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An Oasis For Bees And People Alike: How One Man Is Growing Food For Both (For Free)

by Brianna Acuesta, True Activist

This man has started dozens of gardens in New Orleans' poorest area to feed residents for free.

After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, many of the areas impacted by one of the deadliest hurricanes on record in the U.S. were never again the same. Funding for infrastructure and community development has been scarce and many of southeast Louisiana’s poorer districts, including the Ninth Ward, have suffered deeply ever since then.

That’s why David Young decided to create Capstone Community Gardens & Orchard, a volunteer-run non-profit that has converted over 30 blighted and abandoned lots into gardens and orchards for the community.

Young started the organization shortly after Katrina hit when he saw that there were many without food and no resources to access fresh food in the area. With a crumbling infrastructure that wasn’t likely to be fixed anytime soon, companies didn’t want to rebuild many stores, making it even more difficult for the already-poor district to find the food they need to thrive.

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Scientists Transform Spinach Leaf Into Beating Human Heart Tissue

by Amanda Froelich, True Activist

A new study reveals how a vascular system may be grown from a common green most people eat for dinner. Published by the journal Biomaterials earlier this month, the information shows how scientists were able to successfully build a working human heart muscle from spinach.

According to National Geographic, the newfound ability to grow a vascular system will further developments in tissue engineering. This is because scientists have already created large-scale human tissue using methods such as 3D printing, but until recently, were unsuccessful at developing small, delicate blood vessels that are imperative for tissue health.

One of the study’s co-authors, Joshua Gershlak of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), described the study:

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Study Reveals That This Group Of People Has The Healthiest Hearts In The World

by Brianna Acuesta, True Activist

People living in Western societies, or those living with the luxury of technology, often find it unfathomable that groups of people survived before them without these same advancements. Although phones and computers are recent devices that many people know how to make-do without, people often question how others survived without modern medicine, procedures, food, and much more.

The problem with technology and a rapidly growing population is that while it aids us in everyday transactions, there are actually huge downfalls to becoming so advanced. One area in which this is evident is with people’s health. Though modern medicine boasts a plethora of prescription drugs to help with endless ailments and surgeries that can fix most issues, the alternative side to that is people in the past didn’t have nearly as many issues because their overall health wasn’t always as bad. Yes, their life expectancies were shorter because of disease and different ways of living, but they also didn’t have junk food or sugary drinks they had daily.

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Smudging With Plants And Herbs: Scientifically Sound For Purifying Air

by Amelia Kinney, True Activist

Although often regarded as a spiritual act, research shows burning herbs and plant resin is scientifically sound for eliminating bacteria in the air and administering medicinal properties. Smudging has been a tradition among various groups and cultures for centuries, and today is practiced in many homes. White sage, cedar, juniper, lavender, cilantro and eucalyptus are among the most commonly used plants and herbs.

Originally a Native American technique called the “Sacred Bowl Blessing”, smudging has been used to clear negativity and restore balance to physical, emotional and spiritual energies. Herbs burned at high temperatures are also a historical method of administering medicine, usually used to aid or repair pulmonary, neurological and dermatological functions. Furthermore, the advantages of smoke-based remedies are “rapid delivery to the brain, more efficient absorption by the body and lower costs of production”.

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"Child At Heart" Spent The Last 40 Years Hand-Building Amusement Park In The Forest

He built it all on his own, DIY-style.

by Brianna Acuesta, True Activist

When an Italian man from Treviso, Veneto first opened his restaurant, Osteria Ai Pioppi, in 1969, he had no idea if it would even be successful because it’s in the forest on a hill. In a somewhat remote area, and without any signs posted to point towards the restaurant, he didn’t expect 20 people to show up and eat all of the food that been prepared on that first day.

Though business was great on that first day, that momentum didn’t carry through everyday and Ferrin decided he wanted to come up with ways to attract more people. He was inspired by nature to create “games” and rides for others to enjoy.

“A branch falls, a leaf floats down, a bird flies by, a stone rolls. And I say to myself, ‘Maybe I can use this movement.’ That’s how my ideas are born. They come from things like that, I can’t really explain.”

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While Media Focuses On Russia, Govt’s Own Data Shows U.S. Interfered In 81 Elections

While the US spin machine hurls accusations about Russian election meddling, it's worth nothing the US is a seasoned pro at interfering in elections.

By: Claire Bernish / The Free Thought Project   Ask an average American who makes a habit of following government-mouthpiece corporate media about interference in national elections and you’ll likely elicit a nebulous response concerning Russian hackers and a plan to install Donald Trump in the White House — but you probably won’t hear a single syllable pertaining to United States government’s actual attempts to do the same.

On Monday, FBI Director James Comey confirmed for the first time publicly the bureau is officially investigating hotly contentious allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. election — but, even if proven true, such geopolitical escapades better characterize the routine behavior of accuser than of accused.

“The F.B.I., as part of our counterintelligence effort, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 president election,” the director announced, adding the bureau would conduct a probe to discern whether Trump’s associates had contact with Russian officials.

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Fertility Regulator Has Approved Three Parent GMO Babies

by Jessica Murray, True Activist

Approval has been given by the UK’s fertility regulator to create a baby using the DNA of three people. According to reports, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) announced its “historic” decision in December last year, after explaining that it would begin to accept applications from various fertility clinics that are wanting to become licensed to perform the technical procedure. Now commonly known as the “3-parent baby technique”, the procedure is designed to prevent a small number of children from inheriting diseases from their mothers that could be potentially fatal. The new DNA techniques are primarily intended to fix problems that are linked to mitochondria, which are the structures outside of a cell’s nucleus that produce energy. Any mitochondrial problems could cause diseases such as muscular dystrophy, major organ failure, and severe muscle weakness.

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US Government Has Been Allowing A Pipeline To Release Methane Into The Ocean For Months

by Jessica Murray, True Activist

An eight inch pipeline in Alaska is currently releasing around 310,000 cubic feet of methane into the ocean every day, and reports say that it could be months until it is stopped. The pipeline located in Alaska’s Cook Inlet has been actively releasing methane daily for the past three months, and there could be a wait until May before anyone shuts it down. Hilcorp Alaska’s pipeline ruptured back in December, causing it to begin releasing an enormous amount of methane into the ocean. Despite the vast quantities, the leak was not reported to the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration until frothing and bubbling at the surface of the water was spotted by a helicopter pilot on February 7. EcoWatch reported, “PHMSA said that the natural gas discharge could pose a risk to public safety, the environment and marine mammals and has given Hilcorp until May 1 to permanently repair the line or shut it down.”

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BREAKING: 800 Families File Lawsuit Against Saudi Arabia for Role in 9/11

By: Matt Agorist / The Free Thought Project   New York, NY — For the first time in history, families of victims of the 9/11 terror attacks are using a new law and are going after Saudi Arabia in a lawsuit for their role in the attacks. In this landmark lawsuit, the families of 800 victims are suing Saudi Arabia for aiding the hijackers.

For more than a decade and a half, Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush kept secret the alleged role Saudi Arabia played in the September 11 attacks on America. Becuase of the cozy relationship the US has with the terrorist nation, special interests within the government have chosen to protect their Saudi friends instead of telling Americans the truth about what happened that fateful day.

Only because of the vigilance of those seeking the truth is this lawsuit now a reality.

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Scientists Cannot Explain Why Humpback Whales Are Displaying This Strange Behaviour

by Jessica Murray, True Activist

Despite the fact that humpback whales are generally solitary creatures, huge groups of them have suddenly begun grouping together just off the coast of South Africa, but no one knows why. Although scientists previously referred to groups of 10 to 20 humpback whales as “large”, groups have now been spotted in numbers from 20 to 200, each weighing about 65,000 pounds, according to recent reports. Even more surprisingly, humpback whales are not usually seen in the region of South Africa, as they migrate up to tropical waters to breed and then typically travel south to the icy waters of Antarctica during this time of the year. Recent scientific expeditions have been regularly sighting these super-pods and compiled their findings into a published journal called PLoS ONE at the beginning of March. Although the researchers have a few vague ideas about the “new” behavior of the humpbacks, these are merely guesses as the true reason why they have congregated in this area is still very unclear.

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