Costa Rica and the CBD :: Government Essays

Costa Rica and the CBD Introduction Costa Rica has been well ahead of other developing countries with its environmental policies. Its involvement with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was in part due to the fact that the country had already been complying with many of the stipulations the convention put forward. In order to understand Costa Rica's environmental leadership one must first understand the history of the CBD and of Costa Rica's environmental policies, and the implications the CBD has had on Costa Rica . It is also important to discuss the increasing role of non-governmental organizations within Costa Rica for changing and creating environmental policy. Even though Costa Rica had advanced environmental policies before the creation of the CBD, the CBD has been important in jumpstarting more international relations between Costa Rica and other countries as well as with other international organizations. Costa Rica worked with international organizations before the ratification of the CBD, but they were more prevalent after the conference. Background to the CBD In 1992 the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One of the most important outcomes of Earth Summit was the creation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the enactment of the convention one year later. The CBD was the first global agreement for the conservation and the sustainable use of biological diversity. It identifies a set of problems, goals and policies that are common to states worldwide. Its three main goals are: to ensure the conservation of biodiversity; to require the sustainable use of the components of biodiversity; and to share the benefits from the commercial utilization of genetic resources in a fair way ("Text of CBD"). These goals were not new for Costa Rica. It is very important to consider the needs of developing countries when drafting international legislation regarding biological diversity because most of the world's biological diversity is found in developing countries. A reason for the c reation of the CBD was the global demand to protect biodiversity and one its provisions is that states have a sovereign right over biodiversity resources. Both of these factors are important when looking at where environmental policy is today because many developed countries who are not home to a significant amount of biodiversity are still concerned with it and that is why they want to impose regulations on the maintenance of biodiversity in other countries.

Funerals of Kings Essays -- Literary Analysis, Beowulf

Beowulf starts with the death of Shield a great king in the eyes of the Geats, it also ends with the death of Beowulf. These funerals are similar in many ways. These funerals can be a reflection of the lives these kings lived because each king had his own way he wanted to be remembered. These funerals both involve huge amounts of treasures being loaded on to ships or back in to the ground and how the Geat people mourned for the loss of the kings.†¨ Treasures were used to gain loyalty from other men in Geat â€Å"steadfast companions will stand by him† (Beowulf 23). Theses â€Å"steadfast companions† (Beowulf 23) help the king survive and help conquer lands and allowing a king to stay in power. In the end of this poem even those gifts will not get the support Beowulf needs. The treasure that was laid on the boat for Shield was â€Å"Far-fetched treasures / were piled upon him, and precious gear† (Beowulf 36-37) A â€Å"far-fetched treasure† (Beow ulf 36) would be some of the rarest in the world. Shield has told his men to â€Å"Shoulder him out to sea’s flood† (Beowulf 30) The boat they put him in was â€Å"A ring-whorled prow rode in the harbor, / ice-clad, outbound, a craft for a prince†(Beowulf 32-33). The description of the boat I think shows the honor that the Geat’s wanted to show their kings and how ornate they make things. At Beowulf’s funeral at the end of the poem they build a great pyre â€Å"The Geat people built a pyre for Beowulf, / stacked and decked it until it stood foursquare.†(Beowulf 3137-38). The pyre is like the boat in the first funeral the boat is built ornately and to stand the test of time. The pyre is built to be tall and strong very similar to the boat. â€Å"hung with helmets, heavy war-shields / and shining armor, just as he had ... ...going or where the â€Å"to wind and tide, bewailing him† (Beowulf 49). They built a memorial on the high grounds letting all that can see know that a great king laid there. All the treasure that had been found in the cave where the dragon had stayed was put back in to the ground where the memorial is. â€Å"They let the ground keep that ancestral treasure / gold under gravel,† (Beowulf 3166-67). These treasures had been around for ages and ages, gold is taken from the ground and in the end put back in to the ground. These kings have thought about how they wanted to be remembered by the people of the time. Their funerals reflected back on their lives, through the gold that was laid on to Shields ship and that was put in the memorial on the coast for Beowulf. Works Cited Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology Of English Literature. 8th. A. W W Norton & Co Inc, 2006.

An Interview With An Entreprenuer Essay -- Interview Essays

I interviewed Manuel, co-owner of All Pro Motor Sports, because his business is extremely innovative and growth-oriented. The purpose of this interview was to learn the following:  § how to identify a business opportunity  § how to successfully launch a business  § how to deal with perceived risks prior to start-up  § how to solve problems encountered during start-up and over the lifetime of a venture BACKGROUND I was introduced to Manuel through a mutual acquaintance that knows I am truly fascinated by the ability to customize vehicles, but more specifically, expensive luxury vehicles. Manuel, originally from Mexico, moved to California with his family twenty years ago. Coming from a large family with 4 brothers and 3 sisters, Manuel was determined to be financially successful. After graduating from State Unversity and working as a financial advisor/broker for Morgan Stanley, Manuel decided he was not happy working in corporate America. After resigning from Morgan Stanley in 2001, Manuel decided his dream of being financially successful would be much easier to accomplish if he launched his own business. Driven by his passion for classy and stylish vehicles, Manuel launched a motor sports company in 2002. SHARED VISION Manuel, co-owner of All Pro Motor Sports, shared his vision to launch a motor sports business that customizes expensive European vehicles with his younger brother, Hussein, and cousin, John. Just 3 years ago, this trio put their capital resources together and launched All Pro Motor Sports. All Pro Motor Sports is not just another motor sports business, it's a motor sports business that focuses on customizing each vehicle to the owner's perfection and guaranteeing that attention to detail is car... ...sionate generally yields positive rewards. Whether one aspires to own a motor sports company or design a type of skiwear that protects people from injuries, passion will be the driving force behind successful execution. According to Hussan and to my agreement, the best way to discover what you are passionate about is to follow your interests and heavily research your interests to discover what interests you most. Once you discover which one of your interest you want to pursue the next, and most important step, is to discover how you could exploit or differentiate your interest in the current marketplace that will give you an opportunity to capitalize. Lastly, I learned that if I decide I don't want to pursue a degree in economics, and instead I want to launch my own business, I must pursue a business in an industry, or lack thereof, that I could commit my life to.

Library Media Center Essay

Libraries have always been a source of knowledge and almost unlimited information for students, lovers of literature, and researchers. The ability to find the information needed is in the hands of the Librarian. This individual is well versed in all library materials from microfiche to non-fiction books and the fastest way to access these materials. This reflection paper examines three programs and technologies associated with Library Media, along with the qualities required for an outstanding Media Library Manager. As technology has advanced so has its place in the library realm. Library Media Programs The media programs found in school libraries operated by certified teacher-librarians give students access to various resources that help the students become well versed in their academic world. The learning requirements for school students continue to advance and students need some help to meet that challenge. This is also an area that is important to the district as well as individual schools. The following is a list of five library media programs that will be beneficial to schools, teachers, and students. Reading Promotion Under this program literature gets a breath of fresh air. Stories and concepts that might have seem boring and outdated to modern day school children gain a new appreciation and critical thinking through activities such as readers’ advisories, booktalks, and awards programs (OSPI). Modern day students are several generations removed from the time of Shakespeare and the concepts of old English. It is important to show the students that Macbeth, Othello, and other classical forms of literature can teach them modern day life skills. By engaging the students in critical thinking to determine how classical literature can be used in their everyday lives keeps these magnificent works alive in the hearts of the next generation and they serve a functional purpose. Information & Resource Management In order to ensure that all the materials students need are readily available, up to date and easily located there must be a high degree of resource management. Some ways to make sure these resources are properly catalogues are: library collections, databases, web pages, and/or instructional resources (OSPI). Children live in the world of ease of use and quick access. If students come into the school library and cannot find the information they need then they will not come back or only come back when absolutely necessary? Curriculum & Instruction Collaboration As mentioned in the previous section students come into the library to find resources in order to answer questions about their homework, get information for papers, and study for tests. It is important that the teachers and the librarians stay in touch when it comes to the school curriculum (OSPI). Communication between the two parties allows for the right materials for the job and various forms of those materials to be distributed or available to the students. In this ways learning is made much simpler. Information Services This is the area where print and electronic information resources come together. It is imperative that students and teachers are taught the most effective means to access and use these materials (OSPI). Without specific training students may become frustrated and then waist time doing unproductive activities. Also, the teachers need to appear knowledgeable to the students. Students need to have the ability to access knowledge from print in traditional ways as well as the knowledge to gather electronic information in the modern way. Library Program Advocacy â€Å"Communicate the school library program’s vision, goals, and learning objectives to administration, staff, parents, and community to advance the program and its role in the learning environment (OSPI). † Libraries like any other department or program require funding in order to compete with other departments and programs. The library is only known for dusty books  and as a place of study; this may not interest children or their parents. The community, the parents, and the children must all be well informed about the importance of the library for their own educational purposes as well as those of future generations. The next section is dedicated to the types of technologies that libraries use in relation to its media. Library Media Technologies There are different types of technologies to be had when dealing with the library. One of the most common is the personal computer that has been integrated into the system. There are also additional technologies such as Web 2. 0 and Library 2. 0, which will be discussed in detail in the next sections. Computers Computer is devices used to store, retrieved, produce, and search for resources. Personal computers are used by adults and children to surf the Internet, chat online, complete work projects and homework assignments. It stands to reason that computers would make their way into the library system. The card catalogue has been a long standing record keeper in the library world. This collection of information on materials and their location was often housed in big wood or metal cabinets that the students would need to access. The information about the materials was literally printed on cards that the children had to read in order to fiction, non-fiction and other assortments of resources. Now with the advent of computers the card catalogue has been revolutionized. All the information found on the cards in the card catalogue can now be found on the computer in an electronic database. This is much easier for the library patrons because any computer in the library will have the information and there is no longer a need to line up in a central location to get resource information. Also, the need to consult with the librarian reduces because the patrons can now find the information for themselves. There are even programs on the computers that tell the patrons exactly where to go to find the materials. If after all the information is given from the electronic card catalogue and the patron still cannot find the location then the librarian is summoned. At first this might seem like a bad thing because librarians need jobs but this new freedom allows the librarians to become better skilled at finding and teaching patrons how to best utilize the library media resources. This education includes ways to use both the regular and the electronic card catalogues. There is always the possibility that the Intranet or Internet will go down but that will not stop the need to study and get homework done. Speaking of the electronic means to complete assignments it is time to discuss Web 2. 0 and Library 2. 0. Web 2. 0 Web 2. 0 incorporates these concepts: collaboration, wisdom of crowds, personalization, community, web-based, and transparency (Vacek). This new program has broadened the horizons of Internet users. One of the hottest ideas was creating a personal websites that others could see, interact with, and then possibly leave comments. Now this idea has evolved into blogging websites. An individual can post a question or place a statement and then open the floor for several different users to provide their opinions and help exchange their knowledge. This is part of that sense of community discussed in the previous paragraph. It is important to note that anyone using information from websites such as blogs should double check the information with sources from the school library database and other trusted academic websites. These are the websites that end in . org and . gov. Moving patrons to another leave is Library 2. 0. Library 2. 0 â€Å"Any service, physical or virtual, that successfully reaches users, is evaluated frequently, and makes sue of customer input is a Library 2. 0 service. Even older, traditional services can be Library 2. 0 if criteria are met (Vacek). † Library 2. 0 can provide magazines online for students and adults to access at any point in time. It provides links to websites such as LinkedIn and Facebook which are types of community websites. The first is based on a community of professionals. Facebook, an important form of social media, provides a chance for students and adults to access company information and also to provide their information for potential jobs. Library 2. 0 has advanced features such as library suggestion box, globally available services, and making information easier to find and access (Vacek). Traditionally, the suggestion box was a box located within a building that was specifically designed to get feedback from patrons about a product or service that might need improvement. Now patrons can access suggestions boxes online in the form of feedback. Globally availability of services means that patrons are no long shackled to one location. Anyone with an online connection can access the information from any location. And of course as talked about previously the very usage of computers with the proper training provides ease of use for the patrons. The next section is dedicated to librarians and how they utilize the media in the library. Media Management Librarians It was previously mentioned that the librarian was the primary helper of the library patrons. These were the experts that performed almost all the library functions for the patrons. These individuals showed the patrons were the card catalogue was located, how to read the information on the cards and then directed them to the location of the sought after materials. In many cases the librarians had to go with the patrons to find the information which could be a hassle sometimes. While one person was being led by the librarian the other patrons would most likely have to wait depending on the number of librarians were available to assist. There were times when the librarian would actually retrieve the information for the patrons and then stamp the books to let the patrons know when the materials were due for return. In the modern world of library media management the entire process of finding and acquiring materials is very different. The librarian is still the resource person but in a different capacity. Since the advent of technology almost all the materials and resources the patrons need can now be found through the electronic database. This means that a patron can access the electronic card catalogue from any computer in the library. The location and availability of the resource in question will be displayed on the screen. The interaction between the librarian and the patrons becomes that of teacher and resource guide. The librarians now have the job of adequately training the patrons, new and old about the electronic databases and how to effectively use them to find materials. It is also important for the librarians to teach the patrons how to use the traditional means to find information like the actual card catalogue. There are certain characteristics required to make an effective media librarian such as certification to best satisfy and assist the patrons. Media Librarian Characteristics One of the main characteristics required for an excellent media librarian manager is certification. â€Å"A professionally-trained library media specialist can optimize each of the other impact factors (quality of information resources, level of patron usage, and level of instructional collaboration), maximizing their program’s impact on student achievement (Spinks). † The level of achievement that is obtained from having certified media librarian managers continues to increase. This does not mean the uncertified staff members no longer serve a purpose. These individuals would be better suited for positions such as clerical workers and operational task assistants. Another way that certification can help make the media library experience more effective is to link the curriculum of the teachers with the library materials that are available for the students. Sometimes when I teacher creates a curriculum or is given one for the students during a school year that are supplemental materials needed to complete the assignments. These materials may not be available with the original set of books for the class. When the certified media librarians and the teachers work together all the materials needed can be reasonability acquired. With the new tools provided by technology the students could easily get access to the materials through the Internet or the electronic database. The students could learn about new resources such as GoogleSholar if academic journals and materials are needed. There will be some materials that the students are not allowed to take out of the library but at least the students will have the information available for their use. The librarian can get a list of materials for the subjects that teachers do submit and then order those materials. The media librarian and the teachers  can communicate through e-mail or face to face in order to discuss any changes that need to be made after the order has come in. It has also been briefly discussed how additional training is needed and administered by the media librarian. The concept of the teaching is quite simple; the media librarian is an expert concerning the new technologies and programs that are used within the library. It then becomes the librarians responsibly to make sure that the patrons are familiar with the new technologies and programs so they can retrieve resources faster. Trainings can be conducted during the time the students are in the library or special times may be allotted for this type of training. The trainings can be repeated as needed when new material comes out, new technologies are implemented, or new programs have been added to the media library. Diversity is very important and the media librarian must take that into consideration when authorizing new technologies and programs. The media library materials need to include information about African Americans, Asian Americans, Islamic Americans, LGBT, and disabled patrons. Materials available in Braille and also that are voice activated would be very important to the learning process of the individual. Another benefit is the opportunity to learn about another culture from materials that are located in the library. Conclusion The sources of knowledge and information for the modern day patron are no longer isolated to printed materials and the traditional library. Even the traditional librarian has undergone a huge change. Programs like advocacy coupled with technologies such Library 2.0 are able to draw in more interested parties and with the help of a certified librarian the possibilities to new knowledge are expounded. The more the patrons become familiarized with the materials and how to get them the more time the librarian can take on improving his or her own skills concerning. In the near future there may be no need for these gladiators of the new library world. It would be possible for people to download information directly into their devices with a tutorial on how to use them. Only time will tell the wonders of this new media concerning libraries, librarians, and patrons. Let’s keep our eyes open. References  Spinks, A. (2009). Library Media Programs and Student Achievement. Retrieved May 13, 2013 from http://www. cobbk12. org/librarymedia/proof/research. pdf State of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). (n. d. ). School Library Media Programs and Teacher-Librarians. Retrieved May 13, 2013 from http://www. k12. wa. us/SchoolLibrary/ Wools, B. (2008). The school library media manager (4th ed. ). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited. Vacek, R. (n. d. ). Technology Trends in Libraries – Today & Tomorrow. Retrieved May 13, 2013 from http://www. slideshare. net/vacekrae/technology-trends-in-libraries-today-tomorrow.

Timeline of British Crime Films of the 20th Century

British Crime Films Of The 20th Century 1910-1920 – WW1 (1914-1918), Depression, Unemployment, men out in France Fighting. 1911 – A Burglar For one Night (Bert Haldane) Silent Film Deals with unemployment (A problem at the time) A man fired from his job, turns to crime but is ‘rescued’ by his lover. Due to the war, the British crime film industry slowed down a little. People didn’t want to be reminded of the harshness of real life but wanted to be taken away from the war and real life therefore, crime films didn’t properly restart until the late 20’s thanks to Alfred Hitchcock. 920-1930 – The Great War had ended and things were looking better for Britain as unemployment and poverty decreased during the 20’s. 1927 – The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (Hitchcock) Silent the first true ‘ Hitchcock film' About a man thought guilty by the police to be the killer of his sister amongst other beautiful women but is in fact innocent and is trying to kill the killer himself. A mob try an attack him thinking he's the killer but the real killer is caught just in time for him to be spared.He and his lover live happily ever after. 1929 – Blackmail (Hitchcock) Thriller drama first truly British ‘talkie film' but began as a silent film beautiful blonde accidentally kills rapist. A man knows she's involved and blackmails her into telling the police. He gets blamed (due to his criminal record), chased and dies while she is left innocent. 1930-1940 – British crime film prospered and different formats of film became popular, especially the ‘private investigator' film including the visualisation of the Sherlock Holmes Mysteries. 940-1950 – When WW2 was declared in 1939, instead of stopping altogether crime films adapted with films like, 1941 – Cottage to let (Asquith) A spy film Set in World War II Scotland, its plot concerns Nazi spies trying to kidnap an inventor. 1945 – Waterloo Road (Gilliat) An AWOL soldier returns to south London to save his wife from the advances of a philandering draft-dodger As the immediate post-war period attention focused on gangs that had evolved in the chaos of the urban home front. 1947 – Brighton Rock (Boulting) ilm noire This drama film centres on the activities of a gang of assorted criminals and, in particular, their leader A psychopathic young hoodlum known as â€Å"Pinkie† The film's main thematic concern is the criminal underbelly evident in inter-war Brighton. 1947 – Hue and Cry (Charles Crichton) A vivid portrait of a London still showing the damage of World War II. London forms the backdrop of a crime-gangster plot which revolves around a working-class children's street culture and children's secret clubs. 950-1960 – focus shifted again in the 50's where it looked at how youth crime was on the rise. 1953 – Cosh boy (Gilbert) 1960-1970 – as organised crim e became a reality in Britain the crime film shifted on the activities of criminal gangs and also was starting to present the criminal of the film as a hero 1967 – Robbery ( Yates) follows a gang performing the ‘great train robbery' The film follows their POV as the police try and hunt them down 1969 – The Italian Job (Collinson) gang of British thieves take on Europe in order to preserve British superiority and honour 1970-1990 – Organised crime films still retained their popularity until the late 90's where focus began to shift again. Until then crime films focusing on gang crimes remained popular be it with different themes like prostitution, IRA and the Irish civil war or living in an urban lifestyle. 1971 – Get Carter (Hodges) 1980 – The long Good Friday (Mackenzie) 1986 – Mona Lisa (Jordan) 1990 – The Krays (Medak) 1996 – Small Faces (MacKinnon)Late 90's – the ordinary ‘working-class' criminal came back into focus shortly after this that addressed the victim-criminal and the career-criminal. 1996 – Trainspotting (Boyle) placed drugs as the main focus of the film showing how drugs inflict onto society how the victims of drugs need to commit crime to support their habit. Going into the 21st century British crime films still relate around current social problems like drugs, prostitution etc†¦ they have become more stylised, gritty and realistic. Less romantic which was focused on in the early 20th century and more focused on current issues happening in the world today and real people.

Lather and Nothing Else and the Possibility of Evil

British Baptist Preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, â€Å"Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us. † By reading â€Å"Lather and Nothing Else,† â€Å"The Possibility of Evil† and through one’s one personal struggles this quote is found to be true. Everyone faces struggles with themselves. It is yourself that is your own enemy because your mind is what creates your fears, goals and weaknesses not someone else. The story â€Å"Lather and Nothing Else† talks about a barber who must decide to be either a hero or a murderer. The Possibility of Evil† deals with the evil that lies beneath the peaceful surface of a small town. In both stories topics including integrity, honesty, morals, values and work ethic are dealt with Characters in both stories encounter struggle or conflict, but something is learned through this struggle. First of all, the story â€Å"Lather and Nothing Else† deals with inner struggle . The main character, the barber, is secretly a member of the resistance against the government. The conflict is introduced when Captain Torres, an executioner, walks into the barber’s shop to get shaved. That gives the barber an opportunity to kill him and become a hero. The main character then becomes very conflicted. If he decides to kill Cpt. Torres he could escape to another country, but he would still have to live with the fact that he killed someone and that feeling would haunt him for the rest of his life. The barber debated the situation in his head. Perhaps he believed killing someone would lower himself to the captain’s level. The main character came to the decision that he would not kill the captain. The barber believed he did his work honorably and didn’t want to stain his hands with blood. To each his own. That’s the way it is. To each his own. † The lesson the author intends the readers to learn is to always weigh out the pros and cons before making a difficult choice in life. Next, â€Å"The Possibility of Evil† demonstrates the sense of morality very well. Mrs. Strangeworth is an elderly lady who lives in Pleasant Town. She had lived there for a long time and believed it was her job to protect her town. She wrote anonymous letters to people spreading false rumors and wrote about people’s flaws and sent them to different citizens of that town. She believed that by sending these letters she was getting rid of the evil in her town. The struggles in this story is person vs. society because one can tell by reading this story that deep down in that old lady’s heart, she loathed the people in her town. She dealt with her struggle by writing secret letters about people and posting them. In the end her most prized possessions, her roses, were destroyed by a man after finding out she was the one sending the letters. The lesson readers take away from this story is what goes around comes around, any actions, good or bad, will have a consequence. Finally, I, myself, have gone through many struggles throughout my life. One of my biggest struggles is when I spent three weeks living on a military base. I only got a chance to leave the base once and that was to do community service but I still had to wear my combat uniform. They woke us up at 5:00 AM every morning, taken for a one hour jog and trained until 6:30 in the evening. We got a 1. 5 hour break and had to be back in our barracks by 9:00 PM. We would then polish our boots for a half hour then went to bed. They would play The Last Post at 10 PM every night and â€Å"Reveille† on the bugle every morning at 5. I struggled a lot with the schedule, home sickness and during a injury to my ankle from a Biathlon I competed in. I was so fed up with everything and just wanted to go home. I got through it because of all the amazing people that were there. The girls I shared a room with were all used to this because they have done it before. They really talked me through it and took me around the base and made it fun for me. The officers, padres and doctors there were also really supportive. There was always someone there for me to talk to. The people I met there ended up becoming my second family. I believe the lesson I learned from that experience is that it doesn’t matter who you are with or where you may be, there really is no place at home. In conclusion, as to what was stated in the introduction, everyone faces struggles with themselves. In â€Å"Lather and Nothing Else† the barber struggles with himself, he doesn’t want to be a killer but killing Captain Torres could potentially save many other lives. In â€Å"The Possibility of Evil† the ain conflict I person vs. society, however, the woman also struggles with herself. She hated the people in her town and dealt with it by sending anonymous letters to citizens about their flaws or accused them of things they may not be guilty for. In a way, she’s destroying her own town by breaking the reliance people have in each other. Also, in my own struggle I was homesick and confused. I dea lt with situation I never would have imagined beforehand. As one can see, lessons were learned through struggles by both characters in these stories and through my own experiences.

Hamburger Hill Essay

The entire mountain is a rugged, uninviting wilderness blanketed in double- and triple-canopy jungle, dense thickets of bamboo, and waist-high elephant grass. Local Montagnard tribesmen called Ap Bia â€Å"the mountain of the crouching beast. † LTC Weldon Honeycutt, commander of the 3d Battalion, 187th Infantry (the â€Å"Rakkasans†), called it â€Å"Hill 937. † The Soldiers who fought there dubbed it â€Å"Hamburger Hill. † The ? ght on Hamburger Hill occurred during Operation Apache Snow, the second part of a three-phased campaign intended to destroy North Vietnam Army (NVA) bases in the treacherous A Shau Valley. The American and South Vietnamese units participating in Apache Snow knew, based on existing intelligence and previous experiences in the A Shau, that they were in for a tough ? ght. Beyond that, however, they had little evidence as to the enemy’s actual strength and dispositions. Masters of camou? age, the NVA completely concealed their bases from aerial surveillance. When the NVA moved, they did so at night along trails covered by triple-canopy jungle, again confounding observation from above. They effected their command and control mainly by runner and wire, leaving no electronic signature for the Americans to monitor or trace. Technology, therefore, provided scant assistance to the American battalion commander trying to â€Å"see the enemy† during Apache Snow. He had to generate his own tacticalintelligence. Patrols, captured equipment, installations, documents, and occasionally prisoners provided combat commanders with the raw data from which to draw their assessment of the enemy order of battle and dispositions. Gathering this information took time, though. Moreover, intelligence about the enemy’s strength and dispositions did not necessarily illuminate his commander’s intent. It took days to ascertain this, and the learning experience proved decidedly unpleasant for the Americans. On 11 May, Honeycutt dispersed his Rakkasans and scoured the vicinity to the north and northwest of Ap Bia Mountain. When Bravo Company made heavy contact with some NVA late in the day, Honeycutt adjusted his estimate of the enemy’s strength from â€Å"a few trail watchers† to a reinforced platoon or even a company. The Rakkasans could still deal with a force that size, but they would have to concentrate to do so. For the next three days, Honeycutt fought the mountain and the NVA to bring his scattered companies together for a coordinated battalion attack. Despite the fact that, since the initial assault, no company was more than about 1,500 meters from the crest of the mountain, it took two days to consolidate the battalion for a three-company assault. Time and again, the American infantrymen found themselves hampered as much by the topography as by the enemy. The rugged terrain slowed dismounted movement to a crawl. Between 12 and 14 May, for example, Delta Company was virtually immobilized when it went down a steep ravine and was caught there by the enemy. In one grueling ? ve-hour period, the company labored to advance a total of only 500 meters. The steep, mud-covered slopes, more than the enemy, kept this company from ful? lling Honeycutt’s intent. In the end, the troops had to abandon their attack and withdraw the way they had come. These three days were a period of intensely unpleasant â€Å"discovery learning† for Honeycutt and his men. Map reconnaissance and helicopter over-? ights did not indicate that his initial scheme of maneuver was impractical. It took Delta Company’s three-day ordeal to do so. Though Honeycutt had a long and distinguished record as a combat commander in both Vietnam and Korea, he underestimated Ap Bia Mountain and the NVA facing him. Although his estimate of the enemy strength was incorrect, his miscalculation was not immediately apparent to him or to any of the American leadership. It took three days of assaults by Bravo and Charlie Companies, each bloodily repulsed, before the situation became clearer. The enemy was stronger than anticipated, much stronger than company strength, and he grew more powerful every night as he received reinforcements from Laos. The NVA commander’s demonstrated tenacity and willingness to replace heavy losses indicated he intended to put up a stiff ? ght for Hill 937 (Scalard).