Nice piece on the US Social Forum, but I'd like to make a couple of quick comments.

First on the issue of food/drink costs at the USSF, this a common problem that organisers of large events have to deal with in the US.

Large event venues here often have exclusive contracts with specific corporate vendors and force event planners to use those vendors - regardless of the high prices they always charge to event attendees. If event organisers want to use the space, they are not allowed to bring in their own (cheap, people-friendly) vendors.

Second, no disrespect intended to your publication or the USSF organisers, but the USSF was not the first social forum in the US. Far from it. The first social forum in the US was the New York City Social Forum held in early 2002. Since that time there have been around a dozen social forums in the US - at least five of which have been recognised as 'official' within the World Social Forum process. Many have been smaller affairs of a few hundred attendees each - but the Boston Social Forum in 2004 had over 5000 attendees from all over the US and over a dozen other countries, and was considered a 'regional' or continent-level forum. All of these earlier forums in the US have been quite grassroots - put together by individuals and organisations with few resources but lots of heart - which should give social justice activists the world over cause for cheer.

Just thought your readers should be aware of this information. I'd recommend the following web links for more information:

http://www.mwsocialforum.org/
http://maineindymedia.org/newswire/display/3926/index.php
http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/wef/socialforum.htm