10月12日
一气呵成读完《货币战争》,标榜商业史,顶多算演义。如TT所言,野史。但国人向来对野史的兴趣大于正史,如同无人不知《三国演义》,鲜有人闻《三国志》。难怪,都说历史是任人打扮的小姑娘,凡是官方版本,利益攸关,都显得可疑,相比之下,民间演绎更具有一种品格上的保证。
无论如何,此书还是冲击了我一直比较恒定的价值观,对经济学的兴趣也被搅起来。诚如萨姆尔森所言:学习经济学并非是要让你变成一个天才,但若不学经济学,则命运就很可能会与你格格不入。
我已和现实世界格格不入了,争取和命运搞好关系吧。一个人可以自我孤立,但不可以自我遗弃。
全球化已是不可逃避的宿命,上了它这条船,全世界人民就甘苦与共了。美国的经济泡沫一破,受苦的绝不止山姆大叔,全球粮价上涨,拉丁美洲和非洲就要饿殍遍野。经济不能不发展,闭关锁国搞独立,人家随便找个由头就来炮轰你的大门。全球化的背景下,经济如何发展却不由自主,游戏规则人家早已设好,请君入瓮了。作为生产力水平不高的第三世界国家,除了通过耗费资源的方式提供原材料和人力外,还有什么砝码呢?
我又想起我的老家,太平洋上一小岛,几十万年前火山灰形成,方圆50平方公里,容纳那区区几万人口。据说,向来有小台湾之称呼。估计,那也必定是城市版图外的台湾、乡土台湾。确实,老家很像电影《风柜里来的人》的那个台湾,喜欢候孝贤的乡土系列,也许,缘于它呈现的风土人情和我记忆中的故乡相似相识。候孝贤的乡愁也是我的乡愁。
岛上的生活似乎没什么变化,只是,宁静和简朴已不复当初。脏乱差的小店餐厅充斥了码头沿岸,到处都是摩托车尖利的叫声和它们旋风而过所带来的躁动。外地人也渐渐多了,从四川来,从广西来,甚至,从越南来的。外婆的家向来夜不闭户,几十年来安然无恙,两年前,却终于遭窃,压在床席下的钱不翼而飞。只是,外婆天性豁达,无忧无虑,也不将它放心上,家里的门户照旧疏松,听说,她老人家将钱放在了更隐秘的地方。
小岛民风纯朴,传统信仰也根深蒂固。临行那天,外婆要我们随她去天后庙拜妈祖。津前的天后宫历史悠久,始建于明朝正德元年(1501),清咸丰六年重修,是这一地区最具影响力的天后宫。一年一度的天后庙会更是小岛大事,有一年回家,我碰巧见证了其盛况:铜锣喧天,八音齐鸣。女人们凤冠霞帔,霓裳羽衣,男人则长袍马褂瓜皮帽,浩浩荡荡列队而行,舞狮游龙,吹拉弹唱。岛民,最惧台风,到天后娘娘处无非求海上平安,如宫前之匾所示:海不扬波。那是所有人心中的期盼。老一辈人尤其虔诚,外婆逢初一十五必至,烧香上供,祈祷家宅平安。去拜妈祖的路上,我妈说她小时候曾亲眼目睹台风索命。波浪滔天,村里的一条鱼船摇摇晃晃地挣扎着回来,船距岸边只有几百米远,却始终不敌风力,被席卷而去,沉归大海。她说,此事让她深受刺激,尽管当年尚年幼,却已暗下决心,无论如何都要离开这个地方。
我沉默不语,心里却怅然若失。我们不断地离开、不断地告别。与家乡、与传统、与往昔。无论对错,那都是人的选择,而今日之世界,随着资本的无孔不入,全球化的渗透,我们的世界渐失去差别,不再有此地和彼地,不再有别处的生活,我们将迎来最终的、最后的告别。有一天,我们会忘记自己是谁,从哪里来。而它们也不再重要,我们将彻底丧失故乡,彻底丧失自我。
我庆幸,这一趟随母亲回家了。在一个恰当的时机里,不早不晚。早了,我不懂何为故乡,晚了,我将失去故乡。
在老家时,和表姐妹聊天说起,政府许多年前就打算发展小岛的旅游观光业,同时建立澳门式的赌场,后来,因喧嚣一时的走私大案东窗事发而作罢。这两年,改造小岛,发展旅游业的说法又卷土重来。也许,你下一次回来,老家就换新颜了,兰表姐说。
发展旅游业,就意味着这里的商业氛围更浓了,同时岛上将充斥许多陌生的游人,他们会在我外婆的门前来来往往,端起相机随意拍照并美其名曰摄影采风。这念头让我嫌恶,可是,那这不正是我自己出门在外的所作所为吗?无法自圆其说的道德困境啊。
不发展旅游业,让小岛何去何从呢?环境污染日益严重,捕鱼的收获有限。岛上的居民,大凡有点法子的,都种香蕉去了,以致蕉园遍岛。据说,此地土壤特别,香蕉也格外清甜,在市场上备受追捧。而市场经济的规律也导致了毫无节制和规划的种植,不过几年时光,地下水已被消耗得厉害,现在打井,要挖地300米才见水源。
唉,这小岛终究不是桃花源,最终,也只能随着经济的大潮载浮载沉,不知命数。
- Re: 《货币战争》和我的老家posted on 10/12/2008
象罔,老家(二)在这了。不过,没有(三)了哈。:) - Re: 《货币战争》和我的老家posted on 10/12/2008
我嘉陵江畔的老家,一千多年的古城,现在已经是一座鬼城了。但听起来小曼的老家很适合养老,标个记号:)
要么游人兴旺,要么人弃置荒,难怪有人说世界越来越小?
- Re: 《货币战争》和我的老家posted on 10/12/2008
老瓦做记号吧,硇洲岛,怎么念啊,小曼?
我怎么觉着我从来没有老家似的,很羡慕小曼和老瓦。到底什么是老家,自己小时长大的地方,父母长大的地方,还是户口本上的籍贯? - Re: 《货币战争》和我的老家posted on 10/12/2008
浮生本事,怎么推出是硇(náo)洲的?
浮生 wrote:
老瓦做记号吧,硇洲岛,怎么念啊,小曼?
我怎么觉着我从来没有老家似的,很羡慕小曼和老瓦。到底什么是老家,自己小时长大的地方,父母长大的地方,还是户口本上的籍贯? - posted on 10/12/2008
据说这是7个最纯净的岛:
Wales
Skomer Island (see photo)
The secret is out about Skomer—among birds, anyway. Nearly half a million puffins, kittiwakes, fulmars, and razorbills build nests in the lichen-covered cliffs of the 721-acre nature reserve off mainland Wales. The birds far outnumber the dozen or so humans on Skomer, just a 15-minute ferry ride from the town of Martin's Haven (Dale Sailing, 011-44/1646-603-123, $18 round trip). Crisscrossed with hiking trails, the island is protected by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. A maximum of 250 people may visit per day, but there's only room for 15 overnight guests in a converted barn where scientists conduct most of their research (011-44/1239-621-600, welshwildlife.org, $139). If you visit between May and July, when the majority of birds are nesting, you'll hear the eerie serenade of the rare Manx shearwater; there are more than 200,000 of them on Skomer. "They have this really wacky call, like a crazy chicken crossed with a pigeon," says Jo Milborrow, the island's wildlife warden. "The legend is that they're the souls of sailors." — Amy Laughinghouse
Nicaragua
Corn Islands (see photo)
Even the pirates of the Caribbean took a vacation from plundering, and to this day, their hideaway has remained a fairly hidden treasure. Forty miles off mainland Nicaragua, the Corn Islands are still populated by the descendants of buccaneers. On Great Corn Island—one-hour La Costeña flights depart daily from Managua (011-505/263-2142, from $164)—the only attractions are sand and sea, including a reef that surrounds a 400-year-old Spanish galleon. "If you get bored here, then you don't know how to unwind," says Jeff Johnson, an expat from Washington, D.C. "Not doing anything is the point." Great Corn is a metropolis compared with the 1.4-square-mile Little Corn Island. The $6 ferry from Great Corn drops you off near the two best places to stay: Hotel Los Delfines (011-505/820-2242, http://www.hotellosdelfines.com.ni/d_english.htm, from $50) and Casa Iguana, which relies on solar power because of spotty electricity (casaiguana.net, from $35). Despite the wonky infrastructure, Little Corn has pockets of sophistication: Paola Carminiani serves up a taste of her Italian homeland with three-course dinners at Farm, Peace & Love (farmpeace-love.com, $15). Just bring a flashlight so you can find your way back through the jungle. — Paul Katz
Greece
Kíthira Island (see photo)
Mythical characters dwell everywhere on Kíthira, just eight miles off the tip of the Peloponnesian peninsula. Here's the pool where Aphrodite bathed. Over there, you can see the cave where Helen and Paris are believed to have sought refuge. Except for the six weeks starting in mid-July, Kíthira is a sleepy place with compact medieval villages that are home to ancient grain mills, Byzantine chapels, and cheerful wooden beehives that are painted yellow, blue, or white. (Kíthira's thyme-scented honey is so coveted that the annual production sells out within weeks.) Lodging on the island consists of small hotels and inns. In the whitewashed capital of Chora, the 12-room Hotel Margarita faces the sea (hotel-margarita.com, from $111). An even better base for exploring is one of the villages in the center, such as Mitata, where a beekeeper has opened Aplinori, an inn where guests can learn how to make honey and cheese (011-30/27-36-033-010, from $79 including breakfast). One-hour Olympic Airlines flights to Kíthira depart daily from Athens (800/223-1226, olympicairlines.com, $263 round trip). — Ann Banks
Australia
Rottnest Island (see photo)
The name Rottnest is unsuitable for such a beautiful place—after all, the island has more than 60 white-sand beaches. Blame Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh, who discovered the island in 1696, mistook the marsupial quokkas for rats, and named the place "rat's nest." After a 70-year stretch as a penal colony, the island, 12 miles off mainland Australia, has become a popular day trip from Perth (rottnestexpress.com.au, $66 round trip). The best way to tour the salt lakes in the interior is to rent a bicycle through Rottnest Bike Hire (rottnestisland.com, $17 per day). The reefs around the island are great for snorkeling; Oceanic Cruises leads excursions to shipwrecks off Kingston Reef (oceaniccruises.com.au, from $22). Most visitors come just for the day, but there are lodgings—cabins and bungalows managed by the island authority (rottnestisland.com, from $41). Before heading back to catch the ferry, stop for some Victoria Bitter beer and a platter of fish, scallops, and oysters at the Rottnest Tearooms Bar & Café (011-61/8-9292-5171).
— Justin Bergman
French Polynesia
Fakarava Island (see photo)
The island's single road wasn't paved until 2003, in anticipation of a visit by then French president Jacques Chirac (he never arrived, nor did he give a reason why). But that certainly helped put Fakarava on the map—unlike its more populated neighbors Bora-Bora and Tahiti, Fakarava is home to about 500 residents. In the center of Rotoava village is the Relais Marama, the one pension in town with oceanfront bungalows (relais-marama.com, from $106). For divers and snorkelers, the northern Garuae Pass and the southern Tumakohua Pass have pristine coral reefs that are accessible through outfitter Te Ava Nui (divingfakarava.com, from $80). You'll have to travel for a full day to get to and from Tumakohua—the pass is only reachable by boat—but it's worth the trip. The nearby village of Tetamanu has a church built entirely out of coral, as well as several black-pearl farms that give free tours. A pension on the outskirts of Rotoava, Pearl Guest House Havaiki, will even allow you to snorkel to its oyster farm with the owner and keep any pearls you find (011-689/93-40-15, havaiki.com, tours from $40). One-hour flights to Fakarava depart from Papeete, Tahiti, once daily (airtahiti.com, from $437 round trip). — Lynwood Lord
Indonesia
Sumba Island (see photo)
Legend has it that Sumba's first inhabitants descended a ladder from heaven, but as soon as their feet hit the ground, they started battling. The natives' reputation convinced European traders to avoid the island in southern Indonesia, leaving it relatively undeveloped for centuries. The warrior culture lives on in the annual Pasola ritual war festival held each February and March, in which horsemen from various tribes joust using spears. For more mellow activities, the island's southern coast has great surfing—12-foot swells are not uncommon—and a community-minded (although expensive) resort called Nihiwatu. The hotel has day trips to nearby villages, where you can chew betel nut with the locals, buy colorful ikat cloth, and volunteer at a clinic funded by the resort (nihiwatu.com, day tours from $25). The more affordable Sumba Nautil Resort is down the coast (sumbanautilresort1.com, from $116). One-hour Transnusa Air Service flights to Sumba depart from Bali (transnusa.co.id, $207 round trip). — Susan Crandell
Peru
Amantaní Island (see photo)
Few places have a welcoming committee quite like the one on Amantaní, an island in Lake Titicaca: Aymara Indian women wearing embroidered black tunics line the dock and wave to visitors as they disembark from the ferry arriving from the city of Puno. After living in relative isolation for centuries, residents on the island began to allow overnight stays about 10 years ago. There are no cars or roads, and quinoa and barley are grown by hand—as they have been for centuries—on hillside terraces. Stone hiking paths lead to the island's two highest peaks, Pachamama (Mother Earth) and Pachatata (Father Earth). During the Fiesta de la Santa Tierra each January, the residents form dual processions from temples built atop Pachamama and Pachatata to the main village, also called Amantaní, where everyone dances late into the night. Tour operator Edgar Adventures will arrange farm stays with several families that take turns hosting visitors (edgaradventures.com, $27 including the four-hour ferry ride). "The Aymara live simply on what they produce," says guide Fredy Manrique. "It made me realize that you can be happy with very little—that you don't necessarily need to have big houses and cars." — Justin Bergman
- Re: 《货币战争》和我的老家posted on 10/13/2008
rzp wrote:
怎么推出是硇(náo)洲的?
嘻嘻,要俺的trade secret呀?
工具:古狗
线索:两条
1。地理线索:小台湾,火山岛——无所获,出来了大台湾和周边的岛
2。人文线索:天后宫——too broad,这样的庙太多
加上 始建于明朝正德元年——bingo!
- Re: 《货币战争》和我的老家posted on 10/13/2008
哈哈,浮生难怪要戒网。再推推老瓦的老家?"我嘉陵江畔的老家,一千多年的古城,现在已经是一座鬼城了。"
浮生 wrote:
rzp wrote:嘻嘻,要俺的trade secret呀?
怎么推出是硇(náo)洲的?
工具:古狗
线索:两条
1。地理线索:小台湾,火山岛——无所获,出来了大台湾和周边的岛
2。人文线索:天后宫——too broad,这样的庙太多
加上 始建于明朝正德元年——bingo!
- Re: 《货币战争》和我的老家posted on 10/13/2008
rzp wrote:
哈哈,浮生难怪要戒网。再推推老瓦的老家?"我嘉陵江畔的老家,一千多年的古城,现在已经是一座鬼城了。"
你以为我没找啊?嘉陵江畔、千年古城出来的是瓷器口,挺热闹的,可一问鬼城,就成丰都了,都不象。等着老瓦写篇回忆老家的文章,再抖落些线索了,或者我啥时再多花点儿工夫 :) - Re: 《货币战争》和我的老家posted on 10/13/2008
有朋友也跟我提这书。昨天又听了一通federal reserve bank的成立和其“阴谋”。觉得如今作为普通人不但需要大量的信息,而且很必要掌握多种技能,即能比较专业地处理某些信息的技能。否则判断真的很难靠谱。 - Re: 《货币战争》和我的老家posted on 10/15/2008
最近眼睛不舒服,敲不了几个字。
为什么说货币战争呢?直接说战争不就得了么?
小曼的家乡很好!
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