How to survive the Information Age

Comparing the world barely half a century ago to this present time, you get to see a massive difference. Even those of the older generation can’t believe their eyes at how rapid things are moving. Indeed things are moving fast and the pace doesn’t seem to slow down any time soon. One of the greatest inventions I view to be created by man is the internet. Who would ever have thought that one day, we would be able to do anything from trade and commerce, banking to learning on a platform we can’t physically see? The internet is gradually eliminating tangible structures and that’s why this era we live in is dubbed the ‘Information Age.’

The cyber space is the hub for the largest volume of information. It’s just a button away thanks to Google.com, the world’s largest search engine. Then there’s Wikipedia, the world’s biggest Encyclopaedia that has over 60 million pieces of information. It’s such that a fellow named Uchendu, whom I’ve mentioned previously once exclaimed that “Wikipedia is the internet in itself.” Certainly the Encyclopaedia Britannica we have known for ages doesn’t have such volume. Another pile driver in this crazy and surreal ‘Information Age’ is social media. The Likes of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, BBM, WeChat and a host of others have changed how we communicate.

All these advancements in Information Technology are supposed to be to our advantage, making life easier and the world better but for everything that is good, there’s always going to be a bad side. Increased activity in the cyber space has led to cyber crime and even terrorism so much that government and security agencies have a hard time in tracking the culprits. Many people keep being defrauded over the internet by the ‘yahoo boys’ meaning billions of dollars are siphoned yearly from the internet. This has led to fear on the path of internet users from doing business online. Then there are those who delight in spreading rumours. It amazes me how someone will wake up one morning and decide he wants to inflict fear on people by spreading false information of something that doesn’t exist. This is particular when we see broadcasts of one new outbreak of disease, or death of someone that isn’t confirmed. These details spread so fast like wild fire and the danger is many will be misinformed leading people to doing what they are not supposed to do. The bad of the internet is indeed very fatal and you can probably understand why the National Assembly wanted to ban the use of social media in Nigeria but we all need unhindered freedom of information.

Does the terrible evil of the internet mean we shy away from using it? Absolutely not. A day can hardly go by without doing something over the internet, whether we are consciously aware or not. The internet is here to stay and its staying for good. Now how do we survive the craze of the internet and avoid ourselves from being victims of its evil? Firstly because the internet is accessible from any part of the world, whatever is posted can be seen by anyone you don’t know. Therefore we must be careful about the kind of content we post online. It’s best to avoid saying things about your personal life on social media as it could draw unknown attention. Change the privacy settings on who gets to view your content on any social media platform you belong to.  Try as much as possible not to expose your personal details on many websites. Make sure the website you are visiting is verified. Fraudsters use sites that are close to verified ones to draw attention but closer observation and scrutiny will show that fraudsters leave traces behind. Don’t just click any link you see. Many are spam and clicking them exposes your details. Ensure you cross check broadcasts that are sent to you. Before sending it to another person, verify it. Check Google to confirm if it’s correct or not, create a message that the news is false and broadcast it to others before the wrong news creates the wrong impression.

Internet evils will continue to exist but rather than be victims of it we can reduce it by taking the right steps. When we do, we would enjoy the internet without fear and see that the ‘Information Age’ is a blessing and not a curse.

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*All photos sourced randomly from Google Images.                          

Hard Work: A New Year Resolution

It’s another new year and I’m sure we’ve all made one or two resolutions in improving ourselves. As the world advances in science and technology, we should see improvement in living standards but its chaos everywhere. From increased crime and murder rates to terrorism, the whole world is in a mess and its becoming difficult to fit in.

Nigeria is producing many graduates today than ever before but the labour market is struggling to accommodate these many graduates with sound educational records. Well since we all can’t get white collar jobs, entrepreneurship is the new wave. Create the job for yourself and make a living. That’s easier said than done. One big problem Nigerian entrepreneurs have is access to capital funds even I am not excluded from that list. The government has created some programmes in giving grants and loans to assist entrepreneurial development but sadly it hasn’t reached up to 50% of the youths that make up the bulk of Nigeria’s population.

As Nigerians who struggle with everyday living, we are swayed by the success of others who are entrepreneurs. We attempt to copy them but the effort to break even fails. Why is that? It’s very simple: we don’t put enough hard work into our efforts.

Linda Ikeji is one of the pioneer bloggers in Nigeria and today she is a celebrity because her blog is a major source of news and one of the most read websites in Nigeria. Her blog is reportedly worth US$5 million. Her fame has led to many blogs been opened and the surprising part is these random bloggers are styling their blog after Linda’s. There is no way you would succeed. You must have something unique about your blog otherwise you would be blown by the wind. Let’s even assume people are copying Linda’s style, how many people have been consistent with blogging? It comes at the huge cost of sacrificing time and effort which many are not doing.

A blogger by the name Lolade has been blogging consistently for a year every Wednesday, never missing the date. The result is she has been invited to write on other blogs and her name is going all over the corners. It won’t be long when she starts earning a fortune from her writings. If she wasn’t consistent, no one would notice her.

Many youths want to go into music and playing football because it an avenue to make fast money. Recordings of many up and coming artists are terrible because they don’t know the basics and rudiments of music. They are not ready to take time and read books to develop their skill or talent. The likes of Tuface Idibia and P-square are still around after many years because they spent lots of hours in the studio perfecting their tracks and it ends up been a hit across all age groups.

We want to play football but are not ready to spend those many hours watching video clips and training to develop that skill. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi aren’t the best in world just for nothing. They consistently train ahead of other team mates and that’s why we see one new piece of skill each time. Their consistence in developing themselves has made them the mega stars they are.

A fellow by the name Uchendu always had one company in mind he wanted to work for so he tailored his CV towards the requirements of the company by attending trainings, workshops and doing internship in relevant companies. Today Uche got his dream job by spending money he didn’t have and other resources to get what he wanted. Are you ready to spend and commit what you don’t have to make that dream come alive?

Hard work, getting well informed and showing commitment to what you love doing can make a difference. If you put all effort into what you dream of becoming, you will surely reap the rewards someday. It’s a long road filled with twist and turns but it’s only a matter of time when the breakthrough comes. Take that step to make your New Year resolution in working harder at your passion and you are sure to be on your way to fame and fortune.

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*All photos sourced randomly from Google Images.

KEEP THE FAITH

Songs have played a huge part in bringing the confidence back in times of discouragement and demotivation. Songs play a valuable part in one’s life. We most times only look out for the beats and instrumentation to a song without paying much attention to the lyrics. Even if you do pay attention, we fail to digest what the lyrics say. Only when you digest lyrics do you understand the meaning to the song, why the writer wrote the song and under what circumstances the song came about.

The following lines are lyrics drawn out from a Michael Jackson song which is titled after the heading of this post. It tells us to have faith in all we do because only at that can you achieve a lot in life. The apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7 said “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (NKJV). It was through believing in faith that he was able to overcome the challenges he faced in his journey as a missionary, otherwise he would have ended prematurely but he fulfilled a lot because he carried faith along. Today the church can hardly go a day without making reference to him. Have some faith and you’ll be surprised at how much you can achieve in life.

*Please note that this is not the song in its entirety as some of the words from the original lyrics have been altered to suit the audience.

______________________________________________________

Say those words

Like you understand them

Because the power of believing is in your hands

So give yourself a chance

As you can climb the highest mountain

And swim the deepest sea,

All you need is the will to want it

And a little self-esteem

So keep the faith

Don't let nobody turn you down

You’ve got to know when it's good to go

To get your dreams up off the ground

Believe in yourself

No matter what it's going to take

You can be a winner

But you got to keep the faith

I know that you can sail across the water

Float across the sky, high

Any road that you take will get you there

As long as you  try and believe

Just keep your eyes on the prize

Your feet flat on the ground

And keep the faith.

Lift up your head 
And show the world what you got

Go for what you want 
And don't let them get in your way

You can be a winner 
But you got to keep the faith

Better stand up 
And act like you want to do right

Don't play the fool 
For the rest of your life

Work on it 
And you'll make it someday

Go for what you want

And don't forget to keep the faith

Look at yourself 
And what you doing right now

Stand back a minute 
Just to check yourself out

Straighten out your life
And how you're living each day

Get yourself together 
Because you got to keep the faith

Get your mind on track

Get your self-respect back

Take it like you want it

Because it's just a matter of time
For  your confidence to run out

So if you believe you can do it
You've got to keep the faith.

Excerpt from “Keep the Faith” Anthony Dent, Michael Jackson, Sean Combs, Siedah Garrett, Faith Evans, Glen Ballard. 1991.

I do hope that as these words inspired me, it will be the same for you too. Don’t think of yourself alone. Why not share this with someone. It might go a long way in touching someone’s life.

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*All photos sourced randomly from Google Images.                          

WILL BUHARI BE ABLE TO SHOULDER THE PRESSURE?

After much anxiety, May 29 has passed and Muhammadu Buhari is finally the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To think Goodluck Jonathan won’t be the one handling the affairs of the country for the next four years is still a bit of surprise to me. Much more is the fact that the PDP won’t be having a representative in the seat of the three most powerful people in the country: the President, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. All will be taken by the APC, a party whose domain has been prominent in the South-West. To that effect, kudos to Bola Tinubu for doing his homework well.

It has to be said that transition of the presidency to the APC should be a time of reflection for the PDP. You obviously can’t be in power forever. Even Zimbabwe’s ZANU-PF, which has had Robert Mugabe in power ever since the Southern African country gained independence in 1980 seems to be falling apart. Has PDP fallen apart? It’s a tough call to make. Regardless of the defeat, the party still remains strong and is still one of the biggest parties on the African Continent.

Goodluck Jonathan has failed in his leadership, asides his kind gestures since he accepted defeat during the March 28 polls, if PDP is to succeed again, they need someone with charisma like Obasanjo. Not a Jonathan who doesn’t seem to know anything about politics and governance. As a president you don’t go about making careless statements in the heat of a crisis and allow your wife who is supposed to represent you to make mockery of your position as the president. You also do not handle intra-party conflicts carelessly. Losing Kano to the APC and allowing an incumbent governor in Rivers State to join the opposition all under your nose is disheartening. It means you don’t know how to do your homework. Such couldn’t have happened under the watch of Obasanjo. That the former head of state pulled out of the party is the biggest blow of all. PDP therefore need a rethink, a rebranding and reorientation if they are to stand a chance of taking back the presidency in 2019. That of course is dependent on how incumbent president Buhari performs in his first four years.

It’s no doubt that Nigeria is need of a great fix in almost every corners of development you can think of and that’s why the Nigerian populace came out to cast their votes for the ex-military head of state. The current National Assembly dilemma is already a bad omen happening right under Buhari's nose. He had made statements that we should not expect a miracle. That is true but he needs to act fast. Gains need to be made as soon as possible so the Nigerian nation can see reasons why they voted for the 72 year Fulani man. That the Christians could vote for him with high expectations asides form the fact that his vice is a reputable pastor is more intriguing.

Nigerians have decided to overlook some of the harsh and somehow brutal records Buhari had as a military head of state. Well that really doesn’t matter today because this is a different dispensation so he obviously won’t have the same approach to things. 

*To be continued.

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*All photos sourced randomly from Google Images.

WILL BUHARI BE ABLE TO SHOULDER THE PRESSURE? CONTINUED

I have noticed that many Nigerians have been swayed by some of the gestures shown by Buhari. The way he has been living a simple and easy life as against the extravagant life that politicians live and even those in his rank of Major General. Yes it’s a good way to lead by example but that is not what really matters. What matters most is what you deliver to the people. We got swayed by the fact that Jonathan had a poor background (I had no shoes). We ended up having a bad leadership and he didn’t deliver much to the expectation of people. Looking at the immediate past governor of Lagos, Babatunde Fashola, he lived a bit of a simple life and he delivered. Not because he was one of very few Nigerian governors who didn’t go around in a convoy of 20 black Toyota Prados but because he wanted to make Lagos a city to be reckoned with in Africa and the World. That should be the same focus for Buhari that Nigeria should be a force to reckon with on the global stage and of course that can only happen when things start working well at home.

There is more pressure on Buhari because he is likely going to step on a lot of toes which would not be nice to many people’s liking. He needs to do a massive restructuring of the existing government infrastructure and institutions. That will be key to make his administration work but it comes a huge cost of sweeping all the deadwood that make such systems not to function well. Buhari faces further pressure because the media will be closely monitoring his work. As we all know the media can create something out of nothing when things don’t go well. Jonathan’s inability to act right made media say his wife was controlling him. His inability to handle to Boko Haram situation made him to be labeled a “clueless president.” Since the media has more freedom under the democratic setting, Buhari’s words and actions need to be properly coordinated. Even if false news about him is circulating, there really is nothing that can be done. This is not the military setting where the media were censored on what to produce about government. Should Buhari fail to deliver, you can be sure the media would start bringing up twisted and false stories about him. If he delivers, it will be praise about him just as with Babatunde Fashola whom the media never gave any false reports about because he delivered for Lagos. Even when he made some controversial decisions such as banning Okada, the end result was praise from the media.

Buhari looks certain to deliver and I would suggest he takes a cue from Babatunde Fashola and Barack Obama. Fashola has been able to turn Lagos into a destination for all both within and outside Nigeria. The face of Lagos now is so impressive no one ever thought it would get there someday. Many of the things Fashola did as regards electricity, education, transportation, security, business and employment can be replicated by Buhari at the Federal level. Buhari should emulate Obama because what other American Presidents might not have done happened under the watch of former Illinois senator. These include returning American soldiers from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan in due time, capturing Al-Qaeda supremo Osama Bin Laden, restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba after more than 50 years and reaching an agreement with Iran on its nuclear programme. These are issues which past American presidents failed to deal with but the success of them under Obama has received praise and acclaim all over the world. This means Obama’s name will go down in history as one of America’s iconic presidents.

What will Buhari be remembered for? One cannot say for now but the next four years can give an indication for that. Failure for Sai Baba to deliver might see him return to Daura in his native Kaduna in 2019, the same way Jonathan returned to Otuoke in March.

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*All photos sourced randomly from Google Images.

JONATHAN VS. BUHARI: TRANSFORMATION OR CHANGE? CONTINUED.

Does the decision of Buhari picking Yemi Osinbajo who is a well respected person as his running mate make him more credible? The vice-president doesn’t have much work to do but if people are claiming that Buhari might die in office and Osinbajo as a Yoruba man will take the presidency as Jonathan did when Yar’Adua died in 2009, they are wrong.

Buhari is over 70 years it’s not going to be easy to rule Nigeria. I believe ruling Nigeria is one of the toughest jobs in the world. I really don’t see how this man will eliminate the corrupt leaders in the system. Or is he going to do what Ghana’s Jerry Rawlings did by assassinating corrupt leaders of Ghana in his so called quest to “purge Ghana of corruption and social injustice”? Absolutely not. Rawlings was running a military government then. That is however not the case here for Buhari.

Looking at the manifestos of both Jonathan and Buhari, they both don’t look convincing. We all know Jonathan’s promises are lies. Saying he would create 12 million jobs in Oyo and Ogun State. How is that possible in just two states? How many will he now create across the country? 300 million? Buhari says he will create about 700,000 jobs nationwide within the first few months if he assumes office. This sounds reasonable but what type of jobs will he create? Is it making people becoming law enforcement officers like Babatunde Fashola did in Lagos state for those in agencies like LASTMA? Those who were employed are area boys roaming the streets of Lagos but in this case what will Buhari do for the many university graduates without jobs? Buhari says he will provide one meal a day for children in public primary schools nationwide. How visible is that? What will the quality of food be like? These are deep questions we as the electorate should ask these aspirants unfortunately we are not doing so.

As March 28 approaches, let’s get our acts right by reflecting on how to move the country forward. It’s not by shouting for these aspirants. They promise us so many things but we don’t see it in the end and typical of Nigerians we move on not minding what goes on in the system. If I were to make my choice I would go for Buhari not because I see him as the right man for the job, it’s something that will take a while to find, but I choose him because Jonathan has taken the country to all time low in terms of international prestige. Nigeria has lost its image in Africa thanks to the many clueless statements made by Jonathan. He isn’t a leader material afterall he never got into leadership roles legitimately; it was only out of circumstance. The fact that I will vote Buhari doesn’t mean I go about shouting CHANGE! carrying a broom. NO! But what I would do is to monitor what Buhari is doing. If he fails in addressing something, we question and interrogate him. Not that we leave him to do as he pleases. We let Jonathan get away with too many things and that can’t happen with Buhari. We must constantly voice our concerns with him. That way he acts in the right way. That is what true democracy is all about.

Lets ensure the election exercise is carried out in the proper manner, if INEC needs to be questioned let’s do it. Let’s also ensure that we accept or challenge the result of March 28 in a reasonable way. Political violence is bound to ensue from the outcome of the result but we can prevent that. Spread the word to vote right and act right during the election. Don’t join the plots to carry out electoral malpractice. The outcome of the June 12, 1993 presidential elections turned out to be a bloody affair. Don't make it happen this time if your family, friends and your country means a lot to you. Failure to act right means we should prepare for a more gruesome version of June 12.

Paul Collier in his book: Wars, Guns and Votes says change is difficult because there are strong forces resisting it. Let’s use this to reflect on the tough change Nigeria needs rather than APC or Buhari change.

  

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*All photos sourced randomly from Google Images.

JONATHAN VS. BUHARI: TRANSFORMATION OR CHANGE?

To think six weeks was far away when INEC announced that the originally scheduled elections of February 14 and 28 would be shifted to March 28 and April 11, well its almost here. In a week’s time Nigeria decides. I’m still upset by the fact the elections had to be postponed. Why put election on Valentine’s Day? Anyways we are now almost there so we can all do the exercise and go to bed. But wait, go to bed? Not quite. There’s so much tension around the country, questions are raised if the elections would hold next week or not. It had better hold because lots of personal plans and preparations have been shifted because of the delays.

There is a lot of adrenaline running in Nigerians all because of two men that will decide the next step the country takes. The rivalry between Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari has been so intense. It’s a rivalry that hasn’t been seen in Nigeria’s transition to civilian rule in 1999. Indeed there was no rivalry because the PDP that has been in power since then never saw any tough opposition to challenge it. The Alliance for Democracy (AD) never posed a serious threat to PDP’s hold on the presidency and it went through numerous changes to become APC today. When the APC merger was created in 2013, I felt it was just another failed attempt for a party to form as the main opposition to PDP. I guess I was wrong. APC has indeed unsettled PDP and we can see the result of the many schemes by Jonathan to prevent Buhari from contesting.

Buhari has been able to gather so much support, the APC slogan “CHANGE!” is chanted almost everyday. Groups all over the place are formed campaigning for change. It brings me to ask the question is Buhari really the man for change? Nigerians are obviously tired of the Jonathan administration which has so far failed in leadership. It has been riddled with widespread corruption, mismanagement of public funds and currency crisis. Nigerians are tired of epileptic power supply that is ruining businesses, mass unemployment for the vibrant youth populace. Jonathan doesn’t seem to get it right. Let’s not even forget the Boko Haram insurgency. I for one never saw them as a national/international threat. The kidnapping of the over 200 Chibok school girls is well under control. I do not believe so many girls will disappear like that. The military been incompetent is also false. In other words, Jonathan fooled us while some believed the country was on the verge of splitting which I still stand strong to say will never happen.

So Jonathan needs to go because he has failed and brings me back to what I asked earlier: is Buhari the man for change? Let’s put aside his military record or the fact he doesn't have a valid SSCE certificate. Your academic qualification doesn't necessarily determine who you are. Buhari under the civilian era has been contesting for the presidency since 2003. This he has done under the platform of various political parties which have included ANPP and CPC which formed part of the APC merger. If Buhari is the man for change, why didn’t we vote him in all these years? Why now that he’s in APC which seems to be his biggest platform. What if Atiku Abubakar won the APC presidential ticket in Lagos? Would be shouting CHANGE? Are we voting for party or personality?

Many people say PDP has ruled for 16 years and nothing to show for it. I would like to ask where would you put Obasanjo? He might have had issues but he laid foundations of many things we are enjoying today. The boom in the telecom and banking sector was made through this man. These two sectors are partly responsible for why Nigeria is now the largest economy in Africa. He had the best ministerial cabinet and hired the best brains. He still remains the best civilian head of state till date. It only remains unseen if Buhari or Jonathan will surpass him so much for the change and transformation agendas. Let’s stop been party driven but personality driven in our choices.

Is Buhari a credible candidate for the presidency? I can understand Jonathan needs to go but let’s stop shouting CHANGE! all over the place. How are we sure that this CHANGE! campaign isn't a ploy to sway us just like Jonathan used “I had no shoes” in 2011. Buhari might have a zero tolerance for corruption and indiscipline but this isn't a military era. Things are entirely different. I know he can’t do worse than Jonathan has done but is serious change for Nigeria going to come under Buhari? Buhari is attached to Bola Tinubu who is allegedly corrupt and I’m still yet to see how both will co-operate. I won’t be surprised if I saw a fall out between them similar to that of Jonathan and Obasanjo. Is it under the watch of Tinubu Buhari wants to bring change? What of the many bad eggs that decamped from PDP to APC? Have they become good eggs for joining APC?

                                                

*To be continued.

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*All photos sourced randomly from Google Images.

ARE WOMEN GRADUALLY TAKING OVER THE WORLD? CONTINUED

One area I give credit to the women is in business. I've been able to see they are better managers. I’m amazed at how women entrepreneurs multitask. They can combine as much as four business ventures together and manage it successfully without seeing signs of stress and fatigue on their faces. I know some of them personally. Men can hardly do this. I think it’s a special gift they have and that’s a plus for the woman.

Women might have been successful in the areas of business, management, academics, media, law among others but one area that has little representation is politics. Very few women are seen engaging in politics across the world. It’s even more restricted in Africa and Asia but some have decided to stand tall and defy the norm. To the credit of the woman, we have female heads of state that are heading powerful nations. Germany is the largest economy in Europe and is headed by Angel Markel. Brazil, Argentina and Chile are the three leading economies in South America and are headed by women in Dilma Roussef, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Michelle Bachelet respectively. Emerging Asian economy South Korea’s current president Park Guen-hye is female. Australia had a former female prime minister in Julia Gillard. This shows that women are taking over powerful nations. I believe the greatest achievement for ‘Girl Power’ would be to have a female president in the most world’s powerful nations: The United States, Russia and China and also a female UN Secretary-General. A Nigerian female president would also be a plus to Africa’s largest economy. Can that happen?  It will be tough but with the current trend, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes reality. Afterall late Margaret Thatcher who was popularly known as ‘Iron Lady’ is the longest serving and one of the best British prime ministers till date.

Inspite of the success Girl Power has been able to achieve since the protests of the 1960s many women still continue to be denied equal rights and face sexual violence and harassment. Nevertheless the emancipation of women has given them a bigger audience and louder voice in a society that is dominated by men.

The one problem I have with Girl Power is that women who find themselves in position of authority tend to be authoritarian in character. They go overboard on little issues and it becomes annoying to the male subordinates. The success of women in business and management has seen them in some cases earn more than their male counterparts and as such fail to respect or give regard to the men.

Regardless of how successful a woman can be, the man will always be ahead of her. This is proven biologically. Only if a woman decides not to have a family can she keep up with a man. Even at that, it’s still impossible. Men and women do not possess the same physical strength. The woman can say all she likes to defend herself but I think the man is still in charge. Women need to know that they are an integral part of a man’s life and vice versa. I refuse to accept those lines in girl power songs that say the woman can do without a man. If the woman can do that, it won’t last a life time. She’ll need a man at some point and that’s why it’s important for both sexes to respect each other rather than do the blame game. Even Beyoncé after ranting so much about women taking charge in her acclaimed song ‘Run the world (Girls)’ said “boy I’m just playing… hope you still like me…..” I think that says it all. *winks.*

    

                     

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*All photos sourced randomly from Google Images.