Latest news with #Hazelton
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Woman Takes Poodle to the Groomer, No One Prepared for How She Returns
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A poodle's dramatic makeover has taken TikTok by storm, leaving viewers in awe of the transformation from scruffy pup to stylish showdog. Dog mom Amber Hazelton (@ambacabranda) shared a now-viral video of her poodle's grooming journey. Before the trim, the pup had an unruly white curly mane that covered her eyes. Afterward, she sported a sleek and chic traditional poodle cut. The clip quickly resonated with viewers, racking up 222,000 views and 8,181 likes on TikTok. "When the groomers did you dirty," Hazelton wrote in the text overlay of the video. "When the groomer rightly makes you look like a Parisian poodle," she added in the caption. The transformation was so striking that many said the dog looked like a completely different breed. However, the attention also brought out some criticism regarding the poodle's matted fur before her makeover. Hazelton addressed this directly in the comments. "Anybody who comments about the matting and that I need to brush it, will be deleted. This video is just a bit of fun. I loved the cut my groomer did, and she did the right thing. Monica was going through puppy stage and the hair USED TO BE hard to maintain. + she was a very crazy pup," she said. Understanding Puppy Coats and Grooming Challenges As the American Kennel Club explains, puppy coats differ significantly from adult dog fur. In many breeds, including poodles, the soft and fluffy puppy coat starts to shed and be replaced by a denser adult coat sometime between 4 and 6 months of age. This transitional period can lead to excessive tangling and matting if the coat isn't groomed regularly. Grooming a standard poodle requires diligence and technique. According to the AKC, these dogs should be brushed at least once a week to prevent matting and should see a professional groomer every 4 to 6 weeks. Grooming involves bathing, trimming, and brushing—all of which are crucial to keeping a poodle healthy and comfortable. For new puppy owners, PetMD recommends gradually introducing grooming in short sessions to help the pup become comfortable with the process. A puppy's first professional grooming is an important milestone, typically scheduled once the dog has received its vaccinations and has begun teething. A stock image of a poodle at a groomer's. A stock image of a poodle at a groomer's. Victor Kochurko/iStock / Getty Images Plus TikTok Reacts The viral transformation prompted a wave of support and admiration from the TikTok community—especially among those familiar with the challenges of grooming poodles. "Hahaha, as a dog groomer that groom is actually brilliant .. stunning doggie," said Tara Humphrey. "That's not grooming. That's a whole new identity," another user commented. "That's actually a nice trim even if the dog was matted. I do love a good poodle trim. Puppy coat is AWFUL, I hate it so much mats so easily and could have started coat change which is also awful, groomer did a good job," said Jess Clancy. "She looks amazing! Puppy stage is horrendous, they just mat over night," echoed another user. "My girl had her first adult groom this week. she looks like a different dog it's so funny!! I told my Step daughters we had a new dog," shared a fellow puppy parent. Newsweek reached out to @ambacabranda for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
Major climate pattern shifts ahead of hurricane season, bringing new risks
Major climate pattern shifts ahead of hurricane season, bringing new risks Show Caption Hide Caption Active 2025 hurricane season forecast A meteorologist warns of an active 2025 hurricane season. Among the areas most at-risk of potentially getting hit by hurricanes are the Gulf Coast and the Carolinas. La Niña conditions have ended, transitioning to a neutral phase, which historically has produced both active and quiet hurricane seasons. Neutral conditions typically favor Atlantic hurricane development due to lower wind shear, but "warm neutral" conditions can slightly decrease activity. Regardless of seasonal forecasts, individuals should prepare for potential hurricanes, as even less active seasons can produce powerful storms. Hurricane forecasters are carefully watching ocean temperatures in the Pacific Ocean for changes that signal El Niño or La Niña, major global climate patterns that affect hurricane season outlooks. On Thursday they announced La Niña conditions had ended after just 3 months, and a neutral period had begun — a scenario that has fed both devastating and mild hurricane seasons in the past. La Niña, a natural climate pattern, is marked by cooler-than-average seawater in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, and is part of the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, which can significantly impact weather patterns globally, especially during late fall, winter, and early spring. La Niña also acts to boost Atlantic hurricane activity. Its opposite is El Niño, which is a natural climate pattern where sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean are warmer than average, occurring roughly every 2-7 years, and also part of the broader ENSO cycle. El Niño typically diminishes Atlantic hurricane activity. A top hurricane forecast brings bad news: Danger is already brewing ENSO-neutral is an intermediate phase between El Niño and La Niña when water temperatures are neither unusually cold or warm. What happened to La Niña? A weak but drought-spawning La Niña officially came to an end this week, federal climate forecasters announced Thursday morning. In its immediate place will be so-called "ENSO-neutral" conditions, which are forecast to last through the summer. ENSO-neutral, when neither El Niño nor La Niña conditions are present, have been reported during catastrophic hurricane seasons in the past. What effect has ENSO-neutral had on hurricane seasons in the past? Typically, ENSO-neutral is favorable for Atlantic hurricanes, like La Niña, because of lower wind shear over the Atlantic, meteorologist Andy Hazelton told USA TODAY. "Sometimes, if it's 'warm neutral' (warmer than usual in the equatorial Pacific but not quite warm enough to officially classify as El Niño), it can lower activity a little bit." What kind of risks come with an ENSO-neutral season? "Some old work suggested increased hurricane risk to Florida during ENSO neutral seasons," Hazelton said. "I don't think that work has been updated with the last decade or two of activity, though, so I'm not sure the relationship still holds. Because of the lower shear during La Niña or cool neutral seasons, there is a general risk of more hurricane activity in the Caribbean/Gulf/West Atlantic." An infamous neutral phase hurricane season The incidence of hurricanes is higher during the neutral phase (when neither El Niño nor La Niña are in effect) than during El Niño, according to the National Weather Service. Although hurricanes occur more often during La Niña episodes, significant tropical weather events have occurred during the neutral phase. For example, the record-shattering 2005 hurricane season that included Katrina and Rita occurred during the neutral phase. But conditions elsewhere were different in 2005: "2005, which included Hurricane Katrina, was a neutral ENSO, but also had a very warm Atlantic 'Main Development Region,'" Hazelton said. "The Atlantic sea-surface temperature configuration we have now isn't quite that favorable. Those two pieces (ENSO and Atlantic water temperatures) are both critical for how the season evolves." Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach agreed, telling USA TODAY: "we currently don't have 2005 as an analog for our (2025) forecast. The Main Development Region isn't currently looking quite as conducive as it did (from an anomaly perspective) during the peak of the 2005 season." What does ENSO-neutral mean for the weather? "The biggest take away is that ENSO-neutral means there is no El Niño or La Niña present to shove the global atmosphere around in a systematic, predictable manner," federal climate scientist Michelle L'Heureux told USA TODAY. "So, if you look at the Climate Prediction Center's seasonal outlooks right now you still see odds in favor of certain temperature/precipitation outcomes, but they are not necessarily caused by La Niña and can be attributable to other factors," she said. "Now, I should caveat that by saying that there could still be some lagged impacts from the La Niña and it could slightly influence the near-term to some degree (late spring/early summer). But it's not possible for us to quantify 'this part is a lagged influence from La Niña and this part is something else.'" Start preparing now for hurricane season People should prepare for the season regardless of the activity forecast, Hazelton suggested. There are busy years with a lot of impacts like 2005 or 2024, but there are years with a lot of activity but few impacts (like 2010). "On the other hand, 1992 only had a few hurricanes, but one of them was Andrew. Similarly, 2019 (which was a warm neutral year) didn't have a lot of activity, but did feature Dorian, which was a long-tracked Category 5 that devastated the northern Bahamas and came very close to hitting Florida. "Regardless of how the seasonal activity pans out, it's possible you'll get a bad storm where you live, and you should be prepared just in case," Hazelton said.
The Star
03-05-2025
- General
- The Star
Visitors reconnect with Vietnam's wartime past
Hamburger Hill, Hue, the Ia Drang Valley, Khe Sanh. Some remember the Vietnam War battles from the headlines of the 1960s and 1970s, others from movies and history books. And thousands of Americans and Vietnamese know them as the graveyards of loved ones who died fighting more than a half-century ago. Today, the battlefields of Vietnam are sites of pilgrimage for veterans from both sides who fought there, and tourists wanting to see first-hand where the war was waged. 'It was a war zone when I was here before,' reflected US Army veteran Paul Hazelton as he walked with his wife through the grounds of the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, which was known as Saigon when he served there. Hazelton's tour just shy of his 80th birthday took him back for the first time to places he served as a young draftee, including Hue, the former Phu Bai Combat Base on the city's outskirts, and Da Nang, which was a major base for both American and South Vietnamese forces. 'Everywhere you went, you know, it was occupied territory with our military, now you just see the hustle and bustle and the industry, and it's remarkable,' he said. 'I'm just glad that we're now trading and friendly with Vietnam. And I think both sides are benefiting from it.' Vietnam's war with the United States lasted for nearly 20 years from 1955 to 1975, with more than 58,000 Americans killed and many times that number of Vietnamese. For Vietnam, it started almost immediately after the nearly decade-long fight to expel the colonial French, who were supported by Washington, which culminated with the decisive defeat of French forces at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The end of French Indochina meant major changes in the region, including the partitioning of Vietnam into Communist North Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh, and US-aligned South Vietnam. Wartime fascination This year marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese and Viet Cong guerrilla troops, and the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and Vietnam. Tourists looking at an artwork at the Hoa Lo prison museum in Hanoi. Tourism has rebounded rapidly since the Covid-19 pandemic and is now a critical driver of Vietnam's growth, the fastest in the region, accounting for roughly one in nine jobs in the country. Vietnam had more than 17.5 million foreign visitors in 2024, close to the record 18 million set in 2019 before the pandemic. The War Remnants Museum attracts some 500,000 visitors a year, about two-thirds of whom are foreigners. Its exhibits focus on American war crimes and atrocities like the My Lai massacre and the devastating effects of Agent Orange, a defoliant widely used during the war. The US was to open the first exhibit of its own at the museum this year, detailing Washington's extensive efforts to remediate wartime damage, but it is indefinitely on hold after the Trump administration slashed foreign aid. Other wartime sites in Saigon, which was the capital of South Vietnam, include the South Vietnamese president's Independence Palace where North Vietnamese tanks famously crashed through the gates as they took the city and the Rex Hotel where the US held press briefings derisively dubbed the Five O'clock Follies for their paucity of credible information. On the northern outskirts of the city are the Cu Chi tunnels, an underground warren used by Viet Cong guerrillas to avoid detection from American planes and patrols, which attracts some 1.5 million people annually. Today visitors can climb and crawl through some of the narrow passages and take a turn at a firing range shooting targets with war-era weapons like the AK-47, M-16 and the M-60 machine gun known as 'the pig' by American troops for its bulky size and high rate of fire. 'I can understand a bit better now how the war took place, how the Vietnamese people managed to fight and protect themselves,' said Italian tourist Theo Buono after visiting the site while waiting for others in his tour group to finish at the firing range. A tourist moving in a narrow tunnel passage in the relic site of Cu Chi tunnels. Not forgotten Former North Vietnamese Army artilleryman Luu Van Duc remembers the fighting first-hand, but his visit to the Cu Chi tunnels with a group of other veterans provided an opportunity to see how their allies with the Viet Cong lived and fought. 'I'm so moved visiting the old battlefields – it was my last dying wish to be able to relive those hard but glorious days together with my comrades,' the 78-year-old said. 'Relics like this must be preserved so the next generations will know about their history, about the victories over much stronger enemies.' The former Demilitarised Zone where the country was split between North and South in Quang Tri province saw the heaviest fighting during the war, and drew more than three million visitors in 2024. On the north side of the DMZ, visitors can walk through the labyrinthine Vinh Moc tunnel complex, where civilians took shelter from bombs that the U.S. dropped in an effort to disrupt supplies to the North Vietnamese. A tourist looking at a US Air Force attack jet used during the Vietnam war at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. The tunnels, along with a memorial and small museum at the border, can be reached on a day trip from Hue, which typically also includes a stop at the former Khe Sanh combat base, the site of a fierce battle in 1968 in which both sides claimed victory. Now, Khe Sanh boasts a small museum and some of the original fortifications, along with tanks, helicopters and other equipment left by US forces after their withdrawal. Hue itself was the scene of a major battle during the Tet Offensive in 1968, one of the longest and most intense of the war. Today the city's ancient Citadel and Imperial City, a Unesco site on the north bank of the Perfume River, still bears signs of the fierce fighting but has largely been rebuilt. West of Hue, a little off the beaten path near the border with Laos, is Hamburger Hill, the scene of a major battle in 1969. About 500km to the southwest near the Cambodian border is the Ia Drang valley, where the first major engagement between American and North Vietnamese forces was fought in 1965. Fighting in North Vietnam was primarily an air war, and today the Hoa Lo Prison museum tells that story from the Vietnamese perspective. Sardonically dubbed the 'Hanoi Hilton' by inmates, the former French prison in Hanoi was used to hold American prisoners of war, primarily pilots shot down during bombing raids. Its most famous resident was the late Sen. John McCain after he was shot down in 1967. 'It was kind of eerie but fascinating at the same time,' said Olivia Wilson, a 28-year-old from New York, after a recent visit. 'It's an alternative perspective on the war.' – AP
South China Morning Post
14-04-2025
- South China Morning Post
50 years later, Vietnam's battlefields draw war veterans and other tourists
Hamburger Hill, Hué, the Ia Drang Valley, Khe Sanh: some remember the Vietnam war battles from the headlines of the 1960s and '70s, others from films and history books. And thousands of Americans and Vietnamese know them as the graveyards of loved ones who died fighting more than 50 years ago. Advertisement Today, the battlefields of Vietnam are sites of pilgrimage for veterans from both sides who fought there, and tourists wanting to see first-hand where the war was waged. 'It was a war zone when I was here before,' reflected US Army veteran Paul Hazelton as he walked with his wife through the grounds of the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, which was known as Saigon when he served there. Hazelton's tour just shy of his 80th birthday took him back for the first time to places he served in as a young draftee, including Hué, the former Phu Bai Combat Base on the city's outskirts, and Da Nang, which was a major base for both American and South Vietnamese forces. 'Everywhere you went, you know, it was occupied territory with our military. Now you just see the hustle and bustle and the industry, and it's remarkable,' he said. Advertisement 'I'm just glad that we're now trading and friendly with Vietnam. And I think both sides are benefiting from it.'
The Independent
14-04-2025
- The Independent
Why tourists are flocking to Vietnam's battlefields, 50 years on from the war
More than 50 years after the Vietnam War gripped the world's attention, the battlefields where countless lives were lost have become poignant pilgrimage sites for veterans and tourists alike. Locations like Hamburger Hill, Hue, the Ia Drang Valley, and Khe Sanh, once synonymous with conflict and etched in the annals of history, now draw visitors seeking to understand the war's impact firsthand. For US Army veteran Paul Hazelton, returning to Vietnam just shy of his 80th birthday was a journey through time. Revisiting places he served as a young draftee, including Hue, the former Phu Bai Combat Base, and Da Nang, evoked a stark contrast between the war-torn landscapes he remembered and the vibrant nation Vietnam has become. "It was a war zone when I was here before," Mr Hazelton reflected, walking with his wife through the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. The city, once a hub of military activity, now pulses with commerce and industry. "Everywhere you went… it was occupied territory with our military, now you just see the hustle and bustle and the industry, and it's remarkable," he said. Mr Hazelton's sentiment echoes a broader shift in the relationship between the United States and Vietnam. Decades after the war's end, the two nations have forged a new path based on trade and cooperation. "I'm just glad that we're now trading and friendly with Vietnam," Mr Hazelton commented, adding, "And I think both sides are benefiting from it." Vietnam's war with the United States lasted for nearly 20 years, from November 1955 to April 1975, and resulted in the deaths of more than 58,000 Americans and many times that number of Vietnamese. For Vietnam, it started almost immediately after the nearly decade-long fight to expel the colonial French, who were supported by Washington, which culminated with the decisive defeat of French forces at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The end of French Indochina meant major changes in the region, including the partitioning of Vietnam into communist North Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh, and US-aligned South Vietnam. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese and Viet Cong guerrilla troops, and the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and Vietnam. Tourism has rebounded rapidly since the Covid pandemic and is now a critical driver of Vietnam's growth, the fastest in the region, accounting for roughly one in nine jobs in the country. Vietnam had more than 17.5 million foreign visitors in 2024, close to the record 18 million set in 2019 before the pandemic. The War Remnants Museum attracts some 500,000 visitors a year, about two-thirds of whom are foreigners. Its exhibits focus on American war crimes and atrocities like the My Lai massacre and the devastating effects of Agent Orange, a defoliant widely used during the war. The US was to open the first exhibit of its own at the museum this year, detailing Washington's extensive efforts to remediate wartime damage, but it is indefinitely on hold after the Trump administration slashed foreign aid. Other wartime sites in Saigon, which was the capital of South Vietnam, include the South Vietnamese president's Independence Palace where North Vietnamese tanks famously crashed through the gates as they took the city and the Rex Hotel where the US held press briefings derisively dubbed the Five O'Clock Follies for their paucity of credible information. On the northern outskirts of the city are the Cu Chi tunnels, an underground warren used by Viet Cong guerrillas to avoid detection from American planes and patrols, which attracts some 1.5 million people annually. Today, visitors can climb and crawl through some of the narrow passages and take turns at a firing range shooting targets with war-era weapons like the AK-47, M-16 and the M-60 machine gun known as 'the pig' by American troops for its bulky size and high rate of fire. 'I can understand a bit better now how the war took place, how the Vietnamese people managed to fight and protect themselves,' said Italian tourist Theo Buono after visiting the site while waiting for others in his tour group to finish at the firing range. Former North Vietnamese Army artilleryman Luu Van Duc remembers the fighting at first hand but his visit to the Cu Chi tunnels with a group of other veterans provided an opportunity to see how their allies with the Viet Cong lived and fought. 'I'm so moved visiting the old battlefields – it was my last dying wish to be able to relive those hard but glorious days together with my comrades,' the 78-year-old said. 'Relics like this must be preserved so the next generations will know about their history, about the victories over much stronger enemies.' The former Demilitarized Zone where the country was split between North and South in Quang Tri province saw the heaviest fighting during the war, and drew more than 3 million visitors in 2024. On the north side of the DMZ, visitors can walk through the labyrinthine Vinh Moc tunnel complex, where civilians took shelter from bombs that the US dropped in an effort to disrupt supplies to the North Vietnamese. The tunnels, along with a memorial and small museum at the border, can be reached on a day trip from Hue, which typically also includes a stop at the former Khe Sanh Combat Base, the site of a fierce battle in 1968 in which both sides claimed victory. Today, Khe Sanh boasts a small museum and some of the original fortifications, along with tanks, helicopters and other equipment left by US forces after their withdrawal. Hue itself was the scene of a major battle during the Tet Offensive in 1968, one of the longest and most intense of the war. Today, the city's ancient citadel and Imperial City, a Unesco site on the north bank of the Perfume River, still bears signs of the fierce fighting but has largely been rebuilt. West of Hue, a little off the beaten path near the border with Laos, is Hamburger Hill, the scene of a major battle in 1969. About 500km (300 miles) to the southwest near the Cambodian border is the Ia Drang Valley, where the first major engagement between American and North Vietnamese forces was fought in 1965. Fighting in North Vietnam was primarily an air war, and today the Hoa Lo Prison museum tells that story from the Vietnamese perspective. Sardonically dubbed the ' Hanoi Hilton' by inmates, the former French prison in Hanoi was used to hold American prisoners of war, primarily pilots shot down during bombing raids. Its most famous resident was the late senator John McCain after he was shot down in 1967. 'It was kind of eerie but fascinating at the same time,' said Olivia Wilson, a 28-year-old from New York, after a recent visit. 'It's an alternative perspective on the war.'
