A thematic Social Forum focused on "Capitalist Crises, Environmental and Social Justice" was held from January 24-29, 2012 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The dominant theme of the Forum was the upcoming Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development taking place this June in Rio de Janeiro, 20 years after the famous 1992 UN environmental conference held in the same location. The great sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos has written a thoughtful report on the Porto Alegre event.
leftists
Tintin adapts to different audiences and cultural moments
Reactions to Steven Spielberg's film version of Tintin, The Secret of the Unicorn, have been intense, especially in Europe, where Tintin has been a cultural marker since the 1930s. It opened there two months before here, perhaps because distributors thought they'd garner great reviews to propel their North American launch, where Tintin is less known. Instead it was called "execrable," "thuggishly moronic," "Tintin for morons," and a betrayal of great art -- just in The Guardian. This British indignation erupted over translated French comic books (true precursors to the graphic novel) by a Belgian, Hergé.
After India's elections: Understanding the Congress Party's revival
On May 16, some 60 per cent of India’s 714 million-strong electorate delivered a definitive victory to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), giving it a commanding 262 seats in India’s 543-member parliament. The UPA’s principal opponent, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), took a severe beating, dropping down to 160 seats from the 181 it had claimed in 2004.