1. To a large degree they are the same and can be used interchangeably. See http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/whereas for some examples. In all cases, you could replace "whereas" with "but". There are some situations where they cannot be interchanged. Consider "I like scary movies but not comedies." In this situation, using "whereas" does not work. To make it work you would say something like "I like scary movies, whereas I can take or leave comedies." I think that when "whereas" is used, a more complete subject, verb and object will appear. I am not a grammar expert, so this may not be a wholly correct explanation, but hopefully it helps. 2. A "polar vortex" is an area of low pressure, where the weather is often very cold. So, the sentence is really saying "Are you fed up with living in an area that is very cold?" To be "fed up" is to be unhappy about something.

'Whereas' is used when the two options are very similar and you are describing them. It's less commonly used than 'but' which is typically used for explaining any difference between two options. Fed up with the polar vortex? - this is asking if you are tired of very cold weather conditions. Being fed up means you have lost patience and are not happy with the situation.