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Spiritual Enlightenment – Awakening And Awareness …

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Firstly, Spiritual Enlightenment has many meanings. The word enlightenment meansthe full comprehension of a situation. If we consider this definition, Spiritual Enlightenment should be defined as the full comprehension of the spiritual world and our spiritual side. Spiritual Enlightenment is also called Spiritual Awakeningor Spiritual Growth. This spiritual experience passes overreaches religion, thought and our mind. It gives us a level of knowledge about the spiritual world.

Itis the complete understanding of life, ourselves, nature, the worlds we live in, everything. There are many people trying to reach enlightenment. The truth is that only those who are searching and learning spiritual ways to get the enlightenment will be lucky to find it. There are many methods to get Spiritual Enlightenment. These are spiritual practices and works. Some of these are: meditation, prayer, chanting, yoga, martial arts, fasting, dancing, sensory depravation, near death experience, spontaneous enlightenment and many more.

Meditation is one of the most powerful spiritual practices. It comes in many types, you can try them and choose the best for you. Meditation is a method of calming your mind and bringing your attention to your inner self, your inner world. It will help you clear your mind and thoughts. It teaches you how to focus on your inside instead of the outside, material world.

Prayer is another powerful Spiritual Enlightenment method. But I am talking about listening for God, not praying for help. Nowadays praying is not what it is supposed to be. People pray for help, only when they are in need of a miracle. These prayers will not teach us spirituality. The real prayers are when we contemplate and silence our minds. Waiting for God and its presence. We are listening to our peaceful mind. We are calm and full of gratitude. This kind of prayer can get us to Spiritual Enlightenment.

Chanting is the singing of words and sounds that help ourselves to align our inner spiritual energy with God. Therefore, chanting as a Spiritual Enlightenment method is often used in different cultures (African, Hawaiian, Native American). It can appear in different forms as Gregorian chant, Quran readings, Buddhist chants, Vedic chants, mantras and many more. These chants will calm our mind. They also change our bodys vibration. This vibration can help our spirit to grow.

Yoga is a Spiritual Enlightenment method that connects us with the divine. The positions and meditation and breathing techniques that it includes can help us calm our mind. It will help us focus on our inner self. It will help us to unite our spirit with the divine and reach the Spiritual Enlightenment.

In conclusion, there are many more Spiritual Enlightenment. They are waiting for you to discover them. Practice a spiritual work, not only for the enlightenment, but for your inner peace. It will help you keep yourself in balance. It will keep you and all your levels healthy including your mind, body, spirit, emotions.

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OnlineGambling.com > #1 Online Gambling Sites Guide 2018

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Perhaps most importantly though, well cut through thenoise and tell you the top places at which to play inthe US. This means that we honestly review each andevery online casino, telling you which casinos aretrustworthy, where the good games are located, andeverything else important to you. Currently werank Slots.lv as the top US online casino around, as it meets all ofthe strict criteria we lay down while reviewing eachcasino.

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But how can you find great mobile casinos, poker rooms, horseracing betting and sportsbooks? The answer is simple: take alook through the reviews weve compiled of each one. Welllet you know just how good the apps and mobile sites are,plus well also tell you about the selection of mobile gamesoffered by a site, as well as the range of bonuses they havefor mobile players. Once youve finished reading, you shouldhave no problem selecting the best mobile gambling site foryour own needs.

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OnlineGambling.com > #1 Online Gambling Sites Guide 2018

Freedom in the 50 States 2017-2018: Indiana Fiscal Freedom …

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Ranking: Fiscal Freedom Analysis

Indiana has quietly built a record as one of Americas freest states and the freest state by a wide margin in the Great Lakes region. Hoosiers enjoy top scores on all three dimensions of freedom, with regulatory policy a particular area of excellence. Although it has still experienced small net outmigration to the rest of the country over the past 17 years, its record in that department has been better than that of any other of the eight Great Lakes states, and its economic growth has been better than all its neighbors for at least a decade.

Although Indianas fiscal policy deteriorated quite a bit between FY 2000 and FY 2009, it has made a good recovery since then. Local taxes have fallen from 4.7 percent of income in FY 2010 to 3.1 percent in FY 2015, and state taxes have edged down as well. Government debt has also fallen over that period. State and local government employment is substantially smaller than the national average, as is government consumption.

Although the PPACA disproportionately harmed the state because of its previously fairly free-market health insurance policies, Indiana has maintained the elements of a solid regulatory policy as far as it can. Land-use freedom is high by any measure, although it could be more consistently principled if it didnt stop employers from banning guns in their parking lots. The state passed right-to-work legislation in 2012 and has resisted increasing the minimum wage above the federal mark. It is a model state for telecommunications deregulation. Occupational freedom is extensive, though not for second-line health care professions. The state did legalize greater prescribing authority by physician assistants in 2013. There is no hospital certificate-of-need requirement, although there is such a requirement for moving companies. Insurance freedom is above average, and the state has recently allowed direct Tesla sales. The civil liability system shows steady improvement over the past decade.

Indiana has more personal freedom than most other conservative states. It was forced to legalize same-sex marriage in 2014 but never had an oppressive super-DOMA. Gun rights are fairly secure, especially for concealed carry, but the state has stricter-than-federal minimum age limits for possession and dealer licensing. The ban on short-barreled shotguns was eliminated in 2015. Victimless crime arrests are fairly low, but the incarceration rate is a bit higher than average, adjusted for crime rates. Educational freedom is excellent, and the state posted major gains in 2011 with a new statewide voucher law and a limited scholarship tax credit law. State civil asset forfeiture law is fairly good, although it is often circumvented through equitable sharing. Legal gambling is extensive. Smoking bans have not gone quite as far as in other states. Marijuana freedom is virtually nonexistent, but alcohol freedom has been improving consistently in the past few years. The state now has direct-to-consumer wine shipments and it reformed off-premises Sunday sales in 2018, and alcohol taxes are low.

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Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew Review | Brain Supplement …

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This companys Super Brain Renew was awarded our 2018 Editors Choice Award of distinction for several key reasons. Lets take a closer look as to why it topped our list.

Key Features & Benefits:

INGREDIENTS & EFFECTIVENESSThrive Naturals Super Brain Renew is comprised of 39 different essential vitamins and nutrients. However, the 5 superhero ingredients are DHA Omega 3, Huperzine A, Phosphatidylserine, Bacopin and N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine. These ingredients have been highly studied and shown to help improve cognitive memory recall, improved mental clarity and focus.

Thrive Naturals uses a special high quality,maximum strengthformula, which none of the others we reviewed had. They also use L-Glutamine and DMAE to aid in overall brain function. Of the dozens of brands we reviewed, very few came close to offering a complete formula with the essential supporting ingredients.

Many of the products we reviewed use synthetic ingredients that can cause unwanted side effects. We really liked that Thrive Naturals utilize third-party testing to guarantee quality and results. Every batch of Super Brain Renew is tested by the manufacturer for consistency and quality control to ensure that you receive exactly what you are paying for.

Thrive Naturals ranked at the top of all the categories that matter: ingredients, customer satisfaction, and customer service.

PRODUCT SAFETYWe want our readers to be aware that some brain and memory products we encountered had unnecessary ingredients, like silica, titanium dioxide, and silicon dioxide that act as fillers. While not necessarily dangerous for you, they can have side effects that are unnecessary and that can be avoided by selecting a better formula.

Thrive Naturals keeps their formula clean and pure, which is the foundation of their natural brand. They use the highest quality ingredients in the proportions that have been shown in studies to be effective. The ingredients in Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew have no known side effects or harmful interactions with other medicines.

As our trusted reader, your safety is out top concern, and that is why we highly recommend Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew as a reputable nutritional supplements source with verified satisfied customers. Their products are made in cGMP certified and FDA registered labs, which give us a high comfort level.

COSTThis was the factor that sealed the deal for us in selecting Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew as our #1 pick. We felt that they have a very reasonable price considering they have the essential brain and memory ingredients, outstanding quality ingredients and effectiveness of their product.

We reviewed a lot of products with varying prices and formulations. Thrive Naturals has found a way to bring to their customers a rock solid, pure and potent product at one of the most competitive prices out there. There is just no better value available on the market today. They could easily charge significantly more for such high HCA potency but have decided to pass the savings on to their customers. Kudos to them for keeping their prices reasonable.

It is the cherry on top of our sundae to find that they deliver a high-quality product at a great price and also offer great customer service. They dont push you into a monthly on-going billing scheme, and they give you a no questions asked 1-Year (365 days) to return the product if you are not completely satisfied. A solid company you can trust.

SUMMARYFrom the group of products we tested, there simply is no comparison to Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew. The product reigned supreme in all categories we evaluated: Effectiveness, Quality, Safety, Price and Customer Satisfaction. If you are serious about improving your memory, focus and clarity and want a product you can count on to get the results, then Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew is the right one for you.

Feeling sharper and more focusedIve been using Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew for almost three weeks now and I can already feel the difference. Im feeling sharper and more focused throughout the day. Will update as I progress, so far so good. Janet A.

*Results may vary.*

Got a promotion at workAmazing! I cant believe this is working for me. I have been taking Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew for 4 months and it has turned my life around. I even got a promotion at work last week. My boss said he felt I have been laser focused lately. I need more Super Brain Renew!!! Victor M.

*Results may vary.*

Able to focus more and feel calmer and relaxedI am a blogger who works from home and a mother of 3. As a writer it is hard to stay focused with the constant todo list running through my mind. I have been taking Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew for about 6 weeks now and what I have noticed is that I am able to focus more and feel calmer and relaxed. I have also found that I am sleeping better at night and when I wake, I feel more energy. I have had amazing results and would highly recommend this to anyone. Patricia K.

*Results may vary.*

Right at the top of my mindIll admit it, the first time I bought a memory pill online, I was scammed. The brand I had originally bought from had all these weird synthetic ingredients I couldnt even pronounce, and it just didnt work for me. When I saw my cousin at a reunion she was telling me about how much better her memory has been getting. I asked for her secret. When she said she started taking a memory pill, I started laughing. When she told me about the Thrive Naturals brand she was using, I was skeptical. This time I did my research and when I found out they were legit, I ordered a three-month supply. In the past I would forget where I left the keys, what time I had to pick up my kids from sports and just about everything. Now I feel like I am more on top of things. Things I need to remember are right at the top of my mind, unbelievable. Meredith G.

*Results may vary.*

A lot more mental clarityI think Ive read every review there is to read about brain and memory supplements. Every blog, every anti-aging article, every magazine. Ive learned everything there is to learn about the top ingredients for brain and memory. After finally deciding on Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew, I can tell you they have the best product out there. It actually works! Ive gained a lot more mental clarity, focus and can even energy in the past 5 weeks then I have had in the past 5 years. I just called in and ordered more this morning. Thank you, Thrive Naturals. Chris M.

*Results may vary.*

Dad now remembers the little thingsI have been searching for the right memory pill for my father for a while now. Though he will not admit it, he does not seem to remember things as well as he used to. I wanted to make sure I got him a good product as I care about his health. I did a lot of research and finally settled on Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew. First off, the product got to me quickly which was great! My Dad was a bit resistant at first to take it. But, it has not been 2 weeks since he has been on Super Brain Renew and he is already reminding me to order him some more! We can all see the difference. My Dad now remembers the little things more and is more focused when we have conversations. This is everything I could have hoped for and more! I am so excited to have found Super Brain Renew. Alicia R.

*Results may vary.*

1. How does it work?As we age we begin to experience memory loss, trouble focusing and sometimes a feeling of brain fog. Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew contains natural nutrients, also known as nootropics, which help reverse these conditions in a non-addictive and non-stimulating way. The natural ingredients work to improve both the membrane structure of the brain and fight cell-damaging free radicals. The anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory effects help improve blood flow and oxygen to the brain, improving mental performance, concentration, and alertness.

2. Are memory pills safe to use?

Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew is a safe all natural supplement. We always recommend that you consult your physician if you feel it may interfere with an existing medical condition. Pregnant and nursing women should not take Super Brain Renew.

3. How much should do I take?Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew should be taken twice per day, 1 capsule in the morning and 1 at night with a full glass of water.

4. When can I expect to see results?While results will vary depending on the individual, many see results within the first week, and most will find they have more focus and an improved memory by the end of the first month. One of the reasons that Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew is so popular is that they offer a 1-Year (365 Day) risk-free trial. This way, customers can feel safe and secure in knowing that they can return the product if it is not working for them. The fact that this brand is willing to offer a risk-free trial speaks to both their confidence in how well the product works but also their commitment to superb customer service.

5. Are there any side effects?There are no known side effects of Super Brain Renew. We recommend not taking more than the recommended dosage. People with known medical conditions or who are nursing or pregnant should consult a physician before taking a brain health pill.

6. If I take a few medications, can I still take a brain and memory pill?It is always recommended that you consult your physician if you have any concerns about adding a new supplement to your daily regimen.

7. Is ordering online safe?Yes, at least with our top recommended brands it is. In our review of different brain pill products on the market, we encountered several companies that automatically enroll you in a monthly continuity shipment plan. We thoroughly vetted our top three recommended brands to ensure they do not do this. Our top recommended Thrive Naturals has a rock solid 90-day return policy that will offer customers a no questions asked refund, which we feel very comfortable with.

8. Why should I choose Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew?Consumer Advisor Online has awarded them our 2018 Editors Choice Top Pick for several reasons. Thrive Naturals has earned its customers loyalty and trust by focusing strictly on quality and research. They closely inspect each of their batches to ensure they are delivering the purest and most potent ingredients. Here are some of the key points as to why we named them our #1 Pick:

In short, Thrive Naturals spares no expense to bring you the finest ingredients, in the right proportions, manufactured using strict guidelines and is also supported by great customer service. That is why we awarded them our Editors Top Pick Award above all the others. It is not every day that we come across a company that has all the right stuff. Thrive Naturals is the one that shines amongst the rest.

We loved Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew so much that we reached out to them and asked if we could get a special introductory price for our Consumer Advisor Online readers to help them start feeling the benefits of improved memory and focus.

For a very limited time only, Thrive Naturals is giving you up to 49% off PLUS Free Shipping, depending on what option you choose.

Take advantage of this limited time offer to maximize your brain health and stay healthy with the very best memory and focus supplement on the market!

(Limit 1 Package per customer please only order one of the 1, 3, or 6 pack from this page.)

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Thrive Naturals has one of best reputations and guarantees in the industry, and they stand behind it. If you dont experience the results described, Thrive Naturals wants you to return the product for a full refund.

We put Thrive Naturals guarantee to the test during our research and had no problems getting a full refund once the product was returned.

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Thrive Naturals Super Brain Renew Review | Brain Supplement ...

The 3 Stages Of Spiritual Enlightenment – In5D Esoteric …

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Spiritual enlightenment is the fundamental goal of most spiritual practices that you undertake. Enlightenment marks the culminating point of your practice you feel unity of soul with everything, all the mental and physical engagements are left aside. Spiritual enlightenment is the possession of highly evolved souls. Spiritual masters from all over over the world experience spiritual enlightenment, and help others on their own paths.

Spiritual enlightenment is often categorized into levels for practical purposes. The highest stage of spiritual enlightenment marks the attainment of unity with God or being one with everything. But can still there are certain levels through which the individual needs to evolve. In a similar way that man has evolved from more primitive animals, the human conciousiness or soul also evolves. For our practical purpose, put them in stages and analyze the state of being in each stage:

At the very first level of enlightenment, the individual starts experiencing reality as it is. It means that your mind ceases to interfere with what you are experiencing. We are engaged in continuous talk, gossip, analyzing the environment around us, planning about future, or worrying about the past. When you are in a state of spiritual enlightenment you are completely in the present moment. You stop judging and labeling the world. Your mind is calm, quite and still. You are very awake, and aware of the current moment right now.

At the second stage of enlightenment, you feel apart of yourself in everything around you. You feel a connection with every object and individual in the world. The borders between yourself and the world around you dissipate. Your soul begins to merge with Supreme Soul. You feel that you are not individual anymore and not separate from anything. You feel that you are in everything and everything is just a part of the Supreme Soul from where you also have emerged. Many people describe this feelings of completeness and love.

The third stage of enlightenment, you no longer feel connected to everything but realize you are everything. You the experience the oneness of Creator Source and are not separate from anything in the universe. This stage of enlightenment is a direct experience of oneness.

Spiritual enlightenment is the fruit that sets you free, as you lose all wants and wishes to receive the fruits of your actions. You feel the bliss of completeness and true love. At first it gives you the feeling that you need Light. At the next stage, you feel that you are merging in Light. And in the final stage you and the Light are one.

source: http://www.spiritualnow.com/articles/19/1/What-is-Spiritual-Enlightenment/Page1.html

Gregg Prescott, M.S.Editor, In5D.com

It is important to remember that when it comes to spiritual enlightenment, you cannot enlighten anyone else for this is a sole (and soul) journey. You can always help others along their path or even light the candle that piques their curiosity, but the only one you can truly enlighten is yourself. When it comes to enlightening others, all you can do is to plant the seed and hope the garden is watered with knowledge.

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Tags: enlightenment, spiritual, spiritual enlightenment

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8 Paths to Financial Independence – PassionSaving.com

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Financial Independence Path #1 The Slow-and-Steady Conventional Path

All money advice is ultimately advice aimed at helping you attain financial independence. So even the most popular writers, people like Suze Orman and David Bach, are in a strict sense part of the Retire Early Movement. As a general rule, however, the conventional advice does not work. If it did, a high percentage of the population would be attaining financial freedom early in life. Thats obviously not the case.

This doesnt mean that there is not good advice put forward in the books of people like Orman and Bach. There is. But those seeking early financial independence need to do better than most of those who rely on the conventional guidance. Those who put their faith in the most popular money gurus may be able to retire at age 65 or perhaps a bit earlier. Its not realistic to expect to do too much better than that by following The Slow-and-Steady Conventional Path.

Our movement does not reject the conventional advice. It rejects the idea that it is sufficient. We aim higher. We seek to do better. We view the conventional advice as a base of knowledge to which we add more exciting ideas for the purpose of achieving financial independence a good bit sooner.

I included The Mind-Over-Matter Motivational Path in this listing to provide me a place to discuss inspirational speakers like Tony Robbins. I am not familiar with most of Tony Robbins work (if you feel that I have misrepresented him, please let me know). I wanted to include this path because of the attention that has been directed to The Secret, a book with which I am also unfamiliar that urges an inspirational approach for people hoping to achieve ambitious life goals.

I obviously am not overly excited by inspirational speakers or I would spend more time learning about their work. I am not dismissive either, however.

My belief is that inspirational speakers are onto something important. The hardest part of attaining financial independence is saving money. The hardest part of saving money is working up the motivation to do so. The primary reason why the practical steps that are the focus of most guides urging The Slow-and-Steady Conventional Path dont usually lead to early financial independence is that readers of these guides do not become sufficiently excited over their content to change their money behavior in significant ways. Knowing all the practical stuff in the world wont help you if you are not highly motivated to act on it.

So I see the material generated by those urging The Mind-Over-Matter Motivational Path as having value, perhaps equal or even greater value than the material generated by those urging the Slow-and-Steady Conventional Path. This path does not excite me too much either, however.

What works is to marry the motivational with the practical. Practical stuff standing alone is boring. Motivational stuff standing alone is ineffective. Working together, these two approaches acquire far more life-transformational power than either possesses on its own. I see it as the first goal of the financial independence quest to determine how best to mix the motivational and the practical and thereby to discover what actually works for real live people in the real world.

I view Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, as someone who has tried to mix the practical and the inspirational and who has created an explosion of interest in financial independence as a consequence. It amazes me how many people love Kiyosaki; it sometimes seems that his works are going to take over the entire money section of the bookstores. It also amazes me how many people hate Kiyosaki; I have been on discussion boards where the mention of his name has brought on foaming-at-the-mouth reactions on the part of large percentages of the board communities.

The Kiyosaki phenomenon tells us that something important is up. Thats my take.

The people who have achieved some success in their money lives tend to be people who have followed the rules better than most others and who take pride in having done so. Kiyosaki is disdainful of the rules. Many of those who have achieved a good measure of financial success view Kiyosakis message as a threat.

I think that Kiyosaki is onto something in questioning the conventional rules. The rules that used to work are not likely to work as well in the future. Those who resist acknowledging that find Kiyosaki hard to take. On the other hand, those who agree that following the old rules will no longer work tend to be too willing to believe that Kiyosaki has the right answers, in my assessment.

I see the Kiyosaki path as The Hustling Mavericks Path. Being a maverick makes sense. Hustling makes sense. I am personally not persuaded that Kiyosaki has developed the best possible vision of how to attain financial independence early in life, however.

Amy Dacyczyn (she is the author of The Complete Tightwad Gazette) is my favorite money writer. Shes different from most others in many ways. One of the most striking ways in which she is different is that her work focuses on the needs of people who do not make big incomes. Her path is The Struggling Middle-Class Workers Path. Amy Dacyczyn focuses on the hard case rather than the easy case.

By doing so, she shows that amazing things can be done, things that no one before her attempted to do. Its her focus that makes the difference, I believe.

Most money writers start out accepting that it is hard to get by even on an income that is large by relative standards (most money guides are aimed at high-income people and those earning high incomes today are earning far more than just about anybody ever earned in earlier days). If Dacyczyn started with that assumption, she would never have been able to have done the work she has done. All of her work is rooted in the assumption that it is possible to get by and to get by well with remarkably small amounts of money. She makes the case in impressive article after impressive article after impressive article after impressive article. By looking at the money problem from a different angle, Dacyczyn was able to come up with solutions than no one who came before her even bothered to consider.

Dacyczyn doesnt focus on financial independence (she does make brief reference to it from time to time) because that is not the first concern of her readership. All the same, she tells us all more about what it takes to achieve financial independence than any other money writer. If her advice helps those with modest incomes get on their feet, what does it do for those with incomes a bit above the modest level? It tells them that for them financial independence is an available option amazingly early in life.

Dacyczyns writing is often dismissed by mainstream writers as extreme. Thats a dumb criticism. Dacyczyn obviously never compels anyone to adopt any suggestion she puts forward. What she does is to show us the options available to us. All middle-class workers are able to retire early if they elect to do things that some view as extreme. Some can achieve financial independence very early in life indeed. The negative reaction to Dacyczyns work results from the unease that some feel in knowing that these options are available to them.

It is wrong to find fault with a writer for showing us that we possess options that we did not know were available to us. Dacyczyns advice is generally practical in nature. Read between the lines, though, and you pick up a powerfully motivational message: Follow Dacyczns lead and you can be free of paycheck dependence a lot sooner than you once thought was possible. No one has married the practical and the motivational as well as Dacyczyn, in my view. She is the best financial freedom writer around.

Joe Dominguez (co-author of Your Money or Your Life) is in second place. Dominguez offers a nine-step plan for achieving financial independence early in life that has been successfully followed by millions. And his approach works primarily because it so motivates his followers that they come to center their lives on their desire to follow it closely and obtain its rewards as quickly as possible.

The problem with the Dominguez approach is that most of us are not as idealist as the typical Dominguez zealot (I dont intend that to be taken as a put-down). Dominguez sought to obtain financial independence by his early 40s so that he could devote his remaining years to pursuing the environmentalist causes that are his passion. His approach works. He was able to leave paid employment in his early 40s. Lots of others have been able to do so by following his guidance. But how many of us are willing to change our lives around so that we can pursue nonprofit causes? Some are. Most are not.

I believe that the success of the Dominguez book is well-deserved. He understands money and how it works in peoples lives better than any of the better known names in the field, in my estimation. But I believe that the Dominguez approach can achieve its full potential only if his program is expanded to provide guidance for the millions who have different sorts of life goals than the life goals pursued by Dominguez and his followers.

Dominguezs ideas work not just for those who want to pursue nonprofit causes. They work for those who want to be increasingly free of economic insecurity as they age. They work for those who want to be able to retire early. They work for those who want to start their own businesses. They work for those who want to make career shifts in which they pursue work that pays less but provides a greater sense of fulfillment. The Intelligent Idealists Path is a path of great potential that as of today is not fully realized.

John Greaney (owner of the RetireEarlyHomePage.com site) is the nemesis of the Retire Early movement. He has led a Campaign of Terror against our discussion boards for over five years (this article was posted in July 2007), burning several entirely to the ground and intimidating the owners of several others into compromising the integrity of their sites in very serious ways. He is likely the most abusive poster in the history of the internet (measured by the destruction he has done to the work of thousands of good people) and his presence should not be tolerated by anyone with even a minimal desire to help people learn what it takes to win financial independence early in life, in my view.

All that said, I believe that Greaney represents something real and important and that his path to financial independence I think of it as The Disgruntled Cubicle-Dwellers Path should be included in our list of the available options. Greaneys message is a message of anger and contempt and hate. A not insignificant number of todays workers respond to that message. You dont have to like it; I certainly do not. You do need to come to terms with the reality, if you hope to develop a complete understanding of where our movement is headed in days to come.

With Greaney supporters, it is always the other guy who is to blame. It is their employers who cause all of their discontent in the workplace, never their own choices. The answer to lifes problems is to avoid or ignore responsibilities, never to learn lessons from ones experience of the troubles that all of us walking the Valley the Tears are required to endure from time to time. The purpose of financial independence is to escape the outside world, not to make efforts to reshape it in some positive way. There is a market for this vision of financial independence among the cubicle dwellers of today. Most of us obviously do not relate to this vision. But some of us do.

I have sympathy for some of the complaints about the workplace raised by the Greaney supporters. Ive been in staff meetings that went on too long. Ive suffered the frustration of working for one or two bosses who were clueless about some aspect of the work they were overseeing. I see this path of negativity as a dead-end, however. It makes some people feel good to think that they have discovered a means to stick it to their employer. But this path leads only downward, and never upward. My advice is to be aware of this path and to take what good you can learn from those traveling it (Greaney supporters have things of value to teach us) but not to get too caught up yourself in the negativity that is the driver of this vision.

Paul Terhorsts book Cashing in on the American Dream is a brilliant work written ahead of its time. The problem with it is that it is written for the high-income professional without children who is willing to trade the expensive cars and the expensive houses and the expensive vacations and the expensive country clubs for a life of freedom from the need to work. Terhorst points us to a means of attaining financial independence early in life. The Non-Consumerist DINKs Path really will take some people to the place where they want to go. This approach works.

The problem, of course, is that the Terhorst path is so limited in application. Most of us are not DINKs (a DINK is a married couple with a double income and no kids). And many DINKs enjoy their jobs so much that they see no great appeal in leaving them behind. So this is not a vision that is going to take the world by storm anytime real soon.

Its worth studying the approach, however. What can be done by DINKs in very little time can be done by the rest of us in a good bit more time. Most of us can obtain some version of the financial independence enjoyed by Terhorst. The principles and strategies explored in his book have general application, even if the precise details of the particular program examined do not.

This is the Rob Bennett approach. I have tried in my book Passion Saving: The Path to Plentiful Free Time and Soul-Satisfying Work to put forward a vision that takes advantage of the insights of the other available financial independence visions while avoiding the pitfalls that have limited the success of some of them.

I acknowledge the workplace problems that fill the disgruntled cubicle dwellers with such anger and have tried to put forward a more positive approach for dealing with these problems. I appeal to peoples idealism in urging them to use their desire to do wonderful things with their lives to motivate better financial decisions without going so far as to suggest that we all need to retire from the corporate workplace to sign up with nonprofit organizations. I encourage the exploration of frugal ways of living without showing disdain for the consumerist choices that I believe have added a great deal to many middle-class lives in recent decades. I take a maverick position on many topics as a result of my belief that the old rules no longer work while showing what I hope is the proper measure of respect for the good that has been achieved in earlier times by the conventional money advice.

You do not possess financial independence today. You know that you want to come to possess it at some time in the future. Learn more about the eight paths to financial independence outlined above and you will learn that you can in all likelihood get from where you are today to the place where you know you someday want to be much sooner than you now realize is possible. Talk to people in our community and they will tell you that its an amazing journey, one that will change not only your money choices but your choices about just about everything you do with your life energy from the time you wake up in the morning until the time you drift off to sleep at night.

Money decisions are life decisions. Attain financial freedom and you gain the ability to do with your life what you always wanted to be able to do with it. Its not just about saving your money. Its also about saving your life.

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Welcome – Reach Financial Independence

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So youve recently met with an insurance advisor and his suggestion about life insurance has thrown a wrench in your budget. Were you hoping to hear about reasonably priced term life plans, and ... Read more

Good morning! We have a guest post from Jay Mistri he is a freelance finance writer from Massachusetts who runs Tips From Jay, a personal finance blog geared towards frugal living and day to day ... Read more

If you are thinking about purchasing your next car but cannot afford to do so out of pocket, then a car loan might be a great option for you. Whether you are looking for a new or used car, you can get ... Read more

For folks who have intentionally avoided the technological shifts that have disrupted and fundamentally changed society in the past twenty years, the next decade of the 21st century may ... Read more

You may have heard the term Plevin used in relation to PPI claims, but what exactly does it mean and how does it affect you? Below, we outline what the Plevin PPI rule is and how to make a ... Read more

Lets be honest; life insurance is not the simplest policy type you could be taking out; although it is one of the most essential. There are plenty of different providers and plenty of different ... Read more

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3 Ways to Achieve Financial Independence – wikiHow

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Three Methods:Living Within Your MeansMaximizing Your IncomeDeveloping Wise Savings StrategiesCommunity Q&A

However you interpret the concept, financial independence requires a lifetime of responsible, well-informed financial decision-making. For some, the term might indicate the moment you will no longer rely on your parents to cover all of your expenses. If this is a goal of yours, check out How to Start Saving to Become Independent. Later in life, the mention of financial independence may conjure the aspiration to cover living expenses without working, as many people hope to do during retirement. Whatever your personal goal, there are sound financial strategies you can implement at any age that will readily help to increase your financial independence.

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Set specific goals and stick with the plan. Understand that achieving financial independence is a long-term process. Speed bumps on the road to financial independence are inevitable. Overcome temporary setbacks by sticking to a responsible financial plan. If you focus on each financial goal you set for yourself, always look for options to increase your income and reduce your expenses, and save strategically, youll steadily improve your financial stability.

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Question

Is the 401(k) in Canada, or just the USA?

The 401(k) exists only in the U.S. Canada has a similar plan, the Registered Retirement Savings Plan.

Ask a Question

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 36,526 times.

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3 Ways to Achieve Financial Independence - wikiHow

Financial Independence & Early Retirement … – MoneyMow

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Fill out the details below to find out when you can achieve early retirement and financial independence

As you can see from the early retirement calculator, the most important metric to measure is your savings rate. The higher the savings rate, the faster you can retire early.

The early retirement calculator shows you when you can retire (and therefore at what age you can retire), but it does not show you how to retire early or increase your savings rate. You can follow my journey towards financial independence and early retirement to see an example. You can also browse through my blog to get concrete tips on how to retire early, achieve financial independence and increase your savings rate.

The most important assumption in the calculator is related to the safe withdrawal rate that is based on the Trinity study of safe withdrawal rates. I am confident that 4% is a safe withdrawal rate. Others will say 5% is fine, whereas some argue that 3% is more safe. You should make up your own mind and change the assumptions accordingly to get your retirement age.

Finally, another key assumption in the calculator is the 5% annual return on investment after taxes and inflation. I believe this number is fair, but you can never know what the returns will be in the future. Fluctuations in returns might impact at what age you can retire and achieve financial independence.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions related to the calculator or financial independence/early retirement in general.

Onwards,Carl

NB: This calculator is for informational purposes only, and you should always seek professional help before making any investment, life or other decisions. Please read my disclaimer and terms & conditions.

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Top 6 Financial Independence (FI) Blogs You Should Read …

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Financial independence refers to the state of reaching a point of sufficient wealth where one is not required to work full time unless they want to in order to maintain a desired lifestyle. It occurs when people have enough built-up income to pay for necessities, for the remainder of their lives, without an active-income, work-related paycheck. Financial independence can be achieved through saving, investing, and other passive income sources, but it usually means that individuals can pursue the things that they are truly passionate about, such as hobbies, travel, and so much more.

If financial independence, early retirement, or creating an investment portfolio are on your radar, be sure to check out these financial independence (FI) blogs and bloggers. Their experiences, advice, and discussions may be just what you need to kick-start your path towards financial independence.

Also known as Mr. and Mrs. 1500, the 1500 Days to Freedom blog chronicles the journey of one blogger (and his wife) whose goal is to retire in 1500 days at the age of 43 thereby [thinking] differently and [escaping] the rat race. Blogs range from a variety of financial independence topics, all of which aim to encourage and inspire others to abandon their consumer, spendaholic ways in favor of a more fulfilling existence and learn how to invest and save money via cutting expenses and smart, simple investing. Learn more about Mr. 1500, see if he is accomplishing his goal by February 2017, check out their blogs, and read more about the resources that helped them grow their money.

The Bogleheads are a collection of people, inspired to follow the investing advice of Jack Bogle (author, blogger, and financial guru), who follow a small number of simple investment principles that have been shown over time to produce risk-adjusted returns far greater than those achieved by the average investor. On the site, visitors will find thousands of forums that emphasize regular saving, broad diversification, and sticking to ones investment plan regardless of market conditions. Using the forum site can look a little overwhelming, but there is a great starter guide that will help you get organized and prepared to begin the Bogleheads investment philosophy. Typical forum topics include: investing (help, theory, news, general), personal finance, personal consumer issues, and more.

Jim L. Collins financial independence blog, titled jlcollinsnh, focuses on a simple path to wealth. Best known for his Stock Series on investing at times called the best thing you [could] read about how to invest money by Mr. 1500 the blog also discusses anything and everything from money, life, travel, and business. The author began the blog as a way to teach his daughter what did and did not work financially for him. As far as what you should do with the information, the author states: If you read my blog youll soon have a very clear idea of my views. You can then read other sources, compare and decide for yourself what resonates.

Mr. Money Mustache (MMM) is a financial freedom blog, started by a 30-something retiree, who wants to share his frugal, yet fun, life of leisure and all that comes with it. Along with blogs, there is anMMM forum dedicated to providing The Money Mustache Community with resources, discussions, and advice on all things financial, investing, and more. However, if you would like to stick with the blog itself, Mr. Money Mustache recommends starting with his blog Getting Rich: From Zero to Hero in One Blog Post, and working your way to the classics. If you would like to dive into the community forum, try starting with these steps, followed by the Best of Mr. Money Mustache discussions.

The Mad Fientist is not mad. He is a scientist of financial independenceor fienceor FI, if you will, which is short for financial independence. He wants to teach you, and every reader, that early financial independence is possible and achievable earlier than you might imagine. By analyzing the tax code and looking at personal finance through the lens of early financial independence, [The Mad Fientist] develop[s] strategies and tactics to help you retire even earlier rather than at 60+ years old. Along with well-researched blogs, he offers podcasts that feature some of the heaviest hitters in the financial independence sphere, as well as a free financial independence tracker. Not sure if it sounds legit? Check out this review from Mr. 1500.

The White Coat Investor is a blog started by a practicing, full-time, board-certified emergency physician who received a lot of bad advice and wanted to share what he learned along the way. It covers financial and investing topics and strategies that are specifically targeted at physicians and other high-earners, but the blog and forum are great resources for anyone who wants to find sound financial, investing, tax, and retirement advice. There is a lot of great content to sort through, so the author recommends starting here, which includes their top beginner blogs. Want even more from the White Coat Investor? Order the book it summarizes the blog and contains material not found on the blog.

Hopefully, these blogs have proven to be a great start on your progress towards financial independence! Other financial blogs are available, but you may find that the six blogs mentioned provide some of the more meaningful advice on this topic. If you find something interesting and useful, be sure to share it with your family and friends, because education (ideally early education) is key to these strategies.

Also, keep in mind that all of these blogs and forums are meant to help educate oneself on financial independence, investing, and early retirement. The authors want to offer basic knowledge, but they state that it is up to you (and your circumstances) to decide what will be best and most beneficial for you. They do not guarantee performance or returns but they do promise it will make you think!

Education Loan Finance is not paid to mention any of these blogs, books, or forums. We also do not promise or guarantee performance or returns based on their advice; we are simply informing you of helpful information sources available for your own research purposes.

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Roger Ver Debates Charlie Lee – The Lightning Network

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Charlie Lee engaged in a healthy debate with Roger Ver, CEO of Bitcoin.com at the recent cryptocurrency cruise. The full debate will be released over the coming days. This is just a SMALL PART of the full debate. The debate focused on all aspects of Bitcoin.

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Roger Ver Debates Charlie Lee - The Lightning Network

Superintelligence: From Chapter Eight of Films from the …

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This concern would often come out in conversations around meals. Id be sitting next to some engaging person, having what seemed like a normal conversation, when theyd ask So, do you believe in superintelligence? As something of an agnostic, Id either prevaricate, or express some doubts as to the plausibility of the idea. In most cases, theyd then proceed to challenge any doubts that I might express, and try to convert me to becoming a superintelligence believer. I sometimes had to remind myself that I was at a scientific meeting, not a religious convention.

Part of my problem with these conversations was that, despite respecting Bostroms brilliance as a philosopher, I dont fully buy into his notion of superintelligence, and I suspect that many of my overzealous dining companions could spot this a mile off. I certainly agree that the trends in AI-based technologies suggest we are approaching a tipping point in areas like machine learning and natural language processing. And the convergence were seeing between AI-based algorithms, novel processing architectures, and advances in neurotechnology are likely to lead to some stunning advances over the next few years. But I struggle with what seems to me to be a very human idea that narrowly-defined intelligence and a particular type of power will lead to world domination.

Here, I freely admit that I may be wrong. And to be sure, were seeing far more sophisticated ideas begin to emerge around what the future of AI might look likephysicist Max Tegmark, for one, outlines a compelling vision in his book Life 3.0. The problem is, though, that were all looking into a crystal ball as we gaze into the future of AI, and trying to make sense of shadows and portents that, to be honest, none of us really understand. When it comes to some of the more extreme imaginings of superintelligence, two things in particular worry me. One is the challenge we face in differentiating between what is imaginable and what is plausible when we think about the future. The other, looking back to chapter five and the movie Limitless, is how we define and understand intelligence in the first place.

***

With a creative imagination, it is certainly possible to envision a future where AI takes over the world and crushes humanity. This is the Skynet scenario of the Terminator movies, or the constraining virtual reality of The Matrix. But our technological capabilities remain light-years away from being able to create such futureseven if we do create machines that can design future generations of smarter machines. And its not just our inability to write clever-enough algorithms thats holding us back. For human- like intelligence to emerge from machines, wed first have to come up with radically different computing substrates and architectures. Our quaint, two-dimensional digital circuits are about as useful to superintelligence as the brain cells of a flatworm are to solving the unified theory of everything; its a good start, but theres a long way to go.

Here, what is plausible, rather than simply imaginable, is vitally important for grounding conversations around what AI will and wont be able to do in the near future. Bostroms ideas of superintelligence are intellectually fascinating, but theyre currently scientifically implausible. On the other hand, Max Tegmark and others are beginning to develop ideas that have more of a ring of plausibility to them, while still painting a picture of a radically different future to the world we live in now (and in Tegmarks case, one where there is a clear pathway to strong AGI leading to a vastly better future). But in all of these cases, future AI scenarios depend on an understanding of intelligence that may end up being deceptive

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Superintelligence: From Chapter Eight of Films from the ...

liberal – Wiktionary

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English[edit]Etymology[edit]

The adjective is from Old French liberal, from Latin lberlis (befitting a freeman), from lber (free); it is attested since the 14th century. The noun is first attested in the 1800s.

liberal (comparative more liberal, superlative most liberal)

He had a full education studying the liberal arts.

He was liberal with his compliments.

Add a liberal sprinkling of salt.

Her parents had liberal ideas about child-rearing.

pertaining to the arts the study of which is considered worthy of a free man

generous, willing to give unsparingly

ample, abundant, generous in quantity

obsolete: unrestrained, licentious

widely open to new ideas, willing to depart from established opinions, conventions etc.

open to political or social reforms

Translations to be checked

liberal (plural liberals)

one with liberal views, supporting individual liberty

Britain: one who favors individual voting rights, human and civil rights and laissez-faire markets

From Latin lberlis (befitting a freeman), from lber (free).

liberal (masculine and feminine plural liberals)

From Latin lberlis (befitting a freeman), from lber (free).

liberal (comparative liberaler, superlative am liberalsten)

Positive forms of liberal

Comparative forms of liberal

Superlative forms of liberal

From Latin lberlis (befitting a freeman), from lber (free).

liberalm (oblique and nominative feminine singular liberale)

From Latin lberlis (befitting a freeman), from lber (free).

liberalm, f (plural liberais, comparable)

liberal m, f (plural liberais)

In Brazil, the political sense of "liberal" is used to describe supporters of economic freedom, like classical liberals.

From lberlan.

librlm (Cyrillic spelling )

From Latin lberlis (befitting a freeman), from lber (free).

liberal (plural liberales)

liberalm, f (plural liberales)

From Latin lberlis (befitting a freeman), from lber (free).

liberal (comparative liberalare, superlative liberalast)

liberalc

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liberal - Wiktionary

Report: It’s Easy to Hack an Entire Generation of Military Weapons

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Planet Hack

On Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office announced that the Pentagon had been caught off guard. It turns out that an entire generation’s worth of weapons systems, including those that are still being developed, are really easy to hack.

There’s pretty much no excuse for the military to be so lax in its digital security, since its weaponry — plus the nature of warfare itself — is increasingly digital.

White Hat

If the military did have an excuse, though, it would be that several of the tests over the years were incomplete, which led officials to disregard the vulnerabilities that popped up.

The report, which left out many crucial details about which systems were most vulnerable, said that small teams of white-hat hackers were able to jack into various weapons systems within an hour.

Hackers, the report said, were able to take control of “major weapon systems” and “operate largely undetected, due in part to basic issues such as poor password management and unencrypted communications.”

In fact, the military’s weak-ass cybersecurity has been routinely failing these tests since 2012, according to the report.

Password123

Let’s not forget how outrageously stupid this is. The U.S. military has the highest budget of any military in the world — it’s set to receive $674 billion of tax dollars next year — but didn’t think it was worth figuring out a way to keep its assets safe.

Hackers seem to have an awful lot to work with these days. Social media and tech companies are leaking, selling, and being robbed of private information left and right. A mountain of evidence suggests that America’s presidential elections and infrastructure were compromised by digital subterfuge in 2016.

In the face of all that, it looks as though the military left its most advanced weaponry and digital systems right out in the open.

Yeesh.

READ MORE: WEAPON SYSTEMS CYBERSECURITY: DOD Just Beginning to Grapple with Scale of Vulnerabilities [U.S. Government Accountability Office]

More on cybersecurity: Leaders Who Pledged Not To Build Autonomous Killing Machines Are Ignoring The Real Problem

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Report: It’s Easy to Hack an Entire Generation of Military Weapons

Google Won’t Bid on Pentagon Contract, but Not Just Because Employees Wanted It To

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Good Guy Google?

Google is taking the high ground — or is it?

On Monday, the company told Bloomberg it wouldn’t submit a bid on a Pentagon contract it had been considering. The tech giant cited concerns that the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud-computing project would have conflicted with principles it put in place following employee protests over military contracts earlier this year.

But while Google framed those employee concerns as reason numero uno for dropping out of the competition, there’s another, less ethically-driven explanation: Google knew it couldn’t win the contract.

Don’t Be Evil

The JEDI project will involve transitioning boatloads of Defense Department data to a cloud system. The contract to operate that cloud system will reportedly last for 10 years and pay an estimated $10 billion.

A Google spokesperson told Bloomberg in a statement that the company would have had no problem meeting some parts of the contract. However, it simply didn’t have the right certifications to complete the contract in its entirety:

While we are working to support the US government with our cloud in many areas, we are not bidding on the JEDI contract because first, we couldn’t be assured that it would align with our AI Principles and second, we determined that there were portions of the contract that were out of scope with our current government certifications. Had the JEDI contract been open to multiple vendors, we would have submitted a compelling solution for portions of it.

It’s unclear how a data transitioning project might be conflict with Google’s principles — it’s not nearly as controversial as drone strikes or government censorship, which Google employees have raised concerns about in the past.

Real Talk

The second part of that paragraph, you’ll note, pretty much says Google couldn’t complete the JEDI contract. And that makes the first part — where it claims it wouldn’t submit a bid based on its “principles” — feels an awful lot like the kid who didn’t get invited to prom saying they didn’t want to go anyways.

We didn’t fall for that one in high school, Google, and we aren’t falling for it now.

READ MORE: Google Drops Out of Pentagon’s $10 Billion Cloud Competition [Bloomberg]

More on Google: Google Employees Have Become the Company’s Moral Compass

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Google Won’t Bid on Pentagon Contract, but Not Just Because Employees Wanted It To

Researchers Identify the “Missing Link” in the Chemistry of Saturn’s Largest Moon

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Team Titan

Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is weird. Really weird. Its atmosphere is unlike that of any other moon in our entire solar system — in fact, it’s a lot like what scientists believe Earth’s was like during its first billion years.

Titan’s atmosphere also includes organic compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), precursors to the molecules that gave rise to life on Earth. Previously, we thought they could only form under high-temperature conditions. But the average surface temperature on Titan is a frigid -179 degrees Celsius (-290 degrees Fahrenheit).

Now, researchers think they’ve found the “missing link” that explains how Titan’s atmosphere could include these compounds. The knowledge could better our understanding of our own planet’s infancy and provide new clues in the search for extraterrestrial life.

Early Earth

In a study published Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy, U.S. and Russian researchers show how gases already known to exist on Titan could have combined to produce PAHs. They did this using a combination of computer simulations and practical experiments.

The finding isn’t remarkable simply because it teaches us something new about Titan — it could also help us better understand Earth’s history.

“The gas make up of Titan is similar to prebiotic Earth — hydrocarbons and nitrogen and the absence of oxygen — hence, scientists are keen to see how chemistry is evolving or has evolved on Titan to provide clues to Earth’s atmospheric content,” Berkeley researcher and study author Musahid Ahmed told Futurism.

The better we can understand the conditions that led to the formation of the Earth as we know it, the better equipped we’ll be to figure out exactly what conditions are necessary for the formation of life — and where we might want to look for it elsewhere in the universe.

READ MORE: Scientists Present New Clues to Cut Through the Mystery of Titan’s Atmospheric Haze [Berkeley Lab]

More on Titan: Titan Has Even More in Common With Earth Than We Thought

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Researchers Identify the “Missing Link” in the Chemistry of Saturn’s Largest Moon

A Startup’s Bold Plan to Open Robot Farms Near U.S. Cities

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Machine Thumb

Farming is one of humanity’s oldest professions, right after hunting and gathering. But now, a startup called Iron Ox is in the process of opening a farm in California that will replace human farmers with robots.

At the heart of Iron Ox’s operations is Angus, a robot that uses its dexterous arm to tend to mattress-sized hydroponic beds of edible plants. The bot’s machine learning software allows it to identify and remove plants exhibiting signs of pests or disease before they can infect the whole patch.

Robofarmer

Iron Ox’s goal seems to be disrupting the current model of industrial agriculture. The company’s founder, Brandon Alexander, appears particularly well-suited to take on the task: He previously worked as both a farmer and a Google engineer.

“Right now fresh produce really isn’t all that fresh,” Alexander told CNBC. “It’s traveling on average 2,000 miles from farm to grocery store, which means a lot of people are eating week-old lettuce or strawberries.”

Old BotDonald

If all goes well, Iron Ox plans to uproot farming norms with a series of robotic farms that sell locally-grown greens, from lettuce to basil, to restaurants and grocery stores across the country. Though it hasn’t inked any deals yet, the startup says it’s already in talks with Bay Area restaurants, and Alexander told a local news station in San Francisco that the company hopes to be selling robot-grown produce in grocery stores by 2019.

Eventually, he told Fast Company, the goal is to grow produce at a lower price than conventional farms. If the company can pull that off — which, granted, is a huge “if” — it’ll radically reorient the relationship between farmers, food retailers, and, ultimately, your dinner plate.

READ MORE: Meet the farmers of the future: Robots [Associated Press]

More on robot farmers: This Terrifying Robot Wolf Is Protecting the Crops of Japanese Farmers

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A Startup’s Bold Plan to Open Robot Farms Near U.S. Cities

This Wireless Implant Heals Damaged Nerves and Then Self-Destructs

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Nervous Wreck

Nerve damage is no joke. Even something as simple as typing too much can lead to bolts of pain shooting up your arm. The damage from an accident or injury can be even more traumatic.

Doctors have known for a while that electrical stimulation can help nerves heal after injuries. Now that observation has led to a futuristic new treatment for nerve damage: implantable gadgets that wrap around damaged nerves, delivering pulses of healing electricity for a set period of time before harmlessly degrading into the body.

Material Existence

According to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, the dime-sized devices comprise biodegradable polymers and magnesium, and they’re controlled and powered by an external transmitter, similarly to an inductive charging mat for a cell phone.

The researchers, who hail from Northwestern University and Washington University School of Medicine, say they can adjust the devices’ lifespans from less than a minute to several months by changing the composition of the biodegradable materials.

“We engineer the devices to disappear,” said researcher John Rogers, who helped create the device, in a press release. “This notion of transient electronic devices has been a topic of deep interest in my group for nearly 10 years — a grand quest in materials science, in a sense.”

Rats, Foiled Again

To test whether the gadgets help nerves heal, the research team implanted them around the injured sciatic nerves of 25 adult rats. The more electrical stimulation they gave each rat during the following 10 weeks, the faster the animal recovered its nerve function. It’s not clear from this initial research whether there’s an ideal amount of electrical stimulation for nerve therapy, however.

The researchers didn’t share a timeline for human trials, but they said they’re hopeful that their technique could one day “complement or replace” existing treatments for nerve injuries in people, which frequently rely on prescription painkillers.

READ MORE: Implantable, biodegradable devices speed nerve regeneration in rats [EurekAlert]

More on nerve damage: Process Discovered That Saves Injured Nerve Cells And Helps Prevent Brain Damage

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This Wireless Implant Heals Damaged Nerves and Then Self-Destructs

SpaceX’s First Tourist Isn’t Worried About Training for His Trip to the Moon

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Moon Tourist

The Securities and Exchange Commission might not be convinced that Elon Musk always tells the truth, but that isn’t stopping Yusaku Maezawa from taking the controversial entrepreneur at his word.

Maezawa is the Japanese billionaire paying Musk’s SpaceX an undisclosed — but likely exorbitant — amount of money in exchange for a trip around the Moon. During a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on Tuesday, he told reporters he wasn’t sweating the training he’d have to undergo for the first-of-its-kind mission.

Training Yay

Granted, he doesn’t know what exactly that training will be yet.

But he’s still calm about it. Why? The assurance of Elon Musk.

“It hasn’t been decided yet what training I will need to undergo, but Elon Musk has said it shouldn’t be too hard,” Maezawa said.

No Rush

Maezawa doesn’t think he’ll have trouble fitting training into his schedule, either. He only visits the offices of his fashion company Zozo three or four times a week for about six hours per day, he said.

Add to that the fact that the Big Falcon Rocket that will carry Maezawa to the Moon isn’t expected to lift off until 2023, and he should have plenty of time to get in tip-top space tourist shape — whatever that means.

READ MORE: Japan Space Tourist Says Moon Training ‘Shouldn’t Be Too Hard’ [Phys.org]

More on Maezawa: Live Update: Space Unveils Future Moon Passenger

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SpaceX’s First Tourist Isn’t Worried About Training for His Trip to the Moon