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Thomas Jefferson was moved to remark: "My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!" NOT until drought, famine, and supernatural disasters strip our cupboards bare, and EMPTY our grocery shelves, will we know how good weve had it! Only when America goes hungry, will she remember how full she was!

President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed April 30, 1863, as a NATIONAL DAY OF FASTING, HUMILIATION AND PRAYER, and spoke these words: "We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness."

God heard and answered those prayers! Judgment was forestalled. But wheres a leader today with the moral courage and spiritual vision, to strongly recommend that "We, the People" humble ourselves and pray, let alone fast? Weve got to have our three meals a day, with plenty of snacks in between! But DROUGHT is going to force us to fast! Gods going to suddenly withhold the rain, in various parts of our countries, destroying our crops. Floods will rot the rest (Amos 4:7-8)!

Were supposed to enjoy a reciprocal relationship with God, but we havent. Since weve failed to offer up prayers, Gods not going to send down rain! Both our parched land and lives NEED Gods Holy Spirit! Weve got to learn the spiritual relationship between the heavens and the earth - theyre interdependent!

We need to fast and pray, now, to be spared from further misery: "...if My people who are called by my Name (Christian countries) will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Instead of becoming a model-nation weve become a STRIPPER! Weve taken all the fine things that Gods given us and laid them out before foreigners (Hosea 2:1-13)! Weve squandered our time and energy in pagan ways and heathen practices! Therefore, Gods going to STRIP AWAY OUR PEACE AND PROSPERITY! Were going to be left exposed to the elements and stripped bare before NAKED AGGRESSION! Since we refuse to return to God, well be sent back into SLAVERY!

Were a nation of DRUNKS AND WHORES - so Gods going to let us hit bottom so hard itll appear well never bounce back! Gods no longer going to enable us to carry on in our ways, drinking ourselves to death and dying for sex! Weve gone from bad to worse: "You have stricken them, but they have not grieved; You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to return" (Jeremiah 5:3).

Weve become so hard-hearted, so cold and cruel, nothing seems to faze us anymore, but Gods taking away His protective shield (Isaiah 5:5). Were going to be ravaged by the weather and our enemies! But we dont attribute the dramatic increase in "natural disasters" and crazy weather to a spiritual upheaval. We fail to see any connection between our land and our lives, even though Solomon was wise enough to know theres a link (1 Kings 8:35-40). We should realize that nature doesnt have a mind of its own, but can be used by our Creator to get us thinking (Jeremiah 5:20-25).

God says because He's called us on many different occasions, and we've refused to answer; weve broken the olive branch every time He's extended it; we've flatly rejected what Hes advised us to do, and didn't want to be told we weren't living right -- laughing at God's people as old-fashioned, and making fun of them for believing the Bible and thinking they're crazy for warning about Europe (who will deal the death blow to our sick and dying country) instead of taking them seriously: "I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your terror comes... When distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I WILL NOT ANSWER; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me" (Proverbs 1:24-33).

Who likes a fair-weather friend? Who's willing to play second fiddle to anyone or anything in a right relationship? Does God want us to only look Him up when we're short on cash or need to get out of jail? Is God impressed with our attention when all our distractions have been stripped away? When we can finally hear Him and listen to what He has to say because we no longer own a loud stereo or television set (because our homes have been blown up, destroyed or looted)? CONCENTRATION CAMPS will help us to learn to THINK again!

As our CREATOR, God's going to dispatch the forces of nature to bring His Message home! "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Luke 21: 25-26).

When Earth's equilibrium's off and nature appears to have gone off the deep end; terrifying tidal waves crash into cities, batter our coastlands and sweep away towns; unbelievable earthquakes strike that make today's troubles seem like mere tremors; droughts occur that suck out every ounce of moisture from the air; and on and on with NO RELIEF in sight - people are going to break! Some will be literally scared to death!

We need to WAKE UP and realize this is all symptomatic of our sick condition! Earth reflects our relationship with Heaven. The reason we experience upset weather is because there's a SPIRITUAL UPHEAVAL in our lives! These bizarre acts of creation warn us we're out of sync with the Scriptures!

WHAT WILL WE DO ABOUT IT? Will we remain ignorant and indifferent and die, or turn around as a people and nation and save ourselves from suffering further consequences for disobedience? (Daniel 9:11). God help us to see it's only going to get worse if we don't get better. God help us to be spared from national destruction, defeat and deportation!

David Ben-Ariel, a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall, shares a special focus on the Middle East, reflected in hard-hitting articles that help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out Beyond Babylon.

Lighter in weight, easy to carry and can be easily maneuvered yes such characteristics aptly describe a Best Folding Bike. It is quite an easy task to store and transport a best folding bicycle. Such bikes fit well in conventional carrying cases and they can be carried in trains too.

The range and category of folding bikes are gaining opulence in contemporary bike bazaar and they are being more and more used on road, off road and for racing purposes too. It is true that folding bikes are a bit too costly in comparison to non-folding bikes but they are worth that extra six pence.

Best folding bikes are items of growing interest

The Montague and the bike Friday varieties of the folding bike have recently gained immense popularity in U.S, while Brompton folding bike are becoming known to the bike enthusiasts of U.K. However, the groups of folding bikes manufactured by the Taiwan companies are also capturing the market as they yield more with higher end models and superfine biking components.

On the other hand, the specialty of DaHon folding bike lies in the fact that despite their small stature, the bikes can be easily folded with both wheels on.

The basic motto of buying folding bicycle is to easily carry them on several public and private transports including trains, ferries, RVs, small planes and boats. There are some areas where non-folding bikes of massive size and weight are not allowed during the peak traffic hours. However, the best folding bicycles are ideal for such places and even hours of the day as they can be transported without any external hazards.

A perfect folder is always required to store a superior-quality folding bike because unless you get hold of a suitable folder, storage is difficult. Though each folding bike is best in their own way, still they are not without disadvantages.

1.Montague and Slingshot folding bikes They are the best for their excellent performance but they cannot be easily folded due to their large sized wheels.

2.The bike Friday folding bikes Again an excellent folding product but they seem inconvenient due to their small wheel size, which brings about a harshness in riding and the wheels get heated quite rapidly.

3.The Birdy, Brompton and the small DaHons These folding bicycles lack an extensive gear range.

What should an ideal folder of a folding bike possess?

1. The folder should fold as small as a 18 Birdy, a 20 DaHon Explorer or 16 Brompton.

2. It should not weigh more than 26 pounds

3. The folder should have a very wide gearing, handles that of a full sized bike along with a suspended frame

4. It should also have folding pedals, which help in reducing the folded width

5. The folder must make use of several standard components and accessories and it should get folded and bagged in less than 2 minutes

It is the neatness, which matters in every equipment and judged from this perspective the best folding bicycle is sure to catch the attention of the contemporary bike freak publics.

Robert Sheehan is a freelance writer and co-owner of

http://www.bicycles-are-us.com Visit Robert And

read more about bicycles at

http://www.bicycles-are-us.com/Folding-Bikes.html

If you like dark, confined spaces but hate nature, perhaps the sport called urban exploration, urbex or UE, might be the activity for you. To participate in urbex, individuals in Dallas, Houston and elsewhere in Texas spend hours examining the normally unseen or off-limits parts of urban landscapes. Urban exploration may also be referred to as "draining" (when exploring drains) "urban spelunking or urban caving," "vadding," "building hacking," "reality hacking" or "roof and tunnel hacking."

Trips into abandoned structures are perhaps the most common example of UE. Abandoned sites are generally entered by locals, and often sport large amounts of graffiti and acts of vandalism. Explorers face various risks in abandoned structures, including collapsing roofs and floors, broken glass, guard dogs, the presence of chemicals and other harmful substances, most notably asbestos and hostile squatters. Some explorers wear respirators to protect their lungs. Some abandonments are heavily guarded with motion sensors and active security. Others are more easily accessible and carry less risk of discovery.

Exploration targets vary from one location to another. Some of the more popular or high-profile abandonments include: amusement parks, grain elevators, missile silos, hospitals, asylums and sanatoriums.

Most, if not all, explorers who are also photographers find the decay of uninhabited spaces beautiful. Abandonments are also popular among history buffs, "urban archaeologists," "ghost hunters" and fans of graffiti art.

Active buildings Another aspect of urban exploration is the practice of exploring active or in-use buildings. This includes exploring secured or "member-only" areas, mechanical rooms, roofs, elevator rooms, abandoned floors and other normally unseen parts of such buildings. The term "infiltration" is often associated with the exploration of active structures.

Catacombs Catacombs, like those found in Paris, Rome and Naples, have been investigated by urban explorers for centuries. The catacombs under Paris, for example, have been considered the "Holy Grail" by some, due to their extensive nature and history.

Sewers and storm drains Exploring storm drains, or draining, is another form of UE. Groups devoted to the task have arisen, such as the Cave Clan in Australia. A small group of explorers enter sewers. Sometimes they are the only connection to caves or other subterranean feature. But be forewarned, sewers are among the most dangerous locations to explore. Draining has a specialized set of rules, foremost among them being "When it rains, no drains."

Transit tunnels Another subset of urban exploration deals with searching active and abandoned subways, underground railway tunnels and bores. Since these tend to be in major cities, there can be stiff penalties if you're caught trespassing, especially after the 9-11 attacks. As a result, this type of exploration is rarely publicized. Although explorers exist worldwide, those who partake in this often reside near New York City, Toronto, London, Sydney and Moscow, as well as some of the other major cities throughout the world.

Utility tunnels Universities and other large institutions often distribute steam for heating buildings from a central heating plant. These steam ducts are generally run through utility tunnels, which are often accessible only for the purposes of maintenance. Many of these steam tunnels, such as those on college campuses, also have a tradition of exploration.

Steam tunnels in general have been getting more secure in recent years, due to their use for carrying network backbones and the perceived risk of their use in terrorist activities, as well as safety and liability issues.

Some steam tunnels have dirt floors, no lighting and can have temperatures upwards of 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 C). Others have concrete floors and bright light, and can be quite nice and with a cool temperature. Most modern steam tunnels have large intake fans to bring in fresh air, and push all of the hot air out the back.

Activities such as urban exploration can be a possible, albeit dangerous way to exercise to maintain good health. If you're a young individual who likes to try unusual sports like urbex to keep healthy, you should take a look at the revolutionary, comprehensive and highly-affordable individual health insurance solutions created by Precedent specifically for you. For more information, visit us at our website, www.precedent.com. We offer a unique and innovative suite of individual health insurance solutions, including highly competitive HSA-qualified plans and an unparalleled real time application and acceptance experience.

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