The suffix “-ification” (also “-ization”), usually attached to words that end in “-ify,” describes change, the process of something becoming different from what it once was, as in “gentrification” or “globalization” or “Californication." - The New Yorker
"What makes rongorongo so difficult is that ... no one is quite sure whether it is a form of proto-writing or a fully fledged writing system. If the former, are the glyphs pictograms or mnemonic 'cues'? If the latter, is the script ideographic, phonetic, or a mixture of the two?" - History Today
The two pieces, written during an 1863 rebellion by Belarusians and Poles against the Russian Empire, are by Vincent Dunin-Martsinkevich, whose books are taught in Belarusian schools, whose plays are still regularly produced, and who has several streets named after him. - BBC
Two professors who use them explain how the format — visual information via image as well as text, in a form (comics) that very few people find intimidating — can get complex concepts across even to people with math anxiety. - The Conversation
"The researchers have proposed the name Eteo-Tocharian to describe the newly identified language, which is believed to have been, at one point, one of the official languages of the Kushan Empire" (200BC-700AD). - Artnet
The library director and board initially refused to move any of the books. But, more recently, the library has tried to assuage its adversaries, eliminating the entire young adult nonfiction section and intermingling those books with adult books. It has not worked. - Seattle Times
Each of these texts was reviewed using AI software to determine if it contains a depiction of a sex act. Based on this review, there are 19 texts that will be removed from our 7-12 school library collections and stored in the Administrative Center while we await further guidance or clarity. - Iowa Gazette
"With a diving suit and helmet, and with dark glasses, earplugs, and a plan for retreat to the countryside." "We'll of course have a few books, but in a corner." "We have other things to think about." "Maybe we'll do one window about sports. Maybe some French flags." - The Paris Review
"The (paper) has lost a further £16m and said it was reliant on extra funds from its owner, Evgeny Lebedev, to continue publishing. … The business model of printing hundreds of thousands of free newspapers aimed at commuters has been hit hard, (with) little sign it will revive anytime soon." - The Guardian
Selfie-takers in museums epitomise ‘possessive modes of looking’ that are a symptom of a history of art rooted in the conflict between how the art system (museum, art market) ‘alienates’ the work of art, against art’s ‘constituent alterity’, its ‘infinite capacity… to generate experience over time’ – or, in other words, its freedom. - ArtReview
Today’s libraries are a direct legacy of the Roman impulse to transcend practicality and invest arenas of knowledge with a sense of scale akin to that of churches – temples to a different creed – with their imposing porticoes and columns, their elaborate ornaments and staircases, their rows of desks and lofty shelves. - Psyche
In the fight over the Internet Archive, "it’s rarely this nasty, but free vs. expensive is a struggle that plays out continuously against all forms of media and entertainment. Neither side has the upper hand forever. "- The New York Times
The state of Florida under Ron DeSantis certainly has come to resemble a parody of itself, and, well: "Students in a Florida school district will be reading only excerpts from William Shakespeare's plays for class rather than the full texts under redesigned curriculum guides." - NPR
At first, the behemoth company told author Jane Friedman that since she hadn't trademarked her name, there was nothing they could do. "It looks terrible. It makes me look like I’m trying to take advantage of people with really crappy books," Friedman said. - The Guardian (UK)
Maybe! "Best-seller lists don’t fully convey the adoration that Red, White & Royal Blue has garnered on BookTok, ... where fans have shared their obsession with the escapist love story en masse, and videos tagged #redwhiteandroyalblue have received more than 500 million views." - The New York Times
