i thought of kafka as i was writing this because i have been a fan of kafka, but i think people associate you with more with the great latin american writers and i know this is to be in the same sentence with gabrielle and sosa is daunting, and those are authors who are household words in the united states. in latin america you are certainly as well-known as they are and what's interesting is all three of you are and journalists and you have this kind of immediacy even though we started out with a peace and we are going to read more pieces that was at the beginning of everything when man meets woman you talk about all of the war, the culture, the development of humankind. the scope is amazing and it's a daunting. i thought we would do a little bit of biography before we go on with the books. of course your name has been in the headlines in the united states because the president of venezuela, chavez, met our president, barack obama and owls a jester i think of friendship, he gave barack obama this book, "open veins of latin america." he gave it to him i understand in spanish which was a l