I'm reading Mark Mazower's 236pp No Enchanted Palace: The End of Empire and the Ideological Origins of the United Nations (Princeton University Press, 2009), Beth Simmons' 451pp Mobilizing for Human Rights: International Law in Domestic Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2009) and Eric Posner's 266pp The Perils of Global Legalism (University of Chicago Press, 2009).
The Mazower is simply a delight: lucid, respectful, realistic, full of insights. It is founded on an awareness of history, appreciation of legal principles and recognition of how states/individuals actually behave. I recommend it strongly. The Posner strikes me as clever - very Chicago School - but overall unpersuasive because centred on a view of law as something that can ultimately be reduced to a cost/benefit analysis without any fuss about transcendent principles.
On the subject of magic the excellent Christine Corcos points to a US incident in which a Florida psychic was arrested after attempting to extract $1,000 from a customer.
The aggrieved customer was reportedly approached by Tiffany Evans at the Smith Haven Mall (so much more convenient than in a moonlit conventicle in the dark dark woods or in a smelly gypsy caravan) on 7 September. She agreed to have her fortune read for $25. During the reading - no specifics on whether it was just a quick squint at the palm or whether animals and other critters (newts, rats, chickens) were harmerd in the process - the victim was informed that for another $100 she could have a more detailed reading. She coughed up. On meeting Evans - again at the mall - on 9 September she was told that she had a curse. Never fear: hand over another $1,250 for a stone (where would we be without a magic stone, even if it isn't the stone extracted from the forehead of a toad) and a body wash and the curse would then be lifted.
Later in September the victim handed over $600 as the down-payment for lifting the curse. She received a small stone and a plastic bag containing an unknown liquid. When she next meet the psychic, watched by undercover police officers, Evans pretended to read the victim's fortune (checking whether the curse was half-lifted?) and attempted to sell her candles for $550. The candles would supposedly remove negative energy. The media report concludes with the lapidary phrase: "Officers arrested Evans at 4:51 pm."
