Machine Feeds Stray Dogs In Exchange For Recycled Bottles

by Liz Heather in

There are 150,000 stray cats and dogs in Istanbul. Does that seem nuts? I don't think it should 'cause I have always felt like every place that isn't North America has a crazy problem with stray dogs especially. I'm mostly talking about practically every island in the Caribbean - since each time I would go on vacation with my family around that area when I was a kid, I made at least ten dog friends per trip. It was the best. Anyway, it's a huge problem and most places don't really give too much of a fuck about it 'cause typically speaking, there are much larger issues. 

There's a really neat device (created by the Turkish company Pugedon) that aims to increase recycling while providing food and water to stray dogs. Check it out.

“The device encourages passersby to recycle and look at our animal co-inhabitants with different eyes. The principle of the machine is very simple – it has containers for water (you can pour the remaining water from your bottle before recycling it) and for dog food. A fixed ratio of kibbles is dispensed when a bottle is recycled. The project is independent from the government and covers the cost of the food with the recycled bottles.”

That's wicked! Love this idea.

Idea of the Day - Reward & Gift Cards

by Liz Heather in

Sometimes people come up with genius ideas. This is one of them. 

Punch a hole in all of your gift and rewards cards and keep them on one key ring to save space in your wallet. Bonus Tip: alphabetize them so they're easier to find. Bonus, Bonus Liz Tip: write down any expiration dates (if there are any) on your calendar (or "phone agenda", Marla) so you don't get screwed over.

I guess this idea would only work well if you're a woman and you can carry this key ring around in your purse? I don't know a man who'd want this beast amongst his precious keys. Do men even use reward cards? Is that a sexist thought? I really don't think they do. I've signed my boyfriend up for at least four different cards and I'm pretty sure each one is passively mourning their fate at various garbage dumps.

I heard this tip from the site Cooking at Cafe D, so obviously their page is now in my bookmarks. Also, to the people who are about to message me and go, "Hey, there's an app for that" - don't get smart with me. I'll cut you.

Lessons of the Week

by Liz Heather in , ,

1. Pinterest Tip: Highlight text on something before hitting “Pin It” and the highlighted text will automatically appear in the description box.

2. Twitter Tip: You can create lists for people whose tweets you don’t want to miss. Am I the only person who didn't know this already?

3. A beautician just told me that the best (least painful) time to pluck your eyebrows is right after you get out of a hot shower. I just tried this, and she's completely right.

For past lessons of the week, you can find them over here: July 2013, October 2013, and December 2013.

Beauty Tip of the Day - Write Down Purchase Dates

by Liz Heather in , ,

An ongoing goal of mine has been to become (simply put) less gross. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, but I can't seem to get away with as much as I used to. And I guess that's a good thing. One thing that I've really got to get better about is throwing away things that I have no use for and/or are expired. I'm mostly talking about makeup/beauty products here. (Does this post affect men at all? Yes, it does. No matter what kind of man y'are, I know there's at least one secret beauty product you're using that may go bad at some point. So I encourage you to label it up, guy.)

I only just clued in that using expired facial products can cause blemishes. Not washing makeup brushes can cause them, too. If you're reading these points and going, "Yeah. Duh." Well, I apologize. I guess you're better than me. In any case, writing the dates on when you buy products is such a smart move. I'm surprised I didn't read about this in Martha Stewart, to be honest. Though, to be fair, Real Simple, is considered a poor man's Martha Stewart to anyone with an ounce of intellect.

Start doing this! It'll change your life! Or, at the very least, it'll make you feel like you're becoming less gross. Also, I've found this especially works well with nail polishes. (The question of whether or not a nail polish ever really expires or goes bad is up for debate, but truthfully if I bought a certain bottle of nail polish eight years ago that has gone unused for that amount of time, then maybe it's time to spice things up and possibly buy a new colour? Just a thought.)