Plaintiffs’ attorneys sued Walmart in search of deep pockets, and this judgment follows a trial that was engineered to favor the plaintiffs’ attorneys and was riddled with remarkable legal and factual mistakes. We will appeal.
Instead of addressing the real causes of the opioid crisis, like pill mill doctors, illegal drugs and regulators asleep at the switch, plaintiffs’ lawyers wrongly claimed that pharmacists must second-guess doctors in a way the law never intended and many federal and state health regulators say interferes with the doctor-patient relationship.
As a pharmacy industry leader in the fight against the opioid crisis, Walmart is proud of our pharmacists, who are dedicated to helping patients in the face of a tangled web of conflicting federal and state opioid guidelines.
LG Electronics (LG) invites consumers from around the globe to experience its latest innovations up-close and in-person at IFA 2022 in Berlin, Germany (September 2-6). Under the theme of Life, Reimagined – with the booth displaying LG’s vision of reimagined technology, rediscovered lifestyles and redefined experiences – the company will introduce an array of products that break new grounds in technology advancement as well as unique, new solutions and services designed to deliver unparalleled customer experiences.
LG is thrilled to be returning to Berlin for IFA for the first time since 2019. Europe’s premier consumer electronics tradeshow is back on the ground in the German capital after a two-year hiatus and ready to again wow visitors from all over the world.
During IFA 2022, visitors can discover LG’s latest innovations, and learn how the company is reimagining the customer experience, at its booth in Hall 18 at Messe Berlin. Those who cannot attend IFA in person can still explore the LG booth by checking out the LG Booth video, which will be uploaded on the LG Global YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/GlobalLG).
CHARLOTTE, NC AREA GETS THE FIRST TASTE OF THE NEW MENU ITEM STARTING JULY 18
July 18, 2022 – LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There’s a new nugget in town. Today, Kentucky Fried Chicken® is introducing Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets, available in select restaurants in Charlotte, NC, starting July 18 for a limited time only.*
Made with 100 percent white meat and hand-breaded with KFC’s unique Original Recipe of 11 Herbs and Spices that made the fried chicken chain famous, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets can be enjoyed as a snack, meal on-the-go, complement to the bucket meal or even as an appetizer on the way home!
“While nuggets often come in small packages, that doesn’t mean they should have small flavor. We wanted to introduce Nuggets with the flavor and ingredients that live up to our legacy as the original fried chicken experts,” said Nick Chavez, CMO, KFC U.S. “Our Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets offer a new way to enjoy our distinctive 11 Herbs & Spices and will have you saying, now THAT’S Finger Lickin’ Good.”
Each juicy nugget is bursting with so much flavor it doesn’t require dipping, though that doesn’t mean you can’t dip them! The new nuggets can be paired with any of your favorite KFC sauces, including KFC Sauce, Honey BBQ, Classic Ranch or Honey Mustard.
To celebrate the arrival of KFC’s new menu item in the Queen City, KFC is delivering an exclusive first taste of the new nuggets to invaluable staff at several Atrium Health maternity center locations who help bring new nuggets into the world each and every day.
Fried chicken fans in the Charlotte metropolitan and surrounding areas such as Concord, Mint Hill, Shelby, Salisbury and more can get a taste of Kentucky Fried Chicken Nuggets, by ordering at participating restaurants, or skip the drive-thru line by ordering through KFC’s Quick Pick-Up option on the KFC mobile app or KFC.com. Options include 8-, 12- and 36-piece (perfect for sharing).
*Prices and participation may vary. Available for a limited time only at select locations.
About KFC
KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., has been serving up Finger Lickin’ Good Original Recipe® fried chicken since 1952. Beyond the top secret 11 herbs & spices, KFC specialties include the KFC Chicken Sandwich, Extra Crispy™ chicken and Extra Crispy™ Tenders, KFC Famous Bowls®, Pot Pies, Secret Recipe Fries, biscuits and homestyle sides. There are more than 26,000 KFC restaurants in over 145 countries and territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM). For more information, visit www.kfc.com. Follow KFC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
Canon Inc. announced today that the company has commenced sales of the MPAsp-H1003H, a new flat panel display (FPD) lithography system that is capable of resolving 1.5 µm1 (L/S2) features across Generation 8 glass panels3.
MPAsp-H1003H
The rapid adoption of remote work and education has led to increased demand for information display devices including laptop PC and tablets. This demand is further compounded by the need for onboard displays in vehicles as electric cars become more widespread and automatic driving technology grows more sophisticated. Such displays must be thin, lightweight and high-resolution.
Conventional display panels have thus far been manufactured from Generation 6 glass panels4. However, newer Generation 8 glass panels enable a greater number of display panels to be manufactured per glass panel, and accordingly, there are growing needs for mass production using the Generation 8 panels. Canon’s new MPAsp-H1003H achieves a high resolution of 1.5 µm and an overlay accuracy of ±0.35 µm for Generation 8 glass panels, thus helping contribute to greater productivity in the manufacturing of displays for IT-related devices.
The MPAsp-H1003H inherits the same projection optics configuration as the MPAsp-H1003T (released in October 2018), which is capable of batch exposing 65-inch display panels on Generation 8 glass panels, as well as the ultra-high-resolution technology5 of the Generation 6 compatible MPAsp-E813H (released in September 2014), realizing a high resolution of 1.5 µm. This enables manufacturers to meet the need for information display panels with high resolution, as well as produce large 65-inch display panels without visible stitching marks.
Thanks to improved and refined high-speed stage technology, a widely praised feature of its predecessor models, the new MPAsp-H1003H realizes greater plate stage functionality that makes possible an approximately 20% boost in productivity compared with the MPAsp-H1003T. What’s more, the new system also achieves a 20% improvement in overlay accuracy (±0.35 µm) made possible by the combination of a proven alignment system and magnification correction machinery.
The MPAsp-H1003H features an illumination mode switching function that enables ultra-high resolution, as well as slit illuminance control (SIC) technology that maintains consistent line exposure width. These enable users to better adapt to increasingly diverse production needs while also contributing to reliable, high-quality manufacturing output.
1Micrometer (μm): 1μm = one millionth of a meter = one thousandth of a millimeter.
2Line and Space. Refers to patterns in which lines and spaces are separated by consistent intervals.
3Glass panels with dimensions of 2,200 mm x 2,500 mm, primarily used in the manufacture of television displays.
4Glass panels with dimensions of 1,500 mm x 1,850 mm, primarily used in the manufacture of small- and mid-size displays including those for smartphones.
5Technology that controls the phase and intensity of light in order to increase the resolving power of the lithography system.
The horror genre has deep roots in Asia. Homegrown scary movies have gripped regional audiences since the very inception of many local film industries, and inventive horror creations from Japan and South Korea have spooked viewers from all over the world. And the appetite for this fright-filled fare is going strong, as the next wave of horror content emerges from Southeast Asia.
In the Asia-Pacific region, viewing of horror TV and film on Netflix grew 20 percent from 2020 to 2021. Over the same period, viewing hours of horror content in Southeast Asia increased even more, by over 40 percent. The horror stories keeping these audiences on the edge of their seats include new takes on the art of the scare created by Southeast Asian storytellers. One of the latest releases is School Tales The Series, the anthology series crafted by six Thai directors that features eight terrifying ghost stories set in schools. Within the first week of its release on Netflix, the series has made the Top 10 most-watched TV series in four Southeast Asia markets — Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Thai show School Tales The Series is a hit with audiences in Southeast Asia.
“When I read the script, I knew right away that this creative experience would be very challenging as the story plays around with something we cannot see,” says Suppapong Udomkaewkanjana, one of the cast members of School Tales The Series.
Besides the caliber of the writing, the show also ups the ante in other aspects. Director Phontharis Chotkijsadarsopon, who helms the series’ fifth episode (titled Headless Teacher), explains: “Audiences will get to see a series that matches films’ cinematic quality, in both visuals and sound. Five Star Production and Netflix gave me the freedom to put my ideas into the episode, and this enabled me to create ghosts that are different. I could freely play with my direction, and the results turned out exactly how I imagined.”
Other most-popular horror titles in Southeast Asia include: the first season of South Korean zombie series All of Us Are Dead; South Korean zombie vengeance story Kingdom: Ashin of the North; and Taiwanese film Incantation, which tells the story of a mother trying to save her child from a deadly curse.
While Southeast Asian audiences love horror fare from a wide range of markets (German movie Blood Red Sky, and American content Don’t Breathe 2, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Midnight Mass have scored gangbuster viewing numbers in the region), they are definitely staunch consumers of stories rooted in their own cultures.
In Indonesia, for instance, Impetigore, an acclaimed homegrown horror film helmed by director Joko Anwar, was one of the most-popular horror titles. The same is true of The Ancestral in Vietnam, and the two sequels of the Pee Nak franchise and The Medium in Thailand. All these stories take inspiration from their respective countries’ local lore and cultures.
Southeast Asian horror movies are resonating beyond the home countries of individual films as well. Beyond Thailand, The Medium dominated the Top 10 film ranking in Singapore and South Korea when it was released on Netflix in 2021. Another Thai film, The Whole Truth, dominated the Global Top 10 non-English film ranking for five consecutive weeks upon its release in December 2021, and at one point rose to become the most popular non-English film globally.
“There’s a constant mystery that keeps you guessing,” says The Whole Truth director Wisit Sasanatieng of his film, which follows two siblings as they stumble on a strange hole in the wall of their grandparents’ house. “It also has themes like social issues, the generation gap, and a skeleton in the closet. There’s something that’s hidden, something they don’t want the family to know.”
Sutatta Udomsilp, who plays one of the siblings in The Whole Truth, adds: “This is a different kind of story. It has a lot more dimensions than just another horror movie that wants to scare you. It has family drama, as well as horror and suspense. You could say it’s not the kind of movie you get to see very often.”
That, in a nutshell, might just sum up the distinctive appeal of Southeast Asian horror. Check out more scary movies with dimension and depth from the region, including Indonesia’s May The Devil Take You, Vietnam’s The Guardian, Malaysia’s Roh, Dendam Pontianak, and Munafik 1and 2, and the Philippines’ Eerie and Bliss.
And, of course, don’t miss the ongoing School Tales The Series, which also exemplifies Southeast Asian horror’s ability to get under your skin by reaching beyond the visceral thrill of terror. “Every character has a story,” says actor Pattadon Janngeon, who appears in the series’ seventh episode, titled Curse. “They’re all interesting characters, even the ghosts. I think this show is special. There’s more to it than just ghosts and spookiness.”
And, as director Chotkijsadarsopon puts it: “The show being streamed on Netflix is a good opportunity for a Thai horror series to terrify viewers around the world in different ways.”
As a child growing up in post-Soviet Russia, Aleksey Fedorov had two abiding passions—technology and creating more equal societies. He channeled the intersection of those areas to energize Pride at Microsoft.
In June 2015, Aleksey Fedorov joined a sea of people in Seattle for his first Pride parade and was astounded by the scene before him.
There were children and parents, firefighters and elected officials, colleagues from Microsoft, citizens and representatives of businesses and civic institutions, the government, openly celebrating people being who they are and loving who they love. This would be unimaginable in Russia, where Aleksey (who uses both he and they pronouns) had grown up and left just months earlier with his boyfriend because they no longer felt safe in their country.
Overcome with emotion, his partner at his side, Aleksey cried. He felt joy, but also the years of shame he’d carried as a closeted young gay man in Russia. He felt shy and exposed. He wasn’t yet fully out and was still grappling with his identity. Amid that confusing swirl of feelings, Aleksey, his mind in perpetual motion, was struck by another thought.
He was heartened at seeing Microsoft employees marching in their matching Pride-themed T-shirts and appreciated the volunteer-led effort. But this is Microsoft, they thought. We can do more. We can reach more people and have an even bigger impact.
Those musings planted the seed for Aleksey, now Microsoft’s director of brand activation, to lead a transformation in how one of the world’s biggest tech companies supports the global Pride campaign and, along the way, navigate their own personal evolution.
*****
Aleksey was born in Saint Petersburg in the late 1980s, the only child of a computer programmer father and a mother who worked in publishing and later finance. Like many Russian families at the time, his parents didn’t have much money. One of Aleksey’s vivid childhood memories was of his parents buying one Snickers bar a month and cutting it into small slices to be savored. Economic hardship was common then and living with his parents and grandparents in a three-room apartment didn’t seem unusual.
Coming of age in a post-Soviet world when a democratic future seemed within reach, at least for a while, Aleksey was animated by the notion of creating more equal societies and saw technology as a potent tool to do that. His passion was personal— though Russia decriminalized gay relationships in 1993, antigay sentiment was deeply ingrained, and Aleksey learned early to keep their orientation to themselves. He came out only when he was in college and just to a few close friends, and he didn’t tell his parents he was gay until a few years ago.
“I didn’t feel comfortable sharing, because it was considered shameful and bad,” Aleksey says.
I didn’t feel comfortable sharing, because it was considered shameful and bad.
A bright student fascinated by political movements, Aleksey studied international relations at Saint Petersburg State University with the goal of applying his education to effect change. But he became disillusioned with the nonprofit sector and started seeing the business world as a more powerful force for impacting society. He headed off to business school and discovered a passion for marketing and branding, disciplines he believed could help make a difference in people’s lives by conveying the good work businesses were doing.
Aleksey was part of a student team that won a Microsoft business competition, and soon after completing a master’s degree in international business in 2011 he was offered a job at Microsoft’s Moscow office. The position, which would be the first of 11 at Microsoft in as many years, involved generating fans and brand love for Windows. Aleksey helped create Windows collaborations with large companies including Disney and Starbucks and drove marketing for Windows apps in Russia.
“Microsoft was kind of a merger of passions for me—for technology and for doing something amazing for the public good with technology,” Aleksey says. “I was always drawn to Microsoft because I feel like the company is fundamentally standing up for the right things.”
Life was going well. Aleksey’s career was flourishing, and he was dating a man, Nikolay, who would later become their husband. They met during the 2011 protests around Russia’s elections and some of their first dates were on the streets of Moscow at demonstrations. When Russia invaded and subsequently annexed Crimea in 2014, they took to the streets again.
But that year, the Russian government passed a law criminalizing protests, and one day Nikolay was arrested and fined. If that happened again, Aleksey knew Nikolay could face a criminal sentence and possible prison time. Staying in Russia was becoming too dangerous. So, Aleksey decided to apply for a job at Microsoft in the United States.
“I really loved my work at Microsoft in Russia, but I wanted to have more impact on the strategy and work—not just in the go-to-market aspect, but the idea behind what we’re doing and why we’re doing it,” he says. “And so these two forces, there was a confluence of them.”
Aleksey was offered a marketing position with Windows Store at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, and moved with Nikolay, a visual artist, to Seattle in 2015. A few weeks later, the couple went to Seattle’s Pride parade. It turned out to be a pivotal moment for Aleksey personally and professionally.
At the time, Aleksey says, they didn’t perceive Pride as being very visible at Microsoft’s headquarters. The company had long supported LGBTQIA+ rights and was sponsoring Pride efforts in cities around the world, but Aleksey believed Microsoft had an opportunity to be even more vocal about its values. He envisioned a campaign that would use Microsoft’s platform to amplify LGBTQIA+ voices and create a movement that could engage with customers, with the goal of driving societal change.
Aleksey was elected as Microsoft’s worldwide Pride campaign co-chair in 2017, helping lead a team of more than 200 volunteers working on events in 60 cities around the world. The following year, the team interviewed LGBTQIA+ employees across the company and featured their stories on a new website and on social media.
In 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, Microsoft Pride took a significant step forward. Aleksey worked with Microsoft’s industrial design team to develop a Pride Surface type cover and skin, as well as Windows wallpapers and other Pride-related products, to promote inclusion for the LGBTQIA+ community.
As Aleksey saw it, “We have these tremendous products which have millions of customer touch points every single day, and that’s the best channel we have. If we release something for Pride—for Surface or for Office or for Xbox—we will reach millions of people.
“We know that proximity drives empathy,” they say, “and when people are exposed to these messages, they’re more likely to change their minds or act in support of the community.”
That year, Aleksey—who by then had moved from head of brand strategy for Microsoft Store to head of executive communications for Microsoft Gaming—received a company award for their work in promoting diversity and inclusion efforts and revamping brand and design guidelines for Microsoft Store.
Accepting the award, Aleksey was quick to credit their community. “This is about all of us, because every day we make choices (about) who we include and who we do not include,” they said, addressing the audience at the awards ceremony. “This is for all of us making the change in this company and beyond.
Still, Aleksey has been instrumental in driving the vision around Microsoft’s Pride campaign and determining how to build upon it year after year, says Eileen Mikloiche, one of three global Pride co-chairs, along with Aleksey and iAsia Brown in 2022. Since 2021, Aleksey has been the worldwide membership cochair for GLEAM, Microsoft’s employee resource group for the LGBTQIA+ community, one of nine such groups that reflect Microsoft’s diverse employee base. His work with GLEAM, combined with his position in Microsoft branding, gives him a unique perspective on both the internal and external aspects of Microsoft’s Pride campaign, Eileen says.
Aleksey has a clear vision of what he wants to achieve, she says, and doesn’t take no for an answer when he’s passionate about something, which is often.
“You just feel his passion because it’s authentic. It comes from his heart,” she says. “He inspires people to want to be part of something bigger and to see what they can contribute to bring it to life. When you encounter someone like that, the passion is contagious. The excitement is contagious.”
He inspires people to want to be part of something bigger and to see what they can contribute to bring it to life.
Aleksey has a wry sense of humor that often makes her laugh, Eileen says, and is also deeply compassionate. One day, soon after the Uvalde school massacre, she was having a hard time and broke down on a work call. Aleksey encouraged her to take some time to herself, then reached out the next day to see how she was doing.
“He didn’t need to do that,” Eileen says. “Many people may not have remembered, but he did.”
Eli Friedman, a 20-year Microsoft veteran, began mentoring Aleksey not long after he moved to Seattle and has stayed in touch with him through his various roles. He describes Aleksey as a self-directed “hand-raiser” who is eager to learn and unafraid to put himself in unfamiliar or even uncomfortable situations, someone who leads through collaboration and exudes positive energy.
“He’s full of life, and he’s full of light,” says Eli, Microsoft’s general manager of integrated marketing, Modern Life, Search & Devices . “No matter what kind of day you or I are having, Aleksey really lifts people up, which is an awesome trait. It comes from a super genuine and authentic place, which I think people see very quickly in him.”
Describing Aleksey as “one of my favorite people at Microsoft,” Eli says he learns something new every time they talk.
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The theme for Microsoft’s 2022 Pride campaign is “Pride has no borders,” an acknowledgement of the shared challenges faced by people worldwide. The campaign includes stories from Microsoft employees in various countries, a virtual reality event, and the release of a Pride-themed Xbox controller that features 34 LGBTQIA+ flags and is customizable through Xbox Design Lab.
This year’s theme has particular resonance for Aleksey, who has family and friends in Russia and in Ukraine. In the first week after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, their grandmother was sitting in front of her television in Russia when her heart stopped. Aleksey still hasn’t been able to process her death, since much of his time and energy these days is spent looking for ways to help people in Ukraine. He has a rule for himself—he must do something every day, whether it’s making a donation, writing to a politician, or checking on a friend.
“Every waking hour I’m thinking about folks in Ukraine—how we can help, what we can do,” he said during a recent interview for an internal Microsoft radio show. “That’s what’s been driving me.”
The fight for equality, infused into Aleksey’s consciousness since childhood, has defined their life and career. For them, Pride is not just about gender or sexuality. It’s about people everywhere who are fighting discrimination of any kind. It’s about creating a world in which everyone is welcome.
And as Aleksey has helped evolve Pride at Microsoft, so too has Pride changed him. The work has made them more comfortable in their own skin, freer to express gender in a way that feels authentic to them. It has connected him with Microsoft employees around the world who share his values, and with people who tell him Pride makes them feel less alone. Those comments mean everything to him.
Aleksey sees Microsoft Pride, with its elected leadership model, as a democratic effort. Its strength, they say, is in the diversity of people whose perspectives will continue defining and evolving the movement going forward.
“It’s not about me,” Aleksey says. “It’s about me finding a way to help other people feel a sense of ownership and accountability. It’s everyone driving it, so it goes on and it moves. It’s really about lifting others’ voices.”
Remix “Harleys in Hawaii” by Katy Perry and “Darl+ing” by SEVENTEEN using GarageBand on iPhone and iPad
Starting today, GarageBand for iOS and iPadOS will include two all-new, in-app Remix Sessions featuring Katy Perry and K-pop supergroup SEVENTEEN. GarageBand Remix Sessions enable anyone to express their inner DJ using tracks from today’s top artists. With in-app inspiration from the artists themselves and step-by-step video instruction from an Apple Creative Pro, the sessions give aspiring musicians the ability to put their own personal spin on the hit songs “Harleys in Hawaii” by Katy Perry and “Darl+ing” by SEVENTEEN.
The Katy Perry and SEVENTEEN Remix Sessions are available as a free download in the GarageBand Sound Library, which also includes a wide variety of free loops, sounds, and instruments that provide all the building blocks needed to mix and match and take the original songs in an all-new direction. Using GarageBand’s popular Live Loops interface to remix, anyone can quickly rearrange and add new elements to the songs, while keeping everything in sync with tempo and key — no music theory expertise required. Remix FX allows even greater variety with filters, repeaters, and more to create the ultimate drop. Whether it’s a complete flip from house to hip-hop, or a mashup of multiple genres, GarageBand users can let their creativity run wild.
Offered in Apple Store locations worldwide, free creative and educational Today at Apple sessions inspire customers to go further with the products they love. Starting today, an all-new Today at Apple session, Music Skills: Remix Katy Perry, will be offered in-person at Apple Store locations worldwide. In this session, Retail Creative Pros will teach customers how to remix Katy Perry’s “Harleys in Hawaii,” using GarageBand on iPad and iPhone. Previous Today at Apple Remix Sessions have featured top music artists including Billie Eilish, Khalid, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and more. Customers can sign up to take part in a session at an Apple Store near them on the Today at Apple homepage.
SEVENTEEN’s Woozi, artist: “We love sharing the music-making experience with our fans. We’ve used GarageBand for years, so it’s an honor to collaborate with Apple on our Remix Session in GarageBand. Now our fans can create music the same way we do. We hope everyone will have fun remixing our song ‘Darl+ing’ with their own sense of style, and we can’t wait for Carats to share their final remixes with us and the rest of the world when they’re done.”
Availability
All-new Remix Sessions are available today as a free download from the Sound Library in GarageBand 2.3.12 for iOS and iPadOS, or later. For more information, visit apple.com/ios/garageband.
For the first time since 2018 Japan will line up as a core team when the women’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 gets underway in Dubai on 2 December.
Their place on the Series was confirmed on Sunday when they turned in a highly impressive performance to beat Poland in the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2022 final in Santiago, Chile.
Chiharu Nakamura scored the opening Sakura Sevens try in the 17-0 win, and she summed up the mood in the squad as she was interviewed following the final whistle. “Finally, we’ve done it!” she told viewers.
Nakamura was captain the last time Japan possessed a ticket to every women’s Series event but she proved she is very much part of the team’s present as she worked tirelessly across three intense days at Estadio Santa Laura.
Japan were imperious from their very first match, the second of the Challenger Series, when they ran in eight tries – four of which were scored by Wakaba Hara – to beat Mexico 44-5.
Victories against Colombia and Kazakhstan followed in Pool F before Belgium were beaten 31-0 in the quarter-finals.
Kenya gave the Sakura Sevens a fright in the semi-finals, Janet Okello’s try cutting the Lionesses’ deficit to two points with less than two minutes to go.
However, Hara put the stamp on a 22-15 win for Japan, and a place in the final, with her third try of the match and 10th of a prolific tournament.
WORKING HARD
Bar an early break that led to Nakamura’s opening try, Hara was kept quiet in the final, but the resolute Japanese rarely looked in trouble against Poland, the Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Championship 2022 winners.
The Sakura Sevens dug in when they needed to, including an energy-sapping stand midway through the first half, and took their chances when they presented themselves.
Captain Yume Hirano and Michiyo Suda supplied exceptional finishes either side of half-time to add to Nakamura’s score and ultimately take Japan beyond Poland’s reach. Having waited four years, Japan were a core team on the Series once again.
“There were various kinds of extra pressures around them, but our players played hard to show our brand of rugby,” coach Takashi Suzuki said.
“This victory came from hard work from all of them. This is the start for us, and we’d like to get together as a team and work hard again to move on to our next stage.”
COMPETING AGAINST THE WORLD
It was not only the players on the ground in Santiago who helped Japan get back to where they wanted to be.
A shadow squad, the Sevens Development Squad [SDS], has been working alongside the Sakura Sevens in Japan, providing opposition in training matches and helping the players reach peak condition for the Challenger Series.
“I am proud of our team-mates and team staff, all of us who have kept working hard through to the very last minute,” Hirano said.
“I am also thankful to our colleagues of the SDS who took a role as our opponents and played hard against us in our preparation.
“I can tell you that our determination to qualify for the World Series in this tournament was so firm and far stronger than any other teams, for sure.
“We were able to put all the feelings into our performance, and that has helped us clinch the tournament.”
Before Japan can return to the Series in Dubai in December, there is the not-so-insignificant matter of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 and a round of 16 match against Olympic bronze medallists, Fiji.
Having tasted victory at Estadio Santa Laura, Hirano believes her team-mates will only get better as they switch their focus to Cape Town and then the Series.
“Now, finally we can stand on the starting line to compete against the world,” she added. “We’ll move on to develop ourselves from here.
“We are playing in Rugby World Cup Sevens next month. We’ll refresh ourselves to set our focus and get together as a team to have a good preparation for that.”
We started a journey four years ago to bring even more convenience to our customers by delivering groceries and essentials directly to their doors. To offer this service to all customers with speed, we needed a delivery network that could reach rural and suburban areas. So we launched the Spark Driver platform.
Fast forward to today. We now have thousands of independent contractors who choose to drive on the Spark Driver platform, making it the largest delivery provider for Walmart. Today, nearly three-quarters of delivery orders have been fulfilled by drivers on the Spark Driver platform—reaching 84% of U.S. households.
Deliveries from our stores make up a large portion of this growth, but it doesn’t stop there. Drivers on the Spark Driver platform also fulfill orders for Walmart GoLocal, our white label, delivery-as-a-service business. The Spark Driver platform enables us to serve Walmart GoLocal clients—from large enterprises to small- and medium-sized businesses—and help them reach their customers with fast, reliable and affordable delivery.
The combination of these options is great for drivers, too. In fact, they rank quality of support for drivers and our shop and delivery experience highest in our satisfaction surveys. More broadly, drivers on the Spark Driver platform have more:
Flexibility: Drivers in all 50 states enjoy the freedom of deciding when, where and how frequently to perform deliveries. They can choose the types of trips they want to accept, including delivery, shopping and delivery or Walmart GoLocal. And, with 7,000 pickup points between Walmart stores and Walmart GoLocal clients, drivers can deliver everything from groceries, clothing and apparel to home improvement products and floral arrangements.
Opportunity: Drivers are paid competitively, with earnings calculated on multiple factors including distance, size of delivery and extras. Earnings don’t stop when the delivery is complete. Drivers also have the opportunity for incentive earnings through the Spark Driver Bonus Program and referrals. Additionally, drivers on the Spark Driver platform always keep 100% of their tips.
Reliability: People choose the Spark Driver platform in large part because of its reliable demand for deliveries through stores and Walmart GoLocal. Thanks to this, our customers can rely on us to save them time with convenient pickup and delivery with no added markup on items, making Walmart a destination for customers and drivers alike.
The Spark Driver platform has made a huge difference in my life. It gives me the flexibility to work when I want and be able to spend more time with my daughter. I’ve also earned extra cash to pay off my car and make extra house payments. Thanks to the Spark Driver platform my house is halfway paid off!
Christina H.
We’ll continue to grow the Spark Driver platform and work with our valued delivery service providers to ensure we’re bringing the best possible experience to our customers and getting them what they need, when they need it. And with the holidays approaching, we’re excited to add even more opportunities for drivers to earn.
Until then, we welcome drivers to sign up at drive4spark.com. We’d be honored to have you.
Godolphin’s Native Trail goes into the clash with unbeaten Baaeed in Wednesday’s G1 Juddmonte International at York with an impressive record of delivering on the big occasion, which trainer Charlie Appleby believes gives him excellent credentials for the challenge.
“It’s a fantastic race with a rich history and has been won by some great horses,” Appleby said. “Baaeed is top class with an outstanding profile, who holds everything in front of him, but we feel we have the right horse to take him on and make a race of it.
“Racing likes to see good horses go at one another and hopefully that’s what we will see at York,” the trainer added. “Native Trail’s work has been great, “ Appleby continued.
“The condition of this horse is second to none. He thrives on his work, and after giving him a break following the Eclipse last month, we have been winding his work up week by week.
“He is thriving, you can see that in him as an individual. He is progressing with each piece of work. He goes into the race off the back of a very uncomplicated training program. You ask, and he delivers,” he added.
Native Trail was a precocious juvenile, who dominated his year, but it has been more than his physique that has seen him add another G1 to his record at three.
“He has always been a very mature individual physically. He was a champion two-year-old, who has carried that level of form on from two to three. He’s in great order. He’s going to be one of the stand-out picks in the paddock, that’s for sure, because he’s a strapping, good-looking individual.
“Baaeed is the horse we all have to beat and respect. But the confidence we take into the race is that Native Trail has been over the trip. He finished a creditable third against some very nice middle-distance horses at Sandown. He’s a champion two-year-old, who has gone on to win a Classic at three…a multiple G1 winner with six wins from eight starts…that’s an impressive CV,” he added.
ACOMB RUNNER
Charlie Appleby said: “Local Dynasty is a son of Dubawi, who won his only start at Newmarket impressively. He’s come out of the race well and he’s the type, who could naturally progress into a Pattern horse. He’s got a very progressive profile.
STRONG HAND IN THE VOLTIGEUR
Secret State will be attempting his fifth win on the trot when tackling the G2 Great Voltigeur, a race that over the years has been a guide to the G1 St Leger and even the G1 Melbourne Cup. He is backed up by stablemate Walk Of Stars.
Appleby said: “Secret State won the King George V Handicap at Ascot and the form of that race has worked out well, with the second Deauville Legend going on to win the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket.
“Secret State backed that up at Goodwood with another good performance there, over the (12f) distance. He’s a Dubawi, who is progressing race on race. He goes there a worthy favourite.
“We are lucky to have New London, who is currently favourite for the St Leger, which has always been his target. As for Secret State, we will make a decision regarding his trip after the Voltigeur. There’s a question mark over whether he would get a strong 1m 6f. We will see in time.”
Walk Of Stars has had one start since being gelded, finishing a promising third to Deauville Legend in the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket.
“We’ve always held him in high regard. We ran him in the Derby because we felt he was one of our better middle-distance horses at the time. Since gelding, we have seen a marked improvement in him mentally. If he can put it together, a race such as the Voltigeur is well within his compass.
“We have used this race before as a guide to future targets at home and abroad, with Yibir being a good example. If he runs well, we might look at America for him later in the year,” he added.
DOING THE GIMCRACK IN STYLE
Noble Style by-passed Royal Ascot in June but has always been highly-regarded at Moulton Paddocks and is seen as an ideal candidate for the historic G2 Gimcrack Stakes, over 6f.
Charlie Appleby said: “He looked very smart when winning his maiden at Ascot but I was not entirely happy with him coming into the Royal meeting so we missed his intended target there.
“I’m a believer that sometimes missing those type of races in the summer can benefit them in the second half of the season. He had his break, then he came back under a penalty in a Newmarket novice. We got the job done but, most importantly, we could see improvement for that run.
“His work has been good. He’s definitely come on for that experience. The Gimcrack is the right race for him now, but in time, I think he will benefit for stepping up in trip,” he added.
BATTLE-HARDENED LAZULI BACKS UP IN NUNTHORPE
Lazuli has become a familiar face in big sprints of late and is ready to have another crack at a major five-furlong contest, according to his trainer.
Charlie Appleby said: “I think the draw at Goodwood (in the King George Stakes) was a negative factor for Lazuli. It was a good, solid run nevertheless, and he remains in good order.
“In the Nunthorpe, experience is invaluable. We put a line through Ascot, where he was stuck out on a wing, but he came on for the race. What he brings to the Nunthorpe is an abundance of experience at the 5f trip. He will be a player.”
CONVIVIAL CONTENDERS
Desert Order and City Of Kings will carry the hopes of Godolphin in the Convivial Maiden, over 7f, a race that never fails to generate interest due to the high quality of entry over the years.
Charlie Appleby said: “Desert Order has twice finished second but Sandown seemed to ride like a good race. He brings experience and a good deal of ability to this. He might not need to improve much more to win a Convivial.”
“City Of Kings was involved in a stalls incident at Newmarket, but all being well, we would like to run him in the Convivial, as well. A stalls test pass is required.”
GLOBAL STORM HEADS A BIG TEAM ON BUSY EBOR DAY
There are several good chances for Godolphin on the fourth and final day at York, headed by stalwart Global Storm, who backs up for another crack at the Ebor, over 1m 6f.
Charlie Appleby said: “Global Storm ran a creditable race in last year’s Ebor. His best race this year was to finish third in the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket (behind stablemate Yibir).
“He put up another good performance at Goodwood, making it hard for himself. But he has come out of the race well. He’s battle-hardened but probably at the wrong end of the handicap to be winning it. But he will run a big race.”
More opportunities await Godolphin in the Melrose Handicap, also over 1m 6f, in which Wild Crusade and Al Nafir take their chance.
Appleby said: “The Melrose is a great staying handicap for the younger brigade and also a ‘win and you’re in’ for the Ebor. We’ve got two nice Dubawis going for this.
“Wild Crusade put up a great front-running effort at Ascot, with runner-up Warren Point going on to win at Goodwood, so unfortunately he took a rise in the handicap for standing in his box at home.
“He looks a nice staying type for the future and this is a good stepping stone into better company.
“Al Nafir is a full brother to Ghaiyyath and we are going further up in trip with this horse. His pedigree says he will be suited by it.”
Valiant Prince tackles the G3 Strensall Stakes, with Appleby pointing out: “He goes there in great order. We have purposely targeted this race as we believe stepping up in trip will suit him.”
Al Suhail will line up in the G2 City Of York Stakes, over 7f, won last year by Space Blues, who went on to win a Breeders’ Cup for Godolphin.
Appleby said: “Al Suhail has always shown a huge amount of talent. He won at Newmarket in the autumn last year but he then disappointed on his only start at Meydan. His prep for this has been faultless. His work has been great. I feel it’s the right race for him. “
