Rabbit Thought of the Day

The Prince of Wales turned down an offer to star in Doctor Who, executive producer Russell T Davies has claimed. Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, the BBC show's writer called the prince "a miserable swine" for not accepting the invitation.

According to Clarence House, however, the prince did not see the offer as it was turned it down on his behalf. "We receive a great many requests and it's impossible to accept them all," a spokesman told the BBC.

Speaking to the BBC's Nick Higham at Cheltenham, Davies also revealed he had no regrets about his four-year tenure as Doctor Who's chief writer.

OSLO (Reuters) - Refugees are moving to Antarctica by 2030, the Olympics are held only in cyberspace and central Australia has been abandoned as too dry, according to exotic scenarios for climate change on Monday.

British-based Forum for the Future, a charitable think-tank, and researchers from Hewlett-Packard Labs, said they wanted to stir debate about how to avert the worst effects of global warming by presenting a radical set of possible futures. "Climate change will affect the economy at least as much as the 'credit crunch'," their 76-page report study said.

The scenarios range from a shift to greater energy efficiency, where desalination plants run on solar power help turn the Sahara green, to one where refugees are moving to Antarctica because of rising temperatures.

"We still have the chance to alter the future," Peter Madden, head of the Forum, told Reuters. "This is what the world could be like and some of these options are not very pleasant."

Madden said that most reports about climate change focused on scientific findings about carbon dioxide emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels, without taking account of psychological or social responses. "Historians of the future may look back on these as the 'climate change years'," he said. "They will either look back on our generation as heroes or view us with incomprehension and disgust -- as now we look back on those who allowed slavery." He said the crystal ball survey did not seek to project what was most likely to happen, just some of the possibilities.

It gave the following five scenarios:

EFFICIENCY FIRST - Technological innovation will help solve climate change and spur strong growth and consumerism. The Sahara is green and the eastern seaboard of the United States, for instance, is "protected by eco-concrete wall that generate power from waves and tidal surges."

SERVICE TRANSFORMATION - Sky-high prices for emitting carbon dioxide have led to a shift to a service-based economy. People no longer own cars but use bicycles. "Central Australia and Oklahoma have been abandoned due to water shortages. Athletes stay at home in the world's first virtual Olympics, competing against each other in virtual space with billions of spectators."

REDEFINING PROGRESSS - A global depression from 2009-18 forces people into more modest lifestyles and focus on well-being and quality of life. In the United States, people "do 25 hours of work a week and up to 10 hours voluntary work."

ENVIRONMENTAL WAR ECONOMY - The world has failed to act on climate change, world trade has collapsed after oil prices break through $400 a barrel. Electrical appliances get automatically turned off when households exceed energy quotas. Refugees are moving to Antarctica, with the population set to reach 3.5 million people by 2040.

PROTECTIONIST WORLD - Globalization is in retreat after a poorly coordinated response to climate change. Morocco has been asked to join the European Union in exchange for exclusive access to solar energy supplies until 2050.

Tomato ketchup is the latest foodstuff to be banned from canteens at some schools as part of a move towards healthier eating, it has been revealed.

The condiment is no longer on the menu at primary schools in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, and some parents have branded the move "daft".

It follows hot on the heels of Marmite which made the news last week after Ceredigion Council, in Mid Wales, banned the spread from its school breakfast clubs because of "a high level of salt".

That’s my first and second meeting of the week over, the supplier went away happy, with a brief case full of documents to enable him to produce a new quotation.  It’s been a very busy morning so far and here was me hoping for a quiet time this week. It seems that fate has something else is store for me though, that’s life I suppose.

It won’t remain this busy for the rest week, in fact it’s more or less come to halt as I sit here tapping away. Other people are starting to get more involved with the projects I am looking after, and as they get more involved I can start to relax. Well maybe not relax, but certainly slow down, lol.

It’s been very hectic so far this morning, I have inundated with people asking me questions before I disappear into the void, commonly know as a new job. I also have a supplier coming to see me reference one of the projects I am looking after. He requires a copy of some updated drawings I have so he can prepare a new quotation for us. So I have been searching the project directories for all the updated drawings and have saved them to CD for him, he due herein about 15 minutes.  

It should quieten down very soon, and I can get on with the job in hand, and produce so handover notes for my line manager. Later in the week, I have my leaving interview later this week and I am producing some notes for that as well. I haven’t let them know what I wish to discuss, but they keep asking, they obviously want to prepare they answer before we start, I’ll not them do that.   

A mechanic claimed he applied science to win the 44th World Conker Champion in Northamptonshire. Ray Kellock, 62, of Rushden, Northamptonshire came up with his "kinetic energy theory" to claim the "king conker" crown in Ashton. He devised a winning strategy during his opening game and put it into practice in the next six rounds.

When his conker was looking the worse for wear after he lashed out hard he decided to moderate and it paid off. "In the first round I was trying to hit my opponents conker as hard as possible but seemed to be causing more damage to mine," said Mr Kellock, who runs a minibus company. "I've got a scientific mind and it made me think.

"I decided that it was better to hold my conker still, let the opponent while away and then make sure I hit their conker every time but not too hard.

"It seemed to work and after getting through the first round I won the title.

"I didn't have a name for it because I thought it up while I was playing but I think I'll call it Kellock's Kinetic Energy Conker Theory."

More than 600 men, women and children took part in the annual championships. The contest has raised more than £300,000 since a group of Ashton villagers started it in the mid 1960s.

The new World Porridge Making Champion took the title on his 15th attempt.

Ian Bishop revealed his secret weapon was local water from a bore hole tapped 100ft into an underground river near his home in Carrbridge, Strathspey.

Amateur enthusiasts were joined by professional chefs in vying for the coveted Golden Spurtle in the town. Mr Bishop said: "It shows determination and perseverance eventually pays. It has obviously taken a few years to get it right."

Mr Bishop, who has become one of the few local winners of the competition, revealed he had competed in every single championship since they began 15 years ago. "I remember the first year when it was organised and I had never made porridge before," he said. "I saw the lumps and was told I had to stir like hell.

He was presented with the Golden Spurtle - a spatula-like tool traditionally used to stir porridge - by Miss Scotland, Stephanie Willemse. The porridge had to be made with the traditional oatmeal, salt and water, but entrants in the speciality section could add whatever ingredients they liked.

Entries were graded on consistency, taste and colour.

Traditionally it should only be stirred in a clockwise direction using the right hand to avoid evoking the devil, while legend dictates that porridge be referred to as "they", and should be eaten standing up.

The kitchen dressers of Highland crofts often contained a "porridge drawer" which was filled with freshly cooked porridge that could be cut into squares when cold and taken onto the hills for sustenance.

I only have until Friday and then I’ll be finished here, I have already started to take my stuff home, it should be an easy week for, I have very little left to do and what I have to finish requires very little effort or thought.

I have an handover meeting tomorrow on one of my projects, that should only last a couple a hours. Although we are working on it at the moment, it has not yet been designed and until it has we can do very little. The other project I am looking after, has even got as far as the design stage, we are just bidding for the work and we don’t have a great to go on but from the drawings we do have, we have to produce a cost before the end of November, but by that time I’ll be long gone, but I will do my best for the time I have remaining.  

My count down clock is now on, 4 day, 4 hours, 52 minutes and 30 seconds.

All too quick its Monday once more, that dreaded day of the week when we struggle back to back after our weekend of rest. This weekend was absolutely glorious; we haven’t had such a good weekend for months. We couldn’t have asked for better, Southend seafront was buzzing and not a car p[ark space available anywhere, fortunately I don’t have worry an about, a short walk and I am there.

It was very busy when I was out on bike, dressed only a T shirt and shorts it was warm enough to sit on the beach, for the braver ones it was even warm enough to swim in the sea, although I am not that brave or stupid. However, speaking of swimming in the sea, I know of a few people who sea in sea every day even in winter, I suppose it’s something you get used too.