Have a seat, Gen. Hayden

And you thought your last job interview was tough.

Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden goes before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence this week to make his case as to why he should become the next director of the CIA. On the Sunday interview shows, lawmakers from both parties said his fate rests on his explanation of warrantless domestic eavesdropping that he oversaw while at the National Security Agency.

Many also expressed concern, or outright anger, over reports that the NSA had built a database of millions of people’s domestic telephone calling records. National security advisor Stephen J. Hadley made a few TV appearances of his own and appeared to confirm -- in a broad way -- that such a database exists. But he insisted that the administration’s intelligence activities have “prevented attacks and saved lives.” Page A5

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Exit a test -- and some values

Is the state’s high school exit exam unfair? Bob Sipchen takes issue with the judge who said yes. What’s really unfair, Sipchen says in his weekly School Me column, is teaching students that adults don’t have the backbone to impose standards and enforce them.

Earlier this year, Sipchen tagged along with some L.A. Fremont High School seniors as they attended a test preparation “boot camp.” Some of those students, who had failed the test earlier, might agree that the test is unfair, he writes. But putting in the extra work, passing the test, and taking pride in accomplishing something -- what’s unfair about that? Page B1

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Dedication in New Orleans

In a city best known for its French, African and Spanish roots, the Vietnamese community of New Orleans is small, resilient and, perhaps, a little bit lucky.

Good fortune is a relative term in New Orleans, but the section of the city that was home to about 8,000 to 10,000 Vietnamese before Katrina hit wasn’t flooded as severely as other areas. Still, in the post-Katrina world of uncertainty and inconsistent city services and utilities, Vietnamese Americans have become models of self-help and recovery.

A local pastor says about 1,500 of his church’s 2,500 members have returned permanently and that 45 of about 50 Vietnamese-owned businesses are up and running.

With many of the people having fled their homeland, they have experience at starting over. Page A4

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Roots that don’t tap water

Philip Reavis built a desert in the middle of, as he calls it, “a semidesert.”

Reavis owns and lives in an apartment complex near the Beverly Center. He hates wasting water, so years ago he ripped out the lawn, put in volcanic rock, cacti and California poppies. Now, he says proudly, he hasn’t spent a nickel on watering the landscaping since 1987.

“The land loved the plants,” he says, adding that tenants adore the place and hardly ever move out. So why don’t more apartment complexes adopt the drought-tolerant concept? Landscape designers say it’s all about the green. Page B1

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New president, same old troubles

With troops quelling a prison riot less than a mile away, Rene Preval takes the oath of office as Haiti’s president.

Preval inherits a nation that is occupied by foreign peacekeepers, languishing in economic ruin and torn over the fate of exiled former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Preval is experienced; he held the office from 1996 to 2001. In fact, he is the only person who has served a full term as Haiti’s president.

“Only we Haitians can solve our main problem, which is division,” he says. “We have to work together. Foreigners can’t do that for us.” Page A9

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Now at bat, No. 33 ...

Jose Canseco hit 462 homers in the majors, then wrote a book saying he and other top stars used steroids. These days, Canseco, 41, suits up for fun with the Valley Mets in the L.A. Men’s Senior Baseball League. He can still hit it deep, and he still talks a good game -- about baseball, “the juice,” and Barry Bonds. Page D1

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BUSINESS

Is it fuel-efficient or fool-efficient?

Here’s a sweet idea in these days of $3.50-a-gallon gasoline: Pop a pill into your petrol tank and increase the “calorific power” of the fuel system. Or pour in some liquid and st-r-r-r-r-etch that mileage. Or stick a magnet onto your fuel line and repel the need to stop for fill-ups.

Investing in one of these elixirs might sound like a good idea. But do they work? Page C1

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‘Poseidon’ starts as a slow boat

Three days out and “Poseidon” is already taking on water. Costing an estimated $150 million to $180 million to make, the film about the hapless cruise ship grosses an estimated $20.3 million in its opening weekend, finishing behind “Mission: Impossible III” for the period.

Executives at Warner Bros. Pictures concede some disappointment about the numbers, but they aren’t ready to abandon ship. They see a ray of sunshine overseas, where “Poseidon” opened well in a limited release. Page C1

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Sending insurance across the border

It’s a murky corner of the car-insurance market.

Mexican motorists crossing into the U.S. often buy so-called northbound insurance. But six of at least eight companies selling such insurance don’t have licenses in the state, potentially leaving injured Californians unprotected against damage caused by a motorist with a policy from an unlicensed insurer.

The state has ordered one firm to stop selling the policies. But that company says that since it sells policies to Mexicans in Mexico, it isn’t subject to a state license. Page C1

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ON LATIMES.COM

Whom do you ‘Idol’-ize?

Idolatry on tap: “American Idol” is down to the final three: Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin. So who’s your choice? Cast your vote on our entertainment news page, see how other Times readers voted and read our web-only coverage of the competition’s final days.

www.latimes.com/entertainmentSolve the puzzle: In our interactive game, solve the three mysteries hidden deep inside the Louvre’s Grande Gallerie. Based on “The Da Vinci Code,” you’ll decipher ancient texts, search for missing gallery keys and even piece the “Mona Lisa” back together.

www.calendarlive.com/mysteryquest

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HEALTH

Drug-education programs stumble

School-based approaches to keeping kids off drugs rarely work, experts say. The problem: No one-size-fits-all program can prepare youths for the unpredictable encounters of the real world and real temptations. Yet officials defend the programs, and schools invest millions of dollars in them. Page F1

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Whatever you call it, make it stop

A researcher seeking an elusive sex hormone 70 years ago put a name to a ubiquitous part of the human experience.

Hans Selye injected rats with liquid extracts of cow organs and noted they reacted the same way each time: with swollen glands and ulcers. What he called “stress” -- and later wished he’d called “strain” -- gave a name to what you’re probably feeling right now. Page F3

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Coming to an iPod near you: yoga

Add yoga to the list of things you can now get to go.

The new website Yogi2go.com offers downloadable audio files that can be played on iPods and other MP3 players. That makes it easier for yoga enthusiasts to squeeze in a session in the midst of a busy day -- or even on an airplane.

Maybe you can even get other people to hum along to your mantra. Page F1

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Off-label drug use may be off-base

Doctors are increasingly prescribing medicines for illnesses for which the drugs have not received government approval, raising concerns about the propriety -- and safety -- of so-called “off-label” applications.

A new study finds 20% of drug prescriptions are for unapproved applications. Some wonder if the practice could lead to complications, making the cure worse than the illness. Page F3

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CALENDAR

DaVinci’s code-breaker

When 50 million people read the book, when the Vatican’s scorn extends the movie’s anticipation beyond the half-life of plutonium, when having no previews allows the buzz to build ... is the screenwriter thrilled or quivering in a corner?

If that movie is “The Da Vinci Code,” and that screenwriter is Akiva Goldsman, the answer is ... neither. Despite occupying an office on prime studio real estate, despite writing big-budget movies as fast as he can type, this is no aloof player. This is just a guy who, he says, “never had the easiest time being entirely clear about what’s real and what’s not.”

A guy who eschews complication. “The screenplays I write are formally very predictable. ... I can dress them up pretty on a good day, but the structure is simple and I like that.” Page E1

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Wanna see my e-links?

It’s time for TV broadcast networks to woo advertisers to their fall lineups, and this year’s ritual has a new attraction. In a nod to the new-media era, networks are trying to seduce advertisers via the digital realm beyond the TV screen. Page E1

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THE WEEK AHEAD

MONDAY

Decision Day on Part D

Seniors have until midnight tonight to sign up for the new Medicare prescription benefit. In California, there are 47 plans to pick from, all offered by private insurers and each with its own list of covered drugs and rules. To enroll, seniors can contact one of the plans directly, call (800) MEDICARE or go online at www.medicare.gov. Medicare will have 6,000 operators on hand.

MONDAY

Hussein lawyers open defense

Saddam Hussein’s lawyers begin presenting their witnesses in his defense. They are expected to call dozens of people, causing prosecutors to suggest that the former president’s lawyers may be trying to delay the case, which is already months old. The trial has been prolonged by disruptions and long speeches by Hussein and his co-defendants. The court is expected to hear three days of witnesses this week.

WEDNESDAY

Regents meet on compensation

University of California regents meet in San Francisco for a session likely to be a culmination of months of controversy over executive compensation. The regents will see yet another audit of UC’s pay practices, and UC President Robert C. Dynes will make a public presentation about his decisions. Some lawmakers have called for Dynes to quit or be fired, but he says he has no plans to step down.

SATURDAY

Barbaro goes for the Preakness

The colt Barbaro, who won the Kentucky Derby in dominant fashion against 19 other contenders May 6, will make a run for the Preakness, the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. Barbaro, a heavy favorite, figures to face a smaller field in this race; the second- and third-place finishers in the Derby are skipping the trip to Baltimore and resting up for the Belmont Stakes on June 10.