A Stock Market on Mars?

And now to lighten things a little.  We have all read science fiction stories of civilizations on Mars, such as Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles, but one would presume the general population can separate fact from fiction.  Well, as I write about recent trips to distant locations, be it Mercury or Titan, maybe would need to reposition our telescopes and peer back at Mars for it appears we may have missed something. 

According to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who was recently speaking on World Water day, Mars may have had a thriving civilization until capitalism came along and ruined it.  Here are his words:


I have always said, heard, that it would not be strange that there had been civilization on Mars, but maybe capitalism arrived there, imperialism arrived and finished off the planet. ... Careful! Here on planet Earth where hundreds of years ago or less there were great forests, now there are deserts. Where there were rivers, there are deserts.

Notice the date of this posting.  This is not an April Fool's Day joke.  Maybe our friends in Venezuela can provide some oil money to assist NASA with its Mars mission.  More exploration is always well.  Maybe we can also solve the Face on Mars mystery.  (Yes, I know NASA tried to dismiss this with science, but that's no fun.  If fantasy will get us to Mars then we might as well go with what works.)