Tiger Woods, welcome to Earthtalk.

 – Thank you Breeonezlet, pleasure to be here…

Ok. Mr Woods, as you know, this interview is likely to be reaching planets that are not entirely familiar with your profession. Can you describe a typical working day?

– Umm, yes. Yes, sir, I can describe such a day. I tend to wear leeesure slacks, v neck jumpers and I smack golf balls around in the open air. I travel the world on what is known as the ‘tour’ and compete with other players. 

 Do many people do a similar job, back there on Earth?

– Well, for many people here, golf is a game, a hobby. Fun on the weekend, or during the week, with clients and associates. For me, golf is my life, my passion…kinda almost a religion.

 Mr Woods, are you pretty happy on US$1,000,000 per week?

– My performance is significantly down YOY and I have a lot of hard work to do moving forwards. Quite frankly, at the end of the day, I’m a little disappointed…

How does your income compare with other Earthlings? It seems that this game, ‘golf’ is highly valued, it must be essential to the lives of fellow humans?

– Umm, quite frankly, moving forwards, it is an important game. I’m an ambassador for it.

 Mr Woods, that’s fine, but I will ask you again: How does your income compare with other Earthlings?

– At the end of the day, I’m very happy with my lot, though as I said earlier, Breeonezlet, My performance is significantly down YOY…

 Mr Woods, thank you. We’d better leave it there for now. Best wishes with your ‘moving forwards golf’ and we appreciate your time.

Well, viewers, that was Mr Woods, Earth’s leading ‘golfer’.  As we saw, he seemed reluctant to put his income into perspective – this trait has been a theme of this series on ‘Earth: roles, incomes and the future’. We’ll go now to Earth’s ‘United Nations’ and  see how Mr Woods’ income compares with average Earthlings:

More than one billion people in the world live on less than one dollar a day.

Another 2.7 billion struggle to survive on less than two dollars per day. Poverty in the developing world, however, goes far beyond income poverty. It means having to walk more than one mile everyday simply to collect water and fire- wood; it means suffering diseases that were eradicated from rich countries decades ago. Every year eleven million children die—most under the age of five and more than six million from completely preventable causes like malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia.

(source: United Nations, 2011:    http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/documents/3-MP-PovertyFacts-E.pdf)