Waha Nui

Milford Anthony

Kaneohe scientist Kim Binsted is a veteran of outer space, even if she hasn’t left the planet. She did a four-month Mars simulation mission in the Canadian Arctic five years ago, and now she’s on the research team for a related project: testing out new forms of food and food prep strategies for deep-space travel — while isolated on the Big Island’s barren lava. Menu fatigue is a big challenge “out there,” after all. Kim works in the UH Department of Information and Computer Sciences … Up in the sky for real is Kaneohe native and Marine Sgt. Milford Anthony, delivering supplies via parachute drops for the U.S. Central Command. He recently dropped water and field rations in Djibouti, an African country on the Gulf of Aden … Lanikila Meals on Wheels made $86,000 on its The Good Table benefit, which staged pop-up restaurants all over the island Oct. 4. Town chef Ed Kenney, for example, offered a “whole hog” dinner using all parts of a pig from Glenn Shinsato‘s Kahaluu hog farm — with wine pairings, of course. Kailua’s Buzz’s Original Steakhouse and Big City Diner also weighed in on the benefit … WCC English teacher and poet Janine Oshiro, who was born in Kahaluu, has won the 2012 Elliott Cades Award for Literature as “an emerging artist” for Pier, her first book of poetry … Speaking of WCC and books, UH-Hilo English prof Mark Panek was on the Kaneohe campus last week to discuss Big Happiness: The Life and Death of a Modern Hawaiian Warrior (Waikane’s Percy Kipapa). Mark’s award-winning biography is this year’s Common Book for community dialogue … The 2013 Paws in Paradise calendar is out, and all the cute, dressed-up canine cover-dogs were photographed by Kaneohe’s own Deb McGuire. Take, for example, July’s pin-up girl, the charming German shepherd Bella, pictured relaxing with Chinaman’s Hat in the background. Greeting cards already are in the works … For years now, Enchanted Lake’s Robin Lung has been enchanted by the story of Hawaii Chinese filmmaker Li Ling-Ai and her lost 1941 Oscar-winning film, Kukan (about the glamour and intrigue of 1930s China). Robin found an old print of the film two years ago and is making a documentary on it. To help her out, a Finding Kukan cocktail party is set for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at Indigo restaurant. Tickets cost $32 (258-7874)