Breakfast was oatmeal and a glass of orange juice.
<span style="float: left; padding: 0 8px 8px 0;"><img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/m/h/mhl100/images/RogerCohen.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Roger Cohen, foreign editor of The New York Times" /></span><ins datetime="2003-11-14T15:05:00-05:00">I had lunch at the Penn State Forum again. Lunch was very nice. It started with a Caesar salad. There was what appeared to be stir fried mixed green and yellow beans, some penne pasta in vegetables provençal, a spicy chili with cornbread, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. This time the speaker was <a href="http://www.psu.edu/dept/fsc/pennstateforum/cohen.html" title="Faculty/Staff Club: Penn State Forum, Roger Cohen, November 14, 2003">Roger Cohen, foreign editor of <em>The New York Times</em></a>. The topic of his presentation was “America’s World: The Complications of Power.” The program will be broadcast on <a href="http://146.186.143.2:8000/listen.pls" title="WPSU-FM Penn State University">WPSU-FM</a> on Friday, November 28 at 7 p.m. EST. Roger introduced the concept of Americanism. That being the idea that people have looked to when they either look up to — or down on — America. He suggested that it embodies freedom and the rule of law. He seemed to believe that the definition of freedom was a given. When asked specifically whether American-style freedom would work in the Middle East, he answered that he felt that there was only one kind of freedom and that everyone understood what it was. He went on to enumerate some of the freedoms listed in the <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html#amendmenti" title="U.S. Constitution - Bill of Rights">first amendment to the constitution</a> — religion, speech, press, assembly, and redress of grievances to the government. He also said that freedom was freedom to <a href="http://memory.loc.gov/const/declar.html" title="Historical Documents:Declaration of Independence">pursue happiness</a>. While I am not sure I agree with the premise that everyone agrees on what freedom means — a number of people seem to be arguing with Mr. Ashcroft about that definition at the moment — but I guess given the premise, I understand a little better what President Bush means when he says that the people we are fighting in Iraq hate peace and freedom. I do not necessarily agree, but at least now I have some idea what he is talking about. Roger took a much more conservative stance on a number of issues than I would have guessed for a New York Times Editor. He even seemed to be to the right of the President on a number of issues.</ins>
<ins datetime="2003-11-14T18:48:00-05:00">Dinner was a salad and 1½ <a href="http://www.sierra-nevada.com/beers/celebrationale.html" title="Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale">Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale</a>s</ins>.
No fixed plans. Not intent upon arriving.