Opinion: In today’s pages: Biological urges, turf wars, home schools
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Evolutionary biologist David P. Barash says Eliot Spitzer can blame biology for his urge to stray:
One of the most startling discoveries of the last 15 years has been the extent of sexual infidelity (scientists call it ‘extra-pair copulations’ or EPCs) among animals long thought to be monogamous. It’s clear that social monogamy -- physical association and child rearing between a male and a female -- and sexual monogamy are very different things. The former is common; the latter is rare.... Power-as-pheromone is pretty much the default among mammals. Elk, elephant seal, baboon or chimpanzee, in a wide array of species, females eagerly mate with dominant males while disdaining subordinates. And they do so, more or less, in harems.
Contributing editor Max Boot argues that Navy Adm. William ‘Fox’ Fallon’s departure as head of CENTCOM is good news. Columnist Tim Rutten tells the City Council to quit its turf war and work to stop gang violence. USC’s Sara Catania wants a stop to the springtime rite of ‘tree topping.’
The editorial board asks if there is a constitutional right to home school your kids, and points out that daylight saving time really doesn’t save anything....
Researchers from UC Santa Barbara recently examined power bills in Indiana, the ideal laboratory for a study of the effects of daylight saving time because, until 2006, 15 counties adjusted their clocks every spring while the rest of the 92 did not. After a law imposed the time switch on everybody in the state, researchers could compare electricity use before the change and after.The result: Daylight saving time cost Indiana households an additional $8.6 million a year.
Finally, the board advocates new disclosure rules on state politicians’ use of special interest money.
Readers react to the Spitzer scandal. Santa Barbara’s Mic DeNiro says, ‘It is unlikely that I will become a public figure, be linked to a prostitution ring or hold a news conference. It is absolutely unimaginable, however, that I would subject my wife to appearing, or that she would agree to appear, grim-faced beside me as I explained my transgressions.’