Recession Briefing 9.1: Natalie Portman Sees Recession’s Silver Lining

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

“I think it’s kind of an exciting time,” says actress Natalie Portman of the recession. “All of a sudden, people are doing jobs that they hate and they’re not making as much money as they thought they would or they’ve lost their jobs entirely. I’ve started to see people looking more toward their own passions and what really excites them.” (Heeb)

Contrary to the common assumption that the stress of dealing with a recession is bad for your health, studies of population trends in developed economies have revealed that during economic downturns, mortality rates decline rather than increase. (Time)

PennyMac, a firm founded by the former president and COO of Countrywide — which is blamed for some of the loans which triggered the financial crisis — now stands to receive up to $6.2 million in taxpayer money to modify distressed home loans. (ProPublica)…