Many UFC fighters are trying to climb to the top of their weight classes. One of the fastest ways to do this is by signing up for the UFCs own reality TV show, The Ultimate Fighter.Unsurprisingly, many athletes whove competed on the show have become champs. Lets look at the 10 fighters who went on to win UFC titles.

Forrest Griffin was the first winner of The Ultimate Fighter. While his career after the show wasnt spectacular, he did end up winning the light heavyweight belt at UFC 86. Griffin has since retired to work for the UFC in other areas.

RELATED: Fighting Gave Tito Ortiz Something His Drug-Addicted Parents Never Could

Rashad Evans won the second season of the show, and after Griffin won his title, Evans was given a title shot against him. Evans knocked Griffin out and won the title, but unfortunately for Evans, Lyoto Machida knocked him out in his very next fight. Evans has also retired and he now works for the UFC in other areas too.

Serra won the fourth season of the show, and surprisingly, when he was given a title shot against Georges St. Pierre, Serra knocked St. Pierre out. That said, Serras reign was short-lived, as he had a rematch with St. Pierre, and St. Pierre won that one. Serra is retired as well, and he runs a successful gym in New York.

RELATED: The Most Powerful UFC Fighters With Shredded Bodies

When the UFC was creating the womens strawweight division, it needed to crown a champ. So, thats what season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter was for, and Carla Esparza won it all and became the first womens strawweight champ. That said, she lost her first title defense against Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

For season 26 of the show, the UFC did something similar for the womens flyweight division, which it had just created. Nicco Montano won this season and became the first womens flyweight champ. However, she never defended her belt, and she was eventually stripped of it.

T.J. Dillashaw competed in season 14 of the show, and despite getting knocked out in the finals, he got a UFC contract. Eventually, he became a UFC champ not once, but twice. He defended his belt many times, but he also tested positive for using performance-enhancing drugs, and this ultimately tainted his reputation.

RELATED: 5 NFL Players Who Turned Into UFC Fighters

Michael Bisping won the third season of the show, but he didnt win a title until almost 10 years later. However, his long career has earned him a lot of money. Since then, hes retired from fighting and hes now a commentator for the UFC.

Robert Whittaker competed in The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, which was a spinoff pitting Australian fighters against British ones. Whittaker won in his weight class, and eventually, hed beat Yoel Romero to win the middleweight belt.

Romero was a scary fighter who many people in the division didnt want to fight. However, Whittaker beat Romero not once, but twice. That said, Whittaker lost his belt in his next title fight when he fought Israel Adesanya.

Rose Namajunas competed in season 20 of the show. The strawweight fighter lost to Esparza for the belt. However, a few years later, she got a title shot against Jedrzejczyk, whod dominated the division. Surprisingly, Namajunas knocked her out and beat her again in the rematch. Namajunas later got knocked out by Jessica Andrade. Recently she avenged that loss by beating Andrade.

Kamaru Usman won the 21st season of the show, and hes been undefeated ever since. He beat Tyron Woodley to win the belt and, more recently, he knocked Colby Covington out, and then he completely dominated Jorge Masvidal. It remains to be seen who, if anyone, can beat him in his weight class.

See more here:
The 10 Ultimate Fighters Who Have Won UFC Titles - Sportscasting

45% mothers of autistic children suffer from depression

There are some disorders in society for which none could be blamed. Autism is such a disorder. Mothers of the autistic children have to suffer the most and their suffering and pain never end. Such an incident happened in the life of Saleha Aktar (not real name).

Saleha married Sumon (not real name) after love. However, none of the two families accepted the marriage at first. After three years of the marriage, both the families accepted them when their first child Rehan was born. And then, the life of the couple was going through happiness.

When Rehan was 18-month-old, Saleha came to know that her son is not a normal child. After visiting the capitals Sir Salimullah Mitford Hospital, Dhaka Children Hospital, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital, she was informed that her son was autistic. Salehas husband abandoned her when he came to know it and then she [Saleha] was forced to leave her father-in-laws house.

Saleha fell into a huge trouble with her autistic child, and in this way she passed eight years. The nine and a half years old Rehan is now studying at the autistic school of BSMMU Institute of Paediatric Neurodisorder and Autism (IPNA). Saleha takes her child to the school five days a week from her Tikatuli residence and returns home after closing of the school by a rickshaw.

When this reporter talked to Saleha at IPNA, she informed that not only did her husband leave her, other members of the family also behaved badly with her. The neighbours avoid her son, make jokes at his expense, and ridicule him. It did not happen only with Salehas family, a joint research conducted by International

Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and the governments Communicable Diseases Control Programme, shows that the mothers of one-third autistic children receive negative behaviour from the family and neighbours.

Research findings

According to the research, almost half of the mothers of the autistic children suffer from mental disorders. Scientist and head researcher of the icddr,bs Communicable Disease Wing Alia Nahid said its the most regrettable matter that though many mothers of the autistic children suffer from physical and mental disorders, they dont go to doctors or cannot go.

According to medical scientists, autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder.

Due to this problem the children cannot communicate and develop social relationships. They do the same work or behaviour time and again.

The national mental health survey published recently shows that nearly 7% of children aged between seven and 17 are autistic. This disorder is noticed more in urban than rural areas and the number is higher among the boys than the girl children.

There are nearly 100 specialized schools for autistic children in Dhaka city. The icddr,b has conducted a research on mothers of 388 children of six specialized schools. The average age of those mothers is 39, and 77% of them do not work anywhere except home.

Five percent of these mothers were abandoned by husbands, while two percent are widows. The average age of the children was 11 years and seven months when the survey was conducted from May to December in 2015. However, the main limitation of the research was it didnt highlight the problems of the rural mothers.

The research shows that 41% mothers look after their autistic children on their own, while domestic helps, husbands, other children and members of the family and in some cases neighbours help 59% mothers.

One-third of the mothers alleged that the neighbours show negative attitude towards the autistic children. Many call them mad, while many are scared by seeing such children.

Aparna Das Gupta resides in the capitals Green Road. Her 21-year-old son Anindyas autism was detected when he was four. After her sons identification of autism, Aparna Das was harassed by her family members, close relatives, and the neighbours.

Wiping away her tears, she said with a smiley face: I used to sit beside my son at the classroom after taking permission of the school authorities. There was no objection from other children. But after a few months I was ousted from the classroom due to objections from other guardians.

Aparna Das continued: The society is still not aware of the problems of autistic children.

Mothers blamed for giving birth to autistic children

IPNA Director Prof Shaheen Akhtar said all of the family feels pressure if any of their child is autistic. The society blames the mother for giving birth to an autistic child. The mother leaves her job to take care of her child, while the family of many people breaks for such a problem.

The mother clings to her child, but she cannot sleep adequately as she has to face huge pressure. As a result, the mother suffers from various physical disorders.

Usually, 6.7% of adults suffer from depression. But the research shows that the rate is 45% among the mothers of autistic children.

Sixty percent of mothers said they are suffering from various diseases including diabetes. The conclusion of the research said these mothers need social support.

This support could be extended at home or the school of the children. However, there is no such a program for the mothers, while the Health and Family Welfare Ministry, the Primary and Mass Education Ministry, the Women and Children Affairs Ministry, and the Social Welfare Ministry are involved in the health and education of the autistic children.

Line Director of the program, HM Enayet Hossain, said the research clearly shows that separate support is required for such mothers.

Saleha said she needs support badly. She said when her husband left her she started boutique work after going to her mothers family.

I cannot do my work smoothly as I cant go anywhere leaving my son alone. Besides, I cant take my son to a physiotherapist and manage a teacher for him, she said.

Besides, Im struggling to manage the house rent and fare of a rickshaw there is nothing anywhere for the mothers like us, Saleha lamented leaving a long breath.

Read the rest here:
Mothers of autistic children facing countless adversities - Dhaka Tribune

In legal documents obtained by Deadline, PBS ordered an investigation into Tavis Smiley's conduct while employed with the network after they received numerous complaints about his behavior and activities. The host of Tavis Smileyreportedly engaged in inappropriate conduct with multiple women, including guests that were on his show. According to NBC News, one guest from 2008 and 2009 alleged that she had a sexual relationship with Smiley. She claimed that, while it was consensual, she "uncomfortably went with [sexual contact]" with him because "women are put in a bad position when their boss hits on them." She told the investigator that she was not asked to return to the show.

In the end, Smiley was fired in 2017. In March 2020, he was ordered to pay PBS nearly $1.5 million for breaching their "morality clause." The network's lawyer, Grace Speights, explained how the host's position on the show and in the company created a challenging dynamic for women. "You can't have a consensual relationship between a manager and a subordinate because of the power dynamic," she said (via Variety). "It's never consensual because that manager has power over all aspects of that person's employment."

And then, in August 2020,a judge upped the amount to $2.6 million (via Deadline). In a statement from his reps, Smiley said, "I look forward to my day in court February 10, which I have finally been granted, after 2 years of fighting."

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TV show hosts that treat their guests like trash - Nicki Swift

Wednesday, 26 August 2020 23:20 Last Updated: Wednesday, 26 August 2020 23:29 Published: Wednesday, 26 August 2020 23:20 Wendy MacMillan Hits: 422

What a long, strange trip its been. Yes, it most certainly has and the words of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead have never rang more true. It began in March when our schools closed, followed quickly by a full-blown lockdown, and right as we started to feel confident about re-opening, hurricane force winds wreaked havoc in our community and beyond ...Life, to say the very least, has felt like a roller coaster. Through all the ups and downs, the one thing that seems to have remained constant is a great sense of uncertainty.

Not that any of us needs an explanation of just how uncertain times are, but take for example my sister who lives in a small town in Northern California. After much back and forth and months of planning by their district, last week my sister sent her son to school for his first day of in-person learning. By the end of that day however, the county closed all the schools because of a rising number of Covid cases in the area. This week, after she rearranged their home and schedules for virtual learning, my sister was informed that they needed to evacuate their house because of encroaching wildfires. After packing up and heading out for a few days, she is now safely back home and considers herself incredibly blessed, especially while so many others are in a far worse place.

I couldnt help but wonder, how is my sister managing to stay so positive in such a topsy turvy world? In her words, These times call for flexibility...and gratitude for the things that matter most. Indeed they do. But for some of us, remaining flexible and grateful in the face of stressful situations, is easier said than done. For many, a flexible state of mind is something that may need to be cultivated and practiced. So how does one go about cultivating flexibility? Read on for a few quick suggestions to start us on the right path.

One avenue to a more flexible attitude is through incorporating mindfulness into our daily schedules. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, defines Mindfulness as paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally. By practicing mindfulness we learn to focus on what is happening in the present moment rather than forming expectations of things to come or worrying about situations that took place in the past. In turn, mindfulness makes it easier for us to focus on, and adapt to the current state of affairs. Daily practice of mindfulness also helps to strengthen the part of our brain called the amygdala which is responsible for our Fight or Flight response. When we strengthen this area of our brains we are able to put a pause between the stimulus of a situation and our reaction to it. In other words, rather than reacting angrily when we hear bad news, mindfulness training helps us pause and choose how to respond rather than react with the Fight or Flight response our amygdalas encourage us to do. Moreover, practicing mindfulness helps us strengthen segments of our brain that allow us to choose to remain flexible and adapt to ever-changing circumstances. For more information about mindfulness and for some easy exercises to try today, please click here.

Another way to gain flexibility is to regularly challenge ourselves to see things from another perspective. Whether it is working to understand another persons point of view or trying to understand all the varying circumstances that led up to a particular situation. For instance, when we take a moment to contemplate why a person is behaving in a certain way rather than judging their behavior or reacting to their behavior, we begin to break down our own mental barriers and preconceived notions. When we begin to open our minds and our hearts, we can more readily adapt to ever changing conditions. Even if we are still upset by a given situation, trying to understand other perspectives, can help us soften our own rigid thinking and thus create space for more flexibility.

One last suggestion to encourage flexibility is to try practicing gratitude on a daily basis. As I have written about in another article for Scarsdale10583, gratitude is strongly linked to mental health and life satisfaction. But even more than that, when we look for things to be grateful for rather than focus on the negatives or the things that upset us, we begin to realize that no matter what life throws our way, there are always things to be thankful for. From giving thanks before meals to journaling about your daily blessings before bed, the great thing about this practice is that there are just so many ways to be grateful!

So as the topsy turvy world and all the uncertainty continues to whirl around us, maybe a little mindfulness, considering other perspectives, and practicing gratitude will help us to remain flexible, adaptable and to, as Mr. Garcia would say, Just keep on truckin."

Wendy MacMillan is a former teacher and a proud mom of two children. While her background is in psychology and education, Wendy was recently trained in mindfulness at Mindfulschools.org. She has long been passionate about wellness, and as an active member of the Scarsdale PTA, Wendy helped to bring mindfulness to her children's elementary school. In addition, Wendy helped establish and is an acting member of the school's Wellness Committee. For more information about mindfulness check out this site: mindfulschools.org or Watch the video of Jon Kabat-Zinn explaining what mindfulness is ... or contact Wendy MacMillan at wendymacmillan@gmail.com.

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The Only Constant Is Our Great Sense of Uncertainty - Scarsdale10583.com

IF you visit Penang City Park in George Town on Sunday mornings, you will see an enthusiastic group dancing and gyrating to music.

Led by aerobics instructor Jeorge Subramaniam, 72, the sessions were initially conducted four times a week at both the park and New World Park before the movement control order (MCO) was imposed in March.

Now, the sessions are held only at Penang City Park (formerly known as Youth Park).

We decided that the Covid-19 pandemic should not dampen our spirits and we continued our sessions when the time is right.

However, we have only about 100 regulars now due to the strict standard operating procedures that we need to follow, he said.

Jeorge, who is also Penang Fitness Association president, said those who attended his sessions had been doing aerobics for years, adding that he had coached thousands of people over the last three decades.

He has been teaching the exercise moves since 1992.

To mark National Day this year, there will be a small celebration with the singing of patriotic songs and waving of flags on Aug 30.

About 100 people will also be taking part in a marching aerobics session, with full compliance of the SOP.

It will be held at Penang City Parks open air theatre at 8am, he added.

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In rhythm with a healthy nation - The Star Online

Diabetes is a common condition that affects more than four million people in the UK, and 90 percent of all cases are caused by type 2 diabetes. You could lower your risk of high blood sugar if you regularly go cycling, it's been claimed.

Type 2 diabetes could be caused by the body not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the body not reacting to insulin.

Without enough of the hormone, the body struggles to convert sugar in the blood into usable energy.

It's crucial that if you think you may have diabetes, you speak to a doctor as soon as possible.

Making some changes to your daily workout routine is one of the easiest ways to manage your blood sugar levels.

READ MORE: Diabetes type 2 warning - high blood sugar signs in your vision

It's crucial that diabetes patients remain physically active, according to medical website Diabetes.co.uk.

Aerobic activity is the best type of exercise for high blood sugar, it said.

Cycling is the ideal workout for diabetes patients, as it raises your heart rate, while also making your sweat.

Everyone should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every week.

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"People with diabetes are encouraged to exercise regularly for better blood sugar control and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases," it said.

"The reason for this is that muscles which are working use more glucose than those that are resting.

"Aerobic activity at moderate intensity basically means exercising at a level that raises your heart rate and makes you sweat.

"This includes a multitude of sports, for example; fast-paced walking, light jogging, bike riding, rowing, [and] water aerobics."

But, there are some precautions that diabetes patients must take before exercise, however.

It's crucial that you drink plenty of water before and after your workout.

You should also carry a fast-acting carbohydrate food, in case your blood sugar levels drop too low.

Diabetes patients are also more at risk of foot problems, so it's very important to regularly check your feet for signs of friction.

Many people may have diabetes without even knowing it, because the signs and symptoms dont necessarily make you feel unwell.

Common diabetes symptoms include having cuts or wounds that take longer to heal, having an unquenchable thirst, and passing more urine than normal.

You should speak to a doctor if youre worried about the warning signs or symptoms of diabetes, or if you think you may be at risk.

Diagnosing the condition early is very important, because patients are more at risk of some deadly complications, including heart disease and strokes.

Go here to read the rest:

Diabetes type 2: The easy exercise to avoid high blood sugar symptoms - are you at risk? - Express

LEONARDTOWN, MD The Great Mills Swimming Pool will be updating the weekday operating hours beginning Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. Reservations are required to guarantee space for all activities, including lap swimming, aqua aerobics, and open swim. Limited capacities continue to be in place for proper social distancing.

The full schedule and reservation details are:

Great Mills Swimming Pool by David M. Higgins II

The tentative schedule for replacing the dome structure to convert from the outdoor to the indoor pool is the week of Sept. 21, 2020. The pool will be closed from Sept. 20-25, 2020. Dates are subject to change and will be announced on the departments website and social media pages.

For more information, visit http://www.stmarysmd.com/recreate, call us at 301-475-4200 ext. 1800 or the Great Mills Pool at 301-866-6560. Stay updated by following us on social media at http://www.facebook.com/stmarysmdrecreation, Instagram @stmarysrecandparks, or Twitter.

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Great Mills Pool To Begin Updated Hours On Sept.1 - The Southern Maryland Chronicle

Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War is a direct sequel to the first Black Ops, though like Black Ops 2, it won't be entirely linear. At Gamescom's Opening Night Live today, RavenSoftware'sDanVondrak said that "player choice and player freedom" will drive the campaign of Black Ops - Cold War.

That freedom includes creating a character and completing (or not completing) optional objectives. There will also be "player choice moments" throughout the campaign.

"Some of those choices earlier in the game, and some towards the end, will actually shape the ending of the narrative, of the campaign," said Vondrak, who confirmed that he meant there will be multiple endings to Cold War, like there were in Black Ops 2.

We also saw a new trailer (embedded at the top of this article) which features a rosy-cheeked Ronald Reagan giving the OK to an illegal CIA operation. As Morgan mentioned in his preview yesterday, it's true that the real Reagan administration was involved in illegal CIA operations, but what the game presents as freedom fighting was actually the illegal funding of war crimes in Nicaragua by selling weapons to Iran's Khomeini government, and that just scratches the surface. I typically expect a little more self-awareness from Call of Dutynot much, maybe, but a little more. (Then again, Oliver North himself was in Black Ops 2, so I might've just been fooling myself.)

Black Ops - Cold War will be out on November 13.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War will have multiple endings - PC Gamer

Bluebird Bio chief Nick Leschly is a self-professed novice when it comes to matters of diversity and inclusion, but his down-to-earth style is helping him make the right multicultural moves.

Leschly spent years as a partner at VC firm Third Rock Ventures before becoming Bluebirds president and chief executive or chief bluebird, as they call it in 2010. Having launched several biotech companies and products, hes earned a reputation for entrepreneurialism as well as informality. Under his leadership, Bluebird has a casual dress code and no-nonsense internal dialogue, and the company puts a premium on tolerance and individual expression.

One of a group of biotechs and big pharmas concentrating on one-time treatments for severe genetic maladies, Bluebirds gene therapy Zyntelgo is approved in the EU for the rare blood disorder beta thalassaemia. It has a pipeline of other cell and gene therapies on the horizon.

A hyper-focus on developing transformational medicine isnt naturally associated with diversity. Biopharma firms, by and large, lag behind in achieving gender and racial balance within their own ranks and in working toward health equity.

Thats exactly what Leschly is out to change. While admittedly not his fort, hes making D&I a priority, surrounding himself with executives knowledgeable in cultivating multiculturalism and publically engaging in the dialogue. Leschly, who serves on the board of the trade group Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), also stands out for the way hes planting a seed for the entire industry.

MM&M spoke with him about the importance of driving toward these objectives for the benefit of the company and the sector as a whole.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

MM&M: Bluebird Bio was one of the sponsors of a July 30 roundtable, whose specific objectives involved creating accelerated sustainable change for racial and gender equality and health equity within the pharma/life sciences industry. How would you assess Bluebirds progress in this regard? How does it compare to its peers?

Leschly: I love the word accelerated and I love the word sustainable. Thats been part of the issue. Wherein a lot of people have been trying, nothing has been sticking. And the circle of the people that not just care most human beings care, right? has been too small. The question is, do you move to action? And then how willing are you to challenge and get uncomfortable in the dialogue?

To the extent there is a silver lining in the [circumstances surrounding the COVID pandemic and Black Lives Matter], its galvanized a much broader circle to not just care, but to actually engage. Ill admit: Im personally disappointed with myself at the level of action, awareness and consciousness that is really important. Id characterize Bluebird in that same category. Bluebird is a pretty emotionally charged, very purpose-driven company, which I think sets us up well for this. At the same time, we also perhaps would freely acknowledge we have not done as well as we should have.

That doesnt mean were bad people or that we havent tried. It just means we can definitely do better. And the silver lining here has gotten us to the point where were saying, Okay, what more can we do? What things can we reassess and challenge and then create and be part of and ally with a movement thats incredibly important?

MM&M: Bluebird, having been founded in 2010, surely had a D&I plan in place before this. Talk about how its evolved.

Leschly: Absolutely, we have. As a biotech company, starting early on youre two people, and then youre 10 and then youre 50. Youre really focused on surviving. Youre trying to figure out. How do I live to next month or to the next six months? So it is difficult, the smaller you are, to balance priorities when youre basically experiencing a near-death experience as a company every day of every month. But as you get a little bigger, you can start to anchor a culture.

Since the beginning, Bluebird has been dealing largely with people dying from terrible diseases. The focus has not been on us or the people. Its about that mission. The third leg of that stool, which has become more visible recently, is that I think weve not done a great job on the diverse nature of that employee base, which will greatly enhance our ability to serve who were here to serve: the patient. And that third leg is a complicated one because it requires sophisticated appreciation and self-awareness to get it right and make it sustainable and embedded in the fabric of the company.

MM&M: Speaking of the diversity of the companys employee base, would you be willing to share how Bluebirds executive ranks or clinical trials currently stack up?

Leschly: Our clinical studies range from 10 to 50 people in some disease states. We also work in sickle cell disease, which largely affects African-Americans, so its 100% African-American, with few exceptions. The disease and disease severity governs that: We look at whos the most severe and who qualifies. Weve probably done a pretty good job as it relates to what we need to do from a diversity of clinical studies, but I need to look more into that, candidly.

On the company level, weve always been very focused on tolerance and on individuality of expression. We have no dress code. We have very informal dialogue and engagement on the inside and encourage people to be themselves. I have a tendency to curse a lot not at people, but as part of my dialogue. We like to say, We take what we do very seriously, but not each other or ourselves very seriously. That leads to a pretty lighthearted, tolerant culture.

Weve been quite good on gender diversity over 50% women in the company. That gets a little less impressive as you get to the upper upper ranks were in the 30%-40% category there. As it relates to sexual orientation, we have a very healthy LGBTQ community that has its own impressive numbers.

Where weve not done well and I was aware of the number but not how bad it is is in the number of Black employees. Were at 4% out of 1,200 employees. Thats not impressive. It might not be too far off from some of our peers in our industry, but you dont take solace in that; Im not going to compare myself to a low bar. So weve been looking very hard at the Latino and Black communities and saying, Whats going on there? Why are our results not good enough there? Is there something that were doing? There are a lot of unconscious things that we are doing that we need to look at, to see how theyre skewing our results and how we grow.

MM&M: A companys longstanding practices can serve to maintain the status quo, which can be counterproductive. What processes in the biopharma industry or in your company are perpetuating existing racial and gender imbalances?

Leschly: People have a tendency to look at people. They look at your board, your leadership team. That I agree is important, but you dont get sustainability. Because I have John Agwunobi, an African-American gentleman, on my board and because I just recently added Denice Torres, that doesnt make us such a diverse company. That is an important piece, but its just a ticket to the party. It does not absolve you of true diversity in the fabric of the company.

I have several women as members of my leadership team but no one of color. I do have a number of genders and sexual orientations on my leadership team. On our extended leadership team, we have all aspects of diversity. So therein lies an absolute challenge, which is: Are we not equally or consciously making sure that we promote and retain people of color or other forms of diversity? Thats where Im really hunting for opportunity.

Heres an example and Im not sure these are necessarily areas where were wrong, but theyre ones we need to really look at to make sure that its not perpetuating this. I used to be very proud that we hire a big percentage of our employees through our network. We even incent people financially to say, Hey, if you give us names that we hire, then youre rewarded for it.

And thats great, except if you have a lot of employees who are from, like myself, a non- oppressed, white, middle-aged demographic, who are most of my immediate network, its probably not diverse enough. We need to look at that to make sure we dont just hire constantly out of our networks and that were more conscious about making sure that every single search is not just the quickest. Im sure the people weve hired are super-qualified, but are they as diverse as they could be? Is that a process inhibiting diversity? Id venture to say almost certainly.

We have another one we call it the bar-raiser program where we appoint an individual who is not the hiring manager but who has the right to veto the hire if that person deems that this person is not a good fit. Its purely based on taking our culture, how we show up and the reason people are here, really seriously, and beyond just skill set.

But it might also very well be that if our bar-raisers are all non-diverse individuals, or people that have a success profile in their mind about what fit means at Bluebird, were now toast again because it is self-perpetuating. So were taking a look at what does fit mean? What does qualified mean?

I can slip into these institutions or that degree or this background, because you get immediate comfort in those areas. That doesnt make me bad, it just makes you say, Shoot, wake up, dude! That doesnt work. You need to get conscious, curious, much more thoughtful and outside your own natural inclinations.

I would be the first to say, Boy, I have a lot to learn in order to make my behavior one that truly creates a diverse workplace. Thats something were working on, too: How do we make sure that someones academic history or pedigree is not all that we look at? This is easy to say but hard to do, because youre also trying to hire people to do the really important job of saving the people were trying to save.

This is a grand excuse that I think our industry is a little too quick to use, which is, Im looking for this kind of degree with this type of background, with this kind of experience. So the pool of diverse candidates is just small. You cant hold me to the standard. And I call bullshit on that.

Every candidate you hire is not meant to be a diverse candidate. The point is, in aggregate you should hold yourself accountable. If there is a very specific degree, a very specific ask, you make a run at it. It doesnt mean youre successful every time. You need to hold yourself accountable versus going to this generic excuse of, Well, our industry just doesnt have a lot of diverse candidates, so we should be held to a different standard.

MM&M: According to the latest McKinsey figures, the healthcare and pharma industry is in the middle of the pack among other sectors when it comes to ethnic diversity in leadership teams. But when you look at just healthcare and you stack pharma and medical products companies up against health systems and payers, they do have the lowest share of women of color in line roles. So the industry definitely has a long way to go. Who among your peers is making good progress. What do you see as encouraging signs?

Leschly: Biotech is much tighter in the range of types of jobs, specs, et cetera, and that becomes the natural excuse for being on the low end. A bright spot is what we, along with many of our sister and brother companies, are doing in changing the objectives.

When we look back, not six months from now but one, two or three years from now, our goal in the context of diversity is to lead the pack. We think it is disproportionately going to benefit the company and our ability to achieve our mission. So we want to make sure that this is not just something that is a fad or a flash in the pan, but is a fundamental tenet of the company.

Were working on a plan, including goals and a mindset that gets it to that level. That is hard. But I think thats the bright spot, that some version of it is pretty much happening now across every aspect of the industry, and I think genuinely so. Im sure there are exceptions. There are some people who are just checking a box. Were trying to take the approach that diversity is actually a fundamental, sustainable element as a company. I want all of us to have this mindset and I think thats doable, but not in six months. We have to take the long view here.

MM&M: Lets go with that theme for a moment. D&I advocates argue that ownership of this transformation doesnt fall on the shoulders of people of color rather, its the responsibility of white people. Do you agree, and how would you say youre taking responsibility for building a more inclusive culture?

Leschly: Yes and no. And the reason is, its not any one of them, its all of us. We are one community. If you have that mindset, it is on the burden of continued positive energy out of the Black community, out of the Latino community, out of any diverse community. What is different and must happen in much greater numbers and with much greater intent is the non-oppressed, non-diverse have to participate and engage, not just in an, Oh, I care, too, way or an, Oh yeah, thats important. No. What are you doing about it? Whats your action? Thats where I would very much agree with the statement you just made.

And I think thats whats happening right now. Were trying to set goals, for example, to say, Okay, in three years, what is the percentage of Black employees? What is the percentage of diverse employees across all the dimensions? Whats the goal? And then you share that with the company and with the world, and then hold yourself accountable about where you are today against those numbers.

And then whos accountable for it? Is someone going to get promoted if they have not shown an ability to understand and/or navigate or succeed by building a diverse group or team? Did we promote a vice president if they havent fulfilled that goal? Those are important questions, because otherwise you get what you measure.

MM&M: And the part of the statement that you dont agree with?

Leschly: [Bluebirds director of diversity, equity and inclusion] Jordyne Blaise, who thank God we had prior to all this and really is responsible for our D&I, educated me and most of the company in this notion of, Its okay if youre not in an oppressed or non-diverse category to engage and have a misstep. Whats not okay is to not speak up, to not engage for fear of saying something wrong or a misstep or worse yet, if you dont actually care. You have to care or theres no place for you at Bluebird.

But whats really important is dont feel bad. You havent done anything wrong, Nick. Im a Northern European, middle-aged, bald, white guy. I cant control any of those things. What I can control is my behavior. I look at myself and say, I have not done this well enough. I need to change my behavior. That I can say, with 100% certainty, I need to do, and I need to take ownership of it. But thats not a guilt thing: Dont feel bad, Nick, do something about it. Guilt is not a productive emotion.

And thats where I think it is the responsibility of all people to make sure the emotion and action here is positive, and not one of, Youve done something wrong. Im not a big fan of that, because that leads to, Im doing this because I have to, not because I think its the right thing. That is not sustainable. The best way to develop medicines is to inspire people to do so, and you cant do that by diminishing diversity, input, thoughts or ideas.

MM&M: Weve seen a couple of companies establish goals for boosting representation of African American and Latino employees in the US and for achieving gender parity at the executive level, as well as for building supplier diversity and making their clinical trials more inclusive. Are you willing, at this time, to make a similar commitment to how your companys racial and gender diversity will shift over time and to strengthening health equity across the business?

Leschly: Yes, is the answer. Have we done it yet? No. Are we in the process of developing it? Weve done it in bits, but weve not done it in a public way yet, nor even in a sophisticated enough way. To hurry up and push something out there just because the time is energized right now, thats not helpful. I want to do something that is, for lack of a better word, really thoughtful and also something that we can deliver on and thats going to deliver the type of outcomes that we all want.

The dialogue is very active and were getting a lot closer to be able to do what you just described. But also this is not just about Black or Latino people. This is about saying, How do we get something here that gets us all energized in the right way?

Its also about other forms of diversity, whether thats on the sexual side, the international side, the gender side. There are all forms of diversity-with-a-capital-D here that we need to make sure dont suffer from this. There needs to be a consistency in how we approach it. And so thats what were trying to work on, and that does require sharing the data externally and holding ourselves accountable by putting some important objectives out there.

MM&M: Can you share a timeline for that?

Leschly: The goal is that, by the end of the year, were very explicit. I want to make sure our board is comfortable. I want it to be an objective that says, What does our board look like three years from now? What does our leadership team look like? What does our company look like? And have we succeeded in building this into our performance-based metrics? This didnt come up overnight. Its not going to get solved overnight. So lets make sure we galvanize and energize.

Im willing to be public about our dialogue, such as the WOCIP [Women of Color in Pharma] engagement. Im also looking to learn from Denice Torres and other members of our board on how we can participate. Were talking a lot to our investors, who care an awful lot about this, and were talking a boatload to our internal community to say, Listen, one of the tendencies is for CEOs to think they know whats going on.

Ill be the first to admit that on this dimension, Im a novice. I cant pretend to be an expert and I dont like to pretend, so Im making sure that we engage people in the company to truly make this our objective, not some CEO objective so Nick can go out to some investor conferences saying, Were diverse and were doing X. If its not ingrained, if its not rooted, then its a seasonal plant. Im not looking for a seasonal plant; Im looking for redwoods here that can grow for a hundred years. And thats a slightly different mindset. We tend not to come to quick things that you pop up on your website. We make our position very clear.

MM&M: You mentioned WOCIP. They are looking to the industrys two main trade associations, PhRMA and BIO, to standardize and lead these efforts. Do you think these organizations can inspire the industry to come out of their siloes and be more transparent about these goals?

Leschly: They have to engage. If they dont, that will be totally unacceptable and a huge missed opportunity. What those organizations do for just about any topic is they dont tell you what to do, but they make it pretty clear about whats an acceptable behavior within a range. And then you go figure it out. They cant tell us the how, but they certainly can say, Look, we as an industry believe this is important. So we want people to be public about what theyre doing and how theyre doing it.

Each of us are going to be different. The heartbeat of Bluebird is a little different than the heartbeat of Merck. The things that I can do at Bluebird are probably, in some cases, more adventurous and progressive than what maybe a giant cruise liner can do. Were a little bit more like a speedboat. That has its pros and cons.

At the same time, its all about being human and doing the right thing and then calling out people who dont. To me, people overcomplicate this sometimes. Inside the company, were saying, Look, its actually pretty simple. Its not okay to not care. And at the company level, all the way down to the individual level, you need to have an action plan. If you dont, thats going to become a problem for you at Bluebird, period.

Thats not a threat. Its just who we are. As a community, we have decided that. So I think BIO can help and encourage that kind of a mindset, but it has to be over a durable period of time. These companies are also developing medicines that save the sickle cell community from a terrible childhood disease. You cant drop all that in the face of this, but you have to be able to work toward it. Because everybody wins if you get this more right than wrong.

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Bluebird chief on biotech's usual excuse for being on low end of diversity: 'I call bull- on that.' - News - MM&M - Medical Marketing and Media

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter's Wyld Stallyns are back for a third adventure in Bill & Ted Face the Music, but is it a welcome addition to the cult franchise?

Directed by Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest), this one finds the titular slackers in middle age, dealing with the prospect of humanity's annihilation. To save the world, Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves) must create a song in exactly 78 minutes with the help of their families, iconic musicians and old friends.

Related: Bill and Ted writers explain why they swapped sons for daughters in final Face the Music script

The first reviews have started coming through via Rotten Tomatoes at time of writing, it has a score of 79% and you can take a look at a few of them below:

IGN

"No mere exercise in Gen X nostalgia, Bill & Ted Face the Music manages to recapture both the spirit and energy of the earlier films while still acknowledging the clear passage of time. The movie doesn't avoid the characters' ages but instead shows that, even in their fifties, Bill and Ted are man-children who are hopelessly codependent on each other.

"They are platonic soulmates. Their navet may have waned a tad but they're still just immature and dopey enough to lack the necessary self-awareness."

The Hollywood Reporter

"Dean Parisot's Bill & Ted Face the Music is almost exactly as good as its two big-screen predecessors make of that statement what you will while cleaning up some, but not all, of the things that might make an old fan of those films cringe today. Despite a dicey opening, the pic should please those looking forward to it, and, with the addition of a new generation (the duo's daughters), attract a new fan or two as well."

United Artists/Orion Pictures

Related: Bill & Ted creators share incredible coincidence in casting of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter

The AV Club

"The characters haven't changed much, but CGI technology definitely has. Bill & Ted Face The Music takes advantage of those improvements with a plethora of scenes set in the future and in Hell, both upgraded from relatively modest sets to epic green-screen environments.

"These are a welcome alternative to the utterly generic, cheap-looking suburban locations the characters otherwise occupy. But aside from the scene-stealing return of William Sadler, reprising his role as Death himself from Bogus Journey, the addition of characters from these fantasy realms doesn't bring all that much to the story."

The Wrap

"It's silly and occasionally a little slow, and it could use the kind of in-person audience that it won't get in these pandemic days. But if you felt any affection for Bill & Ted in the past, you'll feel it again here, because the movie rides on the same kind of goofy charm as its predecessors.

"Winter and Reeves, meanwhile, manage to make the years and the mileage show without losing that essential Billishness or Tediosity; maybe they weren't born to play these guys, but it's still a lot of fun when they do."

The Matrix's Keanu Reeves wanted Wolverine role

Collider

"There are moments when the pacing gets a bit slow and Bill and Ted fighting with their future selves get a little redundant. But there's no mistaking Face the Music for the previous two movies, especially as it reaches its lovely crescendo about the kind of future we not only leave to our children, but what those children give to us in return. Party on, dudes."

Bill & Ted Face the Music is now out in US cinemas and on VOD, while its UK cinema release date is currently September 23.

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure [1989]

7.99

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey [1991]

3.49

Bill & Ted Omnibus

18.53

Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Movie Book: The Official Companion

14.95

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