In the year 2008 the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in England
> and said, 'Once again, the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and
> I see the end of all flesh before me. Build another Ark and save two of
> every living thing along with a few good humans.' He gave Noah the CAD
> drawings, saying, 'You have 6 months to build the Ark before I will start
> the unending rain for 40 days and 40 nights.
>
> 'Six months later, the Lord looked down and saw Noah weeping in his yard-
> but no Ark. 'Noah!' He roared, 'I'm about to start the rain! Where is the
> Ark ?' 'Forgive me, Lord,' begged Noah, 'but things have changed. I needed
> Building Regulations Approval and I've been arguing with the Fire Brigade
> about the need for a sprinkler system. My neighbours claim that I should
> have obtained planning permission for building the Ark in my garden
> because it is development of the site, even though in my view it is a
> temporary structure. We had to then go to appeal to the Secretary of State
> for a decision. Then the Department of Transport demanded a bond be posted
> for the future costs of moving power lines and other overhead obstructions
> to clear the passage for the Ark 's move to the sea. I told them that the
> sea would be coming to us, but they would hear nothing of it.
>
> Getting the wood was another problem. All the decent trees have Tree
> Preservation Orders on them and we live in a Site of Special Scientific
> Interest set up in order to protect the spotted owl. I tried to convince
> the environmentalists that I needed the wood to save the owls - but no go!
> When I started gathering the animals, the RSPCA sued me. They insisted
> that I was confining wild animals against their will. They argued the
> accommodation was too restrictive, and it was cruel and inhumane to put so
> many animals in a confined space. Then the County Council, the Environment
> Agency and the Rivers Authority ruled that I couldn't build the Ark until
> they'd conducted an environmental impact study on your proposed flood.
>
> I'm still trying to resolve a complaint with the Equal Opportunities
> Commission on how many disabled carpenter's I'm supposed to hire for my
> building team. The trades unions say I can't use my sons. They insist I
> have to hire only accredited workers with Ark-building experience. To make
> matters worse, Customs and Excise seized all my assets, claiming I'm
> trying to leave the country illegally with endangered species. So, forgive
> me, Lord, but it would take at least 10 years for me to finish this Ark. '
>
> Suddenly the skies cleared, the sun began to shine, and a rainbow
> stretched across the sky. Noah looked up in wonder and asked, 'You mean
> you're not going to destroy the world?'
>
> 'No!' said the Lord. 'The Labour Government beat me to it.'