Mark Steele

The greatest Countdown clip of all time. It’s almost too good to be true. You actually couldn’t have scripted it any better. Poor Anne. 😬😭

@AyrUnitedFC @JimDelahunt Spent too much time developing players for his club Celtic, too many of them in the group at the same time. Great for Celtic but not what Ayr Utd need to be challenging at a better end of the table.

Ayr United confirms that Scott Brown and Steven Whittaker have left the club by mutual consent. The club wishes to thank them both for their dedication throughout their time at Ayr United and wish them every success for their future careers. Training today will be taken by Jamie Murphy, Tommy Tait and Dave Timmins and there will be a further communication regarding an interim position in due course. #WeAreUnited

Oldest countries in history 😲

Trusting Aunt Janice was a mistake: 😭

🚨 WOW! This 15-year-old is ABSOLUTELY DESTROYING the ninja course — pure beast mode!

Here are 12 places you must visit before you leave this world

THE TRAIN STATION THEORY. ( Most people learn this too late in life.) THREAD 🧵

AN OPEN LETTER TO LEWIS HAMILTON Mr Hamilton, You have recently spoken about Britain’s past and suggested that the country should consider returning land in Africa as some form of historical reckoning. Before making such sweeping statements, it might be worth revisiting the full history — not just the fashionable fragments that circulate on social media. Slavery was not invented by Britain. It existed for millennia across the ancient world — in empires from Rome to the Middle East and Africa. By the time Britain emerged as a maritime power, slave trading networks already stretched across continents. The Atlantic trade itself involved multiple participants. African rulers and traders captured and sold prisoners to European merchants on the coast. It was an ugly system, but it was also an international one. What is often omitted from modern lectures about history is that Britain became the first major power to turn against the trade. Parliament passed the 1807 Act abolishing the slave trade, and the Royal Navy then spent decades enforcing that decision. The West Africa Squadron patrolled thousands of miles of coastline. Sailors died from disease and from gunfire while intercepting slave ships. In doing so they liberated tens of thousands of people who would otherwise have been carried into bondage. Many of those liberated Africans were settled in Sierra Leone. The capital was named Freetown for a reason. There are also chapters rarely mentioned today. When Napoleon restored slavery in French territories after it had been abolished, it was British power that ultimately helped end those systems again. There is also the matter of the enormous compensation loan taken by the British state when slavery was abolished across the empire — a debt British taxpayers continued servicing for generations. None of this erases the suffering of those enslaved. But it does mean the story is far more complex than the simple narrative often presented today. So before condemning Britain wholesale, perhaps a moment might be taken to acknowledge the sailors who fought the slave traders and the role Britain played in shutting down the Atlantic system. A fitting tribute would be support for a memorial to those men who served and died enforcing abolition. History deserves honesty — not slogans. Yours sincerely Stan Robinson Voice of Wales @VoWalesWren @alanlester #SouthAfricaSquadron #RoyalNavy #VoiceOfWales

@georgegalloway @JohnWight1 Grow up

Sensational Glasgow Derby. 2-2. Mohammed and Yousef stand-outs for Rangers - especially as they were fasting for Ramadan. Reo should have started for Celtic.

Streets where kids roamed free. Milk on doorsteps. No machetes, no no-go zones. No fear, no chaos, just normal life. Britain before the invasion. Who else misses this Britain?

I drive Uber. Night shift mostly. Last week picked up an old man at 11 PM. He got in and said: "I need you to drive me to five places tonight. I'll pay you $500. Cash. But you can't ask why until we're done." Handed me five addresses. First stop: a house in the suburbs. He sat in the car. Stared at it for ten minutes. Crying silently. "Okay. Next one." I drove. Second stop: elementary school. Empty. Dark. He got out. Walked to the playground. Sat on a swing. Stayed there twenty minutes. Came back to the car. "I taught here. 43 years. Best job I ever had." Third stop: diner. He went inside. Ordered coffee. Sat alone in a booth. Didn't drink it. Just sat. Looking around. Fifteen minutes. Came back. "My wife and I had our first date here. 1967." Fourth stop: cemetery. He got out at the cemetery. Walked to a grave. Stood there. Talking to it. Couldn't hear what he said. Thirty minutes. When he came back his eyes were red. "My wife. Three years today." Fifth stop: hospital. He asked me to park. Wait. "This is the last one." He looked at me. "Now I'll tell you why. I have stage four cancer. Weeks left. Maybe days. Tonight I wanted to see my whole life. One last time. Before I can't anymore." I started crying. Right there. "The house - that's where I raised my kids. The school - where I found my purpose. The diner - where I fell in love. The cemetery - where I said goodbye. And here. The hospital. Where I'm checking in tonight. Hospice floor. I'm not going home." He handed me $500. "Thank you for driving me through my life. You're the last stranger who'll ever be kind to me. I wanted it to be gentle. You made it gentle." I refused the money. "I can't take this." He insisted. "Please. I have nobody to leave it to. My kids don't talk to me. I have no friends left. You gave me three hours of kindness. That's worth more than $500 to me." He got out. Grabbed his small suitcase. Turned back. "What's your name?" "Marcus." "Thank you, Marcus. For being the last good thing." He walked into the hospital. I sat in my car. Sobbing. For an hour. Couldn't stop thinking about him. Went back next day. Asked for him. "Mr. Patterson. Room 412." Brought flowers. Knocked. He was in bed. Smiled when he saw me. "Marcus. You came back." "Couldn't leave it like that. Are you okay?" "Dying. But I got to see my life last night. So yes. I'm okay." We talked for two hours. About his wife. His students. The kids who stopped calling. The life he lived. I visited every day for two weeks. Brought coffee. Read him the news. Sat in silence sometimes. He told me everything. The regrets. The joys. The moments he'd relive. "I thought I'd die alone," he said one day. "But you're here. A stranger who became family in my last days. That's a gift." I held his hand. "You're not dying alone. Not anymore." He cried. "Thank you for seeing me. When I was invisible." Mr. Patterson died on a Tuesday. 3:17 AM. I was there. Holding his hand. His last words: "Tell people. Tell them to look at strangers. Really look. Everyone's dying. Some faster than others. But we're all heading somewhere. Be kind on the way. You were kind. You saved my last days." He closed his eyes. Heart monitor flatlined. I stayed another hour. Couldn't let go. He died with someone. That mattered. His funeral had six people. Me. Three nurses. A lawyer. One former student who saw the obituary. That's it. A man who taught for 43 years. Loved a woman for 52. Lived 81 years. Six people. I spoke. "Mr. Patterson taught me something in his last two weeks. Every stranger is someone's whole world. Every Uber passenger has a story. Every person you pass is living and dying and hoping someone sees them. He paid me $500 to drive him through his life. But he gave me something worth more. The knowledge that kindness to strangers isn't extra. It's everything. Because we're all strangers. Until someone stops. Looks. Listens. Stays." I keep the $500 in my glove box. Never spent it. It's a reminder.

The Lord’s Prayer Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

A Japanese Manager Once Told Me: “We Fire Employees Who Arrive on Time.” I laughed. Then he explained why—and it completely changed how I see success. I first heard this in Tokyo during a business dinner. I asked why being late is such a serious offense in Japan. He replied calmly: “We don’t fire the late ones. We fire the ones who arrive exactly at the start.” The table went silent. In my culture, arriving right on time means: • responsible • disciplined • professional In his culture? It means passive. He explained: “If you arrive at 9:00 sharp, you’ve waited until the last possible second.” That tells us something important. It tells us you didn’t plan for: • traffic • delays • uncertainty • responsibility beyond yourself And if you don’t plan for uncertainty… you can’t be trusted with systems. He said something I’ll never forget: “Only the weak arrive in the last minute.” Not because they’re lazy—but because they think in limits, not margins. Japanese companies don’t value accuracy. They value anticipation. A professional arrives early to: • settle the mind • read the room • prepare mentally • show readiness Not to rush in out of breath. That idea stayed with me. And once I noticed it… I couldn’t unsee it. The most successful people everywhere, no matter within which country: • arrive early • stay calm • observe first • speak last They’re already present before others even enter. They build trust before the meeting begins. They notice details others miss. They create opportunity before others react. That edge compounds. Showing up early isn’t about time. It’s about mindset. Exactly on time says: “I did the minimum.” Early says: “I came prepared for reality.” Business, and life, require margin. When someone says, “But I came on time,” I no longer hear discipline. I hear the limit of their thinking. Japan understood this long ago: Success begins before the clock starts. Will Americans and Germans and many others relearn these self-explanatory principles? The question going forward is: Will YOU continue with the behavior of the Have-Nots, or choose the behavior and success of the Have-Yachts? Bitcoin. 🟠

THE YEAR IS 1992. Kids today will NEVER understand how HARD this song hit! AND STILL A BANGER! .

This guy explains why everything we know about addiction is actually wrong [📹 Johann Hari | TED] x.com/fopminui/statu…

New Year Prayer Heavenly Father, As we step into this New Year 2026, we thank You for bringing us safely through the past year. Thank You for Your protection, Your mercy, and Your love that never failed us, even in difficult times. Lord, we place this new year into Your hands. Please guide our steps, order our thoughts, and guard our hearts. Fill our lives with peace where there is fear, strength where there is weakness, and hope where there is uncertainty. Help us to walk in wisdom and truth each day. Bless our families, our work, and our health. Remove anxiety, sickness, and confusion from our lives. Renew our minds, strengthen our bodies, and uplift our spirits. Teach us to trust You completely and not be afraid of the future. May this year be filled with Your grace, favor, and purpose. Help us to love others, forgive quickly, and live with gratitude. Let Your light shine through us in everything we do. We commit the year 2026 to You, Lord. May Your will be done in our lives, and may we grow closer to You with each passing day. In Your holy name we pray, Amen. #HappNewYear2026 #HappyNewYear

@EwenDCameron Hearts will not win the SPFL FACT

All The Pressure Is On Rangers F A C T #Hearts #Rangers

Note to the BBC: the power of Scotland and why they deserved more respect than a cringey wave-a-thon on Spoty. Where to start? Second oldest footballing nation in the world. Developed styles of football 150 years ago still pursued today. No Scotland, no passing. Helped spread the joy of football around the world, igniting the passion in Brazil and Argentina. Helped nurture famous English clubs like Aston Villa. Introduced keepie-uppie to Wembley. Gave the game the wonderful Baxter, Law, Johnstone, McGrain, Bremner, Dalglish, Hansen, Souness and more recently Robertson and McTominay. Gave the game managers of the calibre and vision of Shankly, Busby, Stein and Ferguson. Brought the refreshing and well-refreshed mobile party of the Tartan Army to tournaments, fans who raise spirits and raise funds for charities wherever they go. Have an anthem that stirs the blood and the soul. Qualified for the World Cup with a performance of guts and goalscoring glory. Staged their own Puskas award competition against Denmark. Guided by a modest, proud and quietly inspirational manager in Steve Clarke. Who should have had the successful, charismatic McTominay on the Spoty shortlist. McTominay deserved more respect from Spoty. So did Scotland.

Callum McGregor and Kieran tierney receiving instruction from wilfried Nancy

@dundeeunitedfc Tremendous patter 😂😂😂

Focusing on a 𝐇𝐔𝐆𝐄 three points 🤩✅ 🍊 2️⃣-1️⃣ 🍀 | #UTDCEL | #DUFC