In The News:

Three Dead After More Syrian Shells Hit Lebanon

Three people were killed when Syrian mortars hit villages in northern Lebanon on Tuesday, as violence in Syria continued to spill across the border.

Residents said they had been under fire for five hours overnight, and that there had been sporadic shelling in the area for days.

One Lebanese man was killed by the shelling, and two Syrians living in Lebanon died when they were hit by a car speeding away from an area under fire, residents told Reuters.

It was the second fatal attack in three days. Three people were killed by mortar fire from Syria at the weekend and President Michel Suleiman ordered an investigation.

It was the second fatal attack in three days. Three people were killed by mortar fire from Syria at the weekend and President Michel Suleiman ordered an investigation.

Muslim Brotherhood Re-Affirms Jihad Against Israel And Morsi Gets Invited To The White House

Two related stories appeared over the weekend. Al-Wafd reported (yet another; see earlier here) pronouncement by Muslim Brotherhood (MB) Supreme Guide Mohammed Badi calling for the jihad conquest (i.e., genocidal destruction) of Israel. Shortly after that report appeared, the Obama administration announced the MB’s newly elected Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi had been invited to the White House in September.

Outrage Over Mob Attack In Michigan

A legal team that has gone to court in the past to protect Christians at Arab events in Dearborn, Mich., is returning to the fray, this time taking on the local sheriff’s department over a decision by officers to threaten Christians with disorderly conduct while angry Muslims were heaving chunks of concrete, stones, bottles and debris at them.

It happened at the 2012 Arab International festival on Father’s Day weekend, and a video of the attacks has gone viral on the Internet.

There, an angry mob of Arabs chanting "Allahu Akbar" is seen throwing concrete and eggs at the Christians who were holding signs about their faith.

Massive Drought In U.S. Midwest Sets Global Crops Prices Soaring

A massive drought in the U.S. corn belt, the worst some say in nearly a quarter-century, has triggered a buying frenzy in global grain markets and bolstered Canadian fertilizer producers.

Prices for key agricultural commodities such as corn, soybean and wheat have soared in the past few weeks as investors realize yields in the corn belt are going to be far lower than they expected in the spring.

The increased pricing is a direct response to a drought in the U.S. Midwest, with the hot and dry conditions limiting yields, thereby lowering supplies and boosting prices. The U.S. is the world’s biggest corn exporter and the one that is most watched by traders, so weather patterns in that country can have an outsized effect on world prices.

“This recent price escalation is unlike anything we have seen in recent years,” National Bank Financial analyst Robert Winslow wrote in a note.

White House Now Controls All Communications Via Executive Order (Video)

Is The Web Driving Us Mad?