|k| clippings: 2016-02-23 — busted

WORK

“Belife”

–for James Wright

The lake is a dark
wound in the earth: you
lean forward, kneeling,
to bathe your hand.

—Joseph Hutchison
—from The Undersides of Leaves

WORD(S)

gobbledygook (gobbledegook) /GOB-əl-di-gook or GOB-əl-di-guuk/. noun. “The overinvolved, pompous talk of officialdom.” Pretentious verbiage. Unintelligible jargon. The first recorded use was in 1944 by U.S. Representative Maury Maverick who banned “gobbledygook language” — in a government memo. Maverick later noted he’d coined the word because it was onomatopoeic…it sounded like a turkey. See also: bafflegab.

“If a Super-Power wanted to contact man, it seems unlikely to me that it’d be all wrapped up in a lot of complicated gobbledegook. It would all be very clear indeed.” (Dallas McCord Reynolds)

“‘I am not at liberty to tell you what is wrong.’ It can’t be much fun having to parrot such gobbledygook. But who would want to work for a service where you earn promotion not for the number of people you let through but for the number you turn back?” (J.M. Coetzee)

“A spider, a spiral, a one-eyed man”? What is that? A shopping list? A dance track? A line from a sodding haiku?”
“Crispin, if I knew, I’d tell you, I swear.”
“Then it may just be random gobbledegook.” (David Mitchell)

WEB

1. At Lithub, 10 More Writers Nobody Reads. Pair with the earlier Ten Great Writers Nobody Reads.

2. Cancer cons, phoney accidents and fake deaths: meet the internet hoax buster [Fascinating. Thanks, Reader B.!]

3. Our very own Reader G. testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources. He still has to compete with my mom for position of #1 Katexic fan.

4. An unexpectedly fine essay → On Shit: Profanity as Weltanschauung

5. Today is the Church of Scientology’s “Celebrity Day,” a celebration of the church’s “Celebrity Centers” around the globe. The first and primary center is the Château Élysée in Hollywood (naturally), known as the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International, which boasts 39 hotel rooms for visitors that have included many of the most famous film and music stars, and (based on the Yelp and Google reviews) a coffee shop that serves a mean cappuccino and a $12 Sunday Brunch. Now that is a miracle.

WATCH/WITNESS

A 3D printed bust of Nefertiti created using clandestine scans from the Neues Museum in Berlin. Read more and see other images in the full story.

REPRISES/RESPONSES/REJOINDERS/RIPOSTES

• Reader G. sends kudos (not the candy kind): “…another issue of Katexic stuffed with mind-stimulating links and information. Keep up the good work.”

• Reader S. sends…something else: “A friend recommended your newsletter. It’s a bunch of pretentious gobbldygook [sic]. Thanks for wasting my time.”

• Reader C. might be related: “I’m done with your email cluttering my up my inbox. Its [sic] not the 90’s [sic]. Get a site.”

I welcome comments, suggestions, thoughts, feedback and all manner of what-have-you. Just press ‘Reply’ or email to: clippings@katexic.com.

Enjoy the WORD(S) section? Check out my other little project: concīs » http://concis.io/

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