Photo decision a matter of dignity, and caution

President Barack Obama made the right call in having the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders not wear aloha shirts for their traditional "APEC Leaders’ Family Photo."

Backdropped by a portion of the beautiful Leeward coast, the leaders instead wore their usual formal attire for the photo and managed to retain the sense of gravitas that the APEC summit called for.

To be fair, esteemed aloha shirt maker Tori Richard Ltd. was the company commissioned to make the shirts that the APEC leaders were to wear, so perhaps the photo would have turned out OK after all. But especially in these times of economic crisis, it was probably best that the APEC leaders avoided wearing Hawaii’s traditional tourist garb. There would have been little upside for the leaders to be depicted back home as participating in a happy junket to Hawaii. Right?

It’s America Recycles Day, so get to it

We know — in all the hoo-ha over APEC and the traffic stop-and-gos, many have lost sight of the fact that today, Nov. 15, is America Recycles Day. Since 1997, communities across the U.S. have come together on this nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling. Thousands of events are said to be planned, from electronics collections to aluminum can stomp-a-thons to "trashy" fashion shows. Start doing your bit today:  Pitch in — just make sure it’s in the recycling bin.