'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»

Parents outraged, rebellious kids keep embracing in protest

(NEWSER) - The Brooklyn Prospect Charter School is cracking down on that most deviant of tween behaviors: hugging. The school has instituted a rule banning hugs in the hallways, outraging many students and teachers, the Brooklyn Paper reports. Though the rule was purportedly instituted after a sixth-grader said a hug from an older student had made her uncomfortable, students say the real reason is because some students were blocking the hallways with big group hugs. More»

Kids: We could get detention

(NEWSER) - At one New Jersey middle school, hugs must wait until after the bell rings, Fox News reports. Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School's principal has labeled it a "no hugging school," with the superintendent citing "incidents of unsuitable physical interactions." Students who do embrace won't be suspended, but kids say they could get detentions. 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»