'Hugging Saint' Embraces NYC

Salon pays a call on the 'hugging saint' and meditates on the Amma empire

(NEWSER) - A 53-year-old fisherman's daughter from Kerala, India, stands at the center of an empire of idol worship and charitable works—stands there and hugs her disciples. Amma, a mother figure revered by many as a goddess, commands a kingdom of philanthropy, volunteerism, and merchandising, Salon reports. The reporter even jumps the line and gets a hug. More»

Belgian missionary, four others elevated to sainthood

(NEWSER) - Father Damien, the Belgian missionary who ministered to leprosy victims on the Hawaiian island of Molokai before contracting and dying of the disease, was canonized today. The 19th-century priest, the founder of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and three others were elevated to sainthood in a ceremony that drew tens of thousands to St. Peter's Basilica and the surrounding area, the Catholic News Service reports. More»

(NEWSER) - After countless bear hugs, fist bumps, elbow grips, and pats-on-the-back, Elizabeth Bernstein realized that she is her office’s “touchee”—someone co-workers know will be receptive to physical demonstrations of support, she writes for the Wall Street Journal. That got her thinking: When is such touching OK, and when does it invade personal space, or constitute harassment? More»

They protest law that forbids smooching kids younger than 16

(NEWSER) - South African teenagers held a “kiss-in” yesterday to protest a new law that criminalizes romantic physical contact with anyone under 16, the Washington Post reports. The "Kissing Law” is intended to make it easier to prosecute older men sexually involved with younger girls. But the law has outraged students, pushing authorities to say they don’t intend to arrest young people who violate it. More»