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17 Movie Music Scenes That'll Make You Dance, Sing And Upload It To YouTube Right Now

March 28, 2014, 7:53 am
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We'd like to think the greatest cinematic moments happen when a music scene induces some serious audience toe-tapping and head-bobbing. Then head-bobbing gets you chair-bouncing. And chair-bouncing just turns into all-out dancing like a fool. All while singing along as if you've missed your true calling in life, of course.

Check out our list of the happiest music movie moments that we turn to over and over again.

1. 500 Days of Summer: "You Make My Dreams"
Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is bursting at the seams with excitement after landing his dream girl, Summer (Zooey Deschanel). After leaving her apartment, his world becomes this magical place where everyone is friendly, and it's normal to have an animated blue bird land on your shoulder.


2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off: "Twist and Shout"
In one of the most iconic scenes from the movie, Ferris (Matthew Broderick) takes over a float in downtown Chicago and makes us all want to go out and shake it up, baby, now.


3. Love Actually: "Jump (For My Love)"
In this Christmas classic, Hugh Grant, who plays the British prime minister, lets loose and dances around 10 Downing Street like no one is watching -- adding just the right amount of silliness to his character.


4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower: "Come on Eileen"
If you can't relate to this scene, you really are too cool for school. Charlie (Logan Lerman) eventually meets two students who find his quirkiness and intelligence endearing, and they give him the confidence he needs to peel himself off the wall at his school dance and join them in the middle of the dance floor.


5. Almost Famous: "Tiny Dancer"
Director Cameron Crowe reminds us that coming of age can be a beautiful thing. This tender scene starts with the on-the-road bandmates staring out the van window in a funk, and ends with Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) telling William Miller (Patrick Fugit) that he's home -- all set to Elton John on the radio.


6. Bridesmaids: "Hold On"
In a scene that reminds you that you do actually want to be on one of those save-the-date magnets someday, Wilson Phillips makes a cameo and brings Annie (Kristen Wiig), Helen (Rose Byrne) and the rest of the once-competitive bridesmaids together in the movie's final wedding scene.


7. Singin’ in the Rain: "Singin’ in the Rain"
Gene Kelly, who famously had a 103-degree fever during this classic dance number, makes us smile no matter the weather ... and it's a glorious feeling.


8. The Breakfast Club: "We Are Not Alone"
"A brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal" -- they have little in common, except for all being stuck in detention on a Saturday. The students end up making the most of it, and as the music progresses and the dancing begins, they put their differences aside and realize they aren't alone.


9. Big: "Chopsticks"
When Josh (Tom Hanks), a 12-year-old trapped in a grown man's body, comes across a larger-than-life piano in FAO Schwarz, he does what any kid would do -- play it with his feet, of course. This iconic scene embodies the film's theme of childlike wonder.


10. The Muppets: "Life's a Happy Song"
This opening scene is as jolly as they come. Gary (Jason Segel) and the new Muppet, Walter, wear matching outfits as they gallivant around the streets of Smalltown, USA encouraging everyone they pass to join in.


11. 13 Going on 30: "Thriller"
In an attempt to liven up the crowd, Jenna (Jennifer Garner), a 13-year-old who woke up in her 30-year-old body, gets the DJ to spin the Michael Jackson classic and makes her way onto the dance floor alone. At first, everyone thinks she's crazy as she lets her inner teen shine through, but, of course, by the end they're all doing the classic "Thriller" dance, too.


12. My Best Friend's Wedding: "I Say a Little Prayer (For You)"
In this rom-com, Julianne (Julia Roberts) sets out to stop her longtime best friend (Dermot Mulroney) from marrying the wrong woman, and brings her new BBF, George (Rupert Everett), with her. There's no shortage of great musical moments in this movie (karaoke, anyone?), but it's this sing-along that will stay in our hearts forever ... and ever and ever.


13. Sister Act: "I Will Follow Him"
In this final scene, Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopi Goldberg) leads the nuns of St. Katherine’s Parish in what starts out as a ballad but turns into a lively musical sequence. Is there anything happier than watching a bunch of nuns bust a move? We didn't think so.


14. 27 Dresses: "Bennie and the Jets"
This scene is a turning point for straight-edged Jane (Katherine Heigl), not just because she shows us her wild side while getting drunk and letting her hair down, but also because she gets Kevin (James Marsden) to admit that he shares her same enthusiasm for weddings.


15. Hairspray: "Good Morning Baltimore"
This 2007 musical is based on the 2002 Broadway adaption which is based on the 1988 John Waters' film (phew!) and opens with Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) waking up in a delightful mood to the sound of her alarm clock. She takes us on a musical journey, all the while cheerily singing good morning to her city.


16. The First Wives Club: "You Don't Own Me"
These three divorcees close the movie by singing a declaration of freedom from male control as they realize that they don't need a man to make them happy.


17. Enchanted: "That's How You Know"
A princess and a lawyer walk through a park ... and magic happens. In this Disney live-action-animation hybrid, Giselle (Amy Adams) shares her view on love with Robert (Patrick Dempsey), and uses her considerable charm to carry this Central Park musical number alongside back-up dancers and a marching band.
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Do You Have What It Takes To Pass The U.S. Citizenship Test?

March 28, 2014, 8:53 am
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Sure, you're patriotic. But do you have what it takes to pass the United States citizenship test? Take the quiz below and find out!

Quiz widget by




These questions were taken from the 100 civics questions about U.S. history and government given to applicants for naturalization by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Department. A USCIS worker asks each applicant up to 10 of the 100 questions for the naturalization test, and applicants must earn a score of at least 6/10.

If you passed, congrats! Your 7th grade social studies teacher would be so very proud.

If you didn't pass, go ahead and find out what you got wrong by consulting the answer key below:

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Drink Like A Genius God This Weekend By Channeling Your Inner Kanye

March 28, 2014, 11:26 am
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Happy Friday! Welcome to Drink Like A Famous Person, where we let you bring out your fabulous side in the name of some well-earned R&R. Eschew your regular habits this weekend by drinking like...

Kanye West!




Whether you believe a book-hating "pop enigma" genius and his reality TV star fiancée deserve to be enshrined on the cover of fashion's preeminent glossy, or you wonder why everyone's got themselves in such a titter, you can still get your drink on like the "Braveheart of creativity."

The secret, perhaps unsurprisingly, is Hennessy.

Glasses? Glasses are for people who aren't Kanye West. Glasses are for the Normals. The recipe for channeling your inner Yeezus through choice of adult beverage is very simple -- purchase one bottle of Hennessy. That's it. Refuse to share. Take swigs liberally, frequently, and without regard for modesty. Modesty is "bullshit." Other people should hear the glorious inner workings of your mind, too, so be sure to spew opinions anytime, anywhere.

Because really, how could you be Kanye and want to be anyone else?



Cheers!


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Michelle Borth Says Aloha To 'Hawaii Five-0'

March 28, 2014, 6:09 pm
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Michelle Borth, the actress who plays Lieutenant Catherine ‘Cath’ Rollins on the CBS hit drama “Hawaii Five-0,” will not be returning to the show next season, according to TVline.

Borth, who has been on the show since the first season, has played McGarrett’s (Alex O’Loughlin) love interest. She will make her final appearance at the end of this season, the show's fourth.

In a recent interview with TVLine, executive producer Peter M. Lenkov revealed that the second-to-last episode will be a “big, dramatic” one for the couple, with “some flashbacks to [Catherine’s] stint in the military.”

No word yet on the reason for Borth’s departure, though a tweet from the actress on March 17 might suggest that she wasn’t thrilled with the gig.




Borth, who became very active on Twitter when she joined the show, told the Honolulu Star Advertiser last April that she wanted to embrace “all the love” that fans had to give on Twitter.

Apparently, she’s no longer feeling the aloha.

“Hawaii Five-0” airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on CBS.
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Hawaii's White Sand Beaches Are Made From Parrotfish Poop

March 29, 2014, 1:32 am
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There are seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion grains of sand in the world, according to math geniuses at the University of Hawaii. That’s more sand granules in Earth’s seas, lakes, and deserts than there are stars in the universe.

Where does it all come from? In Hawaii, where beaches are constantly ranked the best in the world, a significant portion of that pristine, white, beautiful sand is actually poop.

Yep, poop.

Parrotfishes, or uhu in Hawaiian, are key players in regulating algae and reef life. Their parrot-like beaks and fused-together teeth are used for scraping and biting dead coral, while additional teeth in their throats help to break it all down into sand. Snorkelers can actually hear them chomping or see the bite marks they leave on rocks.

Because parrotfishes don’t have stomachs, their meals pass straight through the long intestine, exploding in a cloud of sand out the backdoor. Larger parrotfish are like sand factories, producing as much as 840 pounds of sand per year. For Oahu’s snorkeling hot spot, Hanauma Bay (where a few hundred parrotfish graze), that means hundreds of tons of fish-made sand per year.

Worms, sponges, and oysters also produce Pacific ocean sand, but no animal is as proficient as the parrotfish, a badge of honor it has held for centuries. According to the Maui Ocean Center, the native Hawaiian name for the female redlip parrotfish translates to “loose bowels.”

We can see why:


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The 15 Most Allergy-Friendly Restaurant Chains

March 29, 2014, 7:44 am
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Navigating a restaurant menu when you have food allergies can zap all the fun from dining out.

But it doesn't have to -- if you know where to eat.

In that spirit, AllergyEats, an online guide to allergy-friendly restaurants, has released its annual ranking of chain restaurants that best serve customers with food allergies. "These restaurants have demonstrated a superior willingness and ability to accommodate guests with food allergies," Paul Antico, founder and CEO of AllergyEats, said in a statement. "We applaud their exemplary efforts around food allergy protocols, training and education."

The ranking was compiled based on ratings for each restaurant, as provided by the tens of thousands of AllergyEats users who rate restaurants they've visited, similar to how diners, food-allergic or not, can voice their opinions on Yelp, an AllergyEats representative told The Huffington Post in an email. AllergyEats then broke down the rankings into three categories of restaurants. Large chains have more than 200 branches, medium chains have 50 to 200 and small chains have fewer than 50.

Taking allergies into consideration is a smart move for the businesses themselves, Antico, who has three children with food allergies, pointed out. "Statistics have shown that maintaining a more allergy-friendly restaurant leads to increased traffic, customer loyalty and, ultimately, profits."

Here are the top 15 choices, according to AllergyEats.
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Obama Endorses Brian Schatz In Hawaii's Heated Senate Democratic Primary

March 31, 2014, 8:25 am
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WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Monday endorsed Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) over his challenger, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii), in the state's competitive Senate Democratic primary.

The Huffington Post first reported on the president's planned endorsement earlier Monday after being tipped off by a source familiar with the plan. Schatz made the news official later in the day.

Obama's support will go a long way for Schatz, given the president's personal connections to Hawaii, where he was born and where he often visits during holidays. Hawaii gave Obama some of his highest approval ratings nationwide in 2013.

Hanabusa has been after Schatz's seat from the moment he took office in December 2012, when Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) appointed Schatz to fill out the late-Sen. Daniel Inouye's term until the 2014 special election. Inouye, who held the Senate seat for nearly 50 years, requested from his deathbed that Hanabusa replace him. But Abercrombie ignored his pick and instead went with Schatz, his lieutenant governor at the time.

Neither Schatz nor Hanabusa had many positive things to say about each other in a recent interview, and their race has fractured the state's Democrats along gender and ethnicity lines. Schatz, a white, 41-year-old progressive, has endorsements from the state's largest union, the Hawaii Government Employees Association and national figures like Howard Dean and Al Gore. Hanabusa, 62, is Japanese-American and more aligned with centrist Democrats. She also has connections to Inouye's long-time backers.

Schatz was an early Obama supporter during his presidential run in 2008. Hanabusa, meanwhile, sided with Inouye in backing Hillary Clinton.

A February poll shows Schatz and Hanabusa in a dead heat.

Hawaii's primary election is Aug. 9.

UPDATE: 12:00 p.m. -- Schatz's campaign formally announced the president's endorsement later Monday and released a quote of Obama praising the senator's record.

"I have worked with Senator Schatz on the issues that matter to Hawaii. Brian's deep commitment to the people of Hawaii and his effective leadership are why I believe it is important to return him to the Senate,” Obama said. “Senator Schatz is protecting Hawaii's values and fighting every day on behalf of middle-class families. There is no question that Senator Schatz is the right choice to continue delivering for Hawaii."

Schatz said he is "honored" to receive the president's support.

"I am proud to be one of the President's most steadfast allies in the U.S. Senate,” Schatz said in a statement. "President Obama personally understands Hawaii’s values and is committed to making sure that everyone who works hard and plays by the rules is given a fair shot. I will work together with President Obama to continue moving Hawaii and America forward."

UPDATE: 1:20 p.m. -- Stephanie Schriock, the president of EMILY's List, defended Hanabusa's record and said it will be up to Hawaii's voters, not politicians, to pick their next senator. EMILY's List endorsed Hanabusa last summer.

"We've always known this campaign is about Hawaii, not Washington, and that's where it will be decided," Schriock said in a statement. "Colleen Hanabusa is a trusted leader, which is why she's leading in the Hawaii polls and was Sen. Inoyue's [sic] own choice to carry on his legacy. Only one person, Gov. Abercrombie, made the decision to appoint Brian Schatz to this seat -- Hawaii voters will finally have a chance to vote on who represents them in the Senate on August 9."

UPDATE: 4:30 p.m. -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) added his name to the list of people endorsing Schatz.

“Senator Schatz is a fine Senator, a steadfast advocate on behalf of Hawaii in the Senate. I endorse him wholeheartedly and support President Obama’s decision to do the same," Reid said in a statement. "Brian has proven himself a champion for working families in Hawaii. He has been a leader in efforts to develop clean energy jobs and reduce the impact of climate change, and a strong advocate for ensuring a fair shot for all Americans."
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You've Never Seen A Coral Reef Like This Before

March 31, 2014, 9:45 am
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A hard piece of coral transforms into a flexible creature, its finger-covered tendrils extended toward the ocean currents. Alien surfaces morph and flex in shimmering iridescence. Worm-like "mouths" gape and grab at anything in their proximity.

This is the world seen through the eyes of Daniel Stoupin, a Ph.D. student researching marine biology at the University of Queensland in Australia. He spent nine months working with 150,000 photos to make a video just over three minutes long.

Titled "Slow Life," the video focuses on a series of corals, sponges and other marine creatures. Their daily functions are photographed over a period of several hours, then sped up into a time-lapse sequence.

"Their speeds happen to be out of sync with our narrow perception," Stoupin explains in an essay accompanying the video. "Our brains are wired to comprehend and follow fast and dynamic events better, especially those very few that happen at speeds comparable to ours. In a world of blazingly fast predators and escaping prey events where it takes minutes, hours, or days to notice any changes are harder to grasp."

"These animals build coral reefs and play crucial roles in the biosphere, yet we know almost nothing about their daily lives," he adds in a separate essay.

Stoupin says he hopes the painstakingly produced video will raise awareness of the devastating impact humans have had on marine life. He focuses particularly on those who remove parts of the reef for the "outrageously expensive hobby" of maintaining private aquariums. "I’m not asking to throw away your passions and hobbies, but please think carefully about what you really love, protect, and invest in," he writes. "The Great Barrier Reef is in grave danger and you have the power and finances to change its fate instead of scavenging what's left of it."

High-resolution, large-format prints from the video can be purchased on Stoupin's website.

A 27-year study of the health of the Great Barrier Reef which concluded in 2012 revealed an ecosystem in steep decline, with 50 percent of the reef having died in that time. Two of the major factors negatively impacting the reef are warming sea temperatures due to climate change, and nutrient-rich agricultural runoff, which feeds the growth of coral-eating starfish.

WATCH Stoupin's footage, above.
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Facebook Data Creates Incredible MLB Fan Map That Proves That Yankees Fans Are Everywhere

March 31, 2014, 1:38 pm
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Baseball is back but it seems that not everyone is ready to root, root, root for the home team. Many baseball fans are apparently choosing to support the New York Yankees regardless of their proximity to the Bronx.

To create a map of Major League Baseball fandom, the Facebook data team went to each MLB club's official page and checked the "likes" to see where supporters lived across the country. Each U.S. county was then given a color to correspond with the team that had the most fans among people who reside in that county.

While the Yankees seem to have the widest reach across the country, the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers are all backed by large geographic areas of concentrated fan support. At other end of the "like" spectrum, the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics couldn't even register a single county in their designated team color. Both are overshadowed by more popular neighbors. The Toronto Blue Jays joined the A's and Mets as teams without a plurality of support in any U.S. county but they're presumably not too worried about these U.S. results.

mlb fan map
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Hobart 'Hobie' Alter Dead: Creator Of Legendary 'Hobie Cat' Sailboat Dies At 80

March 31, 2014, 3:20 pm
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Hobart "Hobie" Alter, who helped popularize surfing and sailing with the development of the foam surfboard and the "Hobie Cat" sailboat, has died. He was 80.

Alter died Saturday at his Palm Desert home, according to a statement on the Hobie sporting goods website. A cause of death was not disclosed. The Orange County Register said he had been battling cancer. "He wanted to make a living without having to wear hard-soled shoes or work east of California's Pacific Coast Highway," the statement said. "By 'making people a toy and giving them a game to play with it' he was able to realize this dream. And in the process, he introduced the world to an outdoor lifestyle and collection of products that made things just a bit more fun for all of us."

The self-taught innovator and surfer had his start in the early 1950s carving wooden surfboards in the garage of his family's Laguna Beach home.

When the balsa wood used for the boards became scarce, he and his friend Gordon "Grubby" Clark created surfboards out of polyurethane foam. The boards were durable, but had better flexibility and were less expensive than wooden boards. The invention revolutionized surfing, and Hobie became a top surfboard brand.

Clark went on to launch Clark Foam, which had a virtual monopoly on the unshaped foam blocks that were used for custom-made boards.

In the late 60s, Alter turned his focus to sailing and designed a lightweight sailboat inspired by the twin-hulled Polynesian catamaran. The more affordable Hobie Cat, which could be launched from the beach, is credited with bringing high-performance sailing to the masses. For his contribution to the sport, Alter was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2011.

He was survived by his wife, Susan, a daughter and two sons.
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Teen Girl Takes Down Popular Surf Mag In Epic Letter

March 31, 2014, 3:23 pm
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Olive Bowers is a big fan of surfing. So when she came across Tracks magazine at a friend's house, the surf publication caught her attention -- and not in a good way.

According to News.com.au, in a letter of epic proportions, the 13-year-old called out Tracks for their lack of representation of female surfers.

The only photo of a woman I could find was ‘’Girl of the month’’. She wasn’t surfing or even remotely near a beach.



These images create a culture in which boys, men and even girls reading your magazine will think that all girls are valued for is their appearance.




Head over to News.com.au to read the letter in its entirety.

The teen athlete ended her note with a request for big changes:

I urge you to give much more coverage to the exciting women surfers out there, not just scantily clad women (who may be great on the waves, but we'll never know).


*Slow clap*

tracks magazine



[h/t Jezebel]
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Elisa Chang's Street Photography Captures Warm Glow Of Waikiki Tourism

March 31, 2014, 4:10 pm
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Millions of tourists visit Hawaii every year, spending billions of dollars and crowding popular spots like Waikiki. You might think that locals love to hate the transience of tourists -- after all, like tourists everywhere, Waikiki tourists can be loud (aesthetically and audibly), oblivious, and totally unaware of their surroundings. But many Hawaii residents, including Honolulu-based street photographer Elisa Chang, see charm in these visitors. Where else, according to Chang, do you get to see truly happy people on a daily basis?

"In Waikiki," she says, "people are on vacation and, therefore, unguarded."



Chang takes portraits of Waikiki tourists with the goal of capturing the essence of these characters without making fun of them. Her Instagram feed is full of photos that are funny, warm and endearing. While orange-tanned women in bikinis lounge next to chronic selfie-takers and adults in floaties, the overall feel of her photography is positive and human rather than snarky and judgmental.

Chang says Waikiki gives her “endless variety." "It's funny," she noted. "In certain areas I feel like I see recurring characters. In one place, I regularly see little Japanese boys in goggles. In another spot, it's redheads. Other places, it's always girls taking selfies.”



Chang walks around Waikiki after finishing up her day job as a hairstylist. She only takes photos if she genuinely likes or admires something about a person. “That way, I can’t feel badly if I’m ever busted. I guess I look for something that’s weird and wonderful and very human.”



















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OKCupid Publicly Rips Mozilla: 'We Wish Them Nothing But Failure'

March 31, 2014, 4:49 pm
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OKCupid may be in the business of love, but the online dating site has anything but tender feelings for Mozilla and its newly-appointed CEO.

In a letter published Monday on OKCupid.com but viewable only to those who try to enter the site using a Mozilla Firefox Internet browser, the company called out CEO Brendan Eich's past support of Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative that aimed to ban same-sex marriage in California.

"Those who seek to deny love and instead enforce misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies," the letter reads in part. "[W]e wish them nothing but failure."

You can see a screengrab of OKCupid's message if you click here, but we've also reproduced it in its entire below:

"Hello there, Mozilla Firefox user. Pardon this interruption of your OkCupid experience.

Mozilla’s new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples. We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OkCupid.

Politics is normally not the business of a website, and we all know there’s a lot more wrong with the world than misguided CEOs. So you might wonder why we’re asserting ourselves today. This is why: we’ve devoted the last ten years to bringing people—all people—together. If individuals like Mr. Eich had their way, then roughly 8% of the relationships we’ve worked so hard to bring about would be illegal. Equality for gay relationships is personally important to many of us here at OkCupid. But it’s professionally important to the entire company. OkCupid is for creating love. Those who seek to deny love and instead enforce misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies, and we wish them nothing but failure."


OKCupid does provide Firefox users with a link through to the actual site at the bottom of the page, but nevertheless urges people to use alternate browsers:

okc thanks


In an statement emailed to The Huffington Post late Monday, Mozilla asserted that it is no way an anti-gay institution.

"Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples. No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally," a Mozilla spokesperson wrote. "OkCupid never reached out to us to let us know of their intentions, nor to confirm facts."

Eich's appointment as Mozilla's new CEO last week led to an outcry among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights advocates. At the heart of the criticism against Eich is a $1,000 donation the Mozilla co-founder and JavaScript inventor made in support of Proposition 8 six years ago.

In its letter to Firefox users, OKCupid wrote that while Eich's contribution is six years in the past, "Mr. Eich’s boilerplate statements in the time since make it seem like he has the same views now as he did then."

Eich himself last week addressed concerns about his "commitment to fostering equality and welcome for LGBT individuals at Mozilla" on his personal blog.

In it, he said:

"I am committed to ensuring that Mozilla is, and will remain, a place that includes and supports everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, economic status, or religion."


Harry Bradford contributed to this report.
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Hawaiian Rent-All's Clever Sign Causes Outrage In Hawaii

March 31, 2014, 9:49 pm
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Every town needs its witty sign king. For Honolulu, Hawaii, apparently, that king is Hawaiian Rent-All, an equipment rental company with a penchant for puns.

First, some backstory: the Honolulu Police Department recently garnered national attention when it lobbied against a bill that would make it illegal for officers to have sex with prostitutes. The HPD, not surprisingly, lost the battle, and Hawaiian Rent-All saw an opportunity to console the police officers.

"Don't worry HPD," the marquee sign in Honolulu read. "Still OK to rent hoes from us."

rentall

The sign quickly went viral in the Aloha state, but some, including IMUAlliance, a Hawaii-based political action group, aren't laughing.

Faced with complaints that their sign demeans women and trivializes sex-trafficking victims, Hawaiian Rent-All explained itself the only way they knew how:

"As an Equipment rental company, Hawaiian Rent-All carries lawn & garden equipment. Tools that are available for rent include garden hoes, concrete hoes, mortar hoes and back hoes. Hawaiian Rent-All is unaware of any other meanings or uses for these tools."

Sticking to its guns, Hawaiian Rent-All does not plan to take down the sign until Thursday when, according to KITV, it is scheduled to be changed.
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Nobody Would Eat These Foods If We Called Them By Their Honest Names

April 1, 2014, 5:51 am
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The names we actually know these foods by are way more appetizing than their literal and honest descriptions. Bon appétit!

Foie Gras

foiegras

Foie gras -- usually extracted from force-fed ducks or geese -- does literally translate to "fat liver," but it sounds so much fancier in French. But not all foie gras comes from specially fattened birds. Some farms are free range and others let their ducks beef up naturally. (Photo via AP)


Rocky Mountain Oysters

rockmountains

Yep, bovine gonads, usually from younger bull calves. Breaded, deep-fried and dipped in sauce. (Photo: jankgo via Flickr)


Caviar

caviar

This delicacy is also known as "roe" and is often used as a spread or garnish. (Photo: Holger Leue via Getty Images)


Blue cheese

bluecheese

We really hope you already knew the blue was mold. And yes, that is how cheese is made. (Photo: John E. Kelly via Getty Images)


Chitterlings

chitlins

They don't always come from a pig -- cultures around the world also eat intestines from sheep and cows -- and sometimes they're fried or baked. Either way, they're still intestines. (Photo: Rawksteadi via Flickr)


Saffron

saffron

This rare and incredibly expensive spice comes from the flowers of the Crocus sativus. Their stigmas and styles, female reproductive organs of flowers, are harvested and dried for use in cooking. (Photo: Kelly Cheng Travel Photography via Getty Images)


Scrapple

scrapple

This classic Pennsylvania Dutch breakfast dish is commonly made by taking unused parts of a pig -- also called offal -- and mixing them with cornmeal or flour to make a loaf shape. Individual pieces are often served after pan-frying. (Photo: voteprime via Flickr)


Capers

capers

These distinctively flavored toppings are actually flower buds from the Capparis spinosa that have been sun-dried and brined or packed in salt. (Photo: Kevandy via Flickr)


Bacon

bacon

Salted, cured, smoked or aged. All delicious, all pig belly. (Photo: skilledmicrowaveuser via Flickr)


Escargot

escargot

The digestive tracts of edible snail species are first typically purged, before being killed, cooked, loaded with butter and garlic, and crammed back in their shells for serving. (Photo: zxvisual via Getty Images)


Tripe

tripe

Stomachs are actually incredibly popular across many cuisines. Beef, pork, sheep, you name it. (Photo: Lluis Gene via Getty Images)


Gelatin

gelatin

Typical gelatin is included in a variety of products and extracted in a number of different ways. Most of them require extraction of natural collagen found in the leftover carcasses of domesticated animals. (Photo: instamatics via Getty Images)


Sweetbread

sweetbread

This innocuous and delicious sounding meal is actually made out of the thymus or pancreas of calves, lambs, pigs or cows. (Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images)


Head Cheese

headcheese

Take the head of your favorite livestock animal, stew it in a pot with some vegetables and seasoning, then strip the meat off of it and let it sit. Thanks to the natural collagens in the meat, it will turn into a jelly that you can form into a shape. Or not. (Photo: stu_spivack via Flickr)


Haggis

haggis

This traditional Scottish dish is a pudding made from the "pluck" of a sheep -- or its heart, liver and lungs -- mixed together with onions and seasoning and then stuffed into a casing, traditionally from the animal's stomach. (Photo: Holger Leue via Getty Images)


Kombucha

kombucha

First, grab your symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, also called a SCOBY. It looks like a slimy mat. Throw it in a container, pour in your tea and wait for it to ferment. The end product will be mildly fizzy (and delicious?). (Photo: Werner Blessing via Getty Images)


Veal

veal

Veal comes from a variety of cows, but almost always from animals that are under a year old, and as young as just a few days old. (Photo: Ariela R. via Flickr)


Hot Dogs

hotdogs

At their core, hot dogs are just casings filled with ground meat. Leftover meat trimmings, fat and sometimes mechanically separated chicken are primarily fillings. (Photo: Matt Carey via Getty Images)


Yogurt

yogurt

Adding specific bacterial cultures to milk results in the fermentation of lactose and the production of lactic acid, which clots the milk and gives it a yogurty tartness. (Photo: James And James via Getty Images)


Steak tartare

steak tartare

This is effectively an uncooked hamburger patty, seasoned and served with some garnishes. To up the raw factor, an egg yolk is often cracked on top. (Photo: Jekaterina Nikitina via Getty Images)


Fish Sauce

fish sauce

This tasty accoutrement is made by packing fresh fish and salt into a box, which is then left to ferment. After a number of months, the fish become hydrolized and their delicious salty fluids float to the top. (Photo: enviromantic via Getty Images)


Cottage cheese

cottage cheese

The process of cheese-making leaves both curds (solids) and whey (liquids). Cottage cheese curds have not been pressed, which means they remain more soupy than many regular cheeses. (Photo: Markus Guhl via Getty Images)


Kimchi

kimchi

This traditional Korean side dish is made by mixing a variety of chopped vegetables and seasonings into jars, where they are left to ferment, giving them a strong and very recognizable flavor. (Photo: Asia Images via Getty Images)
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Tropical Nail Art: Sunsets, Sea Turtles And Sandy Beaches (PHOTOS)

April 1, 2014, 10:22 am
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Hawaii Lawmakers Want To Stop The Illegal Trade In Ivory

April 1, 2014, 10:54 am
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There aren't a lot of large wild mammals in the islands, but elephants have a notable connection to Hawaii — or rather, their tusks do.

The U.S. is the world's second largest national market for ivory after China, and Hawaii is America's third largest consumer of ivory — after New York and California, according to extensive research by the Humane Society of the United States.

The outsized market for ivory in Hawaii is part of why wildlife advocates and lawmakers in the state are working to ban the sale of ivory from elephants, as well as from hippopotamuses, walruses, whales, narwhals and even extinct mammoths. Most ivory reaching the market these days comes from central Africa, where poachers kill elephants or hack off the tusks of live pachyderms.
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Influx Of New Hemp Bills Further Signifies America Is Turning A Corner On Marijuana

April 1, 2014, 1:02 pm
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Since the beginning of the year, more than 70 bills related to hemp have been introduced in more than half of the states in the U.S. That's more than triple the number of hemp bills introduced during the same legislation period last year, and nearly double the total amount of hemp bills introduced in all of 2013.

Added to that is the recent passage of the Farm Bill, which legalizes industrial hemp production for research purposes in states that permit it. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), one of the congressmen who introduced the industrial hemp amendment to the Farm Bill, told The Huffington Post that all the progress on hemp legislation is a key indicator of just how fast policy is changing in the U.S.

"It's not just turning a corner, it's turning a corner and running downhill," Blumenauer said. "The case against industrial hemp production has always been flawed, but now three things are happening. One, we've been able to make some significant inroads in a variety of states that have already passed legislation easing [production]. Second, the actual amendment to the Farm Bill was a beacon. And third, we are just seeing [that] the ice dam that has been containing modernization of our marijuana laws generally is cracking."

Thus far, 12 states have legalized industrial hemp production and about two dozen others have introduced legislation that, if passed, would authorize research, set up a regulatory framework or legalize the growing of industrial hemp in the state.

In February, President Barack Obama signed the Farm Bill, which legalized industrial hemp production for research purposes. The state bills, like the hemp amendment to the Farm Bill, represent a sharp departure from a long-standing ban on hemp under the federal Controlled Substances Act, which doesn't make a distinction between marijuana, the drug, and hemp, the plant.

Hemp is the same species as marijuana -- Cannabis sativa -- but they are cultivated differently in order to enhance or diminish their THC properties, depending on the crop. Hemp contains little to no THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana associated with the "high" sensation.

Last year, Colorado farmer Ryan Loflin harvested the first known hemp crop grown on American soil in nearly 60 years, after the 2012 passage of Amendment 64 in Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use and laid the groundwork for industrial hemp production in the state. An eager Loflin planted 55 acres of hemp before regulations were officially in place, but he met with no interference from the federal government or state officials. With Colorado's regulations now on the books, the state has become the first in the nation to legally regulate hemp since the federal government allowed for limited production.

Hemp -- sometimes called marijuana's "sober cousin" -- has a long history in America, one that skews largely toward legal use and encompasses a range of household products, including paper, oils, cosmetics and textiles. In the 1700s, American farmers were required by law to grow the plant in Virginia and other colonies. For hundreds of years hemp was grown and used to make rope, lamp oil, clothing and much more in the U.S.

American industrial hemp production peaked in 1943, with more than 150 million pounds from 146,200 harvested acres. But production dropped to zero in the late 1950s as a result of "anti-drug sentiment and competition from synthetic fibers," according to the Associated Press.
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The 10 Least Affordable Major Metro Areas (PHOTOS)

April 1, 2014, 1:15 pm
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There are some obvious benefits to big city living -- there's always something to do, something to see or someone to do and see it all with -- but if you want to venture to a major urban area without breaking the bank then we have some advice for you. Do not head to California. And if you do, just stay away from the majority of our list below.

Thanks to the latest data from the Housing Opportunity Index from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo, which determined the percentage of homes sold that are considered affordable at median sales price for median income families in each respective area with a population of over 500,000 (see below for more details), we can officially declare these major metro areas as anything but wallet-friendly.

Granted that just might be the (literal) price you pay to live in the city that never sleeps, the one where stars are born and several other of America's favorites.




Source: National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index. Metro area population data is from Census Bureau. The Housing Opportunity Index is the percentage of new and existing homes sold that families earning the area's median income could afford during the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2013. Prices of new and existing homes are based on figures from CoreLogic and mortgage data is based on rates reported by the Federal Housing Financing Agency.

For more: Head over to the National Association of Home Builders to view the reports on affordability ranking, affordability by population and more.


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Do you have a home story idea or tip? Email us at homesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)
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HI-SEAS Mission Will Study How Life On Mars Affects The Mind

April 1, 2014, 9:32 pm
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For the next four months, six researchers will experience a Martian lifestyle on the Big Island of Hawaii to study what it does to their emotions.

The three men and three women, each handpicked by NASA out of 700 applicants, moved into their 1,000-square-foot dome habitat on March 28. It will be a tight fit for the second Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation mission crew, but the whole point of the exercise is to prepare for future manned, long-duration missions to places such as Mars.

Mauna Loa's volcanic soil, it turns out, is a great stand-in for the volcanic regolith on Mars. "Both volcanoes are basaltic," Kim Binsted, HI-SEAS’s principal investigator, told the Huffington Post. "Mauna Loa is like a young Mars."

HI-SEAS, which is funded by NASA and organized by the University of Hawaii at Manoa, conducted its first test at Mauna Loa in 2013 when researchers looked at cooking and the problem of “menu fatigue.” This time, the goal is to monitor crew cohesion ahead of a two-and-a-half year Mars mission currently slated for sometime around 2030. What happens to the mind, researchers want to know, when people are stuck in close confinement for extended periods of time?

“We’re going to stress them,” Binsted said.

Aside from coexisting and working in the tight quarters, it will be a remote life 8,200 feet above sea level. The only outside communication will be through email (which will be artificially delayed 20-minutes to simulate space communications); each crew member will only get eight minutes of shower time each week; and they will only be allowed outside if they wear the puffy simulation space suit.

“They’re going to be taking a whole bunch of different psych tests, looking at their mood, how they relate to each other, looking at their cognitive skills and how they change over time,” Binsted said.

Another factor researchers are trying to study is what's known as the "third-quarters problem," the point at which the project is almost over and home is close, just not close enough. “It’s the three-quarters point where we see signs of depression and difficulties," Binsted explained.

When the crew, which includes a neuropsychologist, an Air Force veteran studying human factors in aviation, and an aerospace engineer, emerges from the dome in four months, they’ll have completed studies that impact much more than just the HI-SEAS mission. The group is also working on other projects such as testing 3D-printed surgical tools, growing plants in harsh conditions, and repurposing trash into useful commodities.

“Not only does it make for a realistic mission,” Binsted said, “but we’ll be giving NASA a really big bang for their buck.”
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