Despite the efforts of retail giants to commercialize Halloween, October 31 remains my favorite holiday. What’s not to like about a day that encourages chocolate consumption?

To kick off the festivities, I propose three ways that mediators can get in on the celebration:

1. Consider a daring new practice area.

A business in Indonesia advertises itself as “the last resort for professional ghost removal and mediation services” (emphasis mine). In addition to serving as mediators in your disputes with the damned, they are also available to assist as negotiators on your behalf to rid your home of pesky poltergeists. They seem to rely upon an integrative, interest-based negotiation framework, according to their web site:

…some entities have a demand since they have a ‘territory’ to respect. Sometimes we need to know their intention and demand before we remove them.

Evidently, successful negotiations with the dead, much as with the living, depend upon a thorough exploration of mutual interests. (One can only imagine the discussion about BATNA.)

2. Sign up for a course in intergalactic conflict resolution.

Mediators eager to explore new frontiers may wish to consider one of the courses taught at the Exopolitics Institute (featured here before on this blog): either Exopolitics 102: Citizen Diplomacy with Extraterrestrials, which includes a module on conflict resolution and mediation for the resolution of interplanetary disputes, or Multidimensional Ambassadors - Peace Building with ETs, Angels and Dolphins. (While there’s time, don’t forget to sign up for the Extraterrestrial Civilizations and World Peace Conference in May 2007.)

3. Do some seasonal reading to get into the holiday spirit.

May I suggest this post of mine from last Halloween: “High spirits: legal issues can arise on sale of haunted houses“, which concludes with discussion of an unsuccessful effort to bring a lawsuit against Satan.

Happy Halloween, everybody.

Digital negotiation systems and tools abound, from the sophisticated logarithms of Smart Settle, which is designed to enable users to “achieve fair and efficient solutions that are truly Beyond Win-Win®” to the Fair Division Calculator which promises “envy-free divisions of goods, burdens, or rent” (and costs nothing to use).

The latest to join their ranks is Parley Negotiation Software, created by the Berlin-based Theory. Parley allows for brainstorming, analysis of preferences, and evaluation of all possible agreements, together with tracking of negotiation history.

A free 30-day trial is available for downloading (a good thing since Parley costs $460 for the complete version with one year of support and updates). Parley’s tutorial provides a walk-through demonstration of a simple employment negotiation.

Avast, ye swabs! It’s a pirate’s life at the special Halloween edition of Blawg Review, the weekly review of the best in law blogging, hosted by uber-blogger Denise Howell.

There’s plunder aplenty, even for mediators: swashbuckler Geoff Sharp gets a mention and a link to the launch pad for his new Mediation vBlog Project.