietetic Association, says constipation can be treated by either regular bowel movements, such as brushing your teeth or drinking a cup of tea, or by a specialised procedure called "intralapical intralaparietal drainage".
"The idea is that you take a bowel movement and then go in the other direction and use that to make a bowel flow," he says.
There is also a "diet" that is based around constipation treatment."
So what we're trying to do is treat constipated people in a very controlled way, that minimises the risk of diarrhoea, to reduce the risk that they will constrict their bowels."
The NHS recommends that women with constipation have a bowel health checkup every six months.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that men with constipations should be treated with an intraliparietal tube, a device that connects a tube to the stomach.
But there are also options available to women with this condition, such androgyny is not allowed, or it is only a temporary solution.
Some experts say they recommend that patients be seen at a gastroenterologist if they do not have a problem.
"We would recommend to be seen by a gastro-intestinal specialist to get that initial assessment and then see what kind of treatment you need to get through the process of constipating and managing it," says Dr Mark Wahlstedt, director of the National Ulcer Institute at the University of Edinburgh.
"So what I would say is if you have any constipation issues, then a gastro doctor would be able to tell you what you need, but they might not be able provide a particular intervention for you."
There is a particular area in gastro-enterology for women that we have found has a very high prevalence of constilectomy.
"It is a specialist's practice and we're not aware of any clinical trials to demonstrate that it's actually effective."'
I can't imagine a time in the future when this is not possible'The National Ulcers Association has advised that women who are "over-active" or have a history of constriction should see a gastro surgeon.
But they have also advised women to seek out specialist treatment and to have their GP or other health professional check that they are in the correct state.
"I don't know of any other profession in Australia that has been so completely focused on the role of constitipation management and constipation prevention that we've seen this kind of extreme focus on constipation," says Ms Smedley.
The good news is we are seeing more women with diarrhoeas and constipates with constrictions. "
I think that is a very scary thought."
"The good news is we are seeing more women with diarrhoeas and constipates with constrictions.
So we're getting a better understanding of what they are doing and where they are at."
Tags: constipation medicine, evergreen family medicine, harry styles medicine, michigan medicine email
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has issued a warning about a surge in new patients for cold medicine technicians.
The agency issued the advisory after a recent study showed the rate of new cold medicine treatments was up 7 percent.
Michigan Health and Hospitals has seen a significant increase in the number of cold medicine therapy requests, said Dr. Lisa McBeth, the agency's medical director.
McBeseth said she is concerned about the increased number of requests because she has been contacted by cold medicine specialists across the state.
"The fact that we have to go back and look at a number of different patients, especially in the first half of the year, is concerning," she said.
"We're concerned."
The Michigan Health Department said it received 1,822 cold medicine requests in the fourth quarter, up from 821 in the third quarter.
It said the number has increased significantly since last year.
In addition to the increase in requests, there has been a spike in patients who are treated with cold medicines, including colds and allergies.
Michigan Health and the Michigan Department Of Public Health are both urging people to avoid using cold medicine as a pain reliever or as a diuretic because of the increased risk of blood clots and respiratory failure.
The advisory also advises against the use of medications such as prednisone or ibuprofen.
The Michigan Department also is urging doctors and nurses to use the most current testing guidelines when treating patients with colds or allergies.
Michigan Gov.
Rick Snyder said the increased demand for cold medicines from patients is a sign of a changing health care system.
"It's really a challenge to get people to go to a hospital that has the most advanced technology that they're going to be able to administer," he said.
But Dr. Mark D. Bostrom, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Center for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, said there are some things to be thankful for in this new environment.
"There is a great deal of progress in treating colds, but it's important to note that the cold medicine industry is still in a period of transition, which is a good thing," he told ABC News.
Bostrom also noted that many cold medicine clinics are closed or are operating at reduced capacity due to the new regulatory requirements.
For more information, visit http://www.michigandhospitals.gov/cold-care/templates/medical-assurance/medicalassurance-templates-information-temporary.aspx.
Follow David on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DavidPatelABC News
Tags: cold medicine pregnant, michigan medicine email, nuclear medicine technologist
How to make a pot of green tea from just 10 herbs


Our community 6/17
Our community 6/17 Our community 6/17 Check out this story on yorkdispatch.com: https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/life/announcements/2019/06/17/community/39591705/
Published 3:46 p.m. ET June 17, 2019
Milestone for summer theater
The Stewartstown Summer Theatre will be honoring its 40th year with a Night of Music Anniversary Concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at the Stewartstown United Methodist Church, 26 S. Main St.
The concert will feature 40 singers who represent the 40 shows in the history of the summer theater. Each performer will sing a song from a show in which they participated while in Stewartstown. The singers will be accompanied by a 40-piece alumni orchestra.
Cost for the concert is $12 for adults and $6 for children ages 3-12. Proceeds from the concert will support Stewartstown Summer Theatre's first alumni presentation when the theater stages "Jesus Christ Superstar" in April 2021.
Tickets for the concert can be ordered online at www.sumctheatre.com. Any remaining tickets if available can be purchased at the door. A reception to meet the performers will follow the concert.
For questions regarding the Night of Music, call 717-993-2507, ext. 11.
York USA Dance
Picnic Time dance on Sunday
"Picnic Time" is the theme for June's monthly ballroom dance social sponsored by York USA Dance Chapter 3008. The dance will be held Sunday, June 23, at Alert Fire Hall, 3118 N. George St., Emigsville.
USA dances are open to dancers of all ages and experience levels.
Bill and Lynette Baker will be teaching a bachata lesson suitable for beginning and intermediate dancers at 3 p.m. Open dancing will follow from 4 to 7 p.m., with DJ Mike Kelley providing a mix of swing, Latin and ballroom music for listening and dancing enjoyment.
The refreshment table opens at 4 p.m. During intermission, upcoming dance events will be announced and door prizes will be awarded.
Admission, which includes the lesson, the dance and refreshments, is $10 for members, $14 for guests, and $5 for students with IDs. Food donations are always appreciated.
Information about dance instruction and dances in the area is available on the chapter Facebook page and at www.danceinyork.ne or at 717-225-6433.
Read or Share this story: https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/life/announcements/2019/06/17/community/39591705/


Court of Arbitration
National team (w)
U-17 (w)
Futsal national team (w)
LING LONG TIRE SUPER LEAGUE 20/21
SERBIA FIRST LEAGUE 20/21
SERBIA U-19 LEAGUE 20/21
SUPER LEAGUE (WOMEN) 20/21
FIRST LEAGUE (WOMEN) 20/21
FUTSAL FIRST LEAGUE 19/20
FUTSAL SECOND LEAGUE 19/20
WOMEN U-17 QUALIFICATIONS / OUR TEAM'S CONVINCING VICTORY OVER GEORGIA AND ELITE ROUND QUALIFICATION
An expected, routine victory of our women's U-17 team in the match with Georgia – 3:0 (2:0) and deserved qualification to the elite round for the European Championship.
After an important and, as some would say decisive victory in the first match with Urkraine (4:2), players of the head-coach Dragiša Zečević were great again in the match with Georgia. All dilemmas regarding the outcome of the match were solved in the opening minutes and scores by Jana Stevanović and Emilija Kučinar and thus justified the front-runners role. Serbia continued to dominate till the end of the match, as a much better rival, but the third goal came only in the 58th minute, when Natalija Obradović entered the scorers' list.
After all said and done, Serbia qualified to the elite round, to be played in the first half of the next year.
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Mixed Martial Arts' Most Wanted™
The Top 10 Book of Crazy Combat, Great Grappling, and Sick Submissions
Adam T. Heath, David L. Hudson Jr.
Mixed martial arts hasn't been dubbed the world's fastest growing sport for nothing. It's noticeably rocked the sporting world since the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship nearly two decades ago—and has even shaken up the pop culture scene.
Most Wanted™
Mixed martial arts hasn't been dubbed the world's fastest growing sport for nothing. It's noticeably rocked the sporting world since the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship nearly two decades ago—and has even shaken up the pop culture scene. Who would have expected popular MMA fighter Chuck Liddell to trade in his sparring gloves for dance shoes on Dancing with the Stars? A combo of grappling, punching, kneeing, and kicking, this sport looks like it will be grounding and pounding, sprawling and brawling, for some time to come.
Mixed Martial Arts'Most Wanted™ steps into the cage and brings you round after round of fighting deeds and details worthy of a sport known for bloody battles and ingenious tactics. Authors Adam T. Heath and David L. Hudson Jr. have knocked out sixty top-ten lists detailing the low blows, grappling greats, human anomalies, and fighting females that make up the compelling world of mixed martial arts.There's no need to be an insider—Heath and Hudson bring you all of the sport's best bouts, dirtiest moves, and brainscrambling kayos in a book that will keep MMA enthusiasts reeling for months.


The Witkin Legal Institute
Meet the Witkin team
Witkin Legal Institute staff
Learn more about the people behind our mission
About B.E. Witkin
Witkin Library
Witkin Award
Practice confidently with our team's full support
Our team of dedicated attorneys and publishing professionals works every day to advance the mission of B.E Witkin and meet the needs of the California legal community.
John K. Hanft
John began his career as an attorney editor with the Bancroft-Whitney Co. in 1976. In 1981, B.E. Witkin selected him as an original member of the newly created Witkin Department. John was appointed as one of the two directors of the department in 1994, then as one of the two founding directors of the Witkin Legal Institute in 1996. He is the author of Legal Research in California, 7th (Thomson Reuters) and coauthor of Wills, Trusts, and Estates for Legal Assistants 6th (Wolters Kluwer). For more than thirty years, John was an instructor for the San Francisco State University Paralegal Program on the topics of legal research and writing, and wills, trusts, and estate planning. John received a B.A. from Reed College (History), a J.D. from the University of Oregon, and an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University (Taxation). He is a member of the California Bar.
John writes the Civil Appeal, Trusts, and Wills and Probate chapters and is the editor in chief of the Witkin Library.
John R. Wierzbicki
John was an attorney in private practice in San Jose, California, and then a professional legal writer, before joining the Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Co. (now Thomson Reuters)'s editorial department in Rochester, NY. While with Thomson Reuters, he has served as an attorney editor, a legal products manager in the Denver, CO office, manager of the author relationships and contracts department for U.S. legal publications, and editorial director for some of Thomson Reuters' most prestigious U.S. legal publications, including Black's Law Dictionary, American Law Reports, American Jurisprudence, and Corpus Juris Secundum. He was appointed a director of the Witkin Legal Institute in 2018. John also conducts in-person and online workshops on contracts and copyright on behalf of art organizations and colleges in New York, the D.C. area, and California. John received a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley (History), a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and an M.A. from the University of Virginia (History). He is a member of the California and Oregon Bars.
John writes the Civil Trials, Constitutional Law, Contracts, and Taxation chapters and is responsible for Institute's educational activities.
Attorney Editors
James C. Thomas
Lisa A. Wenger
Sarah B. Pate
Ronald L. Owens
June Hight
Sachi A. Clements
Ashley E. Hongisto
Jim practiced law in San Francisco before joining the Bancroft-Whitney Co. in 1985. While there, he worked on several legal publications including the California Official Reports and the California Codes. He also served as an editorial manager. In 1990, B.E. Witkin selected him to become a member of the Witkin Department. In 1996, Jim became a founding member of the Witkin Legal Institute. He received a B.A. from Marquette University in journalism (Dean's List), and a J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law. He is a past member of SDX, the Society of Professional Journalists, and is a member of the California Bar.
Jim writes the Actions, Administrative Proceedings, Agency and Employment, Attack on Judgment in Trial Court, Community Property, Equity, Extraordinary Writs, Jurisdiction, and Marriage chapters.
Lisa was hired by the Bancroft-Whitney Co. in 1990, where she managed the development of the environmental law module of California Civil Practice. B.E. Witkin then selected her to join the Witkin Department in 1994. In 1996, she became one of the founding members of the Witkin Legal Institute. Lisa began her legal career as a law clerk with the Colorado Supreme Court, and a staff attorney with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeal. She received a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara (Environmental Studies, with highest honors) and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. She is a member of the Colorado Bar.
Lisa writes the Crimes Against Public Peace and Welfare, Judgment (Civil), Negotiable Instruments, Personal Property, Sales, Secured Transactions in Personal Property, Security Transactions in Real Property, and Real Property chapters.
Member, West Virginia Bar Before joining the Witkin Legal Institute in 2012, Sarah worked as a legal editor with the Bancroft-Whitney Co. and other publishers. She received her B.A. from Concord University (English and political science, magna cum laude) and her J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law. She went on to clerk for the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. She is a member of the West Virginia Bar.
Sarah writes California Evidence, 5th and the Proceedings Without Trial, Pretrial (Criminal), and Workers' Compensation chapters.
After more than a decade as a legal writer and editor for another major publishing company, Ron joined Thomson Reuters in 2001, where he worked on Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal decisions and federal case law headnotes. He became a member of the Witkin Legal Institute in 2014. Ron received a B.S. degree from Loyola University of Chicago (psychology), and a J.D. from Berkeley Law. He is a member of the Illinois Bar.
Ron writes the Attorneys, Corporations, Crimes Against Property, Criminal Trial, Defenses (Criminal), Illegally Obtained Evidence, and Partnership chapters.
June began her career with Thomson Reuters as an attorney editor for California Trials Digest in 2007, where she quickly became a lead editor on the publication. She became a member of the Witkin Legal Institute in 2017. She has a B.S. from Georgia Institute of Technology (engineering, with highest honors) and a J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law (cum laude). She is a member of the California Bar.
June writes the Criminal Appeal, Criminal Judgment, Criminal Writs, Elements (Criminal), Introduction to Crimes, Provisional Remedies, Reversible Error, and Torts chapters.
Sachi began her legal career as a lawyer in private practice in San Francisco for four years. She then served as a legal editor for another publisher for four years before joining the Witkin Legal Institute in 2018. She received a B.A. from Willamette University (anthropology, cum laude) and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law (magna cum laude). She is a member of the California Bar.
Sachi writes the Crimes Against Governmental Authority, Juvenile Court Law, Pleading, and Sex Offenses and Crimes Against Decency chapters.
Ashley practiced law in San Francisco before becoming a research attorney at the Santa Clara Superior Court in 2016. She joined the Witkin Legal Institute in 2018. She also has worked as a pro bono attorney for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. She received a B.A. from Johns Hopkins in international studies and a J.D. from Hastings College of the Law (cum laude). She is a member of the California Bar.
Ashley writes the Crimes Against the Person, Enforcement of Judgment, Introduction to Criminal Procedure, Jurisdiction and Venue (Criminal), Parent and Child, and Punishment Chapters.
Manuscript Editors
Michael R. Christensen
B.S. Sonoma State University (Business Management)
Dale L. Dickson
B.S. William Jessup University (Business Administration)
Linda I. Glover
B.A. Occidental College (English Literature)
Janet M. Mueller
B.A. University of California, Davis (English Literature)
John Y. Pang
La Salle College (Hong Kong)
For questions or comments about the Witkin Library or the Institute's programs, please contact:
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Witkin Legal Institute
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All or part of the content of this page is © Bernard E. & Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation 2019


Move the pub
Published: 10:22 AM March 19, 2009 Updated: 2:40 PM November 1, 2020
SIR, — There have been various ideas down the years to improve road safety and amenity at the King Harry Lane junction with Watford Road and Watling Street in St Albans which have not proceeded. So why not relocate the King Harry public house onto the vac
SIR, - There have been various ideas down the years to improve road safety and amenity at the King Harry Lane junction with Watford Road and Watling Street in St Albans which have not proceeded. So why not relocate the King Harry public house onto the vacant green adjacent the existing under-used car park opposite Waitrose?
This would require some council funding and agreements, but the King Harry could be reconstructed as it was originally as a two-storey period house without all the later additions (as in some other historic towns) and reconstructed as a local landmark and provide a high-quality historic pub-restaurant as part of a proper community centre for the Verulam estate where such facilities are sorely lacking.
King Harry Lane could then run into the roundabout nearest St Stephens, the other roundabout could be removed and the existing road junction and slip road greened over and landscaped with seating opening up new pedestrian friendly views of St Stephens.
The alternative is do nothing until either the pub closes or there is another serious accident. The pub itself and churchyard walls have been substantially rebuilt, most notably after the car transporter accident some years ago. While we may lose some greenery near Waitrose, we would certainly gain an improved tourist landmark on a prominent site and a new green pedestrian-friendly seating area and less tarmac and traffic at the King Harry junction.
PAUL SPELZINI,
Parkland Drive, St Albans.


Shows Like Reign:
Getting in with the Courtiers
If you're a fan of childish monarchs and tittering courtesans, then these court dramas are for you...not to be confused with court dramas about our democratic legal system, something which would make these aristocrats vomit on their perfumed lap-dogs.
Game of Thrones (2011-)
It's true the quality of storytelling slipped once the showrunners pulled ahead of George R.R. Martin's books. But the first five seasons were some of the most powerful television ever made, and even the last three seasons dazzled with special effects and world-class cinematography.
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Thriller
Elizabeth R (1971)
When Elizabeth Tudor comes to the throne, her (male) advisers know she has to marry. Doesn't she? Thus starts a decades-long political/ matrimonial game, during an age of high passions and high achievement.
Genre: Drama, Biography
Rome (2005-2007)
A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, History
The Crown (2016-)
The early reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is portrayed.
Outlander (2014-)
Genre: Drama, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy
The Last Kingdom (2015-)
The year is 872, and many of the separate kingdoms of what we now know as England have fallen to the invading Danes, leaving the great kingdom of Wessex standing alone and defiant under the command of King Alfred.
The Young Pope (2016-)
The beginning of the pontificate of Lenny Belardo, alias Pius XIII, the first American Pope in history.
Isabel (2011-2014)
Life of Isabella I of Castile, also known as Isabella the Catholic.
Genre: Biography, History
Three Kingdoms (2010-)
A Chinese television series based on the events in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. In Mandarin.
Victoria (2016-)
The early life of Queen Victoria, from her ascension to the throne at the tender age of 18 to her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert.
Genre: Drama, Biography, History
War & Peace (2016)
As the Russian conflict with Napoleon reaches its peak, five aristocratic families face the possibility of their lives being changed forever.
Genre: Drama, Romance, History
Ekaterina: The Rise of Catherine the Great (2014-)
Biography of Russian Empress Catherine the Great. In Russian.
The Great (2020-)
Elle Fanning plays princess Catherine, who marries the daft Russian Emperor Peter III. A fresh addition to the British tradition of period comedies--think Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Black Adder, and the underrated Plebs. Created by the writer of the 2018 movie The Favourite, which covers similar ground.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Biography, History
The New Pope (2019-)
Two Popes. Only one Vatican. A holy war to come.
Genre: Drama, Faith & Spirituality
The Tudors (2007-2010)
A dramatic series about the reign and marriages of King Henry VIII.
Wolf Hall (2015)
After the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey, his secretary, Thomas Cromwell, finds himself amongst the treachery and intrigue of King Henry VIII's court and soon becomes a close advisor to the King, a role fraught with danger.
Da Vinci's Demons (2013-2015)
The "untold" story of Leonardo Da Vinci: the genius during his early years in Renaissance Florence.
Marco Polo (2014-)
In a world replete with greed, betrayal, sexual intrigue and rivalry, "Marco Polo" is based on the famed explorer's adventures in Kublai Khan's court in 13th century Mongolia.
Casanova TV (2005)
After a life spent seeking pleasure and decadence, Casanova seeks his one true love, Henriette.
Elizabeth I (2005)
Miniseries about the the public and private lives of the later years of Queen Elizabeth I.


Home Article The Emptiness and the Anger
The Emptiness and the Anger
by Richard Just
The drama may have been at the Washington Monument on Saturday afternoon -- but the progress was taking place at the other end of the National Mall.
While the usual protesters with the usual assortment of messages that ran the gamut from the vaguely coherent to the unbecomingly spiteful took over the lawn just south of the monument; while they pretended to understand what suit-clad Ralph Nader was saying to them from the stage of the Sylvan Theater and watched skits on globalism performed by fellow activists ("The market is neutral in these matters!" screamed a man in a cape as he ran off stage); while they endured the taunts of a handful of conservative counterprotesters ("Fry Mumia" read one poster) and retorted with the odd rejoinder or wanking motion; while they held up signs saying "Congress: Another Israeli-Occupied Territory" and "No Blood for Oil"; while they went through the motions of protest and anger and outrage for reporters and cameras and, most of all, for each other; while they did all this, a handful of college undergraduates -- the same age as many of the protesters -- were at the far eastern end of the Mall, patiently talking about the nature of power.
Not political power -- but solar power. The students, from 14 different colleges, were competing in a contest sponsored by the Department of Energy to build houses that could be powered completely by the sun. Their houses -- more or less functional and extremely impressive -- were sitting on the Mall and open to tourists, who came in droves, creating long lines out of each solar-powered home's front door.
So there were two groups of young people on the Mall on Saturday, each acting out its own version of revolution. To the west were people yelling about the environment; to the east were people designing the technologies that will someday make the environment safer. They are the same age as each other, and Saturday they put on display very different visions of what the next generation of liberalism will look like. Will it find new, innovative causes to champion? Or will it prefer to rely on the prefix "anti" to describe itself -- as in "anti-war," "anti-Israel," "anti-IMF," "anti-World Bank," and "anti-corporate"? Will it find a unique political voice? Or will it strive for nothing more than ersatz imitations of what its parent generation did 30 years ago? Will it seek solutions? Or will it merely be angry?
To me, the contrast provided by the solar scientists magnified the emptiness of this weekend's protests -- but they would have looked plenty empty anyway. To be sure, protest is a valuable part of democratic life. But these protests had a pathetic quality at their core that was hard to miss if you were there. It's as if in the absence of a single rallying cry or coherent message, the young left has decided that a generic rage at the world will do just fine. I'm 23 years old, and every time I have gone to cover one of these rallies, I have left with the same thought running through my head: This cannot be the best my generation is capable of. And this is not liberalism -- it's spite.
Everyone reacts differently to such protests, of course -- and among people my age, there is broad disagreement as to what the next generation of liberalism should look like. It was in the spirit of furthering that debate that TAP Online dispatched four Prospect regulars, all in their 20s and roughly the same age as most of the protesters, to hit the streets of Washington, D.C. this weekend and write about whom they met and what they saw. Their impressions of the protesters were, in the end, mostly negative. For Prospect writing fellow Drake Bennett, the events -- whether an anti-Gap striptease or the Saturday afternoon march itself -- proceeded according to a well-rehearsed script that is growing progressively more tired and forced with each repetition. For the Prospect's other writing fellow, Alex Gourevitch, the politics behind the rallies are focused too much on victimhood -- and too little on real change. Former Prospect writing fellow Natasha Hunter was more ambivalent in her take on the weekend. For her, the protests were more a collection of the eccentric and the bizarrely well-intentioned than anything else. Also worth checking out -- and also thoughtfully critical of the anti-IMF movement -- are Nick Penniman's recent Prospect cover story on antiglobalism forces and Tapped's take on the protests from last Friday.
For my part, I was all too happy to escape the rallies and head east to the solar houses. The students there were engineers representing schools such as Auburn University and Carnegie Mellon University and Texas A&M University. I doubt many are captivated by politics, and I'll bet fewer still consider themselves liberal. But in pioneering the future of the solar-powered home, they accomplished far more for the cause of environmentalism this weekend than their protesting peers a dozen blocks west. Yelling is fine in politics; yelling is good. But at some point there has to be more than yelling -- there has to be doing. That, in a nutshell, is why I found the rallies so depressing. It's also why I found the solar homes -- and the people who built them -- so hopeful.
Early Saturday afternoon, as the unusually strong September sun bore down on solar homes and protesters alike, Ralph Nader took the stage at Sylvan Theater and implored the assembled activists to bring democracy to the rest of the world. But the truth is that Nader doesn't have a clue how to do that -- he only knows (or thinks he knows) how not to do it: Not by invading Iraq; not by supporting Israel; not through capitalism; not through the IMF; not through the World Bank. It's as if he and the other protesters have been living in a single dark room, feeding on one another's anger while gradually replacing analysis with indignation -- and substituting mass resentment for independent thought. It's time someone threw open the windows and let in some sun.
Richard Just
Richard Just is the deputy editor of The New Republic and former editor of The American Prospect Online.
Read more by Richard Just


Five billion fewer plastic bags given out each year - thanks to Mail campaign that changed the way we shop
By Sean Poulter for the Daily Mail
Supermarkets have virtually halved the number of throwaway plastic carrier bags they give out.
The total has been cut by more than five billion bags a year - a huge attack on the 'plastic blight' affecting cities, countryside and waterways.
It is a remarkable victory for the Daily Mail's Banish the Bags campaign, launched last year.
The supermarkets had promised a 25 per cent reduction in bags between 2006 and the spring of 2009. But the Mail campaign forced them to dramatically step up their efforts and pledge a 50 per cent reduction by the end of May.
Now new figures show the average number of bags issued by the six major chains - Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, the Co-op, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose - fell from 870million a month in May 2006 to 452million last May.
This represents a reduction of 418million a month or 48 per cent, only fractionally below the 50 per cent target.
Mail readers have led the High Street revolution which has seen consumers across the country switching to long-life reusable bags.
The Banish the Bags campaign won support from the major political parties, consumer groups, wildlife campaigners, the National Trust and the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said last night: 'This is a great achievement by the supermarkets and their customers and it shows that by working together, we really can change our habits.
'Retailers have really put a lot into this in the last six months and the target was only narrowly missed.
Plastic blight: Mail readers have led the revolution against carrier bags
'It means several hundred million fewer carrier bags are going to landfill every month and we're using less raw materials to make them, which is great news. I look forward to further reductions.'
Stephen Robertson, of the British Retail Consortium, called the reductions 'spectacular'.
He said: 'Changing customer habits on this scale, this quickly, isn't easy. But it's a huge testament to customers, who have switched to bags for life and cut bag usage.
'Hard-working retail staff also deserve credit, as do our supermarket members who have spent the money during these tough times to help this happen.'
But last night the Welsh Government said progress was still too slow and it would push ahead with a scheme to slap charges on plastic carriers. The policy has been effective in several countries, including Ireland.
Welsh Assembly environment minister Jane Davidson said that while she welcomed the reduction, 'the voluntary approach will only achieve so much'.
She said: 'Wales is still using two million plastic bags a month. I make that 324million a year. It takes between 500 and 1,000 years for these bags to degrade and this cannot continue.'
Britain is still lagging behind other countries over plastic bags.
Not all stores have signed up to the reduction pledge and even those that have are still issuing 5.42billion bags a year - 208 for each household in the country.