Shakira may not be able to Barack the Vote herself this November, but she's using her influence over young voters in America to put the senator from Illinois in the White House.

“I support Barack Obama because I think that he is the person that can bring the world the true American message,” Shakira said in a statement. “I feel in my heart that he would be able to reconstruct peace and confidence in the United States.”

Yeah, you already know how to recycle your plastic bottles and newspapers, but most of the other stuff you have stuck in the back of the junk drawer or collecting dust in the closet can be reused, too. Here’s how.

CDs/DVDs/Books/Video Games
Got a stash of books you’ll never crack open again? There are several websites waiting to help you renew your collection. Sign up at swaptree.com, titletrader.com, zunafish.com or paperbackswap.com and you can swap your old stuff for someone else’s old stuff.