The 100 Billion Mark Bill

100 Billion Mark, Nov. 3 1923 City of Freital

On November 1, 1923, 100 Billion Mark would buy 3 pounds of meat. Bread is 3 Billion Mark a loaf. On November 15, 100 Billion Mark would buy 2 glasses of beer. Bread is 80 Billion Mark a loaf.

Economics Quiz:

Which macro-economic phenomenon is on everyone's mind in India (perhaps elsewhere too) these days?

[Answer] The answer is of course inflation, as several readers pointed out. Once again, no prizes, get yourself an OBC certificate.

Inflation completely destroyed the common man in Germany in 1923. The very next year Hitler would write Mein Kampf. Well.

Now, here is a curious piece of document we would like readers to look at:

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad paid over Rs 10 lakh to Indian Tourism Development Corporation's (ITDC's) Ashoka Hotel for his daughter's wedding.

Receipts of the payment available with CNN-IBN show the payments were made in cash, on the same day and all this just to save income tax.

Tomatoes: Rs. 50 per kg.
Daal: Rs. 80 per kg.
Hapless incompetent ministers scrambling to do damage control: priceless.