December 16, 2004

A poll of 5,000 Iraqis, taken in and around Baghdad, that appeared yesterday in the Arabic newspaper Alsabah: What will you base your vote on? Political agenda----------------------------65% Factional origin----------------------------14% Party Affiliation---------------------------- 4% National Background----------------------12% Other reasons--------------------------------5% Do you support dialog with the deposed Baathists? Yes-------------------------------------------15% No--------------------------------------------84% Do not know----------------------------------1% Do you support the postponing the election? Yes-------------------------------------------18% No--------------------------------------------80% Do not know---------------------------------2% Do you think the elections will take place as scheduled? Yes-------------------------------------------83% No--------------------------------------------13% Do not know---------------------------------4%    [ As seen on Powerline ] 12:00:03 PM

Man pleads guilty in Jewish school firebombing CTV - One of the people charged in the firebombing of a Jewish school in Montreal has pleaded guilty to arson. In exchange, the conspiracy charge against him has been dropped. Sleiman Elmerhebi, now 19, made the plea in a Montreal court Thursday. Three people were originally charged in the attack. Charges were dropped against one man in October because of lack of evidence. Elmerhebi's mother Bouba Elmerhebi Fahd, 36, is still facing a charge of being an accessory after the fact. 11:01:22 AM

Microsoft Makes 'Giant' Anti-spyware Acquisition eWeek, NY - Microsoft Corp. has bought into the anti-spyware business. Just two months after Chairman Bill Gates dropped a strong hint that Microsoft planned to do something about the spyware scourge, the Redmond, Wash., company announced the acquisition of Giant Company Software, a New York-based startup with a highly rated anti-spyware application. 10:55:58 AM