Chapter 557 Good Times and "Bad Times"

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. We were in heaven, we were in hell.

This sentence comes from the novel "A Tale of Two Cities" by the British writer Dickens.

Dickens's family was well off in his early years. He received a period of education in a private school when he was a child. However, his parents often entertained guests and had no restraint on money. When he was 12 years old, Dickens's father was imprisoned due to debt problems. The family followed his father.

Moving to a prison cell, Dickens was sent to be an apprentice in a shoe polish factory in London, working 10 hours a day.

However, later, because his father inherited an inheritance, the family's financial situation improved, and Dickens had the opportunity to return to school. At the age of 15, he graduated from Wellington College, then worked in a law firm, and later transferred to

newspaper and became a reporter covering congressional debates.

Mark Twain's father, John Clemens, died of pneumonia. In 1847, Mark Twain, who came from a humble family, began to work as a printing office apprentice, newsboy, typesetter, sailor, gold miner, reporter and other jobs.

After using all his savings to buy a silver mine, at the beginning of the purchase, as a journalist, Mark Twain had very keen eyes and ears. He was optimistic about the trend of gold and silver in the long term, but he also told himself that as long as the following two conditions were met,

One of the conditions is that the stock should be sold: or the market value reaches $100,000, or Nevada voters approve the state constitution. The United States of America is a federal country, and the states in the United States are members of the United States. The federal constitution stipulates that the federal government

Decentralization of power is implemented with the states, and the states have a certain degree of independence from the federation. From many perspectives, apart from diplomacy and military, a state is almost an independent "small country": it has its own laws, taxes, police, education, and electoral systems.

The political system is very different from that of many other countries, especially Asian countries. It is precisely for this reason that there are phenomena such as the president not being able to control governors and the laws being very different between states.

Mining and agriculture are the traditional economic pillars of Nevada. As long as the state constitution is the same as the federal constitution, Mark Twain's silver mine will be a "pipeline" that will not be exhausted in the short term.

As the stock price rose rapidly, Mark Twain soon "retired" and no longer worked as a journalist. Looking at the rising stock price, he felt that he was very rich and very satisfied, so he came to

He went to San Francisco and lived a luxurious life.

However, Nevada is a hell of a desert. It is the most sparsely populated state except Alaska. In addition, there is a volcano that has been silent for 600,000 years and may erupt at any time. Of course, people at that time did not know

of this matter.

Speculation is like gambling. Las Vegas means "fertile green grass" in Spanish.

Because Las Vegas is the only oasis with spring water in the surrounding desolate desert and semi-desert areas, due to the spring water, it has gradually become a post station for highways and a transfer station for railways.

It was built by Mormons in the western United States in 1854. Later, the Mormons moved away and American soldiers turned it into a military station, but the population here is still very small.

After gold and silver mines were discovered in Nevada, a large number of gold prospectors poured in, and Las Vegas began to prosper. However, like other mining towns in the West, it would be abandoned once the mines were mined.

During the Great Depression, laughter became especially valuable. The Weasley family's Wizarding Wheezes shop was the only one still operating during the war. Although it was temporary, the laughter made people feel better.

In 1931, during the Great Depression in the United States, in order to survive the economic difficulties, the Nevada State Assembly passed a bill legalizing gambling. Las Vegas became a casino city and has risen rapidly since then.

It was 1893 when Mark Twain wrote The Million Pounds. At that time, Mark Twain, like the young man in The Million Pounds, became penniless and even close to bankruptcy. Forced to make a living, Mark Twain

Wen had no choice but to return to his old career, and was forced to continue working in order to repay his debts.

When he was prosperous, the books he wrote were peaceful, such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but when he became bankrupt, he wrote many satirical novels.

A person's writing style will change along with his mentality. After his wife passed away in 1904, he became pessimistic and world-weary, and finally died of angina.

Nevada's constitution had not been changed in 1893, and Mark Twain's stock had not reached $100,000. According to his estimation, he would not lose money.

However, the great writer did not anticipate the situation during the Civil War.

Since the founding of the United States, the history of U.S. dollar banknotes has been divided into four stages: the colonial notes and Continental coins printed before the founding of the country; the exploration and chaos in the early days of the founding of the country, complicated and diverse bank notes; the unified statutory banknotes and national currency after the Civil War.

Bank note; Federal Reserve note used since the establishment of the Federal Reserve System.

The concept of paper money cannot be said to be "money", but a kind of voucher. The paper money itself has no value.

During the Song Dynasty of China, "Jiaozi" in Chengdu, Sichuan was the most commonly used paper currency in the world.

You can take Jiaozi to the bank to withdraw copper coins, and you can take banknotes to the bank to withdraw precious metals. The United States returned to the gold standard in 1879. In order to raise military expenses for the Civil War, greenbacks issued interest-free "demand notes", which will inevitably be withdrawn as the war ends.

market.

In 1873, the United States abolished the legal tender status of silver as a move to pave the way for a return to the gold standard, which aroused opposition from silver-rich areas. Farmers, including farmers, were also quite dissatisfied with the monetary tightening caused by the gold standard. At this time, U.S. agriculture was still an important cornerstone of the U.S. economy, resulting in

Congress could not ignore the grievances of the mining areas and farmers, which led to the introduction of the Silver Act of 1878. That is, Congress forced the Treasury Department to regularly purchase silver at a fixed ratio of 16:1 to mint silver coins. This was actually a disguised currency.

Loosening, as the increase in silver production will inevitably lead to inflation, almost all efforts were made to purchase silver in the market at a price of 16:1. At this time, the market silver price had dropped to 20:1, and Mark Twain’s silver mine stocks were

It plummeted and he went bankrupt.

On the one hand, the United States is faced with the dilemma of bad currency driving out good currency, and on the other hand, the price of the U.S. dollar must be guaranteed to maintain the gold standard, which has led to a large-scale outflow of gold from the U.S. treasury and a large number of requests to exchange U.S. dollars for gold in Europe.

The combined effect of public demand for gold and foreign demand for gold has caused the U.S. treasury to face a sharp decline in gold. The dilemma of the U.S. treasury can, to a certain extent, conceal the truth of national depletion when the U.S. Treasury Department can ensure a fiscal surplus.

It is not a long-term solution, because the principal and interest payment of U.S. Treasury bonds is in gold, which means that once the U.S. economy declines, it will cause problems with the fiscal balance.

Forced by the situation in 1893, the U.S. Congress quickly repealed the Silver Act, but it did not stop the spread of panic.

From the restoration of the gold standard in 1879 to the outbreak of the crisis in 1893, it lasted 14 years. The economic crisis did not occur in one day, and the brewing process was actually relatively slow.

Inflation is measured in silver coins, and deflation is measured in gold and US dollars. Before 1893, deflation and inflation coexisted. Overvaluation of the exchange rate can actually be expressed as the appreciation of the domestic currency is higher than the difference between domestic inflation and foreign inflation.

But the exchange rate can affect the consumer confidence index.

An unhappy, insecure consumer tends to be listless, which reinforces expectations of lower interest rates and a weaker economy, both of which portend a weak dollar. Foreign investors will sell U.S. currency in order to invest in other economies with strong economies.

Areas looking for higher yields.

Rising consumer sentiment will raise U.S. interest rates and stock market yields higher than elsewhere in the world, which generally has the effect of increasing demand for dollars.

A rising exchange rate is not necessarily a good thing. In Japan, the yen exchange rate rose due to the Plaza Agreement, which affected exports. A falling exchange rate is not necessarily a good thing. In 1894, J.P. Morgan used his reputation for many years to purchase gold through bond issuance with the U.S. Treasury Department. At the same time,

Through foreign exchange intervention, market confidence was finally stabilized and the economic collapse of the United States was restrained.

The outbreak of a crisis often occurs when there is a serious imbalance in national fiscal revenue and expenditure. The state's ability to intervene in the crisis is greatly inhibited, and market confidence is easily destroyed.

Quantitative easing is a powerful medicine. Although it can relieve urgent needs, it will also cause inflation. Once the government's prescriptions end, the crisis will appear in a more serious form.

"I believe in America."

Living in America is like living in paradise.

The poor lambs will be deceived by the Wolf of Wall Street until they lose their underwear. As for the investment in education, it is even more pathetic. What words should I use to say, "Thank you for your contribution to capitalism."

Theoretically, a person will not die so easily, but accidents happen every day. What falls from the sky is not necessarily a pie, but may also be a meteorite.

There are also car accidents and choking when eating food. If the people around you don't know how to give first aid, or stand by and watch stupidly due to the effect of pluralistic ignorance, then you will be dead. Sheep will just stand stupidly when they see their own kind being knocked down by a wolf.

, the situation is exactly the same.

Studying medicine is the most profitable and has a high social status. However, it is not something ordinary people can study. The financial guarantee for the medical profession is the most demanding. Generally, you need to spend 40,000 to 50,000 US dollars to prove your assets, which is one year.

The tuition and miscellaneous fees are more than enough. However, medical school requires students to come up with four years of tuition as a guarantee. The high tuition of three to four hundred thousand US dollars for four years is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Compared with other majors, it is difficult to apply for medicine because many of the cutting-edge medical technologies are not willing to be disclosed to students from other countries. Moreover, the United States has extremely high requirements for the profession of doctors, requiring medical school applicants to be smart, mature, and socially responsible.

They have a sense of responsibility, are compassionate, have strong social skills, and enjoy helping others, so they will not easily recruit students who do not agree with the social values ​​of their country to provide medical treatment to the citizens of their country.

It takes at least ten years to become a doctor, so studying medicine in the United States is a long process that requires brain power, physical strength and perseverance. The prime age of a surgeon is around 30 years old. It takes at least several hours to perform an operation and requires a high degree of concentration.

, you can’t support it at all when you get older, which means that surgeons must achieve some success before the age of 30. This is completely different from traditional Chinese medicine, which becomes more and more powerful as you get older.

Traditional Chinese medicine focuses on prevention rather than treatment. Some diseases can be prevented. For example, there is no cure for diabetes. Wounds of diabetic patients heal very slowly, as if they were possessed by black magic.

Pomona felt horrified every time she saw the scar on Severus' neck. She just deceived herself and said it looked like a collar.

The characteristic of democracy is that when there is merit, the current party takes credit, and the opposition parties try their best to undermine it, saying that we live in "bad times" and that the current party should take the blame and resign.

There is no such rule in the wizarding world, although the Minister of Magic is also elected.

Don't forget Slytherin's contribution, but the winners have forgotten Severus. His portrait can't even be hung in the principal's office at Hogwarts, although Pomona and Minerva don't want to see it at all.

He appears on that wall.

Lily chose "John", and James was different from the bucket-carrying John. His family had plenty of gold coins. Why not choose a man who was lovable and willing to change for her?

She left behind a persistent "Bob" who was always thinking of her, and no one else could "take over" him.

The Prince family was also in decline, but Severus did not retreat from the world like Jia Baoyu.

When Pomona saw that Jia Baoyu and Xue Baochai became a monk after getting married, she classified him as a "scumbag". What did Xue Baochai see in him?

She wished that one of Harry, Ron and Hermione had saved him in the dock, instead of Harry watching him die with his lake-green eyes, so that she wouldn't always have to think that she was doing something.

Dreamed.

It feels very painful when I wake up from the dream, but I am so happy when I dream.

She recalled the dream she had had when she was in a coma. She was the same age as him, and she was still a human girl. She took the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade Station on Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and took a mermaid-carrying

The boat crossed the Black Lake, disembarked at the pier and walked along the steps to the auditorium where the sorting ceremony was held.

"It's time to wake up, my prince." She lowered her voice in his ear, but he was as unresponsive as if he were dead.

In this dark and empty classroom, she felt an inexplicable sense of fear, so she pinched his hooked nose, and soon he woke up due to suffocation.

"You've been sleeping all afternoon!" Pomona said confidently before he got angry. "Aren't you here to see Harry?"

He didn't know what kind of demon he was possessed by, but he suddenly moved his hands and feet on her. She quickly avoided the thieving hands and kept screaming.

"You are real." After making trouble for a while, he hugged her tightly and said, "Tell me, I am not dreaming."

"You're not dreaming." She hugged him and said, "I like you very much, Bob."

"Who is Bob?" he asked doubtfully.

"A hard-working plumber who makes a lot of money but doesn't know what to do with it?"

Severus let go of his embrace and looked at her with unfathomable eyes.

"what's on your mind?"

Pomona burst out laughing.

I'm afraid only she knows what she is laughing at.
Chapter completed!