After hearing news reports about the stock market drop, I naively thought “I wonder what Alan Greenspan’s been up to lately?” Well, turns out some people believe the comments he made to a Hong Kong business conference triggered the plunge. Greenspan said “When you get this far away from a recession, invariably forces build up for the next recession, and indeed we are beginning to see that sign.” And then the Chinese stock market went south. Others think it’s just a coincidence. Charles Jones from Columbia Business School: “It just so happens that [Greenspan] made one comment that ends up being right in front of a big stock market move. I think that’s more coincidence than anything.” I got what I wanted to know: Greenspan has not retired.

As much as I respect the folks over at Serious Eats, I’m not sure that National Pig Day is supposed to be about eating pork! According to Internet sources (the Internet is always right, you know), “National Pig Day was first conceived in 1972 by two sisters, Ellen Stanley of Lubbock, Texas, and Mary Lynne Rave of Beaufort, North Carolina. The day has grown to become a celebration of and appreciation for the pig’s best qualities and attributes.” Of course, a lot of pork is being consumed to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Boar. Celebrate the pig however you wish, on a plate or in a pen. Oink!

Unfortunately, a handbag with solar panels for charging gadgets doesn’t fit my everyday inside office lifestyle. Green energy aside, I’d rather set my purse with gadgets inside on a SplashPower device.

Gap’s concept stores for female baby boomers are being shuttered after 18 months of lackluster sales. Forth & Towne opened 19 stores to attract older women with personal service, chic but comfy fashions, matching accessories, large dressing rooms, and bottled water. But the stores didn’t catch on and after the removal of Gap’s CEO last month the company needs to refocus its established, but suffering, Gap and Old Navy brands.

The Department of Homeland Security is proposing to relax the upcoming passport requirement for children entering the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda via sea and land. The original requirements specified that everyone would need a passport, but if the proposal holds, children 15 and under can use a certified copy of a birth certificate instead. Older folks and those who arrive by air will still need a passport.

I haven’t read many graphic novels, not because I have anything against the medium but mainly because of a lack of exposure and lack of interest in the typical subject matter. At the library on Saturday I picked up “To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel” by Siena Cherson Siegel and Mark Siegel. I was captivated by how much depth and breadth the images added to the story. This book demonstrates that graphic novels don’t need to be consigned to the realm of superheroes, dark plots, and science fiction. It’s a story telling medium suitable for any subject. And, of course, let’s get more girls involved! (references: NY Times: For Graphic Novels, a New Frontier: Teenage Girls, Brodart Books: Graphic Novels are for Girls Too, Amazon Listmania: A Girl’s Guide to Graphic Novels)

Behind a simple storefront on San Pablo Ave in El Cerrito, CA you’ll find a treasure trove of buttons. Those in the know visit Exclusive Buttons to pick out little gems of buttons in all sort of colors, shapes, sizes and materials (except for plastic). Store owners Vincent & Mary Sortile took great pride in their wide selection. Vincent, known as the Button Man, passed away on February 16. Mary is keeping the store open as much as she can, since she knows that is what her husband of 65 years would want her to do. LucasFilm and the Seattle Opera have come calling in the past to embellish their costumes. Word of mouth among crafters and button collectors have kept the store and Vincent Sortile’s fascination alive.

Lighthouses are wonderful icons on our shores; it’s a shame to see them go to disrepair. Five lighthouses in the San Francisco area are being taken over by the National Park Service as the Coast Guard no longer has a need for their reassuring beacons. Four are in the Golden Gate Bridge vicinity (including the one on Alcatraz) and one is near Half Moon Bay. The Park Service is assessing the restoration and maintenance needs and hopes to eventually open most of them to the public.

Here’s more Academy Awards gift suite water (picking out all those free goodies can make a movie star so very thirsty). Aquamantra is bottled water that “contains more than just water.” Each bottle has a mantra printed on the label. “By saying or thinking the positive affirmations and then drinking from the bottle the consumer exudes positive energy, creating an attraction for love, luck or health into their life.” This special bottled water is based on the work of Masaru Emoto who claims that the ice crystals of frozen water are more beautiful when positive thoughts are directed at the water or positive written words are attached to the container. Not surprisingly, skeptic James Randi has offered his usual $1 million award if these results can be demonstrated in a double-blind study.

In “The Physics of the Buffyverse” science writer Jennifer Ouellette takes phenomenon from the Buffy and Angel series and describes how they might be possible in the real world. It’s meant to be educational, though some hardcore physicists take issue with her simplification of complex subjects like quantum physics. Oullette feels she’s also fighting the stereotype of women in science by upholding the example of a blonde, (ex)cheerleader who fights vampires.