The Odd Truth: July 18, 2005

The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Meredith Stoffel.

Twins Times Two

TRENTON, N.J. - LeAnn and Stephen Beloyan struggled for more than a decade to start a family. Then just weeks into LeAnn's pregnancy, they discovered they were having not one, but two sets of identical twins.

"We were elated and overwhelmed, and concerned about how we were going to handle all this," Stephen Beloyan, 39, said when two of the babies were expected to go home.

Lauren, Sarah, Benjamin and Samuel each were born a minute apart by Caesarean section at Capital Health System's Mercer Campus.

Eight weeks early but otherwise healthy, the newborns weighed from slightly more than 2 pounds to 3 pounds.

"It's been an exciting process and a long process. We're grateful for the attention. We want our kids to know how special and how rare they are," said LeAnn Beloyan, 37, who was put on bed rest 21 weeks into her pregnancy and was admitted to the hospital a few weeks before she gave birth.

Lauren and Benjamin — slightly bigger than their siblings — were expected to go home Saturday. Sarah and Samuel had some minor complications from the premature birth. But doctors say they are growing and are expected to likewise go home soon.

"The prognosis for all the babies is good," said Dr. Naheed Abedin, one of the family's neonatologists.

The Beloyans struggled for 12 years to have children. They turned to in vitro fertilization in May 2004, which increases the odds of multiple births since more than one embryo is often implanted to improve the chances of conceiving.

According doctors at Capital Health System, the odds of having two sets of identical twins from the same pregnancy are anywhere from 1 in 8 million to 1 in 25 million.

Resting In Peace

BROOK PARK, Ohio - They take the concept of resting in peace seriously at the Humenik Funeral Chapel.

The chapel offers a bedroom-like setting — a bed and two end tables instead of where the casket would usually be laid out.

Owner Joe Humenik opened his own funeral home in suburban Cleveland five years ago after spending 10 years in the business. He first tried out the "reposing bed" for someone very close to him his mother.

He had observed at countless funerals how mourners awkwardly approach the casket, say their goodbyes then retreat to the seating area.

But when his mom was laid out in a reposing bed, people stood nearby throughout the visitation.

"It was a real phenomenon. People took chairs and were sitting around the bed. It was just amazing," he said.

Donna Smith, 55, attended a funeral two years ago in which her neighbor was laid out in a bed.

"It is like walking into their bedroom," Smith said. "It's just lovely. That's the way I want to go."

So what's next? Maybe laying out an individual in a favorite chair or recliner?

"If a family requested it, I would use a recliner," Humenik said.

Man's Nose Bitten Off

SYDNEY, Australia - A movie fan had his nose bitten off outside an Australian cinema in an argument over the quality of the violent new Bruce Willis movie "Sin City," police said.

The 19-year-old victim underwent surgery to reattach the tip of his nose following the brawl outside a movie theater in Bathurst, 125 miles west of Sydney.

Bathurst police Inspector Cameron Lindsay said the victim and his attacker got into a fight over the merits of the film, an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel about a wicked metropolis filled with tough guys and gorgeous dames. The movie has been praised by critics for its dark, computer-generated imagery and criticized for its nonstop violence.

Police were still searching for the attacker.

"There's been an argument, apparently over how good the movie was, and then an altercation," Lindsay said.

Cockroach Museum

PLANO, Texas - The Cockroach Hall of Fame Museum probably isn't high on your list of must-see sights this summer. But exterminator Michael Bohdan promises some fun if you stop by his storefront museum in a Dallas-area strip mall. He's got a collection of the hated bugs dressed up in tiny outfits. There's a roach wearing a tutu, another in a bikini and one called "Liberoachi," wearing a white cape and sitting at a tiny piano. But don't worry about his roaches escaping. They're all dead. He once judged a roach dress-up contest for an insecticide company. Instead of tossing out the bugs when the contest was over, Bohdan created his hall of fame.

Borrowed Getaway Car

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. - The test drive wasn't exactly what the dealer had in mind. Police in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, report two men took a pre-owned Lexus out for what was supposed to be a test drive. But officers say the men used the Lexus as their getaway car for a bank robbery. An hour and a half later, the men returned the car to the dealership. But the manager had already reported it stolen. Ryan Johnson and James Hodge were busted after a short chase when they returned the Lexus and drove off in a red van. Investigators report they also recovered all the stolen loot, but they didn't reveal how much was taken.

Gardeners Strip To Raise Money

LELAND, Mich. - One Michigan schools chief is raising eyebrows and money with the "Naked Gardener" calendar. Leland Public Schools Superintendent Michael Hartigan is one of a dozen men who posed for the calendar. But carefully placed props prevent the volunteer models from exposing too much. Sales of the $20 calendars benefit the school gardens program in the northwest Michigan town. Hartigan says he had no qualms about participating in the "Naked Gardener" project. But Janice Blackburn, whose kids attend area schools, doesn't agree. She asks if posing naked is being an appropriate role model for children.