AT AMAZON, deals in Gardening & Lawn Care. What with all the Zika news, I’m guessing that the mosquito control stuff will be a big item this year.

Also: Deals in Movies & TV.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: U of California Accused of Favoring Non-Californians Because Of Money.

Facing severe budget cuts from the state around 2010, University of California campuses started increasing their admission of out-of-state students, who pay much higher tuition rates than do California residents. UC officials never made a secret of the strategy, and some even spoke of hoping parents of high school students would start lobbying for larger state appropriations. That didn’t happen.

What did happen was a sudden spike in enrolling out-of-state undergraduates, even as demand increased for spots at the University of California — and especially at the campuses at Berkeley, Los Angeles and, to a slightly lesser degree, San Diego. There has been plenty of grumbling by applicants, parents and politicians. Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, complained that “normal” students can’t get into Berkeley anymore.

The state auditor on Tuesday released a report that went well beyond complaints of rejected applicants. It accused the university system of admitting out-of-state applicants who didn’t meet standards set by the state’s Master Plan for Higher Education. And thousands of these non-Californians took the spots of more academically qualified Californians, the audit charged. This narrative counters the image that many admissions officials at popular flagships promote, which is that it is the out-of-staters who must meet higher standards.

Standards, schmandards. They need warm bodies who will pay full-freight out-of-state tuition.

QUESTION ASKED: What Are Cats Trying to Tell Us?

Nearly all New York State pet owners talk to their pets like they’re fellow humans, according to a recent poll.

Many believe their dogs and cats can respond with barks or meows that communicate hunger, fear, or simply the need to pee.

But do the animals tawk back in a Brooklyn accent?

That’s the sort of thing Swedish cat lover and phonetics researcher Suzanne Schötz is working to find out.

I don’t know if my Bengal has a midwestern accent like mine, but regardless his verbal communications seem to be limited to “feed me,” “rub my belly,” and “you will now bleed.”

OH, GOODY: Bold Zika mosquitoes love to hang with humans.

THE SOCIAL DOWNSIDE OF EQUALITY: How Earnings Influence A Woman’s Decision To Wed.

WHEN THE GOVERNMENT SEES CITIZENS AS PREY: Ham-Handed Arrest at Pediatric Clinic Highlights Official War on the Powerless: Unaffordable penalties, incompetent courts, and heavy-handed tactics are all evidence of an official assault on regular Americans.

CULTURE ROT: Period underwear that lets women ‘bleed on Donald Trump’s face’ “are so popular they’re selling out.”

Reminder: “Donald Trump Is the Effect, Not the Cause — a sick society breeds gutter politics.”

MASKIROVKA: Russia, despite draw down, shipping more to Syria than removing.

It is not known what the ships were carrying or how much equipment has been flown out in giant cargo planes accompanying returning war planes.

But the movements – while only a partial snapshot – suggest Russia is working intensively to maintain its military infrastructure in Syria and to supply the Syrian army so that it can scale up again swiftly if need be.

Putin has not detailed what would prompt such a move, but any perceived threat to Russia’s bases in Syria or any sign that President Bashar al-Assad, Moscow’s closest Middle East ally, was in peril would be likely to trigger a powerful return.

Vladimir Putin seems to be handling his withdrawal from Syria with much more wisdom and foresight than President Obama showed when he scuttled our Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq in 2011.

FASTER, PLEASE: Tweaking our gut bacteria could help protect our brain from strokes: Experiments with animals saw 60% less brain damage.

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Also, deals in Automotive Tools & Equipment.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE, LEGAL EDUCATION EDITION: Seven Fired Professors Return To Work At Charleston Law School, Despite 48% Decline In Enrollment.

THE INSTA-WIFE ON WHY MILLENNIAL MEN ARE SUCH “WIMPS.”

WAIT, WHAT? Advanced Economies Must Still Make Things: Take away manufacturing and you’re left with…selfies.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Science Is a Good Substitute for God.

CELEBRATE “FREEDOM DAY” WITH A FREE SPEECH DOCUMENTARY: I am pleased to announce that the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will be holding an advance screening of the FIRE-supported documentary Can We Take a Joke? to celebrate “Freedom Day” on April 13, 2016! Can We Take a Joke? is a documentary about what happens when outrage culture and comedy collide, and features interviews with famous comedians, including Adam Carolla, Gilbert Gottfried, Lisa Lampanelli, Heather McDonald, Penn Jillette, and more.

If you are from the Philadelphia area (or plan on being in Philadelphia on April 13) and would like to attend the screening, please email Haley Hudler at .

It’s going to be a fun night.

And if you’re a college student, there’s still time for you to apply for free exclusive screening rights to show the documentary on your campus between April 13 and April 20! The deadline is fast approaching, however, so make sure to apply ASAP.

AND THEY BANNED “JOGGING IN A JUG” YEARS AGO — WHO HAS THE LAST LAUGH NOW? Ask Well: Can Vinegar Aid Weight Loss? “The weight loss claims hinge mostly on a 2009 clinical trial of obese Japanese adults that found those who consumed a beverage containing one or two tablespoons of vinegar every day lost two to four pounds after 12 weeks, while a comparison group given a plain beverage did not lose weight. . . . Several studies have shown that consuming small amounts of vinegar before a meal containing starches may blunt a rise in blood sugar afterward, reducing the glycemic response by 20 to 40 percent, Dr. Johnston said, by partially inhibiting the digestion of starch.”

Advantage: InstaPundit.

THE KRELL COULD NOT BE REACHED FOR COMMENT: Artificial Intelligence Discovers Its Id.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Your Handy Guide to Entertainment Media Bias.

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ROBOTS AND RESISTANCE: Automated Anesthesiologist Suffers a Painful Defeat.

SADLY, IN THE 21st CENTURY, THIS IS A RADICAL WORLDVIEW: My Son Is All Boy. And That’s Just Fine With Me.

21st CENTURY RELATIONSHIPS: US mother spends $7,000 on a trip to France so she can marry herself — in a romantic ceremony under the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower is sure standing guard over all sorts of reprimitivization these days.

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE UPDATE: North Korea Threatens To Nuke Washington D.C. in Kooky New Video.

SCOTT KINSHIP ON “HILLARY AND BERNIE, TAX FANTASISTS”: Soak-the-rich proposals ignore history and wouldn’t raise nearly enough money to fund big spending plans.

Progressives have often reminded us that the U.S. had such rates in the past. From 1936 to 1980, the highest federal income-tax rate was never below 70%, and the top rate exceeded 90% from 1951 to 1963. Under Ronald Reagan, the top federal rate declined to 28% by 1988 and has never reached 40% since.

The discussion of these rates can easily create the impression that the federal government collected far more money from “the rich” before the Reagan administration. And it can also leave another impression: There would be no downside to raising rates to 1950s levels, given that decade’s prosperity.

Neither impression would be correct. The effective tax rates actually paid by the highest income earners during the 1950s and early ’60s were far lower than the highest marginal rates. Few taxpayers reached the top brackets, the code was rife with loopholes, and capital gains were taxed at much lower rates.

There’s no fantasy involved here — just cold, hard politics.

Raising the top marginal rate isn’t about income equality or raising revenue. It’s about making a mess of the tax code, then sneaking in loopholes and shelters for cronies.

MORE ON EMORY: Emory President Chalks Pro-Speech Message After Trump Controversy as Students, Alumni Urge More Action.

Emory University President James Wagner has expressed his support of free speech —in chalk— following the controversy over chalk messages written on campus last week in support of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

President Wagner’s supportive message comes after students from Emory’s Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) chapter and a separate, non-partisan coalition of Emory alumni began parallel initiatives asking Emory to overhaul the university’s restrictive speech codes and officially commit to protecting free expression on campus.

Wagner visited a YAL campus event last Friday, talked to the students, and even added his own sidewalk chalk message to the array of student chalkings, reading: “EMORY STANDS FOR FREE EXPRESSION!”

Well, that’s nice to hear.