The Editor, Sir:

I was taken aback by a report on local radio today (Nationwide 5 p.m. news 15/05/08) which stated that Zimbabwe had issued a Z$500,000,000 note. That same report stated, however, that this note could buy only two loaves of bread or Z$250,000,000/loaf.

Now assuming that each loaf contained a total of 21 slices of bread (National Natural Bran), then each slice would cost Z$11,900,000 (Z$250,000,000/21). Assuming further that this slice could be broken down into crumbs and that each slice could give as many as 119,000 minute crumbs, then it would cost Z$100 for each crumb (Z$11,900,000/119,000).

A slice of bread

I tried to demolish a slice of bread following a crumb making recipe appearing in The Cook's Thesaurus, available on the Internet (http://www.foodsubs.com/ Crumbs.html), into the tiniest of crumbs and could not get more than 1,190 pieces.

Assuming that my best effort wasn't even one-tenth of the most efficient crumb maker, it would still mean that the most crumbs that one could get from a slice of bread would be 11,900. That would work out at Z$1,000 per crumb.

Under any stretch of the imagination, Z$100 couldn't even buy a crumb.

I am, etc,

EGERTON CHANG,

MBA, BSc