priorities

[Heather]

India has joined the race to orbit Mars at a cost of 74 million dollars. Seems really important when 800million residents of India live in abject poverty.

[warooa]

$74 million - nearly half as much as they spend on the IPL (Indian Premier League . . . eerrr, that's cricket).

[Heather]

They spend that much on cricket? Where does all that go - to the players?

Apparently 74 million is very cheap Marty. The program gave the amounts spent by some of the other countries trying to orbit or reach Mars. America of course had a budget in the billions. Seems to me that orbiting Mars is just what India needs.

[Robyn]

Yes Heather, David and I watched that report and had exactly the same reaction you did.

[Stephen Whiteside]

I wonder if it will sell Earth bars, Marty.

[Heather]

You're not funny you know!

[Bob Pacey]

oh yes he is ! opps forgot ???????


Bob

[r.magnay]

... ..I think he is too!...and pretty quick!

[Maureen K Clifford]

Well if you distributed it amongst the poor it would only be 10.81 cents each so doubt that would make a stuff of difference to anyone

[warooa]

India is a very class-structured and status-orientated society - they're just having a crack at something to bring them international kudos. You can't just point the finger at them - it's no different to the whole planets attitude to the haves and have nots.

I bet they'll achieve something at least with that amount of coin. Strewth! If we shelled out 74 mill that'd barely cover the feasability studies, sustainability reports and sub-committees set up to jump through the environmental hoops

Marty