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[Guardian G.I.]

I kinda missed the inflammatory inflation argument, but I'll post anyway:

Okay. You'll see.

Greetings from Belarus - which according to our resident Scotsman is the North Korea of Europe!

From 1992, when the Belarusian rouble was introduced and up to early 1996 the inflation rate in Belarus never dropped below 500% - it peaked in August 1994 and reached 2796%. In 1996, when the support of our liberal opposition was at its highest, it dropped to 34%. When Lukashenko was embroiled in a conflict with the liberal Supreme Soviet of Belarus in October 1996 the inflation rate was at 34.5%, from then it rose to 74% in 1997. After Russia defaulted on its debts due to excellent financial policies of Yeltsin and his fellow US-backed liberals on the 17th of August 1998, our inflation rate jumped from 40% in July 1998 to 357% in July 1999 - back then, the National Bank of Belarus had to issue banknotes of 500 000, 1 000 000 and 5 000 000 roubles. After the denomination of 2001, it slowly lowered to 5.9% in February 2010.

In 2011-2012 we had another major inflation wave - some say it was caused by our government completely ignoring monetarist regulations and printing more money, some say it was caused by an attempt by friends of Russian president Medvedev to pressure Belarus into giving up its major industrial plants to Russian oligarchs by withdrawing money from the country. Either way, the inflation steadily rose throughout 2011 and jumped to 108% around December 2011. During the summer of that year our opposition, inspired by the success of Arab Spring coups, tried to start another "democratic revolution" with the help of social media, but like all other attempts at overthrowing the Belarusian government over the past two decades, it failed. Despite the cries of Belarusian opposition media promising higher inflation in 2012, it dropped to 15-16%. The current weakening of the Russian rouble has driven inflation to the current rate of around 20%.

With the exception of our opposition's failed endeavour of 2011, neither of the inflation waves brought upon any significant social outrage. Belarus is a small country which is quite dependent on imports, so very high inflation is way more harmful for us than it is for Russia, and yet Lukashenko still remains in power.

I used the data from this handy graph.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Wait, moon landing program?

http://www.space.com/14915-russia-moon-landing-2030.html

[Guardian G.I.]

In more sports-related news, a Euro 2016 qualifying match between Serbia and Albania went extremely awry when a drone carrying a Albanian nationalist banner landed on the field.

[Sinistar]

... you know, I should be surprised if a drone with a political message not only delays but actually cancels a football match... but in this very case, no, it's all in the realms of possibility and normality.

[smjjames]

... you know, I should be surprised if a drone with a political message not only delays but actually cancels a football match... but in this very case, no, it's all in the realms of possibility and normality.

In the U.S. an unplanned drone like that would have gotten shot down before it reached the stadium. Though more likely someone brought it into the stadium.

I wouldn't be surprised if a riot broke out anyway when either team lost, and not just because soccer hooligans.

[GrizzlyAdamz]

I'm not sure if that's a joke.. :|
No, a drone wouldn't be shot down.
'Drone' can refer to simple RC craft. Stadiums don't have anti-RC drone defenses.
I'd make a joke about the fans themselves shooting it down, but that isn't true either what with heightened security at large events. 

I also doubt there'd be any effect on the stadium goers whatsoever. Football fans like football- no more than two shits would be given about a political drone, and those two shits would be about how the game was paused.
Or are we talking about soccer 'football'? If so, why in the world would anyone pull a political stunt there? The point of a publicity stunt is to get publicity- this is soccer we're talking about!

[smjjames]

Maybe I wasn't being entirely serious. And yes we're talking about soccer 'football' here, but the same statement about pulling a publicity stunt (especially a political one) would apply to any sports event.

Given the security that would be expected at a stadium, how did someone get a drone through security? That's what I'm wondering.

Also, we're talking Serbia and Albania here while the only shits given here in the US would be that the game got interrupted and that someone tried to pull off a publicity stunt.

[Jopax]

Maybe it was one of them newfangled gopro drone things that flies around events filming shit and somebody stupidly put the flag on it not realising that it would probably be unable to fly properly because of that.

Also I overheard the stream the roommate was watching of the event. It got pretty heated pretty quickly, so I'd say it's buisness as usual in the Balkans, nothing to do with sports, just nationalistic idiots being nationalistic idiots.

[GrizzlyAdamz]

They could have smuggled it in days ahead, but more likely they just flew it in. Nowadays you can use video transmitters to fly up to 20-30 miles away.

[Sergarr]

They could have smuggled it in days ahead, but more likely they just flew it in. Nowadays you can use video transmitters to fly up to 20-30 miles away.

What are the chances that next time there will be an explosive instead of a flag?

Drone terrorism, ho!

[LordSlowpoke]

hey, drone terrorism ain't a new thing just look at pakistan

now blowing up football stadiums for shits and giggles that's a refreshing addition to the repetitoire

[Mictlantecuhtli]

With the exception of our opposition's failed endeavour of 2011, neither of the inflation waves brought upon any significant social outrage. Belarus is a small country which is quite dependent on imports, so very high inflation is way more harmful for us than it is for Russia, and yet Lukashenko still remains in power.

I used the data from this handy graph.

Pretty proud of that ridiculous inflation rate and dying economy not taking down dictator Luka yet, aren't you?

[Sergarr]

With the exception of our opposition's failed endeavour of 2011, neither of the inflation waves brought upon any significant social outrage. Belarus is a small country which is quite dependent on imports, so very high inflation is way more harmful for us than it is for Russia, and yet Lukashenko still remains in power.

I used the data from this handy graph.

Pretty proud of that ridiculous inflation rate and dying economy not taking down dictator Luka yet, aren't you?

The Belarus tractors are competitive enough to be sold in Germany.

How's that a sign of "dying economy" is beyond me.

[Mictlantecuhtli]

http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=BYR&to=USD&view=10Y

Belarus's currency is worth nothing and its economy is falling apart, but it's good to know that Belarussian media is good at lying to people. This is what ridiculous inflation gets you, a worthless currency dependent on soviet factory tractor production

[Sergarr]

Currency exchange rates can only tell us about the difference between exports and imports in the country. They say nothing about how the inner economy works.

Mict, why are you trying to tell a Belarusian that you know better than him about how the Belarus economy works?