This Thursday the major tournament of football is starting " The World Cup" and like any other international tournament, the elite are present. Sadly two huge fan bases won't be able to support their teams. The Italians & the Dutch failed to qualify and it wasn't really a surprise at least for me, both don't have the quality like before and some players aging. But in a few years time, they'll bounce back especially with the talents coming through.  Like previous tournaments, there's the favorites and the dark horse(s), and there are, of course, the teams that are just proud to be in Russia. I'll go briefly through who's favorites and predictions for group stages and further rounds. 

The new series on Netflix got all the factors to become a hit. Yet there's still something missing in this show. In my opinion, the actors are brilliant and the production is superb, but something doesn't add up. Although it's a well-constructed storytelling script yet the episodes seem disconnected. You just feel that every episode could be watched separably and the main idea of the show still known. You start the premiere episode with a sort of introduction how the future after 350 years or so been altered. In a way where you can put the consciousness in another human. Well although the idea seems original it's been done in the recent season of Black Mirror. As for the whole idea of putting someone's consciousness after being dead in another body well in many religions, it's called incarnation.  

In general, the show is extremely exciting and worthwhile watching if you are science fiction fans.  It's got all the elements of an original show and potential to become a cult favorite. Although I hope it doesn't get canceled after a couple of seasons. Like they did with Penny Dreadful and before Deadwood & Rome, the latter is one of my favorite shows and deserved more airtime. Now back to Altered Carbon and the amazing the cast it's got lead by a new upcoming Swedish actor Joe Kinnaman has most known among comic fans for his role in suicide squad and as RoboCop in the rebooted version. The other actor James Purefoy is most notably known for playing Marc Antony in the short-lived series Rome.  In addition to an ensemble of the amazing actresses with the diversity of ethnicities. If anything this show recognized the diversity of the universe especially when you see the use of more than three languages including the Arabic. 

On 11 February 2018, I've read an article by "Detroit Free Press" recognizing Sameer Eid the owner of a Lebanese Restaurant called Phoenicia as one of the best restaurateurs in Michigan. He's been in the business since 1971 four years before the start of the war in his country of origin Lebanon. When I woke this morning one of the first things that popped while checking my Facebook page a status by one of my hometown relatives. A very talented cook Dina Bayoud Kohl writer of "The Taste of Marjeyoun." Talked about her pride & honor for meeting Mr. Eid.