52 Places to Go in 2017: Atacama Desert, Chile


New ways to explore the world’s highest desert.

The Atacama draws adventure seekers and stargazers to its vast, otherworldly landscape of wind-carved dunes and kaleidoscopic salt lakes. Sunrise balloon rides, which started in August, reveal its staggering beauty from above. The luxurious, recently renovated Explora Atacama hotel reopened in December; overnight rates include guided desert excursions and nighttime access to the hotel’s on-site observatory, equipped with Chile’s largest privately-owned telescope.



Pictures From Women’s Marches on Every Continent

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Washington Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
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New York Nicole Craine for The New York Times
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Paris Eric Feferberg/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
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Chicago John J. Kim/The Chicago Tribune, via Associated Press
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Los Angeles Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
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Nairobi, Kenya Thomas Mukoya/Reuters
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San Francisco Jim Wilson/The New York Times
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Kolkata, India Bikas Das/Associated Press
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Jackson Hole, Wyo. Cole Buckhart
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Belgrade, Serbia Andrej Isakovic/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
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Jackson, Miss. Elijah Baylis/The Clarion-Ledger, via Associated Press
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Durban, South Africa Rajesh Jantilal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
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Philadelphia Jacqueline Larma/Associated Press
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Melbourne, Australia Wayne Taylor/Getty Images
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52 Places to Go in 2017

Lion cubs in the Duba Plains. João Silva/The New York Times

Botswana

Old lions, new digs in the heart of the Okavango.

If you’ve seen an African wildlife documentary in the last 30 years, chances are good that the filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert had a hand in it. This spring the Jouberts, National Geographic explorers in residence, along with the company Great Plains Conservation, will open Duba Plains Camp, a luxury tented camp in a private 77,000-acre portion of the Okavango Delta that’s rife with lions, elephants and species specific to northern Botswana like the red lechwe. Expect safaris on boats with built-in camera mounts (when water levels allow) and a chance to see the descendants of Ma di Tau, the star of “The Last Lions.” — Tim Neville

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Christa the feminine divine. [via Nina Reznick]



She’s at St John the Divine. Kind of shocking and, though a little emaciated, being female she’s inevitably more erotic than the male version.

She should be better known but, in this climate, it would take some courage to publish her.

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52 Places to Go in 2017

Agra, India

Beyond the Taj Mahal, new attractions beckon.

Navigating the stunning, sprawling Taj Mahal will get easier when an orientation center opens this year, but 2017 also promises new reasons to venture beyond: Nearby streets have been repaved; the Agra Pavilion, a glass-walled dining complex, will host more than a dozen vendors and restaurants; and the Mughal Museum, a collaboration with the architect David Chipperfield and Studio Archohm, has broken ground. In addition, India’s fastest train and longest expressway now cut travel time from Delhi and Lucknow. — Ratha Tep

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Some ideas for the New Year! [via David Adashek]

THOUGHT for the day:
SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN THEY'RE PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.




THESE REALLY WORK!!  I checked this out on Snopes.com and it's for real! 

AMAZING, SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES:

 1. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

2. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.

3. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS.  REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

4. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

5. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.

6. YOU NEED ONLY TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE.  IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40.  IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE. 

7. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. 








52 Places to Go in 2017: Canada



A northern neighbor is a world to explore.

Canada is huge — the second-largest country by area. It’s also a world unto itself, with cosmopolitan cities, barely explored natural wonders and everything in between. And this is the year to visit: In honor of the 150th anniversary of its confederation, when the original colonies came together as one country, Canada is rolling out the welcome mat. All of the country’s more than 200 national parks and historic sites are offering free admission through the year, from the turquoise lakes and mountain peaks of Banff in Alberta to the rolling dunes and red sandstone cliffs of Prince Edward Island along the Atlantic Coast to the newest reserve, the glacial-rounded Mealy Mountains in Labrador. Meanwhile, in the capital, Ottawa, a full year of celebration is planned; more events will be on offer in Montreal, which turns 375. And did we mention the exchange rate? A weak Canadian dollar means American travelers get more for their money. So 2017 offers an ideal time to go north.



Meryl

Only Meryl Streep could overtake the 2017 Golden Globes ceremony with her empowered acceptance speech for her Cecil B. DeMille award, seizing the opportunity to overtly take a jab at the imminent führer of America, Donald Trump, without ever even mentioning his name.

Acclaimed Japanese Jazz Pianist Yōsuke Yamashita Plays a Burning Piano on the Beach

The opportunity arose at the behest of Kanazawa’s 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, who staged Burning Piano 2008.

Jia Jiang adventures boldly into a territory so many of us fear: rejection. By seeking out rejection for 100 days — from asking a stranger to borrow $100 to requesting a "burger refill" at a restaurant — Jiang desensitized himself to the pain and shame that rejection often brings and, in the process, discovered that simply asking for what you want can open up possibilities where you expect to find dead ends.