The Daily Valet. - 9/20/22, Tuesday

✔️ The Power of Podcasts?

Tuesday, September 20th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

The first season of ‘Serial’ feels like a long, long time ago, right?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Adnan Syed of ‘Serial’ Freed

After 23 years behind bars, the subject of the true crime podcast had his conviction overturned

In a remarkable reversal, Adnan Syed walked out of prison on Monday for the first time since he was a teenager. But his case—the subject of the first season of the hit podcast Serial and an HBO documentary—could be headed back to trial.

Syed has spent over two decades behind bars serving a life sentence after prosecutors accused him of strangling and murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, when he was 17 years old. Serial, which is credited for kicking off a wave of true crime podcasts, had a massive viewership. And its influence were credited in part for casting doubt on the murder charges and for renewing legal efforts to overrule his conviction.

Thousands have closely monitored this case after becoming engrossed by the details of the crime. The podcast reshaped how many view the justice system. It introduced some listeners to the idea that crime stories could be consumed not only for the thrill of speculation, but because they raised questions worth asking. And many listeners now believe that Syed is innocent. And last week, the state’s attorney asked the court to vacate Syed’s first-degree murder conviction, saying a nearly yearlong investigation had revealed new evidence.

According to the New York Times, City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn was convinced of Syed’s wrongful conviction and moved to vacate charges of kidnapping, robbery and false imprisonment levied against him, “in the interests of fairness and justice.” Prosecutors have 30 days to decide whether they’ll seek a new trial or drop the charges altogether. During that time, Syed will be resigned to home detention (and remain on GPS monitoring).

Last week, prosecutors reportedly filed a motion where they revealed an investigation conducted alongside the defense uncovered, “undisclosed and newly-developed information,” that potentially implicates two alternative subjects, reports Bloomberg.

Of course, Syed’s release is prompting a new episode of Serial. The Peabody-winning podcast confirmed that they will publish a new episode today.

↦ Dig Deeper: Adnan Syed can be tried for murder again. Newsweek looks at why the constitutional clause of double jeopardy doesn’t apply to him in this case.

U.S. Traffic Deaths Fall

But the issue ‘remains a crisis’ for drivers

The number of deaths from traffic accidents declined during the second quarter of 2022—after seven consecutive quarters of year-to-year increases, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [PDF] said Monday.

This is a positive development, considering motor vehicle traffic deaths have surged during the pandemic, and Monday's figures indicate that the trend may be cooling—but levels remain higher than before the pandemic, even with less people on the road.

Why? The latest evidence suggests that after decades of safety gains, the pandemic has made U.S. drivers more reckless—more likely to speed, drink or use drugs and leave their seat belts unbuckled. Before the pandemic, safety on U.S. roadways had been improving for decades, thanks to enforcement of seat belt laws and the advent of airbags, improved braking and stability control, and other safety features.

Back in January, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a National Roadway Safety Strategy to bolster road safety. According to Axios, it's similar to what several other countries are already doing and uses layers of protection measures in an attempt to reduce fatalities.

↦ Meanwhile: Surging city traffic deaths now exceed fatalities on rural roads, a recent study finds.

Biden Declared the Pandemic ‘Over’

His COVID team says it’s more complicated

President Biden declared that “the pandemic is over,” in a 60 Minutes interview Sunday, prompting criticism from public health officials on Monday who noted that COVID-19 is still killing hundreds of Americans every day.

“The pandemic is over,” Biden said. “We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lot of work on it. But if you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape.” The declaration surprised the president's own senior health officials, many of whom only learned about Biden's remarks from tweets and news headlines. According to Politico, the president had not originally planned to make major news on COVID, nor had he discussed with his health advisers announcing an end to the pandemic soon.

The remarks came as his own administration seeks an additional $22.4 billion from Congress to keep funding the fight against the virus. (The funds would be used to develop and buy new and existing vaccines.) And the White House has continually renewed the official public health emergency status that began in 2020. So NPR asks, “are we really in the clear?”

We know that we've made it to a new, much more comfortable, place. And Biden's right that masks are a rarity these days. But also on Monday, the government's chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, said that it's unlikely the U.S. will eradicate the coronavirus and a “suspicious” new variant, BA 2.75.2, may be on the horizon—so let's just keep our wits about us.

↦ FYI: As of Monday, nearly 400 people are dying every day from COVID, according to the CDC.

Are Gifs Over?

The company that makes gifs says they're ‘cringe’ and 'out of fashion’

It is rare for a multimillion-dollar company to explicitly state that its business is dying because it is simply too uncool to live. But that's the move by Giphy, which is saying that young users think gifs are “for boomers” and “cringe.”

When the creator of the .gif format Stephen Wilhite died earlier this year, commentators predicted that the humble medium that gave us Nyan Cat and dramatic chipmunk would endure and prosper for decades to come thanks to its ability to condense culturally significant moments into short visual reactions.

However, the future of the filetype looks bleak as an obscure battle between the popular gif search engine and the UK's competition watchdog, which is trying to block a $400 million takeover attempt by Meta. According to The Guardian, Giphy is arguing that there was simply no company other than Meta that would buy it.

Junkee reports that the company expressed fears that Gen Z's seeming disinterest in the medium as well as an “overall decline in gif use” had gutted the company. Worse, as a result of the ban, Giphy has apparently been unable to generate any revenue or receive further development from Meta, forced to helplessly watch as competitors like Tenor and Gyfcat were acquired by “well-resourced companies” such as Google.

In Other News

↦ Hurricane Fiona Dumps More Rain on Puerto Rico; Troops Rescue Hundreds

↦ Remember Kevin Smith’s Movie, ‘Dogma’? Here’s Why You Can’t Stream or Buy It

↦ Is NYC’s Pizza Superiority Really Related to the City’s Water Supply?

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Nailing it

Fall flavor backlash

Robotic humor

Get Clear Skin Fast

Acids are your answer to common skin issues

If you’re having concerns with your skin, about acne or dryness or the damage from aging—meaning, if you're essentially a human who wants to look good—then you want to add some acid to your grooming regimen.

Acids are seemingly everywhere in skin care these days. And for good reason. They work by helping you get new, healthy skin quicker through a process dermatologists call “turnover.” After all, fresh new skin will always be better than old, dead skin, right?

But acids can be intimidating. Especially when so many of us associate the stuff with bubbling chemical burns. But in reality, these highly effective acids are safe but you should know how to use them. To help you target your concern, we've outlined the most popular acids, along the with recommended products to try.

↦ Read: How adding acids to your daily routine will help most, if not all, of your skin concerns.

Small But Mighty

Rose marble plinth table,$1,895 / $1,610.75 by Menu

When you think about furniture for your home, I doubt you think much of side tables. Yes, the small tables—also known as end tables, occasional tables or cocktail tables—are incredibly functional. But for such a small piece, these tiny tables can make a big impact on a room. They allow you to take some design risks, since the best ones are bold and sculptural, adding intrigue to an otherwise safe and functional grouping of furniture. We've shopped around and pulled together a cool collection in a range of styles and prices. Take your pick and give your living room the upgrade it deserves.