Holy Smoke: How Christianity Smothered the American Dream


Rick Snedeker - 2020
    This is completely contrary to the Founding Fathers’ original vision of America; it was designed by them to be a secular democratic republic built on evidence-based Enlightenment values, emphatically not religious faith.Indeed, the Founders purposefully intended that a high, strong “wall of separation” keep church and state apart in the new nation, while allowing individual religious freedom untrammeled by government—and vice versa. But Christians with theocratic dreams keep trying to breach the wall. Through their efforts, God is now in evidence everywhere in the country—on our money, in our schools, even in high-level-government officials’ speeches. Freedom of — and from — religion is the American promise to all its people whatever their belief—or disbelief. This is how the Founding Fathers wanted it to be, not the undemocratic theocracy zealous evangelicals are trying to force on American society.

It's My Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture


Dee Ann Turner - 2015
    Culture is created by the stories those relationships tell. Two of the most important differentiators of a business are its talent and its culture. Talent energized by a compelling culture will drive organizational success and provide innovative growth opportunities for both the business and the individual.Based on her more than thirty years at Chick-fil-A, most of which have been spent as Vice President, Corporate Talent, Dee Ann Turner shares how Chick-fil-A has built a devoted talent and fan base that spans generations. It's My Pleasure tells powerful stories and provides practical applications on how to develop extraordinary talent able to build and/or stimulate a company's culture.

Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation


Tim Brown - 2009
    The reality is that most innovations come from a process of rigorous examination through which great ideas are identified and developed before being realized as new offerings and capabilities.This book introduces the idea of design thinking‚ the collaborative process by which the designer′s sensibilities and methods are employed to match people′s needs not only with what is technically feasible and a viable business strategy. In short‚ design thinking converts need into demand. It′s a human−centered approach to problem solving that helps people and organizations become more innovative and more creative.Design thinking is not just applicable to so−called creative industries or people who work in the design field. It′s a methodology that has been used by organizations such as Kaiser Permanente to icnrease the quality of patient care by re−examining the ways that their nurses manage shift change‚ or Kraft to rethink supply chain management. This is not a book by designers for designers; this is a book for creative leaders seeking to infuse design thinking into every level of an organization‚ product‚ or service to drive new alternatives for business and society.

These Times of Abandon


Ryan Schow - 2020
    The lights are out, the grid is down, and electronics have failed, including Leighton’s new hearing aids. Unbeknownst to the town of Highland Heights, the weather warning system is down and tornados are forming. As Leighton heads for her boyfriend’s farm, an admirer of hers quietly takes chase. Nothing covers one’s tracks better than shadows and chaos, but some battles turn quickly, leaving one to wonder, who is the wolf, and who becomes the prey?As the tornado’s winds begin to whip, and Kentucky descends into lawlessness, the former Golden Gloves boxer, Hudson Croft, is forced to defend his home from violent opportunists. Hudson is ready for the anarchy, but he never anticipated the tornado heading his way, or the war Leighton McDaniel brought with it. Although Hudson is anxious to return to the fight, he remains haunted by his past boxing injuries, for one blow to the head, and it’s lights-out on his life. Amid such an unprecedented attack, a handful of citizens will fight to survive the many storms bearing down upon them. Those clinging to the old world will perish while those who abandon the former world will dig in and fight, proving the might and strength of America are not found solely in her military or her commerce, but in the heart of her people.Fire up your kindle, grab some caffeine, and prepare yourself for a roller-coaster ride through the apocalypse with Kentucky’s finest!