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nice88 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A scruffy little fugitive is on the lam again in New Orleans, gaining fame as he outwits a tenacious band of citizens armed with night-vision binoculars, nets and a tranquilizer rifle. Scrim, a 17-pound mutt that's mostly terrier, has become a folk hero, inspiring tattoos, T-shirts and even a ballad as he eludes capture from the posse of volunteers. And like any antihero, Scrim has a backstory: Rescued from semi-feral life at a trailer park and adopted from a shelter, the dog broke loose in April and scurried around the city until he was cornered in October and brought to a new home. Weeks later, he'd had enough. Scrim leaped out of a second-story window, a desperate act recorded in a now-viral video. Since then, despite a stream of daily sightings, he's roamed free. The dog’s fans include Myra and Steve Foster, who wrote “Ode to Scrim” to the tune of Ricky Nelson’s 1961 hit, “I’m a Travelin’ Man.” “I'm a travelin' dog and I've made a lot of stops/All over this town...” Leading the recapture effort is Michelle Cheramie, a 55-year-old former information technology professional. She lost everything — home, car, possessions — in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and in the aftermath, found her calling rescuing pets. “I was like, ‘This is what I should be doing,’” Cheramie said. “I was born to rescue.” She launched Zeus’ Rescues, a nonprofit shelter that now averages 600 cat and dog adoptions a year and offers free pet food to anyone who needs it. She helped Scrim find the home he first escaped from. It was Cheramie's window Scrim leaped from in November. She's resumed her relentless mission since then, posting flyers on telephone poles and logging social media updates on his reported whereabouts. She's invested thousands of dollars on wildlife cameras, thermal sensors and other gear. She took a course offered by the San Diego Zoo on the finer points of tranquilizing animals. And she's developed a network of volunteers — the kind of neighbors who are willing to grid-search a city at 3 a.m. “...And at every stop I own the heart, of at least one lovely ... " People like writer David W. Brown, who manages a crowd-sourced Google Map of all known Scrim sightings. He says the search has galvanized residents from all walks of life to come together. As they search for Scrim, they hand out supplies to people in need. “Being a member of the community is seeing problems and doing what you can to make life a little better for the people around here and the animals around you,” Brown said. And neighbors like Tammy Murray, who had to close her furniture store and lost her father to Parkinson's disease. This search, she says, got her mojo back. “Literally, for months, I’ve done nothing but hunt this dog,” said Murray, 53. “I feel like Wile E. Coyote on a daily basis with him.” Murray drives the Zeus' Rescues' van towards reported Scrim sightings. She also handles a tactical net launcher, which looks like an oversized flashlight and once misfired, shattering the van's window as Scrim sped away. After realizing Scrim had come to recognize the sound of the van's diesel engine, Murray switched to a Vespa scooter, for stealth. “...If you're ever in the 9th Ward stop and see/My cute little mini poodle ...” Near-misses have been tantalizing. The search party spotted Scrim napping beneath an elevated house, and wrapped construction netting around the perimeter, but an over-eager volunteer broke ranks and dashed forward, leaving an opening Scrim slipped through. Scrim's repeated escapades have prompted near-daily local media coverage and a devoted online following. Cheramie can relate. “We’re all running from something or to something. He's doing that too,” she said. Cheramie's team dreams of placing the pooch in a safe and loving environment. But a social media chorus growing under the hashtag #FreeScrim has other ideas — they say the runaway should be allowed a life of self-determination. The animal rescue volunteers consider that misguided. “The streets of New Orleans are not the place for a dog to be free,” Cheramie said. “It’s too dangerous.” "... and my Shar-Pei doll down in old Treme/Waits for my return ..." Scrim was a mess when Cheramie briefly recaptured him in October, with matted fur, missing teeth and a tattered ear. His trembling body was scraped and bruised, and punctured by multiple projectiles. A vet removed one, but decided against operating to take out a possible bullet. The dog initially appeared content indoors, sitting in Cheramie's lap or napping beside her bed. Then while she was out one day, Scrim chewed through a mesh screen, dropped 13 feet to the ground and squeezed through a gap in the fence, trotting away. Murray said Cheramie's four cats probably spooked him. “I wholeheartedly believe the gangster-ass cats were messing with him,” Murray said. Cheramie thinks they may have gotten territorial. Devastated but undeterred, the pair is reassessing where Scrim might fit best — maybe a secure animal sanctuary with big outdoor spaces where other dogs can keep him company. Somewhere, Murray says, “where he can just breathe and be.” ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96 Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani on Saturday said "attacks" on his company made it "stronger", days after US prosecutors accused him and other officials of fraud. The November 20 bombshell indictment in New York accused the industrialist and multiple subordinates of deliberately misleading international investors as part of a multi-million-dollar bribery scheme. Addressing the allegations for the first time, the 62-year-old tycoon said his conglomerate was committed to "world-class regulatory compliance". "What I can tell you is that every attack makes us stronger and every obstacle becomes a stepping stone for a more resilient Adani Group," he said at an awards ceremony in the northern Indian city of Jaipur. Adani is suspected of having participated in a $250 million scheme to bribe Indian officials for lucrative solar energy supply contracts. The billionaire, however, said nobody from his company had been charged with any violation of corruption laws or "any conspiracy to obstruct justice". The US Justice Department said Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and one other official were charged "with conspiracies to commit securities and wire fraud and substantive securities fraud". Five others were charged "with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act," the department said. On Thursday, Adani's company said it had suffered a loss of nearly $55 billion in market capitalisation across its 11 listed companies since the US indictment was filed. With a business empire spanning coal, airports, cement and media, Adani Group has weathered previous corporate fraud allegations, suffering a similar stock rout last year. The conglomerate saw $150 billion wiped from its market value in 2023 after a report by short-seller Hindenburg Research accused it of "brazen" corporate fraud. Adani is a close ally of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was at one point the world's second-richest man, and critics have long accused him of improperly benefitting from their relationship. ash/aha

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden faces a stark choice as he contemplates broad preemptive pardons to protect aides and allies from potential retribution by Donald Trump: Does he hew to the institutional norms he’s spent decades defending or flex the powers of the presidency in untested ways. The deliberations so far are largely at the level of White House lawyers. But Biden himself has discussed the topic with senior aides, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive subject. No decisions have been made, the people said, and it is possible Biden opts to do nothing at all. Pardons are historically afforded to those accused of specific crimes –- and usually to those who have already been convicted of an offense — but Biden’s team is considering issuing them for some who have not even been investigated, let alone charged. The president could, if he chose, issue blanket pardons to specific people whom Trump and his allies have threatened to punish. Or he could pardon a broad class of people — not unlike pardons issued to those convicted of federal marijuana offenses or those ensnared in the “don't ask, don't tell” military policies. Either way, he'd be using the powers of the presidency in a new way. Some worry that Trump and his allies, who have talked of enemies lists and exacting “retribution,” could launch investigations that would be reputationally and financially costly for targeted people even if they don’t result in prosecutions. The door has already been opened, given that Biden has extended a broad pardon to his son, Hunter , who was convicted and pleaded guilty in tax and gun cases. Biden explained that decision by saying he believed the prosecution of his son had been poisoned by politics. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said Biden plans additional pardons before leaving office though she would not elaborate on the process. She repeatedly referenced “changing factors” that motivated the president to pardon his son despite promising he wouldn’t. She said Republicans have continued to try to see Hunter Biden investigated for an array of alleged offenses, a rationale that could support additional pardons for Biden aides and allies. It was two weeks ago that one of the president’s closest allies in Congress, Rep, Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, encouraged Biden to pardon his son Hunter. The morning after that conversation, Clyburn told Biden’s staff that he believed the president should also pardon those being targeted by Trump. “I was very forceful in my discussions with him about what I thought he ought to do regarding his son,” Clyburn said Friday. “But I also told them that I thought he ought to go even further, because all the noise about Jack Smith and Liz Cheney and Doctor Fauci and all of that.” Special Counsel Jack Smith has been investigating Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and for accusations he hoarded classified documents at his home. Liz Cheney, a conservative Republican , was the vice chairwoman of the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection and campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris. Fauci, an infectious disease expert, was instrumental in the government's response to the coronavirus. All have raised the ire of Trump. Clyburn said he told Biden’s team, only half jokingly, that because the Supreme Court has already said that the president has certain immunities, “let’s give that same immunity to Jack Smith for carrying out his duties and to, Doctor Fauci, Liz Cheney, they were carrying out their duties.” Among those mentioned publicly for possible presidential pardons, there are different sentiments on whether pardons would even be wanted. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi supported the president’s move to pardon his son, but has been silent on the speculation that Biden is considering additional pardons for her or others. A top Pelosi ally, Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic congressman who led Trump’s first impeachment, has panned the idea of pardoning Biden's allies. He says “the courts are strong enough to withstand” the worst of Trump’s threats. “I don’t think a preemptive pardon makes sense,” the incoming senator told NPR recently. “I would urge the president not to do that. I think it would seem defensive and unnecessary,” Schiff said. Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, who was the lead manager on Trump’s second impeachment, on the charge of inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, said members of Congress already are protected by the speech and debate clause in the Constitution, which protects them prosecution for participating in their legislative duties. Raskin said figures like Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and John Kelly , Trump's former White House chief of staff, would similarly be protected by the First Amendment. But Raskin said the question is, “Should they go through the criminal investigation and prosecution for not doing anything wrong? I think that’s why this whole issue has erupted.” Raksin added that with Trump promising to pardon hundreds of people who assaulted police officers on Jan. 6th, “I can hardly fault President Biden for exploring the use of the pardon to protect people from a fraudulent and unjust prosecution.” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he’s had no conversations with the White House regarding any preemptive pardons for current or former members of Congress. Associated Press Writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

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As the holidays approach, smartwatches and fitness trackers are popular gift ideas for health-conscious loved ones. These wearable devices continuously monitor metrics such as heart rate, oxygen levels and sleep patterns, offering insights into overall well-being. But are they merely novelties or truly beneficial health tools? Dr. Joshua Parker, a heart rhythm specialist, and Dr. Liuba Soldatova, an ear, nose and throat specialist, both employees at Cone Health, see potential benefits in wearable technologies. "There's value in wearing a monitoring device outside of the hospital," Parker said. "We only see patients for a short time. You may seem normal at the clinic but then experience issues like an irregular heartbeat at home that we'd miss without a wearable device." Soldatova highlights the Apple Watch as especially useful for tracking health data. "If your goal is insights into heart rate, oxygen levels during sleep and sleep patterns, the Apple Watch is probably the best wearable option," she said. "These devices have features for screening and monitoring certain data." Certain models from Fitbit and Garmin also track these same metrics. For patients with conditions like abnormal heart rhythms, the data can provide reassurance, Parker said. "Many of my patients feel empowered tracking their symptoms," he said. "Instead of guessing if something is wrong, they can see concrete data about what's happening." While not replacements for medical care, wearables as complementary tools, he said. "They supplement traditional care, giving patients more involvement in managing their health," Parker said. However, both doctors caution against becoming too fixated on the numbers. "Wearables are screening tools, not diagnostic devices," Soldatova said. "Don't overreact to normal variations." Ultimately, wearables offer new potential for preventative care, Parker said. "We can get continuous data year-round across different settings," he said. "That's valuable for developing personalized treatment plans." Soldatova said there are many wearable options for different lifestyles and goals. "Used responsibly, these technologies help people better understand their bodies and take a proactive role in personal wellbeing," she said.None

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In the fertile fields of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, a quiet technological revolution is transforming agricultural practices. Farmers like Muralidhar Kasala from Daulatabad, Sangareddy have turned to drone technology to overcome challenges like labour shortages, uneven fertilisation and health risks. “I pay Rs 400 per acre for drone services. Earlier, hiring six labourers per acre used to cost Rs 800 daily, and manual spraying often caused respiratory problems. Now, drones have saved me time, money, and health,” he says. The benefits are resonating widely, including in Nalgonda’s Peddavoora mandal. Vamshi Veeriah, a farmer from Gannekunta village, shares how drones have become indispensable on his farm. “Earlier, pest infestations and uneven spraying would lead to crop loss. I could only react after the damage was done. Now, with drones, I can act early because the data tells me exactly where the problem lies. The precision is incredible. Every corner of the field is covered, unlike manual spraying where some areas are missed”, he explains, visibly delighted. In Kadapa district, Siva Reddy Sunkesula finds the service model of drones particularly invaluable. “Owning a drone is not feasible for me but with this service, I only pay when I need it. Tasks like spraying, which used to take days and a lot of labour, are now done in hours. I’ve seen my yield improve by at least 15 per cent, and it’s much less stressful,” he says. He also highlights the health benefits, saying, “With manual spraying, I would end up inhaling chemicals. Drones eliminate that risk entirely.” These stories are part of a larger transformation driven by Hyderabad-based start-ups like Marut Drones, which is pioneering the ‘Drone as a service’ (DaaS) model. Farmers can access precision services such as pesticide spraying, fertiliser broadcasting and crop monitoring without having to purchase, get trained or maintain the equipment. “Our aim is to make drone technology accessible and affordable for all farmers, no matter the size of their fields,” says Prem Kumar Vislawath, CEO and co-founder of Marut Drones. For farmers like Veeriah, the value lies in precision and efficiency. “The drone can do in two hours what used to take days with labourers. And it’s not just about speed—drones ensure accurate spraying, so there’s no wastage of fertilisers or pesticides,” he reasons, Siva Reddy adds that drones have improved his resource management. “I now know exactly how much water or pesticide is needed and where thanks to the data provided by drones. This has helped reduce my costs significantly while increasing my output.” Companies like Marut Drones work with farmer-producer organisations (FPOs), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and agricultural universities to educate farmers on using drones effectively. Government initiatives like the Kisan drone scheme, which provides financial subsidies for adopting drone technology, further reduce the entry barrier. “Our collaboration with local organisations ensures that farmers understand the long-term benefits of this technology,” says Vislawath, while adding, “It’s not just a tool—it’s a way to make farming sustainable and profitable.” Currently operating in 18 states, Marut Drones aims to extend its reach nationwide by 2025. With over 200 drones already sold and 35 dealers on the ground, they plan to deploy 500 drones and establish 100 dealerships to support farmers more effectively. The company is also exploring applications beyond agriculture, including infrastructure inspections, firefighting, and drone deliveries. For farmers across the Telugu states, drones are more than just machines—they are a symbol of modernisation. “Drones have completely changed how we farm. I can’t imagine going back to the old ways,” says Vamshi Veeriah.

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