Brazilian Perspectives
We have had some very interesting conversations with Brazilians we have met on our travels over the past few weeks. I have mentioned before that my personal perspective is that life has improved in recent years for people in Brazil - but an article we read recently and the conversations we have had with some people suggests that this is not the case.

Evidently the view of some is that the gap between the rich and poor is wider than ever before, the number of people living in favelas (slums) is increasing and the amount of corruption in government is as high as it has ever been.

In addition, one Brazilian we spoke to was despairing of the laid back attitude of the Brazilian people and the failure of the country to take full advantage of the naturally available resources.

Of course, Brazil is such a huge country that it is impossible to generalise, but it is interesting to hear these perspectives.