| 【首页】【关于我】【文化生活】【有意思的东西】【与我联系】 |
|
|
文化生活（2006年03月）
春暖花开
2006年03月
三思科学
独特的福尔摩斯
CSI——幼子失踪案
司马相如
2006年03月
三思科学
http://www.oursci.com，这个网站我看了好几年了，从oursci的取名可以看出背后一班人的匠心，我们的科学——三思——SCIENCE，有点意思。虽然他们做的电子杂志总是时断时续，我还是隔三岔五的去看看有没有更新，有就看，没有就等。去年秋天还曾经谈过其最后一期上介绍的“非碳基生命”，一直在等待后续的文章，可是一直没有，前几天终于等不得了，给他们去了一个电子邮件询问，结果却是灰色的——因为人力和稿源不足，难以为继了，在可预见的未来，杂志不会出新的了。
这当然不能算是个好消息，现在这个时代，对科学有兴趣的人数要远远少于对科学家有兴趣的人数，所以了，三思以科学为讨论的主题，自然属于小众的阅读了。美国有一本杂志叫做“科学美国人”，http://www.sciam.com/，这是一本好杂志，是美国人的科普读物，虽然谈论的话题相较于“时代周刊”来说，比较狭窄，可是在美国的报摊上也能看得到，也属于流行的刊物。好像也有中文版，不过听说去年由于种种原因，中文版已经告别了我们的视线。
难道是使用中文的这一群体不需要科学知识的普及？在我们的这个文化氛围中，好像阅读科普读物都是中学生小学生的事情，这样到底是否妥当呢？三思啊。
另，最近北京在开大会，为此连天气预报也每天预报连续七天的结果，呵呵，有点好笑，天气本来就是个极端非线形的题目，预测一天两天还说得过去，预测七天，难道中央气象台的专家们手中有了孙行者的金箍棒？往天上一杵，风婆送风，两杵，雷公打雷，三杵，龙王下雨，四杵，风停雷住雨歇。可好像去年台风进京的时候，气象台的专家们还没有这本事呢，修炼的够快的啊。：）
2006年03月
独特的福尔摩斯
福尔摩斯是个虚构的人物，人人都喜欢他，好像前两年国际化学会还曾经授予这位大侦探荣誉会员的称号，以表彰他在毒物学上的研究。
本周日FM90.5的“寰球书吧”请了一位红楼梦研究学者，在节目中对去年很流行的“刘心武评红楼梦”进行了隐晦的批驳，当然，我对红楼梦兴趣不大，毕竟给一本小说赋予太多太多的内涵，甚至将整个中华文明都涵盖其中，我想这样做不是一件理智的事情。这位学者谈到了福尔摩斯，这个话题我喜欢，福尔摩斯具有独特的气质，他的爱好不多，做化学试验、拉小提琴是仅存的几个爱好。在职业上，他甚至常常慨叹没有对手，没有那种惊天大案好让他大施拳脚。他非常重视事实和推理和试验，为了拿到第一手的资料，他可以去扮作酒鬼烟鬼、和村姑谈情，甚至冒着违反法律或者掉脑袋的风险，去实践他的理论，去得到罪案的物证。在很多故事当中，我们都会发现这样类似的场景，福尔摩斯一看到罪案现场，立刻来了精神，掏出放大镜，象一条猎狗一样趴在地上四处搜罗可能存在的蛛丝蚂迹。这几年很流行的CSI正是遵循了福尔摩斯事实为上的精神，借助现代技术的力量，破解一个又一个罪案，“死人会说话”，在这里可以看到这位将近两个世纪前的英国侦探的影子。
我说福尔摩斯是独特的，这是因为我们的中华文化无法产生这样一位狂人，他狂热的追求事实的真相，他研究的对象不是故纸堆，相反，他的知识大多来源于种种试验。他从来没有拍脑袋做事情的情况，理性的大脑是他最大的财富。
最开始通读“福尔摩斯探案集”是在大学期间，宿舍里一位哥们有一套群众出版社1980年代初出版的集子，一共五册，是他从学校附近的旧书摊上淘来的，后来随着看英文小说的本事慢慢见长，在一个个愉快的夜晚，英文版的探案集也慢慢从头翻到了尾。西单图书大厦地下一层出售原版英文书的架子上，有上下两册的“福尔摩斯探案全集”，有机会有闲钱了，可以去收藏一套。
2006年03月
CSI——幼子失踪案
CSI－拉斯维加斯剧集的第六季第十集是个非常有分量的故事——一位年轻的母亲带着自己的小儿子在公园里边玩，小孩子在儿童乐园里边玩得欢，可当母亲再次抬起头，却发现她的宝贝没了踪影，这种事情，对于每个当妈的来说，都是可怕的噩梦。NVPD和CSI小组很快赶到现场......
A missing child: every mother's worse nightmare. In this case, the mother reporting a possible abduction is Karen Matthews (late 20s), a beautiful yet vulnerable woman who last saw her child, Jesse (age 6) on a playground swing at Mesa Valley Park. NVPD and CSI are on the scene quickly, setting up a command center, taking statements from the mother and potential witnesses. Brass learns from a Hispanic nanny that a white man wearing a blue baseball cap was seen lurking around the swing area. He seemed intent on Jesse. Karen also recalls the man and adds elements to his description. A one-mile sweep turns up no sign of the boy. Unfortunately, the only photo Karen has of Jesse on her person shows him at age two. That's how old he was when his father, Dwight Matthews, was killed in combat while serving in Afghanistan. K-9 units are brought in and Karen gives Grissom Jesse's sweater for a scent sample. However, it's brand new and the dogs only pick up the mother's scent. Catherine, who is designated to stay close to the traumatized Karen, drives her back to her residence to retrieve a better clothing sample and more recent photo.
Greg and Sara are given the task of lifting dozens of tiny fingerprints off the playground swings and slides. In the parking lot, Nick searches cars and has a moment of déjà vu when he sees a disheveled young blond who looks like a dead ringer for Kelly Gordon, the woman whose father was responsible for burying Nick alive. Nick last saw Kelly in a prison visiting area. Before he can call out, she disappears into a crowd of spectators and media that have converged on the scene. In the park's restroom, Warrick finds a couple of disturbing pieces of evidence: a broken toilet paper holder caked with blood, and a crumpled pair of boys' underpants. Grissom joins him and they run a possible scenario: Jesse came in to pee, pulled his pants down, and then got abducted…maybe violently. When Karen is asked to identify the underwear, she reels and vomits.
Back at Karen's house, Catherine looks around at the happy clutter of kids' toys, videos and books. She finds several photos of Jesse from four to six years old with Karen--at Disneyland, the beach, on Santa's lap. She notes a faint scar on the boy's forehead that bisects his eyebrow. She gets Karen's permission to have the photo distributed on flyers through Nevada Child Search. Karen also gives Catherine a stuffed dinosaur and a toothbrush for DNA sampling. Karen has "home schooled" Jesse his entire life. It's clear the child became her whole world after her husband died. Meanwhile, Greg interviews a finicky next-door neighbor, Ken McCracken (40s) who cradles an obnoxious pooch and accuses Karen Matthews of killing his first dog. She hung the poor animal by his leash from the back fence, making it look like an accident. The dog used to bark through the fence at little Jesse and it made the boy cry. It was no big deal, but Karen freaked out about it. In the garage, Catherine finds unopened Christmas gifts from Jesse's grandparents. She questions Karen about it and learns that her late husband's parents, Warren & Faye Matthews, are a military couple. They believe they should be raising Jesse, not Karen. "The Colonel" ran his house like an army barracks. In her opinion, it was damaging to her husband, Dwight. She won't let it happen to Jesse. Then the realization hits her that her estranged in-laws may have taken Jesse. They live in Laughlin.
Brass interviews Colonel Warren Matthews (late 60s) and his demure wife, Faye. They have not seen their grandson since the day they buried their son, Dwight, four years ago. At the funeral, the Colonel gave Jesse a toy soldier to play with and Karen angrily yanked it away from the boy and gave it back. The Colonel is proud of his family's long military legacy. Brass can sense Faye's belief that it's played into family tensions. If they hadn't seen Jesse's picture on the news last night they would not have known what the boy even looked like. After Faye excuses herself to go to the ladies room, the Colonel confesses to Brass that he dropped in unannounced on Karen, tried to see Jesse, but she shut him out. In a moment of confusion, the Colonel looks around for his wife. Brass detects the early onset of Alzheimer's in the Colonel. It appears the family legacy is disintegrating on a tragic note.
In the DNA Lab, Wendy Simms runs the toothbrush through analysis and reports to Warrick that there are no matches to the blood found in the park restroom toilet stall. She couldn't get enough EPITHELIALS off the underwear for DNA. The kid probably hadn't worn them very long. There was urine in the underpants, so maybe Jesse wet himself and ditched them? They did get a hit on the blood sample taken off the toilet paper holder--Conner Daly (30s), a man convicted of having sex with a dead body. Warrick interviews this creep who admits to being in Mesa Valley Park. He did use the restroom, and the blood came from a nosebleed, a chronic ailment from years of cocaine abuse. He gets testy with Warrick, revealing his anger issues. He states he got angry when there was no toilet paper to stem his nosebleed and yanked the thing off the wall, cutting his hand in the process. When shown a picture of Jesse, he recognizes the boy and states that a man with a blue baseball cap brought him in. There was the number "51" on the cap. He didn't stick around.
The media is all over the story of the missing boy. Karen is interviewed and tries to remain positive. Over at a convenience store, Brass and his backup unit hone in on a man, Victor Esposito, wearing a "51" blue baseball cap trying to use a bad credit card to make a purchase. His wife, Valerie Esposito, has hold of the boy, Jesse. An arrest is made. When Brass assures the boy he's safe now, Jesse remains terrified, confused and mute. Back at the police station, a frantic and relieved Karen Matthews rushes towards her son, who is accompanied by a social worker. But Jesse squirms to break free of her embrace and yells "Mommy!" toward Valerie and Victor as they are escorted out in handcuffs. Our CSIs witness a shouting match between the two women over the boy. Brass shows Catherine a keychain taken from Valerie's personal effects. It has a laminated photo of the woman with her husband and a smiling Jesse. The Espositos are recent transplants from New Jersey. Catherine notices the same scar on the boy's forehead as seen in Karen's photos. Does Jesse have two mommies? Warrick takes charge of Jesse. It's time to get some DNA and sort things out. In a very gentle and clever manner, Warrick shows the boy his crime kit and gets him involved in fingerprinting and DNA sampling. Catherine, taking a swab from Valerie, learns that the woman spent 26-hours in labor, had a C-section (she shows Catherine the scar) and that her son's name is Adam, not Jesse. No, she did not have twins! Catherine takes a DNA sample from an anxious Karen, just to tie up the loose ends.
In the A.V. Lab, Catherine and Warrick study the family photo of Karen and Jesse at the beach, and the Esposito family photo taken from the keychain. The pixel density is not the same on Karen's. Archie studies the pixel alignment and determines that Karen's photo was computer scanned and edited. Where could she have gotten a photo for Adam/Jesse? Catherine questions the Espositos and finds out that Mesa Valley Park is just around the corner from their house, that they held a family reunion there once, and birthday party for "their son." Also, they have a family web link: espositoreunion.com. Warrick and Archie find a photo of Jesse/Adam that has the same background of the park as in Karen's photo. It appears Karen pulled the photo off the Internet and did a cut-and-paste job. Catherine gets the report on the DNA results. The boy is Adam Esposito. So Karen is lying. She recognized the park from the Esposito photos on the Internet and went there to do what? Abduct Adam? But she reported him missing. It doesn't make sense. Again, the DNA results provide a lead. Karen has thirteen alleles in common with the male DNA found on the toothbrush exemplar. So she does have a son. That means CSI is still looking for Jesse Matthews.
Brass has a distraught Karen Matthews placed under arrest for stalking and intent to kidnap. In the Layout Room, Greg shows Catherine a birth certificate for Jesse Matthews: father, Dwight; mother, Karen. Also, the photo of Jesse that Karen gave Catherine of a two-year-old Jesse is genuine. Greg went back and talked to the neighbors. None of them can recall actually seeing Jesse over the past few years, although the toys and evidence confirm a kid lived there. Catherine's maternal and forensic instincts tell her that for the past four years Karen created an elaborate fantasy--one that collided with reality in Mesa Valley Park. Jesse's been missing for four years. CSI has been chasing a ghost. She tries to reach out to Karen in the Interview Room and get her to reveal what happened to Jesse after her husband died, but the woman is in total denial.
Back at the Matthews' residence, Warrick, Sara and Greg process the backyard. They don't have GDR equipment, so they have to go back to the old school technique of soil probes. They're looking for density changes in the landscape that may indicate a buried child. Warrick's eyes land on a depression in the soil near a replaced wooden board in the backyard fence. Greg notes that this is where the neighbor, Mr. McCracken, said his first dog was hung on its leash. They start digging. Inside the house, Grissom is awed by the detail in Karen's elaborate "staging" of having a child: food messes, height chart, and kid stuff everywhere. Catherine has found a prescription bottle for Olanzapine, a heavy anti-psychotic. They are now convinced that her psychosis wouldn't allow her to let go of someone she loved. It allows Grissom to uncharacteristically reveal that his mother got his dad a Christmas present for years after his death. He was only nine when his dad died next to him while watching TV. It still haunts him that no one could ever tell him why. Outside, the digging team finds a dinosaur toy. They bag the soil around it, and later a GCMS analysis finds Cadaverine, Putrescine and other organic compounds that confirm a body had been buried there.
At the CSI Garage, Nick processes Karen Matthews' car and finds a piece of dried scalp tissue and hair. Karen must have transported her dead son in the trunk somewhere. He receives a call that he has a visitor and finds Kelly Gordon waiting for him. She was paroled a couple of days ago. She remembers the advice he gave her when she went to prison--about "not taking it with her when she got out." She's been thinking about that a lot, and wanted him to know. So how's she doing? Perfect. It's a clipped answer that has meaning to us, but escapes Nick for the moment. She leaves him with a weird feeling.
Medical records reveal that Karen Matthews was treated for postpartum psychosis after her son was born, and prescribed Olanzapine. The scalp tissue that Nick found in the trunk showed traces of the drug, although the sample was too old to confirm it as Jesse's DNA. Again, they run a scenario: Karen was already mentally fragile when her husband was killed. Then she argues with her in-laws at the funeral, goes off the deep end, poisons Jesse, and buries him by the fence. Then Mr. McCracken's dog starts digging near there, so she had to move the body. Odds are they'll never find Jesse unless Karen cooperates, leads them to the grave.
Brass will never understand why a mother would kill her child. Grissom quotes Euripides: "I will slay my children without delaying long enough to hand them over to some more savage hand." Karen Matthews did not want Jesse becoming a soldier like his father and grandfather before him. It's still murder…by the hand of a mother gone over the edge. And we leave with the haunting image of Karen Matthews dropping on bended knee, her handcuffed arms reaching out to embrace a boy running toward her--a boy who now only exists in her delusional mind.最终的结果却是令人心酸的，母亲为了不让自己的儿子继续祖父和父亲的职业，——孩子的父亲丧命于阿富汗战争，——为了避免他最终命丧沙场死于他人的枪下，她用自己的手扼杀了两岁多的孩子，在之后的几年间，年轻的母亲一直生活在幻象之中。之前在公园中她报警幼子失踪，也属于她的幻象。Gil Grissom引用欧里庇得斯(希腊的悲剧诗人，这是查字典查出来的，之前我也不知道这是谁)的话解释：“如果要将我的孩子交给更加残忍的力量的话，那我会毫不迟疑的在此之前杀死他。”
这个故事很严厉的抨击着美国的阿富汗战争，我这么解读，并不是说它批判了腐朽的美帝国主义的侵略行径，恐怕作为美国传媒巨擎的CBS也不会认同美帝国主义这种说法，这个故事的出发点是普通的民众，Matthew一家无疑是战争的受害者，而NVPD和CSI小组，作为这个家庭悲剧的直接见证者，同样也成为战争的间接受害者，毕竟悲剧谁都不愿意看到，在剧中Grisson不也是联想到自己小时的痛楚了么？战争是一时的，可是战争这类人祸留给人的痛苦是非常长久的，我辈生活在和平年代，同样也可以感受来自方方面面林林总总远远近近早早晚晚的人祸的影响。CSI是美国当下收视率非常高的节目，这种教育百姓的方法，比起弄出一百个“永远的丰碑”，比写一百篇大报社论，比喊一百句“我们爱好和平”之类的大口号，对民智的启迪与教化，要高明上百倍，润物细无声，大概就是这个意思吧。论语中有“慎终追远，民德归厚”的说法，我想CSI这种讲故事的方法，对于社会风俗道德日趋笃厚（民德归厚），确有高明之处。
今天写的这些让我后背有点发凉，头皮有点发麻，这就是悲剧的力量，phew～～得看点别的中和一下了。
2006年03月
司马相如
最近一次学琴，老师教的是诸城派的“凤求凰”，为此，做一些背景功课是必要的。“凤求凰”讲司马相如和卓文君的故事，这个一般人都知道，史记中有“司马相如列传”，写得还算详细。司马相如，字长卿，原名犬子，“犬子”，哈，这个有趣，通俗点就是“狗娃”或者“狗蛋”，估计是小名吧，否则唤作司马犬子，真够呛。成都人，年少的时候读书和耍剑都比较精通，因为仰慕蔺相如的大名，改名相如。在汉景帝的时候，这位皇帝对于辞赋没什么兴趣，司马相如也就是当了个武骑常侍，估计干得不怎么舒服，所以托病，长期不在任上，和梁孝王周围的一帮文人玩的挺好，在这期间写了《子虚赋》。
梁孝王死了之后，估计树倒猢狲散，司马相如回到家乡，家贫无以自业，在潦倒的时候，发生了涉及琴曲“凤求凰”的故事：
会梁孝王卒，相如归，而家贫，无以自业。素与临邛令王吉相善，吉曰：“长卿久宦游不遂，而来过我。”於是相如往，舍都亭。临邛令缪为恭敬，日往朝相如。相如初尚见之，後称病，使从者谢吉，吉愈益谨肃。临邛中多富人，而卓王孙家僮八百人，程郑亦数百人，二人乃相谓曰：“令有贵客，为具召之。”并召令。令既至，卓氏客以百数。至日中，谒司马长卿，长卿谢病不能往，临邛令不敢尝食，自往迎相如。相如不得已，彊往，一坐尽倾。酒酣，临邛令前奏琴曰：“窃闻长卿好之，原以自娱。”相如辞谢，为鼓一再行。是时卓王孙有女文君新寡，好音，故相如缪与令相重，而以琴心挑之。相如之临邛，从车骑，雍容间雅甚都；及饮卓氏，弄琴，文君窃从户窥之，心悦而好之，恐不得当也。既罢，相如乃使人重赐文君侍者通殷勤。文君夜亡奔相如，相如乃与驰归成都。家居徒四壁立。卓王孙大怒曰：“女至不材，我不忍杀，不分一钱也。”人或谓王孙，王孙终不听。文君久之不乐，曰：“长卿第俱如临邛，从昆弟假贷犹足为生，何至自苦如此！”相如与俱之临邛，尽卖其车骑，买一酒舍酤酒，而令文君当炉。相如身自著犊鼻裈，与保庸杂作，涤器於市中。卓王孙闻而耻之，为杜门不出。昆弟诸公更谓王孙曰：“有一男两女，所不足者非财也。今文君已失身於司马长卿，长卿故倦游，虽贫，其人材足依也，且又令客，独柰何相辱如此！”卓王孙不得已，分予文君僮百人，钱百万，及其嫁时衣被财物。文君乃与相如归成都，买田宅，为富人。
看来才子和富家小姐的故事不只发生在“桃花扇”、“牡丹亭”当中，古时候的古时候就有。到了汉武帝当朝，由于这是个对辞赋有兴致的皇帝，司马相如得以重归仕途，还为武帝的私人园林上林苑写了“上林赋”。史记中有“子虚赋”的全文，不过我读了一遍，没什么兴味，也许古文的功底还不够，感受不到赋的气势。
在做官的时候，司马相如通西南夷有功，算是于国家有功，然而政治斗争无论在什么年代都是险恶的，汉书中有记载：
其后人有上书言相如使时受金，失官。居岁余，复召为郎。当然，司马相如是否收受贿赂是第一个问题，他被同僚怎样告倒，是第二个问题。这些无论史记还是汉书都没具体记述（我判断是因为他风头太劲，遭人忌害，他自己虽是个富户，但还不是个守财奴，不缺金子银子的），所以我们所能的出的唯一结论是——珍爱生命，远离政治。
司马相如靠琴讨得老婆，靠赋重回政坛，其间几上几下，这分明是一个知识改变人生的典型案例。由于有了老丈人分的家产，不必再为生计奔波劳顿，他才可以悠哉游哉，进退相宜，汉书中是这么记述的：
相如口吃而善著书。常有消渴病。与卓氏婚，饶于财。故其仕宦，未尝肯与公卿国家之事，常称疾闲居，不慕官爵。司马相如的一生跌宕几次，不知他在困顿的时候心境如何，而仕途得意的时候又是怎样的想法，虽然他已经有了相当的家财，可是功名和更多的资产的诱惑，并不是每个人都能抵挡的。以他常称疾闲居的做法来推断，此人还是比较豁达，拿得起放得下，有知足的心态，没有贪欲，是个人物。