On the edge of the Brazilian jungle, the mighty jungle, lies a city that in June will play host to four World Cup matches. Although it has built a stadium for the occasion, Manaus is an unlikely place for a major sporting event. Born during the rubber boom of 1879-1912 (a tragically fascinating period of exploitation) and rebuilt in the 1960s by dint of tax breaks meant to populate a city that could keep the jungle at bay, Manaus is hot and humid. It rains just about every day, and the rains sometimes knock out the electricity. The city is the focus of the same criticisms as the country as a whole: that its spending would be better put to use to help the many impoverished and to improve the infrastructure. To all this, Miguel Capobiango, director of the area's World Cup Management project, says, "Negative comments about our city ... just reinforce our belief that now is the time for the world to get to know Manaus and its culture": http://www.latimes.com/world/brazil/la-fg-ff-brazil-manaus-soccer-20140413,0,26518.story#axzz2ymqgE2k5
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