It took us a long time to get to Lodz, though it is not much more than 200 kilometres away. Russian roads are villainously bad anyhow, and the Germans, though their retreat had been hasty, had had time to destroy the roads and bridges as they went. Another thing that delayed us were the enormous reinforcements of troops going up from Warsaw to the front. It was very interesting to watch the different groups as we passed, first a Cossack regiment going up, then an immense convoy followed with about 200 wagons of forage. Just ahead of that we passed the remounts—sturdy, shaggy Siberian ponies. They are the most delightful creatures in the world, as tame as a dog, and not much bigger, and many of them of a most unusual and beautiful shade of golden cream. They have been brought from Siberia by the thousand, and most of the little had never seen a motor-car before, and pranced and kicked and jumped, and went through all kinds of circus tricks as we passed.
As we grew nearer to Lodz it was sad to see a good many dead horses lying by the roadside, mostly killed by shell-fire. The shells had made great holes in the road too, and the last part of our journey was like a ride on a switchback railway. It began to get dark as we came to Breeziny, where a large number of Russian batteries were stationed. It looked very jolly there, these large camps of men and horses having their supper by the light of a camp-fire, with only the distant rumble of the guns to remind them that they were at war. Two hours later we jolted into the streets of Lodz.
Lodz is a large cotton manufacturing town—sometimes called the Manchester of Poland—but now of course all the factories were closed, and many destroyed by shell. I should not think it was a very festive place at the best of times; it looked squalid and grimy, and the large bulk of its population was made up of the most abject Jews I have ever seen.
We had to make a long detour and get into the town by an unfrequented country road, as Lodz was being heavily bombarded by the German guns. We were put down at a large building which we were told was the military hospital. Princess V., Colonel S., and a Russian student were working hard in the operating-room, and we hastily put on clean overalls and joined them. They all looked absolutely worn out, and the doctor dropped asleep between each case; but fresh wounded were being brought in every minute and there was no one else to help. Lodz was one big hospital. We heard that there were more than 18,000 wounded there, and I can well believe it. Every building of any size had been turned into a hospital, and almost all the supplies of every kind had given out.
The building we were in had been a day-school, and the top floor was made up of large airy schoolrooms that were quite suitable for wards. But the shelling recommenced so violently that the wounded all had to be moved down to the ground floor and into the cellars. The place was an absolute inferno. I could never have imagined anything worse. It was fearfully cold, and the hospital was not heated at all, for there was no wood or coal in Lodz, and for the same reason the gas-jets gave out only the faintest glimmer of light. There was no clean linen, and the poor fellows were lying there still in their verminous, blood-soaked shirts, shivering with cold, as we had only one small blanket each for them. They were lucky if they had a bed at all, for many were lying with only a little straw between them and the cold stone floor. There were no basins or towels or anything to wash up with, and no spittoons, so the men were spitting all over the already filthy floor. In the largest ward where there were seventy or eighty men lying, there was a lavatory adjoining which had got blocked up, and a thin stream of dirty water trickled under the door and meandered in little rivulets all over the room. The smell was awful, as some of the men had been there already several days without having had their dressings done.
This was the state in which the hospital had been handed over to us. It was a military hospital whose staff had had orders to leave at four o'clock that morning, and they handed the whole hospital with its 270 patients over to us just as it was; and we could do very little towards making it more comfortable for them. The stench of the whole place was horrible, but it was too cold to do more than open the window for a minute or two every now and then. It was no one's fault that things were in such a horrible condition—it was just the force of circumstances and the fortune of war that the place had been taxed far beyond its possible capacities.
All night long the most terribly wounded men were being brought in from the field, some were already dead when they arrived, others had only a few minutes to live; all the rest were very cold and wet and exhausted, and we had nothing to make them comfortable. What a blessing hot-water bottles would have been—but after all there would have been no hot water to fill them if we had had them. But the wounded had to be brought in for shelter somewhere, and at least we had a roof over their heads, and hot tea to give them.
there came a lull. The tragic procession ceased for a while, and we went to lie down. At seven o'clock we were called again—another batch of wounded was being brought in.
The shelling had begun again, and was terrific; crash, crash, over our heads the whole time. A clock-tower close to the hospital was demolished and windows broken everywhere. The shells were bursting everywhere in the street, and civilians were being brought in to us severely wounded.  Apparently she suffered no pain, but was most dreadfully agitated, poor old dear, at having lost her wig in the transit. They began bringing in so many that we had to stop civilians being brought in at all, as it was more than we could do to cope with the wounded soldiers that were being brought in all the time.
At midday we went to a hotel for a meal. There was very, very little food left in Lodz, but they brought what they could. Coming back to the hospital we tried everywhere to get some bread, but there was none to be had anywhere—all the provision shops were quite empty, and the inhabitants looked miserable and starved, the Jewish population particularly so, though they were probably not among the poorest.
On our way back a shell burst quite close to us in the street, but no one was hurt. These shells make a most horrible scream before bursting, like an animal in pain. Ordinarily I am the most dreadful coward in the world about loud noises—I even hate a sham thunderstorm in a theatre—but here somehow the shells were so part of the whole thing that one did not realize that all this was happening to us , one felt rather like a disinterested spectator at a far-off dream. It was probably partly due to want of sleep; one's hands did the work, but one's mind was mercifully numbed.  The never-ending processions of groaning men being brought in on those horrible blood-soaked stretchers, suffering unimagined tortures, the filth, the cold, the stench, the hunger, the vermin, and the squalor of it all, added to one's utter helplessness to do more than very little to relieve their misery, was almost enough to make even Satan weep.
On the third day after our arrival a young Russian doctor and some Russian sisters arrived to relieve us for a few hours, and we most thankfully went to bed—at least it was not a bed in the ordinary sense, but a wire bedstead on which we lay down in all our clothes; but we were very comfortable all the same.
When we woke up we were told that the military authorities had given orders for the patients to be evacuated, and that Red Cross carts were coming all night to take them away to the station, where some ambulance trains awaited them. So we worked hard all night to get the dressings done before the men were sent away, and as we finished each case, he was carried down to the hall to await his turn to go; but it was very difficult as all the time they were bringing in fresh cases as fast as they were taking the others away, and alas! many had to go off without having had their dressings done at all. The next afternoon we were still taking in, when we got another order that all the fresh patients were to be evacuated and the hospital closed, as the Russians had decided to retire from Lodz. Again we worked all night, and by ten the next morning we had got all the patients away. The sanitars collected all the bedding in the yard to be burnt, the bedsteads were piled high on one another, and we opened all the windows wide to let the clean cold wind blow over everything.
We had all our own dressings and equipment to pack, and were all just about at our last gasp from want of food and sleep, when a very kind Polish lady came and carried princess, we two Sisters, and Colonel S. off to her house, where she had prepared bedrooms for us. I never looked forward to anything so much in my life as I did to my bed that night. Our hostess simply heaped benefits on us by preparing us each a hot bath in turn. We had not washed or had our clothes off since we came to Lodz, and were covered with vermin which had come to us from the patients; men and officers alike suffer terribly from this plague of insects, which really do make one's life a burden. There are three varieties commonly met with: ordinary fleas that no one minds in the least; white insects that are the commonest and live in the folds of one's clothes, whose young are most difficult to find, and who grow middle-aged and very hungry in a single night; and, lastly, the red insects with a good many legs, which are much less numerous but much more ravenous than the other kinds.
After the bath and the hunt, we sat down to a delicious supper, and were looking forward to a still more delicious night in bed, when suddenly Prince V. arrived and said we must leave at once. We guessed instantly that the Germans must be very near, but that he did not wish us to ask questions, as it seemed very mean to go off ourselves and leave our kind hosts without a word of explanation, though of course we could only obey orders. So we left our unfinished supper and quickly collected our belongings and took them to the hotel where our Red Cross car should have been waiting for us. But the Red Cross authorities had sent off our car with some wounded, which of course was just as it should be, and we were promised another "seechas," which literally translated signifies "immediately," but in Russia means to-day or to-morrow or not at all.
"Let us come into the hotel and get a meal while we wait," suggested the Prince, mindful of our uneaten supper, and we followed him to the restaurant—still mourning those beautiful beds we had left behind us, and so tired we didn't much care whether the Germans came or not. Nothing can express utter desolation much more nakedly than a Grand Hotel that has been through a week or two's bombardment. Here indeed were the mighty fallen. A large hole was ripped out of the wall of the big restaurant, close to the alcove where the band used to play while the smart people dined. An elaborate wine-list still graced each little table, but coffee made from rye bread crusts mixed with a little chicory was the only drink that a few white-faced waiters who crept about the room like shadows could apologetically offer us. We sat there till nearly 3 A. M. , and Colonel S., utterly worn out, was fast asleep with his head on the little table, and there was no sign of any car, or of any Germans, so we went to lie down till morning.
In the morning things began to look cheerful. The Germans had still not arrived, our own car turned up, and best of all the Prince heard officially that every wounded man who was at all transportable had now been successfully got out of Lodz. It was a gigantic task, this evacuation of over 18,000 wounded in four days, and it is a great feather in the Russian cap to have achieved it so successfully.
It was a most lovely day with a soft blue sky, and all the world bathed in winter sunshine. Shelling had ceased during the night, but began again with terrific force in the morning, and we started off under a perfect hail of shells. There were four German aeroplanes hovering just above us, throwing down bombs at short intervals. The shells aimed at them looked so innocent, like little white puff-balls bursting up in the blue sky. We hoped they would be brought down, but they were too high for that. The bombs were only a little diversion of theirs by the way—they were really trying to locate the Russian battery, as they were evidently making signals to their own headquarters. Danger always adds a spice to every entertainment, and as the wounded were all out and we had nobody but ourselves to think about, we could enjoy our thrilling departure from Lodz under heavy fire to the uttermost. And I must say I have rarely enjoyed anything more. It was simply glorious spinning along in that car, and we got out safely without anyone being hurt.
We passed through Breeziny, where the tail-end of a battle was going on, and the Prince stopped the car for a few minutes so that we could see the men in the trenches. On our way we passed crowds of terrified refugees hurrying along the road with their few possessions on their backs or in their arms; it reminded me of those sad processions of flying peasants in Belgium, but I think these were mostly much poorer, and had not so much to lose. Just as the sun was setting we stopped for a rest at a place the Prince knew of, half inn, half farm-house.  To us it seemed like an ill omen for the unhappy town, but it may be that the Germans took those flaming clouds to mean that even the heavens themselves were illuminated to signal their victory.
Some bread and some pale golden Hungarian Tokay were produced by our host for our refreshment. The latter was delicious, but it must have been much more potent than it looked, for though I only had one small glass of it, I collapsed altogether afterwards, and lay on the floor of the car, and could not move till the lights of Warsaw were in sight. In a few minutes more we arrived at the Hotel Bristol, and then the Flying Column went to bed at last.
IX More Doings of the Flying Column
The Grand Duchess Cyril happened to be staying at the Hotel Bristol too. Like most of the other members of the Russian Royal Family, since the beginning of the war she has been devoting her whole time to helping wounded soldiers, and is the centre of a whole network of activities. She has a large hospital in Warsaw for men and officers, a very efficient ambulance train that can hold 800 wounded, and one of the best surgeons in Petrograd working on it, and a provision train which sets up feeding-stations for the troops and for refugees in places where food is very scarce, which last is an indescribable boon to all who benefit by it. The Grand Duchess's hospital in Warsaw, like every other just at this time, was crammed to overflowing with wounded from Lodz, and the staff was inadequate to meet this unexpected need.
The Grand Duchess met Princess V. in the lounge just as we arrived from Lodz, and begged that our Column might go and help for a time at her hospital. Accordingly, the next day, the consent of the Red Cross Office having been obtained, we went off to the Grand Duchess's hospital for a time to supplement and relieve their staff. They met us with open arms, as they were all very tired and very thankful for our help. They only had room for fifty patients and had had about 150 brought in. Fortunately the Grand Duchess's ambulance train had just come back to Warsaw, so the most convalescent of the old cases were taken off to Petrograd, but even then we were working in the operating-theatre till twelve or one every night. They hoped we had come for two or three weeks and were very disgusted when, in five days' time, the order came for us to go off to Skiernevice with the automobiles. The hospital staff gave us such a nice send-off, and openly wished that they belonged to a flying column too. I must say it was very interesting these startings off into the unknown, with our little fleet of automobiles containing ourselves and our equipment. We made a very flourishing start out of Warsaw, but very soon plunged into an appalling mess of mud. One could really write an epic poem on Russian roads. At the best of times they are awful; on this particular occasion they were full of large holes made by shells and covered with thick swampy mud that had been snow the week before. It delayed us so much that we did not get to Skiernevice till late that night.
Skiernevice is a small town, important chiefly as a railway junction, as two lines branch off here towards Germany and Austria north-west and south-west. The Tsar has a shooting-box here in the midst of beautiful woods, and two rooms had been set apart in this house for our Column.
We arrived late in the evening, secretly hoping that we should get a night in bed, and were rather rejoiced at finding that there were no wounded there at all at present, though a large contingent was expected later. So we camped in the two rooms allotted to us: Princess, Sister G., and myself in one, and all the men of the party in the other. No wounded arrived for two or three days, and we thoroughly enjoyed the rest and, above all, the beautiful woods. How delicious the pines smelt after that horrible Lodz. Twice a day we used to go down the railway line, where there was a restaurant car for the officers; it seemed odd to be eating our meals in the Berlin-Warsaw International Restaurant Car. There was always something interesting going on at the station. One day a regiment from Warsaw had just been detrained there when a German Taube came sailing over the station throwing down grenades. Every man immediately began to fire up in the air, and we ran much more risk of being killed by a Russian bullet than by the German Taube. It was like being in the middle of a battle, and I much regretted I had not my camera with me. Another day all the débris of a battlefield had been picked up and was lying in piles in the station waiting to be sent off to Warsaw. There were truck-loads of stuff; German and Russian overcoats, boots, rifles, water- bottles, caps, swords, and helmets and all sorts of miscellaneous kit.
We often saw gangs of prisoners, mostly Austrian, but some German, and they always seemed well treated by the Russians. The Austrian prisoners nearly always looked very miserable, cold, hungry, and worn out.  How angry the soldiers were with him—one gave him a great punch in the back, another kicked him up into the train, and a soldier on the platform who saw what was happening ran as fast as he could and was just in time to give him a parting hit on the shoulder. The old man did not cry out or attempt to retaliate, but his face was ashy-white with terror, and one of his hands was dripping with blood. It was a very horrible sight and haunted me all the rest of the day. It was quite right that he should be shot as a spy, but the unnecessary cruelty first sickened me.
There were masses of troops constantly going up to the positions from Skiernevice, and as there was a short cut through the park, which they generally used, we could see all that was going on from our rooms. On Sunday it was evident that another big battle was pending. Several batteries went up through our woods, each gun-carriage almost up to its axles in mud, dragged by eight strong horses. They were followed by a regiment of Cossacks, looking very fierce in their great black fur head-dresses, huge sheep-skin coats, and long spears. There was one small Cossack boy who was riding out with his father to the front and who could not have been more than eleven or twelve years old. There are quite a number of young boys at the front who make themselves very useful in taking messages, carrying ammunition, and so on. We had one little boy of thirteen in the hospital at Warsaw, who was badly wounded while carrying a message to the colonel, and he was afterwards awarded the St. George's Cross.
There were enormous numbers of other troops too: Siberians, Tartars, Asiatic Russians from Turkestan, Caucasians in their beautiful black-and-silver uniforms, Little Russians from the south, and great fair-haired giants from the north.
The little Catholic Church in the village was full to overflowing at the early Mass that Sunday morning with men in full marching kit on their way out to the trenches. A very large number of them made their Confession and received the Blessed Sacrament before starting out, and for many, many of these it was their Viaticum, for the great battle began that afternoon, and few of the gallant fellows we saw going up to the trenches that morning ever returned again.
That afternoon the Prince had business at the Staff Headquarters out beyond Lowice, and I went out there in the automobile with him and Monsieur Goochkoff. We went through Lowice on the way there. The little town had been severely bombarded (it was taken two or three days later by the Germans), and we met many of the peasants hurrying away from it carrying their possessions with them. You may know the peasants of Lowice anywhere by their distinctive dress, which is the most brilliantly coloured peasant dress imaginable. The women wear gorgeous petticoats of orange, red and blue, or green in vertical stripes and a cape of the same material over their shoulders, a bright-coloured shawl, generally orange, on their heads, and brilliant bootlaces—magenta is the colour most affected. The men, too, wear trousers of the same kind of vertical stripes, generally of orange and black. These splashes of bright colour are delicious in this sad, grey country.
The General of the Staff was quartered at Radzivilow Castle, and I explored the place while the Prince and Monsieur Goochkoff did their business. The old, dark hall, with armour hanging on the walls and worm-eaten furniture covered with priceless tapestry, would have made a splendid picture.  In one corner a young lieutenant was taking interminable messages from the field telephone, and under the window another Turkestan soldier stood sharpening his dagger. The Prince asked him what he was doing, and his dark face lighted up.  The men of this Turkestan regiment are said to be extraordinarily brave men.
The next day the wounded began to arrive in Skiernevice, and in two days' time the temporary hospital was full.
The Tsar had a private theatre at Skiernevice with a little separate station of its own about 200 yards farther down the line than the ordinary station, and in many ways this made quite a suitable hospital except for the want of a proper water-supply.
The next thing we heard was that the Russian General had decided to fall back once more, and we must be prepared to move at any moment.
All that day we heard violent cannonading going on and all the next night, though the hospital was already full, the little country carts came in one after another filled with wounded. They were to only stay one night, as in the morning ambulance trains were coming to take them all away, and we had orders to follow as soon as the last patient had gone. Another operating- and dressing-room was quickly improvised, but even with the two going hard all night it was difficult to keep pace with the number brought in.
The scenery had never been taken down after the last dramatic performance played in the theatre, and wounded men lay everywhere between the wings and drop scenes. The auditorium was packed so closely that you could hardly get between the men without treading on some one's hands and feet as they lay on the floor. The light had given out—in the two dressing-rooms there were oil-lamps, but in the rest of the place we had to make do with candle-ends stuck into bottles. The foyer had been made into a splendid kitchen, where hot tea and boiling soup could be got all night through. This department was worked by the local Red Cross Society, and was a great credit to them.
About eight o'clock in the morning the first ambulance train came in, and was quickly filled with patients. We heard that the Germans were now very near, and hoped we should manage to get away all the wounded before they arrived.
The second train came up about eleven, and by that time a fierce rifle encounter was going on. From the hospital window we could see the Russian troops firing from the trenches near the railway. Soon there was a violent explosion that shook the place; this was the Russians blowing up the railway bridge on the western side of the station.
The second train went off, and there were very few patients left now, though some were still being brought in at intervals by the Red Cross carts. Our automobiles had started off to Warsaw with some wounded officers, but the rest of the column had orders to go to Zyradow by the last train to leave Skiernevice.
The sanitars now began to pack up the hospital; we did not mean to leave anything behind for the enemy if we could help it. The few bedsteads were taken to pieces and tied up, the stretchers put together and the blankets tied up in bundles. When the last ambulance train came up about 2 P. M. the patients were first put in, and then every portable object that could be removed was packed into the train too. At the last moment, when the train was just about to start, one of the sanitars ran back and triumphantly brought out a pile of dirty soup plates to add to the collection. Nothing was left in the hospital but two dead men we had not time to bury.
The wounded were all going to Warsaw and the other Russian Sisters went on in the train with them. But our destination was Zyradow, only the next station but one down the line.
When we arrived at Zyradow about three o'clock we were looking forward to a bath and tea and bed, as we had been up all night and were very tired; but the train most unkindly dropped us about a quarter of a mile from the station, and we had to get out all our equipment and heavy cases of dressings, and put them at the side of the line, while Julian, the Prince's soldier servant, went off to try and find a man and a cart for the things. There was a steady downpour of rain, and we were soaked by the time he came back saying that there was nothing to be had at all. The station was all in crumbling ruins, so we could not leave the things there, and our precious dressings were beginning to get wet. Finally we got permission to put them in a closed cinema theatre near the station, but it was dark by that time, and we were wet and cold and began once more to centre our thoughts on baths and tea. We were a small party—only six of us—Princess, we two Sisters, Colonel S., a Russian dresser, and Julian. We caught a local Red Crosser. "Where is the hotel?" "There is no hotel here." "Where can we lodge for to-night?" "I don't know where you could lodge." "Where is the Red Cross Bureau?" asked Princess, in desperation. "About a quarter of an hour's walk. I will show you the way."
We got to the Red Cross Bureau to find that Monsieur Goochkoff had not yet arrived, though he was expected, and they could offer no solution of our difficulties, except to advise us to go to the Factory Hospital and see if they could make any arrangement for us. The Matron there was very kind, and telephoned to every one she could think of, and finally got a message that we were expected, and were to sleep at the Reserve. So we trudged once more through the mud and rain. The "Reserve" was two small, empty rooms, where thirty Sisters were going to pass the night. They had no beds, and not even straw, but were just going to lie on the floor in their clothes. There was obviously no room for six more of us, and finally we went back once more to the Red Cross Bureau. Princess seized an empty room, and announced that we were going to sleep in it. We were told we couldn't, as it had been reserved for somebody else; but we didn't care, and got some patients' stretchers from the depot and lay down on them in our wet clothes just as we were. In the middle of the night the "somebody" for whom the room had been kept arrived, strode into the room, and turned up the electric light. The others were really asleep, and I pretended to be. He had a good look at us, and then strode out again grunting. We woke up every five minutes, it was so dreadfully cold, and though we were so tired, I was not sorry when it was time to get up.
We had breakfast at a dirty little restaurant in the town, and then got a message from the Red Cross that there would be nothing for us to do that day, but that we were probably going to be sent to Radzowill the following morning. So we decided to go off to the Factory Hospital and see if we could persuade the Matron to let us have a bath there.
Zyradow is one very large cotton and woollen factory, employing about 5000 hands. In Russia it is the good law that for every hundred workmen employed there shall be one hospital bed provided. In the small factories a few beds in the local hospital are generally subsidized, in larger ones they usually find it more convenient to have their own. So here there was a very nice little hospital with fifty beds, which had been stretched now to hold twice as many more, as a great many wounded had to be sent in here. The Matron is a Pole of Scottish extraction, and spoke fluent but quite foreign English with a strong Scotch accent. There are a good many Scotch families here, who came over and settled in Poland about a hundred years ago, and who are all engaged in different departments in the factory. She was kindness itself, and gave us tea first and then prepared a hot bath for us all in turn. We got rid of most of our tormentors and were at peace once more.
As we left the hospital we met three footsore soldiers whose boots were absolutely worn right through. They were coming up to the hospital to see if the Matron had any dead men's boots that would fit them. It sounded rather gruesome—but she told us that that was quite a common errand. The Russian military boots are excellent, but, of course, all boots wear out very quickly under such trying circumstances of roads and weather. They are top boots, strong and waterproof, and very often made by the men themselves. The uniform, too, is very practical and so strong that the men have told me that carpets are made from the material. The colour is browner than our own khaki—and quite different both from the German, which is much greyer, and the Austrian, which is almost blue. I heard in Belgium that at the beginning of the war German soldiers were constantly mistaken for our men.
X By the Trenches at Radzivilow
The next morning we went up to Radzivilow. It is the next station to Skiernevice, and there was very heavy fighting going on there when we went up. We were told we were going up on an armoured train, which sounded very thrilling, but when we got to the station we only found a quite ordinary carriage put on to the engine to take us up. The Russian battery was at that time at the south of the railway line, the German battery on the north of it—and we were in the centre of the sandwich. At Zyradow these cannon sounded distant, but as we neared Radzivilow the guns were crashing away as they did at Lodz, and we prepared for a hot time. The station had been entirely wrecked and was simply in ruins, but the station-master's house near by was still intact, and we had orders to rig up a temporary dressing-station there.
Before we had time to unpack our dressings, a messenger arrived to tell us that the Germans had succeeded in enfilading a Russian trench close by, and that they were bringing fifty very badly wounded men to us almost at once. We had just time to start the sterilizer when the little carts began to arrive with some terribly wounded men. The machine guns had simply swept the trench from end to end. The worst of it was that some lived for hours when death would have been a more merciful release. Thank God we had plenty of morphia with us and could thus ease their terrible sufferings.  Another poor old fellow was brought in with nine wounds in the abdomen. He looked quite a patriarch with a long flowing beard—quite the oldest man I have seen in the Russian army. Poor Ivan, he had only just been called up to the front and this was his first battle.  Ivan was almost more unhappy at his wife's beautiful work having to be cut than at his own terrible wounds. He was quite conscious and not in much pain, and did so long to live even a week or two longer, so that he might see his wife once again. But it was not to be, and he died early the next morning—one of the dearest old men one could ever meet, and so pathetically grateful for the very little we could do for him.
The shells were crashing over our heads and bursting everywhere, but we were too busy to heed them, as more and more men were brought to the dressing-station. It was an awful problem what to do with them: the house was small and we were using the two biggest rooms downstairs as operating-and dressing-rooms. Straw was procured and laid on the floors of all the little rooms upstairs, and after each man's wounds were dressed he was carried with difficulty up the narrow winding staircase and laid on the floor.
The day wore on and as it got dark we began to do the work under great difficulties, for there were no shutters or blinds to the upstairs windows, and we dared not have any light—even a candle—there, as it would have brought down the German fire on us at once. So those poor men had to lie up there in the pitch dark, and one of us went round from time to time with a little electric torch. Downstairs we managed to darken the windows, but the dressings and operations had all to be done by candle-light.
The Germans were constantly sending up rockets of blue fire which illuminated the whole place, and we were afraid every moment they would find us out. Some of the shells had set houses near by on fire too, and the sky was lighted up with a dull red glow. The carts bringing the men showed no lights, and they were lifted out in the dark when they arrived and laid in rows in the lobby till we had time to see to them. By nine o'clock that evening we had more than 300 men, and were thankful to see an ambulance train coming up the line to take them away. The sanitars had a difficult job getting these poor men downstairs and carrying them to the train, which was quite dark too. But the men were thankful themselves to get away, I think—it was nerve-racking work for them, lying wounded in that little house with the shells bursting continually over it.
All night long the men were being brought in from the trenches. About four in the morning there was a little lull and some one made tea. I wonder what people in England would have thought if they had seen us at that meal. We had it in the stuffy dressing-room where we had been working without a stop for sixteen hours with tightly closed windows, and every smell that can be imagined pervading it, the floor covered with mud, blood and débris of dressings wherever there were not stretchers on which were men who had just been operated on. The meal of milkless tea, black bread, and cheese, was spread on a sterilized towel on the operating-table, illuminated by two candles stuck in bottles. Princess sat in the only chair, and the rest of us eased our weary feet by sitting on the edge of the dressing-boxes. Two dead soldiers lay at our feet—it was not safe just at that moment to take them out and bury them. People would probably ask how we could eat under those conditions. I don't know how we could either, but we did and were thankful for it—for immediately after another rush began.
At eleven o'clock in the morning another ambulance train arrived and was quickly filled. By that time we had had more than 750 patients through our hands, and they were still being brought in large numbers. The fighting must have been terrific, for the men were absolutely worn out when they arrived, and fell asleep at once from exhaustion, in spite of their wounds. Some of them must have been a long time in the trenches, for many were in a terribly verminous condition. On one poor boy with a smashed leg the insects could have only been counted by the million. About ten minutes after his dressing was done, his white bandage was quite grey with the army of invaders that had collected on it from his other garments.
Early that afternoon we got a message that another Column was coming to relieve us, and that we were to return to Zyradow for a rest. We were very sorry to leave our little dressing-station, but rejoiced to hear that we were to go up again in two days' time to relieve this second Column, and that we were to work alternately with them, forty-eight hours on, and then forty-eight hours off duty.
We had left Zyradow rather quiet, but when we came back we found the cannon going hard, both from the Radzivilow and the Goosof direction. It would have taken much more than cannon to keep us awake, however, and we lay down most gratefully on our stretchers in the empty room at the Red Cross Bureau and slept. A forty-eight hours' spell is rather long for the staff, though probably there would have been great difficulty in changing the Columns more often.
I woke up in the evening to hear the church bells ringing, and remembered that it was Christmas Eve and that they were ringing for the Midnight Mass, so I got up quickly. The large church was packed with people, every one of the little side chapels was full and people were even sitting on the altar steps. There must have been three or four thousand people there, most of them of course the people of the place, but also soldiers, Red Cross workers and many refugees mostly from Lowice. Poor people, it was a sad Christmas for them—having lost so much already and not knowing from day to day if they would lose all, as at that time it was a question whether or not the Russian authorities would decide for strategic reasons to fall back once more.
And then twelve o'clock struck and the Mass began.
Soon a young priest got up into the pulpit and gave them a little sermon. It was in Polish, but though I could not understand the words, I could tell from the people's faces what it was about. When he spoke of the horrors of war, the losses and the deaths and the suffering that had come to so many of them, one woman put her apron to her face and sobbed aloud in the tense silence. And in a moment the whole congregation began sobbing and moaning and swaying themselves to and fro. The young priest stopped and left them alone a moment or two, and then began to speak in a low persuasive voice. I do not know what he said, but he gradually soothed them and made them happy. And then the organ began pealing out triumphantly, and while the guns crashed and thundered outside, the choir within sang of peace and goodwill to all men.
Christmas Day was a very mournful one for us, as we heard of the loss of our new and best automobile, which had just been given as a present to the Column. One of the boys was taking it to Warsaw from Skiernevice with some wounded officers, and it had broken down just outside the village. The mud was awful, and with the very greatest difficulty they managed to get it towed as far as Rawa, but had to finally abandon it to the Germans, though fortunately they got off safely themselves. It was a great blow to the Column, as it was impossible to replace it, these big ambulance cars costing something like 8000 roubles.
So our Christmas dinner eaten at our usual dirty little restaurant could not be called a success.
Food was very scarce at that time in Zyradow; there was hardly any meat or sugar, and no milk or eggs or white bread. One of us had brought a cake for Christmas from Warsaw weeks before, and it was partaken of on this melancholy occasion without enthusiasm. Even the punch made out of a teaspoonful of brandy from the bottom of Princess's flask mixed with about a pint of water and two lumps of sugar failed to move us to any hilarity. Our menu did not vary in any particular from that usually provided at the restaurant, though we did feel we might have had a clean cloth for once.
| MENU |
| Christmas 1914 |
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| Gravy Soup. |
| Roast Horse. Boiled Potatoes. |
| Currant Cake. |
| Tea. Punch. |
We were very glad to go up to Radzivilow once more. Our former dressing-station had been abandoned as too dangerous for staff and patients, and the dressing- and operating-room was now in a train about five versts down the line from Radzivilow station. Our train was a permanency on the line, and we lived and worked in it, while twice a day an ambulance train came up, our wounded were transferred to it and taken away, and we filled up once more. We found things fairly quiet this time when we went up. The Germans had been making some very fierce attacks, trying to cross the river Rawka, and therefore their losses must have been very heavy, but the Russians were merely holding their ground, and so there were comparatively few wounded on our side. This time we were able to divide up into shifts for the work—a luxury we were very seldom able to indulge in.
We had previously made great friends with a Siberian captain, and we found to our delight that he was living in a little hut close to our train. He asked me one day if I would like to go up to the positions with him and take some Christmas presents round to the men. Of course I was more than delighted, and as he was going up that night and I was not on duty, the general very kindly gave permission for me to go up too. In the end Colonel S. and one of the Russian Sisters accompanied us as well. The captain got a rough cart and horse to take us part of the way, and he and another man rode on horseback beside us. We started off about ten o'clock, a very bright moonlight night—so bright that we had to take off our brassards and anything that could have shown up white against the dark background of the woods. We drove as far as the pine-woods in which the Russian positions were, and left the cart and horses in charge of a Cossack while we were away. The general had intended that we should see the reserve trenches, but we had seen plenty of them before, and our captain meant that we should see all the fun that was going, so he took us right up to the front positions. We went through the wood silently in single file, taking care that if possible not even a twig should crackle under our feet, till we came to the very front trenches at the edge of the wood. We crouched down and watched for some time. Everything was brilliantly illuminated by the moonlight, and we had to be very careful not to show ourselves. A very fierce German attack was going on, and the bullets were pattering like hail on the trees all round us. We could see nothing for some time but the smoke of the rifles.
The Germans were only about a hundred yards away from us at this time, and we could see the river Rawka glittering below in the moonlight. What an absurd little river to have so much fighting about. That night it looked as if we could easily wade across it. The captain made a sign, and we crept with him along the edge of the wood, till we got to a Siberian officer's dug-out. At first we could not see anything, then we saw a hole between two bushes, and after slithering backwards down the hole, we got into a sort of cave that had been roofed in with poles and branches, and was absolutely invisible a few steps away. It was fearfully hot and frowzy—a little stove in the corner threw out a great heat, and the men all began to smoke, which made it worse.
We stayed a while talking, and then crawled along to visit one of the men's dug-outs, a German bullet just missing us as we passed, and burying itself in a tree. There were six men already in the dug-out, so we did not attempt to get in, but gave them tobacco and matches, for which they were very grateful. These men had an "ikon" or sacred picture hanging up inside their cave; the Russian soldiers on active service carry a regimental ikon, and many carry them in their pockets too. One man had his life saved by his ikon. He showed it to us; the bullet had gone just between the Mother and the Child, and was embedded in the wood.
It was all intensely interesting, and we left the positions with great reluctance, to return through the moonlit pine-woods till we reached our cart. We had indeed made a night of it, for it was five o'clock in the morning when we got back to the train once more, and both the doctor and I were on duty again at eight. But it was well worth losing a night's sleep to go up to the positions during a violent German attack. I wonder what the general would have said if he had known!
We finished our forty-eight hours' duty and returned once more to Zyradow. I was always loth to leave Radzivilow. The work there was splendid, and there more than anywhere else I have been to one feels the war as a High Adventure.
War would be the most glorious game in the world if it were not for the killing and wounding. In it one tastes the joy of comradeship to the full, the taking and giving, and helping and being helped in a way that would be impossible to conceive in the or dinary world. At Radzivilow, too, one could see the poetry of war, the zest of the frosty mornings, and the delight of the camp-fire at night, the warm, clean smell of the horses tethered everywhere, the keen hunger, the rough food sweetened by the sauce of danger, the riding out in high hope in the morning; even the returning wounded in the evening did not seem altogether such a bad thing out there.  The vision of the High Adventure is not often vouchsafed to one, but it is a good thing to have had it—it carries one through many a night at the shambles. Radzivilow is the only place it came to me. In Belgium one's heart was wrung by the poignancy of it all, its littleness and defencelessness; in Lodz one could see nothing for the squalor and "frightfulness"; in other places the ruined villages, the flight of the dazed, terrified peasants show one of the darkest sides of war.
It was New Year's Eve when we returned to Zyradow, and found ourselves billeted in a new house where there was not only a bed each, but a bathroom and a bath. Imagine what that meant to people who had not undressed at night for more than three weeks.
Midnight struck as we were having supper, and we drank the health of the New Year in many glasses of tea. What would the lifted veil of time disclose in this momentous year just opening for us?
It did not begin particularly auspiciously for me, for within the first few days of it I got a wound in the leg from a bit of shrapnel, was nearly killed by a bomb from a German Taube, and caught a very bad chill and had to go to bed with pleurisy—all of which happenings gave me leisure to write this little account of my adventures.
The bomb from the Taube was certainly the nearest escape I am ever likely to have in this world. I was walking over a piece of open ground, saw nothing, heard nothing, was dreaming in fact, when suddenly I heard a whirring overhead, and just above me was a German aeroplane. Before I had time to think, down came a bomb with a fearful explosion. I could not see anything for a minute, and then the smoke cleared away, and I was standing at the edge of a large hole. The bomb had fallen into a bed of soft mud, and exploded upwards. Some soldiers who were not very far off rushed to see if I were killed, and were very surprised to find that I was practically unhurt. A bomb thrown that same afternoon that exploded on the pavement killed and wounded nine people.
The wound was from a stray bit of shrapnel and was only a trifle, fortunately, and soon healed. The pleurisy was a longer job and compelled me to go to bed for a fortnight.
My enforced holiday is over now and I am on my way back to my beloved column once more—to the life on the open road—with its joys and sorrows, its comradeship, its pain and its inexplicable happiness—back once more to exchange the pen for the more ready weapon of the forceps.
And so I will leave this brief account of what I have seen in this great war. I know better than anyone can tell me what an imperfect sketch it is, but the history of the war will have to be studied from a great many different angles before a picture of it will be able to be presented in its true perspective, and it may be that this particular angle will be of some little interest to those who are interested in Red Cross work in different countries. Those who are workers themselves will forgive the roughness of the sketch, which was written during my illness in snatches and at odd times, on all sorts of stray pieces of paper and far from any books of reference; they will perhaps forget the imperfections in remembering that it has been written close to the turmoil of the battlefield, to the continual music of the cannon and the steady tramp of feet marching past my window.


6.2.2: Regulating Transcription at the Chromatin Level
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Learning Objectives
- Predict regions of the genome that are more likely to have “open” or “closed” chromatin and understand how acetylation affects chromatin.
- Identify the molecular nature of DNA methylation, the types of bases that are methylated, and the effect of DNA methylation on gene expression.
Eukaryotes regulate transcription via promoter sequences close to the transcription unit (as in prokaryotes) and also use more distant enhancer sequences to provide more variation in the timing, level, and location of transcription, however, there are still additional levels of genetic control. This consists of two major mechanism: (1) large-scale changes in chromatin structure, and (2) modification of bases in the DNA sequence. These two are often inter-connected.
Chromatin remodeling
Despite the simplified way in which we often represent DNA, DNA is almost always associated with various chromatin proteins. For example, histones remain associated with the DNA even during transcription. Thus the rate of transcription is also controlled by the accessibility of DNA to RNA polymerase and regulatory proteins. So, in regions with highly compact chromatin transcription is unlikely, even if all the necessary cis - and trans - factors are present in the nucleus.
The extent of chromatin compaction in various regions is regulated through the action of chromatin remodeling proteins. These protein complexes include enzymes that add or remove chemical tags, such as methyl or acetyl groups, to various DNA bound proteins, often the histone proteins in nucleosomes. These post-translational modifications alter the local chromatin density and thus the availability for transcription. Acetylated histones, for example, tend to be associated with actively transcribed genes, whereas deacetylated histone are associated with genes that are silenced.
Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Acetylation of histone proteins is associated with more a more open chromatin configuration. Acetylation is a reversible process. (Origianl-Deyholos-CC:AN)
Likewise, methylation of DNA itself is also associated with transcription regulation. Cytosine bases, particularly when followed by a guanine are important targets for DNA methylation. Using a p to represent the phosphodiester bond between the nucleotides, these are often called CpG sites , and regions in which many CpG sites are nearby are known as CpG islands. Methylated cytosine within clusters of CpG sites is often associated with transcriptionally inactive DNA.
Thinking about CpG
Why is C followed by G an important site for DNA methylation? Think about the sequence of both strands of DNA. What is the complementary sequence of 5' ...CG... 3' ? Does this allow both strands to be methylated?
Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): A methylation reaction produces 5-methylcytosine (5mC). Methyl groups may also be removed by DNA demethylases. (flickr-Beardy Git-CC:AND)
Common post-translational modifications to histones
These post-translational modifications are the result of enzymes that covalently link functional groups to amino acids at specific positions in histones.
- Acetylation
- Methylation
- Phosphorylation
- Ubiquitination
Combinations of these modifications was first postulated to be a "code" by which the regulation of genes is interpreted by David Allis and colleagues in 2001.
Heritability of Chromatin
The modification of DNA and its associated proteins is enzymatically reversible (acetylases/deacetylases; methyltranferases/demethylases) and thus a cyclical activity. However, when DNA is replicated, existing modifications on the parental strand will be added to the newly synthesized strand as well, maintaining the pattern in daughter cells until the modification is enzymatically removed. Regulation of these chemical modifications provides another layer through which eukaryotic cells control the transcription of specific genes.
Code readers
In addition to influencing an overall level of chromatin accessibility, modified histones may interact specifically with proteins that recognize their modifications to promote recruitment of additional proteins for functions in repair, replication, or transcription.
Contributors and Attributions
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Dr. Todd Nickle and Isabelle Barrette-Ng (Mount Royal University) The content on this page is licensed under CC SA 3.0 licensing guidelines.


8.7: Discussion- Renaissance Love Poems
Source readings : “Whoso list to hunt”; “Rose-cheeked Laura”; “The Passionate Shepherd to his Love”; “The Flea”
Discussion Prompt
Answer all parts of all questions.
Briefly compare and contrast the way the four assigned poems seem to view love or the beloved.
For this prompt the interpretations may vary quite a bit. There is no expected or correct answer, but the most effective answers will demonstrate a deeper rather than a superficial understanding of the poems.
Remember that it is the speakers of the poems who are speaking these views, not the authors (works may be autobiographical, but we cannot be sure of this). Remember to identify each poem by title and author. Include well chosen, brief quotations as needed for support, but most of the answer should be comprised of your own writing.
Discussion Board Instructions
Answer each question, unless otherwise specified. Number your answers (do not copy the prompt into your answers.) Answers need not be of equal length, but all answers must be well developed. The word count total (250+) refers to all answers added together.
In the first sentence or two of your first answer identify the name of the work and full name of the author (if applicable).
Include at least one quotation from the work in your overall response. Use line number(s) to identify the location of your citation. No works cited page is needed.
Grading Rubric
| Levels of Achievement | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criteria | Excellent | Good | Adequate | Inadequate | Unacceptable |
| Response: Content Length and Development | 22 Points | 19 Points | 16 Points | 11 Points | 0 Points |
| Meets or exceeds the minimum length requirement. Demonstrates insight and understanding of the text(s) in an excellent, thorough, detailed, clear, and well developed response to the entire prompt. Response is comprised primarily of the student’s own answer(s), but is supported by at least one well chosen quotation. | Meets the minimum length requirement. Demonstrates understanding of the text(s) in a good, clear, well developed response to the entire prompt. Response is comprised primarily of the student’s own answer(s), but is supported by at least one well chosen quotation. | Meets or nearly meets the minimum length requirement. Demonstrates a basic understanding of the text(s) in a developed response to the prompt. Includes an adequate amount of the student’s own answer(s), but may incorporate too much summary, paraphrase, or quotations or lack a quotation for support. | Meets or falls 15%+ short of the minimum length requirement. Inadequately responds to the prompt with answer(s) that are substantively incorrect, superficial, underdeveloped, and/or reliant mostly on summary, paraphrase, or quotations. | Unacceptable development: Fails to meet at least 50% of the length requirement. | |
| Response: Source Identification and Citation | 4 points | 3.5 points | 3 Points | 2 Points | 0 Points |
| Clearly identifies by title and full name of author the name(s) of work(s) to be discussed. Cites material from source(s) as instructed in the assignment. | Identifies the work(s) and author(s). Cites material from source(s) as instructed in the assignment. | Identifies the work(s) or author(s). Cites adequately. | Inadequately identifies source(s) and author(s) and/or inadequately cites source(s). | Lacks identification and citation of source(s). | |
| Response: Grammar and Mechanics | 4 Points | 3.5 Points | 3 Points | 2 Points | 0 Points |
| Response is free or nearly free of errors in grammar (including but not limited to use of full sentences and appropriate word choice) and mechanics (including but not limited to spelling and punctuation). | Response demonstrates occasional errors in grammar or mechanics that do not affect overall clarity. | Demonstrates errors in grammar or mechanics that occasionally affect meaning. | Inadequately meets standards for grammar and mechanics. Clarity is frequently affected. | Unacceptable level of errors in grammar or mechanics. Clarity is greatly affected. | |
| Comment 1: Engagement and Content | 7 Points | 6 Points | 5 Points | 3.5 Points | 0 Points |
| Demonstrates thorough engagement in a comment that is detailed, well crafted, and reflective. | Demonstrates effective engagement in a comment that is effectively crafted and reflective. | Demonstrates an adequate engagement in a comment that addresses at least one point of an answer to the other student’s response. | Demonstrates inadequate engagement in a comment that only superficially or tangentially addresses the content of the other student’s response. | Unacceptable development: Fails to meet at least 50% of the minimum length requirement. | |
| Comment 1: Grammar and Mechanics and Length Requirement | 3 Points | 2.5 Points | 2 Points | 1.5 Points | 0 Points |
| Contains few if any grammar or mechanics issues. Meets or exceeds the minimum length requirement. | Contains few if any grammar or mechanics issues. Meets the length requirement. | Contains grammar and/or mechanics issues that occasionally affect clarity. Meets or falls within 10% of the minimum length requirement. | Inadequately meets standards for grammar and mechanics. Clarity is frequently affected. Meets or falls 15%+ short of the minimum length requirement. | Unacceptable level of errors in grammar or mechanics that greatly affect clarity. (No credit for this element if fails to meet at least 50% of the minimum length requirement.) | |
| Comment 2: Engagement and Content | 7 Points | 6 Points | 5 Points | 3.5 Points | 0 Points |
| Demonstrates thorough engagement with the content of the other student’s response in a comment that is detailed, well crafted, and reflective. | Demonstrates effective engagement in a comment that is effectively crafted and reflective. | Demonstrates an adequate engagement in a comment that engages with at least one point of content in the other student’s response. | Demonstrates inadequate engagement in a comment that only superficially or tangentially addresses the content of the other student’s response. | Unacceptable development: Fails to meet at least 50% of the length requirement. | |
| Comment 2: Grammar and Mechanics and Length Requirement. | 3 Points | 2.5 Points | 2 Points | 1.5 Points | 0 Points |
| Contains few if any grammar or mechanics issues. Meets or exceeds the minimum length requirement. | Contains a few grammar and/or mechanics issues, but these do not affect overall clarity. Meets the minimum length requirement. | Contains grammar and/or mechanics issues that occasionally affect clarity. Meets or falls within 10% of the minimum length requirement. | Inadequately meets standards for grammar and mechanics. Clarity is frequently affected. Meets or falls 15%+ short of the minimum length requirement. | Unacceptable level of errors in grammar or mechanics that greatly affect clarity. (No credit for this element if comment fails to meet at least 50% of the minimum length requirement.) |
- Survey of English Literature I. Authored by : Wendy Howard Gray. Provided by : Reynolds Community College. Located at : http://www.reynolds.edu/ . License : CC BY: Attribution


7.21: Reading- Low-Involvement vs. High-Involvement Decisions
How Involved Are You?
You’re at the grocery store, looking at the dog food selection.
Change of scene.
You’re on a car sales lot, looking at the selection of vehicles for sale. How long does it take you to choose a product, buy it, and drive off the lot?
For most people these scenarios are worlds apart in terms of the time, effort, emotional, and psychological work it takes to make a purchasing decision.
When a purchasing decision involves a low-cost item that is frequently bought—such as bread or toothpaste—the buying process is typically quick and routinized. Buying a new car is quite different. The extent to which a decision is considered complex or simple depends on the following:
- Whether the decision is novel or routine
- The extent of the customers’ involvement with the decision
High-involvement decisions are those that are important to the buyer. These decisions are closely tied to the consumer’s ego and self-image. They also involve some risk to the consumer. This may include financial risk (highly priced items), social risk (products that are important to the peer group), or psychological risk (the wrong decision may cause the consumer some concern and anxiety). In making these decisions, consumers generally feel it is worth the time and energy needed to do research and consider solution alternatives carefully. The full, six-stage, complex process of consumer decision making is more likely to happen with high-involvement product purchases. In these cases, a buyer gathers extensive information from multiple sources, evaluates many alternatives, and invests substantial effort in making the best decision.
Low-involvement decisions are more straightforward, require little risk, are repetitive, and often lead to a habit. In effect, these purchases are not very important to the consumer. Financial, social, and psychological risks are not nearly as great. In these cases, it may not be worth the consumer’s time and effort to search for exhaustive information about different brands or to consider a wide range of alternatives. A low-involvement purchase usually involves an abridged decision-making process. In these situations, the buyer typically does little if any information gathering, and any evaluation of alternatives is relatively simple and straightforward. Consumers are diligent enough to get a product they want, but they generally spend no more time or effort than is needed.
There are general patterns about what constitutes a high-involvement decision (buying cars, homes, engagement rings, pets, computers, etc.) versus a low-involvement decision (buying bread, chewing gum, toothpaste, dishwasher detergent, trash bags, etc.). However, the real determinant is the individual consumer and how involved they choose to be in solving the problem or need they have identified.
Marketing Considerations About Consumer Involvement
Let’s imagine another couple of scenarios.
Situation 1: You have just moved in with roommates for the first time. Excitement about your new independence temporarily dims when you scour the kitchen and find just three forks, four spoons, and zero table knives. On your way to Walmart, you stop off at Goodwill, and you are delighted to pay less than $4 for an unmatched service for eight.
 You have spent days looking through magazines, browsing online, and visiting shops to find the perfect silverware to match the dishes on your wedding registry. It gives you pause, though, when you learn that your dream flatware costs $98 per place setting. Still, you rationalize that you only get married once—or at least that’s your plan.
In each of these situations, the consumer is making a purchasing decision about the same product: silverware. But the level of involvement in each situation is very different. The new roommate wants to spend as little time and money as possible to get a product that will get the job done. The soon-to-be-bride is pinning her future happiness on selecting the right pattern. Who is more involved?
 Which of these consumers will pay any attention to the full-page ads you have placed in seven popular women’s magazines? Which of these consumers will click on the paid search listing Google placed in their search results for new silverware patterns? Which one is most likely to come to a store to see the beautiful sheen of your new product line and feel its perfectly balanced weight with her fingertips?
As a marketer you should recognize high-involvement versus low-involvement consumers of your products and strategize accordingly. It is entirely possible for your target segments to include a mix of both. When you recognize the differences in how they make decisions, you can create a marketing mix designed to impact each type of consumer. For the customer who wants little involvement, your marketing mix can simplify their buying process. For the consumer who is highly involved, you can provide the information and validation they seek.
Contributors and Attributions
- Revision and Adaptation. Authored by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
- Chapter 4: Understanding Buyer Behavior, from Introducing Marketing. Authored by : John Burnett. Provided by : Global Text. Located at : http://solr.bccampus.ca:8001/bcc/file/ddbe3343-9796-4801-a0cb-7af7b02e3191/1/Core%20Concepts%20of%20Marketing.pdf . License : CC BY: Attribution
- 2/365+1 Cuttles. Authored by : Dave Crosby. Located at : https://www.flickr.com/photos/wikidave/6620457275/ . License : CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
- Dog Food Selection. Authored by : Christopher. Located at : https://www.flickr.com/photos/colorblindpicaso/2676714959/ . License : CC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial


6: International Organizations
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As you may have picked up in the previous chapter, we live in a world of laws. While sovereign states are the principal legal actors, international organisations are increasingly important in helping us govern our world. Today’s international system is made up of a cacophony of different voices and interests. In addition to states there are also non-governmental organisations, multinational corporations and hybrid organisations which are a mix of all the different categories.
Imagine stepping off a plane into a foreign country. As you disembark you switch on your phone to check the messages that may have come through while you were in transit. You follow the sign that directs you to the airport’s exit, clear immigration, and then pick up your luggage at the designated carousel. You then head straight for the ‘nothing to declare’ green lane to exit the airport. Those routine actions would have already brought you into contact with the work of at least four different international organisations. The aircraft that you arrived in would have been one of the many planes under the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and regulated by standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); that you were able to use your phone to check messages would have been courtesy of the work of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); and your customs clearance would have been facilitated by the Kyoto Convention set by the World Customs Organization (WCO) to simplify the customs process.
These are just some of the ways in which international organisations form an integral part of our everyday lives. Whether these organisations are working to build houses for the impoverished like UN-Habitat does, or working to ensure a standard of health for everyone like the World Health Organization (WHO) does, there is no running away from international organisations. Today, it is increasingly difficult to imagine an international system in which the only voices that matter are those of states.


9: Mutation and Variation
The techniques of genetic analysis discussed in the previous chapters depend on the availability of two or more alleles for a gene of interest. Where do these alleles come from? The short answer is mutation . Humans have an interesting relationship with mutation. From our perspective, mutations can be extraordinarily useful, since mutations are need for evolution to occur.Mutation is also essential for the domestication and improvement of almost all of our food. On the other hand, mutations are the cause of many cancers and other diseases, and can be devastating to individuals. Yet, the vast majority of mutations probably go undetected.In this section, we will examine some of the causes and effects of mutations.
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- 9.1: Mutation and Polymorphism
- This page discusses how DNA transmits genetic information reliably but can undergo mutations, affecting phenotype and leading to classification into mutants. It differentiates between mutations and polymorphisms, noting that polymorphisms are common variants (over 1%) that do not imply normality. While mutations may cause diseases, polymorphisms can account for traits like hair color. Molecular markers, a specific type of polymorphism, are important for genetic research.
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- 9.2: Origins of Mutations
- This page discusses mutations, which are changes in DNA due to deletions, insertions, or substitutions, and can occur spontaneously or through mutagens. It highlights biological mutations from replication errors and mobile genetic elements called transposable elements (TEs), which disrupt gene functions and are classified as Class I (retrotransposons) and Class II (transposons). TEs are important for genome evolution, affecting gene structure, function, and genetic diversity.
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- 9.3: Genetic screening for mutations- Forward genetics
- This page details a method for identifying genes crucial to biological processes via mutant screening. Researchers induce mutations in a population and identify mutants with disrupted phenotypes linked to specific pathways, like memory in Drosophila. The process involves treating a parental population with a mutagen, targeting germline mutations that can be homozygous in offspring.
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- 9.4: Types of Mutations
- This page explains the five types of mutant alleles resulting from mutations: amorph (complete loss of function), hypomorph (partial loss of function), hypermorph (gain of quantity), neomorph (gain of new function), and antimorph (dominant opposite function). It highlights the dominance and recessiveness of these alleles and their impact on genetic expression and phenotype, contributing to a deeper understanding of mutation effects.
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- 9.5: Some mutations may not have detectable phenotypes
- This page discusses silent mutations that do not impact phenotypes, often found in non-coding regions or due to genetic redundancy. It mentions how some mutations in essential genes can result in recessive lethal alleles, making them difficult to detect. The text also explains the naming convention of genes based on mutant phenotypes rather than their normal functions, using the example of the white gene in fruit flies to illustrate potential confusion.
-
- 9.6: Complementation tests and Allelism
- This page explains complementation tests in genetic research to identify whether mutations affecting similar traits are allelic or non-allelic. It uses examples, such as flower color, to demonstrate that crossing homozygous mutant strains results in wild-type offspring for non-allelic mutations or retains the mutant phenotype for allelic mutations. It highlights that true-breeding, recessive mutations are essential for these tests.
-
- 9.7: Example of Human Mutations
- This page discusses cystic fibrosis (CF), an autosomal recessive disorder caused by CFTR gene mutations, particularly the ΔF508 mutation, which affects chloride ion transport and leads to mucus buildup in the lungs and other organs. It is more common in individuals of European descent. Kalydeco is a treatment for certain CFTR mutations, offering improved outcomes for some patients, albeit at a high cost.
-
- 9.8: Linkage and Mapping
-
- 9.8.1: Linkage
- 9.8.2: Recombination
- 9.8.3: Linkage Reduces Recombination Frequency
- 9.8.4: Crossovers Allow Recombination of Linked Loci
- 9.8.5: Inferring Recombination From Genetic Data
- 9.8.6: Genetic Mapping
- 9.8.7: Mapping With Three-Point Crosses
- 9.8.E: Linkage and Mapping (Exercises)
- 9.8.S: Linkage and Mapping (Summary)
Contributors
-
Dr. Todd Nickle and Isabelle Barrette-Ng (Mount Royal University) The content on this page is licensed under CC SA 3.0 licensing guidelines.
Thumbnail: The difference in appearance between pigmented and white peacocks is due to mutation. (Flickr-ecstaticist-CCANS)


When you hear the word,
graph
, what comes to mind? You might think of the
xy
xy
-coordinate system you learned about earlier in this course, or you might think of the line graphs and bar charts that are used to display data in news reports. The graphs we discuss in this chapter are probably very different from what you think of as a graph.  The dots represent a group of objects and the line segments represent the connections, or relationships, between them. The objects might be bus stops, computers, Snapchat accounts, family members, or any other objects that have direct connections to each other. The connections can be physical or virtual, formal or casual, scientific or social. Regardless of the kind of connections, the purpose of the graph is to help us visualize the structure of the entire network to better understand the interactions of the objects within it.
Parts of a Graph
In a
graph
, the objects are represented with dots and their connections are represented with lines like those in Figure 12.3. Figure 12.3 displays a
simple graph
labeled
G
and a
multigraph
labeled
H
. The dots are called
vertices
; an individual dot is a
vertex
, which is one object of a set of objects, some of which may be connected. We often label vertices with letters. For example, Graph
G
has vertices
a, b, c
, and
d
, and Multigraph
H
has vertices,
e, f, g
, and
h
. Each line segment or connection joining two vertices is referred to as an
edge
.
H
is considered a multigraph because it has a double edge between
f
and
h
, and a double edge between
h
and
g
. Another reason
H
is called a multigraph is that it has a
loop
connecting vertex
e
to itself; a loop is an edge that joins a vertex to itself. Loops and double edges are not allowed in a simple graph.
To sum up, a simple graph is a collection of vertices and any edges that may connect them, such that every edge connects two vertices with no loops and no two vertices are joined by more than one edge. A multigraph is a graph in which there may be loops or pairs of vertices that are joined by more than one edge. In this chapter, most of our work will be with simple graphs, which we will call graphs for convenience.
It is not necessary for the edges in a graph to be straight.  In graph theory, the focus is on which vertices are connected, not how the connections are drawn (see Figure 12.4). In a graph, each edge can be named by the two letters of the associated vertices. The four edges in Graph
X
in Figure 12.4 are
ab, ac, ad
, and
ae
. The order of the letters is not important when you name the edge of a graph. For example,
ab
refers to the same edge as
ba
.
Checkpoint
A graph may have vertices that are not joined to other vertices by edges, such as vertex f in Graph X in Figure 12.4, but any edge must have a vertex at each end.
Example \(\PageIndex{1}\): Identifying Edges and Vertices
Name all the vertices and edges of graph
F
in Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\).
Answer
The vertices are
v, w, x, y
, and
z
. The edges are
vw, vx, wx, wz, xy
, and
xz
.
Checkpoint
When listing the vertices and edges in a graph, work in alphabetical order to avoid accidentally listing the same item twice. When you are finished, count the number of vertices or edges you listed and compare that to the number of vertices or edges on the graph to ensure you didn’t miss any.
Your Turn \(\PageIndex{1}\)
Name all the vertices and edges of Graph
A
.
Since the purpose of a graph is to represent the connections between objects, it is very important to know if two vertices share a common edge. The two vertices at either end of a given edge are referred to as
neighboring
, or
adjacent
. For example, in Figure 12.5, vertices
x
and
w
are adjacent, but vertices
y
and
w
are not.
Example \(\PageIndex{2}\): Identifying Vertices That Are Not Adjacent
Name all the pairs of vertices of graph
F
in Figure 12.5 that are
not
adjacent.
Answer
The pairs of vertices that are not adjacent in graph
F
are
v
and
y, v
and
z, w
and
y
, and
y
and
z
.
Your Turn \(\PageIndex{2}\)
Name all the pairs of vertices of graph
A
in Figure 12.6 that are
not
adjacent.
People in Mathematics:
Sergey Brin and Laurence Page
The “Google boys,” Sergey Brin and Laurence Page, transformed the World Wide Web in 1998 when they used the mathematics of graph theory to create an algorithm called Page Rank, which is known as the Google Search Engine today. The two computer scientists identified webpages as vertices and hyperlinks on those pages as edges because hyperlinks connect one website to the next. The number of edges influences the ranking of a website on the Google Search Engine because the websites with more links to “credible sources” are ranked higher. ("Page Rank: The Graph Theory-based Backbone of Google," September 20, 2011, Cornell University, Networks Blog.
Analyzing Geographical Maps with Graphs
When graphs are used to model and analyze real-world applications, the number of edges that meet at a particular vertex is important. For example, a graph may represent the direct flight connections for a particular airport as in Figure \(\PageIndex{7}\). Representing the connections with a graph rather than a map shifts the focus away from the relative positions and toward which airports are connected. In Figure \(\PageIndex{7}\), the vertices are the airports, and the edges are the direct flight paths. The number of flight connections between a particular airport and other South Florida airports is the number of edges meeting at a particular vertex. For example, Key West has direct flights to three of the five airports on the graph. In graph theory terms, we would say that vertex FYW has
degree
3. The degree of a vertex is the number of edges that connect to that vertex.
Example \(\PageIndex{3}\): Determining the Degree of a Vertex
Determine the degree of each vertex of Graph
J
in Figure \(\PageIndex{8}\). If graph
J
represents direct flights between a set of airports, do any of the airports have direct flights to two or more of the other cities on the graph?
Answer
For each vertex, count the number of edges that meet at that vertex. This value is the degree of the vertex. In Figure 12.10, the dashed edges indicate the edges that meet at the marked vertex.
Your Turn \(\PageIndex{3}\)
Name a vertx of Graph
A
in Figure \(\PageIndex{6}\) with degree 4.
Graphs are also used to analyze regional boundaries. The states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico all meet at a single point known as the “Four Corners,” which is shown in the map in Figure 12.11.
Figure \(\PageIndex{10}\): Map of the Four Corners
In Figure \(\PageIndex{11}\), each vertex represents one of these states, and each edge represents a shared border. States like Utah and New Mexico that meet at only a single point are
not
considered to have a shared border. By representing this map as a graph, where the connections are shared borders, we shift our perspective from physical attributes such as shape, size and distance, toward the existence of the relationship of having a shared boundary.
Figure \(\PageIndex{11}\): Graph of the Shared Boundaries of Four Corners States
Example \(\PageIndex{4}\): Graphing the Midwestern States
A map of the Midwest is given in Figure \(\PageIndex{12}\). Create a graph of the region in which each vertex represents a state and each edge represents a shared border.
Figure \(\PageIndex{12}\)
Map of Midwestern States
Answer
Step 1:
For each state, draw and label a vertex as in Figure \(\PageIndex{13}\)
Figure \(\PageIndex{13}\)
Vertex Assigned to Each Midwestern State
Step 2:
Draw edges between any two states that share a common land border as in Figure \(\PageIndex{14}\)
Figure \(\PageIndex{14}\): Edge Assigned to Each Pair of Midwestern States with Common Border
The graph is given in Figure \(\PageIndex{15}\).
Figure \(\PageIndex{15}\): Final Graph Representing Common Boundaries between Midwestern States
Your Turn \(\PageIndex{4}\)
The figure shows a map of the Island of Oahu in the State of Hawaii divided into regions. Draw a graph in which each vertex represents one of the regions and each edge represents a shared land border.
Figure \(\PageIndex{16}\): Map of Oahu
Video
Graph Theory: Create a Graph to Represent Common Boundaries on a Map
Graphs of Social Interactions
Geographical maps are just one of many real-world scenarios which graphs can depict. Any scenario in which objects are connected to each other can be represented with a graph, and the connections don’t have to be physical. Just think about all the connections you have to people around the world through social media! Who is in your network of Twitter followers? Whose Snapchat network are you connected to?
Example \(\PageIndex{5}\): Graphing Chloe’s
Roblox
Friends
Roblox is an online gaming platform. Chloe is interested to know how many people in her network of
Roblox
friends are also friends with each other so she polls them. Explain how a graph or multigraph might be drawn to model this scenario by identifying the objects that could be represented by vertices and the connections that could be represented by edges. Indicate whether a graph or a multigraph would be a better model.
Answer
The objects that are represented with vertices are
Roblox
friends. A
Roblox
friendship between two friends will be represented as an edge between a pair of vertices. There will be no double edges because it is not possible for two friends to be linked twice in
Roblox
; they are either friends or they are not. Also, a player cannot be a friend to themself, so there is no need for a loop. Since there are no double edges or loops, this is best represented as a graph.
Your Turn \(\PageIndex{5}\)
In a particular poker tournament, five groups of five players will play at a table until one player wins, then the five winning players will play each other at a table in a final round. Explain how a graph or multigraph might be drawn to model this scenario by identifying the objects that could be represented by vertices and the connections that could be represented by edges. Indicate whether a graph or a multigraph would be a better model.
Who Knew?:
Using Graph Theory to Reduce Internet Fraud
Could graphs be used to reduce Internet fraud? At least one researcher thinks so. Graph theory is used every day to analyze our behavior, particularly on social network sites. Alex Buetel, a computer scientist from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, published a research paper in 2016 that discussed the possibilities of distinguishing the normal interactions from those that might be fraudulent using graph theory. Buetel wrote, “To more effectively model and detect abnormal behavior, we model
how
fraudsters work, catching previously undetected fraud on Facebook, Twitter, and Tencent Weibo and improving classification accuracy by up to 68%.” In the same paper, the researcher discusses how similar techniques can be used to model many other applications and even, “predict
why
you like a particular movie.” (Alex Beutel, "User Behavior Modeling with Large-Scale Graph Analysis,"
http://reports-archive.adm.cs.cmu.ed...-CS-16-105.pdf
, May 2016, CMU-CS-16-105, Computer Science Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA)
Check Your Understanding
1. A simple graph has no loops.
True
False
2. It is not possible to have a vertex of degree 0.
True
False
3. A graph with three vertices has at most three edges.
True
False
4. A multigraph with three vertices has at most three edges.
True
False
5. If vertex
a
is adjacent to vertex
b
, and vertex
b
is adjacent to vertex
c
, then vertex
a
must be adjacent to vertex
c
.


1.6: A Racist System?
The United States today can be described as both multiracial and multiethnic. This has led to racism. Racism is the belief that members of one race are inferior to members of another race. Because white Americans of European heritage are the majority, racism in America usually takes on the character of whites against racial and ethnic minorities. Historically, these ethnic minorities have not been given equal footing on such important aspects of life as employment, housing, education, healthcare, and criminal justice. When this unequal treatment is willful, it can be referred to as racial discrimination. The law forbids racial discrimination in the criminal justice system, just as it does in the workplace.
Bigotry is not present in every facet of the criminal and juvenile justice systems, but there are possible incidents of prejudice within both systems. Discrimination has taken place in such areas as criminal sentencing, use of force by police, and the imposition of the death penalty. One topic of recent discussion is a disparity in federal drug policy. While much has recently changed with the passage of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, federal drug law was a prime example of disproportion impacts on minority populations.
Courts are not immune to cries of racism from individuals and politically active groups. The American Civil Liberties Union (2014), for example, states, "African-Americans are incarcerated for drug offenses at a rate that is 10 times greater than that of whites." The literature on disproportionate minority sentencing distinguishes between legal and extralegal factors. Legal factors are those things that we accept as legitimately, as a matter of law, mitigating or aggravating criminal sentences. Such things as the seriousness of the offense and the defendant's prior criminal record fall into this category. Extralegal factors include things like class, race, and gender. These are regarded as illegitimate factors in determining criminal sentences.
One way to measure racial disparity is to compare the proportion of people that are members of a particular group (their proportion in the general population) with the proportion or that group at a particular stage in the criminal justice system. In 2013, the Bureau of the Census (Bureau of the Census, 2014) estimated that African-Americans made up 13.2% of the population of the United States. According to the FBI, 28.4% of all arrestees were African-American. From this information we can see that the proportion of African-Americans arrested was just over double what one would expect. The population of African-Americans is 13.2%, however they are arrested at a percentage that is double (28%) of their population. This demonstrates they may be arrested more often than would be expected.
The disparity is more pronounced when it comes to drug crime. According to the NAACP (2014), "African Americans represent 12% of the total population of drug users, but 38% of those arrested for drug offenses, and 59% of those in state prison for a drug offense." There are three basic explanations for these disparities in the criminal justice system. The first is individual racism. Individual racism refers to a particular person's beliefs, assumptions, and behaviors. This type of racism manifests itself when the individual police officer, defense attorney, prosecutor, judge, parole board member, or parole officer is bigoted. Another explanation of racial disparities in the criminal justice system is institutional racism. Institutional racism manifests itself when departmental policies (both formal and informal), regulations, and laws result in unfair treatment of a particular group. A third (and controversial) explanation is differential involvement in crime. The basic idea is that African-Americans and Hispanics are involved in more criminal activity. Often this is tied to social problems such as poor education, poverty, and unemployment.
While it does not seem that bigotry is present in every facet of the criminal and juvenile justice systems, it does appear that there are pockets of prejudice within both systems. It is difficult to deny the data: Discrimination does take place in such areas as use of force by police and the imposition of the death penalty. Historically, nowhere was the disparity more discussed and debated than in federal drug policy. While much has recently changed with the passage of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, federal drug law was a prime example of institutional racism at work.
Think about it . . . Racism in Law Enforcement
“Is racism an intractable problem for the police, or can other factors explain the disparate rate at which African-Americans are stopped and arrested?”
This is the introduction to a New York Times opinion series called “Black, White, and Blue” which consist of several opinion articles written for the NYT on the subject of racism in American law enforcement. Read these articles. Do you agree with their conclusions and solutions? Disagree? Why?


3.14: Scatterplots (1 of 5)
Learning Objectives
- Use a scatterplot to display the relationship between two quantitative variables. Describe the overall pattern (form, direction, and strength) and striking deviations from the pattern.
Example
Highway Signs
A research firm conducts a study to explore the relationship between a driver’s age and the driver’s ability to read highway signs. The subjects are a random sample of 30 drivers between the ages of 18 and 82. (Source: Jessica M. Utts and Robert F. Heckard, Mind on Statistics [Brooks/Cole, 2002]. Original source: Data collected by The Last Resource, Inc., Bellfonte, PA.)
Because the purpose of this study is to explore the effect of age on the driver’s ability to read highway signs,
- the explanatory variable is age , and
- the response variable is the maximum distance at which the driver can read a highway sign, or maximum reading distance .
Both variables are quantitative.
Here is what the raw data look like:
In this data set, the individuals are the 30 drivers. For each driver, we have two values: age and maximum reading distance.
To explore the relationship between age and distance, we create a graph called a scatterplot . To create a scatterplot, we use an ordered pair ( x , y ) to represent the data for each driver. The x -coordinate is the explanatory variable: driver’s age. The y -coordinate is the response variable: maximum reading distance.
For this example, the ordered pair (18, 510) represents an 18-year-old driver who can read a highway sign at a maximum distance of 510 feet. We plot a point for each ordered pair. In the scatterplot, each driver appears as a single point.
Generally, each point in a scatterplot represents one individual . The x -coordinate is the value of the explanatory variable for that individual. The y -coordinate is the value of the response variable for that individual.
Here is the completed scatterplot:
Try It
Recall this dataset from a medical study. In this study researchers collected data on new mothers to identify variables connected to low birth weights. This scatterplot investigates the relationship between two quantitative variables in the study: mother’s weight prior to pregnancy and baby’s birth weight.
https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...sessments/3856
https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...sessments/3466
https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...sessments/3467
Comment
Remember: The explanatory variable is on the horizontal x-axis. The response variable is on the vertical y-axis. Sometimes the variables do not have a clear explanatory–response relationship. In this case, there is no rule to follow. Plot the variables on either axis.
Contributors and Attributions
- Concepts in Statistics. Provided by : Open Learning Initiative. Located at : http://oli.cmu.edu . License : CC BY: Attribution


1: Introducing Tarea Libre 2
Introduction to Tarea Libre 2
This is an instructor guide to Tarea Libre 2 . The Tarea Libre 2 project is a comprehensive and accessible Open Educational Resources question bank of 800 interactive activities created in ADAPT for second-year Spanish courses for California Community Colleges (CCC) that can be used via ADAPT or linked to a campus Learning Management System via LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability). This LTI integration seamlessly connects the assigned activities to the grade book streamlining the assigning and grading of homework.
The project follows the success of Tarea Libre for first-year Spanish and aims to create the foundation for a cohesive OER Spanish language homework set equivalent to what is available through paid-subscriptions licenses provided by commercial publishers. This homework ancillary fills an existing gap in OER and increases the likelihood of OER adoption in the first two years of Spanish courses.
Tarea Libre 2 aligns with California’s C-ID SPAN 200 and SPAN 210 , the curriculum standard for higher education disciplines. Additionally, the project aligns with existing Spanish OER text materials already identified on the ASCCC OERI Spanish Discipline page . It includes a variety of formative and summative assessments that cover a range of skills. Each module has multiple levels of engagement, allowing instructors to create homework assignments that address different skill levels. Additionally, it will enable students to practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills.
The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) IDEA framework of inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism is at the foundation of this project. All 8 modules have been designed to address them through various readings that underscore the cultural practices of minoritized groups in the Spanish-speaking world, including the United States.
About the Project
Tarea Libre covers 32 grammar topics typically taught in second-year Spanish courses. To increase adaptability and flexibility for instructors, the project has 4 modules for SPAN 200 and 4 modules for SPAN 210 , based on California’s C-ID curriculum model.
Each module is comprised of 4 to 5 grammar topics and listening, speaking, and reading comprehension activities. As found on most homework (workbook and lab activities), each grammar topic has a four levels of mastering steps:
-
Paso 1 "Empecemos"
-
Paso 2 "Continuemos"
-
Paso 3 "Practiquemos"
-
Paso 4 "Avancemos”
-
De todo un poco
Each grammar module has an average of 20 auto-graded activities.
In addition to these auto-graded activities, Tarea Libre 2 includes four sections of instructor-graded and auto-graded activities that target oral, speaking, and reading skills:
-
Hablemos: Using the ADAPT recorder, students answer the prompt questions.
-
Escuchemos: These short thematic videos were created in Powtoon. Using the ADAPT recorder, students provide their answers after watching these videos.
-
Leamos: These cultural readings with narration and auto-graded comprehension questions were created on various topics.
-
Conversemos: Through these interactive discussion assessments, students are able to post audio, video, or text submissions. Topics are directly connected to topics in Acceso .
About the Integration of IDEA Principles and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
IDEA principles and culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) are integral to our project. The project’s eight modules contain a variety of cultural themes across the Spanish-speaking world. We, as authors, have curated modules that celebrate the rich cultural tapestry of the Spanish-speaking world. Through the inclusion of voices, stories, and traditions that are often overlooked in standard textbooks, we aim to provide a more inclusive and engaging learning experience.
From personal narratives like those of Chef José Andrés and Albert Espinosa, to exploring the multicultural influences shaping Latin American societies, such as the Levantine roots of tacos al pastor and Korean immigration in Mexico, our content highlights the complexity of these communities. Moreover, our focus on Indigenous groups—through articles on the Garifuna, Ngäbe-Buglé, Mapuche, Rapa Nui, and sustainable initiatives in the Moskitia—underscores the importance of preserving cultural diversity and ancestral knowledge.
By embracing these diverse perspectives, we hope to inspire a deeper appreciation for the varied and dynamic cultures that make up the Spanish-speaking world.
Thumbnail image by Wikimedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 license