1956
El Correo de Ciudad Trópico Abre Sus Puertas (January 1st)
My dear Tropicanos, in this first article written for the Correo de Ciudad Trópico, I can't help but be happy at the fact that we can finally express ourselves in some way that is not related to shouting things in the middle of the street, and that we will not have to rely on Juanito Chiflado to know more about what is going on in other nations. Now, our journalists will be able to be in contact with other places and then portray what is happening fairly accurately, unless someone decides to stop us from doing that.
Papá, ¿Dónde Están Esos Señores? ¿Detrás De La Pantalla? (March 12th)
Yesterday, our beloved Presidente inaugurated what many of us had thought would never see: a Cinema! Cinema Trópico opens today its gates to those Tropicanos who have the money to spend and the curiosity to watch the wonderful movies that will be shown there. El Presidente, in a show of self-sacrifice, has promised that he will personally watch all the films that will be shown in the cinema to ensure that nothing that may cause danger to people's minds and eyes is made public. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen there!
Retorcido Tornado Retuerce Vidas Y Edificios (June 10th)
Yesterday, in a date that shall be remembered with infamy, our beloved nation was suddenly and deliberately attacked by a tornado. No sign had been sighted of this tornado, and the weather had been calm, so we must conclude that this was carefully planned to cause the maximum death and destruction. Fortunately for us, this plan was too haphazard and chaotic, and the death and destruction was minimum. However, the tornado attacked a tenement and the pineapple farm. As this happened during the workday, the tenement was empty of people, but the farm had all of its workers, who all deceased due to the tornado. Hans Reichter, Manuel Revolucionario, Violeta Chicano and René Depuis will be buried this afternoon in Trópico's national graveyard after a mass in the Church.
¿Un Cafetito? ¡Te Mantendrá Despierto! (August 7th)
I can now say, without a doubt, that coffee is my favourite drink! I managed to taste several drops of this wonderful drink yesterday, when El Presidente inaugurated a coffee farm in the outskirts of Ciudad Trópico, where the pineapple farm once stood. Although no coffee has been grown yet, El Presidente managed to bring several coffee beans of the same kind that will be grown in the new farm, and after having them toasted and ground into powder, he offered me and the few other people present there a cup of coffee, which was delicious, as I have previously stated. El Presidente promised that, while a good part of the grown coffee will be sold in foreign markets, there will always be enough for all Tropicanos to have a cup of coffee every day.
¡Castigado Sin Salir! (October 12th)
Last year's laws about the Death Penalty had been made in an attempt to reduce crime levels as much as possible. However, those levels have unfortunately risen due to the tornado and overall lack of government support for people, so El Presidente has decided that the best measure against criminals will be the new Prisión Nacional de Trópico. It is expected that policemen will be able to use the new facilities as a reeducation center, so that criminals may be trained again back into becoming once more members of the decent society. Death penalty still remains for those for whom reeducation does not work.
Protegidos Contra El Fuego: ¿Somos Ignífugos Ahora? (December 4th)
After many years of danger lying by the corner, Trópico finally has a fire station! El Presidente cut the red ribbon, and enjoyed for a few minutes the facilities, including a jump down the bar the firemen will use in emergencies. This was properly demonstrated very soon, when a call was made about a little kitty that was stuck in the top of a tree and did not want to come down. Fireman Héctor Delgado was the one who escalated the tree and coaxed the kitty down into the arms of its young owner, who was last seen caressing the kitty as it purred, as Delgado was proclaimed a hero by the people. This action was greeted by the people of Trópico as the start of a great era of friendship with kitties, and of the war against fires.
International Events
- Elvis Presley enters the United States music charts for the first time, with Heartbreak Hotel.
- Morocco and Tunisia declare their independence from France.
- Rocky Marciano retires without losing a professional match.
- The first Eurovision Song Contest is broadcast from Lugano (Switzerland). Swiss Lys Aissa wins with Refrain.
- The 1956 Olympic Games equestrian events are held in Stockholm, Sweden.
- Gamal Abdel Nasser, President of Egypt, nationalizes the Canal of Suez. A British-French-Israeli expedition almost meets with success, but the United States and the Soviet Union pressure them to abandon.
- Hungary attempts to abandon the Warsaw Pact. Red Army troops invade Hungary.
- Dwight Eisenhower defeats Adlai Stevenson again for the Presidency of the United States.
- The non-equestrian events of the 1956 Olympic Games are held in Melbourne, Australia. Many nations choose not to attend as boycott for the Soviet Union's actions in Hungary. The Hungarian water polo team wins the gold medal, but the most remembered match will be the Blood in the Water Match, played against the Soviet team.
- The drama film And God Created Woman catapults Brigitte Bardot into the public spotlight.
- Fidel Castro and several of his followers land in Cuba in the boat Granma.
Results
Trópico
5 new adults + 3 immigrants - 4 deaths = +4 Population
-1 Capitalist, +1 Communist, +1 Intellectual, +1 Environmentalist, +1 Religious, +1 Militarists
+1 Criminal
New Buildings: 1 Newspaper (+3 Jobs), 1 Prison (+3 Jobs), 1 Fire Station (+6 Jobs), 1 Coffee Farm (+4 Jobs), 1 Cinema (+2 Jobs)
Lost Buildings: -1 Tenement (-10 Housing), -1 Pineapple Farm (-4 Jobs)
Available Buildings: Radio Station (which can be used by El Presidente to make his speeches heard by the people), Weather Station (El Presidente will know about natural catastrophes before the time).
New Exports: Canned Coffee
Stops Exporting: Pineapple
New Laws:
- Law 01/1956: all movies screened at the cinema will be first revised by El Presidente to prevent objectionable materials to be seen by the public.
- Law 02/1956: all movies will have newsreels that will present broadcasts by El Presidente before each movie starts.
New Jobs: Journalist (College Degree), Fireman (High School Degree), Cinema Attendant (No Degree).
Superpowers
+1 United States ("We like that you allow your people to be informed. Be ready to read more about us in Trópico!")
-1 Soviet Union ("The walking scum of Trópico will be punished if they do not act according to the tenets of Marx, Lenin and Stalin.")
+1 Europe ("It is good that you think of the security of your people.")
Factions
Dovah Kin
+1 Capitalists
+1 Intellectuals
+1 Environmentalists
+1 Militarists
Chaim Potok
+1 Intellectuals
+2 Militarists
Demands
People of Trópico: What about the houses?
Europe: Hmmm... we can smell that goat cheese already... oh, no, it's a pair of feet. *vomit*
Soviet Union: We would like to buy some pineapple from you. Is that possible?
United States: Our people wish to visit your shores and tan in your beaches.
