JUST A REMINDER THAT TODAY IS “BLOGGER APPRECIATION DAY.” So find a blogger or two and appreciate ’em.

IN THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: Rick Santorum is Right About Higher Ed. “I am not enchanted with Santorum’s tone in these matters, but his points warrant more serious attention than academics are likely to give them. His statements are not just howls of anti-intellectualism or attempts to play to Tea Party resentments. They are part of a cogent view that accurately registers aspects of the dominant campus culture that academics themselves are disinclined to acknowledge, let alone discuss.”

UPDATE: More thoughts from Steve Hayward.

BARACK OBAMA DOESN’T CARE ABOUT WHITE PEOPLE: Obama: I’ll veto bill that will provide water to California’s Central Valley.

UPDATE: Reader Delos Walton writes:

It’s not just white people he hates. The Central Valley is heavily Hispanic as well. And one can make the valid point that these policies disproportionately hurts Hispanics since they constitute a significant percentage of the population in the western Central Valley. The type of jobs they garner in the western Central Valley typically are low wage, menial Blue Collar positions. No water, no jobs. Pretty simple. But perhaps, more importantly, the Central Valley is the type of place where people still cling to their guns and religon. Unsurprisingly, POTUS forgets where his organic lettuce, almonds and carrots come from. Similar to the Keystone decision, this is ideology over humans.

Maybe Obama just doesn’t like people.

OUR FRAGILE INTERNET: In the Age of Wireless, Can’t We Do Better than Intercontinental Fiber Optic Cables?

UPDATE: A reader emails:

That PopSci article on undersea fiber optic cables reminded me of a wonderful article from the early-mid 90s by Neal Stephenson on just that subject, still available at this link.

In addition to being fascinating reading, Stephenson fans can see in this article the seeds of some of the themes later developed in Cryptonomicon.

Yeah, that’s a great piece.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: How to make hard-to-obtain Sudafed from readily available street meth. #Nannystatefail.

AT AMAZON, bestsellers in Men’s Shoes.

LOCAL BARRIERS TO ENTRY: Arlington Beer Garden Edition.

WALTER RUSSELL MEAD ON OUR HOSTAGES IN EGYPT: Egypt Trial Reveals Persistent Anti-Americanism in Government. “This new irresponsibility of the ruling elite meshes with the power struggle under way in Egypt, where being more anti-American than thou is seen as a way to power. It is a cause that can unite Islamists and nationalists, which is important now as the army and Muslim Brotherhood look for ways to work together.”

How’s that Arab Spring workin’ out for ya?

REVIEW: How Does Siri Knockoff Evi Compare to the iPhone’s Original Digital Assistant?

INDEED: Google’s Eric Schmidt warns regulators against killing innovation. That’s the topic of my next Washington Examiner column.

THE ECONOMIST ON CHICAGO: The Capital Of Corruption. “Although Chicago is the capital of corruption, the state of Illinois as a whole ranks only third in the country—after the much more populous states of New York and California. But the report documents a pattern of crime that has become synonymous with the Chicago or Illinois ‘way’ of doing things. All the corrupt governors and 26 of the aldermen had tried to extract bribes from builders, developers, business owners and those seeking to do business with the city or the state. Those who paid bribes either assumed, or were told, that payment was necessary for zoning changes, building permits or any other government action.”

Sounds like this is the D.C. way nowadays, too.

NANNY STATE UPDATE: Health department raids community picnic and destroys all food with bleach.

SNOWE FLAKES: Olympia’s Revenge? I don’t think she liked being primaried. “You think I’m a RINO and don’t appreciate me much? Well, get a load of my replacement. Miss me yet?”

PERSONALIZING CANCER DRUGS: “Starting this spring, for about $5,000, any oncologist will be able to ship a sliver of tumor in a bar-coded package to Foundation’s lab. Foundation will extract the DNA, sequence scores of cancer genes, and prepare a report to steer doctors and patients toward drugs, most still in early testing, that are known to target the cellular defects caused by the DNA errors the analysis turns up. Pellini says that about 70 percent of cases studied to date have yielded information that a doctor could act on—whether by prescribing a particular drug, stopping treatment with another, or enrolling the patient in a clinical trial.”

PJTV: Obama Administration Ignored Iranians’ Green Movement.

HOW SMART ROBOTS are changing surgery.

LONGEVITY UPDATE: If you’re in the Bay Area on March 31/April 1, you may want to attend my friend Chris Peterson’s Personalized Life Extension Conference. You can get $100 off registration if you use the registration code INSTAPUNDIT.

FROM BEN BARTON: Where Supreme Court Justices Come From. The current justices “have spent more pre-appointment time in legal academia, appellate judging, and living in Washington, D.C. than any previous Supreme Court. They also spent the most time in elite undergraduate and law school settings.” And less time practicing law or in politics.

RON PAUL TO BEN BERNANKE: “People Lose Trust In The Government Because You Lie To Them About Inflation.”

SO WHAT’S THE EXPIRATION DATE? President Obama promises to buy a Chevy Volt, after his second term. Well, as one of the One Percent, he can afford it.

RICHARD EPSTEIN: Who has handled the economic crisis worse, the European Union or the United States?

NOTICING THE MEAN-SPIRITEDNESS OF THE OBAMA ERA.

RICHARD GRENELL: Romney’s Win In Michigan Shows Just How Far The DailyKos Has Fallen. “Romney easily won the state despite Markos’ campaign. And we learned that the Daily Kos’ power isn’t what it used to be.” Was it ever that much, really?

SPACE UPDATE: XCOR Aerospace Closes $5 Million Round of Investment Capital.