Chapter 557 Good Times and

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

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

Dickens had a wealthy family in his early years. He had been educated in a private school for a period of time when he was a child, but his parents often entertained guests and had no restraint in money. When Dickens was 12 years old, his father was imprisoned due to debt problems. The family followed his father Moved to a prison cell, Dickens was sent to a shoe polish factory in London as an apprentice, working 10 hours a day.

However, because his father inherited an inheritance and the family's economic situation improved, Dickens had the opportunity to return to school. He graduated from Wellington College at the age of 15, then entered a law firm, and later transferred to a newspaper, becoming a reporter covering debates in Parliament.

Mark Twain's father, John Clemens, died of pneumonia. In 1847, Mark Twain, who came from a humble family background, began to work as an apprentice in a printing house, a newsboy, a typesetting worker, a sailor, a gold digger, and a reporter.

After using all his savings to buy the silver mines, Mark Twain had pretty good eyes and ears as a journalist at the beginning of the purchase. He is optimistic about the trend of gold and silver for a long time, but he also told himself that as long as one of the following two conditions is met, he should sell stocks: or the market value reaches 100,000 US dollars, or Nevada voters approve the state constitution, the United States of America is a A federal state in which a state in the United States is a member of the United States. The Federal Constitution stipulates the separation of powers between the Federation and the states, and the states have certain independence from the Federation. From many perspectives, except for diplomacy and military affairs, the state is almost an independent "small country": it has its own laws, taxes, police, education, and electoral systems, which are very different from the political systems of many other countries, especially Asian countries. Same. It is also for this reason that there are phenomena such as the president not being able to control the governor, and the laws of the states are very different.

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

With the rapid rise of the stock, Mark Twain soon "retired", and he no longer worked as a journalist. Looking at the rising stock price, he felt very rich and satisfied, so he came to San Francisco and lived a luxurious life.

However, Nevada is a hellish desert, the most sparsely populated state except Alaska, and there is also 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 this matter.

Speculation is like gambling, and 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 area, because of the spring water, it has gradually become a post station for roads and a transit station for railways.

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

After the discovery of gold and silver mines in Nevada, a large number of gold prospectors poured in, and Las Vegas began to prosper, but like every mining town in the west, once the mines were exhausted, they would be abandoned.

Laughter became especially valuable during the Great Depression, and the Weasleys' Wizards and Tricks shop was the only one still in operation during the war, and though it was temporary, it made people feel better.

In 1931, in order to overcome the economic difficulties during the Great Depression in the United States, the Nevada State Legislature passed a bill to legalize gambling, and Las Vegas became a gambling city, and it has risen rapidly since then.

Mark Twain wrote Million Pounds in 1893. At that time, Mark Twain, like the young man in "Million Pounds", became penniless and even close to bankruptcy. Forced to make a living, Mark Twain could only return to his old business. In order to repay his debts, he was forced to continue working.

When he was prosperous he wrote peaceful books like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but when he was broke he was writing a lot of satirical novels.

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

Nevada's constitution was not amended in 1893, and Mark Twain's stock did not reach $100,000. According to his estimation, he would not lose money.

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

From the founding of the United States, the history of U.S. dollar banknotes can be divided into four stages: the colonial notes and continental currency that were printed before the founding of the country; Bank notes; Federal Reserve notes in use since the establishment of the Federal Reserve System.

The concept of banknotes cannot be said to be "money", but a voucher, and banknotes themselves have no value.

During the Song Dynasty in China, the "Jiaozi" in Chengdu, Sichuan was the banknote used in the world.

Take Jiaozi to the bank to withdraw copper coins, and take banknotes to the bank to withdraw precious metals. The United States returned to the gold standard in 1879. Green banknotes issued interest-free "sight notes" to raise military expenses in the Civil War. With the end of the war, it is bound to withdraw market.

In 1873, the United States abolished the legal tender status of silver as a pavement for returning to the gold standard, which aroused opposition from silver-rich regions. Including farmers were quite dissatisfied with the monetary tightening caused by the gold standard. At this time, American agriculture was still an important cornerstone of the American economy. As a result, Congress could not ignore the voices of dissatisfaction from mining areas and farmers. This led to the introduction of the Silver Act in 1878 and also That is, Congress compels the Treasury Department to regularly purchase silver at a fixed ratio of 16:1 to mint silver coins. This is actually a form of monetary easing in disguise. With the increase in silver production, it will inevitably lead to inflation. It is almost full of effort to buy silver in the market at a price of 16:1, while the market price of silver has dropped to 20:1. , Mark Twain's silver mine stocks plummeted, and he went bankrupt.

On the one hand, the United States is facing the dilemma of bad money driving out good money. On the other hand, to maintain the gold standard, the price of the U.S. dollar must be guaranteed.

The superimposed effect of public demand for gold and foreign demand for gold has caused the U.S. treasury to face a sharp decline in gold, and the predicament of the U.S. treasury can cover up the truth of national power failure to a certain extent when the U.S. Treasury Department can guarantee a fiscal surplus. It is not a long-term solution, because the payment of principal and interest on U.S. treasury bonds is by means of gold, which means that once the U.S. economy is in recession, it will lead to fiscal revenue and expenditure problems.

In 1893, due to the situation, the U.S. Congress quickly repealed the Silver Act, but this did not stop the panic from spreading.

It took 14 years from the restoration of the gold standard in 1879 to the outbreak of the crisis in 1893. The economic crisis did not happen overnight, and the brewing process was actually relatively slow.

Inflation is denominated in silver coins, and deflation is denominated in gold and U.S. dollars. Before 1893, deflation and inflation coexisted. The 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 slump, and it reinforces expectations of lower interest rates and a weaker economy, both of which portend a weak dollar. Foreign investors would sell U.S. currency in search of higher yields in other regions with strong economies.

Higher consumer sentiment will raise U.S. interest rates and stock market yields above the rest of the world, which generally has the effect of increasing demand for the dollar.

A rise in the exchange rate is not necessarily a good thing. Japan’s rise in the exchange rate of the yen due to the Plaza Agreement has affected export commodities, and a fall is not necessarily a good thing. In 1894, J.P. Morgan used its reputation for many years to purchase gold together with the U.S. Treasury through bond issuance. Through foreign exchange intervention, the market confidence was finally stabilized, and the economic collapse of the United States was restrained.

The outbreak of a crisis often occurs when the state's financial revenue and expenditure are seriously unbalanced, the state's ability to intervene in the crisis is greatly inhibited, and market confidence is easily destroyed.

Quantitative easing is a strong medicine. Although it can solve the urgent need, it will also cause inflation. Once the government's prescription is over, 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 have no underwear left. As for the investment in education, it is even more pathetic. In what words, "thank you for your contribution to capitalism".

In theory, a person will not die so easily, but accidents happen every day, and what falls from the sky is not necessarily a pie, it may also be a meteorite.

There are also car accidents and choking while eating food. If the people around you don’t know how to give first aid, or because of the multiple ignorance effect, they stand around and watch stupidly, then they are dead. When sheep see their own kind being thrown down by wolves, they stand stupidly. , the situation is exactly the same.

Studying medicine is the most profitable and has a high social status, but it is not for ordinary people to study medicine, and the financial guarantee for medical majors is the highest. Generally, it takes 40,000 to 50,000 U.S. dollars to prove assets, which is more than enough for one year's tuition and miscellaneous fees. And the medical school will require students to take out four years of tuition fees as a guarantee. The high tuition fees of three to four hundred thousand dollars for four years are not affordable by ordinary people.

Compared with other majors, it is difficult to apply for medicine because many high-tech medical technologies are not willing to be disclosed to students from other countries, and the United States has extremely high requirements for the profession of doctors, requiring medical school applicants to be smart, mature, and socially Sense of responsibility, sympathy, strong social skills, and enjoy helping others, so students who do not agree with the social values ​​of their own country will not be easily recruited to give medical treatment to citizens of their own country.

It takes at least ten years to become a doctor, so studying medicine in the United States is a long process of brainpower, physical strength and perseverance. The golden age of a surgeon is around 30 years old. It takes at least a few hours to perform a surgery, which requires a high degree of concentration, and it is impossible to support it when you are old. That is to say, a surgeon must have a small achievement before the age of 30. This is different from traditional Chinese medicine. Getting older and stronger is completely different.

Traditional Chinese medicine focuses on prevention and treatment. Some diseases can be prevented. For example, diabetes is incurable. Diabetic patients' wounds heal very slowly, as if under a black magic.

Every time Pomona saw the scar on Severus' neck, she was horrified, she just pretended to herself that it looked like a collar.

The characteristic of democracy is that when the incumbent party takes credit for something, the opposition party desperately tries to dismantle it, saying that we are living in "bad times" and that the incumbent 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 about Slytherin's credit, but the winners forget about Severus, whose portrait can't even hang in the headmaster'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 is not the same as John carrying the bucket. His family has gold coins, a likable man who is willing to change for her, why not choose?

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

The Prince's family also fell into disrepair, but Severus did not escape from the world like Jia Baoyu.

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

She wished he had been saved by one of Harry, Ron and Hermione in the dock, instead of Harry watching him die with those lake-green eyes, so she wouldn't have to keep thinking she was making a fight. Dreamed.

The feeling of waking up is very painful, but how happy it is when dreaming.

She remembered the dream she had when she was in a coma. She was the same age as him, and she was still a human girl. The boat crossed the Black Lake, disembarked at the pier and walked along the steps to the auditorium to hold the sorting ceremony.

"It's time to wake up, my prince." She lowered her voice in his ear, but he didn't respond as if he was dead.

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

"You've slept all afternoon!" Pomona said confidently before he got angry, "Didn't you come to see Harry?"

He didn't know what kind of demon he was possessed, and he suddenly moved his hands and feet at her. She quickly avoided those thieves and kept screaming.

"You're real." After arguing for a while, he hugged her tightly and said, "Tell me, I'm not dreaming."

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

"Who's Bob?" he asked suspiciously.

"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, looking at her with unfathomable eyes.

"what's on your mind?"

Pomona laughed.

I'm afraid only she herself knows what she is laughing at.