We're back with a brand new edition of BuzzWords!

(Catchy name, right?)

We've got some exciting new changes we're just dying to share with you. Starting with this month's sizzling summer issue, we're officially switching over to a brand new quarterly format with longer, more in-depth features and more of the latest news and vital insider info (you know, stuff to do and places to see) you've come to expect from your friends at BuzzHawaii.com!

The Buzz is back, baby!

Summertime = Shave Ice Season In Hawaii!

Well, friends, summer is officially here, and you know what that means - it's time to grab your surfboard, hit the beach, and catch some waves! (Or just lay out on the sand and work on that awesome tan!) Locals know, after a long day spent having fun in the hot Hawaiian sun, there's no better way to cool off than with a refreshing, ice-cold cone of shave ice!

What is shave ice exactly? For those of you who haven't had a chance to try it before, shave ice is a popular frozen treat found only in Hawaii that's similar to a snow cone and consists of a heaping mound of very fine ice shavings doused with a liberal amount of one or more flavors of brightly colored, sweet syrup. Simple yet supremely satisfying, this oh-so-tasty treat is just the thing to beat the summertime heat!

(And, yes, it's shave ice. No ?d.? Not shaved ice!)

There are tons of different flavors available - strawberry, vanilla, pineapple, banana, coconut, root beer, mango, watermelon, and many, many more! There are way too many to list here. Can't decide which flavor to try? Ask for a ?rainbow? shave ice, and sample several different flavors at once!

Shave ice usually comes in either a paper cone cup or a small plastic bowl, and in addition to the huge assortment of flavors for you to choose from, most of the really popular shave ice places offer a number of optional add-ons as well. If you want, for a little bit extra, you can go all out and enjoy your shave ice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream underneath, a drizzle of sweetened, condensed milk up top, with mochi balls (bite-sized morsels of sticky Japanese rice cake) and azuki beans (sweetened Japanese red beans) ? the works!

So now that you know what shave ice is all about, you might be wondering where to find some. The good news is shave ice isn't terribly hard to find. There are quite a few places that serve shave ice; two of the most popular spots are Matsumoto's on the North Shore of Oahu (established in 1951 and still going strong with as many as 1,000 servings of shave ice sold in a day!), and Waiola's, also on Oahu, with two locations, both in town - the original store on Waiola St. in the McCully area and a second store on Kapahulu Avenue. Depending on when you go ? afternoons are typically the busiest - expect to wait in line for a bit. Don't worry, it's well worth the wait!

Golf Courses Galore

Golf enthusiasts take note! We've added over 40 of the most popular Hawaii golf courses, both public and private, to our ever-growing selection of top-quality Hawaii activities!

As you probably already know, Hawaii is very much a true golfer's paradise with absolutely breathtaking mountain and ocean views, gorgeous weather year-round, and tournament-quality layouts designed by the world's greatest golf course architects. Players from all over the world come to Hawaii, time and time again, to experience some of the finest golfing anywhere in the world!

Home of the Mercedes-Benz Championship, the PGA TOUR's ultra prestigious opening event featuring a select field of the sport's top players, and the full-field Sony Open held at Waialae Country Club every January, Hawaii's golf courses attract the world's best players ? Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, and many more!

So what are you waiting for? Take a look at the golf courses we've added so far (more on the way!), and book a tee time online with BuzzHawaii.com!

This Edition's BuzzWord ? Vog!

Lately, we've been getting a lot of questions about vog, so here's a quick primer addressing a few of the most frequently asked questions.

What is vog?

The term itself is a combination of the words ?volcanic? and ?smog? and describes the uncharacteristically grey, fog-like haze that sometimes settles upon parts of the Hawaiian Islands.

Where does it come from?

A volcano, and not just any volcano. We're talking Kilauea, on the Big Island of Hawaii, one of the most active volcanoes on the planet, goin? strong since January of 1983!

Kilauea emits on average two thousand tons of volcanic gases every day, and when these gases react with moisture, oxygen, and sunlight the result, my friends, is vog.

Usually, vog only affects the Western coast of the Big Island due to the prevailing tradewinds. Less commonly, south-blowing Kona winds carry vog to other parts of the state.

How does it affect me?

To be honest, a lot of first-time visitors to the islands don't even notice it. Hawaii's air is pretty clean after all, and vog isn't nearly as much of an eyesore as the smog you might encounter in big cities around the world.

Unless you plan on spending a lot of time out on the westside of the Big Island, (or driving around Volcanoes National Park with the windows rolled down) chances are you won't have to deal with voggy conditions at all.

If you do happen to be in the islands when vog-like conditions persist, for most people, the biggest concern will be the reduced visibility - after all, you are in the islands to sightsee!

On a more serious note, the long-term effects of prolonged vog exposure are still being studied (here we're talking years and years of exposure). In the short term, folks who are highly susceptible to the stuff may experience skin irritation, watery eyes, runny noses, and other, flu-like symptoms.

If you're an asthma sufferer or have a history of respiratory and/or circulatory ailments, do your best to stay indoors on days when the vog is at its worst. Luckily for everyone, days like these are fairly uncommon around here. Never fear, once the tradewinds return, vog rarely lasts for very long!

Until next time,

The Friendly Folks At BuzzHawaii.com Wish You Well