[Photos] 2019 Polar Vortex – Bone-Chilling Conditions In Midwest

[Yahoo! News}- A blast of super cold Arctic air known as a “polar vortex” is whipping through the Midwest this week, freezing over lakes and cityscapes and creating life-threatening conditions for residents.

Wind chill temperatures on Wednesday were expected to drop to as low as -60 in Minnesota and -50 degrees in Illinois, prompting school districts to cancel classes and the U.S. Postal Service to suspend deliveries in some areas.

The historic deep freeze has transformed the Midwest into a deadly winter wonderland.

Check out some of the most bone-chilling photos below:

PHOTO: People enjoy at the Lake Michigan at 31st Street Harbor, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, in Chicago. (AP)

PHOTO: A harbor light is covered by snow and ice on the Lake Michigan at 39th Street Harbor, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, in Chicago. (AP)

PHOTO: A warning sign is covered by ice at Clark Square park in Evanston, Ill., Jan. 30, 2019. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)

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(Scott Olson via Getty Images)

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The Chicago River is full of ice, with more cold weather on the way. (Yahoo! News)

The Most Stunning Red Buildings Around the World

Buildings come in a variety of shapes and sizes, colours and patterns, with amazing looks and designs.
But what if you only use one colour for the entirety of the building’s exterior?
Below are wonderful monochromatic buildings from around the world using only the colour Red.
(Photos credit to Yahoo! News)

Paperbridge, Steve Messam

Formosa 1140, LOHA Architects

Casa das Artes, Future Architecture Thinking

Barcode, Vitruvius and Sons

Nuestra Señora del Carmen Neuropsychiatric Center, José Javier Gallardo

The Muddus Block, Wingårdhs Architectural Office

Photos: The Supreme Cat Show

[Yahoo! News}- The one-day Supreme Cat Show is one of the largest cat fancy competitions in Europe with over 800 cats being exhibited. Exhibitors aim to have their cat named as the show’s ‘Supreme Exhibit’ from the winners of the individual categories of: Supreme Adult, Supreme Kitten and Supreme Neuter.

Norwegian Forest cats Bostinforest Chewbacca and his Grandfather Normystic Lord Burr participate in the GCCF Supreme Show at NEC Arena on October 27, 2018 in Birmingham, England. (Photo: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)

Cats participate in the GCCF Supreme Show at NEC Arena on Oct. 27, 2018 in Birmingham, England. (Photo: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)

Persian cat Riascatz Dandy Lion earns winner of Supreme Cat 2018 in the GCCF Supreme Show at NEC Arena on Oct. 27, 2018 in Birmingham, England. (Photo: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)

Norwegian Forest cat Bostinforest Darth Vader participates in the GCCF Supreme Show at NEC Arena on October 27, 2018 in Birmingham, England. (Photo: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)

Abyssinian cat Javier earns second place for Supreme Cat 2018 in the GCCF Supreme Show at NEC Arena on October 27, 2018 in Birmingham, England. (Photo: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)

British Blue kitten Schalikatz Romeo Y Julieta participates in the GCCF Supreme Show at NEC Arena on October 27, 2018 in Birmingham, England. (Photo: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)

Toyger cat Tobysden Eris participates in the GCCF Supreme Show at NEC Arena on October 27, 2018 in Birmingham, England. (Photo: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)

Photos from the Super Blue Blood Moon

[Yahoo! News}- Earlier this year, a blue moon, super moon and blood moon all coincided for the first time since 1866.

The rare celestial event – dubbed the ‘super blue blood moon’ was visible from many parts of the world, but the most jaw-dropping views were in western North America, Asia, the Middle East, Russia and Australia.

However, due to the way the eclipse happens, those in Western Europe, most of Africa and Central and Southern America missed out on the event.

This was the third in a series of ‘supermoons’ which saw the moon appear 14 percent brighter and 30 per cent larger than usual.

Skygazers in the Eastern Hemisphere last saw a blue moon total lunar eclipse in 1982, but those in the West haven’t witnessed one for more than 150 years.

Unlike a solar eclipse, this lunar eclipse can be safely viewed without protective eyewear. (Getty)

The moon rises behind Glastonbury Tor, southwestern England. This is the second full moon of the month, commonly known as a ‘blue moon’, and won’t happen again for another two years and eight months. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

The ‘Supermoon’ silhouettes the statue to Admiral Lord Collingwood which overlooks the entrance to the river Tyne at Tynemouth, Tyne & Wear. (SWNS)

A plane is silhouetted by the Blue Moon as it passes over Liverpool, Merseyside. (PA)

It’s thought those who live in the Central timezone got the best view of the supermoon in all its glory. (Getty)

The full eclipse began at 2:07pm UTC (2:07pm GMT, 9:07am ET) although some of it was still visible after that. (Reuters)

According to Nasa, the event offered experts a chance to see what happens to the moon when it cools quickly. (SWNS)

 

Amazing Arts Which Were Surprisingly Made in MS Paint

His art is a far cry from the stick men most of us are capable of making on Paint

[Yahoo! News}- It’s known as being the go-to tool for clumsy doodles and childlike scribbles, but it turns out Microsoft Paint can actually be used to create incredible works of art.

The internet went into mourning on Monday as news spread that the programme was being discontinued.

But today Microsoft confirmed that it will continue to offer Paint through the Windows Store – though it won’t included on Windows 10 by default.

This will be music to the ears of US illustrator Pat Hines, who uses the programme for his artistic creations.

He has used the software to create beautiful illustrations for an e-book, as well as producing intricate portraits and incredibly detailed landscape drawings.

Pat says he uses the old-school programme because he ‘sucks’ at using Adobe Photoshop.

But that doesn’t mean his method is easy. He told the BBC: ‘I wouldn’t say it’s easy, it definitely takes quite a while. It could take upwards of 20 hours for just one piece.’

These are some of his astonishing creations.

His art is a far cry from the stick men most of us are capable of making on Paint

Silhouetted figures are created on the software

Microsoft founder Bill Gates is given the Paint treatment

A detailed depiction of a scene from Harry Potter

Pat used Paint for this portrait of a friend’s baby

Pat used Paint for this homage to Star Wars

Intricate details appear in Pat’s Paint art

This picture of a wedding day was created with the click of a mouse

Harvey: Before And After Photos Of Catastrophic Houston Flood

Hurricane Harvey which made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 storm on August 25, caused “epic and catastrophic” flooding especially in Houston and some other parts of Texas.

Floodwaters are expected to rise further in the inundated Houston as the flood situation in Texas is expected to worsen in the coming days.

Below are some before and after photos of the flood caused by Hurricane Harvey taken from Yahoo! News and The Guardian.

Please click the photos for larger images:

A freeway near downtown Houston is seen before and after the storm. (Courtesy Grace Thomas via CBS News)

Image credit to @politicalhackuk from Twitter

Image credit to @mattmfm from Twitter

Image credit to @sniazis from Twitter

An overpass with Houston downtown in the background. Before image: Alamy Stock Photo After image: Reuters

Some Photos Of National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year 2017 – Cities Category

This spectacular view of Frankfurt is the perfect example of the modern city at night. (Pic: Vitaly Pankratov)

[Yahoo News}- Cities can often be looked at negatively, full of unsightly buildings and coloured by smog.

However, they can also be dazzling, scenic sights that provide stunning backdrops good enough to be framed.

National Geographic has compiled a group of photos taken in cities across the globe – and the sights on display are jaw-dropping.

From sprawling urban jungles to dazzling lights to incredible examples of modern architecture, each photo is vying to be crowned the cities photo of the year.

Here are just some of the entries in this year’s contest:

A New York sunset is captured from Queens across the East River, with the central building blocking out the light. (Pic: Lars Sivars)

The new city in the desert in Muhafazat al Buraymi, Oman, shows the same design repeated across the entire area. (Pic: Andrzej Bochenski)

Siena in Tuscany provides this filmic, sepia-toned shot that captures the morning sunlight. (Pic: Takeshi Ishizaki)

This spectacular view of Frankfurt is the perfect example of the modern city at night. (Pic: Vitaly Pankratov)

Taken from the highest residential building in Asia – the Zenith in Busan – the photographer had to hang over the edge to capture this incredible view. (Pic: Albert Dros)

This all island in Greenland is home to just 1,200 people – and what lucky people they are to live somewhere this beautiful. (Pic: Rayann Elzein)

Sea fog at the Kwai Chung Container Terminal in Hong Kong makes only the tops of buildings visible. (Pic: Edward Tin)

There are only 2-3 times to capture this view of the tallest building – ICC Mal – in Hong Kong every year. (Pic: CP Lau)

British Airways Cancels All Flights From Heathrow and Gatwick

The British Airways has suffered a major global IT system failure which cancelled all its flights out of London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports on Saturday.

The incident happened before 6PM (UTC+1), and some parts of British Airways’ website and check-in features were unavailable too.

According to the British Airways chief, Alex Cruz in an apology video, the failure was likely caused by a “power supply issue”, and that they have not found any evidence of a server attack.

Even the contact center server was affected and customers were advised to go to the British Airways twitter and website, Heathrow and Gatwick airport websites instead for any information.

Yahoo! News reported that this is the sixth major crash for its recently installed system in the space of roughly a year.

A Real Life Ice Age On The Way?

A real life ice age?

Below is an article from the Yahoo News:

The Sun Has Just ‘Gone Blank’ – Could There Be An Ice Age On The Way? – By Rob Waugh

Don’t be alarmed, but our sun has just ‘gone blank’ – with a total lack of sunspots leaving the surface like a snooker ball.

It’s part of the sun’s cycles – a sign that the ‘solar minimum’ is approaching – and some experts have suggested a new ‘mini ice age’ might be on the way.

Meteorology expert Paul Dorian of Vencore Weather says, ‘For the second time this month, the sun has gone completely blank.

‘The blank sun is a sign that the next solar minimum is approaching and there will be an increasing number of spotless days over the next few years.

‘At first, the blankness will stretch for just a few days at a time, then it’ll continue for weeks at a time, and finally it should last for months at a time when the sunspot cycle reaches its nadir.  The next solar minimum phase is expected to take place around 2019 or 2020.’

Some experts predict that we could soon see a ‘Maunder minimum’ phase – a mini ice age similar to one which began in 1645.

During the ‘Maunder Minimum’, temperatures plunged so much that the Thames froze over.

Prof Valentina Zharkova of Northumbria University  predicts that there will be a sharp decline in solar activity between 2020 and 2050.

Zharkova said, last year, ‘I am absolutely confident in our research. It has good mathematical background and reliable data, which has been handled correctly. In fact, our results can be repeated by any researchers with the similar data available in many solar observatories, so they can derive their own evidence of upcoming Maunder Minimum in solar magnetic field and activity.’

Colourful Patterns Of Enormous Group Of Animals

A huge flock of flamingos in Kenya, East Africa. (Ferrero-Labat/Ardea/Caters News)

These breathtaking photographs show that some animals take no chances when it comes to safety in numbers. Seen in every shape and size, from huge herds of wildebeest to colossal colonies of penguins, these creatures have no qualms when it comes to the issue of personal space.

Often seen during mass migration, these enormous groupings can be found in countries all over the world and prove an effective method of keeping themselves safe from predators. (Yahoo News)

Blue and yellow snapper fish seen in moving vast schools along the reef in Fiji. (Ron & Valerie Taylor/Ardea/Caters News)

A huge school of salmon seen in the waters of Hawaii. (Valerie Taylor/Ardea/Caters News)

Common zebras seen in Masai Mara, Africa. (Ferrero-Labat/Ardea/Caters News)

Female red crabs after spawning on Christmas Island. (Jean Paul Ferrero/Ardea/Caters News)

A colony of king penguins seen in South Georgia. (Jean Paul Ferrero/Ardea/Caters News)

Thousands of Monarch butterflies rest on a tree in North America. (Jean Paul Ferrero/Ardea/Caters News)