Israel Settles, Paris Summits; Holy Land Polygamy; Mount Synagogue; China Takes a Sail; India's Even Bigger Statue; and The Year Ends with a Ban

Israel

Israel plans more settlements; Abbas looks to Paris summit usatoday v

The developments came just days after the United States broke with past practice and allowed the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem as a “flagrant violation” of international law.

Enshrined, Planned Funding; 3 Parent Approval; South Sea Range; Taiwan to Go; Duterte Shows 'em How; Sanctions Missile; Journalists (not) in Turkey; Driving, Touching Air; and AI Typewriter

Abortion

Obama Bars States From Denying Federal Money to Planned Parenthood nytimes

Mindful of the clock ticking down to a Trump presidency, the Obama administration issued a final rule on Wednesday to bar states from withholding federal family-planning funds from Planned Parenthood affiliates and other health clinics that provide abortions. The measure takes effect two days before the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald J. Trump.

According to the department, repealing the rule would require a new rule-making process, or a joint resolution of disapproval by the House and Senate, with concurrence by the new president.

Raising Temple Hopes; Mount Lobby; Jewish Tipping Point; Going Dutch with Russia; The No Good Rupee; Taiwan Falls Next; 100 Transgender Salute; Password, Hackedword; Monkeys Walk Again; Removing Old Cells; Swarms of Satellites; and Fast Flier

Israel

Sanhedrin Asks Putin and Trump to Build Third Temple in Jerusalem breakingisraelnews

Rabbi Hillel Weiss, spokesman for the Sanhedrin jewishvirtuallibrary.org, contacted Breaking Israel News to announce that the election of Trump, who has promised to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, coupled with Putin’s expressed desire for the Temple to be rebuilt, prompted the Jewish court to send a letter offering the two the opportunity to act as modern-day Cyrus figures: non-Jewish kings who recognize the importance of Israel and the Temple.

Planned Parenthood's 3%; Louisiana's PP Battle; Biblical Zoo is so Anti-Darwin; 20 More Climate Ouis; Another Typhoon; Soaked, Secretive NK; Syria, I Knew Her Well; Waiting On Line; Robot Deputy; AI Car Designer; Stem Cell Lungs; Printing Lenses; Common Rare Diseases; Satellite Tom; and Resurrected Fraud

Abortion

The Numbers That Show Planned Parenthood About Abortion, Not Women’s Health dailysignal v

Planned Parenthood’s own numbers prove that it’s an abortion corporation, focused on abortion, not on women’s health care. The fact is, Planned Parenthood doesn’t perform a single mammogram and performs less than 2 percent of all women’s cancer screenings in the United States. Yet, as America’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood commits over 30 percent of America’s abortions—887 abortions a day, one abortion every 97 seconds, and over 320,000 abortions last year alone.

Taiwantology; Spider Bot; Not So Excited About Upgrades; Printing Mars' Maybe Habitat; and Syria Falls off Wall

False Religion

The Curious Rise of Scientology in Taiwan theatlantic

Scientology around the world is in broad retreat, but to be in Taiwan you would never know that. In an area slightly smaller than the combined size of Delaware and Maryland, with a total population of 23.4 million—roughly the same as that of the New York metropolitan area—Taiwan has 15 Scientology missions and churches. Per capita, it’s one of the most Scientology-friendly countries on earth. The island serves as a major source of donations and new members for the church, which has capitalized on L. Ron Hubbard’s early suggestions that he was a new Buddha. In a sign of Taiwan’s importance to the church, Scientology chief David Miscavige also attended the 2013 Kaohsiung reopening of the hotel as a Scientology megachurch.

$10.50/hr; Missile Fired at China - Accidentally; Israel Charging for Terror; Qualitative Edge for a Price; NC Hangs onto (Most of) Original Law; Brainless Consciousness; July 4th - Jupiter; and Underwater Drones

Minimum Wage

Minimum wage goes up in City of LA, unincorporated areas of LA County asianjournal

The minimum wage in the City of Los Angeles and unincorporated areas of LA County is now $10.50 an hour. The city and county join the District of Columbia and 12 other cities, states and counties that boosted the hourly pay rates on Friday, July 1.

If they keep this up, soon I'll be making minimum wage :)