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Argentina

Publishing Innovation Or Inanity? A Book With Disappearing Ink

EL DIA, INFORME 21 (Argentina)

Worldcrunch

BUENOS AIRES - We know that the news never waits, neither do trains nor time itself. But a good ol" fashioned book…well, we used to think that it could just sit up there forever on the bookshelf, gazing down, waiting until whenever to crack it open and devour what's inside.

But not so fast – or slow. The Argentinean publishing house Eterna Cadencia is challenging that treasured relationship, as a way to emphasize the urgency of new literature – and physical books themselves, in the face of the e-books of the digital revolution.

The publisher has launched "The Book That Can't Wait" (ironically, the name of the publisher of the ephemeral book contains the word "eternal"). As the Argentine El Dia newspaper reports, "El Libro que No Puede Esperar" is printed with disappearing ink that simply fades away in two months time. The books are sealed in a plastic wrapper, which once removed, sees the ink beginning to fade. Sixty days later, the reader remains with nothing but the covers and a bound bunch of blank pages.

Hey, why didn't Jeff Bezos think of that??

The Buenos Aires-based publishing house said that the aim of this project is to promote young authors, who have trouble selling their books. The Argentinean website Informe21 describes the project in a more dramatic way: "In order to force us to read, they created books with disappearing ink."

In just the first few months, the small publisher says it sold its entire batch of the intriguing books. This may be the ultimate proof that there is still life in the printed word, or perhaps a bizarre final gasp before Amazon and friends make it so literature is as eternal as it is unbounded.

Here's another recent twist on the tenuous state of the printed book. Courtesy of some wise guys from Spain:


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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

The Russian Orthodox Church Has A Kremlin Spy Network — And Now It's Spreading Abroad

The Russian Orthodox Church has long supported Russia’s ongoing war effort in Ukraine. Now, clergy members in other countries are suspected of collaborating with and recruiting for Russian security forces.

Photo of Russian soldiers during mass at an Orthodox church in Moscow.

Russian soldiers during mass at an Orthodox church in Moscow.

Wiktoria Bielaszyn

WARSAW — Several countries have accused members of the Russian Orthodox clergy of collaborating with Russian security services, pushing Kremlin policy inside the church and even recruiting spies from within.

On Sept. 21, Bulgaria deported Russian Archimandrite Vassian, guardian of the Orthodox parish in Sofia, along with two Belarusian priests. In a press release, the Bulgarian national security agency says that clergy were deported because they posed a threat to national security. "The measures were taken due to their actions against the security and interests of the Republic of Bulgaria," Bulgarian authorities wrote in a statement, according to Radio Svoboda.

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These reports were also confirmed by Russia's ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, who told Russian state news agency TASS that the priests must leave Bulgaria within 24 hours. “After being declared persona non grata, Wassian and the other two clerics were taken home under police supervision to pack up their belongings. Then they will be taken to the border with Serbia" she said.

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