The Democracy scorecard continues to tally up.

Democracy spreads: It's Bush's fault
Slater Bakhtavar, The American Thinker Original Article

A resilient, yet experimental venture by the Bush Administration into uncharted waters has proven largely beneficial, as democracy sweeps several countries once occupied by tyrants. The winds of change are blowing across the world as jubilant demonstrators are taking back their God-given right to freedom once usurped by fascist dictators. An unshaken vision of international democracy in coordination with the deep desire of individuals across the world to be free has led to elections across the Middle East and the former Soviet Union.

Interesting. If true, the vast majority of newly employeed folks are self-employed.

Job Stats for Dummies
Jerry Bowyer, NRO Original Article

It’s understandable if you’re a member of the general public and you’re perplexed about the dozen or so stats that appear in the monthly employment statements. But it’s not if you write business headlines for the New York Times. Today the Times’s web edition ran a headline that said, “U.S. Economy Added Only 78,000 Jobs in May.” Of course, this statement is false. Total nonfarm employment, which is part of the Labor Department’s payroll survey, is what increased by only 78,000. This is not a measure of what the “U.S. Economy” is doing, nor does it purport to be.

Two possible titles: "Nonexistent Weapons of Mass Destruction go missing" or "UN still using oil-for-food money to fund UNMOVIC inspections"

U.N.: Weapons Equipment Missing in Iraq
Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press Original Article

U.N. satellite imagery experts have determined that material that could be used to make biological or chemical weapons and banned long-range missiles has been removed from 109 sites in Iraq, U.N. weapons inspectors said in a report obtained Thursday.

Caspian oil exports to rise dramatically in next decade

Caspian Sea Region
Michael Cohen, Department of Energy Original Article

The Caspian Sea region, including the Sea and the states surrounding it, is important to world energy markets because of its potential to become a major oil and natural gas exporter over the next decade. The region is thought to hold the world's third largest oil and natural gas reserves behind the Middle East and Russia. However, several factors threaten to complicate the region's potential, including a lack of adequate export infrastructure, disagreement over new export routes, and border disputes between the littoral states.