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United States District Court, District of Columbia
August 29, 2017
TIEMOKO COULIBALY, Plaintiff,v.REX TILLERSON, [1] U.S. Secretary of State,, Defendants. Re Document Nos. 23, 27, 30, 35
Tiemoko Coulibaly, proceeding pro se and in
forma pauperis, brings this action against the Secretary
of State and fifteen other individuals who are current or
former employees of the U.S. Department of State
(collectively, "Defendants"). Dr. Coulibaly
alleges that by firing him, Defendants violated Title I of
the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
("FMLA"), 29 U.S.C. §§ 2601-2654. The
parties now move for summary judgment. After filing his
cross-motion for summary judgment, Dr. Coulibaly also moved
twice to add newly acquired evidence to the record.
Defendants have not shown that Title II of the FMLA governs
this suit, the Court will deny Defendants' motion for
summary judgment with respect to that argument. And because a
genuine issue of material fact remains with respect to
whether retaliation for FMLA-protected activities actually
motivated Defendants' decision to terminate Dr.
Coulibaly's employment, the Court will deny the
parties' motions for summary judgment on the merits of
Dr. Coulibaly's FMLA claim. Because the additional
evidence that Dr. Coulibaly provided does not affect the
Court's conclusion about the remaining issue of material
fact, the Court will deny Dr. Coulibaly's motions to add
newly acquired evidence.
Employment as an FSI Contractor (1999-2011)
Coulibaly joined the Department of State's Foreign
Service Institute ("FSI") as a French instructor
in 1999. Compl. ¶ 4, ECF No. 1; Defs.' Stmt.
Material Facts Supp. Cross-Mot. Summ. J. & Opp'n
Pl.'s Mot. Summ. J. ("Defs.' Stmt.")
¶ 1, ECF No. 27-1. As an instructor, Dr. Coulibaly
taught students speaking, reading, listening comprehension,
and writing skills, and he provided input for planning,
design, development, and evaluation of course content.
Defs.' Stmt. ¶¶ 5-6, 9; see also
Position Description, Pl.'s Mot. Summ. J. Ex. F, ECF No.
23-2, at 26- 27.[3] According to several of his colleagues,
Dr. Coulibaly was well-regarded by his students and
colleagues during this time.[4]
initially hired Dr. Coulibaly as a contractor under a series
of Blanket Purchase Agreements ("BPAs").
See Compl. ¶¶ 75, 83; Defs.' Stmt.
¶¶ 2-3; see also, e.g., BPA Contract
Modification, Pl.'s Mot. Summ. J. Ex. A, ECF No. 23-1, at
111-22 (modifying Dr. Coulibaly's BPA with an updated
description of his work responsibilities, and indicating that
the modified BPA would take effect on November 10, 2010).
These BPAs stated that Dr. Coulibaly was a contractor only,
and not an employee. See Defs.' Stmt. ¶ 4;
see, e.g., BPA Contract Modification at 120
("Awardees of a [BPA] are not civil service or Foreign
Service employees of the United States Government, and . . .
should not identify themselves as Government employees either
orally or in writing."). The BPAs also required Dr.
Coulibaly to submit invoices to the State Department to
receive payment. See Defs.' Stmt. ¶ 3;
see, e.g., BPA Contract Modification, at 119
("Contractors will submit invoices bi-weekly for hours
worked through presentation of a Work Schedule and an invoice
to the FSI Budget Office.").
Excepted Service Appointment at FSI (June 2011)
On June
19, 2011, Dr. Coulibaly began a two-year Excepted Service
appointment within the Department of State as a French
instructor. See Compl. ¶¶ 75, 83;
Defs.' Stmt. ¶¶ 5-7; see also Letter
from Swati Limaye to Tiemoko Coulibaly (May 27, 2011), Compl.
Ex., ECF No. 1-1, at 113-14. Under this appointment, Dr.
Coulibaly performed substantially the same duties as he had
while he was a contractor. See Compl. ¶¶
75, 83; Defs.' Stmt. ¶¶ 5-7. His appointment
was subject to an initial one-year trial period. See
Compl. ¶¶ 75, 83; Defs.' Stmt. ¶ 8.
Conflict with Supervisor Laura Fyfe (July 2011-November
his appointment, Dr. Coulibaly initially reported to Language
Training Supervisor ("LTS") Laura Fyfe.
See Compl. ¶ 6; Defs.' Stmt. ¶ 11. The
record contains several email chains that document the
interactions between LTS Fyfe and Dr. Coulibaly during the
first few months of his employment. See, e.g., Email
from Laura Fyfe (Nov. 7, 2011, 7:23 PM), ROI at 721-24, ECF
No. 26-7; Email from Ann Keller-Lally to James North (Nov. 8,
2011, 9:38 AM), ROI at 725-34, ECF No. 26-7.
In one
such email, LTS Fyfe states that, after establishing Dr.
Coulibaly's "work commitments" on June 20,
2011, she met with Dr. Coulibaly on July 8, 2011 for a
performance discussion. Email from Laura Fyfe (Nov. 7, 2011,
7:23 AM), ROI at 721. LTS Fyfe said that, during the
discussion, she recommended to Dr. Coulibaly that he
"work on his teaching portfolio by developing a
specific skill since he [didn't] have pedagogical
training." Id. When Dr. Coulibaly replied that
he did not know how to do that, she told him to develop a
"reading lesson plan." Id. This reading
lesson plan later became a point of contention. See
Id. at 721-22.
Fyfe reports that in advance of a planned observation of Dr.
Coulibaly's class the following month, she requested
class readings from Dr. Coulibaly. See Id. at 721.
According to LTS Fyfe, Dr. Coulibaly responded by stating
that he felt that his students were not yet ready to read.
See Id. LTS Fyfe later opined that the reading delay
was "out of the ordinary" in a French section,
where she stated that "teachers begin teaching reading
starting in the first week with A level texts varying from
advertisements to menus." Id.
Fyfe observed Dr. Coulibaly's class on August 18, 2011,
as planned. Id. She followed up with Dr. Coulibaly
by email later that day and the next day. Id. at
721-22.[5] In her August 19, 2011 email, LTS Fyfe
told Dr. Coulibaly to "prepare a reading lesson"
for his class based on "the four P's" method.
See Email from Laura Fyfe (Aug. 19, 2011, 12:02 PM),
ROI at 733.
days later, on August 24, 2011, Dr. Coulibaly submitted his
reading lesson plan to LTS Fyfe.[6] LTS Fyfe later characterized
Dr. Coulibaly's lesson plan as "a template for
writing a lesson plan-not an actual lesson plan." Email
from Laura Fyfe (Nov. 7, 2011, 7:23 PM), ROI at 722. LTS Fyfe
states that she told Dr. Coulibaly during the following week
that the plan was "a beginning" and then asked
Dr. Coulibaly to make improvements-namely, to include a
specific article for the students to read and to
"address some of the specifics of the article and the
timing and level of the lesson." Id. at 722-23
(reproducing an email from August 30, 2011). According to LTS
Fyfe, Dr. Coulibaly responded later that day and requested
clarification about whether his lesson plan was satisfactory.
See Id. at 723 ("I would be grateful if you
could tell me if this 'beginning' is appropriate or
not for you, if it is good or not, so I could try to improve
it."). LTS Fyfe claims that she responded to Dr.
Coulibaly's request by giving him "specific
questions." See id.
than a month later, LTS Fyfe says that she again requested a
reading lesson plan. See Id. Two days after her
second request, Dr. Coulibaly responded by forwarding LTS
Fyfe the same generic lesson plan that he had sent her in
August. See Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly (Oct. 5,
2011, 8:55 AM), ROI at 732-33, ECF No. 26-7. LTS Fyfe then
clarified that she found the August lesson plan to be
unsatisfactory. See Email from Laura Fyfe (Oct. 5,
2011, 11:24 AM), ROI at 732, ECF No. 26-7 ("[W]hen I
wrote, 'this is a beginning, ' I was suggesting
that [the August lesson plan was] not complete and
[that] it needed to be revised." (emphasis in
original)). Dr. Coulibaly said that he was "confused
and unclear about what to do exactly" and stated that
he "would appreciate" a time to meet with LTS
Fyfe for clarification. See Email from Tiemoko
Coulibaly (Oct. 5, 2011, 12:36 PM), ROI at 731-32, ECF No.
26-7. LTS Fyfe states that she attempted to meet with Dr.
Coulibaly on October 12, 2011, but that she "made a
mistake about his teaching schedule, " so no meeting
occurred. See Email from Laura Fyfe (Nov. 7, 2011,
7:23 PM), ROI at 724. LTS Fyfe asserts that, instead, she
delegated the matter to another FSI employee, Dora Chanesman.
See id.; Email from Laura Fyfe (Nov. 4, 2011, 9:57
AM), ROI at 731, ECF No. 26-7.
early November 2011, LTS Fyfe contacted Dr. Coulibaly again
about the reading lesson plan and wrote that "[s]ince
[she and Dr. Coulibaly had] not been able to set up a time to
go over a writing lesson plan, [she had] asked Dora Chanesman
[to] assist [him] with the process." Email from Laura
Fyfe (Nov. 4, 2011, 9:57 AM), ROI at 731. Dr. Coulibaly
responded later that day with his interpretation of LTS
Fyfe's message: "This suggests in my mind that I
have refused or I have rejected to 'set up a time to go
over writing a lesson plan.'" Email from Tiemoko
Coulibaly (Nov. 4, 2011, 7:11 PM), ROI at 728, ECF No. 26-7.
Disputing the idea that it was his fault they did not meet,
Dr. Coulibaly emphasized that he had "never refused to
meet with [LTS Fyfe] and [that he had] never refused to do
what [she] requested." Id.
Communications with Second-Line Supervisors (November
2011-December 2011)
A few
days later, on November 7, 2011, Dr. Coulibaly wrote to
Acting Division Director Ann Keller-Lally and expressed that
he was "feeling hostility" from LTS Fyfe, that he
believed he was "a victim of psychological abuse,
retaliation and discrimination, " and that "this
is a case of intentional and negligent infliction of
emotional distress to an employee." Email from Tiemoko
Coulibaly (Nov. 7, 2011, 1:41 PM), ROI at 727, ECF No. 26-7.
In response, Acting Director Keller-Lally provided Dr.
Coulibaly with the procedures to report alleged
discrimination, but she also suggested a face-to-face meeting
with Dr. Coulibaly and with LTS Fyfe to discuss the conflict.
Email from Ann Keller-Lally (Nov. 7, 2011, 5:01 PM), ROI at
725-26, ECF No. 26-7.
meeting occurred the next day, on November 8, 2011.
See Email from Ann Keller-Lally (Nov. 9, 2011, 4:12
PM), ROI at 754-56, ECF No. 26-7 (memorializing the
conversation from the meeting in writing). During the
meeting, Acting Director Keller-Lally's notes state that
she held a meeting with LTS Fyfe and Dr. Coulibaly, that Dr.
Coulibaly expressed his confusion with respect to LTS
Fyfe's instructions, and that LTS Fyfe felt that her
instructions were clear. See id. at 754-55. In
particular, Acting Director Keller-Lally's notes indicate
that Dr. Coulibaly found LTS Fyfe's "four
P's" method confusing, because another colleague
had told Dr. Coulibaly that the method "was not
particularly applicable with regard to reading
lessons." Id. at 754. According to Acting
Director Keller-Lally's notes, LTS Fyfe later in the
meeting acknowledged that Dr. Coulibaly was "rightly
confused." Id. Apart from the "four
P's" method, Dr. Coulibaly also reportedly
expressed that he felt "hostility" from LTS Fyfe,
and that "he was sure whatever he proposed would be
rejected." Id. at 754-55. In response, LTS
Fyfe reportedly stated that her goal was to help Dr.
Coulibaly to "do the best he could" and felt that
she had simply "said some things that [Dr. Coulibaly]
did not want to hear." Id. at 756. According
to Acting Director Kellar-Lally's notes, LTS Fyfe
ultimately "offered to drop the reading lesson plan
project" if Dr. Coulibaly would attend formal trainings
instead. Id. at 755- 56.
next day, Acting Director Keller-Lally sent her notes
documenting the meeting to LTS Fyfe and Dr. Coulibaly.
See generally Id. at 754-56. She told LTS Fyfe and
Dr. Coulibaly to "[p]lease feel free to respond with
any remarks or corrections based on [their] recollection of
what we discussed." Id. at 754. The following
week, on November 15, 2011, Dr. Coulibaly provided voluminous
comments in response to Acting Director Keller-Lally's
notes. See Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly (Nov. 15,
2011, 5:03 PM), ROI at 743-49, ECF No. 26-7. Dr.
Coulibaly's response alleged that, during the meeting,
LTS Fyfe had accused him of "'discrimination'
'against' her because of her 'background'
and because her 'former husband' was
'Ivorian' (like [Dr. Coulibaly])."
Id. at 744; see also Id. at 747 (alluding
to a point during the meeting in which LTS Fyfe "became
very emotional and . . . started crying, " and in which
she mentioned the Ivory Coast "and her former husband,
an Ivorian"). His response also accused LTS Fyfe of
"knowingly and intentionally act[ing] . . . in bad
faith to create false excuses to . . . punish [Dr.
Coulibaly], " of "retaliation, " and of
"character assassination." Id. at
745-46. Reacting to Dr. Coulibaly's comments, LTS Fyfe
asserted that his accusations had no basis, but she admitted
that she "was brought to tears" during the
meeting and "did ask [Dr. Coulibaly] if he had an ax to
grind against [her] because of [her] ex." Email from
Laura Fyfe (Nov. 15, 2011, 5:42 PM), ROI at 743, ECF No.
November 16, 2011, the day after Dr. Coulibaly and LTS Fyfe
responded to Acting Director Keller-Lally's notes,
Division Director Debra Blake, having returned to the office,
met with Dr. Coulibaly to address his accusations.
See Blake Mem. (Nov. 15, 2011), ROI at 773-74, ECF
No. 26-7.[7] In her notes documenting this
conversation, Director Blake claimed that her purpose in
calling the meeting was to determine "precisely what
actions" Dr. Coulibaly felt were evidence of LTS
Fyfe's "discrimination and hostility."
Id. at 773. According to Director Blake, Dr.
Coulibaly was initially "reluctant" to articulate
specific allegations of discrimination and hostility, but he
then cited the fact that LTS Fyfe's "former husband
shared the same country of origin" as Dr. Coulibaly, as
well as allegations that LTS Fyfe treated Dr. Coulibaly
unfairly in the way that she supervised him. See id.
Director Blake shared her notes of the meeting with Dr.
Coulibaly the next week. See Email from Debra Blake
to Tiemoko Coulibaly (Nov. 22, 2011, 11:43 AM), ROI at
764-65, ECF No. 26-7.
The day
after Dr. Coulibaly received Director Blake's notes, Dr.
Coulibaly responded with lengthy comments that expressed his
views on the conversation. See Email from Tiemoko
Coulibaly (Nov. 23, 2011, 9:01 PM), ROI at 764, ECF No. 26-7;
Coulibaly Mem. (Nov. 23, 2011), ROI at 766-72, ECF No. 26-7.
In his comments, Dr. Coulibaly repeatedly expressed that he
believed that Director Blake was "simply trying to
protect" LTS Fyfe: he wrote that Director Blake
"had already decided to totally support" LTS Fyfe
and had become "a zealous lawyer" for LTS Fyfe
during the meeting. See Coulibaly Mem. (Nov. 23,
2011), ROI at 766-72.
same day, Director Blake met with both Dr. Coulibaly and LTS
Fyfe to facilitate their working relationship going
forwarded. See Email from Laura Fyfe (Nov. 23, 2011,
3:12 PM), ROI at 761-62, ECF No. 26-7 (memorializing the
meeting). At the meeting, LTS Fyfe reports that she told Dr.
Coulibaly that "the administration ha[d] ruled"
that she would continue as Dr. Coulibaly's supervisor,
even though he had requested a change in supervisor.
Id. at 762. LTS Fyfe states that she also expressed
"her willingness to move forward in the supervisory
role" and that she and Dr. Coulibaly "both agreed
to work productively with each other." Id. Dr.
Coulibaly later emailed LTS Fyfe to clarify the procedure for
changing supervisors. See Email from Tiemoko
Coulibaly (Nov. 23, 2011, 4:35 PM), ROI at 761, ECF No. 26-7.
LTS Fyfe responded by informing Dr. Coulibaly that
"[t]he decision was made to keep [her] as [his]
supervisor until at least the end of this year (December 31,
2011)" and that she had "not received approval to
change [his] supervisor . . . after that point." Email
from Laura Fyfe (Nov. 23, 2011, 5:33 PM), ROI at 761, ECF No.
A few
weeks later, on December 14, 2011, Director Blake and LTS
Fyfe met again with Dr. Coulibaly to address a new point of
contention: his alleged failure to submit required weekly
syllabi for a period of three weeks.[8] According to Director Blake,
Dr. Coulibaly acknowledged that he had not submitted the
weekly syllabi, but claimed that he had been too busy. Blake
Mem. (Dec. 14, 2011), ROI at 787. Director Blake further
reports that Dr. Coulibaly continued to allege that "he
felt discriminated against and felt he was being treated
unfairly, " particularly when compared to "one
other instructor who entered on duty on the same date."
Id. Dr. Coulibaly commented the next day that, at
their meeting, that he had "clearly insisted on the
issue of discrimination" and that he had noted
"the different standards between teacher Hmimiche
AitMouloud ('Mimiche')" and himself. Email
from Tiemoko Coulibaly (Dec. 15, 2011, 5:35 PM), ROI at
785-86, ECF No. 26-7. Dr. Coulibaly also states that he had
questioned whether "Mimiche" had been held to the
syllabus requirement. Id.
EEO Complaint (December 20, 2011)
the time that he was communicating with Director Blake, Dr.
Coulibaly met with an Equal Employment Opportunity
("EEO") counselor and filed an informal EEO
complaint with the Department of State's Office of Civil
Rights.[9] On December 20, 2011, Dr. Coulibaly filed
a formal EEO complaint with the Office of Civil Rights, in
which he alleged that FSI management had discriminated
against him on the basis of race, color, and national origin
and had committed "reprisal" against him.
See Compl. ¶ 9; Formal Compl. of
Discrimination, ROI at 62-63, ECF No. 26-1.[10] The resulting
EEO investigation generated affidavits from many of Dr.
Coulibaly's former colleagues, as well as the lengthy
report of investigation that forms much of the record in this
Performance Appraisal Report (December 27, 2011)
in December 2011, Dr. Coulibaly received a Performance
Appraisal Report ("PAR") from LTS Fyfe that noted
"several issues" with Dr. Coulibaly's
performance.[12]LTS Fyfe noted that Dr. Coulibaly was
"continu[ing] to attempt to repair" his
performance with respect to those issues. Performance
Appraisal Report ("PAR") by Laura Fyfe, ROI at
790, ECF No. 26-7.
response, Dr. Coulibaly sent an email to Director Blake, LTS
Fyfe, and others in FSI management, in which he alleged that
the PAR was "evidence of retaliation" and that
Director Blake and LTS Fyfe could not "separate
performance evaluation from discrimination and retaliation
against" Dr. Coulibaly. Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly
(Dec. 27, 2011, 5:53 PM), ROI at 788-89, ECF No. 26-7. Dr.
Coulibaly's email accused his supervisors of omitting
"the important issues of discrimination and
retaliation" in the PAR, given that, according to Dr.
Coulibaly, "these disputes clearly influenced [their]
performance report." Id. at 789.
Blake responded by telling Dr. Coulibaly that he should
pursue his discrimination allegations "through the
proper channels" and that LTS Fyfe, as his supervisor,
"reported on [his] performance as required."
Email from Debra Blake (Dec. 28, 2011, 3:10 PM), ROI at
795-96, ECF No. 26-7. She also stated that Dr. Coulibaly had
"been repeatedly instructed to refrain from this line
of accusations" while discussing his work performance.
Id. She opined that, therefore, his continued
accusations were "tantamount to insubordination."
Id. Continuing his disagreement with Director Blake,
Dr. Coulibaly responded by stating that "[t]here is no
insubordination when a teacher denounces discrimination and
retaliation, " and he reiterated that the PAR
"was simply discrimination and retaliation."
Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly to Debra Blake (Dec. 28, 2011,
4:09 PM), ROI at 795, ECF No. 26-7.
Event for FSI's French Language and Culture Instructors
(December 29, 2011)
next day, on December 29, 2011, Dr. Coulibaly attended an
event for FSI's French Language and Culture instructors.
See Casteuble Mem. (Jan. 24, 2012), ROI at 815, ECF
No. 26-7; see also Cazeau Aff., ROI at 1339-40, ECF
No. 26-12. The parties dispute the purpose of the meeting and
the nature of Dr. Coulibaly's actions during the meeting.
adopt the position taken in a memorandum written by LTS
Phillipe Casteuble, who stated that the meeting was a
"training workshop provided to all French Language and
Culture Instructors" about "specifications for
writing the weekly syllabi." Casteuble Mem. (Jan. 24,
2012), ROI at 815, ECF No. 26-7; see also Mem. Supp.
Defs.' Cross-Mot. Summ. J. & Opp'n Pl.'s Mot.
Summ. J. (" Defs.' Mem.") at 8-9, ECF No. 27
(adopting LTS Casteuble's view). LTS Casteuble's
memorandum also accuses Dr. Coulibaly of "inappropriate
conduct" and comments that "were off topic"
during the meeting: Dr. Coulibaly allegedly "stood up
and loudly began to speak about the 'No Fear Act'
and discrimination and retaliation against [him] on the part
of the French Supervisors, " and he allegedly
"continued to stand up and loudly protest"
despite LTS Casteuble's request for Dr. Coulibaly to sit
down. Casteuble Mem. (Jan. 24, 2012), ROI at 815, ECF No.
Coulibaly, however, adopts the view of his colleague, Elder
Cazeau, who also attended the meeting. See Pl.'s
Reply at 7-8, ECF No. 32. Mr. Cazeau recalls that the meeting
was merely a "section meeting that had been organized
to discuss lesson plans." Cazeau Aff., ROI at 1339, ECF
No. 26-12. Mr. Cazeau also recounts that Dr. Coulibaly
"was publicly humiliated and silenced by his supervisor
who told him that he could not use the meeting as a platform
to air his personal issues." Id. at 1339-40.
In particular, Mr. Cazeau states that "Dr. Coulibaly
started saying that he felt discriminated against because of
his lesson plan, " that Dr. Coulibaly's supervisor
"cut him off, " and that "Dr. Coulibaly
remained silent" after that. Id. at 1440.
Conflict with New Supervisor Philippe Casteuble (January
2012-February 2012)
January 2012, LTS Casteuble replaced LTS Fyfe as Dr.
Coulibaly's supervisor. See Email from Tiemoko
Coulibaly (Jan. 27, 2012, 9:37 AM), ROI at 813-14, ECF No.
26-7 (indicating that LTS Casteuble's first day as Dr.
Coulibaly's new supervisor was on January 24, 2012);
Casteuble Aff., ROI at 1228, ECF No. 26-11 (indicating that
Dr. Coulibaly started reporting to LTS Casteuble in January
2012). On January 24, 2012, LTS Casteuble met with Dr.
Coulibaly with the expressed intention of "talk[ing]
about expectations." Email from Philippe Casteuble
(Jan. 23, 2012, 9:55 AM), ROI at 814, ECF No.
26-7.[13] But, during the meeting, LTS Casteuble
presented Dr. Coulibaly with a memorandum that outlined an
"informal counseling session" regarding Dr.
Coulibaly's conduct at the December 29, 2011 meeting and
that reprimanded him for his conduct at that
meeting.[14] LTS Casteuble's memorandum surprised
Dr. Coulibaly, who had believed that the January 24 meeting
"was only about expectations on teaching." Email
from Tiemoko Coulibaly (Jan. 27, 2012, 9:37 AM), ROI at 813,
ECF No. 26-7. Dr. Coulibaly was further surprised by the fact
that a human resources representative was present for the
same day, LTS Casteuble emailed Dr. Coulibaly and thanked him
for submitting his weekly syllabus. See Email from
Philippe Casteuble (Jan. 24, 2012, 12:42 PM), ROI at 829-30,
ECF No. 26-8. In his email, LTS Casteuble also asked Dr.
Coulibaly a list of questions regarding the syllabus. See
Id. (asking, among other things, whether "there is
a theme" that Dr. Coulibaly planned to explore, and how
an activity would help Dr. Coulibaly's students
"reach the professional proficiency level").
time later, LTS Casteuble again brought up the issue of Dr.
Coulibaly's weekly syllabus. On February 2, 2012, LTS
Casteuble emailed Dr. Coulibaly and said that, after looking
at Dr. Coulibaly's weekly syllabus, he needed "to
talk about it" with Dr. Coulibaly. Email from Philippe
Casteuble (Feb. 2, 2012, 2:14 PM), ROI at 820, ECF No. 26-7.
LTS Casteuble suggested a meeting early the next morning.
See Id. Because Dr. Coulibaly "was very
surprised by what happened in [LTS Casteuble's] office at
the meeting of January 24, 2012, " Dr. Coulibaly asked
to schedule the proposed meeting to later in the day so that
he could arrange for a union representative to be present.
Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly (Feb. 2, 2012, 4:57 PM), ROI at
819, ECF No. 26-7. After confirming with his own superiors
that it was appropriate for a union representative to attend
the meeting, LTS Casteuble proposed a meeting on February 6,
2012 and informed Dr. Coulibaly that a union representative
could attend.[16] But the February 6, 2012 meeting
ultimately did not occur: even though Dr. Coulibaly emailed
LTS Casteuble to confirm the meeting time on February 6, LTS
Casteuble claimed that, based on prior communications, he
"could not know if the date and time was accepted, by
[Dr. Coulibaly] and by the union
same day, LTS Casteuble also wrote Dr. Coulibaly a separate
email that reminded Dr. Coulibaly about LTS Casteuble's
January 24, 2012 questions about Dr. Coulibaly's weekly
syllabus. See Email from Philippe Casteuble (Feb. 6,
2012, 8:29 AM), ROI at 829, ECF No. 26-8 ("This is a
friendly reminder that as of today I have not received any
response on the 14 questions I asked . . . ."). In
response, Dr. Coulibaly asserted that he had responded to LTS
Casteuble's questions by requesting a meeting with him,
and that LTS Casteuble "never responded" to Dr.
Coulibaly's request. See Email from Tiemoko
Coulibaly (Feb. 6, 2012, 9:19 AM), ROI at 827-28 ("[A]
meeting would be more appropriate to answer your '14
questions.'"). Dr. Coulibaly also sent a separate
email to LTS Casteuble, in which he noted that all of his
students had passed their recent tests, forwarded
complimentary remarks from one of his students, and opined
that "[n]othing [was] wrong with [his] syllabus."
See Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly (Feb. 6, 2012, 9:34
AM), ROI at 839-41, ECF No. 26-8. In light of his
students' success, Dr. Coulibaly characterized the
criticisms of his syllabi as harassment. See Id.
("Instead of congratulating me, you are constantly
harassing me with [the] Syllabus issue as Debra and Larua
Fyfe did [for] the last 6 months.").
later that week, Dr. Coulibaly provided his answers to LTS
Casteuble's January 24, 2012 questions. See
Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly (Feb. 10, 2012, 6:45 PM), ROI at
902-04, ECF No. 26-8. Dr. Coulibaly also requested a sample
satisfactory syllabus. See Id. at 904 ("I
would appreciate if you could provide an example of a perfect
syllabus you like so I can follow it line by line.").
Although LTS Casteuble expressed privately to Director Blake
and LTS Fyfe that he found Dr. Coulibaly's answers
unsatisfactory, he later provided Dr. Coulibaly with
additional feedback and a sample syllabus to
next day, Dr. Coulibaly received an email from LTS Fyfe
stating that Dr. Coulibaly had not submitted his required
weekly syllabus. See Email from Laura Fyfe (Feb. 14,
2012, 8:59 AM), ROI at 900, ECF No. 26-8 (noting that the
recipients of the email had not submitted weekly syllabi, but
without making the recipients known). In response, Dr.
Coulibaly stated that, because he had received LTS
Casteuble's feedback too late the day before, he had been
unable to submit his weekly syllabus by the
deadline.[19] Dr. Coulibaly also reiterated that the
syllabus was "just a pretext" for LTS Fyfe,
Director Blake, and LTS Casteuble to "harass, "
to "discriminate" against, and to
"retaliate against" him. Email from Tiemoko
Coulibaly (Feb. 14, 2012, 10:49 AM), ROI 898-900, ECF No.
26-8. Later, LTS Casteuble explained to Dr. Coulibaly that
LTS Fyfe's message was "a mass e-mail, "
intended to be a reminder and directed at several employees.
See Email from Philippe Casteuble to Tiemoko
Coulibaly (Feb. 14, 2012), ROI at 842-43, ECF No. 26-8.
Absence from Work (February 2012-March 2012)
this time, Dr. Coulibaly received treatment for his physical
and mental health as a result of his perceived
"retaliation, harassment, [and] hostile work
environment." See Compl. ¶¶ 11-14;
Letter from Willie Hamlin, M.D., to Cathy Russell (Mar. 10,
2012), Compl. Ex., ECF No. 1-1, at 1 (reporting that Dr.
Coulibaly "initiated treatment for severe stress"
prior to February 27, 2012). Dr. Coulibaly states that, on
February 15, 2012, his primary care physician instructed him
not to return to work and referred him to a psychiatrist.
Compl. ¶¶ 12-13. Accordingly, beginning on February
15, 2012, Dr. Coulibaly did not go to work. See Id.
¶ 12; Defs.' Stmt. ¶ 62; see also
Email from Philippe Casteuble (Feb. 15, 2012, 7:49 AM), ROI
at 894, ECF No. 26-8.
March 1, 2012, Director Blake informed Dr. Coulibaly of his
remaining allowance of sick leave and annual leave:
"approximately 48 hours of sick leave, " if Dr.
Coulibaly were to return to work on March 2, 2012, and
"about 96 hours of annual leave." Email from
Debra Blake (Mar. 1, 2012, 12:19 PM), ROI at 892, ECF No.
26-8. FSI Human Resources Specialist Brian Springer also
wrote to Dr. Coulibaly to explain the procedures for
requesting advanced sick leave, the only type of sick leave
available if Dr. Coulibaly were to exhaust his remaining sick
leave hours. See Email from Brian Springer (Mar. 2,
2012, 9:26 AM), ROI at 890-91, ECF No. 26-8; see
also Springer Aff., ROI at 971, ECF No. 26-9 (noting HR
Specialist Springer's position title at FSI). In
response, Dr. Coulibaly took issue with the calculations: he
claimed that, because the alleged "hostile work
environment, the EEO discrimination and retaliation
complaint[, ] and [his] health issues" were "all
connected, " "any fair calculation" of his
hours of sick leave and annual leave should take into account
the context surrounding his sickness. Email from Tiemoko
Coulibaly (Mar. 1, 2012, 1:46 PM), ROI at 891-92, ECF No.
26-8. Dr. Coulibaly also told Mr. Springer that he believed
that it was "unfair" that he had lost sick and
annual leave, given that he was "not responsible"
for his health issues, which he felt were "direct
consequences of deliberate acts of retaliation and
discrimination" by his managers. Email from Tiemoko
Coulibaly (Mar. 2, 2012, 11:49 AM), ROI at 888, ECF No. 26-8.
A few
days later, LTS Casteuble emailed Dr. Coulibaly to find out
when he planned to return to work and to clarify what type of
leave Dr. Coulibaly intended to use while he was absent.
See Email from Philippe Casteuble (Mar. 5, 2012,
4:04 PM), ROI at 887, ECF No. 26-8. Dr. Coulibaly replied
that, because his absence stemmed from being sick, he would
"of course use only sick
leave." Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly (Mar. 5, 2012,
5:50 PM), ROI at 886, ECF No. 26-8 (emphasis in original).
Dr. Coulibaly also asserted that he should not "have to
lose any day of sick leave, " because, in his view, his
illness was "the direct consequence of . . . several
months of illegal discrimination and retaliation"
against him. Id.
next day, LTS Casteuble again wrote to Dr. Coulibaly to
inform him that Director Blake had been mistaken about Dr.
Coulibaly's remaining sick and annual leave allowances;
Dr. Coulibaly had in fact "ran completely out of sick
leave" on February 23, 2012, and he had only "68
hours of annual leave remaining" on February 24, 2012,
which would cover Dr. Coulibaly only through March 7, 2012.
See Email from Philippe Casteuble (Mar. 6, 2012,
4:56 PM), ROI at 885, ECF No. 26-8. Accordingly, LTS
Casteuble asked Dr. Coulibaly to immediately decide whether
he would apply annual leave or leave without pay
("LWOP") to cover his continued absence.
Id. In response, Dr. Coulibaly repeatedly emphasized
that LTS Casteuble could not "ignore" Dr.
Coulibaly's discrimination and retaliation allegations
and accordingly should "focus on the law, "
instead of trying to enforce the "administrative rules
of [the] State Department." Email from Tiemoko
Coulibaly to Philippe Casteuble (Mar. 6, 2012, 6:37 PM), ROI
at 882-84, ECF No. 26-8. Dr. Coulibaly stated, therefore,
that he was unable to respond to LTS Casteuble's request:
"I cannot answer your email right now since I believe
it is retaliation and also I don't feel very well . . . .
The point is I am sick because of your retaliation, [and] I
cannot go to work right now." Id. at 883.
next day, HR Specialist Springer responded to Dr.
Coulibaly's message by commenting that "there are
Federal laws that govern the official Time and Attendance of
ALL Federal Employees." Email from Brian Springer (Mar.
7, 2012, 11:00 AM), ROI at 882, ECF No. 26-8 (capitalization
in original). HR Specialist Springer followed with a reminder
that, if Dr. Coulibaly did not provide a leave type for his
ongoing absence, he would be considered absent without
official leave ("AWOL"). See Id. Dr.
Coulibaly responded by stating that, "[o]f course, [he
would] follow all federal laws for official Time and
Attendance, " and accordingly, he wanted "to
apply for advanced leave." Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly
(Mar. 7, 2012, 1:10 PM), ROI at 881, ECF No. 26-8.
But on
Friday, March 9, 2012, HR Specialist Springer reminded Dr.
Coulibaly that, because he had not yet submitted a request
for advanced leave, he was scheduled to come to work on
Monday, March 12, 2012. Email from Brian Springer (Mar. 9,
2012, 11:48 AM), ROI at 874, ECF No. 26-8. In his response,
Dr. Coulibaly expressed that he was "very surprised to
hear" this: "It was very clear in our messages
[over the] last few days that I cannot and I won't come
to work on Monday since I am requesting Leave without pay and
Advance [sick] leave because of health issues." Email
from Tiemoko Coulibaly (Mar. 9, 2012, 2:13 PM), ROI at
873-74, ECF No. 26-8. Dr. Coulibaly also said that he had
"faxed a document" to LTS Casteuble the day
before regarding leave, and that LTS Casteuble had
"confirmed by email that he [had] received it."
Id. HR Specialist Springer then explained that the
leave slip that Dr. Coulibaly had submitted the day before
covered only his absence "from February 13 through . .
. March 9, 2012, " and so Dr. Coulibaly would
"need to submit another [leave] request or return to
work on Monday." Email from Brian Springer (Mar. 9,
2012, 2:56 PM), ROI at 873, ECF No. 26-8. Dr. Coulibaly,
however, did not submit an additional leave request until
March 13, 2012. See Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly
(Mar. 13, 2012, 2:14 PM), ROI at 872-73, ECF No. 26-8
(submitting a request for advanced sick leave and for
receiving Dr. Coulibaly's request for advanced sick leave
and LWOP, HR Specialist Springer did not immediately process
Dr. Coulibaly's request. See Email from Brian
Springer to Tiemoko Coulibaly (Mar. 13, 2012, 3:44 PM), ROI
at 870-72, ECF No. 26-8. Instead, he told Dr. Coulibaly to
"please follow [HR Specialist Springer's]
instructions to request Advanced Sick leave OR LWOP, "
and noted that Dr. Coulibaly's doctor's note, which
Dr. Coulibaly had submitted with his request,
"include[d] some comments that shouldn't be
there." Id. at 870 (capitalization in
original). Dr. Coulibaly, however, refused to do so, because
he felt that the doctor's note included all the required
information. See Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly (Mar.
13, 2012, 4:59 PM), ROI at 869-70, ECF No. 26-8 (noting that
"the diagnosis . . . and the time [he would] be
incapacitated . . . are in the letter").
Coulibaly reports that he returned to work on March 26, 2012,
following his psychiatrist's instructions. See
Compl. ¶¶ 14, 17; see also Request for
Advanced Sick Leave and Leave Without Pay (Mar. 26, 2012),
ROI at 1326, ECF No. 26-12 ("I returned to work today
March 26, 2012."). Upon his return, he also wrote a
letter to Cathy Russell, a higher-level FSI manager, in which
he requested "Advanced Sick Leave for 80 hours"
for the period between March 12, 2012 and March 23, 2012.
See Compl. ¶ 17; Request for Advanced Sick
Leave and Leave Without Pay, ROI at 1326, ECF No. 26-12.
Defendants acknowledge that Dr. Coulibaly's managers
ultimately approved Dr. Coulibaly's leave for that
period, despite HR Specialist Springer's initial refusal
to accept Dr. Coulibaly's doctor's
days later, Dr. Coulibaly submitted another leave request,
this time with LTS Casteuble, for eight hours of advanced
sick leave on March 29, 2012.[22] After receiving the request
late in the day on March 28, 2012, LTS Casteuble emailed Dr.
Coulibaly to tell him that LTS Casteuble lacked the authority
to approve the leave request and Dr. Coulibaly had to request
advanced sick leave with a different managing office.
See Email from Philippe Casteuble (Mar. 28, 2012,
4:17 PM), ROI at 1324. LTS Casteuble informed Dr. Coulibaly
that LTS Casteuble would accordingly enter the leave as
"leave without pay pending . . . approval" from
the other managing office. Id. Dr. Coulibaly then
asked LTS Casteuble to "[p]lease enter the 8 hours as
leave without pay pending . . . approval, " and he
noted that he would give LTS Casteuble "the memo"
on the day after he returned. Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly
(Mar. 28, 2012, 4:29 PM), ROI at 866, ECF No. 26-8. By
"the memo, " Dr. Coulibaly later clarified that
he intended to "present a new complete request"
for leave. See Email from Tiemoko Coulibaly (Mar.
29, 2012, 3:40 PM), ROI at 867, ECF No. 26-8.
But, on
the day for which Dr. Coulibaly requested leave (March 29,
2012), Dr. Coulibaly reports that he received a call
"at noon" from LTS Casteuble, who told Dr.
Coulibaly that the managing office had denied the request for
advanced sick leave. Id. In a message to LTS
Casteuble, Dr. Coulibaly noted that LTS Casteuble had
submitted the advanced sick leave request to FSI management
against Dr. Coulibaly's wishes: "I answered by
email to you [and said] that I will submit . . . the request
[again] on Friday with the appropriate memo and information.
So I don't understand why you ...
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Labor and supply in pregnancy is an important period of each lady's life. Understanding Braxton Hicks contractions during being pregnant – when they happen, what they're like, and how to relieve them, in addition to how your true labor contractions will differ – can assist you interpret what is occurring in your physique, and when it's actually time to go to the hospital or name your OB physician. When you're feeling apprehensive about contractions and the way you are going to deal with them, remember that your midwife will likely be there to help.
Now is the time to be at or go to the hospital or birthing centre. True labor contractions felt like someone was ripping my insides apart. It looks as if everybody's contractions really feel specific to them. The rupture of the amniotic membrane (the fluid-crammed sac that surrounds the newborn throughout pregnancy) could really feel both like a sudden gush of fluid or a trickle of fluid that leaks steadily.
This is a guide to what types of contractions you might experience, what they will feel like, and learn how to tell when it's time to head to the hospital. The uterus is without doubt one of the most powerful and adaptable muscle tissue in a woman's physique. Some women don't feel any type of contraction until delivery day, and that's completely regular. Braxton Hicks contractions usually remain fairly weak, whereas true labor contractions develop more and more intense.
I love studying about how some girls experience little pain. Like being pregnant itself, each labor expertise seems totally different. Many contractions that happen after week 34 are random and irregular; these are often known as Braxton-Hicks contractions. For the reason that uterus is the largest muscle in a girl's physique ( supply ), you can really feel the cramping anyplace from deep inside your abdomen, to the perimeters of your physique, and, sure, in your back.
For some folks, contractions may really feel like excessive period pains. Different specialists think that Braxton Hicks contractions don't affect your cervix. I would describe the contractions as uncomfortable for hours earlier than it finally registered with me. It also kind of looks like you need to have a bowel motion. With my first child, one of the first indicators of labor was gentle contractions accompanied by mild back pain.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
While we have all probably dabbled in creating a creamy carbonara, there are a few secrets to perfecting this comforting dish.
Too gluggy, too creamy, not creamy enough, and tasteless – all common problems when it comes to whipping up a bowl of this delicious pasta dish. Thankfully, Chef and Barilla ambassador Ben Milbourne has come to the rescue and shares his top tips for making the perfect carbonara every time.
Hold the cream
When making carbonara, there are five traditional ingredients - but the must-have inclusion is egg yolks. That is what provides the creamy texture, not cream!
Spice it up
Cracked pepper (or pepperberry) is another essential carbonara ingredient. The rough translation of 'carbonara' is coal miner's pasta and many people say it's named that because the black flecks of the cracked pepper resemble coal dust.
Think outside the box
Don't be afraid to get creative by making it your way. Choose your favourite pasta - spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine - and pair it with a hard cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino Romano and a cured meat like bacon or guanciale - there's no right or wrong way, as long as there's no cream.
Perfect pasta
Cook your pasta al dente (ever so slightly still firm to the bite) for the best taste and texture experience.
Avoid scrambled eggs by taking the pasta off the heat, then adding the final ingredients - like your egg and parmesan mixture - at the end.


text:
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text:
Are you having a hard time with your weight gain during your pregnancy?
If you are, don't worry.
Most women have a hard time. I mean, it's no wonder, the doctors barely educate women on how they should eat in order to nourish the baby and control weight gain so that they don't end up with gestational diabetes, thyroid problems, excess weight gain which causes stretch marks, depression, aches and pains and much more. But I won't scare you anymore....... Unless it will motivate you to exercise and eat healthy so that you don't end up like that. LOL
As a fitness and health expert, I find it incredibly frustrating that doctors don't even talk to pregnant women about their pregnancy diet, other than give them a print out of what they can't eat and a quick weigh in every month.
But did you know that what you eat and what you do for exercise actually affects the baby as well?
Check this out...
I want you to know that you DON'T have to diet by any means. But if you just don't use pregnancy as an excuse to EAT for 2 (by the way you gotta read this post on Eating for 2 During Pregnancy), and you just make healthy choices and you are always prepared with healthy snacks and meals, you will do just fine and you won't gain excess weight and you will be able to enjoy your pregnancy and feel good.
Here are a few Healthy Snacks that are DELICIOUS and easy to make and a perfect snack during pregnancy.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cake
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Choco-Oate Bites
I know that its hard to figure out what to eat when you may not feel so good and when you really just don't know. So here is what I'm going to do for you. Because your "Pregnancy Diet" is what is going to help you so much with controlling your weight gain.
Well, that and exercise, but let me help you with your diet first.
I'm going to give you a NUTRITION GUIDE with exactly what to eat, all the RECIPES, good SNACK OPTIONS, etc. So that you can get an idea of how you should be eating during your pregnancy so that you can be healthy, be creating the best possible environment for your baby, and so that you don't gain EXCESS WEIGHT so that you are not super uncomfortable all during pregnancy and feeling huge and self conscious. And so that you can lose all your baby weight fast postpartum.
I made this 2-Week Nutrition Guide to give away for FREE to all my pregos because I work with so many in my Fit Mom-To-Be Workout Program that always have so many NUTRITION questions. So, I figured I would make this in an easy to read, print and follow way to help you take the guesses out of how to eat optimally during your pregnancy.
If you follow it and you EXERCISE, you will not just have a great pregnancy but you will feel CONFIDENT, RADIENT, GLOWING. You won't be uncomfortable and have aches and pains because you've gained so much weight. You will have an easier labor and delivery. You will sleep better, have more energy. And you will seriously decrease your chances of falling into POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION.
I can't wait for you to get this Nutrition Guide, the recipes are amazing, and there are so many different options for snacks. You are going to love it. Download it here (It's totally FREE): PREGNANCY NUTRITION GUIDE.
If you follow this Nutrition Guide during your entire pregnancy, and you exercise, I promise you will only gain the weight you have to because of the baby. You will feel great, and you will be able to lose all your baby weight super fast postpartum.
Check out my Postpartum Pictures.
I only gained 20 lbs during both of my pregnancies and I lost all the weight in less than a month.
I actually myself, did my Fit Mom-To-Be Workouts during both my pregnancies.
You see, I don't just tell people to do them, I have done them myself both times and both with amazing results.
I so know you can do this too.
You just need to be consistent with your workouts and make good choices with your food. And since now you have a nutrition guide to follow, you don't even have to worry about that. You just have to COMMIT to following it.
It will be so worth it.
And it's not just me, I have worked with literally THOUSANDS of pregnant women who have done my Fit Mom-To-Be Workouts and gotten very similar results.
Look at all the BENEFITS of Exercise during Pregnancy.
Isn't it amazing all the benefits?
I mean, you have to be crazy not to take advantage of them.
This is why I want to give you this Pregnancy Workout.
My hope is that it will motivate you to start or continue to exercise during your pregnancy because you have no idea how much it will help you have a better pregnancy and postpartum recovery.
This pregnancy workout that I'm about to give you is safe to do during all trimesters. So be at ease that you are doing something that is safe and effective.
Weight Training is the best type of exercise you can do during your pregnancy. It will not only help control weight gain but it will keep your body balanced and strong so that you have less aches and pains and so that you have an easier delivery and so that you can lose THE DREADED POOCH after you have the baby.
You know, most people don't ever lose it because they never train the core the way you are supposed to during pregnancy. I put a few safe and effective core exercises in most of the pregnancy workouts in my Fit Mom-To-Be Workouts to ensure my ladies lose their belly!
If you do 3 weight training workouts per week and 2 days of cardio, you will be in amazing shape all throughout your pregnancy and you will lose your baby weight super fast.
Here is this sample pregnancy workout to help you control weight gain.
Just make sure you change your workouts every few weeks, its crucial to do so in order to see results.
If you don't know how to put workouts together and you are not sure what is or is not safe don't worry, I will send you my Fit Mom-To-Be Workouts and you can be at ease that you are doing everything you can to have a healthy and happy pregnancy.
A1. 20 Lateral Lunges
A2. 20 Front Raises
A3. 20 Stability Ball Leg Curls
A4. 20 Dumbbell Bicep Curls
A5. 20 Plie Squats
A6. 20 Dips
Rest 90-120 seconds and repeat 2 more times
Listen, I'm only asking you to exercise for about 4 hours a week.
There are 168 hours in a week, and only 4 will make a drastic change in your pregnancy.
And here is some more motivation.......
Pregnancy doesn't have to ruin your body, if you take care of it during it, it won't.
I actually have a better body now after 2 kids than ever before.
Crazy, but true.
Check it out...
I hope you are super motivated to get moving!
Good luck!
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Natalie Gal (aka Natasha Galkina) is not your typical HOT Russian top model – actress.
When people hear the word model or actress a variety of stereotypes often come in to mind. Perhaps someone shallow who is making "strategic friendships" for advancement. Others familiarize women who use their looks to obtain material objects or financial support from agreeable suitors. Natalie Gal breaks that mold with an independent mind sent, self reliant attitude and a vibrant-healthy lifestyle. Originally from Russia and currently residing between New York and Los Angeles, the young starlette maintains a balanced lifestyle in the often "fair weather friend" atmosphere of the entertainment world.
Natalie Gal personifies the meaning of versatility in modeling and acting skills
"I like to live a healthy life. Besides eating foods with high nutrition and flavor, exercising I think is a necessary component everyday. One other very important thing is to surround yourself with those who are positive."
"I like to alternate my workouts. I often go to the gym as does everyone right? LA has such great weather and I love running outdoors in the canyons or the beach. It's normal for me to do anywhere between one to three workouts per day. It's so good for your body to keep moving and feels great."
Natalie, who is busy booking music videos and working on independent films also enjoys singing. But that's another story she says. Being the daughter of an opera singer, she must have inherited the vocals (and looks). Between flights for bookings in London, New York, Miami and Los Angeles she finds time for a social life.
"Going out to parties and clubs isn't really my thing. I enjoy going to events, sometimes I am asked to walk the red carpet at events which is fantastic. I used to be embarrassed of all the cameras and attention but now I think it's fun and such an honor to be a part of it all. Besides watching movies at home, I love going for dinners with close friends and family. There is not anything better than spending time with those who care for you."
Having a career in entertainment often means living the lifestyle day to night and if a person's mind is not suited for that schedule or can't fathom mentally this lifestyle, they more than likely won't succeed. Having witnessed Hollywood, modeling and the entertainment world first hand, the people involved in this business "live" their work to such a degree that it is often difficult to distinguish between friends and work colleagues.
I asked Natalie what she thought.
"Stay true to yourself."
Natalie studied theater in New York and Russia. She studied theater even at a young age and was already proficient in English in her early teens. With her naturally, sexy looks, inspirational attitude and quirky or humorous behavior at times, she makes the perfect "character" (doesn't hurt that she looks like a Goddess does it?).
It becomes apparent as to why her beauty is in demand
"I love meeting people, I meet so many interesting people in Los Angeles and New York. I'm always going to London. My agency there, Oxygen, keeps me busy. I'm fortunate to be working as much as I do considering the entire industry has slowed down over the years. Work has been busy for me all over the world, Milano, Moscow, London, Paris as well as throughout France, Berlin, Prague, Asia and all over the US coast to coast."
"I just filmed a Calvin Harris video recently in Los Angeles. I wouldn't say many people know me, some remember me from ANTM but most have no idea who I am or what that show is even about. In many ways it's good because I'm not typecasted and Hollywood is always looking for the next fresh face."
But let's discuss her OBVIOUS sex appeal. She has a very balanced and down to earth outlook with respect to her looks, which jump started her career. Natalie stated that for every beautiful woman a man desires and wants to be with, sexually. There is another guy who is beyond tired of being with her. Not an uncommon fact of human nature and probably one important truth to why many marriages fail. Having spent time with Natalie, watching in awe as men trip over their own tongues as well as their shoes is almost "comical".
"So many men just want that ONE thing and we all know what that is. Let's be adults. But that's not the real point of life, a cheap thrill. It's important to have the solid things and person that will be there for the long term."
"I like things to be peaceful and harmonious. I don't like so much conflict or confrontation in life and I mean everyone's not must mine. Religion is very important to me and I go to church often. I believe in God and it is important to have faith."
"Taking beautiful photos is art, there is nothing wrong with that. It's your own interpretation of the image that gives it meaning. So if your perception is perverse, then that's how you will interpret it. If your perception is beauty, then you will see it as beautiful. What it truly is in reality, a photo shoot or just work for me."
I guess she is right. Life as in art, is about perception.
To see more of Natalie Gal please visit: http://nataliegal.com/


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Millions of American employees are hurt on the job each year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in some occupations such as animal production and ground transit face a 10 percent or even higher annual chance of serious injury. Unfortunately, not all employee types are eligible for workers' compensation in Illinois.
Independent contractors
According to Illinois law, independent contractors do not count as employees of a company. As non-employees, they are not entitled to compensation if they are injured on the job. Some employers may abuse this law by classifying employees incorrectly as independent contractors to avoid paying benefits. Workers should know their true status to safeguard their rights in case of injury.
Independent contractors are also protected in one important way by their ineligibility for workers' compensation benefits. As free agents outside the state workers' compensation system, they are allowed to file personal injury lawsuits if they have been hurt because of employer negligence. A Woodstock worker compensation lawyer is aware that employees within the system do not have this choice. Illinois law prohibits them from suing their employers.
Domestic workers
Domestic workers are people who work in private households. This employee type includes all of the following jobs:
- Housekeepers
- Cleaners
- Nannies
- Au pairs
- Babysitters
- Gardeners
Illinois law does not require private homes to offer benefits for these employees, as a Woodstock worker compensation lawyer knows.
Employees on small farms
Large farms and agricultural operations in Illinois must provide workers' compensation coverage for their employees. This rule does not apply on a smaller scale. According to current Illinois workers' compensation statutes, the obligation is waived for farms and other agricultural businesses employing fewer than 400 days of labor per quarter. These farms are considered household operations and are not required to carry compensation insurance.
Farm employees should investigate their compensation status and find out whether their workplace is exempt. They need to know that this rule also excludes the hours worked by the farm owner and his or her spouse. A small farm with four or five full-time employees other than the owners may still not reach the threshold of 400 working days per quarter.
Learning about coverage
According to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, more than 90 percent of workers in the state are covered by the Workers' Compensation Act. Employees can protect their rights by learning more about how Illinois law applies to them. Injured workers should consider talking to a Woodstock worker compensation lawyer.


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Tim Eriksen is at the Cedar tonight
Never heard of Sacred Harp singing? The musical tradition is a part of a larger history, often referred to as shape-note singing. The technique uses shapes in addition to notes to help singers identify them on the musical scale. Sacred Harp emerged within Southern congregations during the mid-1800s (shape-note singing itself dates as far back as 1000 AD).Tim Eriksen is an example of a performer that continues to successful tour playing music within the genre. In recent years his music has been in the feature film, Cold Mountain. He has also taught shape note to musicians and actors, including Sting, Nicole Kidman, and Elvis Costello. He has shared a stage with Jack White, Kurt Cobain, and Alison Kraus, among many others.
Though the music-reading technique is old, shape-note and Sacred Harp singing is still alive today (chorale clubs can be found in Chicago, California, New York, and many places in-between).
Ericksen plays the Cedar (416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612.338.2674) tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 at the door. His latest album, Northern Roots Live in Námešt (Indies Scope), is a mix of old New England tunes and Sacred Harp.
Sound interesting? Check out these videos of Tim Ericksen performing at various venues, including nature. (Photos by Michael Murphree)


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Hey Team Jonas!
As you know, Jonas Brothers recently announced a three-continent summer concert tour with special guest Demi Lovato! The tour will combine spectacular production with unrivaled performances of Jonas Brothers', and Demi Lovato's hits as well as music from Disney Channel Original Movies, "Camp Rock" and "Camp Rock 2". The tour kicks off Tuesday, July 27 in Dallas, Texas, and will continue throughout North America, Latin America and Europe throughout the summer and fall.
"We can't wait to get back on the road this summer with Demi and our friends from 'Camp Rock,'" says Nick Jonas. "Together we're going to bring our fans a show that they'll never forget."
The first round of presales for the Jonas Brothers 2010 World Tour, featuring Demi Lovato with friends from Camp Rock 2 begins exclusively for Team Jonas Fan Club members on Tuesday, May 11th at 10:00 AM (local time) for the following shows: July 27th in Dallas, TX; August 5th in Indianapolis, IN; and August 7th in Tinley Park, IL. Presales for most remaining shows begin on Tuesday, May 18th at 10:00 AM (local time). See below for additional details.
All Team Jonas fan club members will get early access to venues before the general public when they purchase tickets to amphitheatre* shows during the Team Jonas Fan Club presale!
In addition, the following VIP packages will be available during presales-don't miss out!:
The Jonas Brothers Reserved VIP Package includes:
-One Reserved P1 ticket
-Early Entry into the venue
-Soundcheck Party featuring Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato
-Premium Parking
-Official Commemorative VIP Laminate
-Exclusive Souvenir Gift
The Jonas Brothers GA Lawn VIP Package (available in amphitheatres only) includes:
-One General Admission lawn ticket
-Plus all the other non-ticket benefits listed above
Are you a member of Team Jonas, the Official Jonas Brothers Fan Club? Team Jonas Premium Membership includes a fan club gift, all-access to the TeamJonas.com site and community, members-only contests including Meet and Greets, discounts on official Jonas Brothers merchandise and the chance to get early access for up to six concert tickets per membership, per tour (event ticket limits may vary per venue). For more info and to join, visit www.teamjonas.com today.
Current tour dates are listed below. Dates and cities are subject to change:
Jul 27 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center #*
Jul 29 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center +
Jul 31 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion +*
Aug 02 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Aug 03 Wichita, KS InTrust Bank Arena +
Aug 05 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center #*
Aug 06 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre*
Aug 07 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre #*
Aug 10 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center +*
Aug 11 Pittsburgh, PA First Niagara Pavilion +*
Aug 12 Washington DC Jiffy Lube Live +*
Aug 13 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre +*
Aug 14 Hershey, PA Hershey Park Stadium +
Aug 16 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center +*
Aug 21 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach +
Aug 25 Boston, MA Comcast Center +*
Aug 27 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center +*
Aug 29 Virginia Beach, VA Virginia Beach Amphitheatre*
Aug 31 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena +
Sep 01 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre +*
Sep 02 Toronto, ON Molson Canadian Amphitheatre ^*
Sep 04 Montreal, QC Bell Centre ^
Sep 07 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre*
Sep 08 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center +
Sep 09 Omaha, NE Qwest Center +
Sep 14 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheatre*
Sep 15 Vancouver, BC GM Place^
Sep 17 Marysville, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre*
Sep 18 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre*
Sep 19 Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion +*
Sep 21 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center +
Sep 23 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre*
Sep 25 San Diego, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre*
Sep 26 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion +*
Sep 29 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center +
Sep 30 Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena +
Oct 06 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
Oct 08 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre*
Oct 09 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre*
Oct 12 Orlando, FL Amway Center +
Oct 14 Atlanta, GA Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood*
Oct 15 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena +
Oct 16 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre*
Oct 17 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion +*
# Presales begin Tuesday, May 11th for these shows
+ Presales begin Tuesday, May 18th for these shows
^ Presales begin Tuesday, May 25th for these shows
* Amphitheatre Dates
General onsales for most shows begin the Saturday following their respective presales; Toronto and Vancouver onsales begin Friday, May 28th. Visit the Demi Lovato fan club for details on her fan club presales, which begin the Wednesday after Team Jonas presales for all shows. Stay tuned for more show announcements, including European, Mexican and Central and South American presales.
Remember that Team Jonas is a fan club, not a ticket club. Premium and Community Membership includes access to ticket presales, but Team Jonas cannot guarantee location or availability.
Make sure to be on Team Jonas every day from now through May 17th for daily contests and special promotions!
We can't wait to see you on Tour!
So theres not a Demi VIP package?


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| 9.4°C Dublin
A host of celebs have been rocking out at U2's shows in LA over the past week, including Ronan Keating and Storm Uechtritz.
The pair went to their show at The Roxy and hung out afterwards with Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul
Ronan is currently in LA to finish recording his upcoming solo album.
Other stars spotted enjoying the Songs of Innocence gig at The Roxy included Kate Hudson (left), Colin Farrell, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Jack Nicholson.
On Sunday, Bono was snapped leaving a party hosted by Lady Gaga with Chris Martin and Jennifer Lawrence. Bono shielded Jen from the paparazzi as she has yet to confirm a romance with Chris.
The band will end a five-show residency at The Forum venue in LA tomorrow.
Internationally renowned Italian film composer Ennio Morricone will bring his 60 Years of Music Tour to Dublin's 3Arena on February 14 next year.
"The last show in Dublin was such a moving experience," he said.
"I just had to return to your lovely city and recreate that magic one more time. It was one of the most memorable experiences I ever had in my lifetime in music." Tickets go on sale on Friday at 9am.
Australian YouTube sensations The Janoskians will begin their upcoming European tour in Ireland.
The comedy group will bring their Jahoo Jahaa Tour to The Academy in Dublin on August 29.
Tickets are €31.50 and go on sale this Friday at 9am from Ticketmaster.
Lillie's Lab at Taste
Lillie's Bordello will launch Ireland's first nightclub micro-distillery at Taste of Dublin from June 11 to 14 in the Iveagh Gardens.
At Lillie's Laboratory guests can spend two hours creating their own flavoured gin or vodka to use in cocktails for €45 per person, with a minimum booking of 10 people.


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The holidays are upon us, which can feel like a temporary loss of sanity in addition to all the joy and wonderful madness the season brings each year. Many of us hit the road during the holidays to connect with loved ones, and the things you carry with you can be small, but still mighty in their impact on your wellbeing. Here are five, simple tips for keeping the holidays happy, healthy, and harmonious—for your skin and your sanity!
1) Cut your favorite Osmia soap in half, and put it in our soap travel bag, along with your facial bar. You can drop the soaps into the bag when they're wet, then simply rinse the bag when you get where you're going and it's ready to use again as soon as it's dry. No more soggy soap in ziploc bags!
2) My dear friend Josh Rosebrook makes the excellent point that sleep tends to suffer when we travel, and he recommends an herbal tincture called Sleep Juice by Organic Olivia. I also love these melatonin drops by Dr. John Douillard – 2-3 drops under the tongue at bedtime help me stay asleep through the night, or fall back asleep quickly if I wake.
3) Keep a Lip Doctor in your pocket during your travels, but unpack Lip Repair for overnight healing when you land. The power of manuka honey and cupuacu butter are especially apparent when you let them do their work as you sleep. Oh, and a swipe of Lip Doctor makes a great overnight eye treatment if you're looking for a little multitasking magic.
4) Take your own towels, especially if you're staying with friends or in an Airbnb, since you might encounter heavily fragranced linens. These pack flat and dry quickly—I even put one on my pillow for sleeping if the smell of detergent is strong.
5) Don't forget your Nectar Vital Rose Drops and Spotless Blemish Oil. Massage a drop of Nectar under your eyes before the flight takes off, especially if you had an early alarm to catch your flight! And Spotless will be your savior if you feel a blemish cropping up on the plane—travel zits are a real phenomenon, especially over the holidays! Apply Spotless a few times throughout the flight with a clean pinky finger, and marvel as that zit changes its mind and tiptoes away.
Don't forget….
- Fresh fruits and veggies in your endlessly reusable Stasher Bags (use the code stasherlife for a little discount!)
- A water bottle and coffee mug to lower your environmental impact on the road.
- Non-toxic hand sanitizer and wipes - don't pick up any travel bugs!
- Facial wipes for the long flights when you feel a little too grimy to wait for a shower.
With love and bons voyages from us to you,


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You haven't heard from me in a long time through this channel. But now that autumn is in its ending phase, and life is slowly contracting, it is time to say goodbye & pay gratitude for what has been.
You haven't heard from me in a long time through this channel. But now that autumn is in its ending phase, and life is slowly contracting, it is time to say goodbye & pay gratitude for what has been.
Around the world people are unplugging from 'the system' and decide to follow their spirit of heart. They start to express their purpose through starting social enterprises, rediscovering the artist within themselves or start to do more charitable work. All in service for the whole. Read the rest of this entry »
Dear friends, I would like to introduce you to two of the most inspiring girls I have recently met. With their being, teachings & initiatives they are of major inspiration to humanity. Read the rest of this entry »
Recently I was asked by the organizational committee of the Veerstichting to talk in front of 700 students, politicians, scientists, business leaders and other influentials from all levels of Society to talk at their conference. Read the rest of this entry »
We all feel it by know. Our new world is ready to take shape, manifested from a heart consciousness. Here are some must reads from the past year to get yourself and your business prepared for 2013.
The so-called 'We first' Economy. It proclaims the inclusion of social and environmental aspects into our way of doing business and economy to be of crucial importance for our next era. However, from a consciousness perspective, defining 'Me vs. We' keeps the same origin of our old economy in place.
It would be great to have a world where gift- and money economy exist side by side. A world with many different types of currencies, so you could always find the currency suitable for your needs, and money would only be considered one of many ways to exchange. Read the rest of this entry »
Like I said before, all of us want to give. Many people I encounter express their belief, support & enthusiasm about Giving is All we Have for which I'm very grateful. Most of them ask the question: "What can I do to realize this world that you're portraying?"
Every now and then, I catch myself being distracted by the benefits of that 'old way' of doing things. Shouldn't I just get a job like 'normal' people do? With security of income, a predictable career path and all? Sounds tempting.
Recently, the Buy Nothing New Campaign was introduced in the Netherlands. This campaign has the aim of making people aware of their consumptive patterns. Check it out!
We have reached 1001 likes! For this special occasion, I would like to share the insights with you that I've gathered over the past couple of months. They will help you playfully create our future and become a 'consciousness warrior without a fight' yourself!
A new world firmly rooted in giving. Right. It might sound a bit too far-fetched for some. Some even say it's overly idealistic. After all, how on earth would we ever be able to create such a world? Here are some quick insights for those willing to engage in an, actually kind of funny, game of world-change. Read the rest of this entry »
Our monetary system bares some fundamental flaws that will eventually take care of its own collapse. It appears that we're on the verge of the most radical financial innovation ever. Read the rest of this entry »
At some point in time*, we were urged to live in the fragmented illusion of our minds. Living from this duality consciousness unfolded as a brilliant and major teaching for our souls. Read the rest of this entry »
Recently, I was interviewed about my ideas on a Gift Society for Vier Magazine. Once again with my partner in Giving Robbert Vesseur. ;-)
Check it out (both Dutch & english available)
Read the rest of this entry »
The Generation of Generousity. They're taking up one of what I consider to be the coolest challenge in the world: raising the vibration of our planet to a next level of consciousness. Do you belong to generation G? Read the rest of this entry »
Some interesting stuff is going on our humble little planet. I'm not talking 2012 Mayan prophecies here*, but about the earthly prelude to a fundamental transformative period that will unfold over the next period. Which might be sooner than you think. Read the rest of this entry »
A couple of months ago, I walked over a zebra crossing. A car stopped to let me cross the road. I gave the driver a smile and a cheerful nod of gratitude. But before I knew it, I was struck.
In my last article I've explored the idea that our current systems & structures are a reflection to our historical state of consciousness. Now that our consciousness is on the move, what effects will it have on these systems & structures?
Every single day we get bombarded by news about the financial and economic crisis. What causes these crises? Our economic system? Our banks? Think again.
Yesterday, I stumbled across this video on Sacred Economics, in which author Charles Eisenstein takes you along his ideas on money and a gift society. Be inspired to do things differently in only 12 minutes. Read the rest of this entry »
We've entered an exciting transformative period in which the role of money in our society is being reconsidered. Did you know for instance that all over the world alternative currencies are popping up? No? Well, buckle up then!
Great news! The 30th of March I'll be speaking at the independently organised conference of TEDxDordrecht.
This years theme of TEDxDordrecht?
'Being human, being the change'
Needless to say, I am very grateful that this opportunity has been given to me and hope to see you all at the conference.
Check them out at TEDxDordrecht!
Yours truly, Jeroen
Recently, the 'Giving is All we Have' team kicked off the first brainstorm session for Lowlands 2012. All with that insane goal of getting its 55.000 visitors to experience the joy & power of giving.
And I must say, some brilliant ideas came to fruition in a flow of creative energy! Big shout out goes to Marjon van der Velden, owner of www.mmousse.nl, for kickstarting the giving chain by making her inspirational yoga, art & whatever more space available to this greater good!
Things are looking vibrantly good. Stay tuned!
Recently, I was interviewed for Volzin Magazine (Dutch magazine for purposeful living) along with two friends of mine about the Gift Economy. You can read the article here. I've translated it into English as well, if Dutch isn't your cup of cake. ;-)
Download NL – De ziel moet terug in the economie
Download EN – Putting soul into the Economy
I would love to hear your reactions, ideas and opinions!
Yours truly, Jeroen
"I don't feel that comfortable with what I am doing at work right now. I should be following my dreams! But how do I do that? …It looks like I'll be stuck here for another while. …Maybe, just maybe, I'll win the State Lottery next time!"
Take an honest look around you. A lot of us are trapped within a golden cage. From which only few are able to escape.
Some feel we live in an awful period. A period of uncertainty and imbalance. Some are anxiously waiting for the storm to pass by. But we've reached a point of no return. And I must say; I am very excited to live in this era. Not without fear, yet whole-heartedly embracing the unknown, our vulnerability and sheer endless possibility. Read the rest of this entry »
Do you believe you have control over the world around you? That the world is controllable causality? That you can simply isolate particular events to shape your future? Think again.
How would you get 55.000 people at a festival to 'Give'? We are looking for the wackiest, creative and most awe-inspiring ideas. Join our team!
As you all know, it started out by giving away my ticket to Lowlands Festival in 2011 (check out this post). And things got out of hand because of this one small gift (yep, it's contagious this 'Giving' thing). Now, for Lowlands 2012, we are pushing boundaries with an even more daunting goal of getting 55.000 people to 'Give' !
In the coming weeks we'll gather a small team for creative concept- & proposition development, and ultimately execution at Lowlands 2012.
So send us your ideas at firstname.lastname@example.com . The people with the most contagious ideas will be invited to join the team!
Last night I came across this little excerpt on BBC News. About a trader, Alessio Rastani, on the economic crisis. Who makes a perfect example of how dealing with abstract numbers leads to immoral behavior. Of how money sets off a reward mechanism, identical to using cocaine, that will make you want more.
Ironically, the name Alessio in Ancient Greek means; "defender of mankind". Ha. Read the rest of this entry »
The past couple of days have been an amazing experience. Let me shortly recap what happened. Recently I had some profound insights and embraced a new philosophy of giving, which can (very shortly) be condensed to the following: Read the rest of this entry »


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The ground-breaking ceremony provided a Kodak photo moment, but the real breaking up the ground happened a week or so later. There were HOLES! A great big enormous one for the foundation, piles of dirt that will become the driveway, a hole for whatever gets drilled out of the well once that gets scheduled. A flat place for the well digger truck to brace itself. There was vast visual evidence now that the big dig had begun. We'd been worried they might hit rock…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on July 28, 2017 at 5:30pm — No Comments
The two weeks after the closing was a bit anti-climactic as our GC was climbing Mount Rainier, even though I know things were going on in the background and logs were still being placed on our shell! He returned safely and let us know we were ready to start what we could while waiting for the remaining approvals from the county building department on our septic. The power pole should go in within the next week, and there are some big honking pieces of machinery sitting on our land poised…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on June 20, 2017 at 11:30am — No Comments
We CLOSE!
Limboland is THE WORST place to have to spend any time at all, much less weeks. Although our loan had been approved by the mortgage company and we knew the newly-completed appraisal was the last puzzle piece that needed to fit into place, I was nonetheless gripped by fear that something would happen to stop the closing from happening or delay it. First I worried how long it was taking until we could set the date, then when we got the date, I worried that something…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on June 7, 2017 at 3:48pm — No Comments
Still smarting from our collection of losses, we realized the only way to fix things was to face the fact that if we wanted the whole dream and not just a partial one, it was not only going to cost us more, but we might have to find someone else to complete it. Waiting a few years is not an option at our age. We looked at some prices of barn kits and metal garage kits and then realized we could potentially finance a garage separately by a local company that offers…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on May 25, 2017 at 9:48pm — No Comments
If it seems too good to be true…
The loan process seemed to be going along without much of a hitch. We met Craig and Bernardo at the other Rock Bottom, and Craig had good news for us. All the permits were in place just awaiting payment, he'd had almost all the final quotes back from vendors, and he just needed the green light from us to submit the final project budget to the bank. We'd already received the engineered, stamped plans for the house which were separate from the…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on May 25, 2017 at 6:41pm — No Comments
Enter the Architects
The next time we met was at the Rock Bottom Brewery in our town. Seems all our plans evolved in the warmth and shadows of brewery tanks, which I loved. This time, instead of rough sketches, we had a set of preliminary architectural drawings from an engineering firm, Tamarack Grove out of Idaho, which we soon learned (from Googling) had a stellar reputation for designing properties much grander and more expensive than ours, including a replica ark!…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on May 25, 2017 at 5:30pm — No Comments
We meet the crew, and suddenly, everything has changed
The day after the log home show (Sunday) I had to fly to Chicago for work. Monday I got a call from Craig Ringler, a colleague of Ron's. He was interested in our project and wanted to get together to talk. We picked a time after I returned from Chicago, and agreed to meet at a Rock Bottom Brewery about halfway between where each of us lived. John and I showed up half expecting them not to, despite the fact we'd…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on April 20, 2017 at 9:58am — No Comments
Time to Build
Finally, all the obstacles to getting our build underway were falling aside. We had a floorplan in mind and a budget and started calling around. Five of the six area builders that did log homes never responded to multiple phone calls and emails. I hadn't mentioned our budget, so for all they knew, we could have been planning a million-dollar mansion. The one that did call back said he couldn't possibly start our build for 18 months. We started calling…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on April 19, 2017 at 12:36pm — No Comments
The Years Go By
Over the next few years, we visited often, enjoying having the barn there to store a cooler, chairs, and tools to let us work on the next build project…seven sections of buckrail fence. Because the ground is so hard and uneven, a buckrail fence seemed like the easiest and most attractive fence to build. It is very horse safe, too. We found a wood products company that custom-cut notched fence posts to the height you wanted and bought the bark-on posts…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on April 19, 2017 at 10:30am — No Comments
Our first year
That first year we owned the land, all we wanted to do was to keep going out to Colorado to visit it. Each trip the first thing we did when we got up the mountain was go "on walkabout" and hike the entire perimeter line (panting; it's at 7000 feet above sea level). Although this land is just shy of 5 acres, to us, who lived on small plots our whole life, the fact that we could walk to the back edge of our Ponderosa pine forest and look towards the road…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on April 19, 2017 at 10:30am — No Comments
By the time we showed up to meet the realtor for the last property on our list, we were feeling pretty discouraged. Every property we had looked at thus far had some major flaw that made us cross it off our list. The realtor wouldn't let us follow him to the property; he insisted we leave our car and drive in his. I soon understood why. We went up the craziest two miles of rutted, gravel road complete with switchbacks.…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on March 27, 2017 at 2:30pm — No Comments
The Short List
One gorgeous September weekend, when Colorado could have hardly looked more beautiful as it dressed in gold for fall, we got into our rental car, phone, GPS and maps in hand for areas that had no cell service, and set off to view a handful of properties that made the short list because they needed no more than one pole, were accessible by a maintained road, and had no obvious mineral rights distractions going on. Oh, and were in…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on March 22, 2017 at 4:00pm — No Comments
We figured we could probably afford a couple of acres of nice looking mountain horse property if we avoided resort areas. Since retirement is still a ways off, and because we like to travel, we decided we couldn't be further than 90 miles/minutes away from Denver airport. We stuck a compass needle into DIA on the map and drew a semi circle that included about a 90 mile radius going west. We wanted to be in the mountains first, foothills second. Using a couple of very useful online…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on March 21, 2017 at 1:00pm — No Comments
The beginning of the end happened shortly after landing at Chicago's Midway airport after a week long visit to the Colorado Rockies. Still swooning over the snow covered peaks, shaggy pines and more elk and deer than we could keep count of, we collected the car from the parking garage and started the long drive home through some of the most unsavory neighborhoods Chicagoland has to offer. In particular, we dreaded catching the red light at what we called "bum bridge" because when you did…Continue
Added by Denise Pumfrey on March 16, 2017 at 11:54am — No Comments
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Quick Start
Create an account
Creating an account is very simple. Go to Dashboard to create a free account.
Create an API client app
Before you can make any requests to GroupDocs Cloud API you need to get APP SID and APP key (secret key). This will be used to invoke the GroupDocs Cloud API.
You can get it from default Application or create new Application from My Apps tab of GroupDocs for Cloud Dashboard.
Install the SDK of your choice
GroupDocs for Cloud SDK is written in different languages, all you need to get started is adding our SDK to your existing project.
Make an API request from the SDK of your choice
Use the App SID and App key (secret key) from the API app client you created in step one and replace it in the corresponding code. Below is an example demonstrating using the Formats API to get all supported file formats in GroupDocs.Conversion Cloud.
The GitHub repository for GroupDocs.Conversion Cloud has a complete set of examples, demonstrating our API capabilities.


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Class Clown: Student Forces Teacher To Grade Work! "Cuz Last Time You Ain't Grade My Work, You Kept Losing My Work"
He must be the class clown.
Boy in the video @kiddtalkalot
Posted By Sunny
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