franz kafka said, there is hope; though not for us. i've thought a lot about hope. i recall my sister saying long time ago that hope was like futility or something, that it caused pain and despair. k. was saying i think there is life beyond us, which is a kind of hope, since deep down i think we value life, not just our life. one of my nadirs was my battle with hope the dog walker, though what's in a name, only coincidence, right? obomba turned me right off hope as a slogan, when it was so clear hope to him was simply the business of empire, same as ever. let's leave it there for now, with one last thing, i still think the book the world without us is a hopeful book, one franz kafka would embrace.