Tuesday, August 23, 2016

The Idler, Thursday, August 24, 2016

The Drones Club

THE British government and Amazon find themselves

being upstaged by the criminal fraternity. While the

government and the internet giant are exploring ways to set

up an entirely new system by which online shoppers get

their purchases delivered by drone to the doorstep, the

criminals are already way ahead.

At Pentonville prison, in London, drones have been

intercepted flying in drugs and cellphones, as reported in

yesterday's newspaper.

It's been a long time coming but it seems the Drones Club

is at last operational. It's alarming. The Drones are a close-

knit group of desperado anarchists, their club located

somewhere in the St James district of London.

Their names are Bertie Wooster, Archibald Mulliner, Bingo

Little, Boko Fittleworth, Cyril "Barmy" Fotheringay-

Phipps, Freddie Threepwood, Freddie Widgeon, Hugo

Carmody, Monty Bodkin, Oofy Prosser, Pongo Twistleton,

Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright, Ronald Eustace Psmith, Ronald

Overbury "Ronnie" Fish, Tuppy Glossop, Biffy Biffen and

Gussie Fink-Nottle.

Mastermind behind the Drones Club is a man called Jeeves,

who masquerades as a butler. The leading activist is

Wooster, who often operates through his aunts, Dahlia and

Agatha (she of the laugh like a squadron of cavalry

charging over a tin bridge).

Sometimes involved on the periphery of their anti-social

escapades is Sir Roderick Glossop, the sinister yet

celebrated looney-doctor of Harley Street.

Drones into prisons is but the start, of this we can be sure.

Scotland Yard is advised to read up on the Drones Club, as

exhaustively documented by PG Wodehouse. They'll have

to re-arrange their priorities, that's for certain.

Anthems

THE returning British Olympics team can be excused their

rather off-key rendering of God Save the Queen as they

flew back victorious from Rio with an unprecedented

medals haul, as relayed on TV. British Airways had

stocked up with an extra six dozen bottles of champagne

for the flight.

One is otherwise careful with national anthems to maintain

decorum and correct key and diction. At the Street Shelter

for the Over-Forties, closing time is always marked by

Nkosi Sikelele, followed by God Save the Queen, Le

Marseillaise, The Star Spangled Banner and The Red Flag.

The rendition is pitch perfect. Diction is clipped, no

slurring. All stand to attention and salute. Some are

standing on their heads, true, but they're still to attention.

It's a Street Shelter tradition.

Rotten job

RECENTLY Donald Trump accused President Obama and Democrat

presidential candidate Hillary Clinton of being co-founders of so-called

Islamic State.

Now he's accused them of making a rotten job of running the

organisation, according to satirist Andy Borowitz in the New Yorker.

"In an interview with Fox News, the Republican presidential nominee

said that Obama's preference for golfing in favour of the demanding

day-to- day work of running a terrorist organisation shows 'what a

disaster he has been' at the helm of the Islamic State.

"'Frankly, he doesn't deserve to call himself the founder of Isis,' Trump

told Fox's Sean Hannity. 'He is a disgrace.'

"Trump also drew a sharp contrast between himself and Hillary

Clinton, who he said lacked the mental and physical stamina to run

Isis.

"'I've built a great business,' he said. 'I've employed thousands of

people. I will do a much better job running Isis.'"

Still three months to go.

The question

OVERHEARD in the Street Shelter for the Over-Forties:

"Alcohol isn't the answer but it does let you forget the

question."

Humpty Doo

STRANGE goings-on at Humpty Doo, in the Northern Territory

of Australia. Four men broke into the local school one night and

dumped three saltwater crocodiles in the main office, according

to Sky News.

The largest was 2m in length. The break-in was picked up on

CCTV cameras but the culprits had their heads covered by

scarves.

Revenge on teachers by former pupils? Maybe, but the

crocodiles all had their jaws taped up. The police are baffled.

Stone the flamin' crows, mate! Starve the flamin' lizards!

Humpty Doo's gettin' a reputation like Wagga Wagga for

bein' a place of infinite mystery and subtlety.

Tailpiece

She: "Please get me a carton of milk and if they have

avocados get six."

He comes home with six cartons of milk.

She: "Why six cartons of milk?"

He: "They had avocados."

(Women may need to read this again. Men get it first

time.)

Last word

There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased

this line.

Oscar Levant

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