The Shocking Truth About Immigration in the UK: A Review of the 2014 Documentary

28 April, 2014 | Documentaries | 19 seen

In 2014, the documentary film "The Truth About Immigration in the UK" caused a stir in the UK media and politics. The documentary, produced by Channel 4, set out to investigate the impact of immigration on the UK, and the result was a nuanced and complex picture of a controversial issue.

The film begins with presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy stating that "immigration has become one of the most divisive issues in Britain today." It then goes on to explore the various claims and counter-claims made by politicians, the media, and the public about the impact of immigration on issues such as jobs, wages, housing, and the NHS.

One of the most striking things about the film is the way in which it challenges many of the myths and stereotypes surrounding immigration. For example, it shows how the idea that immigrants are a drain on the NHS is largely a myth, and that immigrants actually contribute more to the economy than they take out in benefits.

The documentary also looks at the impact of immigration on the job market, and again challenges the idea that immigrants are taking British jobs. It shows that there is little evidence to support this claim, and that many…

How Moldova's Visa-Free Regime is Driving Economic Growth and Integration with the EU

27 April, 2014 | Emerging Markets | 11 seen

Moldova is a small, landlocked country located in Eastern Europe. Despite its size, Moldova has a rich history and culture and is home to a diverse population of over 3 million people. In recent years, Moldova has made significant strides towards greater integration with the European Union (EU), including the introduction of a visa-free regime for Moldovan citizens traveling to the EU.

The visa-free regime, which was introduced in 2014, allows Moldovan citizens to travel to the EU for up to 90 days without a visa. This has been a significant development for Moldova, as it has opened up new opportunities for trade, investment, and cultural exchange with EU member states.

One of the key benefits of the visa-free regime has been increased tourism. Moldovan citizens are now able to travel more easily to EU member states, and many have taken advantage of this opportunity to explore new destinations and cultures. At the same time, the visa-free regime has also made it easier for EU citizens to visit Moldova, which has helped to boost the country's economy and raise its profile on the international stage.

In addition to…

Georgia's Political System: An Overview of its Structure and Functioning

27 April, 2014 | Living in Georgia | 62 seen

Georgia is a small country located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia, known for its rich history, culture, and natural beauty. The country's political system has undergone significant changes over the years, from being part of the Soviet Union to gaining independence in 1991 and establishing a democratic system of government.

Georgia's political system is based on a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, with the President as the head of state and the Prime Minister as the head of government. The President is elected for a term of six years and has ceremonial functions, while the Prime Minister is responsible for the day-to-day running of the government.

The Parliament of Georgia is a unicameral legislative body consisting of 150 members elected for a term of four years. The Parliament is responsible for passing laws, approving the budget, and overseeing the work of the government. The Speaker of the Parliament is the highest-ranking official in the legislative branch.

The judiciary in Georgia is independent and consists of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and regional courts. The Constitutional Court is responsible for reviewing the…

Inject Block In Drupal 7 Node With Block Inject module

26 April, 2014 | Drupal Development | 3 seen

I was looking for options to inject Google Adsense ads into my Drupal blog. There are a few modules and tactics available. But today I found an excellent module - Block Inject.

The Block Inject module allows for regions to be created and injected in the middle of chosen node types.

You can create any number of regions to inject as well as select as many node types you would like these regions to be injected in. The blocks you assign to these regions will then appear in the middle of the body field of these node types if the number of paragraphs is bigger than 2.

Download it here: Block Inject

Here is an example of injected Google Adsense into the middle of content:

I tried to install the latest dev version, but that broke things up, so I stayed with the alpha version.

Update: You might try the latest version now (This module have been updated on May 23, 2015)

If you need help with Drupal modules or Drupal website development - hire me!

Flickr vs Instagram: Which is the Best Photo-Sharing Platform for Your Needs?

25 April, 2014 | Digital Photography School | 61 seen

Flickr and Instagram are both popular photo-sharing platforms, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

In this article, we'll take a closer look at the key differences between these two platforms to help you decide which one is right for your needs.

Flickr, launched in 2004, is a photo-sharing platform that was popular among professional photographers before the rise of social media. It offers more advanced features than Instagram, such as the ability to upload and store high-resolution images, organize photos into sets and collections, and search for images by metadata such as camera type or location.

In contrast, Instagram, launched in 2010, is a social media platform that emphasizes mobile-first, real-time sharing of images and videos. Its focus is on visual storytelling and community engagement, with features such as hashtags, filters, and Instagram Stories.

When it comes to image quality, Flickr has the edge with its ability to store and display high-resolution images. Instagram, on the other hand, is optimized for mobile devices and offers a range of filters and editing tools that can enhance the look of photos.

In terms of…

Some magic with Drupal, Flickr and Georgia

24 April, 2014 | Drupal Development | 8 seen

Update: Further developments of both tourgeorgia.eu and instagram wall have been stopped. I have created a new Travel Map section instead.

Since I bought my first Android phone so many new thoughts and ideas has run through my head - I mean in opportunities of development. One of them I already realized - I created my custom Instagram wall, where I'm syncing all my photos taken by phone, and putting them on map. I really like this approach. Update: I have stopped further development of Instagram wall

When I first landed to Georgia, back in 2011, I wanted to start fresh, not only my life abroad, but to make some fresh start up/project. And I created Tourgeorgia. The idea behind scenes, was to make it a geo tagged. To develop portal, by myself discovering Georgia.

For example - I landed at Tbilisi airport, lets add this venue to site and so on. To add just those places, where I have been. 

By now, using my Android phone, I regret I had not it 3 years ago. The things would be far better. But enough regrets.

So I took my phone, turned it in to geo tagging monster. Registered for Flickr Account. And idea…

Pushing the limits - Brain power

23 April, 2014 | Documentaries | 1 seen

<p>Nice documentary about our brain power</p>

Magti 3g internet in your phone

22 April, 2014 | Living in Georgia | 18 seen

<p>Recently I bought my first Android phone, one of the first things I did - I wanted to activate internet on it, I mean mobile internet rather WI-FI.</p><p>Since I'm customer of Magti (Bani) I turned to Magti office on Rustaveli street to change my old SIM card to micro- SIM card by additional 5GEL charge. I was on rush, and I told that I will enable internet later on my phone by myself.</p><p>I then called to Magti info line, to ask for settings for my phone. &nbsp;Girl via phone told me that I can get 100 MB for 1 GEL for 24 hours.&nbsp;</p><p>It took me a while to activate all the settings.&nbsp;</p><p>I will not write down all these settings here, I will reference you to official Magti user guide on that:</p><p>http://www.magticom.ge/internet_setup/eng/android/</p><p>By now, I'm happy I activated 3g internet on my phone, because today electricity has lost in Tbilisi, and I turned my phone to portable Wi-Fi hotspot, and at least I can work. Speed via Magti 3G is pretty awesome.</p><p>I have heard that Beeline offers unlimited internet for 7GEL/month - I will check…

Import your Instagram photos to your blog using Flickr + Flickstagram

21 April, 2014 | Drupal Development | 30 seen

Recently I bought my first Android phone, and I found Instagram app really useful. What I like the most is it's mapping options, so you can add latitude/longitude auto, if your GPS is turned on.

Then I wanted to import my Instagram photos to my blog and found some problems with it. As I'm using Drupal as my blogs CMS, at first I headed to Drupal.org to search for some ready built modules, to import my Instagram photos, so I could later use views, for example, to tune things up. There are few solutions provided by Drupal community, but Instagram requires SSL, and at this stage, I'm not ready to enable some Open Source SSL. I just want a solution that works.

So then I remembered, some years ago, I had built an application with Drupal feeds module, aggregating Flickr RSS feed with location tags (latitude/longitude) - I remember there were involved some Yahoo pipes, to build that stuff. But that time, I was building a much more complicated system. Like parsing feeds for specific locations. This time I want to parse just my feeds and show my photos, both with location enabled and without it.

Luckily Instagram app allows to publish…

Gremi monastery complex in Georgia

20 April, 2014 | Churches and Monasteries | 44 seen

Another very interesting tourist attraction in Kakheti close to Kvareli - Meet the Gremi Monastery complex. Features rich history and very spectacular views. 

For the first time I visited Gremi monastery complex back in 2014, when we booked a private tour from Hotel Royal Batoni. Next time I was here was during another short one day trip around region Kakheti together with my mom. This definitely means there are places in Georgia where it is worth to return.

Impressive fortification walls at Gremi

The monastery complex is located just right next to the highway making it impossible to miss this place. It is worth to mention that since 2007  the monuments of Gremi have been proposed for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Gremi monastery complex

Gremi was the capital of the Kingdom of Kakheti in the 16th and 17th centuries. Founded by Levan of Kakheti, it functioned as a lively trading town on the Silk Road and royal residence until being razed to the ground by the armies of Shah Abbas I of Persiain 1615.

The church…

Lisi Lake in Tbilisi (Georgia)

20 April, 2014 | Lakes | 91 seen

Lisi lake is a popular recreational area in Tbilisi. Some will find a lazy walk around lake while others will enjoy a mountain biking here. I prefer both. As well I like here capturing spectacular views using my DSLR camera.

You can get to Lisi lake by using public bus #29, taxi (costs around 6 GEL from the city center) or by a car. There is a large parking lot in front of the lake.

Recently Lisi lake has undergone through major improvements, a new concrete slab road around the lake is built (the total distance is about 3 km). There are some vendors selling coffee and sweets, and there is a Hard Rock Cafe (seems working just during the Summer months)

Concrete slab road around Lisi lake

perfect place in Tbilisi to spend time outdoors with kids.

Spectacular water reflections on Lisi lake in Tbilisi

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Recreational activities at Lisi lake

Some can feed ducks here

Lisi lake is a small lake in the vicinity of Tbilisi, Georgia; belongs to the Kura River valley, home to a large mixed-use development project by the same name. The…

Nekresi Monastery Complex in Georgia

19 April, 2014 | Churches and Monasteries | 53 seen

Nekresi once was a town in Kakheti, Georgia. Nowadays Nekresi is a monastery complex located high up in the hill offering breathtaking views to surrounding plateau, not to mention that monastery complex is really interesting by it self. Located close to Kvareli town.

The church was recently restored, stone masonry repaired, roof rebuilt, windows put in place.

For the first time I visited this place back in the Spring of 2014, during a short day trip around region of Kakheti, offered by a hotel we stayed (Royal Batoni). Second time I paid a visit here in Autumn 2015, when I was taking my mom on about the same day trip around region of Kakheti. 

Visitors of Nekresi should buy a round-trip ticket for a bus which will take you up in the hill. Price per ride about 1 GEL.

Bus taking tourists to the Nekresi monastery complex

Nekresi monastery complex in Georgia

The town was established by king Pharnajom (around 2nd-1st centuries BC). In the 4th century AD, king Thrdat built a church in this place. This church became a refuge to one of the Assyrian fathers, …

Easter holidays with Putin and Valeriya

18 April, 2014 | Living in Georgia | 1 seen

<p>We made a holiday booking at Royal Batoni, Kvareli.</p><p>For me it is a great pleasure to just lay down and lazy watch satellite television shows with Vladimir Putin and pop singer Valeriya.</p><p>Great holidays.</p><p>I will add some photos from the Royal Batoni when will be back in the Tbilisi.</p>

My first mobile post

16 April, 2014 | Drupal Development | 3 seen

<p>My first mobile post using Drupal powered blog.</p>

GEL to USD exchange rates Mid - April 2014

14 April, 2014 | Macroeconomics | 9 seen

It has been awhile since I last time examined GEL/USD exchange rates. Last time I did that, I was pretty worried about hidden devaluation of Georgian national currency Lari.

During the past 4 years, GEL has lost its value against USD by -27.51%

What are historical exchange rates (January - April 12th, 2014)

(Screenshot from National Bank of Georgia)

In last 3 and a half month, period Gel continues to lose its value against USD.

1.7366

1.7515

Doing quick math we can easily find out that GEL has loosened another 0.0149 from its value at the start of the year. Doing another math we will find out that if we had 1000 GEL at 01.01.2014 it was equal to $575.83 but if we are doing math today, then for 1000 GEL we can buy just $570.93. We have loosened $4.9 for each 1000 GEL we had.

If you will look a screenshot above you will easily find that at the end of January 1 USD sky-rocketed above 1.780.

I'm calling this a hidden…