Sci-fi meets historical fact in this thrilling novel by ancient-language scholar Michael S. Heiser. Haunted by his parents' death and his career failures, Dr. Brian Scott has begun to settle for the life he's been given. Until he's kidnapped by military insiders known as The Group. Disappearances. Visitations. Murder. Brian and a team of world-class scholars are given a confidential mission: To prepare humanity for a new reality. They are here. But as the government's involvement with extraterrestrials is revealed, strange things begin to happen. Something isn't right. Unpeeling layer after layer of deception and counter-deception, Brian moves toward a shocking revelation that will forever alter how humanity sees itself. Every document cited in The Façade actually exists. Every ancient text discussed in The Façade is authentic. Every historical figure referred to or quoted in The Façade is real.
Ancient conspiracy. Relentless evil. The hunt for answers continues. The climactic ending of The Façade left Brian Scott and Melissa Kelley with only each other--and the terrible secrets they carry. The Portent finds them living under new identities, their future clouded by constant fear of being exposed. By the time Brian and Melissa learn they're being watched, their carefully constructed lives will be over. Follow Brian and Melissa into the center of an unthinkably vast, centuries-old conspiracy, conceived to turn the faith of millions against itself. Revelations from ancient tombs, long-forgotten Nazi experiments, UFOs, occult mythologies, biblical theology, and godlike technologies converge in answer to a terrifying question: Now that "they" are here, what do they want?
The crucial need to substitute true leadership for bad management practices such as Management By Objectives (MBO) and the use of fear is now well known and was often championed by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. While significant progress has been made, many organizations (especially outside of manufacturing) are either just getting started with their improvement efforts or they are faking their way forward (going through the motions), trying to imitate what they have read in books or have seen at conferences. The executives of these organizations might give permission for the tools of Lean and Six Sigma to be taught but many of them still refuse to look in a mirror and change their own leadership style. They have built a "façade of excellence" that crumbles quickly whenever a bit of chaos is introduced. Not being able to sustain improvements over the long term is one of the top complaints from improvement professionals. What ingredient is missing that prohibits changes to occur throughout the leadership ranks that might create a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and improvement? To start, what exactly do we mean by leadership? The common mistake is to try and put all effective leaders into the same box. Leadership actually has many dimensions and several definitions. This book explores four different styles of leadership that includes "The Crisis Leader," "The Idea Gathering Leader," "The Team Forming Leader," and "The Empowerment Leader." Each of the four styles is appropriate when given a certain set of circumstances (an organization in trouble needs a "Crisis Leader" for example). The goal is to shift the organization, including the leaders and all of the employees at every level, toward collaboration and empowerment. Why go through the pains to rebuild an organization’s culture and leaders? In the annual "IndustryWeek Magazine - Best Plants" competition, the companies that have made the transition to high performance, fully empowered teams ("The Empowerment Leader"), in general, demonstrate far better results than all other applicants (and they tend to win "Best Place to Work" awards as well). So, what is keeping organizational leaders, especially those in the middle of the organization chart, from adopting the "The Empowerment" leadership style? This book defines and helps the reader understand what this new normal of leadership consists of and: Explains the four different styles of leaders and how these are different than a typical "old style" manager. Indicates which style is appropriate given a certain set of circumstances and how a leader knows when it is time to migrate from one style to another. Illustrates what it means for an organization to shift from a "dictator" culture to one of collaboration and what steps can be taken to help this transformation. Explores the current definition of a "promotable manager" and how this differs from a new normal definition of an outstanding, effective "Empowerment" leader. Defines Mission, Vision, Strategy, and Values and how these four cultural principles fit into the leadership progression model. Shows how the culture within the organization will be different after the adoption of empowered teams and introduces the concept of "Enthusiastic Productivity."
When businesses receive positive publicity, it's exciting! More customers means more cash. But too much growth, too soon can be catastrophic, especially if a business lacks the operations to support this influx of customers. Behind the Façade introduces business infrastructure as a way to manage fast growth for repeatable and lasting success.
In this steamy romance from a New York Times bestseller, dark secrets threaten the passion and joy of a couple’s connection as the truth of their pasts slowly creeps up on them. "Phen-om-enal! Nyrae Dawn paints with words in a way that made me drink Facade down in one big gulp. This is one of those books you can read again and again." -- New York Times bestselling author, Courtney Cole on Facade. From bestselling author, Nyrae Dawn, comes Book 2 in her New Adult, Games Series! Can love save them? After her father commits a crime that shatters her family, eighteen-year-old Delaney Cross is tired of pretending everything is alright. Packing up her car, she sets out to find the people her father hurt. Her search leads her to places she's never been--and into the arms of Adrian Westfall. To the outside world, Adrian is a sexy, charming ladies man. But his playboy persona is just an act. Secretly his soul is tortured by a memory too painful to share. Only Delaney seems to see through his favßade to the real man underneath. And for the first time in his life, Adrian feels he can begin to open up about his past. Together, Adrian and Delaney share a passionate, carefree love they never expected to find. Yet both still harbor their own secrets. When the dark truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together, or tear them apart forever?
The Architecture of the Facade provides a comprehensive study of the facade as both a physical and cultural artifact, highlighting its significance as a critical component of the civic realm and arguing for the restoration of the art of the facade as both a subject of study within academia and an aspiration within the profession at large. As the principal surface of mediation, contextualization, and representation, the facade carries the lion’s share of responsibility for containing the internal environment and confronting the outer world. And yet, in recent decades, the very question of what exactly a facade is has been raised by the dramatic changes in building technology, advances of parametric design, and the ubiquity of autonomous buildings. The Architecture of the Facade addresses these and other related issues. The book is organized into 12 chapters, with each chapter focusing on a particular aspect of the phenomenon of the facade such as those of wall, the frame, transparency, and the role of the facade in civic space. Korman also discusses proportional systems, the language of composition, the role of precedent, the importance of context, and much more. Over 350 photos and diagrams provide readers with a variety of examples of artful facades throughout history. Online teaching resources that accompany this book include a course syllabus, a glossary, and a Pinterest tack board of facades. This book will be of great interest to students in architecture studios as well as instructors and professional architects interested in facade design.
Proposing a new way to map intersections of photography and American literature, Katherine Henninger demonstrates the importance of pinpointing specific cultural and subcultural history. "Ordering the Facade" traces the visual and literary cultures of sou
He does not recall where he came from nor why he came, but one morning he found himself in this city which he knows nothing about. He stood there looking around, wondering at faades of buildings and stores. Everything is clean. Clean walls, clean pavements; so clean that he could almost see his own image reflected upon the pavement. Throughout excitement and fascination at the full goes the journey of M N from start to end. The journey is filled with emotions, mysteries, symbols, colors, and tunesall in a world of magical reality. Youssef Ezeddin Eassas The Faade is a most unique work of modern literature, a touching drama in surreal painting. A small matter starts to grow on and on until it fills the whole universe! A search for the very core of the truth hidden behind a thousand masks! A hero whose past has vanished into thin air, together with his name, identity, and placenothing remains of his yesterdays, not even a shadowas he hits the road into this strange city without knowing where he is going. You might find yourself in parts of this novel; however, when you finish reading The Faade, you will never be the same person again.
A high-level breech in National Security launches a covert Navy SEAL mission. And someone is cutting deals with the very men they've been sent to stop. In "The FaA ade," things aren't always as they seem. Enter the world of Travis Boden as he and Delta Team valiantly struggle to uphold their code amid accusations of political conspiracy and corruption. When one of Delta's own disappears and all seems lost, can the team persevere? A very special relationship tips precariously towards failure. Can strength of faith outweigh doubt? A fascinating inside look at the personal and professional life of a Navy SEAL, S.J. Davis's "The FaA ade "will have the reader cheering for the honor a brave heart keeps "
“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) THE PERFECT FACADE is book #12 in a new psychological suspense series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, which begins with The Perfect Wife, a #1 bestseller (and free download) with over 500 five-star reviews. A group of suburban moms go out to a high-end hotel in the big city to celebrate their 40th birthday, and the night gets wild—too wild. When they wake from their sordid night to find a dead body amongst them, Jessie must unravel what happened that night. Could the murderer be one of them? Or are they being targeted? A fast-paced psychological suspense thriller with unforgettable characters and heart-pounding suspense, THE JESSIE HUNT series is a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Books #13-#21 are also available!
