We’ll be thinking a lot about politics in the next few weeks: Obama and Biden, McCain and . . . whoever his running mate will be. But plenty of Americans’ are going to get worked up over something much more intense and competitive: political buttons. Collecting them is a passion of thousands that has given birth to publications, books, auctions and The American Political Items Collector, the largest group of button groupies. There’s no way to begin to dissect the complexities (and lucrative nature) of this hobby, so we’ll give you some fun facts and sites to check out. The buttons (known as cellos) were first issued for the 1886 presedential campaign. Among the most popular are Harry Truman and John Kennedy buttons, according to collector Jeff Figler.  Mark Warda, the author of 100 Years of Political Campaign Collectibles, told MSNBC  that hard-to-find buttons can be very valuable. Ron Wade, another major collector, says that a 1920 James Cox/Franklin D. Roosevelt button recently sold for more than $100,000. Want to know more? Find some history and tips at PresidentsUSA.net, or at APIC’s Web site, where you can find auctions and catalogs, such as Hake’s, PoliticalHeritage (where you can buy a William Howard Taft from 1908 for $55), or Anderson Americana auctions (where a Nixon For Peace button can be had for $35). Books like Warda’s, or Collecting Political Memorabilia or another book about identifying and evaluating buttons. So which buttons should you look for now? There will be lots of Obama and McCain buttons, but losing candidates’ buttons can become more valuable. Hillary Clinton for $3, anyone?

CVS Pharmacy, the ubiquitous drug store, is planning an assault on upscale beauty retailers. Beauty 360 is the name of the planned stores that CVS will start opening by year’s end, according to a story Friday at WWD.com.  Sources quoted in the story said the first two stores will open in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, will be between 2,500 and 4,000 square feet and will eventually expand to 500 or 1,000 stores. Beauty 360 won’t have the words CVS in sight, although they may be in adjacent buildings or inside of existing CVS stores. The WWD story quoted a CVS executive as saying the sleek and modern Beauty 360 stores will carry 32 brands of high-end products (not counting fragrances) currently sold only in department stores or in specialty stories such as Sephora, Shoppers Drug Mart and Ulta. CVS execs crowed about their competitive edge in terms of sheer numbers. CVS will have almost 7,000 stores by year’s end, they have 4 million customers a day. They said 60 percent of the U.S. population of women live within 5 miles of a CVS. Sephora’s Web site says that they are the nation’s leading retailer of perfumes and cosmetics, with more than 91 stores in the U.S. and 400 in Europe. Perhaps the day is coming when you’ll be able to pick up some Laura Mercier or Benefit with your batteries and cough medicine.

For every Olympic games, there are Olympic pins. For collectors, the buying, trading and selling of them is  as competitive a sport as any beach volleyball game, and it’s been going on since 1896. The pin trade, an obsession for some, is labeled the “unofficial Olympic sport.” In Beijing, pin sellers have set up shop at the Olympic Expo in the Beijing Exposition Center and in the Coca-Cola sponsored pin-sales center. There are new pins and old ones from previous games, common pins that are handed out by sponsors to anyone and more valuable pins, such as those given to athletes and officials. Most pins are inexpensive - $4 to $10. Now you can join the frenzy by getting some Beijing pins. A page on the Beijing site gives the history of the pin frenzy and describes the “pindemonium” going on there now. The official U.S. Olympic Shop has an assortment of pins for sale, such as a ceramic Beijing logo pin or a YingYing mascot pin, each for $7. NBC’s Olympic online shop has pins, like a gymnastics mascot pin for $8 (pictured) and a rickshaw pin for $6. The Olympin Collector’s Club site has lots of advice and pin facts: there’s even a club member blogging from Beijing. After the official sites, you’ll have to turn to pin-selling retailers, such as Greekshops.com, Collectpins.com (where a USA/China flag Beijing pin is running $8.95), Discountpinstore (they’ve got a set of opening and closing ceremony pins for a pricey $24.89) and Athenspincollection, where you can find individual sports pins, such as a soccer pin for $8.95. When the games end, start looking on Craig’s List and eBay for the special pin you covet.

All TV stations will broadcast only in digital starting Feb. 17, 2009. If you’re reading this, you probably don’t need an analog-to-digital converter box for your TV, but your parents or grandparents or elderly friends who still rely on rabbit ears or rooftop antennas do. And they may not even know it (a January report said 36 percent of all Americans - predominately Hispanics - didn’t know about this impending change). Another report earlier this year said there are a little more than 14 million households - 13 percent of all households with TVs - that will lose their signals if they don’t buy the boxes (which cost from $40 to $70). The government’s TV converter box coupon program Web site answers most all questions, but that doesn’t help if the person doesn’t have a computer. You can help them apply for two free coupons worth $40 each at the Web site, or they can call (888) 388-2009. or mail an application to P.O. Box 2000, Portland, Ore. 97208-2000 (download the application here.) The coupons must come from the government, not retailers. The coupons (which look like plastic gift cards) expire 90 days after they’re mailed. Don’t assume all retailers will accept the $40 cards, so check first. More information is available from the Federal Trade Commission. Some words of caution: retailers are not allowed to charge tax on the government-funded portion of the boxes (the $40 coupon). Also, do not toss the antennas: They can still augment the signal. A Washington Post story several months ago warns of the “digital cliff” - digital signals are more easily interrupted and lost because of hills, trees and weather. The government site lists all the retailers (big box, online and telephone) who sell the boxes, but we found some discrepancies. A visit to BestBuy.com offers information, but they don’t sell the boxes online: you have to go to a store. This page shows you the three kinds they sell, at $60 each. Sears.com has a box on their Web site about the change, but clicking it takes you to the FCC site, and it appears Sears doesn’t sell the boxes (despite the government site saying they do). Target.com has one type that must be purchased in stores for $50.

There has been a pitched battle for Olympic gold going on 1,222 miles from Beijing this week, but it’s likely only aficionados or little girls have watched. The equestrian competition ended in Hong Kong with Germany coming out on top with three gold medals (the U.S. won two, including a gold). Anyone who watched the events marveled at the sheer strength, skill and hutzpah of horse and rider, but in case Michael Phelps and Nastia Liukin distracted you, there are lots of little girls who live and breathe horses. One person even attempts to decipher the riddle of why girls love horses on Yahoo!Answers. Now all these girls are going to need a horsey fix: If she’s around 6 to 8 years old, get her the “Fashion Angels” equestrian sketchbook ($15) from Toys’r'Us, or the Equestrian Challenge for PC for $20. If Barbie is her thing, the omnipresent doll has a complete equestrian outfit for $50 from etoys (if you want the horse and tack, that’s extra). There’s even a lovely book from the American Girls library, Girls and their Horses for $9. Mom, do you remember how much you loved horses? Maybe it was because of the classic movie National Velvet. Lest we forget that Jackie Kennedy made equestrian style chic, England’s Equestrianism.net maintains the standard. More recently, the O’Halloran Co. turned it into couture styling. (If you pay attention to fashion, you’ve noticed the riding boots that designers are churning out, such as Burberry’s $995 pair.) If the grown-ups have become enamored of dressage, this classy coffee table book shows you how to put the horsey into your home décor ($41). Finally, to make sure the holiday’s are just right, grab a Little Girl Riding Horse ornament from Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland for $6.

There’s a lot of grumbling out there about the Apple 3G iPhone that came out in July. It seems that calls are dropping, like rocks. They’re blaming it on a German-made chip in the phone, and Apple is promising a software fix will be on iTunes soon. On top of the irritation at lost connectivity, Apple has sold so many of them, they’re not so special any more. Everybody seems to have one. So now how do you elevate yourself above the masses? Pop a fascinating case or cover over it, of course. You can go the basic route with leather or silicone skins,  or get one in a snazzy color for $25. Since you were aiming for a high tech look, the Invisible Shield by Zagg ($25) is made of a thin polyurethane film created by the military for helicopter blades. Cases.com has lots to choose from, including a snappy red leather crocodile cover for $127 (pictured). Not content to wear your iPod on your arm, now you can slap your iPhone on as well, with a $30 sport armband from Belkin (or their Spiderman-ish micro-grip, which is coming soon). A Web site called iPhone3Gcases.net certainly has to have a lot to pick from, such as the colorful Golla Calla fabric cover for $20. Get snazzier with the iWood by Miniot, carved from a single piece of wood and monogrammed with your logo or a personal message, for about $125. And if you really want to flaunt your phone, get the monogrammed Louis Vuitton leather holder for $320 (but check back because they’re out of them online right now - we guess everybody wants one, just like you).