Articles by Thomas Morton
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VICE on HBO Extended
Senegalese Laamb Wrestling - Marabout Ritual
The most popular sport in Senegal isn’t soccer—it’s laamb, combining Greco-Roman wrestling moves with eclectic pre-fight rituals and dances. Laamb’s appeal has skyrocketed as the nation’s economy has plunged, and the top stars are the Michael Jordans of their country. In this segment filmed for 'VICE' on HBO, Thomas Morton meets a shaman who bathes him in a series of potions to give him an edge in his upcoming laamb match. Full story
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Wild Things
The $wiftest Pigeon
China's spoiled young princelings aren't content with buying horses, sports cars, and insanely tacky watches alone. In tribute to the intrepid bootleggers who've propped up their country's market economy, China's rich have taken arguably the worst bird of all time, the pigeon, an… Full story
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Wild Things
The $wiftest Pigeon - Trailer
What is the sound of 1 million yuan flapping? China's spoiled young princelings have taken arguably the worst bird of all time, the pigeon, and slapped a Louis Vuitton logo on it. Racing pigeons are the new thoroughbreds here, with birds auctioning for hundreds of thousands of do… Full story
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VICE on HBO Extended
Tobaccoland
The tobacco industry in Indonesia is virtually unregulated. The result? Over two-thirds of all men are smokers, and it is commonplace for children as young as six to take up the habit. Tobacco is a $100 billion industry here, with TV and print ads everywhere. While investigating Full story
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VICE on HBO Extended
The Fat Farms of Mauritania
In Mauritania, a country crippled by food shortages, obesity is viewed as a sign of wealth and prestige in a woman. To attain Mauritanian standards of beauty, many women undergo the practice of 'gavage,' or "fattening up." While traditionally the practice of fattening includes ch… Full story
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VICE on HBO Extended
Chinese Cockblock - The Sex Doll Factory
With 50 million more men than women, the sex industry in China is growing rapidly. For episode five of 'VICE' on HBO, we went to a sex-doll factory in the city of Dalian to see the effects of the uneven dating landscape. Full story
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VICE on HBO Extended
America's Most Heavily Armed Church
Pastor Larry Allen is the pistol-packing preacher who runs the New Life Baptist Church and Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The church is protected by an ex-police security team and all of the students are warriors when it comes to gun safety drills and procedures. In this cli… Full story
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VICE on HBO Extended
Grocery Shopping for North Korean Defectors
Thousands of North Koreans cross the border illegally into China every year. If they are arrested in communist Laos, there’s the possibility of being sent back to North Korea, where they face prison camps or worse. We recently met up with a South Korean pastor who moves defectors… Full story
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VICE on HBO Extended
Escape from North Korea - Hanawon Resettlement Center
Before a defector can officially become a member of South Korean society, he or she must complete a program at the Hanawon Resettlement Center. Thomas Morton sits down with the Director of Education to get a glimpse into the crash course that transforms defector into denizen. Full story
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VICE News
West African Truckers
The truck driver holds a mythic stature in American music, from the hayseed hagiographies of Slim Jacobs to the liner notes of Big Black's 'Songs About Fucking.' There aren't many songs about African truckers, but they are no less champions of industry than their US counterparts… Full story
The Mare
A New Story by Mary Gaitskill 
Toppling a Delicate World
Being Gay and South Asian In America 
There's No Sex in Prison Showers
We Usually Wore Our Underwear 
Try Not to Destroy Your Life
The First Time I Took Molly 
A Teacher and Her Student
Marilynne Robinson on Staying Out of Trouble 
"Whitey" Isn't Very Popular in Boston
Interviews with Some of His Old Friends 
