“Despite the slightly absurd business model, these photos are very beautiful and moving… The funeral parlor has been in business since 1974 and is thought to be the only drive-through funeral home in southern California, according to office manager Denise Knowles-Bragg. Here are images from the funeral of Robert Sanders, held at California’s only drive-through funeral home.” w/ photos

“A 55-year-old man with type 1 diabetes shocked his doctors, after he revealed what looked like two bottom cheeks hanging below his navel. The patient from South Africa, had been told to inject his life-saving insulin jabs into two areas of his stomach to control his blood-sugar levels. However, he hadn’t realized that he needed to rotate the injection site around different parts of his body because the hormone insulin encourages the build up of soft fatty swellings within the layers of the skin. The man went on to develop ‘firm and pendulous’ masses on his stomach – a condition known as lipohypertrophy. Mild cases are surprisingly common, however this patient had a severe case as he hadn’t changed his injection sites for three decades.” w/ photos

“A hideaway perfect for a James Bond villain, surrounded by water with the only way to gain access via Britain’s lone privately-owned suspension bridge, Scaramanga would have found this exclusive abode quite to his liking. Perched atop a large rock, residents Lord and Lady Long are to move after a decade in the unique Cornwall property. Originally put on the market two years ago, the couple have dropped the asking price by more than a quarter of a million pounds. While navigating the 100ft long bridge, suspended some 90ft off the ground, might excite our fantasies of international espionage, the elderly couple said it is becoming increasingly difficult with age and they are selling up.” w/ photos

“The big freeze shows no sign of letting up in Europe as Venice’s famed waterways fell victim to sub zero temperatures this morning. Water buses were stranded in some of the Italian city’s canals after they froze solid in temperatures as low as -10C. More than 60,000 homes were left without power in Milan and officials declared a gas supply emergency as the cold temperatures saw pipes burst.” w/ photos

“The 57-year-old from Crescent Springs, Ky., has managed to make a heart-pumping workout out of ordinary chores such as vacuuming and washing windows. According to Markovich, the vacuum cleaner is the most versatile exercise machine ever. He’s found a way to combine squats, lunges and hip twists while he’s getting the floors clean. He says that he burns so many calories through house chores that he can afford to allow himself a few treats once in a while. A vanilla ice cream topped with peanut butter, for instance. He seems pretty fit for his age, although he does sport a tiny little paunch.” w/ photos + video

“A British expedition to one of the deepest parts of the ocean has discovered an enormous species of crustacean that looks like a prawn and is 11ins long. The so-called ‘supergiant’ – a type of amphipod – was discovered more than four miles below the surface in waters north of New Zealand. Most amphipods are usually 0.8in-1.2in long. But the new specimen, found by a team from the University of Aberdeen, was ten times the size.” w/ photos + video

“Constantly shuttling between New York and Silicon Valley for work, Hyde doesn’t live in a house or an apartment. When he’s not working, he’s traveling extensively, taking his worldly possessions of 15 things everywhere he goes. Andrew Hyde says that he has always been interested in the concept of minimalism, starting out by seeing if he could make do with just 100 items. But in August 2010 he took the concept even further, selling all of his belongings but for 15 things.” w/ photos

“An Asian elephant has been given back her sight – and become the first in Europe to be fitted with a contact lens. Win Thida, 44, was injured in a scuffle with a fellow elephant at Amsterdam’s Artis Zoo when she was poked in her left eye by a twig. Dutch vet Anne-Marie Verbruggen was called in after the tourist attraction’s star turn had difficulty keeping her eye open and it started to stream. An examination revealed the cornea had been damaged, sparking fears that without something to protect the eye it would never heal and she could soon end up blind.” w/ photos

“Cheerleaders are mostly known for their lithe and wiry builds that allow them to be tossed to dizzying heights during pep rallies. But University of Georgia cheerleader Anna Watson puts that stereotype to shame, proudly displaying incredibly sculpted arm muscles. She was even looking at a $75,000 fitness modelling contract, before realizing that the exhausting workout regimen and taking legal steroids just wasn’t worth it. She started weightlifting at her first college, Hawaii Pacific, after she found that cardio wasn’t helping her do stunts and routines and caused her to lose a dramatic 35 pounds. That’s when friends and friends suggested she started lifting weights.” w/ photos

“Over the past few years, the website Awkward Family Photos has been serving up the world’s most embarrassing snaps to an eager audience. So perhaps the public has become immune to the diet of matching sweaters, cringeworthy set-ups and over-the-top celebration which characterize most of the photos. But this extraordinary example may well set a new standard – it could be the most awkward family photo ever.” w/ photos