Amanda Lucier/The Virginian-Pilot/AP Photo
Lee Lazernick, right, asked his mother Thelma Lazernick, left, to pose with a customer's Ruger Mini-14 .223 semi-automatic rifle on Monday, Feb.18, 2013, at All Around Pizza and Deli in Virginia Beach, Va., where customers wearing weapons or who bring their concealed weapons permit are offered a 15 per cent discount.
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The coldest temperatures in the northern hemisphere have been recorded in the Oymyakon valley, Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia, where according to the United Kingdom Met Office, a temperature of -67.8 degrees Celsius (-90 degrees Fahrenheit) was registered in 1933 - the coldest on record in the northern hemisphere since the beginning of the 20th century. Yet despite the harsh climate, people live in the valley, and the area is equipped with schools, a post office, a bank, and even an airport runway (albeit open only in the summer).
Here's a glimpse into the lives of the people who inhabit this harsh region of Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A minibus drives along an ice road across the Lena river, outside Yakutsk in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A girl bundled up for the cold in the village of Oymyakon, in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A man passes a sign saying "Oymyakon 'Pole of Cold'" on the site of a former meteorological station in the village of Oymyakon, in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Lumberjacks Alexey Egorov, 45, (L) and Semion VInokurov, 53, lunch in the cabin of their truck in forest outside Tomtor in the Oymyakon valley, in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A general view of the village of Tomtor in the Oymyakon valley, in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Ships are moored on the banks of a river for the winter outside Yakutsk in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A view shows ice sculptures on the Lena river, constructed for the celebration of Orthodox Epiphany outside Yakutsk in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Alexander Gubin, 43, prepares to dive into the frozen Labynkyr lake, some 100 km south from Oymyakon in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Ruslan, 35, loads blocks of ice onto a truck outside Yakutsk in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Traffic lights are seen covered in snow in Yakutsk, in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A woman wrapped in fur walks in the village of Tomtor in the Oymyakon valley, in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A car drives through the snow at night near Vostochnaya meteorological station, some 500 km northeast of Yakutsk in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
Trees are covered with hoarfrost, with the air temperature at about minus 46 degrees Celsius (minus 50.8 degrees Fahrenheit), in the eastern Siberian city of Yakutsk in the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A woman passes a board on a building, displaying the local time, temperature, humidity and air pressure in Yakutsk, in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A dog lies on wood shavings in the village of Tomtor in the Oymyakon valley in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A view of the snowy landscape near Vostochnaya meteorological station, in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
A man takes a drink in the cabin of his truck in the village of Ytyk-Kyuyol in the Republic of Sakha, northeast Russia.
Louafi Larbi/Reuters
Soldiers help mourners carry the coffin of slain opposition leader Chokri Belaid during his funeral procession towards the nearby cemetery of El-Jellaz, where he is to be buried, in the Jebel Jelloud district of Tunis, on February 8, 2013. Tens of thousands of mourners chanted anti-Islamist slogans on Friday at the Tunis funeral of secular opposition leader Belaid, whose assassination has plunged Tunisia deeper into political crisis.
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REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
A taxi drives on fresh snow during a winter day in central Warsaw February 7, 2013.
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Gale force winds from the North makes a spectacular picture at the harbour in Seaham, northeast England, as they batter the seafront, Feb. 6, 2013. Many parts of Britain are braced for a predicted return of snow and gale force winds over the coming days. (AP Photo / Owen Humphreys, PA)
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Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. is airlifted after crashing during the women's Super G race at the World Alpine Skiing Championships in Schladming February 5, 2013. REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler
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The World Photography Organization revealed the shortlists for the Professional, Open and Youth categories of the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards.
Over 122,000 entries from 170 countries – the highest number of submissions to date - the judges have selected a shortlist of photographs that stood out beyond all others for their impressive high quality, originality and modern appeal. Topics ranged from haunting shots of the Syrian conflict to the Obama presidential campaign; an intimate study of cinema- goers in Kabul to quirky and witty shots of the animal kingdom.
Bringing together the very best international contemporary photography, the shortlist offers a unique insight into 2012 through the eyes of some of the world’s best emerging and established photography talents. Photographers returning to the awards include: Javier Arcenillas (Spain); Robin Hammond (New Zealand) and Paolo Pellegrin (Italy). Exciting up-and-coming photographers new to the awards include Ed Kashi (USA) and Andrea Gjestvang (Norway).
The work of all the shortlisted photographers will be exhibited at Somerset House, London, from 26 April – 12 May as part of the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition. The images will also be published in the 2013 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards book.
The Open and Youth category winners will be announced on 19 March.
Professional category winners and the coveted L’Iris D’Or/ Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year title will be announced at a gala ceremony in London on 25 April. The L’Iris D’Or winner will receive $25,000 (USD) and the Open Photographer of the Year will receive $5,000 (USD). All winners, including category winners, will receive the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony.
Here are some of my favourites from the Nature and Wildlife category befitting The Daily Beast.
White-handed Tree Frog
© Hudson Garcia, Brazil, Finalist, Nature & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards
Running for Life
© Frederick van Heerden, South Africa, Shortlist, Nature & Wildlife, Open Competition 2013 Sony World Photography Awards
Don't Leave Me Alone
©Hoang Hiep Nguyen, Vietnam, Shortlist, Nature & Wildlife, Open Competition 2013 Sony World Photography Awards
O Flamingo
© Ricardo Venerando, Brazil, Shortlist, Nature & Wildlife, Open Competition 2013 Sony World Photography Awards
White-handed Tree Frog 4
© Hudson Garcia, Brazil, Finalist, Nature & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards
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LUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/Getty Images
An Egyptian man mourns during the funeral of killed Egyptian activists Amro Saad and Mohammed al-Guindi outside Omar Makram Mosque in Cairo's Tahrir Square, on February 4, 2013. Saad died in clashes during anti-government protests on February 1, while Guindi, 28, went missing last month after joining protests demanding change on the second anniversary of Egypt's uprising against former president Hosni Mubarak and then slipped into a coma following days in police custody, according to the health ministry and his party.
Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images
Malian people wait for the visit of the French president on February 2, 2013 in Timbuktu. France's president Francois Hollande received a rapturous welcome today as he visited Mali to push for African troops to take over a French-led offensive that drove back Islamist rebels from the country's desert north.
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A school in Timbuktu re-opened today after 10 months of Islamists ruling in Northern Mali. French-led troops worked today to secure the last Islamist stronghold in the north after a lightning offensive against the extremists.
FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Malian children gather for the first day at school, in Timbuktu on February, 1, 2013.
FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Malian children arrive before their class in a school of Timbuktu on February 1, 2013
FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Malian children gather before class in a school of Timbuktu on February 1, 2013, which re-opens today after 10 months of islamists ruling in Northern Mali.
FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Malian children attend a class in a school of Timbuktu on February 1, 2013.
FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
A Malian teacher gives a lesson in a classroom on February 1, 2013.
FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Malian children attend a class in a school of Timbuktu on February 1, 2013.
FRED DUFOURFRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
Malian children attend a class in a school of Timbuktu on February 1, 2013.
FRED DUFOURFRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images
The black board of a school indicates the last day of class, last March 22, 2012, as this school of Timbuktu re-opened today, on February 1, 2013,
