Back in January there was a big hubbub about a job opening in Australia’s Queensland for a person to basically live the life of Riley on Hamilton Island and blog about his day swimming amid the coral reefs, taking longs walks on the pristine sandy beaches, and basically loafing the day away. While I wasn’t available (still trying to remember why I wasn’t available…) there were about 35,000 people who were. They applied in such droves that they killed the server taking the applications.
Well, we now know who the lucky little bugger was: Ben Southall of the UK.
A bungee jumping, ostrich-riding British charity worker was named the winner Wednesday of what’s been dubbed the “Best Job in the World” — a six-month contract to serve as caretaker of a tropical Australian island.
Ben Southall, 34, of Petersfield, beat out nearly 35,000 applicants from around the world for the dream assignment to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for while writing a blog to promote the area.
He was selected for the $111,000 gig by officials from the tourism department of Queensland state.
Yep, that’s right. He’s employed with a salary of $111,000 (doesn’t say if that’s USD or AUD) and he gets to live free in a 3-bedroom villa with a private pool and, reportedly, a stunning view of the islands.
Congrats, Mr. Southall! We’re looking forward to hearing about the Hamiltons from you!
May 6th, 2009
Posted by
ricjames |
Human Interest |
3 comments
My respect for the Loudoun GOP’s Chairman, Glen Caroline, is second to none. His leadership and vision have done much to repair the fractures that formed in the local committee and they will forge the LCRC into a mighty force this year. One of the events that unfolded during my… absence… last week was the defection of PA’s Sen. Arlen Specter to the Democrats. In a guest opinion at the Loudoun Independent Glen speaks of that defection and what it does not mean:
First and foremost, our Republican principles and solutions are not to blame for our recent election losses (again, witness Frank Wolf and the thumping of the meals tax). In fact, a compelling case can be made that we have lost precisely because we have strayed too far from those tenets that united and defined us as Republicans.
Like any group or organization, unanimity on any given issue is an impossibly high standard to reach. However, there is major consensus among Republicans on myriad and diverse issues, including taxes, spending, public safety, illegal aliens, defense, education, freedom, entrepreneurship, marriage, life, guns, transportation, etc.
The problem is not our core values and GOP principles.
Rather, we as Republicans need to do a better job marketing our values and solutions to the electorate. We need to ensure we have the right messengers telling our story. And we need to stop letting our opponents define us and our philosophy.
Glen’s message is spot-on and I believe the primary reason for the losses suffered by the GOP, nationally and locally, was that “wandering from the path” he references. There are those in this election cycle seeking to take that assessment and use it to hammer on a single issue or a certain subset of issues – mostly social ones – but this misses the critical point Glen is making. It was the stance that the GOP held on the “myriad and diverse issues” Glen speaks of above that defined us. It was when we strayed on so many of these issues that we lost our identity and the public began to doubt our solutions. Or, rather, doubt our commitment to them.
The electorate looks to people who have not just a vision but a workable path to achieve those goals. It is up to we Republicans to see to it that our vision, our goals, and our proposed path are all explained to voting public. It is also up to us to be sensitive to their suggestions and to their assessments of what matters are of priority and need to be addressed above all else. It is by taking those assessments into account within the framework of our core values that we will demonstrate the steadfast approach those values confer and offer the convincing proof that we Republicans have the best solutions to the needs of our communities, our Commonwealth, and our country.
May 6th, 2009
Posted by
ricjames |
Politics, Virginia Politics |
one comment
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