Afro-American woman growing hair from 9 years, breaks Guinness record

Simone Williams was inspired by the previous record holder, Aevin Dugas, whose hair measured 4 ft 4 inches in circumference. Pics Courtesy/simonerellbess, Instagram

With an impressive 4 ft 10 inches hairdo, Brooklyn, New York's Simone Williams recently broke the Guinness record for the world's largest natural afro. She started growing her hair naturally nine years ago, as a way to save money on salon visits, but never imagined breaking a record.

Inspired by previous record holder, Aevin Dugas, Williams said, "At the time, I didn't think my hair was anywhere close to hers, she was goals!" Sure, she can't wear hats anymore, or just watch out for low-hanging branches, but she wears her natural hairdo with pride. For her, it is a way to celebrate her ancestry and it represents a symbol of freedom and liberation.

"Rocking a natural afro is something that really symbolises your pride in being Black. And I feel like whenever I wear my hair very big and beautiful, I just feel that pride within me," she says, adding, "From the beginning, my natural hair has been a journey. I most definitely see it as my statement piece." Her hair routine is simple. "I wash it once a week or every two weeks," she said. "It takes about six hours to dry since I normally do not use a blowdryer, to avoid heat damage."

Dreamy, purple night skies
For the past few months, residents of Gislov and Trelleborg, two small Swedish towns have been experiencing a peculiar nighttime phenomenon-the sky turning a bright magenta. Turns out, a nearby tomato farm, has been using new energy saving system they had installed. The large LED installation casts a purple light on the plants, stimulating growth, but also glowed upwards, illuminating low clouds from below and creating a sci-fi effect. Sounds perfect? Well the residents complain they can't fall asleep at night.

Spanish Yoda?
Man implants fins into skull so that he can experience the rain in his bones

An artist from Spain, Manel de Aguas, who is a founding member of the Trans-Species society uses technological implants to experience the world differently than the rest of us. Known for building a device that allows him to feel atmospheric vibrations, he has now attached a pair of fins to the sides of his head.

These are like functional organs that can perceive the temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure and send sounds to his brain via bone conduction. "I have always felt a special connection to rain, so when I found out that there was a way to feel this sense within me, I thought it would be good to create [an organ] that would connect me even more to rain, as well as other atmospheric phenomena," Manel added.

Daughter find dad's lost jacket online
More than 60 years after North Carolina resident Mal Osborn earned a jacket from the University of Maine as a track runner, he still wore it. That is, until the 92-year-old lost it in October. After several failed attempts at a manual search, his daughter Beverly Amick posted a photo of Osborn on Facebook wearing the jacket at a Master's swimming competition in 2016 and asked for help finding it. News spread fast and Amick said she got an email from a woman who had found the coat in her yard, covered with leaves.

Japanese family live with a pet croc
One Japanese family in Kure City, Hiroshima, has been living with a seven-foot-long crocodile for 39 years. Nobumitsu Murabayashi bought 'Caiman-san', his pet crocodile, from a pet store, after his young son begged him to. Now, the domesticated crocodile is family. He lives in the family home, goes on walks with his master and is tame enough to let young children touch and even ride him.

My baby strongest
Rory van Ulft, a seven-year-old Canadian gymnast, recently became the youngest under-11 and under-13 US Youth National Champion in history. The girl took up weightlifting two years ago to prevent injuries, under the careful supervision of a trainer and can even deadlift 80kg using an Olympic women's bar. The Internet is abuzz, worrying because after all, she is only a kid.

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