The Porcuian Broadcasting Company (PBC)

[Porcu]

[Porcu]

New Duce's first diplomatic trip abroad

While not attending the 3rd Hyrulean Conference Giovanni Messe, the new Duce of Porcu, was happy to receive an invitation from President Bush, asking them to meet in the United States. With the 3rd Hyrulean Conference being viewed on television all across Porcu Il Duce was able to finalize the Catholic Church's return to Rome. After the implosion and destruction of the entire Papal States by the terrorist group Al Gedi the Church has once again come back to Porcu.

Naturally, this recent event has taken much of Il Duce's time and soon Duce Messe is planning on touring the empire to obviously build support for himself. Il Duce already has some radical plans concerning the Esercito Fascista and the Grand Fascist Council and as expected already has run into some opposition.

[Porcu]

Massive Military Reforms Approved

Despite considerable resistance by some the Grand Fascist Council has approved measures that will change the face of the Esercito Fascista. Under the leadership of Benito Mussolini the military forces of Porcu have been radically transformed and for some time now, besides the forces of the United States of Robengrad, consider themselves the "cream of the crop."

Naval superiority has always been the Empire's greatest goal and is now a reality, but while the Marina Fascista has enjoyed this the Esercito Fascista and Aeronautica Fascista, especially, have suffered from lack of organization and funding. The last act of Messe when he was still the Field Marshall of the Empire was to reduce the number of Leopard II tanks, which were bought from Robengrad, and transform the Armored Legions of Porcu. The Stridsvagn 103, a Porcuian design, is now the only MBT used by the Esercito Fascista and has already proven itself in battle.

However, the issue of the latest reforms passed late yesterday was to regroup and organize the infantry. Until this point, infantry were held to the territory of Italy and then transported to wherever they would be needed, but with new threats arising Duce Messe realized that this system could not work any longer. With these reforms 23 Legions will be created, each Legion containing 100,000 men. The status of “Legionary” will be given to all, but of course only after they go through the rigorous training that is required. The overall standing army will be limited to these 23 Legions; however the manpower available to the Empire will not change.

In other news, Duce Messe has also begun the process of looking for a new Field Marshall of the Empire…

[Porcu]

Meeting Arranged Between Duce and Kaiser

Early yesterday morning Il Duce left for Protoa in order to meet Kaiser Lucian, who just the day before had invited Duce Messe to Corneria in order to discuss a handful of issues. While the past between Protoa and Porcu has been less than uncomfortable it seems as if Lucian has opened up his nation and relaxed his policies.

Obviously much still needs to be seen and the PBC is dedicated to bringing you the latest details as they become available to us...

[Porcu]

Grand Fascist Council Dissolved, Replaced

Critics still have no idea what to make of these latest reports coming from Rome however the news has sent shock waves throughout Porcu and Hyrule. This most intriguing event will no doubt change the face of politics in Porcu. The call to dissolve the Council first came from Marcus Julius, a powerful industrialist and one of Hyrule's richest men, who stated years ago that the Council was outdated and no longer could effectively represent the populace of Rome.

Marcus Julius belongs to one of three Houses or families that have dominated politics and society in Porcu. The other two are the House of Brutii and the House of Scipii, respectively. These three Houses have been battling for position and power since the days of the Roman Republic, over 2000 years ago. Even today the Julii, Brutii, and Scipii hold tremendous power as politicians, military leaders, industrialists, CEOs, etc. and traditionally have never gotten along except for a few times; however it now seems that they have banded together to change politics in Rome.

After heavy insistence from Marcus Julius, Cornelius Scipio, and Gaius Brutus, the Three Houses most prominent figures and "Faction leaders", Duce Messe allowed the decision for dissolution to go to the people themselves. All three Houses hold tremendous power and so it was not difficult for them to sway the masses. Now it seems that the Brutii wish to bring back the ancient Senate of the Roman Republic and so far it seems as if they have the support of the Julii and Scipii. Meetings have already been held in the various villas of each House and it seems as if the ancient Houses of Rome will once again claim their "rightful" places.

[Porcu]

Senate Elections Called

Late yesterday afternoon the leaders of the four noble Houses of Rome met in Capua. While the details of their discussions are not known at this point in time all four of the gentlemen, Tiberius Maxentius, Gaius Brutus, Marcus Julius, and Cornelius Scipio, meet the press, who had gathered in the villa's large courtyard, together to answer any questions.

As could be expected all four of the men were questioned extensively, but no specific details about their discussion or their future plans could be gotten. The only thing that they were willing to discuss was the round of elections that would commence for the 100 seats in the newly formed Senate. Duce Messe did not send any comment to the PBC and our calls were not answered and many take this as a sign of concern.

"The people wish for a change and that is what we are here for...", Cornelius Scipio said afterward. "These coming elections will allow them to put the best qualified people in charge of Porcu and will allow them greater say in their government. Obviously the Scipii have much to offer the Republic, but I do wish to provide my support to the rest of the Houses as there are many qualified people within their families as well."

Indeed, between the four Houses 94% of the richest, most illustrious people in Porcu can be found. Corporate CEOs, industrialists, and big time politicians are only a few of the major job occupations that members of the different Houses hold. The elections are scheduled to begin in two days and so far the only candidates on the ballets come from the Houses of Maxentii, Julii, Scipii, and Brutii.

[Porcu]

Votes Tallied, Maxentii Dominate

The votes are in and the people through the Republic have spoken. After millions and millions of tallied votes it is surprisingly the House of Maxentii that has grabbed the most percentage of seats within the Senate. Over 55% of voters chose the Maxentii, one of the powerful Houses but usually considered the weakest of all of them.

Members of all four families have begun to gather in Rome and the first order of business will be to choose their officers. The Maxentii will have quite an advantage when it comes to voting in either one of their family members or a member of another family into a office.

On a similar note, Emperor Tojo of StargateSG-1 has sent out invitations for a World Trade Conference and it has already been decided that Tiberius Maxentius and Marcus Julius attend on behalf of the Senate and People of Rome.

[Porcu]

SPQR Approves Spending For New Senate Chamber

Earlier this morning, during the Senate's morning session, a bill was passed calling for the current Senate building, which is the old Grand Fascist Council chamber, to be destroyed and in its place a new building be erected.

Consul Tiberius Maxentius said afterward that "...this nation needs to stop being reminded of the past. A Republic has been born and this, in the Senate's mind, calls for celebration!" The bidding for the contract has already begun and it seems that the favorite and sure winner will be a construction firm out of Venezia.

To accommodate for the new series of buildings several others in the vicinity will have to be demolished as well, mainly consisting of run down apartment complexes. Senators have also been heard discussing plans to "Romanize" the city again, bringing back the ancient architecture to give Rome a more civilized look. Details are still not clear, but bills calling for these changes have already been passed and slowly Rome has begun to be transformed.


Proposed Replacement


Back End of the Proposed Replacement

[Porcu]

Messe Ousted From Senate

Today during the afternoon session of the Senate Giovanni Messe, the former Field Marshal under Mussolini's rule and then his successor as Duce, was removed from the ranks of the Senate. Messe, who had been given one of the Consul positions during the reformation of the Roman Republic, did not comment about the latest ruling in Rome when he was swarmed by reporters on the Senate steps afterward.

The strongest critics of Messe's performance during his short term came from the Brutii, who have been looking to purge the Republic of all connections to Fascism. "Messe is, without a doubt, one of the Republic's best military leaders however generals rarely make good politicians and he is another example of that point. I have nothing against him personally, but for the good of the SPQR he could not remain the the position he was in when much more capable men could take that position.", Gaius Brutus stated to the other Senators during the Senate's session.

Giovanni Messe has been given orders from the Senate to take several months leave to "regroup mentally and physically." Meanwhile, Cornelius Scipio was voted in as the new Consul during the same session and his term will end at the end of the year, which is at the same time as Tiberius Maxentius.

It has also been rumored that other massive reforms will be placed before the Senate during the next few days and while we here at the PBC can only speculate we would encourage all to tune in during the next several days for further updates...

[Porcu]

Rome's Remodeling Underway, Quarter Of City Completed

Porcu's economic and cultural might has once again shown itself in dramatic fashion. Just a few short months after the Senate passed a resolution declaring that the "...face of Rome and the Republic will be changed to reflect the grand changes that have already occurred..." dozens of buildings have been demolished and new buildings have been erected.

Already a fourth of the city has undergone the transformation with some of the hardest work still ahead.

In related news, the Senate also passed a resolution that requires members of the Senate to wear traditional Roman clothing, principally the toga praetexta, which is a toga that has a broad line of purple on the edges to signify that the wearer is a member of the Senate. This new rule only applies to Senators, however other Roman citizens are encouraged to also wear ancient Roman style clothing.

[Porcu]

Life Terms For Senate Members

Yesterday afternoon, during the late day session of the Senate, another radical and sweeping reform was passed. The first few months of the re-born Republic of Rome has seen the members of the patrician class dominate social, economic, and political life. This latest reform has now granted Senators life terms and only members of the Senate may vote to allow vacant seats to be filled.

Regular Senatorial elections to update Senate offices will still take place within the Senate but now politics in Rome has become that much more elitist. While the Julii put up mild resistance against the reform, once a new clause was added allowing persons other than those belonging to a patrician family to become a Senator they quickly approved the reform bill.

It will now only be a matter of time before privileged members of the plebeian class, those well connected, well off individuals, make their way into the Senate but for now the Republic is still run by the patricians. There are only so many very capable men within the patrician class and many political analysts agree that the Senate's decision to expand the boundaries of Senate membership will be very beneficial to the SPQR in the long run.

[Porcu]

Senate Office Elections, Soon

While members of the Senate now have life terms, thanks to the bill passed last month, positions of leadership are still to be voted on by the Senate. All the Senatorial positions are to be voted on at the end of the week, from the Consuls to the Promagistrates.

Due to several patrician family members passing away the door has opened for well-off plebeians to enter the Senate and begin to make a name for themselves. While no one of importance has passed away and no one of importance has entered the Senate a few positions within the Senate should be hotly contested, one of which is the top position in the Republic of Consul. Tiberius Maxentius has stated that he will look for a second term, while Cornelius Scipio will humbly step down. Cornelius's move has allowed some, especially the Julii to look for the top spot.

It is difficult to expand further as most of the discussion is done inside the Curia Hostilia, which is not open to the public or media during the sessions of the Senate. However, the PBC will certainly bring you the results of the elections as they are made known.

[Porcu]

ROMAN REPUBLIC SLIPS INTO DEPRESSION!
SPQR unable to combat rising inflation

For weeks the Roman economy has been slowly slipping with billions of Lira being spent on the Spanish and Dacian Rebellions. Consumers have been increasingly reluctant to buy or invest their money coupled with the near no-limit spending that the Senate has done has harmed the usually and historically strong economy of Rome. Reports have confirmed the belief that as the two rebellions have continued, only both recently ending, the Senators have listened to economists less and less, wishing to throw money at the problem rather than following an economically sound policy.

Rome's worst days seemed to be slowly moving in the past, but it now appears that they are just ahead...

OOC: I know this is short, but it'll cover my absence...I'll report more when I come back...

[Porcu]

Senate Reforms Continue
SPQR recovers from economic slip, Looks to meet new challenges

The Roman Republic has battle back from the economic slip that had Rome quickly falling into a recession and then early depression, however, radical steps taken by the Senate first slowed, then stopped, and finally reversed the economic slump that had many not only in Rome but all over the world concerned.

Changes within the Senate have also been made. Most visible is the change in command as a wealthy industrialist Richard Nixon, an immigrant from Canton Rouge, has been chosen by the Senate as one of the SPQR's Consuls. These changes would not be the only ones of their kind as during the afternoon session of the Senate it was voted that for future efficiency the Senate would only have one Consul position with an additional position of "Princeps Senatus" to be added directly below the Consul position. An analogy would be that the Consul is the equivalent of a President while the Princeps Senatus is the equivalent of a Vice President.