Hangovers suck, and the fewer of them you have the better (and probably longer) your life will be. But that doesn't mean you should avoid them at all costs. The occasional hangover is neither shameful, nor wrong. (The word occasional is important.) It is the painful remembrance of a good time. For one night, you ignored the annoying emails and crushing responsibilities, enjoyed time with friends, maybe made new ones, possibly got laid. The hangover was worth it. And remember, you're not alone in feeling this way. "Hangovers were an honorable, even heroic, ordeal," John Berendt noted in the July 1991 issue of Esquire, "All the best people had them." I imagine the Allies planned and fought World War II with hangovers. David Wells pitched a perfect game for the Yankees while "massively hungover." Conspiracy theorists have suggested Michael Jordan's famous flu game was less the result of a bug—or nefarious food poisoning—and more the effects of a long night drinking at the card table. Meanwhile, three of the four U.S. presidents during the 21stcentury—George W. Bush, Trump, and Biden—have been teetotalers. Only one, Obama, may have governed with a hangover. Maybe that explains why we live in such chaotic times. |
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In an age of porous memory, we forget just how bad the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic was. We may remember President Trump suggesting that we inject ourselves with a bleach-like "disinfectant," for example, but forget just how ham-handed the CDC's early testing and communication efforts were. We recall the fierce battle over mask-wearing, but forget the colossal failure of getting essential protective equipment to front-line hospital workers and first responders … and the dangerous fragility of our basic medical supply chains. But in America's pandemic response, Trump 45 did have one standout success—one that even his harshest critics applaud: the development of a highly effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, produced miraculously in under a year. Indeed, "Operation Warp Speed," the bold initiative that marshaled a slew of federal health and defense agencies, academic centers, and private drugmakers to produce anti-COVID vaccines and other medicines, may be the first such government program to deserve its moniker. |
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Streaming Is in an Absolute Crisis. Is It Time to Make Some Tough Choices? |
The TV business is in a crisis. Not just because The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's cancellation might signal the end of late-night TV or because South Park paraded an AI video of the president's penis with eyes on it. The small screen is facing the end-times because streaming finally became a profitable business the second it basically turned into cable again. Sigh. The original promise of streaming was to provide cord-cutting viewers a wonderland of niche original programming without the restraints of traditional TV. Now we're paying the same price as cable to watch advertisements between our shows again across multiple different platforms—and it hasn't made finding what to watch any easier. In fact, it's downright impossible. |
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If you're on the lookout for a "colorful" watch, finding one with a brightly decorated dial is generally the most expedient course of action. However, there's an entire subset of watches whose cases are also colorful. Running the gamut from pieces designed from advanced materials to ones made of affordable plastics, these pieces are often paired to matching rubber or fabric straps—or even matching bracelets—making them excellent choices for summertime wear. These days, one can buy a $25 Casio in all manner of juicy primary colors, a MoonSwatch in a rainbow's array of hues for roughly $300, a hard-wearing IWC pilot's watch in a military-derived shade for $13,500, and much more. No longer the province of only the luxury maisons or the producers of ultra-cheap products, watches with colorful cases are plentiful, varied, and more fun than ever. Here are just a few of our favorites at various price points. |
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A Leonardo DiCaprio performance is always an intense experience: Howard Hughes losing his mind, Jordan Belfort debasing himself, Hugh Glass surviving against all odds. We are watching one of Hollywood's greatest of all time at work. His latest film, One Battle After Another, is his first film with director Paul Thomas Anderson. Both men rarely give interviews, and their life and work are the subject of bottomless curiosity and speculation. This summer, they had two conversations: one in Leo's kitchen, another over the phone. They recorded their talks and gave the transcripts to Esquire, which we edited and condensed. (Anderson also photographed DiCaprio for us in Los Angeles.) We gave them some prompts, some of which they indulged, others not so much. But the result is a rare glimpse into the minds of two of Hollywood's most daring and original men. |
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How much would you pay for a good night's sleep? For many, there's no price ceiling. People are shelling out on expensive gadgets more than ever before. From tech products that claim to read brain waves and mattresses that make you feel like you're at a luxury hotel to organic textiles free of toxins, there's something for every type of consumer these days. The goal, no matter how you go about it, is the same: longer-lasting, higher-quality sleep. But do these things really make a difference? Yes. Sometimes it really is as simple as buying the right stuff. Everything from your wearables to your sheets and your clothes affects your sleep. The hard part is understanding what's worth the splurge and what you can pass on. So we did what we do best. We got to the bottom of some of the most talked-about launches in the world of sleep over the past 12 months. Our staff spent the past year figuring what products live up to the claims, improve your life, and are worth the eye-watering price tags. |
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