Eight years after the untimely demise of Google Reader, Google is embracing RSS again. The company is testing a “Follow” button for Chrome that lets you keep up with your favorite sites on the web browser. In the coming weeks, users of the Chrome Canary channel for developers should start seeing the new feature on Android. Google’s Adrienne Porter Felt tweeted that the follow feed is based on RSS and that the company is building it to address a “user need.”

Alas, the announcement was met with pushback and sarcasm from those still pining over Google Reader. In a curt reply, one Twitter user said: “so, it’s google reader, but shittier.” Another blamed Google for trying “to kill rss hype 15 years back, but when it couldn’t, it reused it!” While news aggregator Feedly shared a tongue-in-cheek response, tweeting: “great news, we’re excited!” Others, however, welcomed the news by sharing constructive feedback and requesting an iOS version. 

For now, the follow button is firmly in the experimental stage. Felt added that the feature primarily relies on RSS to pull content from sites, but can also grab additional info using the crawler. Ruling out email newsletters, Felt said places like Substack that include a web version of the newsletter should work. Google is recommending sites keep their RSS feed up-to-date so that Chrome can grab the latest content. It’s also asking for input from publishers, bloggers, creators and netizens. 

News of the feature arrives on the heels of Google’s I/O 2021 conference, where it revealed a torrent of new products including the next versions of Android and Wear OS, along with updates for Photos, Maps and Search.

By Frank Pallotta, CNN Business

Updated 12:13 PM ET, Sun October 17, 2021

AMC announced back in August that it will start accepting cryptocurrency by the end of the year. Now, company CEO Adam Aron has revealed on Twitter that you can already use your digital coins to purchase movie tickets. And, true to the promise he made in September, AMC isn’t only accepting Bitcoin, but also Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin — for online purchases, that is. Aron also said that the theater chain has started accepting Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal payments, as well.

It sounds like moviegoers are welcoming the new payment method with open arms, since it apparently already accounts for 14 percent of the company’s total online transactions. Aron also said that AMC will be adding Dogecoin next. 

AMC almost went bankrupt due to the pandemic last year, but it was saved in part thanks to an army of day traders on Reddit and Twitter that sent its stocks soaring by around 2,300 percent. Aron fully embraced the company’s status as a meme stock and told investors in an earnings call earlier this month that AMC is exploring the creation of its own cryptocurrency. AMC plans to make a foray into the world of NFTs, as well, and is in talks with Hollywood studios to create non-fungible tokens related to major films. During the call, Aron said that the theater chain is also looking into accepting Shiba Inu tokens, but he has yet to announce if it can add the cryptocurrency to its payment options.

The BJP is concerned about fierce criticism directed at PM Modi and the government over the Covid crisis.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were part of a meeting last evening of the BJP and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to discuss the impact of the Covid crisis on the image of the party and its fallout on state polls next year, sources say.

The meeting held in Delhi may result in important decisions on the organisation and the government in an attempt to undo damage before the BJP faces elections next year in states including Uttar Pradesh, the sources have said.

BJP chief JP Nadda, RSS leader Dattatreya Hosbole and Uttar Pradesh’s organisational in-charge Sunil Bansal were also in the meeting, which reflects deep worry “at the highest level” of the BJP and the RSS over the impact of the pandemic on public perceptions.

The ruling party is concerned about fierce criticism directed at PM Modi and the government over the deadly second surge of Covid, which caught the country off guard and exposed the ill-preparedness of its health system, with oxygen, medicines, hospitals beds and vaccines falling short.

Uttar Pradesh is among the worst-hit states, where bodies floating in the Ganga became a defining image in the Covid death spiral. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s government faced questions on its handling of Covid and whether its figures on testing and cases were transparent.

India’s most populous state sends the most number of BJP MPs to parliament and it is critical for the party to retain power in UP. A part of the BJP’s nervousness is linked to its recent disappointment in Bengal, where all its resources, top leaders and enviable poll machinery failed to stop Mamata Banerjee’s third straight victory.   

The BJP, smarting from criticism that its leaders were seen to be MIA at the height of the second surge, has urged its workers to dedicate themselves to serve and visibly so.

In a letter to all BJP-ruled states on the weekend, Mr Nadda said all functions to mark seven years of the Narendra Modi government must be avoided on May 30. “Party workers should dedicate themselves in the service of the society,” he wrote, and said people must be thanked for giving the BJP a chance to serve for seven years.

“Standing by children who have lost both parents and providing them every support for their safe future is also our social responsibility…The idea is that all BJP-ruled states launch the programme together when the BJP-led government at the Centre completes seven years,” he said in the letter.

The BJP leadership has also asked workers to arrange medicines, hospital beds and oxygen supplies in government hospitals. Mr Nadda’s letter reminded BJP workers of the party’s motto, ‘Seva hi Sangathan’ (Service is organisation).

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar donated Rs 50 lakh to help artistes struggling to make ends meet amid the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the RSS affiliate Sanskar Bharati said on Thursday.

Noted voiceover artiste Harish Bhimani also contributed Rs 5 lakh to help the artistes in need, the outfit said in a statement.

Sanskar Bharati is raising funds to provide financial support to artistes facing a tough time due to the pandemic. For this, a committee under BJP MP and singer Hans Raj Hans was recently constituted.

‘Actor Akshay Kumar has come forward and contributed Rs 50 lakh to help the artistes, who are facing financial crisis due to coronavirus outbreak, and appealed to all other personalities in the art world to come forward to help the artistes in need,’ the RSS’s cultural wing said.

‘Harish Bhimani, the voice of TV series Mahabharata’s Main Samay Hoon, has also come forward and contributed Rs 5 lakh, appealing to all others in the art world to come forward to support the artistes who are facing financial crisis due to the pandemic,’ it said.

The Sanskar Bharati had recently organised a virtual concert as part of its initiative to raise funds to provide financial assistance to the artistes.

Pandit Birju Maharaj, Amjad Ali Khan, Sonal Mansingh, Sonu Nigam, Akshay Kumar were among several other eminent personalities who had participated in the event.

Hilaria Baldwin is trying to find the words to properly address the accidental shooting on husband Alec Baldwin‘s movie set.

In an Instagram post shared on Monday, Oct. 25, Hilaria broke her silence after police confirmed her husband “discharged” a prop gun while filming, killing crew member Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

“My heart is with Halyna. Her husband. Her Son. Their family and loved ones. And my Alec,” she wrote online. “It’s said, ‘There are no words’ because it’s impossible to express the shock and heartache of such a tragic accident. Heartbreak. Loss. Support.” 

On Oct. 22, Alec addressed the shooting that resulted in production being halted until further notice. In a statement on social media, Alec said he was “fully cooperating” with authorities as they investigate the incident. 

“There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours,” Alec stated on Twitter one day after the shooting. “I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”

A new income tax portal set up by Infosys has been facing glitches

New Delhi:

The BJP’s ideological mentor RSS has distanced itself from a piece published in Panchjanya – a journal with roots in the Sangh – that questioned whether an “anti-national” conspiracy could be behind glitches on India’s tax-filing websites handled by information technology giant Infosys Ltd. The editor of the magazine, Hitesh Shankar, backed the article and said if Infosys has objections “it should present its side by urging for a more thorough investigation”.

In the latest edition of the journal linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a four-page cover story on the Bengaluru-based firm founded by Narayana Murthy asked whether “anti-national power is trying to hurt India’s economic interests through it”.

Today, RSS spokesperson Sunil Ambekar tweeted that the views expressed in the piece are not of the organisation’s but of the author’s.

“As an Indian company, Infosys has made seminal contribution in progress of the country. There might be certain issues with a portal run by Infosys, but the article published by Panchjanya in this context only reflects individual opinion of the author,” Mr Ambekar said.

“Panchjanya is not mouthpiece of the RSS and the said article or opinions expressed in it should not be linked with the RSS,” he said.

As an Indian company, Infosys has made seminal contribution in progress of the country. There might be certain issues with a portal run by Infosys, but the article published by Panchjanya in this context only reflects individual opinion of the author. @editorvskbharat

— Sunil Ambekar (@SunilAmbekarM) September 5, 2021

Panchjanya’s editor Hitesh Shankar said the publication “stands firm” with the report. “If Infosys has objections, it should present its side by urging for a more thorough investigation of these facts in the interest of the company… Some elements are mentioning RSS in this episode due to vested interests. Remember, this report is not related to the Sangh, the report is about Infosys. It is a matter of facts and facts relating to the incompetence of the company,” Mr Shankar tweeted.

3) Some elements are mentioning RSS in this episode due to vested interests. Remember, this report is not related to the Sangh, the report is about Infosys. It is a matter of facts and facts relating to the incompetence of the company.#Infosys@epanchjanya@editorvskbharatpic.twitter.com/hNGU2HYVgO

— Hitesh Shankar (@hiteshshankar) September 5, 2021

Last month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a meeting with Infosys CEO Salil Parekh expressed “deep disappointment” over persistent glitches on the new income tax portal set up by the company and gave him till September 15 to resolve all issues.

The Infosys CEO was “summoned” after the portal was shut for two days in a row. The Finance Minister had underlined the concerns of the government and taxpayers about continuing glitches even two-and-a-half months after the website’s launch – which, the minister pointed out, was also delayed. Ms Sitharaman asked for an explanation from Infosys for the “repeated issues” faced by taxpayers.

The article in Panchjanya said due to glitches in both the goods and services tax (GST) and income tax return websites developed by Infosys, “taxpayers’ trust in the country’s economy has taken a hit. Is it that anti-national forces via Infosys are trying to hurt India’s economic interests?”

The article said it does not, however, have evidence to support its theories, but alleged Infosys has been accused in the past of helping “Naxalites, leftists and tukde-tukde gangs”, news agency PTI reported.

Panchjanya editor Hitesh Shankar said Infosys is a big firm and it is handling critical projects of the government because of its credibility. “The glitches in these tax portals are of national concern and those who are responsible for them should be held accountable,” Mr Shankar said, PTI reported.

Hollywood is the land of make-believe, but the very real specter of death can hover over television and movie sets.

The death of 42-year-old director of photography Halyna Hutchins while working on the movie “Rust” in New Mexico after actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun is just the latest on-set tragedy.

There have been multiple other cases of deaths of cast and crew from accidents during production, including:

Brandon Lee

In 1993, Brandon Lee was filming the final scenes of the movie “The Crow” when he died after being shot with a prop gun.

Actor Michael Massee fired at Lee during a scene with a gun that was later found to have been be improperly loaded. Dummy bullets had been replaced with cardboard wadding, but a portion from one of the dummy bullets had broken off and remained in the gun.

That metal tip from the dummy bullet hit Lee’s abdomen. The son of the renowned martial-arts master and actor Bruce Lee was 28.

Jon-Erik Hexum

Hexum was cast to play Mac Harper, a CIA operative posing as a male model in the TV series “Cover Up.”

While filming in 1984, Hexum reportedly was playing around with a prop gun from a scene and shot himself in the head.

The blank drove a piece of his skull into his brain, and he was taken off of life support a week later.

Vic Morrow

The actor and two child actors were being filmed fleeing from a village during the Vietnam War while a US Army helicopter hovered over them in 1982’s “Twilight Zone: The Movie.”

The copter crashed following a pyrotechnic explosion, landing on Morrow, 53, and the children, who were killed.

Director John Landis, the pilot and three others were charged with involuntary manslaughter. They were all acquitted following a high-profile trial that lasted almost nine months.

Read more here:

Fiends, we officially have a new Pinhead. And who’ll be taking on the iconic horror character is a big surprise.

Stepping into the role Doug Bradley embodied in the cult-beloved Hellraiser films, starting with writer-director Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic, will be Jamie Clayton (Sense8, The L Word: Generation Q). While Pinhead was always, shall we say, a bit androgynous, this marks the first time the Cenobite leader will be played by a woman. According to a press release, the film—which is being made for Hulu and is directed by David Bruckner (The Night House) from a script by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, and a story by David S. Goyer—has just wrapped production. The rest of the cast includes Odessa A’zion, Brandon Flynn, Goran Visnjic (The Boys), Drew Starkey, Adam Faison, Aoife Hinds, and Hiam Abbass (Blade Runner 2049). Described as a “loyal, yet evolved re-imagining” of the 1987 film, it counts Barker among its producers.

Speaking of Barker, he sounds highly excited for this new take on his creation. “Having seen some of the designs from David Bruckner’s new Hellraiser film, they pay homage to what the first film created, but then take it to places it’s never been before,” he said. “This is a Hellraiser on a scale that I simply didn’t expect. David and his team are steeped in the story’s mythology, but what excites me is their desire to honor the original even as they revolutionize it for a new generation.” Bruckner, obviously, is pleased to have this stamp of approval. “It’s been such an honor to have Clive onboard to help support and shepherd us through the incredible universe he created so long ago,” the director said. “Combined with a fearless and committed cast, including the amazing Jamie Clayton, who fully embodies the role as the Hell Priest, we’re aiming to create a very special new chapter in the Hellraiser legacy.”

Hellraiser will bring its puzzle box of terrors to Hulu in the U.S. sometime next year, which fittingly marks the 35th anniversary of the first film’s release.

Wondering where our RSS feed went? You can pick the new up one here.

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