Reading for today: Jesus Christ - your key to life

Madonna said, ‘When I was growing up... Jesus Christ was like a movie star, my favourite idol of all.’

Napoleon Bonaparte said, ‘I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man.’

Novelist H.G. Wells said, ‘I am an historian, I am not a believer. But this penniless preacher from Galilee is irresistibly the centre of history.’

Even people who would not describe themselves as followers of the ‘penniless preacher’ recognise that there is something extraordinary about Jesus.

No one, not even angels, can compare to Jesus (Hebrews 1:1–14). If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. He said, ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’ (John 14:9). Everything you read and understand about God through the Bible needs to be read through the lens of Jesus. He is the ultimate revelation of God.

Your key to getting your life sorted out is Jesus. Your key to understanding the Bible is Jesus. Your key to understanding God’s character is Jesus. Your key to life is Jesus.

www.bibleinoneyear.org

Business cyber security: What simple mistakes leave you at risk?

As cyber threats intensify, small businesses must make sure that careless mistakes aren’t leaving them vulnerable.

Cyber crime is on the up. A survey by analyst Ovum found that 60% of companies saw an increase in cyber attacks in the past year. Meanwhile, Uncloak’s research suggests that the number of cyber attacks in 2017 was up an incredible 400% year on year.

The costs of cyber crime are high, both financially and in terms of the devastating reputational damage done to businesses that fall victim – yet 96% of businesses in Europe feel they cannot justify the cost of a cyber security expert. The reality is that the threat affects businesses of all sizes, yet cyber security is a poorly understood area for many businesses, and most simply wait to shut the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Of course, cyber security is a complex and ever-changing landscape, but there are simple things we could all do to reduce risks. Take a look at these common mistakes, and you might spot some straightforward things you can do to reduce your chance of being hit by a hacker – because prevention is always better than a cure

Click here to find out what you could do to protect your business:

www.businessadvice.co.uk

Yet another reason to despise Bitcoin: massive electricity use adding significantly to Global Warming

If Bitcoin is adopted at rates similar to other technologies, like credit cards, it could increase global temperatures by two degrees Celsius by 2033 according to a study published on Monday in Nature Climate Change. To put this in perspective, a recent climate change report from the United Nations found that a temperature increase of over 1.5 degrees Celsius would lead to irreversible, catastrophic climate effects.

Bitcoin requires massive amounts of energy to run the computers that secure the record of transactions that have occurred on the network, which are stored in a digital ledger called a blockchain. Each computer is simultaneously searching for the solution to a complex math problem—a process known as mining since the first computer to solve the problem is rewarded with newly-minted Bitcoin.

Bitcoin’s environmental footprint has been a serious point of criticism for years, mostly thanks to the work of the Dutch economist Alex de Vries. De Vries’ work has long lived on his blog Digiconomist, and more recently in Joule, a peer-reviewed academic journal. As Motherboard has previously reported, de Vries’ research has found that Bitcoin’s energy consumption likely roughly equivalent to the energy needs of Austria and may be more resource intensive than mining gold.

www.motherboard.vice.com

Motorcycle Live at The NEC, Birmingham from 17-25 November

There are now less than THREE weeks to go until Motorcycle Live 2018 opens its doors! You have less than three weeks left to book your tickets in advance and save £5.50* compared to the on-the-door price, or you could take advantage of our promotion to receive an Oxford HD Max Disc Lock worth £24.99 when you buy a £25.00 advanced ticket!

Motorcycle Live takes place at The NEC, Birmingham from 17-25 November. Advance tickets are on sale on now priced at just £19.50 per adult, £12 for Seniors, £1 for 11-16 year olds and FREE for children aged ten and under. 

To book or for more information, call 0844 581 2345 or visit www.motorcyclelive.co.uk

Opt-out organ donation plan wins Commons backing

Hundreds of lives could be saved each year under a new opt-out system for organ donation approved by MPs.

Under the plans, passed by the Commons, adults in England will be presumed to be donors unless they have specifically recorded their decision not to be.

A high-profile media campaign to change the law was inspired by the case of 10-year-old Max Johnson, who was saved by a heart transplant.

If passed by the Lords, the measures would come into effect in spring 2020.

More than 5,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant and ministers estimate that the change in the law would save up to 700 lives each year.

www.bbc.co.uk

IBM to acquire Red Hat in deal valued at $34 billion

IBM is acquiring Red Hat, a major distributor of open-source software and technology, in a deal valued around $34 billion, the companies announced on Sunday.

According to a joint statement, IBM will pay cash to buy all shares in Red Hat at $190 each. Shares in Red Hat closed at $116.68 on Friday before the deal was announced.

The open source, enterprise software maker will become a unit of IBM’s Hybrid Cloud division, with Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst joining IBM’s senior management team and reporting to CEO Ginni Rometty. 

The acquisition is by far IBM’s largest deal ever, and the third-biggest in the history of U.S. tech. Excluding the AOL-Time Warner merger, the only larger deals were the $67 billion merger between Dell and EMC in 2016 and JDS Uniphase’s $41 billion acquisition of optical-component supplier SDL in 2000, just as the dot-com bubble was bursting.

www.cnbc.com

You know who has been you know where again!

Calli has been to see Pam again & has come back looking & smelling wonderful, & "puppy like" again. I wonder if Pam could offer this service for humans? I'd be 1st in the queue!

Also - more fab news: The Travellers Rest, Soberton is open once again!

Calli & I stopped in on the way back from Pam's & the new owners are doing a great job. Cheers!

www.k9-4pawsandthegroomingroom.co.uk