If I Was Tiger Woods

I, as many of you, have watched the on-going situation in Tiger Wood’s life.

First, I would agree that Tiger brought the situation on himself. Second, I feel sorry for his wife, children and mother as they are the silent victims. I feel no sorrow whatsoever for the numerous women who involved themselves in his private life. My final opinion is they  were there for the final “pay-out” – fame and fortune.

Tiger and Elin Woods

Tiger and Elin Woods

Before I continue with my plan for Tiger, there has to be an assumption made that he still loves his wife and children and truly wants to save his marriage. Another assumption must be that his wife loves him (for the right reasons) and wants to save the marriage also. Assuming these points are true, let me continue.

If I was Tiger Woods, once I had completed my therapy (for whatever value that really serves), I would move my residence to Sweden. Tiger and his wife, Elin, own a home in Sweden. I would spend the next six months out of the view of the press. With Elin’s parents background, I believe that they could help a great deal by shielding the couple from the world press. I would spend my time with family doing the necessary repair work and focusing on family values and getting back to basic spiritual values.

After a few months, I would start polishing up my golf by practicing at a local Swedish private golf course that would promise to keep the world press off the property. Once I decided that I was ready to play professionally, I would have my own management team that would keep the media away from me and my family.

Let me explain my feelings on this issue: America is a country that loves to build up people to idol or God-like status and then knock them down. I feel that Tiger has never owed anyone the right to his private life. He has always been a private person and I have admired him for that position. He owes them nothing now. Absolutely, nothing.

I would drop all my commercial endorsements. For the first two years, I would only endorse charity organizations (of my choice) and all my winnings would go the same organizations. After two years, I would evaluate commercial endorsements very carefully and I would NEVER under any circumstances accept a commercial endorsement from a business that drop me during “hard times”. Call it revenge if you want, I call it satisfaction.

When I traveled on tour, I would have either my wife, mother, or brother-in-law traveling with me at all times. I would not allow myself to be in any situation without them. I would not discuss anything with the media except my golf game in a very controlled interview process. If media wouldn’t accept the rules then so be it. It will be their lost. The problem with the media is – you will never satisfy there desire for headlines and this becomes a “lose-lose” situation.

This may seem like a tough stance to take but I have been sicken by the “airs” that other professional golfers have taken on. Do you really believe that Tiger Woods has been the only golfer to ever have martial affairs?   PLEASE! Most of these golfers hate or at least are jealous of Tiger Woods. He is just better then them and they know it. When is is playing, they hate him. When he is not, they hate him because they all know that he is the top money magnet to the professional tour. It is a no-win situation for Tiger. In the end, Tiger only has to think about Tiger and his family. He owes nothing to anyone else.

I think that considering the historical  mix of Tiger’s family’s background, he just might find his true happiness in Sweden and not America. Having been to Sweden, I found it to be a wonderful country of intelligent and open-minded people who are not easily swayed by the likes of the American media. It is a wonderful place for a couple like Tiger and Elin to raise there children.

Whatever course of action you take Tiger, I wish you and Elin the best of luck in you future together. Stay the course and fight for your marriage. One way to do that is by keeping the rest of the world out of your affairs.

What are your thoughts on the Tiger Woods situation?

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IX Web Hosting

I guess it is no secret that I have not posted in almost two months. I had been on the sidelines due to medical problems.

Wanting to get back into the swing of things; Friday, I started to update different things on this blog. One of the things I needed to do was update the blogging platform (WordPress). Somewhere along the way, different “things” started to get out of order. I decided that I would try and “roll back” the blog to where it was before I started to mess it up. Well, that made matters worse. Having not back-upped the blog (yes, I am not that tech-oriented), I figured that I might have to remove the current blog and start all over again.

Around 10pm, I thought that maybe my hosting company might be able to give some advice. I have been using IX Web Hosting for the last two years. During the first year, I was 50-50 about the level of service I was receiving. I was less than happy with the on-line support service. Actually, I had a very bad experience with them. The last time I contacted them, I used the 800 on-line support department to avoid the Live Chat Support Service.

So, getting on with my story, I decided to contact their 1-800 support center. Was I in for a big surprise…

What transpired over the next 20 minutes was one of those experiences that everyone hopes for but almost never receives from a customer support department. From the very beginning, Brian Silhanek (customer service rep) put me at complete ease. He understood my problem and promised me that the tech staff would have my blog up and running in less than 3 hours. He understood WordPress as he is, also, a blogger and even gave me some tips so I would not mess things up so bad the next time.

True to his word, the blog was up and running in a little over 2 hours.

I received an e-mail right after the site was back to normal. It was from Brian:

Hi JB,

It was a pleasure speaking with you earlier.  I was able to restore your website from the backups we have available!  It seems to be up and running just fine now.  Not sure what caused this, but at least we were able to get you up again.

Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Brian Silhanek
Department of Customer Relations
Ecommerce, Inc.

Over the past few months, Fathi Said, CEO of IX Web Hosting has been sending e-mails to all his customers informing them about his improvements throughout the Company. One of the areas he had promised that there would be a complete “make over” of the customer service department. There is no doubt that he has lived up to his promises and I am, now, a solid supporter of IX Web Hosting. With the renewed level of customer service and their fine up-time service, they are truly a leader in the web hosting industry.

Thanks Brian, Fathi and all the good folks at IX Web Hosting for great service.

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A True Filipino Role Model

In my last post, I said that the Philippines needed a role model that was not a boxer. I stated that a true role model should come out of the education sector.

Well, my wish was fulfilled this past weekend.

A young educator from Manila by the name of Efren Peñaflorida was voted the 20090 “Hero of the Year” by CNN Worldwide News Corporation.

Here is an except from the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper:

CNN's 2009 Hero of the Year

CNN's 2009 Hero of the Year

For his innovative “Kariton Klasrum” (pushcart classroom) Filipino educator Efren Peñaflorida has been awarded by CNN as “2009 Hero of the Year.”

Peñaflorida was awarded during the CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. He received his award from American actress Eva Mendes. He bested nine other nominees from different countries for the Hero of the Year award. The nominees were initially selected by a panel of 14 “Blue Panel” luminaries but the Hero of the Year award is given to the one with the most number of online votes in the CNN Heroes website.

Peñaflorida would be the first Filipino to become a nominee of the annual CNN Heroes awards and the first to Filipino to win the top prize.

The project, already in its third year, is a tribute by the international news organization to selfless humanitarian acts of individuals from different countries.

In his acceptance speech, quoted by CNN, Peñaflorida said: “Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry. Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.”

“So to each and every person inside in this theater and for those who are watching at home, the hero in you is waiting to be unleashed. Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve. As I always tell to my co-volunteers … you are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be.”

Peñaflorida will receive $100,000. This will be used to fund his work in the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC), a volunteer organization that he put up to conduct his “Kariton Klasrum” program.

Peñaflorida’s program conducts weekly visits to poor and underserved areas in Cavite, north of Luzon, to teach young people basic lessons in Mathematics, English, and Science using only a specially designed pushcart.

In a previous interview, Peñaflorida said he will continue holding weekly lessons and hopes that it will encourage other people to lend time to help others in need.

Mr. Peñaflorida stated that 80% of the award money will go directly to his education project and the rest will go his church.

Congratulations to Mr. Peñaflorida ! We need many more of his type to solve the very serious problem of up lifting the poor in the Philippines.

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