Spam goes where no one has gone before

Going the distance in isolation and “space miles,” six researchers have emerged from a 120-day science mission and confirmed what many kamaaina already know: Spam fried rice is da best.

In the first of four missions, the crew of the University of Hawaii-Cornell University project studied, among other things, how food choices can affect future space travelers’ moods on a lengthy trip to Mars.

The research took place at a desolate volcanic-rock area on Mauna Loa on Hawaii island; crewmembers even donned spacesuits when going outside.

A survey of the crew revealed that Spam fried rice emerged as no ka oi among the main dishes.

Remember how NASA’s space program made the powdered drink Tang so popular decades ago?

Maybe it’ll do the same for Spam in a few years. As if Hawaii’s beloved luncheon meat needs the help.

Keeping confidences on Big Wind project

This is, of course, not the first time a “protective order” has been sought from the Public Utilities Commission, not even the first time on this particular project by Castle & Cooke Properties Inc. Such an order is meant to maintain some confidentiality of proprietary data.

The commission has opened a new case to review progress on the company’s proposed “Big Wind” clean-energy project and now must consider the request for confidentiality.

The original docket for the wind farm did receive such protection when it began in 2008.  But this is a completely different PUC from five years ago, so open-government advocates can hope the commission will keep the hurdle against secrecy pretty high.