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The paintings of Italian-born artist Agostino Brunias, who made a profession of depicting the island in subdued, stylized settings that covered up the harsh realities of colonial control, were my first visual introduction to Dominica. However, as soon as I step onto its winding roads, which begin to twist shortly after I arrive, it becomes evident that this region, which is situated in the center of the Lesser Antilles’ curve, is anything but tame. The two-toned leaves of its bois canot trees, which change color from green to white when they sway in the wind, shimmer and bristle with the power of the volcano. It lulls with the erratic sound of its numerous waterfalls, scatters rainbows haphazardly across its breathtaking horizons, and enchants from the depths with its vibrant coral reefs. And it roars come storm season.
The indigenous Kalinago people of Dominica survived invasion by the French and British, who imposed slavery on the Africans who now make up four-fifths of the island’s population and left a linguistic legacy of English and French-based Creole, by mastering the lush tropical rainforest that covers more than 60% of the island. If you visit Trinidad for roti and Jamaica for jerk, you should travel to Dominica for green things like bush rum and flower teas. There are a ton of medicinal herbs in the forest.
The Jungle Bay Dominica resort, located smack dab in the center of the Soufrière jungles, leans into nature instead, maybe realizing the futility of fighting against the earth’s generosity. When I finally get there, the kitchen is closed. Joanne Hilaire, the operations manager, tells me that they never let guests go hungry, though, so I can feel the warmth of Dominica’s welcome. The cook is preparing an excellently stewed dish of beans with taro, rice, and plantain for our late dinner, off the menu, while I have a refreshing ginger-lime cocktail that is a local favorite. When I wake up the following morning, I find that my villa’s doors open onto a private veranda that faces southwest toward Soufrière Bay, where the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean converge. I let the light wake me for the remainder of my stay by leaving my blinds open.
16-pound giant baby made headlines in 1983. Now he’s all grown up and still famous for is size
When 24-year-old Patricia Clarke fell pregnant in 1983, she had more than just a feeling that her child was going to be on the large side.
She’d already had one baby, and knew that big babies ran in her family. That said, she could never have expected just how huge the child she was carrying would turn out to be.
Patricia gave birth to Kevin Robert Clark, who epically weighed in at more than 16 pounds. At the time, he was not just the biggest baby ever born at Community Memorial Hospital, but perhaps the largest baby in the state of New Jersey.
He couldn’t fit into a standard sized crib, and his baby clothes were too small for him, but Kevin was – much to the relief of his parents – perfectly healthy.
Naturally, it wasn’t long before his size was noticed. He made headlines across the country, not only inspiring a segment on “Saturday Night Live”, but also getting a mention on “Good Morning America”.
Start as you mean to go on
But Kevin wasn’t done stealing the spotlight there. According to the New York Post, by the time he was 12 he stood 5 foot 7. By junior high he was 6 foot 5. From there, he just kept continuing to grow.
“There isn’t a day that goes by when someone doesn’t ask me how tall I am,” Kevin told the Post.
“I like to joke that I’m 5-foot-21. When people ask if I play basketball, I ask them if they play miniature golf.”
Today, Tom is 35-years-old. He’s a former military man who lives with is 6-foot tall wife and their Great Dane.
He’s more than learned to live with the fact he’s bigger than virtually everyone else. In fact, he takes it in his massive stride. These days, Tom is 6 feet 9 inches tall.
To see more on his incredible story, watch the video below:
It can’t be easy to quite literally be born into the limelight, nor to grow up with people pointing at you and asking questions the majority of the time. That said, Kevin seems to be handling it just fine … we wish him all the best moving forward!
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