Norms and Tricks

Or Rather, Illusions, as a trick is something a whore does for money...

Whatever you call them, this recent slate article has a great discussion about a paper by a recent Yale law graduate, who examined the informal sanctions that Magicians use to protect their intellectual property. Its a great extension of the Ellickson "Order without Law" approach examining how institutions can work even in areas that is difficult for the state to regulate. Especially nice, given my own theoretical interests, is the discussion of how community boundaries and long-lasting networks of continuously interacting individuals are necessary for the operation of these kinds of informal norms.

Many thanks to Abbey's "specialists in violence" e-news update list for bringing this to my attention.

Today I had a close call with some elephants. Not that it was that close, but lets just say, I'm not sure who was more scared, the female elephant or me. At any rate, I can be sure that she didn't have any pants to crap.

More details, and photos, to follow.