{"id":19572,"date":"2022-05-25T12:38:17","date_gmt":"2022-05-25T15:38:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/?p=19572"},"modified":"2022-05-25T12:42:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-25T15:42:06","slug":"this-is-what-hyperinflation-looks-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bambisafkar.ca\/index.php\/2022\/05\/25\/this-is-what-hyperinflation-looks-like\/","title":{"rendered":"This is what hyperinflation looks like…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Thanks to journalist Roula Douglas for her re-tweet on inflation and tweet on the fees of one single mental health consultation in Lebanon:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first re-tweet is about how much 100,000 Lebanese pounds (or “Lira<\/em>“) are trading now against the US$ compared to 2 years ago. Indeed, the Lira plunged to “new all-time low against dollar<\/em>“, according to L’Orient Today (https:\/\/today.lorientlejour.com\/article\/1300576\/lira-plunges-to-new-all-time-low-against-dollar.html<\/a>) where we can read the following: “The Lebanese lira breached its all-time low of LL33,700 to the US dollar on Monday, trading above LL34,000 to the dollar on the parallel market<\/em>… The lira’s losses have exceeded 20 percent since May 15, the day of the parliamentary elections.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Azar-Douglas’ second tweet is in French and it literally means: “A visit to a health professional now costs 1,700,000 Lebanese pounds, more than twice the minimum wage.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How sad for Lebanon and its citizens who have been going through an economic hell since October 17, 2019 (i.e., the banking sector crash). All this is a sad yet logical outcome of decades of systemic corruption and\/or mismanagement of public funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bambi’s other sister, Rania, informed her yesterday that hospitals are going on a 2-day-strike. The movement seems to be directed against the country’s Central Bank<\/em> and it will take the form of a sit-in (https:\/\/libnanews.com\/liban-crise-les-medecins-et-les-hopitaux-annoncent-un-mouvement-de-greve-ce-jeudi-contre-la-banque-du-liban\/<\/a>). Only dialysis and emergencies will be accepted on May 26 and May 27 (https:\/\/www.lorientlejour.com\/article\/1300476\/les-hopitaux-en-greve-les-26-et-27-mai-sit-in-devant-la-bdl.html<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good luck to Lebanon, which is fighting to save itself from… itself. Even if a recovery plan is implemented today, the economic or healing journey will take many years. Why doesn’t the official Lebanon start the work NOW<\/span>? What is it still waiting for? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To conclude this post on a musical note, one song comes to Bambi’s mind now. It is in French and it means the “Cedars of Lebanon”<\/em>. Thanks to the talented Mr. Mario Pelchat (Qu\u00e9bec, Canada) for his beautiful and meaningful song. It remains timely…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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