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upworthy

Jeffrey Tousey

Heroes

Check out this genius plan to make graveyards 1000% less creepy.

Two Italian designers are on a mission to re-invent how we remember our loved ones after they pass away.

Death is not something we like to think about. But we know that when we die, most of us will likely end up here ...

... or in an urn on a family member's mantle (next to creepy cat figurines).

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At the end, the camera zooms out and you see what these kids painted. Incredible.

It's pretty amazing what happens when people from one of the toughest neighborhoods in New York put aside their differences and work together using art.

Brownsville is commonly referred to as one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in New York.

Yes, it may have a past riddled with violence, crime, and addiction, but community leaders are garnering the support of local teens and young people — who have their own storied pasts — and giving them the opportunity to change the tide of their future.

Not all housing projects have to look the same.

This relatively small neighborhood has the highest concentration of housing projects in all of New York City. It's a pretty common stigma for people to immediately associate projects with ugly brown buildings and a generally ominous facade. But if you were to head down to Pitkin Avenue today, you'd see that veil of doom has been lifted.

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Almost everywhere you turn, there's a blood drive offering a free T-shirt and cookies. There seems to be an endless need for people to donate blood, and for good reason — donating blood saves thousands of lives every year. BUT before you think about reaching for one of those cookies, there are some rules in place to make sure YOU don't have dirty blood.

One of the FDA's most controversial rules has been around since 1977. It bans homosexual men — or, rather, ANY man who has had sex with another man — from giving blood for the rest of their lives. This came about at the onset of the AIDS crisis in America and the fear that HIV would make its way into the stockpile of blood used for transfusions. However, straight men and women can have sex with as many partners as they please and still be allowed to give blood. Stew on that for a second.

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