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| Africa Subsaharan |
| 1 tin of beans now costs 1 million Zimbucks |
| 2007-11-18 |
| THE price of a tin of baked beans passed the $1 million mark in Zimbabwe yesterday as leaked figures showed annual inflation had surged to almost 15,000 per cent, the highest in the world. The Central Statistical Office recorded that inflation in October had gone up to 14,840.6 per cent. President Robert Mugabe's price cutting measures of June have failed to tame the rate. Shop shelves are empty of basic foodstuffs such as meat, margarine, sugar and cooking oil. Shoppers are forced to queue for scarce goods - including the state-controlled Herald daily newspaper. Yesterday a can of locally-produced baked beans was selling for more than Z$1,200,000 - about £19.50 on the official exchange rate, though unofficial rates will see this worth just 66p - in a small grocery store in eastern Zimbabwe. Many Zimbabweans survive on less than $10 million a month. They joke bitterly that they are "poor millionaires". |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #10 Wow! |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2007-11-18 16:50 |
| #9 My Danish grandfather gave some of those gazillion Deutschmark notes. I still have them in my currency collection. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-11-18 16:48 |
| #8 Well, Zimbob is getting their inflation figures up there with the late Weimar Republic, which maxed out at 3.29 million percent per year, or inflating at 100% every 49 hours. Here is a pic of a lady at the time burning currency in her stove for heat: |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-11-18 15:24 |
| #7 Maybe they had an impression you'd accept that kind of arrangement, Zen. Actually, they usually get much more than they bargained for and just as often are rather pleased in the end, so to speak. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-11-18 13:48 |
| #6 Maybe they had an impression you'd accept that kind of arrangement, Zen. Pushing their luck, so to speak, and usually they suggest it based on their 'tell', which is mostly right. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-11-18 05:03 |
| #5 you have to put more in than you'll get out How many girlfriends have told me that before?!? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-11-18 04:37 |
| #4 True, but in this case humans would have the same problem as overunity machines = you have to put more in than you'll get out, although it may seem at times that all it takes is mere two beans. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-11-18 03:28 |
| #3 Hey! Methane has some real market potential these days. Don't overlook it! |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-11-18 02:53 |
| #2 Calculable - yes, value - no. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-11-18 02:31 |
| #1 1 tin of beans now costs 1 million Zimbucks So, does this mean that even the resultant farts now have a calcuable value? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-11-18 02:01 |