Court reinstates Syed's murder conviction; question remains, 'Who killed Hae Min Lee?'

SCREEN CAPTURE /BBC

Adnan Syed was released from prison last September.

The decades-long courtroom saga continues for Adnan Syed. A Maryland appeals court reversed the ruling of a lower court that dropped the Pakistani American's murder conviction after he had served 20-plus years in prison.

Despite the reinstatement of the murder conviction, Syed, will not immediately be taken back into custody.

Syed was convicted of the 1999 murder of his high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee but new evidence and flaws in the police investigation was enough for a Baltimore Court to drop the murder conviction and release Syed in September 2022.

However, the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled 2-1 that the lower court failed to give sufficient notice to the victim’s family when it scheduled the September hearing that granted Syed's freedom. The appeal court's ruling does not dispute the September decision by the lower court.

Syed's cased attracted worldwide attention because of the podcast, "Serial" that posed the question, "Who Killed Hae Min Lee."

Lee and Syed were a popular couple in high school: she was a cheerleader; he played football.

The victim, Hae Min Lee, and Adnan Syed dated in high school.

When her body was found in a nearby park, the police investigation zeroed in on Syed and failed to investigate two other suspects, according to new evidence presented by Syed's lawyers.

Lee's family, who had moved to California by this time, complained that they were given only one-day's notice before the September ruling.

"We remand for a new, legally compliant, and transparent hearing on the motion to vacate, where Mr. Lee is given notice of the hearing that is sufficient to allow him to attend in person," the court said.

"The appeal was not about Adnan's innocence but about notice," said Erica J Suter, Syed's attorney, the director of the Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Baltimore. Suter plans to appeal to the Maryland Supreme Court the decision to reinstate Syed's conviction.

The Tuesday action gives the Baltimore District Attorney 60 days to decide whether he will appeal the September ruling.

During this week's hearing, Young Lee, the victim's brother gave an emotional statement: "This is not a podcast for me. This is real life - a never-ending nightmare for 20-plus years."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

After 23 years in prison, murder charges dropped vs. Adnan Syed

THE INNOCENCE PROJECT

Murder charges against Adnan Syed, in tie, were dropped.

After 23 years in a prison, Adnan Syed is a free man after Maryland prosecutors dropped murder charges against him.

Once again, the question that haunted thousands of podcast listeners is raised: Who killed Hae Min Lee?

Syed was convicted of killing his former high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999. His trial and the subsequent podcast, "Serial," gathered hundreds of thousands of followers questioning the prosecution's evidence that put Syed behind bars.

The Maryland attorney general dropped the charges because of the results of DNA testing “that excluded Mr. Syed from the DNA recovered from the evidence,” said a statement from the state's Office of the Public Defender.

In a motion filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court last month, prosecutors said that a nearly yearlong investigation, conducted with Syed's lawyer Erica J. Suter, had found two possible “alternative suspects,” who have not been named publicly or charged.

Prosecutors also said new information revealed that one of the suspects was convicted of attacking a woman in her vehicle, and that one of the suspects was convicted of engaging in serial rape and sexual assault.

The investigation also questioned the reliability of evidence used to convict Pakistani American Syed.

Based on that motion, last month a judge released 41-year old Syed from prison and placed him in home detention with electronic monitoring.

During his trial and even after his conviction, Syed had maintained his innocence. Supporteres, friends and family continued to raise questions about the investigation and evidence attracting the attention of podcaster producers of "This American Live," hosted by Sarah Koenig. 

In 2014, a podcast, "Serial," produced. by This American Life, gained mullions of listeners nationwide as it questioned whether Syed had received a fair trail. "Serial" was downloaded more than 100 million times in its first year, bringing nationwid attention to the case. The podcast won a Peabody Award for its “compelling, drilling account of how guilt, truth and reality are decided.”

Murder victim Hae Min Lee, left, and Adnan Syed dated each other in high school

In 2015, a judge denied an appeal based on new evidence presented by the defense. Defense attorneys in 2019 then attempted to bring the case to the US Supreme Court which turned down the case.

In March of this year, prosecutors agreed to new DNA testing, saying that it was merited because of advances in genetic profiling. 

On Sept. 14, prosecutors asked a judge to overturn Syed’s conviction, which Judge Melissa M. Phinn of Baltimore City Circuit Court agreed to drop the charges against Syed “in the interests of justice and fairness.”

Monday (Oct. 11), the Maryland Office of the Public Defender said the charges were dropped because the new DNA evidence excluded Syed. 

An appeal before the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, in which the victim's family sought to pause proceedings, remains pending. 

“Finally, Adnan Syed is able to live as a free man,” Syed’s lawyer, Erica J. Suter, said in a statement. “The DNA results confirmed what we have already known and what underlies all of the current proceedings: that Adnan is innocent and lost 23 years of his life serving time for a crime he did not commit.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Khizr Khan receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom

President Biden places on the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Khizr Khan.

No one knew what was about to happen when Khizr Khan was first introduced at the Democratic Convention in 2015. No on knew he would one day receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The 71-year old Pakistani American patriot was one of 17 Americans who received the honor Friday, July 7.

“I was humbled when I was informed that I am the recipient of this highest civilian recognition of this nation,” Khan said in a Daily Progress interview prior to getting his medal. “My life has been a testament to the goodness of this country, to the foundational values of equality, dignity and diversity that are at the foundation of this country.”

As a Gold Medal father who had spoken about patriotism and against the war in Iraq after the loss of his son, he was invited to speak at the 2016 Democratic Convention by the Hillary Clinton campaign. What happened is now a part of political history.

Conventioneers were busy running around lobbying for votes. Khan began his emotion-filled speech and heads turned to the stage. He delivered a short speech that rocked the convention and reverberated across America.

As attention turned to the podium, Khan's voice slightly quivering from nerves, got stronger as he went on.

“Donald Trump, you are asking Americans to trust you with our their future. Let me ask you: Have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy,” Khan said, reaching inside his jacket and began waving the booklet about the Constitution in the air. “In this document, look for the words ‘liberty’ and ‘equal protection of law.’

By now, the whole convention hall was paying attention to Khan, who came to America in 1980 after living in the United Arab Emirates.

“Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? Go look at the graves of the brave patriots who died defending the United States of America – you will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one.”

Since that seminal moment, he has become a celebrity and advocate and defender of democracy. He founded the Constitution Literacy and National Unity Center and is a prominent advocate for the rule of law and religious freedom . President Biden appointed him to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

The Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.

Also receiving this country’s highest civilian honor  are Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and the late U.S. Sen. John McCain. The award is given to those who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.

“The Fourth of July week reminds us what brought us together long ago and still binds us — binds us at our best, what we strive for,” Biden said. “We the people, doing what we can to ensure that the idea of America, the cause of freedom, shines like the sun to light up the future of the world.

“This is America,” he said, gesturing to the stage full of award winners.

“These seventeen Americans demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation – hard work, perseverance, and faith,” the White House said in a statement.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Ms. Marvel review: An eye-opening addition to the coming-of-age genre

Iman Villani, left, plays Kamala Khan, and her alter ego Ms. Marvel.

REVIEW:

Based on the first two episodes of the Ms. Marvel Disney series, I have to say: I'm loving it!

This Disney series opens the door to what it means being a South Asian American; being a product of two cultures: one full of tradition and ancient beliefs from India and the constantly changing and shifting culture of modern day America.

At its roots, it's a coming-of-age story; but from from a fresh point of view from the eyes of an immigrant girl struggling to find balance between the two cultures, trying not to pit one over the other, but more like accepting both side-by-side.

The clash of cultures, the mixing of new and old to create something new: that's the dilemma faced by most Asian Americans, not only by identify-seeking teenagers like the central character, Kamala Khan played by newcomer Iman Villani, but also for her parents, who think are also trying to adjust to a new way of thinking but still clinging to the traditions that they were raised with.

That's one of the beautiful aspects of the series, it doesn't give us easy either-or answers to how to navigate the confusion created by not quite fitting in either world; it shows us that there are two sides to every question and the solutions aren't necessarily clear-cut.

Of all the (limited) series about Asian Americans, (All-American Girl, Fresh Off the Boat and Never Have I Ever,) Ms Marvel gives us one of the best glimpse of the world of South Asian Americans and Muslim Americans without hammering down on the obvious: the immigrant parents with their traditional views of raising a proper Pakistani child and the Americanized child who idolizes comic book heroine Captain Marvel of the Avengers. 

All this takes place in a treasure trove of ethnic references, there is perhaps the the first depiction of the celebration Eid ("the minor one") on TV; mispronouncement of names ("My name is Ka-ma-la!"); rushing to prayers, the loss of shoes ("the shoe thief strikes again"); the secondary role of Muslim women (it's hard to pay attention with the screen blocking tour view"); the Bollywood references (which I got lost in since I'm not into that genre -- yet) and the debate over Indian movie stars SRK (Shah Rukh Khan) and Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani).

I imagine the ethnic references  evoked cheers among South Asian viewers hungry for representation. (It went over my head but I appreciate the writers' unapologetic approach prompting some Google searches.)

Even the New Jersey references coming from Kamala's parents, Jon Bon Jovi fans, are funny and remind us that they have had to adapt to the U.S.  just like their daughter, 

I recommend that viewers who like Ms. Marvel should also watch the accompanying behind-the-scenes short. You'll discover that the reason the 19-year old Iman is so good playing Kamala, is because she is so similar to the character she plays.

"There is so much of Kamala in her because I think Kamala has the same type of view of the world," said producer Sana Amanat, Ms. Marvel's co-creator, to Entertainment. "She looks at the world with eager and hopeful eyes, and I think Iman does that, too. You can't help but root for her and be drawn to her. There are just so many similarities that it felt like such a natural fit to see her put on the costume for the first time [or] see her go into the Khan house for the first time. It just made sense. There's no other Kamala than Iman Vellani."

The Pakistani Canadian actress is, like Kamala, is a real geeky fan of the Marvel superheroes. Her wide-eyed innocence on the show easily reflects the same excitement and wonderment she is experiencing as an actress in her first professional gig for Disney. Her expressive face is able to convey every high and low of a teenager struggling with fitting in, teenage crushes and trying to find her own racial identity. Add on to all the complications of getting use to her new found powers and getting used to the idea of being a superhero. Put all of that together and you can't help to cheer for and for AANHPI of all ages, someone you can relate to..

Despite the mostly rave reviews by critics, Ms. Marvel is suffering one of the lowest ratings of any Marvel product which can be explained by several troubling factors.

One, unlike other Marvel superheroes, Kamala Khan is much younger, which, while appealing to a younger audience may cause older fans to think the storyline and character is too juvenile. Really? Relating to beings with super powers is more adult?

The other reasons are more complicated and more related to the tenor of the times we live in. 

First, Kamala Khan is a girl; second she is a girl of color; third, she is Muslim; all  elements that tends to stir up two major constituencies: the teenage boys who prefer their Marvel heroines in tight-fitting spandex and playing second fiddle to the male heroes; and a sector of the audience who prefer their heroes to be White and (presumably) Christian and believe Ms. Marvel is just another sign of the diminishing white power structure. 

When Captain Marvel first came out in the comic books and onscreen, the same insecure element came out protesting the gender takeover.

Unfortunately, those bandwagon fans who don't know the intricacies of the Marvel Comic Universe (MCU) believe that the Pakistani Ms. Marvel is taking over the White Captain Marvel. To be clear, they are two separate characters, who will (we are told)  eventually  team up in a future Marvel production.

As a result of the show being the target of bomb-reviews giving a bunch of 1-ratings countering, the generally higher reviews (9s and 10s) awarded by more legitimate media critics, the overall ratings have been artificially lowered to 3.6 the lowest rating  among Marvel's recent productions.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the directing duo known as Adil and Bilall who directed the first episode of Ms. Marvel, commented on the review-bombing controversy. “I think fandom values are a reflection of society, you know, so you got to have the good and the bad,” El-Arbi is quoted by Gizmodo.

“We believe that it’s overall good. I mean, fandom for us the reason why we make these TV shows and movies. They make Marvel MCU heroes big and that’s why we have AvengerCon. We try to do that homage to the fandom. That’s why Kamala Khan is a fan," he said.

"You got to also respect the fandom because they’re so passionate about that. I think that we tend to focus just on the positive aspects of it, because the love and the care that they give. You will not have that in any other job and it’s a real pleasure. We hope that our humble contribution to the MCU will please the fandom everywhere in the world, especially the younger fandom.”

As Kamala discovers the strength of her superpowers and as the series progresses, she will discover her real superpower, something all immigrants, young and old, who have had to find that middle ground between two cultures.

"I think, in this TV show that the family and friends are the real superpower of Kamala Khan" explains Fallah. "And she has to go deep into her her roots to really understand from where she is and who she is."

Ms. Marvel is available for streaming on Disney+.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

 

Two Asian Americans star in action comedy 'Stuber'

Dave Bautista and Kumail Nanjiani are reluctant buddies in 'Stuber'

Two Asian American male leads. Two men who don't conform with the Asian male stereotype. Two brown Asians.

Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista star in the move Stuber, due out on July 12. Its a buddy movie, of sorts. Nanjiani plays the mild-mannered Uber driver named stu, who picks up a passenger, Bautista, who turns out to a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer. Amid the harrowing ordeal, Stu desperately tries to hold onto his wits, his life and his five-star rating.

On the heels of a series of romantic comedies featuring Asian Americans in lead roles, The Sun is Also A Star, Always Be My Maybe and last August's Crazy Rich Asians and To All The Boys I've Ever Loved, it will be interesting to see if Asian American netizens rally around this action-comedy starring Filipino American Bautista and Pakistani American Nanjiani, who are a departure from the aforementioned films with predominantly East Asian stars. 

Based on the trailer, it doesn't appear that Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) or Nanjiani (The Big Sick, Silicon Valley) play off their ethnicity but they also won't play the Asian male stereotype, the meek, sexless, powerless faceless characterization. They're just two polar-opposite characters in some wild situations.

Part of what made Nanjiani's The Big Sick, which he wrote with his wife Emily Gordon,  unique had to do with seeing a Pakistani immigrant like Nanjiani playing the lead in a romantic comedy. 

With Stuber, the flick features Nanjiani and Bautista, who is Filipino American, as the leads and also includes Indonesian action star Iko Uwais as its villain. And so suddenly, and rather quietly, here is a major studio summer comedy starring three men of South Asian descent.

“It's so exciting,”  Nanjiani tells the L.A. Times in an interview. “It's sort of the balance, right? This is not a movie that's like about diversity or anything in any way, but I think that's the victory, having movies that just happen to have diverse people and that's not what the movie's about. It's just a great movie that just happens to have South Asian people in the movie.”

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First South Asian woman mayor in the U.S. takes office

ASAM NEWS

SADAF JAFFER has become the first South Asian woman mayor in both New Jersey and the United States., reports India Abroad.
The News India Times reports the Pakistani American has dedicated her career to social justice and human rights. She’s served in both the United States Marine Corps Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning and the U. S. Department of State’s Bureau of South Asian Affairs”.

As mayor, she hope to bring her constituents together and inspire others to become more involved with local and national governance.

“To me, Montgomery is all about the people that make up our vibrant community,” Jaffer said to India Abroad.

She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at Princeton University in South Asian Studies, teaching classes ranging from South Asian, Islamic and Asian American studies. She is also the Somerset County director for the South Asian American Caucus of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee and was selected to be in the inaugural training class of Emerge New Jersey, a political training program for Democratic women.

She said one of her favorite past times is to attend local events in the city because of the vibrant community she believes Montgomery is. Due to her strong sense in community, she believes that she will be able to be an active voice for her local residents in order to provide the change they are seeking.

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Zayn Malik covers Bollywood song in Hindi to the delight of his fans

ZAYN MALIK

FORMER "ONE DIRECTION" singer Zayn Malik posted a video of him singing a Hindi song and his fans are going wild over it.

Since he posted the cover of a Hindi song "Allah Duhai Hai", from Salman Khan’s last Bollywood movie, Race 3., it has over 3 million hits.

Despite not understanding the lyrics, a lot of his international fans are showing love for Zayn’s latest offering.

One user commented, “Wow dude, you've really smashed it your vocals sound fantastic! This is proof music is a universal language, we don't have to understand lyrics or to even have lyrics, the music can convey emotion & with a vocal too this also comes out in your voice! Congrats dude it's awesome!.”

And here is Zayn's post. Listen for yourself:

Aside from some picky criticism about his British accent, his fans -- whether or not they understood the lyrics - are generally praising his acknowldgement of his Pakistani roots and singing in a language other than English, the language he grew up with in Great Britain.

This is not the first time that the singer has done a cover for a Hindi song. Although his roots originate from the Pakistani culture, he had also done covers of Hindi songs, 'Allah ke Bande' and Kailash Kher's 'Teri Deewani.'

Malik hasn't shyed away from being raised as a Muslim. But, as someone the Evening Standard identifies as "the most high-profile British Muslim in the entertainment industry," Zayn said he's proud of his faith.

“I take a great sense of pride — and responsibility — in knowing that I am the first of my kind, from my background,” he said. “I’m not currently practising but I was raised in the Islamic faith, so it will always be with me, and I identify a lot with the culture. But I’m just me. I don’t want to be defined by my religion or my cultural background.”
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TGIF Feature: Pakistani American is Giants' president of baseball operations

SCREEN CAPTURE '/ SF GIANTS

San Francisco Giants President Larry Baer, left, introduces Farhan Zaidi to the press.

L.A. DODGER FANS have one more reason to hate the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants lured away the Dodgers' general manager Farhan Zaidi, the man sports authorities credit for the recent success of the Boys in Blue.

The Giants have hired Major League executive Zaidi as the club's president of baseball operations, President & CEO Larry Baer announced Thursday (Nov. 8).

"We set out to find one of the best minds in baseball and Farhan's many accomplishments and expertise exceeded our expectations," said Baer. "Farhan is widely viewed as one of the top executives in our industry and we are thrilled to have him lead the next chapter of Giants Baseball."

"I am delighted to return to the Bay Area and to join one of the most storied franchises in the game," said Zaidi, who worked with cross-bay rivals Oakland Athletics for 10 years before becoming the Dodgers general manager. 

"I have watched the Giants from afar and I have great respect for the organization's culture and many accomplishments. I am excited about this new opportunity and I'm looking forward to getting right to work."

Farhan Zaidi, right, and his wife, Linda Fang.

Zaidi spent the last four years as the, Dodgers' General Manager after joining the club in November 2014. Under Zaidi's leadership, the Dodgers have won four consecutive division titles while advancing to the National League Championship Series the last three years and the World Series the last two seasons. During that four-year span, the Dodgers have posted the second-best winning percentage in all of baseball (.584, 379-270).

Prior to joining the Dodgers, Zaidi spent 10 seasons with the Oakland Athletics, where he started as a baseball operations analyst in 2005 before being promoted to director of baseball operations in 2009, and assistant general manager/director of baseball operations in 2014. 

With the Athletics, his primary responsibilities included evaluating and targeting players in the amateur draft, free agent and trade markets. The Athletics reached the playoffs during Zaidi's final three seasons with the club. (2012-14) 

Zaidi, 41, earned his bachelor of science degree in economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998 and a Ph.D in economics from the University of California, Berkeley in 2011. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Lucy.

After his parents moved to Canada from their native Pakistan, Zaidi was born in Ontario. However he spent a good portion of his youth living in the Philippines after his father moved to Manila for his job with the Asian Development Bank. 

After High School, he enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he graduated from with a Bachelor of Science degree; in addition to his Bachelor of Science, he also holds a doctorate of philosophy (PhD) in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. 

While at Berkeley, he read Moneyball, the book about the Oakland A's use of sabremetrics to determine the potential of ballplayers. He worked for the A's from 2004 to 2014 in various capacities until he was hired by the Dodgers.

Despite his familiarity with sabremetrics, he is also loves talking and listening to the scouts, who often evaluate players by gut instinct.

Any baseball executive who depends on only one set of beliefs, Zaidi said during his first news conference at AT&T Park on Wednesday, is doomed to "leave a lot of opportunities on the table. I think where we are as an organization right now, we have to cast as wide of a net as possible and not put too many labels on what this process is going to be other than to make smart and sound decisions."

The first MLB game Zaidi attended was Aug. 10, 1987 game between the Giants and the Houston Astros, recalls Zaidi. Candy Maldonado and Will Clark hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth inning against Houston to generate a 6-5 victory.

"To come full circle today was pretty special," Zaidi said.
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The man behind the Los Angeles Dodgers' success

General Manager Farhad Zaidi introduced Dave Roberts as the Dodger's manager in 2014.

ARE YOU, like me, not a fan of the Boston Red Sox or the Los Angeles Dodgers and looking for someone to root for in the World Series?

As a fan of the San Francisco Giants, I'm loathed to say, I'm reluctantly, kind of rooting for the Boys in Blue even though, as of this writing, they are down two games to zero.

For the last five years, the Dodgers have had a record any team would be proud of: Five divisions championships and for the last two years, playing in the world series.

The Dodgers manager is Dave Roberts, a Japanese American former ballplayer. He's successfully managed a team of egos and talented ballplayers to baseball's pinnacle of success.

However, the reason for Dodgers' rise might lay at the feet of another Asian American. It is no coincidence that their record coincides with the hiring of Farhan Zaidi, the first Asian American general manager of any U.S. professional sports team. It would not be far fetched to say he is behind the man behind the phenomenal success of the L.A. team.

Following is a column I wrote in 2014 when the Dodgers announced the hiring of Zaidi. I updated it with additional material

* * *

IT'S OFFICIAL. The Dodgers announced this morning (Nov. 7) that Farhan Zaidi, one of the A's two assistant managers, will be the new general manager of the Los Angeles baseball  team, making him the first Asian American GM of any of U.S. professional sports team.

Zaidi is a Canadian with Pakistani parentage but get this - he was raised in the Philippines. His father moved to Manila for his job with the Asian Development Bank. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, Zaidi experienced the 1986 revolt against President Ferdinand Marcos. The family was living in a gated community in Manila, although Sadiq’s colleagues suggested they live at a hotel outside the city. When Zaidi was nine years old, the family finally moved outside Manila.

“At one point, there was gunfire, and it really sounded like it was coming from right outside my bedroom,” Zaidi told the Times. “I was so terrified.” Thankfully, the revolt was short and Marcos fled the country.

Not only is the the first Asian American GM, he is the first Muslim GM in the United States.

“I’m a big proponent of diversity in our game,” Zaidi said during his first Dodgers press conference, notes The National. “So from that standpoint, I’m proud of it.”The Dodgers, who won the National League West five years in a row, were ousted from the playoffs in 2013 and 2014 despite having one of the highest payrolls in Major League Baseball. 

What may irk the Dodgers ownership even more, despite all the money they put out and which - on paper - is the most talented team in the National League, they had to watch from the sidelines as their arch rivals, the San Francisco Giants, went on to win the World Series in 2014.

With almost an entirely new front office, the Dodgers are showing that they are serious about shoring up the administrative side of the organization to match what they put on the field. But they may also be saying, playing talent is not enough to win the whole shebam.

They started by hiring Andrew Friedman, former GM of the Tampa Bay Rays. Friedman's first action was to hire to young baseball administrators who will probably bring a whole new way of operating to the organization, owned by the Guggenheim Baseball Management, that's Guggenheim - as in bankrolls of money. 

Besides Zaidi, Friedman brought in Josh Byrnes, former GM of the San Diego Padres, as senior vice president of baseball operations. The two hires will bring a new outlook and operations the Dodgers.

Zaidi's primary focus will be on the major league team and player acquisitions, while Byrnes will overs scouting and player development, said Friedman.

Zaidi, has been with the A's for 10 years, most recently as assistant general manager/director of baseball operations, after five years as director of baseball operations.

Zaidi, 42, earned his bachelor of science degree in economics from Massachusetts Instittue of Technology and a Ph.D in economics from UC, Berkeley. Although totally versed  in sabremetrics, that the A's used to combine winning teams with the lowest payrolls, Zaidi is reported to advocate blending old-school scouting methods with the the advanced analytics to combine the best of both diametrically opposed worlds.

"He's absolutely brilliant," A's GM Billy Beane told a San Francisco Chronicle reporter. "He has a great qualitative mind, but also a creative mind. The ability to look at things both micro and macro is unique and Farhan could do whatever he wants to do, not just in this game, but in any sport or business. I'm more worried about losing him to Apple or Google than I am to another team."
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Study: South Asian Americans have high tisk of heart fisease

ASAM NEWS

A RECENT MEDICAL STUDY finds a high risk of heart disease among South Asians living in the U.S due to genetics, reports NBC News. The study also highlights the importance of living a healthier lifestyle.

Anabelle Santos Volgman, the lead author of the report and medical director of the Rush Heart Center for Woman at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said that several factors had contributed to the increased risk of heart disease, including the fact that the South Asians are prone to bad cholesterol and diabetes.

“We don’t have an answer to why South Asians have a higher risk of diabetes, but there are many genetic theories that have not been substantiated,” she said, adding that the study published by the medical Journal Circulation of the American Heart Association was made to investigate the risk factors of heart disease.

South Asians in the states come from many countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The study found they have a higher death and hospitalization rate due to heart disease than others in the U.S.

According to Jwatch.com, the Associate Editor of NEJM Journal Watch Cardiology, Karol E. Watson, reviewed the study and said that dietary factors may contribute to the increased risk as many South Asians consume a high percentage of carbohydrates and saturated fats.

The study provides recommendations for South Asians to eat traditional whole grains and to have more physical exercise to decrease the level of cholesterol, blood pressure and the risk of early diabetes.

“The lifestyle changes can make a big impact,” said Volgman. “What we need to emphasize is that they need to take heart disease seriously and seek help to determine if they are at high risk.”

South Asians immigrated to the United States in three waves beginning in the late 18th century. The first wave occurred from the 1890’s to the 1920’s. The second wave started after the establishment of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act sending a total of 20,000 skilled professionals and 25,000 physicians to the states.

A third wave of immigration in the mid 1980’s included extended family members and parents of thousands of professionals and physicians.

Data from the U.S Census Bureau shows that most of the South Asians in the states are originally from India followed by Bhutan and Nepal. Many reside in urban metropolitan areas in California, New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Illinois.

'Serial' podcast subject, Adnan Syed, will get a new trial

Adnan Syed  has spent most of his life behind bars.

AFTER SPENDING almost 20 years in jail, Adnan Syed is getting a new trial.

The Maryland Court of Special Appeals ruled today (March 29) that the man who was the subject of a popular podcast, will have his murder conviction overturned because of poor counsel.]

Syed was found guilty in 2000 of the murder of his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, a Korean/American immigrant. Her strangled body was found off a trial in a city park. 

Seventeen-year old Syed, a son of immigrants from Pakistan, was given a life sentence in 2000.

HAE MIN LEE

The case was the subject of NPR's most popular podcast in 2014, the first season of hit Serial. The podcast narrator questioned some of the details of the Lee's homicide and the adequacy of Syed's attorney, the late Cristina Gutierrez.

Chief among the errors was that the defense lawyer for failing to pursue a classmate who witnessed Syed at the library at the time of the slaying. The testimony of Asia McClain, who knew both Lee and Syed at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore, was never interviewed by Gutierrez nor was her information brought up during the trial.

Chief Judge Patrick L. Woodward ruled, "There is a reasonable probability that McClain's alibi testimony would have raised a reasonable doubt in the mind of at least one juror about Syed's involvement [in] Hae's murder, and thus 'the result of the proceedings would have been different.'"

In a separate ruling but in the same proceedings, Woodward wrote:  "Syed's murder conviction must be vacated, and because Syed's convictions for kidnapping, robbery, and false imprisonment are predicated on his commission of Hae's murder, these convictions must be vacated as well. The instant case will be remanded for a new trial on all charges against Syed."

The family of Hae Min Lee criticized McClain who they say did not sit through every day of both trials like they did.

“It remains hard to see so many run to defend someone who committed a horrible crime, who destroyed our family, who refuses to accept responsibility, when so few are willing to speak up for Hae,” a family statement said.

Serial, which meticulously re-examined the murder in Baltimore and original 2000 trial, helped bring renewed attention to Syed’s case. The podcast helped propel the NPR show to become the most popular podcast ever, gaining a global audience.

“Serial was enormously helpful,” a lawyer for Syed, Justin Brown, said at a press conference after today's verdict was read. “[Syed] asked me to convey his deep gratitude and thanks from the bottom of his heart to all those who have supported him and believed in him.”

The State of Maryland has opposed the overturning of Syed’s conviction and in 2017 it appealed a lower court’s decision to grant a new trial. Today’s ruling could mean that Syed will have another shot at freedom, or it might mean that prosecutors take the case to Maryland’s Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state.

(UPDATED: March 30, 9:30 a.m. to include statement from the Lee family.)

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Critics' Choice Award: Kumail Nanjiani said he'd "like to thank all the white men"

SCREEN CAPTURE'
Kumail Nanjiani and wife Emily V. Gordon, both of whom cowrote the script 'The Big Sick' based on their real-life courtship,  receive their Critics Choice Award.

IN AN UNPRECEDENTED event, The Big Sick, a movie based on the inter-racial courtship of Pakistani/American Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Movie Comedy.

Nanjiani used his Critics' Choice Awards speech to make a point about diversity on Thursday night.

RELATED: Anna Awards gives Best Movie to 'The Big Sick'

'I’d like to thank all the white men who allowed us to stand here today,' said the Pakistani-born actor and comic after accepting the trophy for Best Comedy.

Nanjiani was honored for The Big Sick, the film he co-wrote with wife Emily V. Gordon, inspired by their own life.

During their courtship, Gordon suffered a life-threatening illness and was placed in an induced coma. As she accepted the award, she said, 'We had such an amazing cast that brought the movie to life. I want to thank my doctor.' 

It is the first time in Hollywood history that an original script written by an Asian/American was so honored.
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Trump targets Clinton aide Huma Abedin

Huma Abedin has always been at Hillary Clinton's side since Clinton's was in the U.S. Senate.

DONALD TRUMP says Hillary Clinton's closest aide, Huma Abedin, should be punished and possibly jailed for her handling of certain emails while she was working in the State Departent.

"Crooked Hillary Clinton’s top aid [sic], Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others," he wrote.

"Calling for the imprisonment of political rivals is a clear attempt by President Trump to further politicize the Department of Justice," said Robert McCaw, Government Affairs Director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. 

"Every American who values the constitutional guarantee of due process should be outraged by the president's statements," he said.

RELATED: Who is Huma Abedin?

Abedin has been with Hillary Clinton since her days in the U.S. Senate and arguably the closest advisor over the last 20 years. She  has an Indian father, Syed Zainul Abedin, and a Pakistani mother, Saleha Mahmood Abedin. Both parents held doctorates from the University of Pennsylvania.

The emails to which Trump referred were released last week in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the conservative group Judicial Watch.

The emails are the same ones uncovered during the final weeks of the 2016 presidential election. Former FBI director James Comey's disclosure to Congress that it was examining the emails in relation to its closed investigation of Clinton’s use of a personal email server during her tenure as secretary of state. Clinton has blamed her loss in large part on the FBI’s resurfacing of the email scandal.

According to Comey, Abedin would send them to her husband so he could print them out as "a matter of convenience."

Comey later said days before the 2016 election that the FBI and couldn't prove there was any criminal intent, which is required in order to classify something as a criminal act in this situation with Abedin.

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SAG shows some love for Asian/American actors, 'The Big Sick' cast, Hong Chau and Aziz Ansari

Camel Nanjian's "family" in The Big Sick.'

Asian/American actors got a little bit of love from their acting peers when the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominees were announced Wednesday (Dec. 13).

Vietnamese/American Hong Chau was nominated for her supporting role in the Matt Damon science fiction flick Downsizing. This follows her nomination by the Golden Globes in the same category.

RELATED: Asian Americans nominated for Golden Globe awards

The Big Sick, a movie based on Kumail Nanjiani’s true-life romance with his wife, took a cast ensemble nomination. Besides Nanjiani, the cast included Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Zoe Kazan and Indian actor Anupam Kher.

"We are so lucky to have been graced with the enormous talents of every single member of our cast," said Nanjiani, who co-wrote the script with his wife Emily Gordon. "They each put a piece of themselves into our story and we are thrilled at being recognized."

Hunter, who plays Nanjiani's future mother-n-law in the movie, also was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.

“Recognition from your peers is a particular kind of humbling thing." said Hunter to SFGate. Actors know in a way that no one else knows. They are on the inside track so when I have in my career gotten honors from people who do what I do, it resonates a different way for me.”

Aziz Ansari, who writes and stars in Netflix's Master of None,  got the nod for Best Actor in a Comedy television series.

For the complete 2018 list of SAG nominees, click here. The awards show will air Jan. 21 on CBS.
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