Qatar Fully Air-Condition Soccer Field

Dr Saud Abdul Ghani, head of the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Qatar University, unveiled a design and construction of an artificial cloud to shade and cool the open playgrounds to be used in the 2022 World Cup in Doha. He told a local Arabic daily that the project will be executed in collaboration with Qatar Science and Technology Park.

He said the artificial cloud will move by remote control, made of 100 percent light carbonic materials, fuelled by four solar-powered engines and it will fly high to protect direct and indirect sun rays to control temperatures at the open playgrounds.

He said the initial model of the cloud cost $500,000 but the cost will decrease upon launching the commercial models which could also be used at beaches, car parking by using the mobile phone.
Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 World Cup by promising that its nine new open-air soccer stadiums would be air-conditioned. Now the Qataris have announced another cool twist to their hospitality -- an artificial cloud to hover above the stadium and provide shade.

The head of mechanical and industrial engineering at Qatar University said the cloud would be positioned by remote control and run on solar power.

Based on the design shown in local Qatari news outlets, the cloud isn't white and fluffy. It is flat and rectangular, resembling a giant cell phone, and will be built using light carbonic materials. Perhaps something was lost in translation from Arabic because the invention is more spaceship than cloud, but ultimately players and fans will benefit from the shade.

The cost of the cloud is $500,000, but money is no obstacle for Qatar, which is one of the world's richest countries thanks to vast natural gas and oil reserves.

There have been concerns about the heat ever since Qatar began its campaign in 2009 to pursue a World Cup. The average high for July in Qatar is 106 degrees, and temperatures have reached 120 degrees in the summer. That is one reason why Prince Ali of Jordan suggested shifting the 2022 World Cup from its traditional time in July to January, which is Qatar's coolest month with an average high of 71 degrees.

Temperatures were in the 60s for the 2010 World Cup championship match in Johannesburg, South Africa, held on July 11, between Spain and the Netherlands.

Qatar, which is roughly the size of Connecticut, will be the smallest nation to host a World Cup. The other finalists to host in 2022 were the U.S., Australia, Japan and South Korea.
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Facebook Kicks Out Underage

The social networking site kicks off around 20,000 underage users per day, its chief privacy adviser, Mozelle Thompson, told Australia's parliament this week.
He admitted that the site's way of weeding out those who don't meet the 13-and-up age requirement -- essentially a user-entry honor system -- is "not perfect," because there's no mechanism for detecting kids who simply enter a false age.
"There are people who lie. There are people who are under 13," Thompson said.
A recent Pew study found that nearly half of all U.S. 12-year-olds use social networking sites -- and privacy concerns in regard to Facebook's younger members have been growing of late. This month, Sen. Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, wrote to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) to argue for reforms in the site's privacy measures. "Under Facebook's policy, 13 million users under the age of 18 may be allowed to share their personal information just like adult users," Franken wrote. "These younger users are the most vulnerable to predators on Facebook and the rest of the Internet and it should be impossible for them to inadvertently share their phone numbers and home addresses with anyone."
But Franken's figures don't factor in the unknown number of Facebook users under 13.
Other sites that are popular with kids handle the issue in differing ways. MySpace also requires users to be at least 13, but like Facebook, it has no practical way to verify that information. Disney.com allows children 12 and under to surf the site, and collects some personal information from them before they're eligible to participate in competitions, for example. Yahoo! doesn't allow kids 12 and under to register without the consent of a parent. Like Disney, it collects some limited idenifying information for participation in competitions and similar interactive features.

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Japan is the Expensive Natural Disaster in the World

TOKYO – Japan's government said the cost of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the northeast could reach $309 billion, making it the world's most expensive natural disaster on record.
The extensive damage to housing, roads, utilities and businesses across seven prefectures has resulted in direct losses of between 16 trillion yen ($198 billion) and 25 trillion yen ($309 billion), according to a Cabinet Office estimate Wednesday.
The losses figure is considerably higher than other estimates. The World Bank on Monday said damage might reach $235 billion. Investment bank Goldman Sachs had estimated quake damage would be as much as $200 billion.
If the government's projection proves correct, it would top the losses from Hurricane Katrina. The 2005 megastorm that ravaged New Orleans and the surrounding region cost $125 billion, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
Japan's estimate does not include the impact of power shortages triggered by damage to a nuclear power plant, so the overall economic impact could be even higher. It also leaves out potential global repercussions.
"The aftermath of the tragic events in Japan will obviously alter the domestic economy," said Takuji Aida, an economist at UBS Securities Japan, in a report. "However, Japan's position in the global economy is such that there must also be some transmission of the shock to other parts of the world."
The Cabinet Office suggested, however, that the economic hit could be softened by the expected upswing in public works and construction as the region rebuilds.
The 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami on March 11 laid waste to Japan's northeastern coast, killing thousands of people and triggering a crisis at a nuclear power plant. Tens of thousands of people living near the plant were evacuated.
Utilities have imposed power rationing, many factories remain closed and key rail lines are impassable.
Toyota Motor Corp., the world's No. 1 automaker, has halted auto production since March 14 because of difficulty securing components, including rubber parts and electronics. By Sunday its lost production will reach 140,000 cars.
The company said Wednesday it will delay the launch of the Prius hybrid minivan in Japan due to disruptions in parts supplies.
Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said the automaker initially planned to roll out the Prius minivan in April. But the disaster has crippled suppliers and destroyed shops, forcing Toyota to postpone the launch.
Another Cabinet Office economic report released Wednesday underscored the new challenges facing Japan, which had been on the mend from a lull in growth late last year.
"The economy is moving toward recovery, but its self-sustainability is weak," it said.
More broadly, the Japanese economy has been lackluster for two decades, barely managing to eke out weak growth between slowdowns. It lost its position as world's No. 2 economy to China last year and is saddled with a massive public debt that, at 200 percent of GDP, is the biggest among industrialized nations.
The government plans to introduce a supplementary budget to tackle reconstruction, though Cabinet members have said additional budgets will probably be needed down the road.
Speaking to the upper house budget committee Tuesday, Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said the country's deteriorating public finances will not deter the government from reconstruction spending, according to Kyodo news agency.
Cabinet Office spokesman Noriyuki Shikata expressed confidence that the country could handle the massive task that lies ahead.
"This is not something that the Japanese economy cannot overcome," he told reporters Wednesday.
The government also reportedly plans to inject public money into banks to help support lending as companies rebuild. It may finance that from a fund of 11 trillion yen ($135 billion) that is still available under a law on emergency support to banks passed after the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers.
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TOKAY GECKO

The Tokay gecko is the second largest gecko in the world. Tokay Gecko males can reach 12-14" in total length. Female Tokay geckos are slightly smaller averaging 8-10" long.

An adult tokay gecko averages 5-7 ounces in weight, but particularly large males may achieve weights closer to 11.5 ounces. Hatchling tokay geckos start life at 3.5"-4" and reach breeding age in 9-12 months, but it may take up to 2 years for a tokay gecko to reach is full adult size.

Male tokay geckos are a blue-grey body color with spotting that varies in color from redish-orange to whitish-yellow. Females tokays are a grey body color with the same spotting and generally not as brightly colored as the males. Both sexes have the ability to lighten and darken their skin to some degree to help them blend into their surroundings.

The typical current prices for Tokay geckos are as follow
300 grams - 399 grams = RM25,000 - RM35,000
400 grams - 499 grams = RM80,000 - RM120,000
500 grams - 599 grams = RM200,000 - RM400,000
600 grams - 799 grams = RM500,000 - RM700,000
800 grams - 999 grams = RM800,000 - RM980,000
Above 1000 grams approximately RM1 million.


Tokay geckos are in high demand by the traditional medicine industry
abroad as it is believed that the reptile’s tongue can cure AIDS.
Some believe that its meat is also an aphrodisiac while its
blood and bile suppresses tumors in cancer patients.


As buyers are only interested in Tokay geckos weighing 300 grams and above,
those possessing smaller Tokay geckos would rear the reptiles hoping to sell
them once their weight exceeds 300 grams. Although Tokay geckos usually feed
on insects such as crickets, cockroaches and grasshoppers, the Tokay geckos in
captivity are also fed chicken liver to speed up its growth process.

The Tokay gecko (also known as the Gekko gecko) is a nocturnal arboreal gecko
whose native habitat is the rain-forest trees and cliffs. The Tokay gecko is
commonly found in northeast India and Bangladesh, throughout Southeast Asia and
western New Guinea.

The Tokay Gecko is the second largest Gecko species, attaining lengths of
about 30–40 cm (11–15 inches) for males, and 20–30 cm (7–11 inches) for females,
with weights of 150–300g (5–10 oz). They are distinctive in appearance, with a
bluish or grayish body, sporting spots ranging from light yellow to bright red.
The male is more brightly colored than the female. They have large eyes with a
vertical slit pupil. Eyes are brown to greenish brown and can be orange or yellow.
Males are very territorial, and will attack other male Tokays as well
as other Gecko species, as well as anything else in their territory.
They are solitary and only meet during the mating season. Females lay clutches
of one or two hard shelled eggs which are guarded until they hatch.[1]
Tokay Geckos feed on insects and small vertebrates.[2]
The typical lifespan is 7–10 years, however in captivity some Tokays have
been known to live over 18 years.[citation needed]


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Mega Millions Worth $244 Million

And the winning numbers are:

14, 33, 34, 54, and 56, Mega Ball 37
The Megaplier was 4.

After 13 consecutive drawings without a winner, the Mega Millions jackpot is up to $244 million, or a cash prize of $155.7 million. The run-up to the current jackpot began on Feb. 4 with a $12 million jackpot that went unclaimed.

No tickets claimed Friday's jackpot either.

Each ticket has a 1 in 172 million chance of winning the jackpot, according to newjerseynewsroom.com. In comparison, the chances of picking a perfect March Madness bracket are 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808.

While the prize isn't the largest in Mega Millions history, it certainly has had people coming out in droves to try their luck. This is one of many recent large jackpots, and the second-largest in history was drawn in January, when two lucky winners split a prize of $355 million.
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Mayweather set to fight Pacquiao - in court

Unbeaten US boxer Floyd Mayweather will fight Filipino star Manny Pacquiao after all, although it will be a legal dispute after a federal judge denied a motion to dismiss the case.

Pacquiao filed a defamation lawsuit against Mayweather, among others, that US District Judge Larry Hicks ruled can proceed because there is sufficient evidence of malicious acts in accusing Pacquiao of being a dope cheat.

"The truth did not stop Mayweather and the others," Pacquiao's lawsuit contends. "That is because they are motivated by ill will, spite, malice, revenge and envy."

"Mayweather and the others set out on a course designed to destroy Pacquiao's career, reputation, honor and legacy and jeopardize his ability to earn the highest levels of compensation."

Pacquiao has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) but in the 2009 lawsuit he claims that Mayweather, his father Floyd Snr and uncle Roger, promoter Oscar de la Hoya and his employee, Richard Schaefer conducted a campaign in a set of interviews to make people think he used them.

"Defendants argue that Pacquiao has failed to sufficiently allege malice because defendants could not have known one way or the other whether Pacquiao had actually taken PEDs when they made the alleged defamatory statements," Hicks wrote in the order upholding the lawsuit.

"However, the court finds that Pacquiao has sufficiently pled malice in the amended complaint."

Unbeaten Mayweather and Pacquiao were in talks to stage a megafight between two of boxing's biggest stars but negotiations collapsed over demands by Mayweather that both fighters have blood and urine tests up to 14 days before the bout.

Pacquiao said he would feel weakened by blood tests within 24 days of the fight and would not agree to tests any closer to a bout.

Mayweather Promotions attorney Mark Tratos said he would continue to push for dismissal of the case, saying comments at the time were made about Pacquiao's hesitancy regarding blood tests and did not claim he was a dope cheat.

Pacquiao attorney Dan Petrocelli said his client's career would suffer major damage if fans believed he used banned substances.

"Manny has an unblemished reputation and has earned all of his achievements through hard work and his natural-born talent and to call him a cheater is something he cannot and will not tolerate," Petrocelli said.

"None of these defendants have had any evidence to back up the assertion that he has taken performance-enhancing drugs because he didn't."

Mayweather, 34, faces an April 25 trial date on a battery charge over an altercation with a security guard for his homeowners association, who claims Mayweather poked him during a November argument regarding cars parking outside Mayweather's home.

Mayweather also faces a court hearing on April 28 on domestic violence charges that could send the fighter to prison for up to 34 years in prison if convicted of all charges, which include felony counts of grand larceny, coercion and robbery.

Mayweather is accused of striking and threatening former girlfriend Josie Harris, stealing her mobile phone and threatening two of their children in an incident on September 9.

Boxing fans have hoped that Mayweather, 41-0 with 25 career knockouts, would fight Pacquiao but Mayweather's legal woes have put such talk on hold.

Pacquiao, 52-3 with two draws and 38 knockouts and a winner of 13 fights in a row in the past six years, is set to face 39-year-old US fighter Shane Mosley, 46-6 with one draw and 39 knockouts, on May 7 in Las Vegas.

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FireFox 4 Release

Mozilla will officially launch its Firefox 4 web browser today, after about eight months after its first public beta. But many of the features in Firefox 4 really date back to 2006, and the lengthy time to market for this release--during which Firefox usage essentially stop growing in the face of faster moving rivals--has caused the firm to step back and reevaluate its product plans. And the goal going forward is to ship smaller releases on a far timelier schedule.

The question, of course, is whether it's already too late. Google has shipped an astonishing 10 major releases of its Chrome browser since its initial release over two years ago, and that company says it is able to maintain this pace by thinking of Chrome as a web service instead of a traditional software product. Even Microsoft, not known for moving quickly, has made Mozilla look sleepy by comparison: It shipped the final version of its new browser, Internet Explorer 9, last week after just 6 months in beta.

Mozilla has historically had trouble meeting release dates, and Firefox 4 required an astonishing 12 beta release and two release candidate builds before the company was able to sign off on the product. For the new schedule to work, Mozilla doesn't just need to deliver smaller, more conservative updates, it needs to do something it's never done: Ship them on time.

"The intention here is not to rush features, it's to let features that are done get to users without waiting for features that aren't." Mozilla VP Mike Shaver explained. With Firefox 4, certain browser features were ready to ship months earlier, but because they relied on other pieces of that browser version, Mozilla had to wait before shipping them.

As for Firefox 4, Mozilla's new browser hopes to differentiate itself in important ways. It runs on Windows XP, for example, whereas IE 9 supports Windows Vista and 7 only. Firefox 4 has a nice new user interface, an overhauled, faster JavaScript engine, bookmark syncing, and more.

It's not all peaches and cream. Firefox 4 supports only partial hardware acceleration, a far cry from the performance users will see in IE 9. And it trails both IE 9 and Chrome, overall, from a performance standpoint. Some don't like its old-school separation of address bar and search bar into two separate UI elements; most other browsers have integrated these into a single control.

Download it HERE
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Cause, Signs and Symptoms of Kawasaki Diseases

What is Kawasaki disease? Kawasaki disease also known as Kawasaki syndrome is a condition that causes inflammation in the walls of small- and medium-sized arteries throughout the body, including the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle. Kawasaki disease is also called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome because it also affects lymph nodes, skin, and the mucous membranes inside the mouth, nose and throat.

Signs :
High fever and peeling skin are signs of Kawasaki Disease. And the good news is that Kawasaki disease is usually treatable, and most children recover from Kawasaki disease without serious problems.

Causes :
No one knows what causes Kawasaki disease, but scientists don’t believe the disease is contagious from person to person. A number of theories link the disease to bacteria, viruses or other environmental factors, but none has been proved. Certain genes may increase your child’s susceptibility to Kawasaki disease.

Symptoms
Symptoms of Kawasaki disease appear in phases.

First phase
Signs and symptoms of the first phase may include:
* Fever, which often is higher than 101.3 F (38.5 C) and lasts one to two weeks
* Extremely red eyes (conjunctivitis) without a thick discharge
* A rash on the main part of the body (trunk) and in the genital area
* Red, dry, cracked lips and an extremely red, swollen tongue (“strawberry” tongue)
* Swollen, red skin on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet
* Swollen lymph nodes in the neck and perhaps elsewhere
* Irritability

Second phase
In the second phase of the disease, your child may develop:

* Peeling of the skin on the hands and feet, especially the tips of the fingers and toes, often in large sheets
* Joint pain
* Diarrhea
* Vomiting
* Abdominal pain

Third phase
In the third phase of the disease, signs and symptoms slowly go away unless complications develop. It may be as long as eight weeks before energy levels seem normal again.

When to see a doctor
If your child has a fever that lasts more than four days, contact your child’s doctor. Or, see your child’s doctor if your child has a fever along with four or more of the following signs and symptoms:

* Redness in both eyes
* A very red, swollen tongue
* Redness of the palms or soles
* Skin peeling
* A rash
* Swollen lymph nodes

Treating Kawasaki disease within 10 days of its onset may greatly reduce the chances of lasting damage.

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Facebook Worm a.k.a. Koobface Removal

On a popular internet site like Facebook that has drawn 100 million users worldwide, it also draws hackers. Facebook users have experienced an increase of Spam emails, hijacked accounts, and deactivated accounts.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

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On a popular internet site like Facebook that has drawn 100 million users worldwide, it also draws hackers. Facebook users have experienced an increase of Spam emails, hijacked accounts, and deactivated accounts. Back in late July, attacks were linked to Koobface, an internet worm that targeted Facebook and MySpace. Koobface sends malicious codes in forms of messages such as "You look funny in this new video" and "You look just awesome in this new movie" leads straight to the virus, so it's best to DON'T CLICK THE MESSAGE. When you're on a social networking site, pay close attention to executables downloaded to Windows machines, keep your machine fully patched and run updated anti-malware software.

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Spam e-mails spread Storm Worm malicious software to the recipient once the user clicks on a link, the malware software is downloaded to the Internet connected device and causes it to become infected and become part of the Storm Worm botnet. Botnet is a network of compromised machines under the authority of a single user. They plan to facilitate criminal activity and spreading malware to other machines on the internet. Social engineering lures to plant malware by using these two methods of using videos and fake Flash Player downloads. A file called code setup.exe is downloaded to the victim's machine.

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Everyone should consider the following: (1) Do not click on unsolicited spam email. (2) Be cautious of individuals who represent themselves as officials soliciting personal information via e-mail. (3) Be cautious of emails that contain pictures in attached files, as many of the files may contain a virus. Only open attachments from known senders. (4) Do not provide personal information to anyone who solicits information. Also beware on the social network sites that include messages and comments such as Paris Hilton Tosses Dwarf On The Street; Examiners Caught Downloading Grades From The Internet; Hello; You must see it!!! LOL. My friend catched you on hidden cam; Is it really celebrity? Funny Moments and many others.

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The Koobface virus hacks into every search performed on your computer. To remove the Koobface virus from your computer, follow these instructions on this Facebook site http://www.facebook.com/security.

Tips & Warnings

The Koobface virus hacks into every search performed on your computer. To remove the Koobface virus from your computer, follow these instructions on this Facebook site http://www.facebook.com/security.

The Koobface virus hacks into every search performed on your computer. To remove the Koobface virus from your computer, follow these instructions on this Facebook site http://www.facebook.com/security.

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Threats on Facebook Security

Forget those phishing emails that attempt to get your credit card or bank sign-in information. When crooks want to know how to get into your bank account, they post a message on Facebook. These messages appear so innocuous and so appropriate in the Facebook setting that you are likely to not only get conned, but pass on the scam.

Facebook is the new frontier for fraud, says Tom Clare, head of product marketing at Blue Coat, an Internet security company that does annual reports on web threats. In just this past year social networks have soared to 4th from 17th most treacherous web terrain -- behind porn and software-sharing sites, which you probably know to avoid.

What makes Facebook so treacherous? Us.

It starts with the fact that we are inundated with requests to set up passwords to get into our work computers, our online bank accounts, Facebook and every other web-based subscription. So what do we do? We use the same password.

"Crooks understand that most users use the same password for everything," says Clare. "If they can get your user credentials for your Facebook account, there's a good chance that they have the password for your bank account."

If you are smart enough to have separate passwords for Facebook and your financial accounts, crooks get at you through a variety phishing attempts that you might think are Facebook games and widgets. But look closely and you'll realize that they deliver answers to all of your bank's security questions -- and possibly clues to your passwords -- right into the hands of the crooks.

Think it couldn't happen to you? Let's see if you recognize any of these recent Facebook messages that jeopardize your security. All of these came from my Facebook friends in just the past few weeks:

1. Who knows you best?

The message reads:

Can you do this? My middle name __________, my age ___, my favorite soda _______, my birthday ___/___/___, whose the love of my life ______, my best friend _____, my favorite color ______, my eye color _______, my hair color ______ my favorite food ________ and my mom's name __________. Put this as your status and see who knows you best.

How many of these are the same facts your bank asks to verify your identity? Put this as your status and everybody -- including all the people who want to hijack your bank account and credit cards -- will know you well enough to make a viable attempt.

2. Your friend [Name here] just answered a question about you!

Was it possible that an old friend answered a question about me that I needed to "unlock?" Absolutely. But when you click on the link, the next screen should give you pause: 21 Questions is requesting permission to ... (a) access your name, profile picture, gender, networks, user ID, friends and any other information shared with everyone ... (b) send you email ... (c) post to your wall ... and ... (d) access your data any time ... regardless of whether or not you're using their application.

Can you take that access back -- ever? It sure doesn't look like it. There's no reference to how you can stop them from future access to your data in their "terms and conditions." Worse, it appears that to "unlock" the answer in your friend's post, you need to answer a bunch of questions about your other friends and violate their privacy too. I didn't give 21 Questions access to my information, but the roughly 850 people who joined "People Who Hate 21 Questions on Facebook" apparently have and can give you insight into just how pernicious this program can be.

3. LOL. Look at the video I found of you!

This is the most dangerous of all the spam messages and it comes in a variety of forms, says Clare. It's actually a bid to surreptitiously install malware on your computer. This malware can track your computer keystrokes and record your sign-in and password information with all of your online accounts.

How does it work? When you click on the link, it says that you need to upgrade your video player to see the clip. If you hit the "upgrade" button, it opens your computer to the crooks, who ship in their software. You may be completely unaware of it until you start seeing strange charges hit your credit cards or bank account. Up-to-date security software should stop the download. If you don't have that, watch out.

Better yet, if you really think some friend is sending you a video clip, double-check with the friend to be sure before you click on the link. When I messaged my high-school classmate to ask if she'd really sent this, she was horrified. Her Facebook account had been hijacked and anyone who clicked through was likely to have their account hijacked too. That's how this virus spreads virally.

[5 Common Money Tips You Should Ignore]

4. We're stuck!

It started out as an email scam, but now the "We're stuck in [Europe/Asia/Canada] and need money" scam has moved to instant messages on Facebook, where it can be more effective. Most people have learned not to react to the email, but instant messages help crooks by forcing you to react emotionally -- They're right there. They need help, now. A friend got one of these messages last week from the parents of a close friend. Her reaction was the perfect way to deal with it: She immediately called her friend and said "Have you talked to your parents lately?" The response: "Yeah. They're right here."

Facebook has launched a security system to combat account hijacking that allows crooks to send messages and posts through your account. You can get updates on what they're doing at Facebook's security page, where they've also got a nice little security quiz that's definitely worth taking.

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