J.J. Abrams is possibly the smartest film maker on earth right now. With Star Trek, he managed to make fun at some of the silly aspects of the original, while being respectful and paying homage to the old series. He wanted to provide a 21st century Trek but also understood the importance of respecting the source material and fans of the series that have been around for more than 40 years.

The best part is that one does not need to know much about Star Trek to be able to enjoy this movie. Abrams ensured that every character is given a background and history so that viewers know a little about each character.

The action scenes rival anything in Transformers and the space battles are totally breathtaking. Action starts right from the moment the movie begins and never lets up. But what really made the movie outstanding were the actors that played these roles and they might have been real people. Chris Pine as Kirk radiates star quality, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy (Bones) gave excellent performances. The casting of these three characters was spot on and contributes a great deal to the movie’s success.

To give viewers a feeling that they were just younger versions of Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley, both Quinto and Urban took on some of their mannerisms and expressions. It is almost like watching baby pictures of people you have always loved. Quinto’s performance as the logic-led Vulcan fighting the emotions instilled by his human mother (Winona Ryder) is the soul of the film. He is a young man trying to cope with his Vulcan and earthling heritage. His delivery of Spock’s signature line, “Live long and prosper,” is wonderful. Some of the funniest moments of the film are with Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy. Even in his youth, he is an old man in spirit and keeps complaining about everything, and leaves no chance to say, “I am a doctor!” Read the rest of this entry »

What would you pay for a plate of pasta? According to statistics, you are willing to pay top dollar for well-made pasta because you value a quality meal. Despite the recession, statistics reveal that even the most price-conscious patron is willing to shell down a high price for a good meal. Surely gourmet gluttony is not a sin?

The packed high-end restaurants make you wonder if the financial situation is so bad after all. The body language of people eagerly waiting to get inside these expensive restaurants says “money doesn’t matter tonight,” even if they know they are going to be spending above $500 per head.

Agreed, the wonderful aromas, the soft music, the well-dressed clientele - all create a beautiful ambiance. But is it really worth that premium? Apparently, the answer is a resounding YES.

Who cares anymore about the age-old belief that “the best things in life are free.” It’s our perceptions about enjoyment and good food that have changed. For those with deep pockets, the food keeps getting more and more interesting.

Check out the minimum you would be spending at some of the restaurants around the world, according to Forbes: Read the rest of this entry »

Major medical achievements that have never been attempted before with the potential of saving lives are considered medical miracles. Rightly so, because there are millions of people in this world that suffer from conditions that have no cure and they go through life facing the eventuality of death bravely as it is not in their hands or in the doctors hands to save them.

Recently, there were two cases of a baby with a problem in the brain and a teenager with a heart condition; both of whom would not have had the chance of survival if not for the doctors that took the risk of following their heart and performing never-before performed surgeries.

We use glue to stick things together and many a time after a few days that comes off. What would happen if doctors started fixing our organs and body parts with glue?

Brain Fixed with Glue

Imagine using glue to fix a brain. That’s exactly what has been done in the rarest of rare surgeries, where doctors in America used glue to seal a 17-month-old girl’s tiny blood vessels in the brain that were a threat to her life.

This little girl, Ella-Grace Honeyman, now being called a miracle baby, was born with vein of Galen malformation, which is a condition that causes tiny holes in the blood vessels of the brain. It is an extremely rare condition that affects only a few hundred babies worldwide each year. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you moving across the state or country? With millions of Americans moving each year, the fact is that even the most organized may not remember every little detail – or every item. You can increase the chances of moving everything important by trying to remember and making a note of all the things that can possibly be “out of sight and out of mind.”

Here are a few things people usually tend to overlook when moving:

Medical Records - Your family medical records as well as veterinary records of your pet. It helps to obtain certified copies of these documents. You may need to get a notarized letter to get them. You can also try transferring the current prescriptions to a drugstore in the new town. These are important records that you should keep handy, especially when going to a new place.

School Records - The permanent school records should be obtained from the schools your children are studying at. You will need them when you are getting your children into new schools. Just check the requirements of the new state or country you are shifting to, as many a time just copies of the records are not sufficient and you will require a raised seal.

Old Phone Numbers - Make sure to take all the phone books with you. It is a good idea to note down all the phone numbers of people close to you. We usually tend to think that we will remember the numbers because we call them often. But we may forget these numbers when we move, if there is a gap. It is better to note down each and every number in the phone book and take it with you.

Items to be Collected or Given Back – Make a list of stuff you need to collect or give back. It could be clothes that are with the drycleaners; shoes, watches, ovens and other household stuff you had given for repair; books you need to return to the library; DVD rentals and any such things that either belong to you or need to be returned.

Give your New Address – This is one of the things that most people tend to forget. Have you provided your new address to the credit cards, banks and other financial institutions? Change the magazine and newspaper subscriptions. Make sure you give your new address to friends, just in case anything needs to be forwarded. You can also fill in the change of address form, sign it and give it at the post office. Don’t forget to notify all your insurance companies and find out about any policy changes.

Animals and Plants – Most moving companies do not transport animals and plants. So, plan ahead of time for their safe transfer to avoid last minute issues.

When it comes to relocation, we are usually concerned about things we should take care of at the old place, it does not occur to make arrangements for certain essential things at the new place. Read the rest of this entry »

Owning an island is the ultimate status symbol; apart from that, these private island kingdoms also afford privacy, peace and tranquility to celebrities who are always in the public eye.

Gwyneth Paltrow wanted to experience a secluded life on an island and spent three days on an uninhabited Caribbean island. She has only taken with her three oranges, a sack of rice, mosquito net, aspirin, camera, notebook and some utensils. She later revealed that she now understands why people who get stuck on a Caribbean island never want to return.

Private islands have become the new craze and every celebrity worth their salt wants to own one.

Sir Richard Branson – Necker and Moskito Islands, Caribbean Sea; Makepeace Island, Noosa River; Island of England, Dubai

Talking of private islands, there is no doubt that Richard Branson is the king. Necker and Moskito in the Caribbean Sea belong to Virgin Atlantic owner Richard Branson, the most flamboyant business mogul in Britain. Both have been transformed into resorts of luxury and indulgence.

Necker Island is a 74-acre private paradise nestling in its incredible turquoise waters, with coral reefs and pristine white beaches. The island is often rented out whole by the privileged few. The 120-acre Caribbean island, Moskito is a more recent purchase and is just a mile and a half away from Necker, and cost $10 million.

He also bought Makepeace Island for the staff of Virgin which lies off Australia’s Queensland coast and the Island of England located in Dubai’s manmade world map. Read the rest of this entry »

Movies that attract controversies are those that depict sex, violence, religion, politics, homosexuality, racism, drugs, obscene language, etc. at a level that is considered taboo and not the norm.

Here are a few of the most controversial movies and this list is by no means comprehensive, there are many more.

The Da Vinci Code (2006) - Ron Howard

Starring: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen

This religious conspiracy thriller is an adaptation of Dan Brown’s Best-selling fictional book about the members of the Priory of Sion and an underground Catholic society trying to prevent a French police cryptologist and a symbologist from telling the world about a powerful secret that’s been hidden for thousands of years.

The movie was criticized by the Roman Catholic Church and several bishops asked members to boycott the film. There were protests outside movie theaters. Even albinos were offended by the way they were portrayed in the film. The movie is the second highest grossing movie of 2006 worldwide.

United 93 (2006) – Paul Greengrass

JJ Johnson, Gary Commock, Polly Adams

This is a story of the unfortunate but heroic crew members and passengers of United Flight 93, which was the fourth hijacked plane flying from Newark, NJ to San Francisco on 9/11. The presence of the FAA ground crew and military officers involved in the actual event in the film as cast members, made it all the more realistic.

In spite of the film being made very sensitively and with immense respect to those heroes without any theories, personal dramas or additions, it was still criticised for its trailer. Many said that the trailer looked as if it were a conventional thriller. There were some who thought it was too soon after the event (after five years). Universal received criticism that a national tragedy was being exploited. Read the rest of this entry »

Stuttgart, the south German city attracts thousands of tourists each year for many reasons. But perhaps its allure for car lovers worldwide is incomparable. Stuttgart has world-wide reputation as the “the cradle of the automobile” and giving incredible boost to this is the Mercedes Benz Museum, which is two-year old.

This UN Studio designed architectural time capsule, is eight-storey’s high and looks extremely elegant and beautiful, thus attracting not only car lovers but also those passionate about architecture. Mercedes-Benz is the world’s oldest car industry company.

The museum is as impressive as their cars and overwhelms visitors right from the first glance. It takes eight Euros to go on an audio tour of the museum. The first thing one sees on beginning the tour of the museum is a stuffed horse that welcomes you and evokes an image of the era of travel that existed before automobiles were invented.

The tour begins with the futuristic elevators taking visitors up and continues with a descent down helix-shaped ramps. This museum pays homage to the history of the auto car, right from its first day to the futuristic schemes of the current day. Every transformation of the Benz has been chronicled. Read the rest of this entry »

Getting a dog is a huge decision – almost like having a baby. You should be prepared and fully understand what it takes to care for a dog. If you have thought about it and decided that the time is right, congratulations!

There are a few things you might first want to consider before getting a dog, like the breed and size.

In making the decision on the breed of the dog, you should consider what you are looking for in your future pet. Is your pet going to be a playmate for the children or is he going to be accompanying an older person on walks? Do you want your pet to be guarding your house or going on jogs with you? After all, living together has to be rewarding both for your pet and your family.

Size of the Dog

The smaller the apartment or house, the smaller the dog should be. A Great Dane will not feel comfortable in small areas. Some breeds of dogs need lots of attention and space. They are lively and love going out for long walks or run around. They need to be handled firmly and kept occupied.

Dogs do not always look for yards to play in, they enjoy going out for a walk with their master, as they get to meet other dogs and see other people. This is the sort of entertainment they would love. Read the rest of this entry »

I have a friend who is a director in a company and her day is filled with meetings and conferences. For the employees, she is the super boss who never gets harassed or loses her cool. She also trains staff on all aspects of their jobs and takes classes twice a week. She is much admired by all.

But I happen to know the actual person that she is. By actual, I mean her “inner fears.” There was a point when she dreaded facing public, when she dreaded imparting speeches or even undertake training. She could not be herself days before such events. Believe it or not, she still feels nervous. It is a wonder that now she is able to go up there and show her confidence in front of all those people, hanging on to her every word.

She has achieved this by teaching her inner self to get over her fears. She realized that she is good at her work and she has no reason to feel this way. She had come to realize that within a few moments, her shakiness can be made to go away. She learnt the art of not showing her nervousness that is felt in the initial moments.

She is not alone in this world. I am sure many of you have phobias you would not admit to others. It is a normal fear that people suffer from. Many people even give up great opportunities that come knocking at their door, just because they do not wish to do something. But how normal is it to give up on your dreams because of something you cannot rationalize to most people?

Phobia or Fear

Experts say that it is normal or even good to have fears at times, since it tempers our tendency to take risks. However, they say that if the fear is extreme, it starts interfering with your daily activities and makes us avoid situations or places that are not actually dangerous. This is certainly not normal fear but a phobia. For example, many people feel nauseous when they look down a skyscraper and this is normal, but inability to sleep because of an impending meeting and the prospect of facing people is a phobia. People with phobias are called phobics. They do everything possible to avoid a situation that causes anxiety. These phobias reduce their self-confidence and their efficiency levels. Read the rest of this entry »

Now kids have another reason to ignore their parents’ advice of not playing with their food. They can dice and slice the food in the heat of the kitchen.

Far from trying to cook anything for the family, they are now playing foodie games that take these kids into an almost-real virtual kitchen.

A host of new video games, like “What’s Cooking? With Jamie Oliver” by Atari; “Cooking Mama World Kitchen” by Majesco; “Hell’s Kitchen: The Video Game” by Ubisoft; and “Personal Trainer: Cooking” by Nintendo are experiencing a huge fan following.

Jamie Oliver of the Naked Chef fame now has an interactive cookbook with a game in the hand-held Nintendo DS. Oliver has about a dozen cookbooks to his credit and is also a campaigner for the improvement of school meals for children in Britain. According to Oliver, “I’m looking at this as a digital book with a game rather than a game with a digital book.”

Oliver’s video game hit shelves very recently, in October. It includes more than 100 exclusive recipes along with images of the most mouth-watering food by David Loftus, the food photographer. This game allows gamers to cook some of the recipes. The players of “What’s Cooking” can actually get their hands dirty with the help of the voice recognition technology on the DS. They have the ability to move forward and backward going through the steps of the recipes. The game also comes with a shopping list creator, recipe swapping and recipe storing facilities. Read the rest of this entry »