2 3

the garbage eaters......................4Those islands of trash in the ocean have become a breeding ground for extraordinary new life forms.

ERK B2

the American drugstore..............6The American drugstore is more than just a place that sells medicine.

ERK B1

a town called malnourished........8Food deserts don’t exist just in America’s inner cities; in rural America they can be found amidst fields of plenty.

ERK B2

when convicts become cowboys......................10A high-security prison keeps it prisoners safely locked up. But twice a year, it organises a rodeo that is open to visitors from the outside too, and gives them a unique chance to talk to people who’ll most likely never get out of jail again.

ERK B2

plenty to go around..................12Humanity is doomed, right? Rising sea levels, global warming, overpopulation - the future looks gloomy. Not so, claims Peter Diamandis, a Californian businessman.

ERK C1

death of the American hobo.........................15Take a closer look at the American hobo, hopping on and off trains, travelling the plains, waking up in boxcars and surviving on almost nothing.

ERK B2

digital sex wars.........................18The 1970s were a period of change, marked by the sexual revolution, battles for equal rights for men and women and emancipation. But that’s a long time ago, and we’ve reached equality now, haven’t we?

ERK B2

15 years of solitude..................20The democratic Venezuela that so often received exiles from neighbouring countries and gave asylum to political refugees trying to escape from military governments is once again alone.

ERK B2

hello, stranger...........................22If you’ve ever been on a subway or public bus, you know the rules. Don’t make eye contact, stay as far away from other people as the space allows, and for the love of God, don’t talk to anyone. But what if the rules are wrong?

ERK B2

a vanishing breed in New York..............................24John Abrahams is an American-born cabby. Today, only 8 percent of city taxi and for-hire drivers were born in the United States

ERK B1

near death explained................26New science is shedding light on what really happens during out-of-body experiences - with shocking results.

ERK C1

dying to get out of Russia....29Why Russian women are less likely to commit suicide than their male counterparts, who are the most self-destructive people on earth.

ERK B2

fearless... and topless.................32Femen has made a name for itself as the organisation that has women protesting topless against anything that might be seen as a violation of women’s rights.

ERK B2

how to spot a psychopath..............34We think of psychopaths as killers, alien, outside society. But, says the scientist who has spent his life studying them, you could have one for a colleague, a friend - or your partner.

ERK B2

issue 1 - September 2014

PublisherAd de Beer

EditorsVeronique Crolla, Monique Dorst

ProofreadingCarel Burghout

Coordinating editorNanda Evers

Graphic Design3Ds Visuals - Mark van Galen

Readings coordinated bySarah Sherborne, Dominic O’Shea

Alquin MagazineNieuwland 15283 AJ BoxtelThe Netherlandstel. (+31) (0)411 - 68 47 35fax. (+31) (0)411 - 67 37 77email: mail@alquin.com / addebeer@home.nlwebsite: www.alquin.com

BelgiumAlquin bvbaKiezel Kleine-Brogel 553990 Peertel. (0032) (0)11 - 71 75 83email: mail@alquin.com

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