The Alpha Barrier was officially featured at a Roundtable discussion facilitated by the National Defense University, Washington D.C. on April 7, 2010. On that occasion, strategic planners, policy personnel and decision makers representative of the highest levels of government discussed and offered perspectives on the arguments put forward in the book. Within 2 days of the Roundtable, two strategically timed and calibrated visits were launched to countries that were identified in the publication as key geo-strategic players that should be of immediate concern to the United States, 1. The visit of Defence Secretary Robert Gates in April. The visit of Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton in June The successive itineraries were specifically intended to bolster and consolidate accords in the area of defense cooperation, to reaffirm the commitment of the Obama administration to the promotion of cooperation and partnership and to render tangible support for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative in the form of a $73 million Congressional budgetary allocation. The latter would fuel a collective regional offensive against the trafficking of drugs and firearms and effectively stymie the cross-border flows of illicit proceeds derived from the drug trade. These high-profiled visits have lent salience and relevancy to the arguments advanced in The Alpha Barrier...that there is a political imperative for the Obama administration to reinvigorate relationships between the United States and specific players in the south and thereby redress the legacy of diffused interest that typified the post 9/11 era. This compels the application of a new brand of statecraft that is compatible with a drastically altered strategic environment. Key components of this statecraft must necessarily be multilateralism and consensual decision making. The selective delivery of aid packages is merely a first step. The Alpha Barrier is an insightful book that touches on the above topics in detail, and offers clear-minded discussion on these very important issues.

The Tar Baby has been one of the most beloved characters in all of American children's literature. Originally published in 1904 and featuring the art of acclaimed illustrators A. B. Frost and E. W. Kimball, the stories in this edition are told all in rhyme. With illustrations by A. B. Frost and E. W. Kimball.

A thousand years ago, the immortal Trogres forged a powerful relic to aid the newly formed canines in their endeavors. To prevent any one ruler from seizing all its power, the elders of this brilliant half-troll, half-ogre race hid the Relic deep within the heart of the kingdom of Bovania, where its presence has since changed the land's once peaceful Great Danes into greedy, power-hungry dogs.

With this lust for power, so too has come a lust for the ancient piece, and over the centuries, attempts have been made to unearth it and unleash its great force. Even though such attempts have proved fatal in the past, King Ulric of Bovania remains determined to find, and possess, the Relic-and will let nothing stand in his way.

But just when he thinks the Relic is within reach, Ulric learns that it's no longer hidden where it once was. It's now across the Norse Sea, somewhere in Britannia, and he embarks on a ruthless quest to discover where.

Joined by his soldiers and mongrel allies made along the way, Ulric reaps havoc on Britannia in his search. Will he find what he's looking for? Or will Britannia's combined forces bring this unruly dog to heel?