have been gingerly trying to throw out the idea that no one could have predicted the current disaster in New Orleans. Don’t believe ’em – it’s BS. It has been predicted for years, quite literally. One exhibit: Drowning New Orleans from the October 2001 issue of Scientific American. That’s not the only such prediction – just one of the most obvious.

Sandra Day O’Connor has announced her retirement, jockeying has begun in earnest for the soon-to-be-vacant seat. Forbes.com has a good overview article looking at the issue and naming jurists who may be on a short list somewhere in the Bush White House: Battle Lines Form Over Supreme Court. Remember that it is widely expected that Chief Justice Rehnquist will have to be replaced shortly as well.

there’s a great interview with Rep Rick Boucher: Lawmaker Revs Up Fair-Use Crusade. From page 2: “I would spend my time as a committee member when I was addressing [record companies] saying, ‘OK, why don’t you do something about it yourself? Why don’t you put your entire inventory up on the web and make it available in a user-friendly format for a reasonable price per track and get away from clinging to this old, outdated business model…'”

has a good piece on evolution vs intelligent design by H Allen Orr.

“News of the Times” is a not-so-subtle commentary on the evolution/ID fracas in Kansas this week.