Recession? What Recession?

Recession. Job loss. Economic insecurity. The news hasn't been very positive lately. But I have noticed that no one in Brazil is talking about recession. Brazil obviously has its own serious problems, but there's an undeniable optimism (and not just post-Carnaval glow) in Salvador and in the Brazilian national media, an optimism that seems to be all but extinct in the States.

Even during my time in Salvador, explicit forms of poverty seem to be subsiding. There are less children performing and begging in the streets. And people in general seem to be very excited and energetic about the future. Obviously my observations are very unscientific, and I would be very curious to see if any other people that have visited Brazil multiple times in the past couple years have noticed any trends.

A recent story in Time commented on the strength of Brazil's economy during the global recession and takes an interesting look at the fiscal and social policies of the country's current president. Brazil seems to be a very interesting model to study in a world working through struggle and looking for new ideas and innovation.