In the News

High voltage--Sociologist Richard Moran was featured on a segment on the electric chair in a December 18 edition of the Discovery Channel's news magazine show, Discover Magazine. Moran was interviewed at length about the genesis of "the chair," its unique place in the cultural history of electricity, and initial reactions to its use. Also, in his latest commentary for National Public Radio, Moran reports there is compelling research showing that DARE, the international antidrug organization, is not effective in reducing or preventing drug use among schoolchildren. He called for the elimination of DARE, which runs in 10,000 cities and forty-one nations, and costs more than half a billion dollars each year to run.

Unblank Slate--Also on December 18, the influential online magazine Slate posted "Better Late than Ever," an article by English professor Christopher Benfey on Edgar Degas and the second half of that French impressionist's career. Degas has been a prime focus of Benfey's recent scholarly work. This is the third review that Benfey has written for Slate; find the Degas piece at this URL: http://www.slate.com/art/96-12-18/art.asp