Armstrong Officially Charged With Doping
by Cheval John
Seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has officially been charged with using performance-enhancing drugs today by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USDA).
Armstrong, a cancer survivor, could face a lifetime ban from cycling competitions if he is found guilty and could be stripped of his seven titles in the process.
The USDA letter, obtained by the Associated Press, accuses Armstrong of using and promoting the use of a blood booster EPO, blood transfusions, testotorone, human growth hormone and anti- inflammatory steroids.
The news was first reported by the Washington Post earlier today.
Armstrong in a statement maintains his innocence of using any drugs and that he was clean this whole time.
The case was investigated by federal criminal investigators for two years, but they did not find any reason to believe that Armstrong was using drugs.
Officials from the USDA says that they will pursue charges against Armstrong despite the conclusion of federal criminal prosecutors.
Armstrong participated in the St. Croix 70.3 Ironman Triathlon earlier this year after retiring from cycling last year.
He was training for another triathlon in France when he heard the news and is now banned from competition.
Take The Money And Run
by Cheval John
Normally, I am for coaches who stay with one team for an extended period of time in order for players to be successful on the field.
Today, you see coaches leaving a highly successful team for their “dream job”.
In soccer, that is no different as coaches changes teams every year because they either did not reach the expectations of the owners, fans, etc. or they wanted to coach at a well known club, like Real Madrid.
In the case of Roberto DiMatteo, interim head coach of Chelsea, there is every reason why he should get the job.
For starters, after being named interim of the club, he led the team from the brink of elimination against Napoli in the last of 16 in the UEFA Champions League Tournament to winning the tournament final in dramatic fashion against Bayern Munich in Munich, Germany.
With that said, I am going to say something that will be a shock to many.
Di Matteo should leave the club as soon as possible and try to get a job somewhere else.
The reason is because Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich.
Though the club has taken off to new heights since he became club owner in 2003 by winning three English Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and the UEFA Champions League Title.
On the flip side, he has fired six head coaches in the last nine years during that stretch including Andres Villas-Boas.
The latter happen during the 2011-12 season that opened the door for Di Matteo to replace him and lead the team to one of the biggest turnarounds in sports history.
The question looms around if he will be named head coach on a permanent basis.
If Abramovich offers the position, Di Matteo should turn it down because if he doesn’t build upon the success from this past season, there is no doubt that Abramovich will sack him when things are not going well for the club.
So to Di Matteo, take the money and run.
Traveling Made Easy
Here’s the dream scenario: you decided to study abroad either for the summer, semester or year and you enjoyed yourself in the process.
At first, you were nervous because it was your first time away from family, friends, etc. for an extended period of time.
But during the duration of being overseas, you have adopted to a different way of live, made new friends, developed new skills and most of all, became more mature and after returning from the trip, you want to go back.
However, you face a dilemma on whether to live overseas after you graduate or go for the full time job that will give you the financial security that you have dreamed off since entering college.
You ask yourself, “is it possible to do both at the same time?”
Adam Costa and Darcie Connell believe that you can do just that.
The husband and wife duo have been traveling the world since 2009 and in the process have founded “trekity.com,” a company that provides travel destinations based on what you want and “travel blogger academy,” an online academy that teaches you how to build a successful travel blog and make a living in order to fund your travels.
They have written a book entitled, “Business In A Back Pack: How To Build and Run a Profitable Business While You Travel The World,” which shares their adventures and marketing strategies.
We recently caught up with Adam via email to find out their background, how both companies began and get their advice for those who want to travel the world and make a living at the same time.
To find out more about trekity and the travel blogger academy, visit at: www.trekity.com and www.travelbloggeracademy.com.
Vallano Media: Could you tell me of your background?
Adam Costa: My wife, Darcie and I both have marketing backgrounds. I worked as a copywriter (plus a small stint as a Market Analyst for Google) before we hit the road. We’re currently on a 14 month trip from Central America all the way down to Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of South America.
V.M. : Were both you and your wife avid travelers?
A.C. : Yes! We’re both travel junkies, and have both spent over 2.5 years abroad in dozens of countries. Travel gets in your blood; after awhile you can’t help but wanna go somewhere new.
V.M. : How did you came up with the idea of “travelbloggeracademy” and trekity.com?
A.C. : Trekity was developed because we felt most travel sites aren’t organized in a logical way. We wanted people to say “I want to go somewhere in North America in June that is great for outdoor activities” and find exactly what they were looking for. And since we’ve both got marketing backgrounds, we created Travel Blogger Academy as a place to talk about the business and marketing side of travel blogging.
V.M. : When did the companies began?
A.C. : The company began over cocktails in Austin, Texas in 2011. We hammered out the details and development and officially launched May 1st – so while both sites have lots of content, they’re still very new.
V.M. : How do you fund your travels?
A.C. : Lots of ways. We make money from other websites we’ve built over the years, plus contract work (copywriting mostly) and consultations.
V.M. : How many places have you been to and for how long?
A.C. : Between the two of us we’ve been to 40+ countries and most of the states (I’m still dying to check out Maine, though). We’ve spent over two and a half years abroad, staying in most countries for 2-3 months at a time.
V. M. : For someone who dreams of traveling the world and making a living from it, what is your advice to them?
A.C. : You’ve got two options: either do something travel related (which won’t pay as well) that you love or just work a traditional job. It pays better and gives you more free time to do other things. Of course, if you love the work, it makes it all worthwhile.
Don’t Give Up On Your Dreams
by Cheval John
At times I wonder if I would find a full time job.
I know people who have graduated from college find a full-time job within a three to six month period.
With the current recession that began in December of 2007, it is harder to find a job because most positions requires that you have a certain amount of experience.
I worked in fast food restaurants during my time as an undergraduate and quit my last job after I graduated in May 2009.
I spent the summer in Chile because I wanted to experience the culture in a much deeper way.
During that time, I studied at a university and did an internship with a marketing company.
I thought that I was going to get a full time job once I returned because I speak English and Spanish, gained international marketing experience and had two college degrees.
To my surprise, no one was hiring.
It was frustrating because I grew up believing that if you had a college degree, doors would open up for you.
I kept searching for a year and wondered,“Will I ever find a job?”
I didn’t give up and when I least expect it, I got a job in a retail store.
Though it wasn’t what I wanted, I was happy because it was better than unemployment.
Along the way, I developed new skills that have put me in a position for a better job once the economy recovers.
You might think that your time in college wasn’t worth it because of the recession.
In reality, college is still the best option because you will learn new things that you would not have learned in high school and develop new skills within a campus organization that will give you an edge once you graduate.
And even if you did all those things and still can’t find a job, don’t give up because when you least expect it, you will land the job of your dreams.
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