Land O Links

* “Today, the average substation transformer in the U.S. is 42 years old — two years older than its expected life span. A recent Department of Energy report warned that 70 percent of the largest high-voltage power transformers — each weighing up to 800,000 pounds — are more than 25 years old, and subject to an increased risk of failure. As of now, replacing one of these enormous transformers, should it be attacked, or simply break down, can take twenty months or longer. Even without any major attacks or breakages, most of the equipment on the grid is already so antiquated that roughly 500,000 Americans lose electricity for at least two hours every single day.”

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/november_december_2012/features/how_we_could_blow
_the_energy_b041072.php?page=2

* Washington Monthly reports on Republican interest in prison reform:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/novemberdecember_2012/features/
the_conservative_war_on_prison041104.php

* If you are under 27 in Michigan, you have never experienced a month in your life when the average temperature was below normal. It’s been more than 330 months since the last below average month, according to federal statistics.:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2012/11/16/noaa_climate_october_was_332nd_straight_month
_with_above_average_temperatures.html

* Man spraying water on fire consuming his neighbor's house gets Tasered by police. Anyone want to field a reasoned explanation for that level of force used?:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/13/3094917_florida-man-describes-being-shot.html#storylink=addthis