NOTE: GOPIO News is a FREE bi-monthly newsletter of GOPIO International, based in the USA. We need your help in reaching out more NRIs/PIOs around the world. Please go to the bottom of the news bulletin and click the FORWARD button and type e-mail addresses of your friends and relatives. One could also subscribe this newsletter by visiting www.gopio.net and type in the e-mail address. All preivous issues of GOPIO News are provided at GOPIO News Archives. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter in future, please click SafeUnsubscribe at the end of this newsletter.

GOPIO is a community supported non-profit (US IRS 501 (c) (3)) organization taking up issues of the Indian Diaspora and attempting to unifying the community in its common causes. Support GOPIO by becoming a Life Member or chapter member. One can become Life Member online by visiting http://www.gopio.net/online_membership.html.

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GOPIO FOUNDING MEMBER AND FORMER PRESIDENT/CHAIRMAN INDER SINGH PASSES AWAY

GOPIO’s Founding Life Member, former President and Chairman and current Executive Trustee of GOPIO Foundation has passed away on September 27, 2019 at Woodland Hills near Los Angeles, California, USA. The funeral service was held on October 17th in the Sikh tradition at the Church of the Recessional by Bhai ji Mastan Singh in the presence of family and friends joined by a large number of Indian community leaders and many GOPIO officials headed by its Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham, Treasurer Kewal Kanda and GICC Chair Niraj Baxi. Govt. of India was represented by India's Deputy Consul General Rajesh N. Naik who read a condolence message from Consul General Sanjay Panda. A community tribute was organized on October 20th by GOPIO Chapters joined by community organizations. Rich tributes were rendered by a large number of community leaders.

GOPIO News will cover the tributes meeting in a future issue.

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UPDATE ON GOPIO BIENNIAL CONVENTION TO BE HELD IN BERLIN, GERMANY, NOV. 8-10, 2019 AND FINALE IN PARIS, NOV. 11-12, 2019 - GOPIO COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Scores of delegates from across the world are preparing to attend the twinned city congress of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO International) - marking a milestone of 30 years - in Europe in November. See details program by clicking below:

GOPIO BIENNIAL CONVENTION, BERLIN-PARIS, NOV. 2019

For the first time since GOPIO International was founded in 1989 with the diplomatic endorsement of the Indian government in New Delhi that a world gathering of the most influential Indians will be hosted in two famous landmark cities - Berlin and Paris - from 8-12 November.

Particularly significant within the double-header program is the celebration of Diwali, the worldwide celebration of the Festival of Lights by millions of Indians in mainland India and about 30 million Diaspora Indians spread across more than 100 countries.

The forthcoming conference is headlined as the "Indiaspora Meeting in Europe" under the banner theme, Strengthening Global Connections.

The 30^th year biennial convention takes place in the German city of Berlin from 8 to 10 November, and the entourage travels to France for the second leg of the extraordinary meeting on 11-12 November in Paris, according to Mr. Mehen Poinoosawmy, Chairman of the convention to be held in both host cities.

GOPIO International has dispatched a call for speakers, panelists and thought leaders to contribute to the dual gatherings.

Some of the highlights include visits to the sights and sound of Berlin - among the famous sites is the Berlin Wall that separated communist East Germany from democratic West Germany and was torn down during the detente of the 1980s following the unification of Germany.

Delegates will travel together to the French capital.

In Paris, tours have been arranged to the Versailles Palace, Mont Saint Michel and the Eiffel Tower as well. A GOPIO meeting is on the schedule at the French Parliament.

Within the build up to the Diwali celebration, visits to other tourist attractions are being planned in the "City of Love" with Espace Reuilly as the central location.

Photo above: GOPIO’s Community Service awardees and special awardees, from l. to r., Dr. Ezhil Anand, Dr. Vimal Khosla, Krishan Kishore Mathur, Professor Rajen Pillay, Michelle Michael and Gurmeet Kalra

GOPIO COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS ANNOUNCED

GOPIO International will honor four people with Inder Singh Community Service Awards (CSA), in honor of GOPIO Founding member and Past President/Chairman Inder Singh who passed away on September 27^th, 2019. GOPIO. This year, GOPIO decided to name the CSA Awards in his name for his long contribution to GOPIO.

This year’s awardees are as follows:

Dr. Ezhil Anand MBBS(India), M.Med.Sci (Nottingham), UK

Dr. Vimal Khosla, Paris, France

Mr Krishan Kishore Mathur, Bahrain

Professor Rajen Pillay, Durban, South Africa

Indition, this year two special awards are given to two individuals for their services to GOPIO. They are:

Mr. Gurmeet Kalra of the newly formed GOPIO Agra,India and

Mrs Michelle Michael of GOPIO, Durban, South Africa

Other Convention Information

Whether you could attend the convention or not, you could become a Sponsor for a nominal amount of 200 Euros (or US $222). All sponsors will get a write up with photo and a profile up to 10 sentences. GOPIO chapters and community organizaitons will receive a half page space with photo of the Exec. Committee and organization coordinates and information. Please send it in right away to europegopio@gmail.com. Your payment can be made using a credit card at our PayPal Account as given below. The USA and Canadian residents and chapters may write a check in favor of GOPIO, and send to GOPIO Treasurer to his address, Mr. Kewal Kanda, 11433 Arlee Ave., Norwalk, CA 90650.

Payments Using Credit Cards at the PayPal site:

Go online to: www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/make-online-payments

Choose: Make online payment

Select option: Pay for items or services quickly and securely

GOPIO Email: gopiofunds@gmail.com

Amount Currency: USD

The convention is also seeking corporate sponsors and ads in the booklet from business and service people.

Community Service Awards

Please nominate any person who has done outstanding community service by sending the bio to europegopio@gmail.com. They have to be present at the convention in Berlin.

Please register for the convention in the information provided in the attached files.

HOTEL BOOKING FOR STAYING IN BERLIN - GERMANY

Delegates who will stay at Conference venue : BERLIN : Gästehaus der Polizei, Ruppiner Chaussee 268, 13503 Berlin https://www.gaestehaus-der-polizei.de/galerie-gaestehaus/ Cost is: 200 Euros per person All-inclusive from Friday Evening to Sunday Lunch time including GOPIO Registration fee for convention. For this accommodation: Reservation should be done through GOPIO Convention Team:

Delegates who do not plan to stay at the Conference venue : REGISTRATION FEE & ALL MEALS INCLUDED at 130 EUROS / Personm They have to book for their hotels on their own through www.bookings.com in the nearby area of 13503 Berlin

Other Hotels near convention centre : IBIS TEGEL HOTEL (near Tegel airport ) : https://www.accorhotels.com/fr/hotel-1573-ibis-berlin-airport-tegel/index.shtml

REGISTRATION & PAYMENTS FOR GOPIO BIENNIAL CONFERENCE BERLIN & PARIS

PAYMENTS: Payment by Bank Transfer : Send your total amount to be paid by Bank Transfer to address in below link. http://www.gopiofrance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Bank.pdf Delegates can pay also by PAYPAL to the account of GOPIO INTERNATIONAL: Go online to: https://www.paypal.com/fr/signin (connect with your account) Choose: make online payment It gives you the option to: Pay for items or services quickly and securely Your email: xxxxx @ xxxxx .com GOPIO E-mail: gopiofunds@gmail.com Amount in Currency 200 Euros In space left for details, please add “Payment for convention Berlin-Paris”. Send a mail to europegopio@gmail.com for follow ups.

HOTEL BOOKING FOR STAYING IN PARIS, FRANCE

GOPIO HOTEL DELEGATES BOOK HERE ( upload reservation form and send by mail directly to Hotel as indicated with copy to europegopio@gmail.com): CLICK HERE ( 3 Stars) HOTEL IBIS CAMBRONNE EIFFEL TOWER, 17 Rue Cambronne, Paris 74015 https://www.accorhotels.com/fr/hotel-1400-ibis-paris-tour-eiffel-cambronne-15eme/index.shtml#origin=ibis (Negociated for GOPIO RATE – Reservation to be done before 10/10/2019- Booking file: 545803) SINGLE room x 120.00 €, breakfast included (1person) DOUBLE room x 130.50 €, breakfast included (2persons) TWIN room x 130.50 €, breakfast included (2persons)

OTHER HOTELS IN PARIS : ( 5 Stars) INTERCONTINENTAL LE GRAND PARIS , 2 Rue Scribe, OPERA, PARIS 75009 : https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/fr/fr/paris/parhb/hoteldetail

( 4 stars) HOTEL LE MARIOTT, RIVE GAUCHE , 17 Boulevard Saint Jacques, PARIS 74014 https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/parst-paris-marriott-rive-gauche-hotel-and-conference-center/

NOT EXPENSIVE BUT GOOD low budget ACCOMODATIONS HERE FOR SEVERAL PERSONS: https://french.fiapparis-network.fr/welcome.html For more information, contact the following convention officers:

Mehen Poinoosawmy GOPIO EUROPE Conv. Chairman, Tel +33 6 70 46 88 85, Email: mpoinoos@gmail.com

Dr. Rajinder Tewari GOPIO EUROPE Conv. Convener, Tel: +31 6 5399990, E-mail: r.tewari@gopioholland.nl

Bajinder Sodhi GOPIO EUROPE Conv. Co-convener Tel: +49 172 591271. E-mail: restaurantneumanns@online.de

GOPIO ORGANIZED THIRD INDIAN DIASPORA HEALTH SUMMIT A GREAT SUCCESS

Photo: Inauguration of the Third Indian Diaspora Health Summit organized by GOPIO Health Council along with the Indian Consulate in New York and TV Asia. GOPIO officials with dignitaries and sponsors at the lighting of the lamp at the Inaugural Session.

GOPIO International Health Council, The Consulate General of India in New York, TV Asia with support from GOPIO Central Jersey and Connecticut Chapters, Indian Health Camp of NJ, Princeton Lions Club and Central Jersey Business Organization hosted the third Indian Diaspora Health Summit on Saturday, October 12, 2019, at TV Asia Auditorium in Edison, NJ. Deputy Consul General Shatrughna Sinha attended the event as a Chief Guest along with CEO and Chairman of TV Asia Padma Shree Dr. H.R. Shah, Piscataway Township Councilman Kapil Shah, health professionals and community leaders from various organizations.

After successful second health summit at the Consulate General in New York in October 2018, GOPIO International Health Council held this third health summit which was an entire day event to include comprehensive discussion on medical, dental, mental health, alternative medicine, life-style modifications and wellness and yoga sessions from various renowned experts from the tri-state.

The Indian Diaspora Health Summit is an initiative of GOPIO’s Health Council. The goal is to improve the health of people of Indian origin by raising awareness of current and emerging health issues affecting them, and by promoting preventive practices and sharing information to better manage chronic diseases, reduce complications and live healthy lifestyle in the Indian Diaspora. GOPIO Health Council recognized and awarded four leaders in their respective fields for their contribution as well as for promoting health awareness among the Indian Diaspora in the community. The awardees were Rahul Shukla, CEO, S.S. White Technologies & Shukla Medical – For achievement and contributions in manufacturing latest medical equipment; Hitesh Bhatt, Bhatt Foundation Inc. - Achievement and Contributions in Health Care Technology; Padma Shri H.R. Shah, Chairman & CEO, TV Asia - For Promoting Health Awareness among the Indian Diaspora and Sabinsa Corporation - For achievement and contributions in Health Supplements.

In his welcome remarks GOPIO International Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham provided history of GOPIO and urged everyone to become a life member and support GOPIO’s efforts to help Indian diaspora and appreciated everyone for their help for the Third Indian Diaspora Health Summit.

GOPIO Health Council Chair Dr. Tushar Patel mentioned that Access to care especially preventive health care is the biggest challenge in south Asians. Early detection and timely intervention for diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disorders and many types of cancer brings overall positive outcome and reduce long term complications and help in healthier living.

Host and TV Asia Chairman/CEO Padma Shree Dr. H. R. Shah provided his remarks by saying that health is an important aspect of life, breathing is more important than any other step in medicine. “If you are healthy you can do anything in your life and he appreciated GOPIO’s efforts in making Indian Diaspora healthier by holding this type of event,” said Shah. He further extended his support for future health summits.

Deputy Consul General Shatrughna Sinha mentioned that we have vulnerabilities in terms of our genetic makeup and our earliest problems were access to healthcare and insurance for healthcare but now the number of doctors in India are reducing, so we have created more medical schools to fix this. He briefed the gathering about various initiatives taken by the Government of India in the health sector. He also spoke about opportunities for investments in India's health sector.

Guest speaker Hitesh Bhatt, CEO and Founder of Bhatt Foundation, Inc. provided wonderful information on health care technologies in 21^st century and explained how we can expand global healthcare without raising money - created the foundation. Robotic surgery with AT&T 5G, launched in Chicago - can download anything within seconds and the inner population of Chicago can now live 20 years longer because of this device and for human health - “the right diet combined with advances in technology in the medical field is mind-blowing”.

Photo: GOPIO Health Council Chair Dr. Tushar Patel welcomes at the Inaugural Session of the Third Indian Diaspora Health Summit. Sitting from l. to r. Hitesh Bhatt, Rahul Shukla, Deputu Consul General Shatrugna Sinha, H.R. Shah, Ram Gadhavi and Dr. Thomas Abraham

Rahul Shukla, CEO of SS White Technologies and Shukla Medical provided his keynote address and mentioned that we are much nicer to others than ourselves, this is primarily because we don’t like taking care of ourselves. Mr. Shukla explained that is the perfect example of the American Dream: a factory worker became the president of a legendary company and this can only happen in America. He further added that when things go wrong, I blame myself (Because only you can change your health, no one can fix that for you - blaming others can be satisfying but you can’t learn that way). There is a big difference in deciding to do something to change your health, and actually doing that. So, when you make a goal, you have to set a deadline, until then, it is just a fantasy.

The first session included the topics of metabolic syndrome, diabetes & other chronic diseases which are vulnerable in Asian Indians. The panel discussion was superbly moderated by Dr. Annah Kuriakose, Program Director of South Asian Diabetes Center at Saint Peter’s Hospital along with four panelists to include Dr. Nayan Kothari, Internal Medicine, Dr. Roopa Roy, Endocrinologist, Dr. Bhambhani, Clinical Pharmacist & Ms. Shah, dietitian and nutritionist. The panelist discussed various topics of diabetes, diet, risk factors for Indians and how to prevent and maintain a healthy life. Things that run together are called “syndrome” which is a Latin meaning. The biggest silent killer is Metabolic Syndrome which is a cluster of conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and low DHL and central obesity that can increase your risk of heart disease or a stroke. Body Mass Index of 25 and over is considered high, but for South Asians it’s 21 and over, that’s when we need to start worrying. We cannot change our genetic makeup, but we can change our diet and lifestyle and exercising is the key - start 30 mins every day (it takes 90 mins for insulin to kick in and exercise will increase general sense of well-being). Hemoglobin A1C is the most common test everyone needed to confirm the diagnosis and all at high blood glucose level of 126 and above should get it.

Diabetes has a correlation with many other chronic diseases and can double the risk of cancer. The South Asians are at risk for diabetes due to their phenotype. Indian food can be rich in carbohydrates if not properly cooked and eaten, and the only thing that help is a portion control as moderation is the key. The number of calories you eat, the same amount needs to burn out to maintain good and healthy weight. Diabetes and its complications are preventable if early screening and follow-up with a health care provider is started, so start early check-up, manage and get control of diabetes is the key.

Varsha Singh, Advanced Nurse Practitioner in her topic of clinical care coordination mentioned that doctors and patients do not communicate effectively. US healthcare cost is very high compared to other developed countries and there should be only one software in the nation so all hospitals can access them. No one gets out of life alive, so advance care planning is very important. Tele-medicine in 21^st century and their benefits were discussed by Kunal Mehta. The afternoon session was allocated to mental health, oral health, physical therapy and alternative and complimentary medicine.

Dr. Prakash Amin, Psychiatrist, Dr. Ketan Vaidya, Geriatrician and lifestyle expert Jaya Jaya Myra provided excellent information on mental health which included depression, anxiety, dementia and all discussed how important mental health and not ignore mental health symptoms and seek help for better outcome. There is a need to educate South Asians on taboo and stigma about mental health as mental health is equally important as physical health and sometimes treated earlier can also help in other medical conditions. Uma Swaminathan provided excellent information on healing with herbs and discussed alternative and natural way to treat chronic diseases especially understanding cancer.

Dr. Anurag Pande, Vice President for Scientific Affairs at the Sabinsa Corporation provided excellent information and education on herbal medicine which has no side effects and can be used in daily consumption in cooking as well as in a supplemental form. Inflammation is the risk factor for many chronic diseases and if food can help reduce inflammation, many symptoms can be controlled. Dr. Asha Samant, dental professional provided excellent information on oral health and discussed why oral health is important and many health issues are linked due to poor oral health. Regular checkups and routine visits to dentist reduce many issues in South Asians especially in women.

Binny Talati, physical therapist discussed the importance of exercises and posture to avoid bone and joint disorders and mentioned that maintaining healthy weight helps in many joint disorders and unnecessary surgeries.

Nation’s leading licensed acupuncturist Charles Stuber provided excellent information on complimentary medicine and gave information on alternative way of treating pain and other organic symptoms without any side effects. Charles provide treatment to more than 150,000 patients every year and gave some success stories.

The health summit concluded with 45 minutes of yoga, meditation and breathing exercise session from Dr. Aparna Chawla of Art of Living Foundation which was very well received by all. The entire health summit was comprehensive and lasted more than seven hours with various experts from medical, dental, mental health and alternative care specialist for the second consecutive year.

Contact: Dr. Tushar Patel, Chairman, GOPIO Health Council, Tel: 848-391-0499, e-mail: tpatel434@yahoo.com

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SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR INDIAN DIASPORA CHILDREN

Government of India launched a scheme called "Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children" (SPDC), in the academic year 2006-2007, for the wards of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to assist them in pursuing Under Graduate courses in Indian Universities/Institutes.

Under SPDC scheme financial assistance for specific undergraduate courses in Professional and Non-Professional courses (except Medical and related courses)is provided towards tuition fee, admission fee and post admission services. The scheme is applicable to NRIs and PIOs from 66 countries.

Under the scheme, PIO/NRI students are awarded a scholarship of up to US$4,000 per annum for payment of tuition fee, admission fee and post admission services for Undergraduate courses in Engineering, Technology, Humanities, Liberal Arts, Commerce, Management, Journalism, Hotel Management, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and other courses. The scholarship is applicable to students who have already secured admission in an Indian institution. Admission is permitted only in Central Universities, NAAC "A" Grade Institutions, National Institute of Technologies (NITs), School of Planning & Architecture (SPAs), and Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) as covered under Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) scheme.

In case of any technical assistance, please contact following:

SPDC Portal Support Team, EG & IT Division, MEA, 1025, A Wing, Jawaharlal Nehru Bhavan, 23-D Janpath, New Delhi 110011, Email: technicalcellegit@mea.gov.in, Tel. +91 11 4901 8371

In case of any assistance/clarification regarding Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children, please contact following: Section Officer, OIA II Division, MEA, 925, Akbar Bhawan, Chankyapuri, New Delhi 110021, Email: so1oia2@mea.gov.in, Tel.: +91 11 2419 7927; Or Visit www.spdcindia.gov.in

Last date for application is Nov. 30, 2019.

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GOPIO NEWS SPONSORS - Attorney Megha Bhouraskar (USA) and Nazareth Consulting (USA)

The Law Offices of Megha D. Bhouraskar [MDB] is a NYC/USA-based law firm specializing in Business Transactions, Company Formations, Real Estate, Investments, Intellectual Property, Entertainment, and Entrepreneurial Mentorship. MDB advances the business opportunities for Indians Worldwide by using a specific set of skills that include: personal strengths, creativity, intuition, discretion, sense of community, attention and interactive collaboration.

Contact: The Law Offices of Megha D. Bhouraskar,P.C.,

139 Fulton Street, Suite 902, New York, NY 10039, United States, Tel: (212)571-1770

Email - megha@mdblawoffices.com Web: www.mdblawoffices.com

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GOPIO NEWS SEEKING SPONSORS AND DISPLAY ADS

GOPIO News offers display advertising in the format shown above will also be displayed in GOPIO website. This form of marketing allows you to effectively reach over 50,000 people by direct mail.

GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION

GOPIO is a non-partisan, non-sectarian global organization with chapters in several countries, actively promoting the interests of people of Indian origin worldwide by monitoring and addressing current critical issues of concern, and by enhancing cooperation and communication between groups of Indians living in various countries.

GOPIO Individual Life membership is open to all who believe in the mission of GOPIO. The one- time fee is $5,000 for Platinum Life Membership, $2,500 for Gold Life Membership and $1,500 Silver Life Membership and 2/3^rdthe amount for each category for those from developing countries and India.

GOPIO is looking forward to opening chapters in all major cities of the world, so as to network with people of Indian origin all over the world. If you do not have a chapter in your city, please visit the GOPIO website (www.gopio.net) and get details of chapter initiation (visit http://www.gopio.net/chapter_initiative.htm). This process involves sending a letter of intent to start a chapter by a committee of five people or more. For more information, contact:

GOPIO Chairman - Dr. Thomas Abraham, Stamford, Connecticut, USA, Tel: +1-203-329-8010, E-mail: gopio@optonline.net

GOPIO President – Sunny Kulathakal, Bahrain, +973-39441956, India +91-9845756692, E-mail: kulathakal44@gmail.com

GOPIO Executive Vice President – Ishwar Ramlutchman, Durban, South Africa, Tel: +27-83-3578747, E-mail: ramlutchmanishwar@gmail.com

GOPIO Vice President – Ram Gadhavi, Wayne, New Jersey, USA, Tel: +1-973-699-8582, E-mail: ram@gadhavi.net

GOPIO’s Global Ambassador – Issac John, Dubai, UAE, +971-50 625 9941, E-mail: isacjohn@gmail.com

GOPIO Secretary – Dr. Rajeev Mehta, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA, Tel: +1-732-986-2584, rajimehta@hotmail.com

Executive Trustee of GOPIO Foundation - Inder Singh, Tarzana, California, USA, Tel: +1-818-708-3885, E-mail: indersinghusa@gmail.com

GICC Chairman - Niraj Baxi, San Jose, California, USA, Tel: 408-307-9845, E-mail: nbaxi@insuranceplanning.com

To become a Life member of GOPIO, visit http://www.gopio.net/gopio_membership.html, print and fill up the form and send it with a check to:. GOPIO International, PO Box 1413, Stamford, CT 06904, USA

EDITORIAL BOARD

Chief Editor: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO International (Stamford, CT, USA)

Editor: J. Nami Kaur, Media Council Chair, GOPIO International (New York, USA)

Associate Editors: Layla Matthew (Bangalore, India), Harry Walia (Australia), Marlan Padayachee (South Africa)

Webmasters: Abu Thomas (New Rochelle, NY, USA) and Prashant Gupta (Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India)

Contributors of this issue: Kewal Kanda, Treasurer, GOPIO International (Norwalk, CA, USA); Mehen Poinoosawmy, GOPIO Europe International Coordinator (Paris, France), Dr. Tushar Patel, Chairman, GOPIO Health Council

GOPIO NEWS welcomes NRI/PIO related stories from all over the world. Be a volunteer correspondent or reporter. Contact Dr. Thomas Abraham, Tel: 203-329-8010, E-mail: gopio@optonline.net

Visit GOPIO’s Official site at www.gopio.net or www.gopio.com

GOPIO INTERNATIONAL

+1 (203) 329 8010

gopio@optonline.net

Visit Our Website

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