Latest news with #winter
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Science
- Yahoo
At Antarctica's midwinter, a look back at the frozen continent's long history of dark behavior
As Midwinter Day approaches in Antarctica – the longest and darkest day of the year – those spending the winter on the frozen continent will follow a tradition dating back more than a century to the earliest days of Antarctic exploration: They will celebrate having made it through the growing darkness and into a time when they know the Sun is on its way back. The experience of spending a winter in Antarctica can be harrowing, even when living with modern conveniences such as hot running water and heated buildings. At the beginning of the current winter season, in March 2025, global news outlets reported that workers at the South African research station, SANAE IV, were 'rocked' when one worker allegedly threatened and assaulted other members of the station's nine-person winter crew. Psychologists intervened – remotely – and order was apparently restored. The desolate and isolated environment of Antarctica can be hard on its inhabitants. As a historian of Antarctica, the events at SANAE IV represent a continuation of perceptions – and realities – that Antarctic environments can trigger deeply disturbing behavior and even drive people to madness. The very earliest examples of Antarctic literature depict the continent affecting both mind and body. In 1797, for instance, more than two decades before the continent was first sighted by Europeans, the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.' It tells a tale of a ship blown by storms into an endless maze of Antarctic ice, which they escape by following an albatross. For unexplained reasons, one man killed the albatross and faced a lifetime's torment for doing so. In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe published the story of 'Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket,' who journeyed into the Southern Ocean. Even before arriving in Antarctica, the tale involves mutiny, cannibalism and a ship crewed by dead men. As the story ends, Pym and two others drift southward, encountering an enormous, apparently endless cataract of mist that parts before their boat, revealing a large ghostly figure. H.P. Lovecraft's 1936 story 'At the Mountains of Madness' was almost certainly based on real stories of polar exploration. In it, the men of a fictitious Antarctic expedition encounter circumstances that 'made us wish only to escape from this austral world of desolation and brooding madness as swiftly as we could.' One man even experiences an unnamed 'final horror' that causes a severe mental breakdown. The 1982 John Carpenter film 'The Thing' also involves these themes, when men trapped at an Antarctic research station are being hunted by an alien that perfectly impersonates the base members it has killed. Paranoia and anxiety abound, with team members frantically radioing for help, and men imprisoned, left outside or even killed for the sake of the others. Whether to gird themselves for what may come or just as a fun tradition, the winter-over crew at the United States' South Pole Station watches this film every year after the last flight leaves before winter sets in. These stories of Antarctic 'madness' have some basis in history. A long-told anecdote in modern Antarctic circles is of a man who stabbed, perhaps fatally, a colleague over a game of chess at Russia's Vostok station in 1959. More certain were reports in 2018, when Sergey Savitsky stabbed Oleg Beloguzov at the Russian Bellingshausen research station over multiple grievances, including the one most seized upon by the media: Beloguzov's tendency to reveal the endings of books that Savitsky was reading. A criminal charge against him was dropped. In 2017, staff at South Africa's sub-Antarctic Marion Island station reported that a team member smashed up a colleague's room with an ax over a romantic relationship. Concerns over mental health in Antarctica go much further back. In the so-called 'Heroic Age' of Antarctic exploration, from about 1897 to about 1922, expedition leaders prioritized the mental health of the men on their expeditions. They knew their crews would be trapped inside with the same small group for months on end, in darkness and extreme cold. American physician Frederick Cook, who accompanied the 1898-1899 Belgica expedition, the first group known to spend the winter within the Antarctic Circle, wrote in helpless terms of being 'doomed' to the 'mercy' of natural forces, and of his worries about the 'unknowable cold and its soul-depressing effects' in the winter darkness. In his 2021 book about that expedition, writer Julian Sancton called the ship the 'Madhouse at the End of the Earth.' Cook's fears became real. Most men complained of 'general enfeeblement of strength, of insufficient heart action, of a mental lethargy, and of a universal feeling of discomfort.' 'When at all seriously afflicted,' Cook wrote, 'the men felt that they would surely die' and exhibited a 'spirit of abject hopelessness.' And in the words of Australian physicist Louis Bernacchi, a member of the 1898-1900 Southern Cross expedition, 'There is something particularly mystical and uncanny in the effect of the grey atmosphere of an Antarctic night, through whose uncertain medium the cold white landscape looms as impalpable as the frontiers of a demon world.' A few years later, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, which ran from 1911 to 1914, experienced several major tragedies, including two deaths during an exploring trip that left expedition leader Douglas Mawson starving and alone amid deeply crevassed terrain. The 100-mile walk to relative safety took him a month. A lesser-known set of events on that same expedition involved wireless-telegraph operator Sidney Jeffryes, who arrived in Antarctica in 1913 on a resupply ship. Cape Denison, the expedition's base, had some of the most severe environmental conditions anyone had encountered on the continent, including winds estimated at over 160 miles an hour. Jeffryes, the only man in the crew who could operate the radio telegraph, began exhibiting signs of paranoia. He transmitted messages back to Australia saying that he was the only sane man in the group and claiming the others were plotting to kill him. In Mawson's account of the expedition, he blamed the conditions, writing: '(T)here is no doubt that the continual and acute strain of sending and receiving messages under unprecedented conditions was such that he eventually had a 'nervous breakdown.'' Mawson hoped that the coming of spring and the possibility of outdoor exercise would help, but it did not. Shortly after his return to Australia in February 1914, Jeffryes was found wandering in the Australian bush and institutionalized. For many years, his role in Antarctic exploration was ignored, seeming a blot or embarrassment on the masculine ideal of Antarctic explorers. Unfortunately, the general widespread focus on Antarctica as a place that causes disturbing behavior makes it easy to gloss over larger and more systemic problems. In 2022, the United States Antarctic Program as well as the Australian Antarctic Division released reports that sexual assault and harassment are common at Antarctic bases and in more remote field camps. Scholars have generally not linked those events to the specifics of the cold, darkness and isolation, but rather to a continental culture of heroic masculinity. As humans look to live in other extreme environments, such as space, Antarctica represents not only a cooperative international scientific community but also a place where, cut off from society as a whole, human behavior changes. The celebrations of Midwinter Day honor survival in a place of wonder that is also a place of horror, where the greatest threat is not what is outside, but what is inside your mind. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Daniella McCahey, Texas Tech University Read more: Endurance captain Frank Worsley, Shackleton's gifted navigator, knew how to stay the course Women in Antarctica face assault and harassment – and a legacy of exclusion and mistreatment 200 years of exploring Antarctica – the world's coldest, most forbidding and most peaceful continent Daniella McCahey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Target launches $80 genuine suede leather bag collection
An $80 bag from Target is quickly becoming a favourite among shoppers, offering genuine suede leather at a fraction of the price of many luxury alternatives. Suede is all the rage currently this winter in Australia, from suede loafers to suede bomber jackets, but finding genuine leather ones is a costly affair. For example, the Sienna Brown Suede bag from Vestirsi retails for $349, and the Tony Bianco Mily Espresso Suede Tote costs $249, which is why when Target dropped their own version of the suede over-the-shoulder bag, TikTokers lost their minds. TikToker can't believe her find One user, Emma Vosti, took to TikTok to rave about the find, saying: 'You will not believe what I got at Target yesterday. You just won't'. 'It came in its own dust bag,' she explained in awe as she pulled out the Chocolate Premium Suede Leather Slouch Shoulder Bag. She particularly loved all the small details that gave the bag a luxe touch. 'It's got lining on the bottom. It's a beautiful colour. It's got the stitching detail. Are you kidding me?' she raved, before showing a tag inside the bag that said 'suede leather'. The comments echoed her excitement, with one person saying they even left work early to go buy it. Others described it as 'beautiful' and 'chic'. Another simply said 'sold'. One fan admitted, 'I didn't realise Target did leather bags'. Influencer Steph Claire Smith even joined in on the hype and declared: 'That's a win'. Another commenter revealed, 'I truly have never been so quickly influenced. Bought it but have to find a way to drive to the town three hours away'. 'What I'm shocked!!!' said someone else. 'Going right now,' wrote another shopper. Target's new suede range Carrie Kirkman, General Manager of Merchandise at Target Australia, told 'At Target, we're passionate about giving our customers access to on-trend, high-quality pieces that are effortless and elevated – but importantly also affordable. 'Our new range of suede bags delivers on all fronts – it's made from genuine leather with that soft, velvety texture everyone loves, and is available in a fresh seasonal palette.' She said the first drop of bags is still arriving in stores across the country and landing online next week, but she's loving seeing the hype online already. 'It's been great to see the early response from our social media community. My personal favourite is the Suede Leather Slouch Shoulder Bag – it instantly elevates any look and, at just $80 for genuine suede, is at an incredible price point,' she said. The details The Premium Suede Leather Slouch Shoulder Bag is available in two colours, sand and chocolate. Crafted from soft, premium suede leather, it features a relaxed, slouchy silhouette and a thick, comfortable shoulder strap, making it ideal for carrying essentials throughout the day. Another popular bag in the collection is the Crescent Shoulder Bag, priced at $45, which is available in tan, chocolate, sand, and khaki. It's smaller than the shoulder bag, but still large enough to hold everyday essentials like your phone, wallet, and keys. The Bucket Tote Bag is another bag in the range, coming in three colours: tan, chocolate and khaki and also priced at $80. It features a large, rectangular design and an inner, removable small purse with a zip top closure. With genuine suede leather at such accessible prices, we're going to use the cliche here and say 'run don't walk' – as these bags are sure to fly off the shelves.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Millions brace for brutal cold snap
Millions are bracing for a deep freeze to set over the southern half of Australia, with an icy and wintry chill locking firmly in place as parts of NSW mark the coldest day of the year. Residents across the southwestern region of Australia will be hit with thunderstorms and damaging winds as a cold front settles in. Western Australia will be the first to feel the freeze as blistering winds and thunderstorms roll in, smashing the state's western and southwestern regions. Perth will bear the brunt of the rain on Friday afternoon, copping between 20mm to 50mm over the next two days before the cold front slowly moves east towards South Australia, Victoria and NSW. Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Angus Hines told NewsWire it was normal for WA to get hit with the coldest conditions before the rest of the country. 'Through the winter months, WA does often cop a lot of cold fronts,' he said. 'Given that most of our weather in the southern half of the country moves from west to east, it's often WA that gets the first taste of these colder outbreaks.' Severe thunderstorms are likely for Perth on Saturday, with scattered showers and strong winds smashing much of the southern regions of WA and moving to the southern coast on Sunday. It won't be long before those wintry conditions move over to Victoria and NSW. 'It's going to take a couple of days, but early next week that will be arriving in the southeast of the country, bringing some rain, some wind, and eventually some cold temperatures down that way as well,' Mr Hines said. However, while the mornings will be particularly tough for much of the southeast region, temperatures will warm up during the day. 'Interestingly, when we look at the maximum temperatures, kind of the afternoon temperatures when the sun is out, we do see those getting a little bit warmer compared to what they've been over the last few days,' he told NewsWire. 'That's really the main trend for the next couple of days.' Conditions will be extra chilly in the eastern region of the country over the weekend as the cold front system moves in, bringing rain thunderstorms and damaging wind gusts in the middle of next week. On Friday, parts of south and central NSW recorded the coldest temperature of the year so far, with a high pressure ridge over the state settling weather conditions. Canberra recorded an icy -7C on Friday morning, while Lithgow in NSW's Central Tablelands a a chilly -6C. 'Some really icy temperatures out through parts of the country,' Mr Hines told NewsWire. The bureau expects subzero conditions to smash parts of NSW, Victoria and southern inland Queensland over the weekend, particularly Saturday. Rain will follow for Victoria and NSW early next week, hitting the hardest on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, it will be a 'dry weekend'' for residents in northern Queensland, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and most of SA. Over the weekend, Brisbane residents can expect slight chance of showers over the weekend, with light winds and a top of 22C on Saturday and 23C on Sunday. It will be relatively cool for Sydney residents over the weekend, with mostly sunny conditions and patches of frost in the outer west, reaching a maximum temperature of 18C on Saturday and 19C on Sunday. Conditions will be icy in Canberra, with morning frost pulling the minimum temperature to -4C and a top of 14C on Saturday and Sunday. Melbourne will be mostly sunny over the weekend, with frost patches and fog expected in the morning, with a maximum temperature of 15C on Saturday and 16C on Sunday. Temperatures will be slightly warmer in Hobart, with mostly sunny skies and a top of 17C on Saturday and 16C on Sunday. Adelaide residents can expect a sunny weekend with a top of 19C on Saturday, followed by a high chance of showers and a top of 21C on Sunday. Conditions will be wet and soggy for Perth over the weekend, with a high chance of showers for much of the day, reaching a maximum of 17C on Saturday and 19C on Sunday. It will be warm and sunny over the weekend for Darwin, with sunny skies and a top of 31C on Saturday and 30C on Sunday.
ABC News
14 hours ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Winter solstice brings widespread frost as Australia's coldest towns revealed
Temperatures have been plummeting in large parts of the country as Australia closes in on the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. On Friday morning, widespread frosty conditions spread across large parts of New South Wales and Victoria, and some parts of Queensland. Cold air and clear skies combined saw broad areas drop to sub-zero degrees, with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) recording some of the coldest temperatures in two years in several locations. "This is definitely the lowest temperatures that we've seen this year [for some]," BOM senior meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said. "But that makes sense as we've moved into the beginning of winter, and typically that sort of June, July period is the coldest for most parts of Australia." But during the depths of winter, which town actually holds bragging rights as the coldest in the country? We've asked the BOM's climate team to open up the history books and take a look at the stats. Turns out the answer is similar to what's unfolded this week. First, let's start with the definition of "coldest", because there are quite a few ways to answer it. We've looked at two different metrics. The BOM looked at its available records for July, which is the coldest month of the year. We've also defined a "town" as having more than 1,000 people, in line with the Australian Bureau of Statistics definition of an "urban centre". So, sorry to Liawanee, Tasmania — population two — which is the true coldest inhabited place in Australia, but you'll have to sit this one out. We're also going to exclude the Alps, because everyone knows it's cold there. Based on overnight temperatures in the depths of winter, Australia's coldest town is Cooma, in southern New South Wales. During July, the town — known as the "capital of the Snowy Mountains" — averages minus 2.6 degrees Celsius at night, and -2C at the airport, according to figures from the BOM. "Anything elevated is going to be cooler because the temperature does decrease with height. It's always cooler up on the mountains than it is down in the lower-lying areas," Ms Bradbury said. "So Cooma, because it's got that little bit of elevation at 800 metres, it does generally see a cooler climate than some of those lower-lying areas." This week it has certainly been living up to that reputation, falling to -7C this Thursday and -8.5C on Friday. An honourable mention also goes to Walcha, in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, which wasn't far behind with a July average minimum of -2.2C. So that's the overnight temperature. But what about during the day? With that lens on, the title of coldest town stays in New South Wales — this time, going to Oberon in the Central Tablelands. During July, its temperature doesn't even make it into the double digits, peaking at between 8.1 and 8.8C on average, according to BOM figures. Add a bit of wind chill into the equation, and it's likely to feel even colder. "When it's windier, it feels colder. When it's more humid or the dew point temperature is higher, it tends to feel warmer," Ms Bradbury said. It just so happens that the coldest place, by average temperature, is a draw between both Oberon and Cooma. So if you're looking for a tie-breaker, you're out of luck. Of course, there are a lot of places in Australia that either don't have observations or haven't had weather station data for as long as others. It means there may be colder places out there, but there is just no good data to back it up. For the record, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Australia was at Charlotte Pass. On June 29, 1994, it dropped down to -23C at the Kosciuszko Chalet. The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was set at Vostok Station, in Antarctica, which dropped down to -89.4C on July 21, 1983. Ms Bradbury said both Oberon and Cooma were good examples of the type of features that made a town cold. In general, our coldest winter places are elevated and far enough south that they feel the effects of the winter fronts coming through. They also tend to be inland. "At this time of year, once the sun goes down, especially if we have a clear night, the temperature drops very quickly over land," she said. "But the water will hold its heat a little bit more, and that, in turn, will make those coastal locations just a touch milder than inland." During the summer months, on the other hand, it's the coastal areas that are usually the coolest. "It's sort of the inverse of the situation," she said. "You're more likely to get the sea breezes, and, you know, the heat is sort of retained a little bit more over the land." This Saturday marks the Southern Hemisphere's winter solstice — the shortest day of the year. It signals the point at which the hemisphere is tilted furthest away from the Sun, meaning fewer daylight hours. But the coldest time of the year is still to come. It takes time for the oceans and land to cool down and heat up, known as the "seasonal lag". This means the coldest temperatures are typically a few weeks after the shortest day of the year. Having said that, the weather can always throw a spanner in the works, according to Ms Bradbury. In terms of the current run of cold weather, Ms Bradbury said the frigid mornings would continue throughout the weekend until a cold front arrived, stirring up strong winds and the possibility of severe weather warnings. The front is expected to reach Western Australia today, and then take the weekend to move across the Bight. "So as we go into early next week, we've actually got a couple of fronts whipping through, which are going to keep conditions fairly windy," she said. "We may see severe weather warnings for damaging winds issued, both ahead of and behind the front. The winds are looking very strong." Notes about the data: The statistics for July are based on 1961-1990 averages for those sites that have sufficient data in the 1961-1990 period, and all available years of data otherwise. Note that some sites are no longer operational.
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
NYT Connections Hints For Friday June 20: Clues And Answers For Today's Game
Find the links between the words to win today's game of Connections. Each day's game of NYT Connections goes live at midnight local time. Before we get to today's Connections hints and answers, here are Thursday's: Hey there, Connectors! It's almost the weekend. It's also the official start of summer or winter, depending on where you are in the world. So, there's that! I hope you're doing okay. Not just "okay" as in when someone asks how you're doing and that's what you say even when you're not actually feeling your best. But that you're truly doing at least pretty well. It's okay to not feel okay, though, especially given a lot of what's going on in the world. As long as you're not harming anyone else or yourself, you're entirely free to feel and think and do as you please. So feel your feelings, let them all out if you need to and, when you're ready, try to stay positive. Don't let the you-know-who grind you down. Before we begin, we have a great little community on Discord, where we chat about NYT Connections, the rest of the NYT games and all kinds of other stuff. Everyone who has joined has been lovely. It's a fun hangout spot, and you're more than welcome to hang out with us. Discord is also the best way to give me any feedback about the column, especially on the rare (or not-so-rare) occasions that I mess something up. I don't look at the comments or Twitter much. You can also read my weekend editions of this column at my new newsletter, Pastimes. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Today's NYT Connections hints and answers for Friday, June 20 are coming right up. Connections is a free, popular New York Times daily word game. You get a new puzzle at midnight every day. You can play on the NYT's website or Games app. You're presented with a grid of 16 words. Your task is to arrange them into four groups of four by figuring out the links between them. The groups could be things like items you can click, names for research study participants or words preceded by a body part. There's only one solution for each puzzle, and you'll need to be careful when it comes to words that might fit into more than one category. You can shuffle the words to perhaps help you see links between them. Each group is color coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest to figure out, blue and green fall in the middle, and the purple group is usually the most difficult one. The purple group often involves wordplay. Select four words you think go together and press Submit. If you make a guess and you're incorrect, you'll lose a life. If you're close to having a correct group, you might see a message telling you that you're one word away from getting it right, but you'll still need to figure out which one to swap. If you make four mistakes, it's game over. Let's make sure that doesn't happen with the help of some hints, and, if you're really struggling, today's Connections answers. As with Wordle and other similar games, it's easy to share results with your friends on social media and group chats. If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you can access the publication's Connections archive. This includes every previous game of Connections, so you can go back and play any of those that you have missed. Aside from the first 60 games or so, you should be able to find our hints Google if you need them! Just click here and add the date of the game for which you need clues or the answers to the search query. Scroll slowly! Just after the hints for each of today's Connections groups, I'll reveal what the groups are without immediately telling you which words go into them. Today's 16 words are... And the hints for today's Connections groups are: Need some extra help? Be warned: we're starting to get into spoiler territory. Let's take a look at one word for each group. Today's Connections word hints are… Today's Connections groups are... Spoiler alert! Don't scroll any further down the page until you're ready to find out today's Connections answers. This is your final warning! Today's Connections answers are... If anyone thought for a second that I wouldn't get the blue group instantly, they clearly don't know me very well. Here, we have references to Bret "The HITMAN" Hart, Dwayne "The ROCK" Johnson (aka one of the biggest stars in the world), Jake "The SNAKE" Roberts and, of course, The UNDERTAKER. The latter character was a mortician, then a zombie mortician, then a lord of darkness-type, then a biker, then a zombie mortician, then, like, a psuedo-MMA guy, then a biker again. I think that was the order of the gimmicks at least. Pro wrestling is fun, and that's a shoot, brother. Anyway, squaring that away helped me see everything else quite clearly. POETIC and PAPER landed next to each other. I figured they were linked by "wax," and that led me to the purples. To "wax poetic" means to talk in a long-winded way, perhaps getting increasingly enthusiastic. It was a toss up for me as to which group were the greens and yellows. But I guessed correctly, and submitted the greens then the yellows. Also, the ROCK, PAPER and SCISSORS red herring was fun, but a very obvious trap. So I didn't feel bad about giving that away in the level two hints. A perfect game takes me to win 115 on the bounce. Here's my grid: 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 That's all there is to it for today's Connections clues and answers. I'll be back with you all here on Monday. In the meantime, you can check out my weekend editions of this column in my newsletter, Pastimes. Have an excellent weekend. P.S. You might have been expecting me to recommend something pro wrestling-related here. But no! That would have been too easy (I was tempted, I admit). Instead, I'm going for something that ties into the yellows. It's been a long time since I've seen Be Kind, Rewind, but I remember liking it quite a bit. It's a sweet film, a bit of a love letter to cinema. The trailer gives away the entire plot, but the story doesn't really matter much with this one. It's all about heart, humor and creativity: Have a great day! Stay hydrated! Be kind to yourself and others! Call someone you love! Please follow my blog for more coverage of NYT Connections and other word games, and even some video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot! Sharing this column with other people who play Connections would be appreciated too. You can also read my weekend editions of this column at my new newsletter, Pastimes.
