THE BRITISH government is close to releasing the findings of its inquiry into the death of Alexander Litvinenko. It appears Litvinenko was killed after exposing links between the Russian mafia and associates of Vladimir Putin.

IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE and dandelions are blooming in the Ozarks. We review a few major trends from the past year, discuss the surge in public proclamations of imminent prophetic fulfillment, and share our wish for you--a blessed and happy holiday season.

TECH VISIONARIES have announced a new non-profit artificial intelligence startup. The goal, apparently, is to make sure the first AI is "good". This is an interesting development, considering that one of the founders has called building an AI "summoning the demon."

THE DEHUMANIZATION of Planet Earth continues as we make way for Humanity 2.0. In the news this week: Treating depression with emojis, robots designed with free will, and robots for search and rescue (funded by the Defense Department)--or to replace a spouse who might one day take all your stuff in a divorce.

MEET THE new Slenderman--an evil clown named Laughing Jack. A 12-year old Indiana girl allegedly stabbed her 50-year-old stepmother to death and setting their apartment on fire. Why? To please Laughing Jack.

Today we discuss immortality through technology and several stories related to Russia: Putin's goals in the Middle East, a possible deal with Israel to develop the Leviathan natural gas field, and Russian code infects Pentagon servers with viruses.

AN ASTEROID will fly by Earth on Halloween at only 1.3x the distance of the Moon. It's nicknamed "Spooky", it's been identified by astronomers as a dead comet -- and it just happens to look like a human skull.

Also: Comet Lovejoy spews alcohol and sugar into space; robots that can read your emotions; IS claims responsibility for tragic Russian airliner crash; insect-sized drones; and Putin positions Russia as the defender of Christendom.

A CREEPY new video presents a dark puzzle that apparently threatens U.S. President Barack Obama. As of today, nobody seems to know who created the video and what it really means.

Also: More evidence of intrigue at the Vatican, UN initiative adopted by several US cities targets right-wing extremists, Parliament of World Religions pushes universalism, and Shiite Muslims commemorate 7th century Battle of Karbala with bloody self-flagellation.

RUSSIA AND Iran have sent troops to fight for Syria’s largest city, Aleppo. Since it borders on the “Islamic State-free zone” declared by Turkey and the US last month, will the NATO allies have a problem with this? And how will the Islamic State respond?

More significantly, the IS-free zone (which is definitely not IS-free) includes Dabiq, the village where the Islamic State believes it will fight a climactic battle against the forces of Rome (Christendom) before they go on to establish the global caliphate. How will the IS respond?

Also: Mindfulness makes converts even in Christian churches, a recommendation for Annie Jacobsen's history of DARPA (The Pentagon's Brain), and scientists claim they can make Christians disbelieve in God -- with magnets.

WE TEND not to be alarmists when it comes to Christian persecution in the USA. But things have shifted in recent years and it's starting to get ugly.

But things have shifted in recent years and it's getting ugly. Think what you will of Kim Davis (the Clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, who has refused to comply with the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage and issue marriage permits to gay couples), some of the criticism she's received is chilling--for example, equating her actions with sharia law.

Lest we forget, the Islamic State marked the Supreme Court's ruling by throwing four gay men off a rooftop and tweeted the pictures under the hashtag #lovewins. THAT is what sharia looks like.  And frankly, some supporters of same-sex marriage are getting close to advocating sharia-type penalties for people who don't share their worldview.

Also: Blood Rave in Amsterdam; Cicada 3301; remembering Operation Blackjack; the "gospel" chorus that sang for Hillary; and living forever as a virtual social media profile.