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Porto Alegre Brazil- Day 2 of the WSF is winding down. It was a successful day, though less exciting than yesterday. The highlights from yesterday were numerous. First, there was a march that was approximated at 50 000 or what one person told me was "about the same as Quebec on the saturday." What makes this even more amazing is that there were thousands of people at the youth camp while this demo was taking place and there had already been an earlier demonstration. The earlier demo ended with a squat, which I understand that the police allowed without too much hassle.

I want to say that the WSF is overwhelming. The number of discussions/workshops is incredible and they appear to be well attended. This morning a number of us from the Quebec FTAA student strike delagation presented our plan for hemispheric actions on November 17th, at a discussion on Globalization and Education. This discussion was not under the main WSF banner, yet over 100 people attended. I attempted to see Vandava Shiva and Walden Bello later in the afternoon, however, it was full. I ended the evening by witnessing what was a fairly odd scene. Chomsky was scheduled to speak at 6 and his name drew an overflowing crowd to a large room. Because the talk was postponed as a result of the overcrowding the crowd drew restless, much like a rock concert. People started to take their frustration out on Brazil's largest media network. They chanted "Out Rede Globe, people are not stupid", unlike what would be chanted at a concert. Eventually, the talk was switched rooms because of the overflowing crowd, someone tore down the screen relaying his talk in reaction.

Chomsky's discussion was good. His theme was "a world without wars". His main point was that the elite, especially the American rulling class, view their hegemony as more important than human survival. The US's continued militarisation exemplifies this. Its military budget was the size of the next 15 largest states before Bush's recent 40 billion budget increase. Therefore to attain "a world without wars" we must first destroy the elite's hegemony. Chomsky was upbeat about the WSF. He said it was the most exciting international realisation for the left in quite some time. Moreover, he explained the NY Times denunciation of the anti-globalization freaks(WSF attendees) as the "masters of the universe who are freightened"."

The WSF is foremost a political event, however, it is also a serious cultural event, which is a crucial component of any successful movement. Here at the youth camp, over 15 000 people are sharing a park and all its ammenities. The festivities include fire jugglers, people on stilts, live music, a vast array of food, numerous languages and lots of social interaction. There have also been many rallies and short marches organized by different groups at the camp.