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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Thomas T. Johnson, L.A. judge who ruled that Holocaust was a fact, dies at 88
By
Elaine Woo
The L.A. County Superior Court jurist issued the 1981 ruling in a case brought by an Auschwitz survivor against a Holocaust-denying group
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
Retired Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Thomas T. Johnson, who in 1981 ruled that the Holocaust was "a fact and not reasonably subject to dispute," died of congestive heart failure Wednesday at his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, said his son, Will. He was 88.
Johnson made the unusual pronouncement in a case brought by Long Beach, Calif., businessman Mel Mermelstein against the Institute for Historical Review, a Torrance, Calif., organization that claimed that the planned extermination of Jews by the Nazis was a myth. The institute offered a $50,000 reward for proof that Jews had been gassed at Auschwitz during World War II.
Mermelstein, an Auschwitz survivor who lost his family in the Holocaust, sued the institute for $17 million, contending that the institute reneged on its offer after he submitted proof of the murders.
On Oct. 9, 1981, Johnson resolved the most controversial part of the case using the doctrine of judicial notice, which allows courts to recognize as fact matters that are common knowledge.
"The court does take judicial notice that Jews were gassed to death in Poland at Auschwitz in the summer of 1944," when Mermelstein and his family were there, Johnson said.
"It was the greatest ruling I could have hoped for," William John Cox, Mermelstein's attorney in the case, said Friday. "It would have been very easy for the judge to say the motions on summary judgment are denied. There was no real requirement that he do this. . . . It was a courageous decision."
During 18 years on the bench, Johnson, who went on to serve as presiding judge of the Superior Court in 1985 and 1986, handled a number of attention-grabbing cases, including disputes involving entertainer Rudy Vallee, tennis star Billie Jean King and philanthropist Norton Simon. But none matched the historical significance of the lawsuit that asked him to decide whether the Holocaust actually took place.
"His taking judicial notice was important, not in that it validated the Holocaust, but it avoided providing Holocaust deniers with a platform to grandstand and to present their historical distortion," Emory University historian Deborah Lipstadt said in an email.
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The Institute for Historical Review, a nonprofit group that published a journal, contended that the deaths of Jews during World War II were caused by disease, malnutrition and Allied bombings.
Mermelstein had sent the institute a lengthy affidavit recounting how he and his family were arrested in the spring of 1944 and sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. He described the last sight he had of his mother and two sisters when they were driven to a facility he later learned was the gas chamber at Birkenau.
Johnson said his decision was not based on Mermelstein's declarations but on "sources of reasonably indisputable fact," including many books.
Mermelstein later won a settlement of $90,000 and a formal apology from the institute.
Johnson was born on Feb. 26, 1923 in Louisville, Ky. During World War II he served in the Navy aboard the aircraft carrier Lexington. After the war, he earned degrees in engineering and law from the University of Louisville and went to work for the U.S. Justice Department. It sent him to Los Angeles to help establish a program to compensate Japanese Americans for losses incurred when they were held in wartime relocation camps.
He later practiced law in Los Angeles with George Danielson, who became a California legislator and congressman.
Johnson was appointed to the Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1971 by Gov. Ronald Reagan and elevated to the Superior Court in 1973. After a stint at the Santa Monica courthouse, he retired in 1989 to work for a private arbitration and mediation firm.
In addition to his son, Will, he is survived by his wife, Marianne, son Blake and a granddaughter.
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© 2012, Los Angeles Times Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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