Practicing on an illustration of the prime minister's face, Thai skateboarders are showing support for a growing pro-democracy movement with defiant new designs rolled out at protests in Bangkok on Wednesday.
Rize-Style Skateboard owner Treewit "Chain" Boonkaweesilpn and a group of his friends from a small town outside the capital descended on the latest mass demonstration against Thailand's military-backed government carrying skateboards covered with graphics of hands smashing through a pile of tanks.
A flashy typescript calls for an end to "dictatorship" while popular hashtag #SaveThaiDemocracy sits on the nose of the deck, highlighting the important role social media, especially Twitter, has played in protests that have rattled the government since July. They also feature the three-finger salute from "The Hunger Games" movies, a symbol of resistance in Thailand since prime minister Prayut Chan-O-cha led a coup in 2014 and held onto power in flawed elections last year.
"Skating is our art, it's how we express our views on things like politics and how we practice our freedom of expression," Chain told VICE News ahead of the event at the city's democracy monument, which marks the anniversary of a 1973 student-led uprising that ushered in a brief period of openness in a country riven by a cycle of coups, street protests and multiple constitutions.
Practicing on an illustration of the Thai prime minister's face. Photo supplied
At the rally, they plan to offer free skate lessons, giving protesters the chance to learn how to pop ollies, carve and grind on a huge image of Prayut's face.
It's a bold stunt, especially after a smaller protest on Tuesday night led to a scuffle with police and twenty-one arrests as a royal motorcade carrying the country's powerful king passed nearby. The incident raised tensions ahead of Wednesday's bigger event, where crowds grew into late afternoon. But Chain and his team were undaunted.
"Skateboarding is a performance art. If something like gymnastics expresses beauty, then skateboarding is all about bravery. And bravery is important to political expression - it's what we need to fight against the fear that has been created in our minds by the elites," he said.
The new protest movement began with a group called Free Youth, whose demands called for the dissolution of parliament, the drafting of a new constitution and an end to the state harassment of Thai citizens. But the scope soon spread to include a range of societal issues, including LGBT rights, education and the once-taboo topic of the monarchy, which is legally shielded from criticism by royal defamation laws.
In a kingdom once known for its traditions, old certainties are under the microscope as Thai youth want to reshape their country according to a new set of values. Since the 2014 coup and national elections last year, in which senators handpicked by the former junta got to vote for prime minister, youth subcultures have been at the forefront of resistance.
Graffiti artists have satirized the suspicious wealth of generals. Rappers, punks and experimental techno DJs have used their music to blast dictatorship. And the must-have fashion item for the new generation of Thais is the political parody shirt, which itself has roots in skate clothing brands like X-Large, Freshjive and Fuct.
Practicing ahead of pro-democracy protests in Bangkok. Photo supplied
For Chain, the connection between the five-year period of outright military rule from 2014 to 2019 and the current youth rebellion is clear.
"I think it's the pressure kids got in school after the latest coup. They were forced to follow and recite the same old values made by the elites and it just didn't work," he says, referring to the "Twelve Core Values", which were pressed on the Thai education system by the military junta with the aim of instilling discipline, patriotism and love of monarchy in young Thais.
"Thai students have always been under a lot of pressure to begin with, so when the junta came and forced all this stuff on them, things got even worse," he added. "And now we have the internet, which can give us a glimpse of what things are like globally, and we see that it’s totally different from Thai schools."
On Sunday, police in Western Australia called off their search for the body of a 52-year-old surfer, two days after he was seen being attacked by a shark. This puts the year’s shark attack tally at six—the highest number of people killed in unprovoked attacks since 1934.
This number is well above Australia’s 50-year average of 1.02 deaths a year. Yet while fatalities are at an 86-year high, the number of unprovoked shark bites, 17, is more or less in line with the average over the past decade: meaning it’s not the number but rather the nature of the attacks that’s contributing to the uptick in deaths.
“In some of the cases this year it sounds like the shark hung around and bit more than once, which is unusual behaviour for great white sharks,” Dr Blake Chapman, a marine biologist who examined shark neuroscience for her PhD, told Guardian Australia. “[And] when they bite more than once it’s more likely to be fatal as there’s more blood loss.”
Dr Chapman noted that multiple bites could suggest the apex predators are starting to treat humans as prey. Another factor could be the weather.
The Bureau of Meteorology recently declared a La Niña weather event in Australia, which is typically associated with cooler sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific and warmer waters around much of the country’s northern waters. These water temperatures influence the migration patterns of certain fish—like salmon, for example—and so dictate the movement of the sharks that eat them—namely, great whites.
Several of this year’s victims were attacked by great white sharks—and as Dr Chapman points out, “We do tend to see little spikes in shark bites in La Niña.”
She also noted however, that details and data are relatively scarce, making it hard to determine with any real certainty why so many people in Australia have died from shark attacks this year.
In January, an experienced diver was killed by a shark in the waters off Western Australia; in April, a wildlife ranger was killed by one off the Great Barrier Reef. In June, a 60-year-old died from a shark in northern NSW; in July, a teenage surfer died from a shark bite at another beach in the region; and in September, a 46-year-old surfer died after being bitten while surfing near the Gold Coast in Queensland.
However, it’s worth pointing out that just because a lot of people have died this year, it doesn’t mean that shark attacks are on the rise.
As Dr Andrew Chin from James Cook University points out, the number of actual bites is the same as last year and less than 2019. “It’s just that unfortunately the bites this year have led to more fatalities.”
Lauri and Anni Vuohensilta have been crushing it. The Finnish couple began pulverizing random objects under a 150-ton hydraulic press at their family’s factory five years ago this month, carving out their own genre of “satisfying” internet videos and amassing more than 10 million followers across major social media platforms in the process.
On a video call, I interviewed the Vuohensiltas about what’s left to crush, why the channel appeals to so many people, Lauri’s delightful accent, the effects of the coronavirus on their hydraulic pressing, and how people who don’t have a hydraulic press can fulfill their human need for destruction.
The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
VICE: Congratulations on five years of pressing! You said on your celebratory Twitch stream from a few days ago that your favorite items to crush, Lauri, are steel pipes, because they're satisfying to watch and they aren't as dangerous. So what is the most dangerous thing you've ever crushed? Lauri:Ball bearings, yeah. So just the balls from the bearing. And those explode the small, smallest fragments. They fly one kilometer per second. So it's like, not healthy.
And Anni do you have a favorite item that you've crushed? Anni: Bowling balls. Those are best.
Those are great. For people who might not know exactly what hydraulic press is, could you explain it? Lauri: It's a machine that is really good on just crushing things. It uses hydraulic pump and piston to generate huge amounts of force. And it pushes against the table, and then you're gonna put whatever you want there between the table and the piston and it's going to get crushed.
OK, so you have crushed paper, molten steel, a tooth, soap, Play-Doh, steel pipes, Play-Doh in steel pipes, fruit, golf ball, toilet paper, toys, a whole collection of household items, and hundreds of other things. When I see people leaving suggestions in the comments of things for you to crush, you almost always have always already crushed them. So is there anything that you haven't crushed? Lauri: Gold bar. We have tried to get that for like one year now. Yeah, like at least one kilo gold. But it's not helping that the gold price is just getting higher and higher here. I think it's like $70,000 now per one kilogram, so yeah.
Yeah, that seems like it might be tricky. Have you ever crushed a diamond? Lauri: Yeah.
Ah OK, I missed that one. And it was crushed? Anni: Yeah. It's a really old video, the first one. Lauri: We have done nice diamond, and then raw diamonds later. Diamonds make really good press tools, but they have to be like grinded to right shape, to be able to withstand a lot of pressure. And they're still like really tiny, so then they're not super hard to crush with the big press.
What are the things the hydraulic press couldn't crush? Lauri: Yeah, lot of things, it’s like a function of the size and how hard is the material. For all the items there is size limit. And I have to say that the hardest things to crush are ceramic bearing balls. Those are really hard. I think it was like 20 millimeters was the largest we can crush. And then you can have one size of your fist and that would be probably like a thousand tons. And we have tried to like destroy them with like, giant hammer. We had shot them with rifles and everything and they just don't break. They are the hardest things to break with any method. I think it's like good combination—the material is really hard and then the ball shape is really strong.
So is the challenge for you guys now to think of new things to crush or think of different ways to crush them or finding new platforms to get your hydraulic press videos out? What are the challenges for keeping it fresh? Lauri: I would say that all of those. We are all the time coming up with the new tools and ways to crush. And then now we have both like a machine that pulls things, and we are fixing that so we can start to test how strong our chains, cables, stuff like that. And then of course the new platforms are always cool and like new video formats. TikTok been really good for us, and also Instagram reels. Anni: We have the biggest TikTok account in Finland.
Oh, congratulations. You have more than a million Instagram followers—Anni: 1.4 million in Instagram and 7 million in TikTok.
Nice! So you started on YouTube, and now you're on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitch, are there any other platforms? Anni: Facebook. Lauri: Yeah, Facebook. I have heard some rumors that they're going to launch monetization like a similar thing on YouTube. Finally in Finland at the end of this year.
Personally, I love the worms that are created when you smush certain material. Do you remember the first worms that you created? Anni: Actually the worm maker tool was my idea. Because I saw on Instagram, a clip where somebody had like potato ... Lauri: It’s like potato smasher, potato press, what do you call that kitchen tool? Anni: Yeah, the kitchen tool and slime. And then he pressed the slime through those holes. And I said, “Lauri, we need big version of this.” And Lauri was like, “Yes, we really need it.” Lauri: I fired up the design program on computer to make the plan. Anni: All kinds of worm tools are, I would say, the most popular thing.
Lauri: On TikTok and Instagram. And then on Youtube people like to see complicated and dangerous stuff.
Yeah. So you built the worm tool yourself? Lauri: Yeah, we build all the tools. If there is like sheet metal parts, then we order from a laser cutting company. But we design and machine all the tools.
So in the world of internet videos, the hydraulic press kind of combines the aspect of the “satisfying” videos like slime squishing with an aspect of the destruction videos, like, shooting guns and that stuff, into its own unique thing that's kind of in the middle. And to me, I think the hydraulic press videos kind of have the same plot as the pimple popping videos. There’s the anticipation, the tension, and there's the release. And so I'll say that for me personally, I can't watch the pimple popping videos because I think they're gross. But, they'revery popular, apparently. And so I was wondering if you've ever considered the similarities between the pimple popping videos and the hydraulic press. Anni [laughing]: I think, especially those worm makers, they are really similar. Lauri: Yeah, yeah.
In your recent Twitch stream, you were describing how you do the videos and how it's kind of too late to change up how you do them and you shared a really funny Finnish saying that my boyfriend and I have been laughing about and hope to work into our everyday lexicon. You said that in Finland “We have this saying that it's too late for farting when you have already shit yourself.” Lauri [laughing]: It goes better in Finnish, it’s more compact and flows better I think. Anni: Yeah.
I love it. But is there anything that you wish that you had done differently in the process, or anything you would have changed if you could have?Lauri: Surprisingly little. I think because we tried to keep YouTube a more complicated and dangerous stuff platform. So we waited really long before we started to make videos where we took like 100 Instagram clips, post them together, add some music and make a 10 minute YouTube video. And we did first in March, and those are super popular videos, and they bring a lot of new people in YouTube. So maybe that that's something that would be probably good idea to do even before. Anni: Yeah, some kind of combination videos.
So the press is 150 tons, is that right? Lauri: Yeah.
OK, so that's 300,000 pounds. So do you get up to 300,000 pounds? Lauri: Quite often. There is many materials, it's pretty easy to predict that, like, you can put this much paper there and it’s still going to explode. So it’s quite often maybe like a couple times a month when you use the full, full force. But with the worm makers, usually the tools break before that, so with the worm makers you can't go that far.
You crushed a wisdom tooth once—and the tooth was quite strong! Could you tell the story of how you acquired the tooth?
Anni [laughing]: It was my wisdom tooth. And I was really scared before the surgery. And I still say to them, that I really need those teeth.They took two teeth away and I think they got one of those like, apart, but one was like, in one piece. Lauri: So Anni meant they have to come out in one piece. Anni: Yeah, the dentist said, “Why do you need those?” Lauri: Yeah, and it was cool to get it in one piece because we made more money with video than the dentist bill was. So, free wisdom teeth removal!
You’ve said before that you think most children like to break stuff and it's kind of built inside every person—the need to destroy something. I agree completely, and I was wondering if you had any suggestions for what people who don't have a hydraulic press could do, how they could go about fulfilling their need to destroy stuff in their daily life. Lauri: That's actually a good question. What would be like easy and funny way? We always keep saying “don't try this at home.” Anni: I don't know. Lauri: I think just like taking up large hammer and hitting stuff if that’s satisfying. Anni: Yeah. Or maybe like, you know, the potato mash— Lauri: I think that is big let down after watching the press. Anni: Yeah, yeah but if you have slime you can try it. Lauri: I will put just some fruits on the table and go with the hammer. It's like good amount of mess and satisfying. Anni: Yeah, and really nice to clean. Lauri: Yeah. Yeah, that's also part of the process.
I wanted to ask about the cleaning process. I did see a video the other day of the hydraulic press getting cleaned, but who does the most cleaning of the press? Anni: [points to herself] Lauri: I think it's more even now. Before we used to do like, let's crush six things, and then it was like, "Hey, I'm going to go edit, have fun." Now we are doing so much content for like small clips. So it's going to be like, they're going to crush like four of the items in the Twitch stream. Anni [laughing]: Yeah. And now we don't live at the same property with the work, so you can't leave me anymore. Lauri: Yeah that’s true.
I was wondering how you decided to do the “OK Boomer” crushing. Did someone suggest that to you?
Anni: I think it was because I have watched so much TikTok, like for the last one year, and I think it was some TikTok thing that I saw there some “OK boomer.” Lauri: Yeah it was trending thing. Anni: Yeah it was a really trending thing. So we did it.
One of the things that I personally love about the press, and that I find validating or optimistic in a way, is that it shows that if you apply pressure to something, it will break. To go a little bit farther, I find it to be kind of like, good and even inspiring, a guiding principle for thinking about how the world works. Have you ever thought about this in the abstract? What you do think about it? Lauri: Yes, sometimes there's moments when you realize that when you press something and you'll see something new about materials or items, you realize how something worked. For example, with the steel pipes, it's the same idea on the railroad where the tracks end. There are like one meter long, really thick steel tubes. And if the train goes little bit too fast, and it can’t stop, then it's the end of the rails and the tubes, they're going to go in the same way that they do in a press.
Right, yeah. And to be more figurative, pressure is pressure—it's something people could apply in other areas. If people get together and apply enough pressure to something, then they can affect change in an institution, society or what have you. Is that too far out? Lauri: Yes, that's true. If you just add enough of anything to anything something is going to happen always. That’s true.
If you could take the hydraulic press and destroy one thing in the abstract, like one idea, what would you destroy? Lauri: That's really hard one. I would want to, like—I'm not sure is there any like one thing that I come up with. I would use my one magic pressing to squeeze out something like miracle technology that is going to save us. I would like to crush something so hard that it's going to make some kind of fusion power plant and generate endless power, something like that.
That’s a good one. Lauri: But we have been thinking more abstract things because every week we do something that anybody hasn’t done before and it's not going to run off there. And I have been thinking that if we do that for long enough we are going to end up coming up with some invention, maybe. If you do weird things you might come up with some new, like, realization about something or solve some problem or stuff like that.
Lauri, people seem to love your accent. (In a previous interview, Lauri said he and Anni had “talked about my accent and how it was going to be very funny thing on top of the press thing.”)What’s the story behind your accent? Lauri: It's just like general Finnish accent. How you pronounce different letters is completely different in Finnish and English for most of the letters. And also the structure of the language is completely different. I think nowadays most of the Formula One and rally drivers can speak a little bit better, but if you take any interview with a Finnish rally driver from the nineties it’s the same. In Finnish, this accent is called rally English. Because it used to be that most famous Finns in other countries are always the rally drivers and they talk in a funny way.
I also wanted to ask if anything has changed with coronavirus and if it has had any impact on your hydraulic press crushing. Lauri: It was interesting because on January, everybody was in Finland, like, it's inside, it doesn't affect us here. And we were like, it’s coming two months, we’re going to buy gas masks and everything. Anni: Yeah, we knew it’s coming. Lauri: And then before it came, we bought a new house and took quite large loan. And then after signing the papers, it took like two weeks and the whole world just stops. And we were like, “Uh oh, uh oh how’s it going to go?” And then we just decide that we’re going to do so much work and videos. And people just kept watching. Ad revenue on all platforms dropped off quite much. But then people started to watch twice as more. So it ends up like regular year. Anni: We moved to the new house two months ago. And this is in the countryside. So this is like really far away from coronavirus. Lauri: Yeah. Closest neighbor is half a kilometer. If it gets really bad we can go after everybody else has left work to film the press in the middle of the night so it doesn't matter how bad it gets, we can still get the videos out. The only thing is not sure is how much companies are going to advertise. Online sales are pretty strong and most of our customers are online companies. So i think it will be good.
And I do think that the hydraulic press specifically is kind of a perfect fit for this moment in time where everything and everyone is under this intense pressure and breaking down. I hope you guys keep making a lot of videos. Anni: I posted a TikTok video where there was like a doll head, and then they press crushed it. And everyone commented, like, “This is me this year.”
Lauri: Yeah but it was in March when quarantine started for most of the countries, we decided that we’re not going to do any corona-related content. We are going to keep it just fun things so it’s like place to have break from all the madness.
Yeah, an escape of a sort. Is there anything else you want to say about the hydraulic press or anything else? Anni: It has been a crazy five years. Lauri: One cool thing, I’m not sure did you catch it on the Twitch stream, but when we start this, Anni said that this is going to last half a year and I said this is going to last five years. And now after five years, my prediction is that it will last five more years. Anni: I don’t say six months anymore!
Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox?Sign up here.
A white woman accosted Gisele Barreto Fetterman, the wife of Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, in a grocery store last weekend and called her a racial slur.
Fetterman posted a video from the incident on Twitter Sunday. It shows the woman pulling down her mask and telling Fetterman, “You’re a [n-word]” as Fetterman slowly pulls away in the parking lot.
The incident happened at an Aldi grocery store in Pittsburgh, Fetterman told CNN, “I ran to the local grocery store and was met by and verbally assaulted by this woman who repeatedly told me I do not belong here,” Fetterman wrote. “The confrontation continued into the parking lot where I was able to finally capture it after the crying winded down.”
The woman knew who Fetterman was, the lieutenant governor’s wife told CNN. “She called me a thief, she said, ‘There’s that [n-word] that Fetterman married," she said. The woman has been identified by Pennsylvania State Police, who are investigating, Fetterman told the New York Times.
Fetterman was born in Brazil and came to the United States with her family as an undocumented immigrant. She became a U.S. citizen in 2009 and is a longtime social justice advocate; she co-founded the food justice non-profit 412 Food Rescue and founded The Free Store, a department store of sorts with free groceries, clothing, and other items for people who need them.
“I’m a former DREAMer, I came as a young immigrant and my family lived undocumented for over a decade,” she told CNN. “Those were really scary times. If I had a knock at the door that I wasn’t expecting, it would fear that my family would be sent back to a country we fled due to violent conditions.”
Fetterman’s husband, John, is a former Democratic mayor of the Pittsburgh suburb of Braddock, and was elected lieutenant governor in 2018. He’s considering a run for United States Senate in 2022.
Gov. Tom Wolf tweeted his support of Gisele Barreto Fetterman on Monday.
“The ethnic intimidation and hate speech spewed at the Second Lady of Pennsylvania is shameful and unacceptable,” Wolf said, speaking on behalf of himself and his wife. “The Second Lady has my and Frances’s full support and gratitude for her tireless work to make Pennsylvania the diverse, inclusive place it is today, even in the face of such ignorance and adversity.”
Nicaraguan lawmakers are homing in on legislation that could muzzle foreign journalists and enable President Daniel Ortega to accelerate his regime’s clamp down on political dissent.
Members of the nation’s congress, which is controlled by loyalists to President Ortega, are close to passing two new laws that promise to severely limit freedom of speech.
“Nicaragua’s Congress has proposed ambiguous legislation that leaves ample room for authorities to criminalize independent media and journalists simply for doing their jobs,” said Natalie Southwick, Central and South American officer for the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The first law targets the spread of false news online and would mandate prison time for those who violate it. The second would force non-governmental organizations and foreign press correspondents to register with the government so that their income can be tracked.
Congressional committees will review the bill and hold a vote in the coming days. If passed, the legislation will head to Ortega to be signed into law.
Cover: A man wears a mask reading "No to Censorship" during a demonstration in front of the National Assembly in Managua, on March 19, 2018. Credit should read INTI OCON/AFP via Getty Images.
The bill is the latest proposed limitation on freedoms two years into a wider crackdown on political adversaries and opposition figures in Nicaragua. Ortega was elected in 2007 and has remained in power by taking pages out of the late socialist president of Venezuela Hugo Chávez’s authoritarian playbook.
Once an anti-government rebel himself, Ortega fought to overthrow a U.S.-backed dictatorship in the 1970s as part of the Sandinista movement.
Nicaragua has experienced a slow motion breakdown in democratic institutions during Ortega’s term. Ortega has concentrated power in the executive, thrown out foreign diplomatic officials and adopted an increasingly authoritarian style of governance.
In April 2018, a pension reform triggered widespread unrest in the Central American nation of 6.5 million. Protestors called for Ortega’s resignation, and his government responded with oppressive tactics including beatings and extrajudicial killings, leaving at least 300 dead, according to Human Rights Watch.
Since then, Ortega’s government has thrown dozens of political opposition figures in jail and fabricated charges against them, claims the United States Treasury Department. The U.S. Treasury recently sanctioned Attorney General Ana Julia Guido and Ortega’s Chief of Staff Ortega Paul Herbert Oquist Kelley.
“The U.S. will continue to take the necessary steps to support the Nicaraguan people and pressure the Ortega regime to cease repression, respect human rights, and restore democracy to Nicaragua,” tweeted U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on October 9.
The European Union also voted to advance with sanctions if the anti-free speech legislation is passed.
“Ortega has to go. I don’t have any doubt about it. We have got to understand that he will exit much faster if we work together,” said opposition leader Tamara Dávila Rivas on October 9 as news of the sanctions hit.
“And once they’re gone, we also have to work together to give life back into every Nicaraguan out there.”
Life after Ortega, who has not responded to the new sanctions against Nicaragua, remains a distant prospect. Under his watch, legislation that limits democratic freedom appears to face little resistance. With or without the U.S. and European sanctions, members of congress will cast their vote in the coming days.
I was hoping you might be able to help me finally put to bed a long-running argument between me and my mother about the proper way to find a job. For almost as long as I’ve been job hunting, she has insisted that it’s a good idea to apply to places that aren’t actively hiring, just on the chance that they might begin hiring and pull your application off the stack.
This advice has never really sat well with me. I find applying for jobs fairly stressful, and my gut instinct has always been that it’s a waste of time and effort applying to places that aren’t actually hiring. At best, you would give a future hiring manager that many more outdated applications to sift through once a position actually opens up.
Am I in the right here, or does my mom know something I don’t? And if I am in the right, can you give me some arguments to help shut her down the next time she decides this is an argument we need to have again? I’ve been job searching again for the last few weeks, and it’s been going well, but I can tell she gets annoyed whenever I mention that there aren’t many new job listings in a given day. (For context, we’re sheltering together after my school closed down the dorms following Covid-19.)
There are some fields that operate this way—usually very small businesses—but most don’t.
Most places advertise their job vacancies if they want outside applicants. If they don’t post a job opening, it’s generally because they plan to hire internally or from their existing network, and the chances of you being the perfect fit for a job you don’t know about and which they haven’t described to you are pretty slim. And many companies, especially larger ones, aren’t even set up to accept applications that aren’t directed to a specific and current job opening.
And that stack of applications that your mom is picturing employers turning to when a position does open up? It usually doesn’t happen that way. Employers do keep applications on file because of record-keeping requirements, but it’s relatively uncommon for them to hunt through old applications for candidates rather than just advertising when a job opens up, especially if those candidates hadn’t applied for a specific role in the first place. Some employers will do it! But most don’t. You see it more frequently when someone has an unusual or hard-to-find skill set, in which case an employer will be more motivated to make sure they remember you the next time they need that skill... but if you’re not in that category, your chances are much lower.
Now, this doesn’t mean that your mom’s strategy never works. Occasionally it does! That’s why you’ll sometimes hear reports of people who found jobs this way. And if there’s a company that you’d really love to work for where you feel your qualifications would be especially well suited, by all means, go ahead and try it. But it shouldn’t be a major focus of your job search, because most of the time it’s just not going to pay off.
What’s more, on the relatively rare occasions that it does pay off, it’s often because the place that hires you doesn’t have great hiring practices: They’re going for what’s easiest—an application they already have—rather than ensuring that they’re hiring the best person for the job. That can be a sign of other problems; do you want to work with colleagues who were all hired because their applications were close by? That’s not always the case, of course. But it’s true enough of the time that it’s worth factoring into your approach.
It’s worth noting, though, that your mom didn’t make this advice up out of nowhere. It’s been floating out there for a while—in part, I believe, because it helps people feel like they have more control in their job searches. Career counselors and job search coaches want to be able to suggest strategies other than “respond to job postings” and this provides something else to recommend... despite the fact that the payoff is low.
But again, if you want to contact a handful of companies that aren’t hiring as a supplement to your main job search strategies, go for it. It won’t hurt you and, who knows, maybe you’ll happen to email at the perfect time with the perfect skill set. But you’re better off putting the majority of your time and energy into applying for jobs that you know for sure exist and are hiring.
Get more good advice from Alison Green atAsk a Manageror inher book. Do you have a pressing work-related question of your own? Submit it usingthis form.
With two songs currently on the Billboard Hot 100 and an online concert attended by nearly 1 million viewers over the weekend, K-pop group BTS continues to surge in popularity. In China, however, the band has garnered a different kind of attention than they're used to.
Outrage flooded the Chinese internet this week over remarks the band made about the Korean War, even drawing comments from a top Chinese official. But given the band's phenomenal success and positive global image, experts and loyal fans said that they weren't too worried about the backlash.
On Monday, New York-based organization The Korea Society awarded BTS its prestigious Van Fleet Award, which recognizes "distinguished Koreans and Americans for outstanding contributions to the promotion of U.S.-Korean relations."
"This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War," said BTS leader RM in an acceptance speech, emphasizing the importance of world peace. "As members of the global community, we should build a deeper understanding and solidarity to be happier together. We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women."
The speech did not go over well on Chinese social media, incurring the wrath of some netizens who say the singer failed to acknowledge "wartime sacrifices" of Chinese soldiers, who fought on the side of North Korea.
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 and saw thousands upon thousands of North Korean troops storming into South Korea following intense border clashes. South Korean forces, with the support of the United Nations and United States troops, clashed with North Korean soldiers who were aided by China and the Soviet Union. The war unofficially ended in 1953 in an armistice but its devastating impact, which cost millions of lives and divided the Korean peninsula, is still felt today.
"The Korean War affected millions in China and North Korea too. How arrogant of BTS to assume that only their country's side should be acknowledged for a peace award," remarked one netizen on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
"We are proud of our soldiers who fought bravely in the war which still divides Korea today. To exclude China's sacrifices and efforts on the global stage is an insult to our entire country," read another comment from a Chinese netizen, which drew thousands of likes.
"Your career in China is over. Kiss your success goodbye."
Adding to the controversy, Chinese state media published stories saying that the band's speech "reflected a one-sided attitude" and "hurt fans." Even the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Deputy Director and spokesperson Zhao Li Jian weighed in on the backlash.
"We should learn from history, value love and peace, and promote friendship. These should be our common goals," Zhao said.
BTS, known to speak up about social issues like mental health, was alongside other award recipients like Korean War veterans credited for strengthening South Korea's relations with the U.S. through positive messages and promoting inclusion.
The band's agency Big Hit Entertainment did not immediately respond to questions from VICE News about the issue. But on Twitter, their fiercely loyal and vocal fan base, known as ARMY, mobilized and sprang into action.
"BTS is Korean. They will stand by their country and it's totally correct," tweeted one fan. Another quipped: "Still waiting for Kim Jong Un to get mad too because BTS didn't mourn North Korean sacrifices."
"How on earth was that an insult," tweeted one fan, in defense of their idols. "I literally have no idea why some Chinese people don't realize that it's unreasonable to ask the rest of the world to think from China's perspective."
Hong Kong democracy activist and politician Joshua Wong, often the target of mainland Chinese internet trolls, also got involved in the debate and expressed his support and solidarity with BTS.
In a series of tweets, he wrote: "Nothing could be more ridiculous when the award was given to those promoting #U.S.-#Korean relation, it's natural to only mention the two nations. In fact, the speech didn't even mention #China, nor anything against it, but nationalist trolls have already treated it as an insult."
The outrage and anger from Chinese netizens were also drowned out in South Korea, where many supported BTS.
On South Korea's biggest online portal Naver, users said the Chinese government and people overreacted to BTS' comments.
"It's ridiculous that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China criticizes singers from another country, and the people followed it blindly," one Naver user commented on an article about the issue. The comment now has over 4,000 likes.
Some Koreans also recalled an incident involving K-pop singer Lee Hyo-ri, who became the target of Chinese internet users in August and was accused of making "disrespectful" comments about Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong. This, after Lee suggested using "Mao" as her stage name in a TV show, although the production team said that she was not actually referring to the late Chinese leader.
While calls for a BTS boycott grew in China, which wields significant spending power and great influence over entertainment and media markets, experts were not fazed by the recent controversy.
"One of the historical points that BTS has achieved is that they have become a K-pop group that can ignore the Chinese market," wrote prominent columnist Kim Do-hoon.
"From the get-go, they made the world market theirs [and reached] the level of having no need to bend their heads down on every word that censors culture nationalistically and patriotically."
Stanley Rosen, a political science and international relations professor from the University of Southern California, said that the controversy was "a non-issue" and would only affect BTS "in the short-run."
"Chinese favorability ratings have declined drastically and dramatically in South Korea for the past few years and this is one more example of why Chinese soft power is so weak in the East Asian countries," Rosen told VICE News.
"Given their immense success, it would be incredibly foolish for big-name companies to remove BTS from their websites and campaigns outside of China."
Bussa Krishna Raju, a 33-year-old Indian farmer from the southern Indian state of Telangana, a fan of US President Donald Trump, died from a cardiac arrest on Sunday, October 11. Krishna was fasting and praying for Trump’s recovery from coronavirus when he passed away. He suffered a cardiac arrest and was declared dead by doctors at a nearby hospital.
Last week, he uploaded an emotional video of him crying and talking about his love and devotion for Trump on his Facebook page.
“When he heard of Trump contracting the virus, he went into depression and wasn’t even able to eat properly,” Krishna’s cousin B Vivek, 25, told VICE News over the phone. Vivek said while Krishna was a school dropout, he tracked global politics through local news apps and channels. “He did not have any prior medical complications, but his health deteriorated when he heard about Trump being admitted to the hospital,” said Vivek.
Those in Krishna’s inner circle could trace his obsession with Trump to a hate crime in Kansas in February 2017. A US Navy veteran had shot dead a Telangana-born software engineer. To show that Indians were still compassionate towards Americans, Krishna put a photo of Trump in the prayer room in his house.
Last year, in honour of Trump’s 73rd birthday, he spent almost INR 200,000 (US $2725) to erect a six-feet tall statue of the leader. He would routinely pour milk on the statue--a gesture many Hindus associate with God.
For Krishna, worshipping Trump could help improve India’s relations with the US, and also help the Indian cricket team win matches against Pakistan. “On the day of the India vs Pakistan cricket match, I saw him in my dream and thankfully India won the match. Since then, I have even kept Trump's picture as a wallpaper in my mobile," he told the news agency, ANI, last year.
Krishna’s family members told VICE News that he took the dream as a sign that he was destined to live and die worshipping Donald Trump.
“Krishna was in awe of the US President. He would regularly wear a Trump t-shirt and conduct charity drives for the less fortunate using Trump’s name,” multiple family members told VICE News.
He earned the name “Trump Krishna” in his village and his residence came to be known as Trump House.
Krishna was keen to see Trump getting re-elected in the US elections due in November.
Krishna’s wife passed away while delivering his son, who now lives with his maternal grandparents.
In February this year, when Donald Trump visited India, Krishna was ecstatic and desperately wanted to meet his idol. “He travelled 88 kilometres (54 miles) from his village to Hyderabad, the state capital, hoping to get an appointment with Trump,” said Vivek.
Krishna’s family, friends and village residents are most upset by the fact that he did not get the chance to meet his idol.
California Republicans are allegedly trying to prove that voter fraud is real by committing actual election fraud.
Metal containers marked “Official ballot drop-off box” have been popping up in gyms, gun stores, campaign headquarters, and even churches across California in recent weeks, with Republicans urging voters to drop their ballots inside.
But these boxes are not official ballot drop boxes, and the Republicans who have been actively promoting them in recent weeks could face criminal charges.
“Doing my part and voting early,” Jordan Tygh, a GOP regional field director, said in a now-deleted tweet posted last Friday. “DM me for convenient locations to drop your ballot off at!”
GOP field director Jordan Tygh kneeling in front of a fake ballot box in an image posted to Twitter.
The tweet was accompanied by a picture of Tygh kneeling in front of one of the unofficial boxes, holding a ballot, and wearing a mask with Orange County congressional candidate Michelle Steel’s name on it.
But this box is not an isolated incident.
The California Secretary of State confirmed Sunday that his office has received reports in recent days about possible unauthorized ballot drop boxes in Fresno, Los Angeles, and Orange counties, the Orange County Register reported.
Another box was spotted outside the Freedom’s Way Baptist Church in Castaic in northern LA county, and its presence was promoted on Facebook by Pastor Jerry Cook. “Our church has a voting drop box in front of our complex — if you are voting early, drop your ballot on by,” Cook said in the now-deleted post.
A post from the church said that the box was “approved and brought by the GOP,” adding that church officials don’t have a key to the box and that GOP officials would collect the ballots.
A fake ballot box outside the Freedom’s Way Baptist Church in Castaic, California in an image promoted on Facebook by Pastor Jerry Cook.
Cook did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but he told a local Fox station that he was confident the box was official.
Fresno County Republican Party also posted a list of “secure” ballot collection locations but none of the locations on the list, which include its own headquarters and multiple gun shops are official county drop box sites.
The California Republican Party has not responded officially to questions about the boxes, but it has been defending its position on Twitter.
“If a congregation/business or other group provides the option to its parishioners/associates/ or colleagues to drop off their ballot in a safe location, with people they trust, rather than handing it over to a stranger who knocks on their door — what is wrong with that?” the @CAGOP account tweeted on Sunday.
But in California, ballot drop boxes can only be overseen by county elections officials who chose the number, location, hours of operation, and other details. Registrars have to make sure the boxes follow strict guidelines, ensuring their security and chain of custody for the ballots.
“Operating unofficial ballot drop boxes — especially those misrepresented as official drop boxes — is not just misleading to voters, it’s a violation of state law,” Alex Padilla, California’s Secretary of State, said in a statement issued on Sunday evening.
“My office is coordinating with local officials to address the multiple reports of unauthorized ballot drop boxes. Californians should only use official ballot drop boxes that have been deployed and secured by their county elections office.”
Jupiter, the planet of expansion, gently connects with psychic Neptune on Monday, October 12, at 3:06 AM, for the third and last time this year. This is one of the signatures of 2020, and has a sedating, optimistic effect. There may be eureka moments about what we believe in. Also on Monday, Venus gently connects with Mercury, the planet of communication, at 1:38 PM, helping us communicate affection and desire clearly and collaboratively.
The sun faces off with warrior Mars on Tuesday, October 13, at 7:25 PM, requiring us to reach a compromise with people who are misbehaving or acting like babies, but that’s what being the bigger person is all about! Mercury retrograde begins on Tuesday at 9:04 PM, but you’ve likely already been feeling things malfunction since Sunday or Monday. The times around Mercury retrograde’s beginning and end are the most frustrating, as the planet slows to an apparent stop. Mercury retrogrades bring delays and misunderstandings, but also opportunities to correct our mistakes.
The sun clashes with power planet Pluto on Thursday, October 15, at 6:14 AM, digging up the dirt on something juicy and behind the scenes. The sun in Libra wants justice, and asks that we take action to address greed and corruption. This can also agitate manipulative behaviors, so take time to think about other people’s intentions, and if they’re aligned with yours.
There’s a new moon in Libra on Friday, October 16, at 3:31 PM. Get to understand how you are in control of your relationships—they’re a two way street! Feel free to give more love than you’re receiving, because it feels good, not because you’re holding it over someone’s head.
On Sunday, October 18, the sun clashes with Saturn, the planet of structure, at 9:57 AM, which can feel like a defeat. Sometimes standards are simply too high, but the fact that you’re trying does count for something. Later, at 10:48 AM, love planet Venus faces off with Neptune, which can lead to confusion or fantasy. While we imagine the best, we are also forced to grapple with reality.
All times ET.
Aries
After living under incessant pressure from higher-ups, you can finally get a peaceful moment to yourself. Lucky Jupiter connects with Neptune, the planet of transcendence, offering you optimism if you’re ready to take the high road. Try to look at the bigger picture and find peace and acceptance there. The sun faces off with your planetary ruler, warrior Mars, and you’re going to have to make a compromise. Just because things aren’t going your way doesn’t mean you’ve lost. Mercury retrograde begins in a financial sector of your chart. Pay attention to missed payments during Mercury retrograde—hopefully you can finally get paid back, too! The new moon in Libra brings fresh energy into your relationships, romantic or otherwise. The sun clashes with Pluto and Saturn, and you’re ready to prioritize relationships that put you ahead of the curve.
Taurus
It becomes easier for you to express your desires as your planetary ruler Venus gently connects with messenger Mercury. This is a nice time for socializing, going on dates, or just having discussions with your friends and partners about what you want. Mercury retrograde begins in your house of partnerships, so this one will affect your relationships, finding you getting a better understanding of others via misunderstandings and clarifications! Old partners come back into your life to check in. The new moon in Libra affects your work life and habits as it falls in your house of work and routine—a good time to quit or begin a habit. Venus faces off with dreamy Neptune, bringing a whimsical vibe to the weekend.
Gemini
Your work and private life is going well as sweet Venus gently connects with your planetary ruler, messenger Mercury, making it easy to ask for things that you need at home. You have to ask for what you want in order to get it! Mercury retrograde begins, so expect delays and miscommunications when it comes to your job and daily schedule. Give yourself extra breathing room and buffers, as there will be technical errors and delays. The new moon in fellow air sign Libra falls in your house of relationships, flings, and socializing realigns you with what you actually find fun and pleasurable. This is a good time to meet new friends, or to invite new energy into your dating life.
Cancer
It’s easy to believe in your relationships, and to have faith that you are meant to be with the people you are now. Jupiter, the planet of growth, gently connects with spiritual Neptune, finding you believing in soulmates. Relationships seem to have a higher purpose! The sun faces off with warrior Mars, creating some tension in your home and work life. Work takes the cake for now, but compromise is necessary regardless. Mercury retrograde in fellow water sign Scorpio can find ex flings and old friends back in your inbox. Be patient with your friends if they’re running late! The sun clashes with power planet Pluto and serious Saturn. The new moon in Libra brings a fresh start to your home and family life, something that has been a focus of yours since Libra season began.
Leo
As Mercury retrograde begins, expect delays in your home and private life. If you’re moving house or doing repairs, be sure to measure twice, and give everyone involved extra time and patience! You have a great deal of focus, even with the distractions happening, so stay on task! Rome wasn’t built in a day, so enjoy the down time while you have it. You could use some rest, considering how much you have been working lately! The new moon in Libra occupies a social, if not busy area of your chart, your house of communication and close acquaintances (also siblings, if you’ve got them). This is a good time to renew contracts and start important conversations.
Virgo
You’re able to talk about what you want, if you want to, as Venus, the planet of desires, gently connects with your planetary ruler, messenger Mercury. Be brave and ask! As Mercury retrograde begins, give yourself extra time to get things done since there will be delays. Mercury will be retrograde in your house of communication, contracts, and commuting, so have more patience in these areas—bring a book. The new moon in Libra falls in your house of money and personal resources, making it a good time to take inventory and draw up a budget. Venus faces off with dreamy Neptune, bringing confusion, or fantasy, into your relationships.
Libra
Career stuff has been a little hectic, but you get a sense of peace when it comes to having faith in the bigger picture as optimistic Jupiter gently connects with tranquil Neptune. Trust the process, Libra. You’re fine with change, and this just makes it easier to accept. Your planetary ruler Venus connects with messenger Mercury, helping you find hidden resources if you ask the right questions to the right people. There is a standoff in your relationships as the sun faces off with warrior Mars. People are going to be petty and childish, but you still have to meet them halfway. Mercury retrograde begins and you are going over your finances trying to see if you can afford everything. You are aligned with your needs, however, under this new moon!
Scorpio
You are coming down from a social weekend, which can extend into the work week as sweet Venus gently connects with messenger Mercury, making all social interactions pleasant and easy. Send out invitations now! The sun faces off with your planetary ruler, warrior Mars, which is still retrograde, making things a little tense at work. You need more rest, but things are malfunctioning, making it hard to find common ground. Infamous Mercury retrograde begins in your sign, finding you rethinking things and possibly going back on your word. Think about how you have grown, mentally, and the direction you’d like to go in terms of mindset. The new moon falls in a secretive sector of your chart—a good time to do something witchy, or just catch up on your sleep.
Sagittarius
Your planetary ruler Jupiter gently connects with dreamy Neptune, giving you faith that things will work out financially, or at least distracting you from any hardships or stress that you’ve been experiencing this year. Sweet Venus gently connects with messenger Mercury, encouraging you to share sexy secrets. Mercury retrograde begins in a secretive sector of your chart, giving you new perspectives on things that you don’t have all of the information on to begin with. It's a good time to parse through your thoughts and do some meditation. The new moon falls in a social sector of your chart, giving you a new understanding of your community and how you want to participate in socializing moving forward. Venus faces off with dreamy Neptune, bringing whimsy into your career.
Capricorn
You’re not typically a happy-go-lucky person, Cap, but generous Jupiter gently connects with dreamy Neptune, giving you a high dose of optimism. Take this as a psychic painkiller that helps you move through 2020’s discomfort, with the faith that something greater is taking place. You can also be the person that helps people get through stressful times, offering a wider perspective to others and being an intuitive, good listener. The sun faces off with warrior Mars and you are seeing tension in that work-life balance. This time life wins. You have things at home that require your attention. The sun clashes with power planet Pluto and serious Saturn, and you are being asked to step into a position of authority.
Aquarius
Mercury retrograde begins in fellow fixed sign Scorpio, bringing delays to your professional and public life. Mercury retrograde is always a time of delays and frustrations, but you’re going to have to just be patient. It’s possible that old job offers and projects that you have put down in the past are ready for your attention once more, which can be exciting. Conversations may seem to regress, but this is for a reason. The new moon in fellow air sign Libra will bring you fresh ideas and a new perspective on intellectual matters. There is a lot to talk about, and a lot you want to share. This can be a new writing project, or a new plan for travel!
Pisces
This week feels pretty magical. Jupiter, your traditional planetary ruler, gently connects with Neptune, your modern planetary ruler, bringing a higher faith in what the future has to offer and how you can participate in it. Of course this can be overwhelming—everything feels like so much all the time—but try to build a raft and float up with the flood. Venus connects with messenger Mercury, making it easy for you to share your desires and have an open conversation with your partners, romantic and otherwise. Mercury retrograde begins in fellow water sign Scorpio, and you are refining your beliefs and deleting old posts. The new moon falls in a sensitive sector of your chart, signifying an important transformation.
President Donald Trump is trying to get his reelection campaign back on track by lying about being immune from coronavirus, just six days after he left the hospital.
He first made the claim Sunday in an interview on Fox News, where it went unchallenged. Later in the day he doubled down on social media, saying: “A total and complete sign off from White House Doctors yesterday. That means I can’t get it (immune), and can’t give it. Very nice to know!!!”
Twitter flagged the tweet, placing it behind a warning label that said it violated the company’s policies for “misleading and potentially harmful information.”
Facebook, however, has left the post untouched on its platform. So far it has been shared 36,000 times, with 705,00 reactions and 66,000 comments.
Facebook has yet to respond to questions about why the claim about immunity does not violate its policies about COVID-19 misinformation. VICE News reported last week that Facebook was allowing the Trump campaign to run dozens of ads which featured a video in which Trump claimed he may be immune from COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), whose guidance the White House says it is following, is clear that there is no evidence that people who were infected with coronavirus were immune to reinfection in the following three months.
Trump’s own doctor Sean Conley said late on Saturday that Trump was no longer at risk of passing on coronavirus, but did not confirm if Trump had tested negative and didn’t mention immunity.
Trump told Fox News on Sunday that he “beat this crazy, horrible China virus,” with the help of an experimental cocktail of drugs that he described falsely as a “cure.”
“To me, it’s a cure, it’s much more than a therapeutic,” Trump said. “Once you’ve recovered, you’re immune. I am immune… maybe for a short time, maybe for a long time. The president is in very good shape,” Trump said, adding that immunity gave him a “protective glow.”
Trump also claimed that his doctors told him that he was “totally free of spreading. There's no spread.”
But the CDC says on its website that in some cases those infected with the coronavirus can remain infectious for up to 20 days after they first present with symptoms. While there is still some dispute around the exact timeline of when Trump first tested positive for COVID-19, he is still at least a week away from passing that 20-day mark.
Despite this, Trump has lined up three campaign rallies in three swing states in the next three days. He will travel to Sanford, Florida, on Monday night, followed by events in Pennsylvania and Iowa on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Trump continues to trail Democratic nominee Joe Biden in all major polls ahead of next month’s vote. The latest survey, A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Sunday, had Biden leading Trump on 54%-42% among likely voters.
Trump has asked his campaign to put him on the road every day until the election on Nov. 3,” Axios reported Sunday. The details are still being finalized, but some within the campaign are questioning the tactic. “He’s going to kill himself,” one adviser told Axios.
Cover: With two bandages on his hand, President Donald Trump removes his face mask to speak from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House to a crowd of supporters, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) over the weekend, there was another eye-catching development alongside the usual saber-rattling: he appeared to cry.
During his speech in Pyongyang to mark the 75th anniversary of the Korea Workers' Party on Saturday, Kim apologized for past errors and thanked the public and armed forces. He used the words "thanks" and "gratitude" more than 10 times, and his voice trembled with emotion as he removed his glasses and put them back on, holding a handkerchief in his right hand.
"I extend the highest tribute to their ardent loyalty and filial devotion to our state and people and warm thanks to all the service personnel," Kim said at the ceremony, in which the gigantic missile was paraded for view next to thousands of maskless soldiers in a country that claims to be free of the pandemic.
"I thank them for their good health without any one of them having fallen victim to the malignant virus," Kim added. "I am moved by this success, and as I see their healthy appearance, I can find no word other than thanks."
But experts say the emotional moments in his speech were not simply a rare display of the vicious dictator's soft side. Like so many things in the hermit kingdom, they were analyzed for what they can tell the world about the reclusive leader and what's happening in the country.
"This is the difference between Kim and his father," Koh Yu-hwan, the president of the Korea Institute for National Unification, told VICE News, referring to Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011.
"While his father rarely appeared in public and said just a few words in his speeches, Kim used emotional comments and shed tears."
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, echoed his comments and said it is part of Kim's personal style of leadership to admit mistakes and apologize to his people in contrast with his father.
During his speech on Saturday, Kim also said that "our people have placed their trust with me as high as the sky and as deep as the sea, but I have failed to live up to it satisfactorily all the time. I am really sorry for that."
A screen grab taken from a KCNA broadcast on Oct. 10, 2020 shows North Korean soldiers and attendees gathered listening to a speech by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of a military parade on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang. Photo: KCNA VIA KNS / AFP
It's his second apology in weeks since he told South Korean counterpart President Moon Jae-in that he was "very sorry" after North Korean soldiers shot and killed a maritime official from the South at sea.
In his speech, the North Korean leader sent another message to the South. "I also send this warm wish of mine to our dear fellow countrymen...and hope that this health crisis would come to an end as early as possible and the day would come when we take each other's hand again."
Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, told VICE News that the more humble signals could also be an attempt to send messages of unity at a time of discontent.
"Kim appealed to people emotionally who are going through difficulties due to triple challenges such as the sanctions, the virus, and typhoon damage," he said, referring to several typhoons that struck the peninsula in recent months and ongoing tensions with the U.S. after two failed summits with President Donald Trump. "This could help his image, that he shares joys and sorrows with people."
"Kim is showing that he is trying to overcome the challenges in spite of the difficulties as a father of the nation," he added.
But some South Korean politicians weren't buying it and said the tears and messages were just for show. Kim Chong-in, a leader of the main conservative opposition People Power Party, condemned the North Korean leader's speech during a meeting at the National Assembly.
"We are just astonished at these crocodile tears, talking about Koreans in the South after shooting one of us to death."
Medical experts don’t know much about what causes Ménière’s disease, a vestibular disorder (meaning, part of a category of conditions related to dizziness and imbalance) that causes a periodic build-up of fluid in the inner ear accompanied by bouts of pain, tinnitus, and vertigo. Some people with Ménière’s experience relatively light, infrequent episodes that last a few minutes, while others end up with the spins for hours, which can lead to nausea, vomiting, shakiness, and blurred vision. Some have rapid “drop attacks,” symptoms that appear out of nowhere and may cause them to suddenly collapse, while others feel a slower build-up of symptoms. Some only feel symptoms during episodes, while others feel off balance or mentally foggy long after.
What is known about Ménière’s is that episodes start soon after someone with the disorder experiences a trigger. Alcohol, caffeine, salt, and stress are the most common, though certain physical activities can also be triggers for some—including, in some (possibly underreported) cases, sexual exertion.
Even people whose episodes of Ménière’s (or other conditions like it) are not triggered by or during sex often find that the condition can affect their sex lives. One study suggests that people with Ménière’s experience elevated levels of sexual dysfunction compared to the general population, thanks to the disease’s stresses and complications. It can be hard to feel sexual while coping with lingering the disorienting or fatiguing aftereffects of a recent episode, or with anxiety about possibly triggering a new one in the future.
VICE recently spoke to Steven, who developed Ménière’s while in college, and his partner Val about how the disorder has affected their sex life and wider relationship over the years.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Steven and Val's names have been changed for privacy reasons.
Steven: In 2010, I started experiencing a lot of brain fog and fatigue, although I didn’t have the words for that at the time. I just knew I wasn’t feeling good. I was out of it and unfocused, and I had a sense of imbalance and dizziness on and off. I was in college and my diet wasn’t great—I was eating a lot of fast food—so I thought, Maybe I’m just tired.
Things slowly got worse over the course of about six months. After big meals, I got violently sick. I thought I was maybe getting food poisoning over and over, but really it was nausea caused by vertigo. The room would be spinning, and I’d be throwing up, but I’d just shrug it off because I’d start to feel a little better afterwards. I felt like something was wrong—but also like I was invincible, or something.
Val and I had been dating for about a year when my symptoms started up. One night, we went out to a steak house where I had a bacon-wrapped fillet and french fries. So, a lot of salt, which I’ve since learned is a big trigger for me. Then we went to a coffee shop. I got dizzy and ran to the bathroom to violently throw up. That was the first time I wondered how my health problems would affect our relationship.
Val: He needed help—he literally had to text me to come to the bathroom to help him.
Steven: I was a mess. I felt guilty and ashamed. I didn’t want her to see me like that.
Living with those symptoms, it’s hard to get in the mood, to connect on a sexual level. They make me not want to have sex. They also exacerbate my underlying anxiety, which affects my ability to get into sex when I do have it. When that happens, I get in my own head and can’t lose myself in the moment.
Val: In the first year we were together, we had sex every day. But by the time this started, we’d settled into our relationship and weren’t a high-libido couple. Once a week was fine for us. Even in those early days, before Steven had a diagnosis, we still had sex once a week. Although, Steven, when we were younger, did you sometimes not feel well and try to have sex anyway?
Steven: Yeah. I never had an episode during sex, though. I’ve never had drop attacks, where things escalate with no warning sign. There’s always been a pattern of escalation.
Val: It’s always been like the emergency alert colors: yellow, orange, red.
Steven: If I’m not feeling well long before I have an episode, I’m already not feeling sexual.
Val: Because we didn’t know what was going on, every day was unpredictable. He might have a cup of coffee, which we later learned is a trigger, then all of a sudden it was a bad day. I felt a lot of empathy. But I didn’t think this was going to be a big thing. I wanted him to go to the doctor, but I thought he might have a weird gut bacteria and there’d be some magic pill.
Steven: I had a major vertigo attack after eating Wendy’s at Val’s apartment. The room was spinning and I couldn’t get off the couch. It was way worse than anything before. It lasted for a few hours and I was a shattered shell at the end of it.
I went to the doctor’s office the next day. He told me that I might have Ménière’s disease, and that I’d eventually lose my hearing in both of my ears. It was terrifying. I went into a downward spiral of anxiety, despair, depression. I felt like I was going to get worse and worse. Val was there for me, but I had this fear about what might happen to us later.
Val: Once he got diagnosed and I realized this was going to lead to lifestyle changes for him, it was a little scary to think about what that might mean for us. I thought about silly things, like, What if I want to go on a roller coaster, but he can’t? But none of that was a dealbreaker.
Steven: I had a lot of anxiety in those early days about what this would mean for my sex life—but also for my life overall. Would I even be able to have one? Because I was so miserable, Val and my family pushed me to get a second opinion, so I went to a specialist in balance disorders and he told me about Ménière’s patients who were doing well, and that my hearing could be protected if I got a handle on my lifestyle. (He was right. My hearing is still good.) I had hope again after that. I said, “I’m going to do everything I can to figure this out.” A few triggers became obvious really fast—like caffeine and sodium. I’m lucky, because every case is a little different and a lot of people never figure out how to manage things. But I started to figure it out early on.
Val: That was a turn-on—that he was committing himself to working on it and making these changes.
Steven: Now, I’m mostly free of major symptoms. I haven’t had a vertigo attack in a while. Still, it’s easy for me to overexert myself if I’m under stress or off my routine or diet. I can get fatigued and dizzy and feel brain fog, which can take sex out of the picture for days at a time.
Val: When we decided to try to have a baby, we were trying to have sex every day, regardless of whether or not it was a good day. We managed to do that, but it wasn’t always enjoyable. If his head wasn’t in a good place, he wouldn’t be as aroused as he usually is. I’d take it personally, even though it wasn’t personal at all. We’d get into arguments about it.
Generally, though, since Ménière’s came into our lives, we can’t just have sex whenever. The way his triggers work, there were suddenly times of the day where sex worked better than others. I gradually learned to tell, depending on what we’d done on a given day, whether sex would be an option or not. I started to plan around that a bit. If we want to have sex, we won’t go out for a meal with a lot of sodium in it that day, or we'll find time to be together earlier in the day.
Steven: We try to schedule and set aside time for sex sometimes, yeah. But there’s still always a chance I’m just not going to be feeling good. Val wanted to have sex this weekend. It’d probably been a week or two since we’d had sex. But a family member just got diagnosed with cancer and I’m dealing with pain from a shoulder injury, so my stress levels are through the roof. That’s activating my symptoms quite a bit, and I’m feeling worn down. When Saturday came around, she wanted to have sex, and I had to say that I wasn’t feeling it, but maybe I’d rally on Sunday. Then, on Sunday, I still wasn’t feeling into it.
Val: We have to be more verbal than other couples may feel like they need to be. In the early days of our relationship, I’d just hit him with my shoulder and, OK, it was on. But after a while with Ménière’s, I realized I had to tell him, “Hey, you can ask me if I’m in the mood. And if you’re in the mood, please tell me." We have to seize our opportunities when they’re there.
Steven: When I’m not feeling well, we find ways of being intimate that aren’t penetrative sex.
Val: We still kiss and touch.
Steven: Sometimes when I’m in a bad place, she’ll just say, “Lay down and let me give you a blowjob.” There’s something nice and caring in her offering that when I’m not feeling well.
Val: We’ve also experimented with using toys on me when sex isn’t on the table.
Steven: One thing we’ve done every day, for our entire relationship, is that no matter what’s happening or how we feel, for the last 10 to 15 minutes before we go to sleep, we lay in bed and cuddle and talk—not always in a sexual way, but we stay physically close and intimate.
Val: That’s so important. Having a moment when it’s just me and him, without the TV or the kid or anything else, is what glues us together through all the crap we’ve been through as a couple.
When Thai web designer Nottajorn updated her Tinder profile with a protest photo from Bangkok’s democracy monument, she intended to send a message.
"I want people to know that I am interested in politics – so much that I’d go to a protest," the 28-year-old told VICE News. "This is to filter out those who aren’t. They can swipe left on me."
Thai web designer Nottajorn put a pro-democracy photo on her Tinder account. Screenshot supplied
Decades of coups, street protests and gaping inequality have left Thais divided over how their country should be run. But young supporters of a new pro-democracy movement are now advertising where they stand on dating apps and other online platforms, making clear this is an area where differences can’t be overlooked.
On Tinder, for instance, users may post photos of themselves at protests or declare no interest in dating anyone who does not believe in democracy. They have added "no salim" or "not a salim" to their profile. "Salim" - the name of a multicolored Thai dessert of sweet noodles and coconut milk - is slang for backers of the military-aligned government led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-cha.
A former army chief, Prayut led the 2014 coup that overthrew a democratically elected government and cemented his grip on power after elections in 2019 that were marred by irregularities. He and other generals are also closely linked to the monarchy, which has become a focal point of growing calls for democratic reforms.
"Politics is not like liking different styles of music. Your political views say something about what your values in life are," Nottajorn said, adding that supporting Prayut sends a signal that you do not care about justice, human rights, or freedom of speech.
"For people my age who are in the midst of building our future, it seems like we have no future, so we have to do something to build a better future for ourselves. Therefore, it’s important to date someone who values these things," she said.
Cho, a 26-year-old software developer and DJ, who like several others interviewed for this article asked to be identified by their first name only for privacy reasons, agreed.
"People who love Prayut would normally say things like 'the poor people are poor because they are lazy,'" Cho told VICE News. "And that is a reflection on their personality – that they lack compassion and have low empathy."
Despite the surging popularity of dating apps in Thailand, not everyone is open about their political leanings online, and disputes can appear after a relationship just gets going. That happened to retail store manager Aridhat Kheosopa. "I recently had an experience dating someone who I later found out supported Prayut, I ended up ghosting him. Thank you, next," he said, quoting an Ariana Grande song.
But in other cases, having similar views can help bring like-minded singles together. One 34-year-old veterinarian who asked to remain anonymous said on her Tinder profile that she is even looking for people interested in going to protests with her.
"I want to be upfront about my political views so we don’t end up wasting each other’s time," she told VICE News. "Things will not work out if you support the dictatorship."
The internet has become the latest battleground in Thailand’s turbulent politics as young organizers break with tradition and debate taboo topics with unprecedented boldness. Social media companies have found themselves caught in the middle of demands for free expression and Thailand’s attempt to control dissent online.
Thailand’s digital economy minister has filed legal complaints against Facebook and Twitter for not taking down posts deemed offensive to either the government or the monarchy, which is normally shielded from criticism by royal defamation laws. Facebook has also said it would challenge an order to restrict access to a popular page critical of the monarchy.
Tinder has reportedly been drawn into the dispute, as some users claimed their accounts were suspended after sharing pro-democracy content, according to researchers writing inForeign Policy. Tinder did not immediately respond to requests for comment from VICE News.
While social media platforms have been mainly leveraged by pro-democracy protest figures, Twitter said last week that it removed nearly 1,000 accounts linked to the Royal Thai Army for information operations, which a spokesperson later denied.
Some young Thais said they would be open to dating someone from another political party that they didn’t vote for, but too close a connection with the military’s Phalang Pracharat party was a non-starter.
"I don’t think I’m right about everything. It would be nice to date someone who can challenge me," said 22-year-old French language tutor Surachai Rukniwed.
Still, he left the option open for a more casual encounter, maybe even a fling where he’d have to weigh the benefits of a brief romantic encounter against his moral and political beliefs.
"It depends," he said, laughing.
Choltanutkun Tun-atiruj is a Thai journalist and co-founder of the digital media website Thisrupt.
