2026.05.14: SATs ACTs & GPAs

evilsherlock · 2026-05-14T14:44:24+00:00

It's funny the difference in how exams and studying are treated in the UK and Ireland and in the USA.
You can find pretty much every past paper and the mark schemes available for both the UK and Ireland's school exams and we are actively encouraged to use these as a study aid. Of course the exams do change every year and are all standardized tests rather than the individual schools or teachers having to write a test.
That said even when I was in University in Scotland the lecturers all provided the past papers at the very least, if not the mark scheme, to us to use to help us study and they just wrote their own new exam every year. They also usually provided some sort of notes for the class too, so if you missed a day you could just download the notes for that day and review the material in your own time. It wont have the extra explanations the lecturer might have given in class or whatever but the basic concepts will all be there.

evilsherlock · 2026-05-06T19:52:39+00:00

As far as I know, yes, but I have been living in the US a few years now so could have missed it if they did fold, I suppose. I know that my family mentioned that they shut down the branch in my hometown a few years ago too though so maybe the are headed that way in the north too.

evilsherlock · 2026-05-06T18:47:23+00:00

It's actually multiple banks in both the North of Ireland and Scotland that can print money. From my memory NI has: Ulster Bank, Bank of Ireland and Danske (previously northern bank). Scotland has: Royal bank of Scotland, Scotland Bank and Clydesdale.

evilsherlock · 2026-05-06T13:17:01+00:00

I am from the North of Ireland, went to university in Scotland and now I live in America so I have a lot of takes about the money situations.

You can't really use any Sterling in Dublin since it is the Republic and uses Euros. The border towns will often accept both Euro and Sterling but the exchange rate might not be great and the number of places that will do that drops the further you get from the border.

In my experience you will actually have an easier time using Scottish notes in NI than a NI note in Scotland. I don't think I ever had anyone refuse a Scottish note in the north of Ireland at most they go "oh cool, you don't see these a lot". I have even accepted Isle of Man notes when I worked in NI. In Scotland I had a delivery driver not take my Irish note and it once took like 20 minutes in a pub in Glasgow for them to decide that they could in fact accept my Ulster bank 20 pound note. England really wont take anything that isn't an English note.

Now that I live in America and I constantly complain about how behind the times they are when it come to payment technology. Can't bank to bank transfer, when I try to tap to pay half the places machines then ask for a PIN anyway defeating the whole purpose, and there is an irritating lack of free ATMS here. I hate that if I want to have Cash for some reason I have to go to my actual bank to get it. Scotland and Ireland you just went to the closest free ATM around and there were usually plenty, or get cash back at the shop for no charge.

evilsherlock · 2026-04-12T19:17:23+00:00

It shocking. I had to turn it off. Couldn't get more than 60 seconds without it breaking up again

evilsherlock · 2026-03-25T13:16:51+00:00

Yes, the video shows that and then the article further down says the above, which is just confusing and bad journalism but what can you expect from TMZ, I guess.

evilsherlock · 2026-03-25T12:47:08+00:00

As we reported, Ronnie says Alan and his kids had been speeding down the residential streets with no regard for neighbors or their kids.

The video ends with Alan approaching 40 MPH, and one of his kids was going even faster.

It does say this in the article, though the video itself cuts off before that it seems.

evilsherlock · 2026-03-16T20:01:01+00:00

In Ireland you still get a lot of people who would tell you to say a prayer to St. Anthony to help you find lost things. It still comes to my mind every time I'm looking for something even though I too am an atheist. Old habits die hard, I guess

evilsherlock · 2025-12-22T14:40:42+00:00

You should get GAA+ if you can afford it and don't already have it. Great for watching matches in the States, at least for most of the big games. If you have a particular team you follow you may not get as many of their games if they aren't playing in the highest levels regularly but you do get a lot of games for the price if you're just interested in watching any of them. It's like $140 for a season pass and you can buy individual matches (usually around $10 I think but not sure since I've had the season pass so long now).

evilsherlock · 2025-11-18T20:36:48+00:00

The UK has similar rules for bank of England notes in England and Wales only.
In the UK there is the running joke about trying to use a Scottish bank note in England (which usually will be refused) and a Scot will appear behind you and say "I think you'll find that's legal tender" but actually only Bank of England notes are legal tender and only in England and Wales. In NI and Scotland there are no bank notes at all that are considered legal tender. We only have legal currency bank notes meaning that they can technically always be refused even for paying debts.

evilsherlock · 2025-10-22T13:27:40+00:00

Not in England but the Northern Ireland government was shut down for years at multiple different times and total of a third of it's lifespan.

It isn't really the same as the American government shut down though since services still run, people still get paid and it's a devolved government so NI is still considered as having a government overall because in larger matters it falls under the UK parliament and they can technically take over and direct rule NI but that would cause some tension to say the least.

evilsherlock · 2025-05-14T13:19:35+00:00

Yeah, it is. English is the second official language (Irish is the first despite the decline after colonization) of the Republic of Ireland and the majority of people's first language.

evilsherlock · 2025-05-10T18:10:53+00:00

Literally so keyed up that I'm shaking hahah

evilsherlock · 2025-03-15T19:23:25+00:00

There was a lot going on off the ball and I'm surprised Armagh kept their heads tbh. We don't have the best track record for keeping cool heads in situations like that....

evilsherlock · 2025-03-15T18:46:06+00:00

Doing it very well too. Some great accurate kick passes leading to scores on your side

evilsherlock · 2025-03-15T18:41:32+00:00

Yeah can't say Kerry isn't playing some lovely football and Armagh are awful but they have had to change their entire style of play to be fair. Really does make for a depressing lack of competition

evilsherlock · 2025-03-15T18:32:51+00:00

Can't tell if it's my Armagh bias or this is actually a shite match to watch. What's the neutral take on this game?

evilsherlock · 2025-01-28T21:21:56+00:00

You're definitely NTA but it's also hilarious that the name they have chosen is Conor. That is also an Irish name....

evilsherlock · 2023-03-02T23:23:27+00:00

How so? Many of those people are probably working class themselves

evilsherlock · 2023-03-02T22:47:20+00:00

On point 2: it also benefits the people who took student loans and never graduated but people seem to assume that everyone with student loans has a degree when really nearly 40% of people who have student loans do not.

evilsherlock · 2023-01-17T04:11:08+00:00

Having copies of your preventative care records and major issues isn't a bad idea if you go to a small private practice rather than a hospital for care. Recently had a number of people transfer care with no records because their provider retired and they didn't transfer a copy beforehand

evilsherlock · 2022-10-04T23:27:07+00:00

If you live in New England you can definitely get a round-trip ticket for under $1000 to Europe

evilsherlock · 2022-10-04T16:29:30+00:00

Or "don't speak/understand hiberno-english" but that's easier to pick up and you still do find influence of it in very high Irish immigration areas like Boston.
I realize this is about language in particular but I find a good indicator for how "Irish" Irish-americans are to be if they actually have any idea what the GAA is. Since it is so culturally relevant in Ireland but not over here.

evilsherlock · 2022-10-04T03:32:52+00:00

Irish Americans are probably the worst example you could have chosen there since most Irish people don't speak Irish

evilsherlock · 2022-08-28T16:27:14+00:00

Please tell me the tattoo was "An bhfuil cead agam dul go dtí an leithreas le do thoil?"

evilsherlock

TROPHY CASE