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Monthly Archives: December 2022
Zoom Call of the Year: Elon Musks Son X A-Xii Cutely Steals the Show in SpaceX Meeting – News18
Posted: December 28, 2022 at 10:41 pm
Zoom Call of the Year: Elon Musks Son X A-Xii Cutely Steals the Show in SpaceX Meeting News18
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Elon Musk tells Tesla employees to ignore stock market craziness
Posted: at 10:40 pm
SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during a conversation with legendary game designer Todd Howard (not pictured) at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, California, June 13, 2019.
Mike Blake | Reuters
After shares of Tesla dipped by more than 10% on Tuesday deepening a year-long selloff, CEO Elon Musk told employees not to be "too bothered by stock market craziness."
Musk circulated the comments on Wednesday in a companywide email, which CNBC obtained. He told staffers that Tesla needs to "demonstrate continued excellent performance," and that "long-term, I believe very much that Tesla will be the most valuable company on Earth!"
Electric vehicle blog Electrek reported earlier on the email.
Tesla shares have declined about 68% for the year, though they rose 3.3% on Wednesday to $112.71. The stock is down 42% in December, and is poised to close out its worst month, quarter and year on record.
Musk has blamed Tesla's declining share price in part on rising interest rates. But critics point to his Twitter takeover as a bigger culprit for the slide, which has wiped out about $675 billion in market cap this year as of Wednesday's close.
In the email, Musk thanked Tesla employees for their work in 2022, encouraged them to push hard for a strong fourth-quarter finish, and asked them to "volunteer to help deliver" cars to customers before midnight on Dec. 31, if at all possible.
During the last days of most quarters, Tesla enlists employees from all over the company to bring new cars to customers in order to hit or exceed stated delivery goals, work that in normal times is limited to people on the sales and delivery teams. The company has been aiming for 50% year-over-year growth in vehicle deliveries but has cautioned investors it may not meet that target every year.
Musk's attention has been focused on Twitter of late. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO sold tens of billions of dollars worth of shares in his electric vehicle company in 2022 to finance the $44 billion buyout of the social media company.
Here's the text of the email Musk sent to Tesla employees on Wednesday:
From: Elon Musk
To: Everybody
Subj. Final Few Days
Date: Dec. 28, 2022 [Time Stamp removed]
Just a quick note to thank you for your hard work and congratulate you on exceptional execution in 2022!
Since we have a lot of cars arriving at the last minute, it is important to rally hard and do everything we can to get our cars to customers who have ordered them before midnight on Dec. 31. Also, every incremental car we produce that can be delivered in time also matters.
Please go all out for the next few days and volunteer to help deliver if at all possible. It will make a real difference!
Thanks,
Elon
Btw, don't be too bothered by stock market craziness. As we demonstrate continued excellent performance, the market will recognize that. Long-term, I believe very much that Tesla will be the most valuable company on Earth!
WATCH: Musk's vision has always been greater than just automobiles
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From Elon Musk’s Twitter romp to Mukesh Ambani’s succession plan, here are the top business stories of the year 2022 – Times of India
Posted: at 10:40 pm
From Elon Musk's Twitter romp to Mukesh Ambani's succession plan, here are the top business stories of the year 2022 Times of India
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5 Best Online Blackjack Casinos to Play for Real Money
Posted: at 10:38 pm
Online blackjack is a fast and relatively simple casino game to learn, but difficult to master. Whether you choose to play it at a Las Vegas casino or the virtual tables online, blackjack is an extremely popular and adaptive game. The game continues to evolve with each passing day mostly because of the attention it gets from players.
Benefits of Cafe Casino
Benefits of Ignition Casino
Benefits of Slots.lv Casino
But this game isnt as simple and straightforward to all players. To some its shrouded in mystery. If you are such a player, then you are in the right place. Continue reading and learn how to:
Ranking and rating real money blackjack casinos is not a one step process. It is not as simple as looking at the welcome bonus, banking options, games and other features before coming up with a conclusion. The approach that we take here at Max Casinos USA is much more involving.
While we look at aspects such as licensing, banking options, and welcome bonus, we also tend to look at features such as the reputation of the brand and security measures put in place. Our top priority is knowing that our readers are safe at all times while playing blackjack online.
After thorough testing, we then proceed to recommend blackjack sites. As you read through this page, these are the sites that we found to satisfy our criteria of ranking blackjack sites.
Ignition Casino
Ignition Online Casino has been operational since 2016. The brand is under the ownership of Lynton Limited, who are also the operators of other renowned brands such as Slots.lv, and Caf Casino. Ignition brings something extraordinary to the industry.
They have the largest active and all round poker platform, focused mostly on entertaining the US player base. They also offer a nice suit of games from the reputable Rival Gaming. It is one of the few sites to hold a license from the well respected licensing body of the Government of Curacao, making it a legitimate site too.
Why players love Ignition Casino?
Casino rating
Cafe Casino
Although Caf Casino has technically only been active since 2016, their roots under different names go back to the early 2000s. Weve also been active members at the site since their launch, which is why weve decided to prepare this expansive review on the brand.
By the time you are done reading this Caf Casino review, youll have known why their tournaments are one of the best; why you can depend on their customer support team and why you should be part of the Cafe Casino's Perks promo.
Why players love Caf Casino?
Casino rating
El Royale
El Royale online casinos is without doubt one of the leading operators in the newly regulated USA online casino industry. Since its launch in 2020, the El Royale brand has aimed at replicating the success of its competitors, combining the best of land based casino gaming and a leading technological website.
This is why they offer themed promotions from time to time, a cutting edge mobile gaming platform, a number of entertaining games among many other features. Read our El Royale Casino review and find out what awaits you when you sign up at the casino.
Why players love El Royale?
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Slots.lv
Slots.lv online casino is underrated in a lot of aspects, with their payouts behind Exhibit A. Practically; they are the best when it comes to processing payments fast, especially with Bitcoin transactions. Make a Bitcoin withdrawal and you will have it deposited into your wallet in under an hour. This is especially true if you make a small Bitcoin withdrawal request.
The best part about it is that you wont have to provide any form of identification or talk to an agent. The caveat is that you have to be outside of the states of Nevada, NJ and Delaware to enjoy these services.
Why players love Slots.lv?
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Big Spin Casino
Big Spin online casino aims at doing everything bigger and better than its immediate online casino competitors. Whether it is their fresh promotions and bonuses or the burgeoning games portfolio, the site that was only launched in 2017 and licensed by the reputable Government of Curacao takes everything to the next level.
Ready to find out how far Big Spin is willing to go to ensure you have a good time? This Big Spin Casino review has all the details.
Why players love Ignition Casino?
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The advantage of playing real money blackjack online is that there are a variety of games to pick from. Most of these games are easy to play, but they can easily be as complicated. This is especially true if you dont speak or understand the language used at the table. To help you overcome this, weve prepared a list of some of the commonly used real money blackjack terms.
Action
Also referred to as Play. Refers to the action of spinning the reels
Anchor
Also referred to as Third Base. This is the position nearest the dealers right hand side. Its usually the last position to be played after one round
Ante
A feature commonly featured in video slots. It lets you re-spin the reels automatically for a given number of times
Blackjack
Blackjack is a popular card game played at the online casino. Its also a term used to refer to a hand in blackjack with an Ace and a 10 value card. This gives you a hand value of 21 after the first deal
Bust
When you bust while playing real money blackjack, your hand has scored over 21
Button
Anyone holding the button is the last to be dealt with cards at the table. The term is commonly used in live dealer blackjack games
Card Counting
One of the most misunderstood strategies in blackjack. As a blackjack strategy, it is used to keep track of cards dealt at the table
Capping A Bet
This simply means adding chips to your bet once the dealer has started dealing
Carte
French word that you use to request for another card from the dealer
Cut
This is a division of the blackjack deck with the bottom section put at the top, after a shuffle
Double Down
This is one of the plays at the blackjack table. When you double down, you double the original bet and receive an extra card
Even Money
If the dealers hole card results into a blackjack (insurance bet), you get a payout of 1:1 (even money payout)
First Base
This is the opposite of the Anchor. Refers to the player sitting at the dealers left hand side and is the first one to receive cards
Face Cards
These are the Jack, King and Queen cards. They are all usually valued at 10
Fold
This is also one the plays you make at the blackjack table. When you fold, you are simply giving up your cards because you have a poor hand
Hard Hand
When you have a hard hand, you simply dont have an Ace. If the Ace is present, you are playing it as 1 instead of 11
Heads Up
A game of live dealer blackjack where theres only one player and the dealer
Hit
When you Hit, you are simply requesting to be dealt another card
Hole Card
This refers to the dealers face down card
Insurance Bet
This is a type of bet you place at the table. You are simply wagering that if the dealers hole card is an Ace, the resulting hand will be a blackjack.
Pat
A blackjack hand thats valued at 17 points and you cannot take any more cards
Penetration
Refers to the minimum number of cards that have to dealt out from the shoe before reshuffling is done
Push
A push in blackjack is simply a tie. Its a situation where the player and the houses hands are equal in value
Shoe
This is the show holding all the undealt cards at the live dealer table
Soft Hand
Opposite of a hard hand. When your hand has an Ace valued at 11, it results into a soft hand
Split
When you are dealt a hand with two similar cards, you can split it so that you have two new hands
Stand
If you are satisfied with the selection of your hand, you can choose not to take any more cards. In blackjack, this is referred to as standing
Stiff Hand
A stiff hand is one thats valued between 12 and 16.
Surrender
When you surrender, it simply means that youve folded because of a bad hand. The result is you are reimbursed half your cash
Up card
The Up Card is the dealers card thats visible
Blackjack is a popular online casino game based on the card game Twenty-one, or Vingt-et-Un. Vingt-et-Un was originally played in France in the 17th century. This is why France is considered as the cradle of blackjack. Vingt-et-Un was finally introduced by immigrants to the United States, where it was secretly played in backstreet establishments.
However, it was only after legalization of Las Vegas casinos in 1931 when the game saw a growth in popularity. During this era, Las Vegas casinos started offering special odds to attract would-be players on Vingt-et-Un.
The special odds on Twenty-one ensured players received a 10:1 (ten-to-one) payout. To receive the payout, one had to get an Ace of Spades and either the Jack of Spades or Jack of Clubs. The special combination of odds gave birth to the term Blackjack.
Though the brick and mortar casinos phased out the special odds the name stuck and thats how modern day blackjack was born.
Over the years, real money blackjack has become a popular game among players due to its low house edge. It has been estimated that the casinos chances of winning (house edge) are slightly 1% higher than the players.
Blackjack has evolved over the years and as we write this real money blackjack guide, there are several versions of the game. Some of the games you can play include Vegas Strip, Blackjack Switch, Progressive Blackjack, Pontoon and many more. While they use the same blackjack rules for gameplay, they have subtle differences that set them apart from each other.
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Play Online Blackjack Real Money – Top 3 Casinos in 2022
Posted: at 10:38 pm
There are tons of Blackjack games you can play online these days. Many blackjack sites allow players to play for free or for real money. With all these gaming sites online, its easy to become confused about choosing the right online blackjack game. And of course, these sites claim to be one of the best blackjack online games in the market.
However, many of these sites have been tested and proven to be among the best. Five of the best online blackjack games out there are as follows:
1. Bovada established in December 2011, welcome bonuses are up to $3,000. Real-time gaming software is also used to play blackjack online. You can play live with real players, real tables, a live dealer, real dealers, and more.
Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports featured this casino. Also, Bovada is distinctive from many other blackjack sites due to them having a strong presence in social media.
2. SlotsLV Casino this casino has high ratings due to this casino having an extensive array of games, quick payout speeds, the best software from different providers, and a huge welcome bonus. SlotsLV also allow about 12 banking options and have top-notch security.
3. Casino Classic this is one of the best sites to use to play blackjack online especially when using a mobile device. Other distinctions about this site include no deposit requirement, and they offer the 500 free for an hour.
4. CoolCat Casino established in 2002, this casino is licensed in Costa Rica and owned by the Virtual Casino Group. This brands interface comes with digital sound and 3D-rendered graphics. Other spectacular aspects of this casino are as follows:
5. Las Vegas USA Casino this business started in 1999. This casino has classic gaming, mobile services, modern adaptation, mobile services, versatile promotions, and a plethora of welcome bonuses.
The best brands use a variety of options when it comes to payment methods. Bitcoin, debit cards, credit cards, PayPal, Skrill, eWallets, Paysafe Card, Ukash, Neteller, and UK players are many of the acceptable payment methods.
More details of the popular payment methods are as follows:
A plethora of amazing offers is provided when you play blackjack online. These provisions are as follows:
You wont be disappointed when you play blackjack online with these companies. Youll have tons of choices with these online blackjack games. You can also fully enjoy these games without having to worry about cybercriminal activities. These brands installed top-notch SSL encryption that safeguards the players financial and personal data.
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Blackjack Online for Real Money Play with $3000 Bonus
Posted: at 10:38 pm
If youre interested in playing blackjack online real money, there are many options to choose from. With so many options to choose from, it may be slightly difficult to figure out which site is the best suited for your needs. Below are some of the best sites available to play blackjack online. Online sports betting sites to wager over internet.
One of the leading websites for online blackjack real money games is Jackpot City. It is considered to be one of the very top tier, premier sources for online slots real money and other gaming. They offer some of the very best bonuses in the entire realm of internet casinos. You can play blackjack online as much as you want at Jackpot City, all from the comfort of your own home. In addition to offering stellar bonuses, Jackpot City is one of the most dependable internet casinos, offering a considerable amount of customer service that is available 24 hours a day.
Casinodotcom is one of the most longstanding and dependable places to play online blackjack games on the entire internet. The promotions and bonuses offered by this website offer an unbeatable combination of a name brand and a chance to win big. You dont have to worry about coming up with the money to travel to Vegas when you play games on casino.com, you can just continue to play to your hearts content from your very own home. If youre on the lookout for an online blackjack website there are few better options than casino.com for the very best blackjack playing experience.
888 is a world-class spot to play blackjack online. Online blackjack games can be difficult to find from a reliable and proven name. 888 is one of the most dependable online casinos in existence, one that boasts some of the most bonus giveaways, promotions, and events in existence. With the wide variety of games that 888 provides, you can experience the thrill of Las Vegas gambling right from your very home. You can play to your hearts content and never run out of fun once you get going at 888.
If youre interested in online blackjack games, you can look no further than Party Casino. If youre looking to play blackjack online real money, this is one of your very best options. They offer a wide variety of instant win titles including keno, hi-lo and virtual scratch cards in addition to having a fantastic blackjack experience. If you ever need help with the website they also have a dedicated customer support line that is open and operational 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. If youre looking to get in the game, you can do no better than Party Casino.
Mr. Green is one of the leaders in the online blackjack real money scene. They offer fantastic promotions, quick withdrawals of cash and a dedicated support team that is available 24 hours a day. With their promotions and their dedication to their user base, it makes Mr. Green one of the clearcut winners for places to play blackjack online.
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Why tech giants in Asia are propelling the rise of superapps
Posted: at 10:35 pm
If there is one thing Asian can lay claim to as pioneers, it would be the superapp a single portal on our mobile phones giving us access to a wide range of virtual products and services.
Chinas WeChat inevitably comes to mind when we talk about superapps, and its said to inspired Elon Musks desire to build something similar, starting with Twitter.
Elsewhere in Asia, SingaporesGrab, IndonesiasGojekand South Koreas Kakao are also hard at work, trying to style themselves into a superapp equivalent for their respective markets.
Without a doubt, superapps clearly represent the next frontier in app development. So, what exactly is their appeal? And should we be wary about using them?
WeChat is long considered the titan of superapp that helps facilitate life online for millions of Chinese residents, bundling together social media, e-commerce, and digital payments.
However, the reasons behind its runaway success have more to do with the lack of alternatives in China.
In a society where WhatsApp, Twitter and Google are blocked, WeChat was in a unique position to monopolise the market simply by being one of the few communication options available.
While WeChats growth into a superapp is partly accidental, its success has paved the way for a demand for superapps elsewhere as consumers and businesses start seeing its value.
For users, superapps represent unparalleled convenience. Instead of jumping from app to app, the ability to make a restaurant reservation, pay for dinner and hail a ride home with one app inexplicably draws people into using it.
As for businesses hoping to stand out in a crowded landscape of apps, morphing into a superapp is the perfect solution to scale the business and dominate the market.
Grab clearly saw the superapp as a strategy for growth. Within a decade, it has spread its tentacles and evolved from a ride-hailing app into a conglomerate that offers deliveries, logistics and financial services.
By offering a myriad of services through its app, Grab managed to maintain a grip on our attention and make itself an indispensable part of daily living to over 180 million users.
Meanwhile, Gojek, another superapp that started as a call centre to connect users to ride-share services, has expanded to become one of the most valuable companies in Indonesia.
By leveraging its army of ride-share drivers as mobile bank tellers, Gojek was able to expand its customer base bybringing financial servicesto areas lacking access to banking infrastructure.
For businesses, the ultimate goal of creating a superapp is simple to keep customers happy and disincentivise them from interacting with other apps.
And hopefully, unyielding loyalty can be forged once the process of using a particular app becomes a habit.
Superapps are now a mainstay in our lives. In fact, it would be unheard of to find a phone in Singapore that does not have the Grab app.
However, should we be concerned about giving big tech so much insight and control into our habits?
According toDavid Shrier, a professor of AI and innovation at Imperial College Business School in London, superapps will know a lot about us, especially our payment habits. And herein lies the problem.
The disadvantage (with superapps) is we create a market power concentration. Suddenly, these companies are able to decide which goods and services you get to see because it controls the window you look through. And oligopolies tend to raise prices.
Besides trapping users within a content fortress, revolving ones life around an app can be problematic. Namely, what happens when the app breaks down?
When South Korean superapp Kakao had a nationwide outage, chaos ensued as daily life screeched to a halt for millions of users. As a result, Kakaos CEO was forced to resign, and a class-action lawsuit was brought against the company.
Lastly, the fact that one single app can access an unprecedented amount of customer data is troubling.
Not only do we have no way of knowing what is being done with our data, but there is also the risk of hackers stealing our information for nefarious activities.
Singtel,Carousellandmany othershave all been hit by data breaches. Even with sophisticated cyber defences, it is only a matter of time before we get hit by another cyberattack.
Sadly, there is none. Now that superapps are so integrated with our lives, quitting them will result in a cold turkey of convenience.
As we callously surrender our data and allow big tech firms to exert so much influence on our lives, ignorance is bliss when it comes to using superapps.
After all, it is only a matter of time before another superapp gets hit by a glitch, resulting in massive upheaval and social suicide.
Featured Image Credit: CNBC
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Andy Yen, CEO Of Proton, On The Tech Giants That Dominate The Internet, The Webs Future And Bitcoin – Forbes
Posted: at 10:35 pm
Andy Yen, CEO Of Proton, On The Tech Giants That Dominate The Internet, The Webs Future And Bitcoin Forbes
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Emergency Food Supplements | DSHS – Washington
Posted: at 10:34 pm
Revised May 3, 2021
Note: Pandemic EBT benefits ended as of 9/30/2020.
This section lists emergency rules related to food assistance programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
NOTE: Emergency Food Supplements were issuedin the months of March 2020 to May 2021. Ongoing supplements aresubject to federal approval.
Supplemental Issuance
Example:Tuyen was approved in April 2021 for the maximum food allotment of $234. They will receive an emergency supplement of $95, for a total of $329 on their EBT card.
Example:Leo was approved in April 2021 for a food allotment of $196. They are normally eligible for an emergency supplement of $38. Since this is less than $95, they will receive an emergency supplement of $95, for a total of $291 on their EBT card.
Example: Tomas applied for benefits on April 16, 2021 and completed an interview the same day. The worker processes and approves the case with prorated benefits in April 2021of $97 and full allotment of $234 in May 2021. Tomas receives combined issuance of $331 on his EBT card the next day. After the system delivers the mass issuance, an additional $137 emergency supplement will appear on Tomass EBT to ensure he receives the maximum food amount of $234 for April 2021. Tomas may be eligible for a $95 minimum emergency supplement for May 2021 if FNS approves emergency supplements.
Example:Heather was approved in April 2021 for the maximum food allotment of $234, but due to an overpayment, $23 is recouped each month. Heather receives $211 per month in regular food allotment. She will be eligible for a minimum $95 emergency supplement based on her original amount of $234.
Automatic Issuance:
An automatic mass supplement was issued for Marchand/or April 2020 benefits toall householdson the evening of April3, 2020.
After April 16, 2020, the ACES system automatically determined the emergency supplement amount owed to therecipient afterapproving an application or reinstatement in overnight batch.
Example: Jon and his partner were certified from January 2021 to December 2021 to receive $200 per month in food assistance due to household income. Their issuance date is the 11th of each month. As the maximum allotment for a two-person household is $430 per month, Jon and his partner will receive $230 emergency supplement each month FNS approves of the emergency supplements.
Example: Phoebe applies for food assistance on April 5, 2021 after she lost her job. The worker interviews her on April 17, 2021, determines her eligible and approves the prorated benefit amount of $168 from the date of application. The system will automatically issue emergency supplements in overnight batch for a minimum $95 emergency supplement.She would normally receive a $66 emergency supplement to bring her to the maximum $234 standard for a one person household in April 2021.
The worker reinstates Peter for April 2021 and he is still eligible for $154 per month in food assistance. The system will automatically issue an emergency supplement in overnight batch for a minimum emergency supplement of $95 for April 2021,available the following day.
Manual BEGS
Staff can confirm the automatic benefits by reviewing Benefit Issuance history in Aces.Online. The emergency supplements for the month will display as FS/EBT Supplemental Issuance (863).
Emergency supplements issuance dates vary from month to month. We require FNS approval on a month to month basis and the issuance dates may vary depending on approval and system availability.
After April 16, 2020, households finalized or reinstated will receive the emergency supplement in overnight batch. Advise the household that if they qualify for an emergency supplement, it will be available the following day.
Note: If the household is a SNAP/FAP mixed household, each month will display a FS/EBT Supplemental Issuance (863) for a SNAP supplement and a FAP supplement.
AfterApril 16, 2020, staff are no longer required to process a manual BEG unless they are adding a person(s) to the AU. Follow the ACES Manual - How do I add a person to an existing Assistance Unit (AU)?
Once you verify theManual BEG is needed and correct, press F4 to pass the soft edit.
Note: Pandemic EBT ended as of September 30, 2020.
Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) Benefits are benefits for households with school age children participating in a Free or Reduced Lunch Program in lieu of meals they would eat at school if not for closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. P-EBT benefits cover school closures effective March 13, 2020 to the end of the academic school year (June 19, 2020). The reimbursement rate is $5.70 per school day (Monday Friday) per eligible child in the household.
Note: When processing an application for food assistance, make the household aware of the P-EBT program and use the OSPI Search tool to determine eligibility for P-EBT benefits.
Example: Robert is receiving food assistance with his 1st grader Donna (6). The household is certified for Basic Food January 1st to December 30th. As he and Donna are active on food from March to June, the P-EBT benefits issued are for March June 2020.
Example: Donna lost her job due to COVID-19 layoffs and applied for Basic Food for herself and 3 children in May.The household is eligible for Basic Food benefits. A Barcode tickle is created for staff to review P-EBT eligibility for her3 school age childrenin March and April. Staff review the OSPI P-EBT Search site to verify the children's eligibility forfree or reduce-priced meals in the months of March and April. The children are not found on the search site in the months of March and April. The P-EBT benefits issued are for the months of May and June.
FS AU Ends In
P-EBT Benefit Available
Availability Date
1
1 day after mass issuance
June 28
2
2 days after mass issuance
June 29
3
3 days after mass issuance
June 30
4
4 days after mass issuance
July 1
5
5 days after mass issuance
July 2
6
6 days after mass issuance
July 3
7
7 days after mass issuance
July 4
8
8 days after mass issuance
July 5
9
9 days after mass issuance
July 6
0
10 days after mass issuance
July 7
P-EBT Benefit Amounts:
Month
Days of School
Dollars per child
March 2020
12
$68.40
April 2020
22
$125.40
May 2020
21
$119.70
June 2020
15
$85.50
Example: Tim and his three children, Betsy (15), Stan (15) and Nancy (19) applied for and started receiving Basic Food in April 2020. Tim and Nancy are not in school. ACES issues P-EBT of $661.20 for Betsy and Stan. Barcode will generate a tickle. Staff will determine if the children qualify for P-EBT benefits for March by using the OSPI P-EBT Search site to verify eligibility for free or reduced meals at school.
Note: Pandemic EBT ended on September 30, 2020.
Manual BEG:
Starting June 29, 2020, staffmay need to use a new BEG type School Supplement - SS to issue P-EBT benefits manually for newly approved Basic Food households in the following two situations:
If the child isnotfound on the OSPI Search Site, then create a manual SS BEG based on Basic Food begin date using the newly approved Basic Food AU.
The worker will create a manual SS BEG for the month of June to provide the household the P-EBT benefit.
The worker will create a manual SS BEG for the month of June using the newly approved Basic Food AU AND create a separate FS AU for P-EBT only approval for March, April, and May, which will process in overnight batch.
NOTE: If an application is being reconsidered,carefully review theBasic Food begin date. If the application goes back to the month of May, an SS BEGshould be reviewed forMay and June.
Letters:
Letters will not generate when the BEG School Supplement SS is released.
EBT Card:
Staff will review Barcode EBT transactions to verify the household has an EBT card and they have used it within the past 60 days.
Children under the age of 5 may be eligible for P-EBT benefits if they attended a early learning facility operating as part of a public school district that participates in the National School Lunch Program. These eligible children are included in the OSPI Search Site.
Application deadline:
Staff will determine eligibility for P-EBT applications:
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AlphaZero – Chess Engines – Chess.com
Posted: at 10:33 pm
In 2017 the chess world was shaken to its core when Stockfish (the world's strongest chess engine) was defeated in a one-sided match. It was not defeated by a human but by an unknown computer program that seemed to be otherworldlyAlphaZero.
Let's learn more about this powerful chess entity. Here is what you need to know about AlphaZero:
AlphaZero was developed by the artificial intelligence and research company DeepMind, which was acquired by Google. It is a computer program that reached a virtually unthinkable level of play using only reinforcement learning and self-play in order to train its neural networks. In other words, it was only given the rules of the game and then played against itself many millions of times (44 million games in the first nine hours, according to DeepMind).
AlphaZero uses its neural networks to make extremely advanced evaluations of positions, which negates the need to look at over 70 million positions per second (like Stockfish does). According to DeepMind, AlphaZero reached the benchmarks necessary to defeat Stockfish in a mere four hours.
AlphaZero runs on custom hardware that some have referred to as a "Google Supercomputer"although DeepMind has since clarified that AlphaZero ran on four tensor processing units (TPUs) in its matches.
In December 2017, DeepMind published a research paper that announced that AlphaZero had easily defeated Stockfish in a 100-game match. AlphaZero would go on to defeat Stockfish in a second match consisting of 1,000 games; the results were published in a paper in late 2018.
Unfortunately, AlphaZero is not available to the public in any form. The match results versus Stockfish and AlphaZero's incredible games have led to multiple open-source neural network chess projects being created. Leela Chess Zero, Leelenstein, Alliestein, and others try to emulate AlphaZero's learning and playing style. Even Stockfish, the conventional brute-force king, has added neural networks.
In 2020 DeepMind and AlphaZero continued to contribute to the chess world in the form of different chess variants. When DeepMind and the AlphaZero team speak, the chess world listens!
From the moment it stepped onto the scene, AlphaZero has changed chess by spawning a new generation of neural network chess engines, by contributing to chess variants, and through its transcendent games.
As mentioned, AlphaZero defeated the world's strongest chess engine, Stockfish, in a one-sided 100-game match in December 2017 (scoring 28 wins, 72 draws, and zero losses). The public was given 10 example games from this match, and the chess world's reaction was borderline disbelief.GM Peter Heine Nielsen likened watching AlphaZero's games to seeing a superior species landing on earth and showing us how to play chess:
Other grandmasters shared Nielsen's sentiment, including the legendary GM Garry Kasparov, who told Chess.com, "It's a remarkable achievement.... It approaches the 'Type B,' human-like approach to machine chess dreamt of by Claude Shannon and Alan Turing instead of brute force."
Others questioned the results because of the disparity of hardware used in the first match. Some also found it unfair that Stockfish was not allowed to use its opening book and its endgame tablebase.
GM Hikaru Nakamura stated: "I don't necessarily put a lot of credibility in the results simply because my understanding is that AlphaZero is basically using the Google supercomputer, and Stockfish doesn't run on that hardware; Stockfish was basically running on what would be my laptop."
Roughly one year after the first match, DeepMind published a new paper that announced an updated version of AlphaZero had defeated Stockfish in a 1,000-game match. This time, the current version of Stockfish (version 9 at the time) was used, Stockfish was able to use a strong opening book in many of the games, the time controls were adjusted (with Stockfish having large time advantages), and Stockfish was run on the same type of hardware used in the Top Chess Engine Championships (TCEC).
The results didn't change muchAlphaZero defeated Stockfish again with a score of 155 wins, 839 draws, and 6 losses.
In 2019 and 2020 GM Vladimir Kramnik was able to spend some time with AlphaZero and the DeepMind team to explore chess variants andco-wrote a paper with DeepMind about the exploration of new chess variants, including sideways pawns, no castling, torpedo chess (where pawns can always move forward one or more squares).
In September 2020 Chess.com hosted a roundtable discussion with Kramnik and members of the DeepMind team where they discussed variants and other topics. You can watch the full video here:
Many of these chess variants (and more) have been added to Chess.com. This article outlines the new chess variants and how to play them. If you want to check out any of these variants for yourself, simply head over to Chess.com/variants or hover your mouse over the "Play" button in the menu bar and select "Variants":
After you select "Variants," you are directed to the Chess Variants Page. All you have to do is select a variant and press "Play."
In this first game example, we see some of the magic that AlphaZero shocked the world with in the first match. AlphaZero gambits a pawn in the opening and immediately goes on the attack. After 19...Kxh6 Stockfish is up a piece, but the king is not safe, and the entire queenside is undeveloped:
AlphaZero keeps up the pressure, but its compensation for the piece is mostly unclear to us mortals. Only in hindsight can we tell that a couple of Black's pieces (most notably the a8-rook and queen's knight) will never really be part of the game. After 36.Qe6, the position has crystallized, and AlphaZero wins convincingly:
This second game example is from the second AlphaZero-Stockfish match. AlphaZero puts on a positional clinic and tortures Stockfish with the bishop pair in the endgame after 45. Bxe4. Here is the full game:
In the following video, GM Robert Hess covers this fantastic game in great detail:
You now know what AlphaZero is, what it has accomplished, and more. If you are interested in seeing what you can learn from AlphaZero's play, check out this great series of video lessons by Chess.com's IM Danny Rensch.
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