Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.

Hey, did you read:

• About the dangers of alternative medicine? —Tal Rosenberg

• About how you probably shouldn't buy your breast milk online? —Jillian Sandler

• This lecture, in which Harvard art historian Jennifer L. Roberts argues that teaching patience (or "deceleration") is a virtue? —Tony Adler

• About William H. Mumler, spirit photographer? —Aimee Levitt

• About the hedge-fund billionaire who paid Guy Fieri $100,000 to be his "friend for a day"? —Sam Worley

• About the attempt to create a "Chicago-flavored" vodka? (What does corruption taste like?) —Aimee Levitt

• About the allure of pickup soccer, or "pelada," in the Brazilian countryside, and the lengths to which players will go to carve out playing fields? —Kevin Warwick

• About the "rejubilation" of the pennant-winning Red Sox? —Steve Bogira