http://bhamweekly.com/birmingham/articles.sec-52-1-news-of-the-weird.html LEAD STORY The medical establishment generally regards placentas (afterbirth) as biohazardous waste, but to New York City placenta chef Jennifer Mayer, they are a nutrient-laden meat that can alleviate postpartum depression and aid in breast milk production (among other so-far-unverified benefits).]]> Lead Story “When I get to Africa, I have to worship him,” said Elizabeth Osei, part-time first lady of the Akwamu people of eastern Ghana, speaking of her husband Isaac, who is the Akwamu chief. ]]> LEAD STORY Richard Handl, 31, was arrested in southern Sweden in July after a raid on his home.]]> Lead Story Arkansas Time Machine, Back to the 1950s: In McGehee, a town of 4,200 in southeastern Arkansas, a black girl (Kym Wimberly) who had finished first in her senior class was named only “co- ”valedictorian after officials at McGehee High changed the rules to avoid what one called a potential “big mess.”]]> Lead Story Berjuan Toys is already selling its Breast Milk Baby online ($70) and expects to have it in stores later this year. The doll works by the child-“mother” donning a halter top with flowers positioned as nipples, and when the baby comes into contact with the a flower, sensors mimic sucking sounds.]]> Lead Story For years, many traditional funerals in Taiwan—especially in rural areas or among working classes—have included pop singers and bikinied dancers, supposedly to entertain the ghosts that will protect the deceased in the afterlife. ]]> Lead Story In January, a baby was born to Canadians Kathy Witterick and David Stocker, but seven months later, they still have not revealed to family or friends whether little “Storm” is a boy or a girl. ]]> Lead Story The New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter achieved his milestone 3,000th major league hit in July, and Steiner Sports Marketing of New Rochelle, N.Y., was ready (in partnership with the Yankees and Major League Baseball). ]]> Lead Story On May 21, Jesse Robinson either established or tied the unofficial world record for unluckiest underage drinker of all time when he was booked into the Hamilton County, Ohio, jail for underage consumption. According to booking records, Robinson’s date of birth is May 22, 1990. ]]> Lead Story Top Gun: Todd Whitehurst may be the “father” of from 42 to 60 children, based on statistical probability that recognizes his virtuosity as a sperm donor, according to a June New York Post profile (though one website, Donor Sibling Registry, claims to have documented 129 children sired by an unnamed seed demon, who is one of 92 highly productive men with 10 or more).]]> Lead Story Somehow, upscale restaurateurs believe that diners will soon willingly pay more for a beef dish if it comes with disclosure of the DNA of the actual cow being eaten, according to a May Associated Press report.]]> Lead StoryIn Chinese legend, tea leavespicked by fairies using not their handsbut just their mouths yielded brewedtea that would bring prosperity andcure diseases, and now the historic,picturesque Jiu]]> Ellenbeth Wachs, 48, was arrested in Lakeland, Fl., in May on a complaint that she “simulated” a sex act in front of a minor.]]> Lead Story Tonya McDowell, 33, an off-and-on homeless person in Bridgeport, Conn., was arrested in April by police in nearby Norwalk and charged with felony theft—of $15,686 worth of “services” from the city.]]> Lead Story The cure for emphysema is cigarette smoke piped directly into the lungs, according to chemist Gretha Zahar, whose clinic has treated 60,000 people in Jakarta, Indonesia, in the past decade.]]> Lead Story Equal justice under the law might just depend simply on whether a judge’s stomach is growling when he pronounces sentence, according to a study of 1,000 parole decisions during 50 courtroom days observed by students from Columbia University and Israel’s Ben Gurion University for an April journal article.]]> Lead Story Businesses typically resist government regulation, but in March Florida’s interior designers begged the state House of Representatives to continue controlling them, with a theatrically ham-handed lobbying campaign challenging a deregulation bill.]]>