Thomas Friedman, the New York Times columnist and author at his office in Washington DC.<br /> (born July 20, 1953) is an American journalist, author, and three time Pulitzer Prize winner.<br /> Friedman currently writes a weekly column for The New York Times. He has written extensively on foreign affairs, global trade, the Middle East, globalization, and environmental issues.<br /> Friedman is the author of &quot;The World is Flat&quot;