Latest news with #Alabaman
Irish Independent
29-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Simon Bourke: Tallaght attack harks back to Jim Crow-era in its dehumanisation and humiliation of victim
The only thing different was the accent. If you replaced Jennifer Murray's Irish brogue with that of an early 19th century Alabaman you could have been forgiven for thinking you'd chanced upon a historical artefact, a feature on one of the darkest times in modern history. Sadly, Ms Murray was not a historian, was not recounting the tale of another horrific lynching in the Deep South during the Jim Crow years. No, she is living very much in the here and now, in an era where Irish people see fit to beat and strip those of a different colour, those who, by virtue of originating from another land, are to be viewed with suspicion, with antipathy, with hate. Related topics Simon Bourke
Daily Record
17-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Mum slams hospital after they say baby name 'not allowed' but others agree with decision
A new mum has asked for advice after she was told by a hospital that she wasn't allowed to name her daughter something that she had chosen A new mum has hit out at hospital staff for rejecting her choice of baby name, although some people reckon the nurses have done her a favour. Venting on social media, the woman recounted how she gave birth to her daughter last week in an Alabama hospital. The mum chose a distinctive name to ensure her child would 'stand out' – a name that would give her an advantage in any situation. She explained on Reddit: "I've run into something weird and I'm honestly not sure what to do. My baby girl was born last week here in Alabama, and we picked out a unique name that means a lot to us: Xfrgolszzzxy (we say it like Zurf-golz-ee). "I know it's different and that was the whole point. I didn't grow up with much and always felt like people looked down on me because of where I'm from and the kind of name I had. "I wanted something special for my daughter. Also, my dad is a surfer so I wanted to include that in her name." But when completing her daughter's birth certificate paperwork, she says the woman behind the desk gave her a funny look before saying: 'I'm sorry but names can't start with an X followed by a consonant. That's not allowed in Alabama.' She added: "I asked her if she could show me where it said that and she just pointed at this big binder and mumbled something about naming standards. "She couldn't give me a straight answer. I tried calling the county office later that week and basically got the same thing. They said our name didn't 'meet system requirements' but couldn't say why exactly. At least they promised me to look into it. "The way I see this - the name only uses English letters. No numbers, no emojis, no weird accents or anything. I've looked up the Alabama rules and all it says is names have to be made with English alphabet letters, hyphens or apostrophes. That's it. "So now they're telling is we either need to choose a different name or leave it blank and go to court to 'petition' for it. I don't have the money or time to fight the state just to name my own kid." Gobsmacked by the woman's story, social media users quickly shared their thoughts on the situation, with some refusing to believe someone would actually want to name their child Xfrgolszzzxy. One user said: "Finally an Alabaman law I can get behind." Another user added: "If I was that baby, once I aged to an adult, my first stop would be to legally change my name to something my parents wouldn't know and start a new life. What is wrong with people?" A third user said: "I would genuinely hate my parents for naming me something as absolutely insane as that." Another user added: "Supposed to give a baby a name, not a password."
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
'Hospital refused my baby name – I know it's different but that's the point'
A woman claims her hospital refused her chosen baby name because it didn't 'meet system requirements' – and they say she'll have to go to court if she wants to use it A new mum has slammed a hospital team for refusing her chosen baby name – but others say the nurses did her a favour. Complaining about the situation on social media, the woman shared how she welcomed her baby girl into the world last week at a hospital in Alabama. She wanted her daughter to 'stand out' in life – so picked a name they'll 'give her an edge' over others no matter the situation she finds herself in. She said: "I've run into something weird and I'm honestly not sure what to do. My baby girl was born last week here in Alabama, and we picked out a unique name that means a lot to us: Xfrgolszzzxy (we say it like Zurf-golz-ee). "I know it's different and that was the whole point. I didn't grow up with much and always felt like people looked down on me because of where I'm from and the kind of name I had. "I wanted something special for my daughter. Also, my dad is a surfer so I wanted to include that in her name." But when completing her daughter's birth certificate paperwork, she says the woman behind the desk gave her a funny look before saying: 'I'm sorry but names can't start with an X followed by a consonant. That's not allowed in Alabama.' She added: "I asked her if she could show me where it said that and she just pointed at this big binder and mumbled something about naming standards. "She couldn't give me a straight answer. I tried calling the county office later that week and basically got the same thing. They said our name didn't 'meet system requirements' but couldn't say why exactly. At least they promised me to look into it. "The way I see this - the name only uses English letters. No numbers, no emojis, no weird accents or anything. I've looked up the Alabama rules and all it says is names have to be made with English alphabet letters, hyphens or apostrophes. That's it. "So now they're telling is we either need to choose a different name or leave it blank and go to court to 'petition' for it. I don't have the money or time to fight the state just to name my own kid." Gobsmacked by the woman's story, social media users quickly shared their thoughts on the situation, with some refusing to believe someone would actually want to name their child Xfrgolszzzxy. One user said: "Finally an Alabaman law I can get behind." Another user added: "If I was that baby, once I aged to an adult, my first stop would be to legally change my name to something my parents wouldn't know and start a new life. What is wrong with people?" A third user said: "I would genuinely hate my parents for naming me something as absolutely insane as that." Another user added: "Supposed to give a baby a name, not a password."
NBC Sports
08-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Bucky McMillan will ‘have to get to work immediately' as he takes over Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Bucky McMillan era kicked off at Texas A&M with a lofty promise from the coach who raised Samford basketball to new heights. 'For me to leave that place, it would only be for some place that I know I could not just win championships, but was a great place with great people,' McMillan said at his introductory press conference in A&M's Reed Arena. 'That's why I'm here — we're going to win championships here.' Texas A&M's men's basketball team has never advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, much less won a national championship. The A&M women won a national title in 2011 under coach Gary Blair. The Aggies hired the high-revving McMillan, 41, to replace Buzz Williams, who exited A&M for Maryland on April 1. Williams finished with a 120-73 record at A&M over six seasons, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons. A&M hasn't advanced to the Sweet 16, however, since 2018 under coach Billy Kennedy, which is why Williams' tenure was considered overall disappointing to A&M fans. McMillan, a native Alabaman who has never coached in Texas and had only visited College Station once prior, has hired two former assistants at A&M under Kennedy: Mitch Cole, who also assisted McMillan at Samford, and former Stephen F. Austin State head coach Kyle Keller, whom the Lumberjacks dismissed in January following a 1-7 start to Southland Conference play. McMillan led Samford to the NCAA Tournament a year ago, and the Bulldogs narrowly lost 93-89 to Kansas in the opening round. McMillan, who was 99-52 over five seasons at Samford in Birmingham, Alabama, previously coached Mountain Brook High School near Birmingham to five state titles in Alabama's highest high school classification. 'I've talked to a lot of folks about basketball,' said A&M athletic director Trev Alberts, who made his most high-profile hire since his arrival to College Station a little more than a year ago. 'And the thing about Bucky McMillan that kept coming up was, 'This is one of the elite, emerging young minds in college basketball.' … He thinks differently — he coaches outside the box. And players enjoy his style of basketball.' That style, first dubbed 'Bucky Ball' during McMillan's high school coaching days, is perpetually frenzied on offense and defense. McMillan has agreed to a five-year deal at A&M, but exact contract numbers were not available. 'When we bring recruits to games, and this place is filled up … and we're leading the nation in scoring and it's going crazy, people are going to say, 'I want to be a part of that,'' McMillan told about 500 fans gathered in Reed Arena for his introduction. The Bulldogs ranked 13th nationally in scoring this season with 82.9 points per game, and finished in the top 10 in 3-pointers made and attempted (356 of 978 for 36.4%). The Samford defense's 16.1 turnovers forced per game ranked fourth nationally. 'Any coach who wins 330-plus games as a high school coach with multiple state championships is worth paying attention to,' Texas A&M president Mark Welsh said. 'Any coach who's had the record he's had over the last five years at Samford University, which plays in a tough basketball conference, is worth paying attention to. 'And anyone who raises attendance the way he has in every venue that he's been a part of is worth paying attention to.' Samford a year ago won a school record 29 games and swept the Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs in 2024 also won a school record 17 consecutive games and were 18-0 at home. This year's Samford squad finished 22-11 and lost in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament at George Mason. Williams coached a veteran team his last season at A&M (23-11) and based on expired eligibility and the transfer portal, McMillan inherits a lone scholarship player in freshman forward Chris McDermott, who played sparingly in his first season. 'We're going to have to get to work immediately,' McMillan said of cranking up his recruiting at A&M. 'We do play a unique style, very up tempo and fast-paced. We love to recruit to that system, but we can't run that system with four players. So we're going to have to get players on board, and we have to get players on board quickly here.'
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bucky McMillan will 'have to get to work immediately' as he takes over Texas A&M basketball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — The Bucky McMillan era kicked off at Texas A&M with a lofty promise from the coach who raised Samford basketball to new heights.'For me to leave that place, it would only be for some place that I know I could not just win championships, but was a great place with great people,' McMillan said at his introductory press conference in A&M's Reed Arena on Monday. 'That's why I'm here — we're going to win championships here.'Texas A&M's men's basketball team has never advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, much less won a national championship. The A&M women won a national title in 2011 under coach Gary Aggies hired the high-revving McMillan, 41, to replace Buzz Williams, who exited A&M for Maryland on April 1. Williams finished with a 120-73 record at A&M over six seasons, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons.A&M hasn't advanced to the Sweet 16, however, since 2018 under coach Billy Kennedy, which is why Williams' tenure was considered overall disappointing to A&M a native Alabaman who has never coached in Texas and had only visited College Station once prior, has hired two former assistants at A&M under Kennedy: Mitch Cole, who also assisted McMillan at Samford, and former Stephen F. Austin State head coach Kyle Keller, whom the Lumberjacks dismissed in January following a 1-7 start to Southland Conference led Samford to the NCAA Tournament a year ago, and the Bulldogs narrowly lost 93-89 to Kansas in the opening round. McMillan, who was 99-52 over five seasons at Samford in Birmingham, Alabama, previously coached Mountain Brook High School near Birmingham to five state titles in Alabama's highest high school classification.'I've talked to a lot of folks about basketball,' said A&M athletic director Trev Alberts, who made his most high-profile hire since his arrival to College Station a little more than a year ago. 'And the thing about Bucky McMillan that kept coming up was, 'This is one of the elite, emerging young minds in college basketball.' … He thinks differently — he coaches outside the box. And players enjoy his style of basketball.'That style, first dubbed 'Bucky Ball' during McMillan's high school coaching days, is perpetually frenzied on offense and defense. McMillan has agreed to a five-year deal at A&M, via ESPN, but exact contract numbers were not available Monday.'When we bring recruits to games, and this place is filled up … and we're leading the nation in scoring and it's going crazy, people are going to say, 'I want to be a part of that,'' McMillan told about 500 fans gathered in Reed Arena for his Bulldogs ranked 13th nationally in scoring this season with 82.9 points per game, and finished in the top 10 in 3-pointers made and attempted (356 of 978 for 36.4%). The Samford defense's 16.1 turnovers forced per game ranked fourth nationally.'Any coach who wins 330-plus games as a high school coach with multiple state championships is worth paying attention to,' Texas A&M president Mark Welsh said. 'Any coach who's had the record he's had over the last five years at Samford University, which plays in a tough basketball conference, is worth paying attention to.'And anyone who raises attendance the way he has in every venue that he's been a part of is worth paying attention to.'Samford a year ago won a school record 29 games and swept the Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs in 2024 also won a school record 17 consecutive games and were 18-0 at home. This year's Samford squad finished 22-11 and lost in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament at George coached a veteran team his last season at A&M (23-11) and based on expired eligibility and the transfer portal, McMillan inherits a lone scholarship player in freshman forward Chris McDermott, who played sparingly in his first season.'We're going to have to get to work immediately,' McMillan said of cranking up his recruiting at A&M. 'We do play a unique style, very up tempo and fast-paced. We love to recruit to that system, but we can't run that system with four players. So we're going to have to get players on board, and we have to get players on board quickly here.'___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and
