Newswatch
By Tim Jacques
The History of South America
- 1400s-1700s
- Colonial rule. European countries (mainly Spain, Portugal, France and Britain) stake huge claims on South America, with the twin goals of saving souls and finding gold (not necessarily in that order).
- 1999
- South America picks up the slack as OPEC crumbles from the Oil Crisis. Brief "glory days" of oil riches, but the world thirst for gas and oil sucks oil reserves dry within a few years. Economies collapse overnight, and governments default on trillions in loans from foreign banks. Huge loan deficit will eventually come back to haunt the United States and Western Europe.
- 2012
- The Short War has little effect on South America. A few port cities are targeted, but American and Brazilian SDI systems manage to stop most inbounds
- 2012-2024
- Chaos and death envelope the entire continent. is the first country in the area to acquire algae food processors, and they guard their prize jealously. Chile and Argentina commence a two-year border war in which chemical weapons are widely used. Peru and Columbia are entirely controlled by drug lords.
- 2026
- Brazil uses its vast political, economic and military power to begin a program of annexation and conquest. Reports are suppressed, but it is believed that chemical and nuclear weapons are used.
- 2035
- Car Wars released to the general public. Start of the "Brazilian Empire." Brazil has nearly doubled its size with the annexation of Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and the northern colonial territories. Programs are initiated for a unified currency, language (Portuguese) and military.
- 2040
- Brazil is a recognized superpower. Its economic strength can only be matched by the Japanese Protectorate and its military is on a level with that of the United States. Brazil's major exports are weapons, food, electronics and nuclear research. A manned Brazilian space station is scheduled to go up by the end of the year. Autoduelling is a popular sport, but strictly illegal outside the arena.
Getting their Number
Why are U.S. roads designated by number rather than name? In the early days of motoring there were so few highways in the country that each could be given an individual, descriptive name. In the early 20s, however, things were rapidly getting out of hind, and the U.S. Bureau of Public roads turned to the American Association of State Highway Officials for a solution. It was decided to create a numerical grid, with odd numbers designating north-south and even numbers east-west roads. Lower numbers indicate highways in the north and higher numbers those in the south.
In 1956 the interstate highway system was adopted and the numbering system was revised. The odd-even breakdown was retained, but low-numbered interstates were allocated to the southwestern, rather than the northeastern part of the country. Two-digit numbers designated national through-routes, while three-digit numbers were used for local interstate segments. If a three-digit interstate has an even first number it's part of a loop, if the first digit is odd, it's a spur.
Issue 8/2 Index
