Interesting Reads for Tuesday, 27 December 2016: Mosul Dam, Bitcoin Price Surge, Animal Photos & More

Iraq: Army Corps of Engineers Says Mosul Dam  Is "The Most Dangerous Dam In The World" And  Poses A Bigger Threat Than ISIS    (The New Yorker)

Islands of Mass Destruction: How China killed essential reefs and built military bases on top     (Bloomberg Businessweek)


Mars rover Curiosity views spectacular layered rock formations which remind us of Southwest buttes in the USA     (Geology In)


China Plans to Land Probes on Far Side of the Moon, Mars by 2020    (NY Times)


Our favorite Wired Long Reads of the year   (Wired) 

Why do I torture my kids … with classical music?    (Vitaly Katsenelson's Contrarian Edge)

Prices Have Exploded Upward As Investors Chase Bitcoins As A Safe Haven        (Coin Telegraph)

The Big Picture Blog looks at "Amazing Animals 2016"     (The Boston Globe)


Grand Chess Master Gary Kasparov Interviewed About Putin, Trump, and Democracy - "Why Dictators Hate Chess"     (Slate) 


Trump Is Already Ditching His Movement      (The National Review)


The Toughest Man in America     (Alabama Political Reporter, Josh Moon)

Heartbreaking Photos of Wildlife Dying To Live With the BP Oil Gusher

There is no way to embed the slideshow from Huffington Post. So, all I can do is link you to "Crimes Against Nature" . . . a heartbreaking answer to all the jerks such as Brit Hume, Haley Barbour and other Neo-Con/Libertarian/Tea Party yodelers who kept asking, "Where's the oil?"

Click here for "Crimes Against Nature" - "Gulf Oil Spill - Animals In Peril".