REPORT: New protests in Iran.

AN EARTHQUAKE HITS Christchurch, New Zealand.

UPDATE: Chuck Simmins is rounding up news.

CHANGE: Gaddafi loyalists launch attacks against civilians as conflict in Libya escalates.

UPDATE: Reader Andy Pollack writes:

As we learn of Gaddafi’s violence against peaceful civilian protesters, let us not forget that the United Nation General Assembly voted in 2010 to give Libya a seat on the Human Rights Council.

It will also be interesting to compare the media coverage of Libya’s latest atrocities to coverage of Israel’s 2008 Cast Lead Operation, in which Israel attacked the terrorist group Hamas for its buildup of arms and attacks on Israeli civilians. Would anyone care to wager that the media will give Libya a more distant, hands-off treatment?

And I would expect that the UN’s reaction to the situation in Libya will be more muted than it was to Operation Cast Lead in 2008.

Safe bet.

ANOTHER UPDATE: A Libyan Experiment:

The United States supported Mubarak’s government in Egypt for several decades, militarily and otherwise. Now, the frequently anti-American tone of Egypt’s rebels is often attributed to that support. Many commentators argue that the U.S.’s support of Mubarak was short-sighted, and that it will be our own fault if the government that ultimately emerges in Cairo is anti-American.

Perhaps so. But if that theory is correct, shouldn’t we see a different result right next door, in Libya? The U.S. has never supported Gaddafi; on the contrary, we tried to assassinate him at least once. So does that increase the likelihood that the rebels who detest Gaddafi will be friendly to America when some combination of them take power? On its face, that makes sense; one can draw an analogy to Eastern Europe, where the governments that took power upon the collapse of the Soviet Union were almost uniformly pro-American.

Well, stay tuned.

HAD A NICE DINNER WITH SAUL LEVMORE, who’s down visiting UT Law for a couple of days. A swell guy, and Chicago is lucky to have him.

FASTER, PLEASE: A “Smart Bomb” Antibody That Binds Only To Cancer Stem Cells.

AT AMAZON, markdowns on office products and supplies. I have the Panasonic cordless phone system they’ve got on sale, and it’s been great. Even the Insta-Wife and -Daughter, who are usually unenthusiastic when I upgrade our phone system, call this one a winner.

LONGEVITY NEWS: A report on the SENS Foundation’s “Lab-Warming” Party.

BECAUSE NOTHING’S MORE IMPORTANT THAN DIVERSITY: California Bar Asks U.S. News To Add Diversity Component To Law School Rankings. I actually hope they do this, because it will remind people that the U.S. News rankings have only a limited connection to educational quality.

MUSIC EXEC SLAMS GRAMMYS for losing touch with popular culture. Well, I’m in no position to point fingers, since I never even got around to opening my Grammy ballot this year. First time I’ve done that, but really, I just wasn’t very excited about anything that came out last year.

THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN HEALTH SYSTEM will investigate the bogus-excuse-writing doctors. “These charges are very serious.”

THUS, I DO REFUTE IT: If this is Monday, it must be time for another “death of blogging” story.

TRANSPARENCY: U.S. Gov‘t Software Creates ’Fake People’ to Spread Message via Social Networking. “The US government is offering private intelligence companies contracts to create software to manage “fake people” on social media sites and create the illusion of consensus on controversial issues. The contract calls for the development of ‘Persona Management Software’ which would help the user create and manage a variety of distinct fake profiles online. The job listing was discussed in recently leaked emails from the private security firm HBGary after an attack by internet activist last week.”

THIS MORNING IT WAS EZRA KLEIN, now Jennifer Rubin educates E.J. Dionne.

J.P. FREIRE: Wisconsin Reveals Class War Between “Have Nots” and “Have Yours.”

SPRING IS COMING: Markdowns In Patio, Lawn & Garden.

UNLIKE WISCONSIN, AT LEAST SHE SHOWED UP FOR WORK: L.A. County Employee Dead in Cubicle a Day Before Being Noticed.

WELL, THAT’S A RELIEF: Starless Planets May Be Habitable After All.

GERMANS TO TURKS TO MULLAHS: The Back Door. “The Germans ransomed their hostages by evading sanctions and getting banned military technology to the Iranian regime.”

MICHELLE MOORE COULD USE A KIDNEY DONOR.

UPDATE: Rand Simberg emails: “When I first glanced at your post, I read it as ‘Michael Moore,’ and was immediately seized with a powerful urge to do absolutely nothing about it.”

No, this is Michelle Moore, a lovely Tea Party activist from St. Louis. (Bumped up, in case others were similarly confused.)

VIDEO: Wisconsin Union Protest: Myth vs. Fact.

RICHARD POLLOCK: Another Stunning Miscalculation: Why Obama And The Dems Blundered In Wisconsin.

Related thoughts from David Kahane.

THE NAVY’S NEW SUPERLASER sets a record.

MICHAEL TOTTEN ON LIBYA: In the Land of the Brother Leader.

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF UNMANNED FLIGHT. No, it’s not one of those cheap remote-controlled helicopters. But, you know, it’s not entirely unrelated.

“IT WILL OPEN YOUR EYES:” LARRY RIBSTEIN reviews Ben Barton’s new book, The Lawyer-Judge Bias in the American Legal System.