American Torture Techniques Against Detainees

American Torture Techniques Against Detainees The U.S. government has been blamed for utilizing torment light or moderate physical weight against prisoners, people held in guardianship for political reasons, ordinarily on the grounds that they represent an unmistakable danger to the U.S. or then again have data urgent to American security. In reasonable terms, I don't get this' meaning? Palestinian Hanging This type of torment is sometimesâ referred to as Palestinian hanging because of its utilization by the Israeli government against Palestinians. It includes restricting the detainees hands behind his back. After exhaustion sets in, the detainee will unavoidably fall forward, putting full body weight on his shoulders and disabling relaxing. On the off chance that the detainee isn't released,â death by crucifixionâ may in the long run outcome. Such was the destiny of U.S. prisoner Manadel al-Jamadiâ in 2003. Mental Torture The main rule for torment light is that it must leave no physical imprints. Regardless of whether U.S. authorities are taking steps to execute a detainees family or erroneously asserting that the pioneer of his fear cell is dead, a consistent eating routine of falsehood and dangers can be effective.â Tangible Deprivation Its strikingly simple for detainees to forget about time when theyre secured up cells. Tangible hardship includes evacuating all commotion and light sources too. Guantanamo prisonersâ were furthermore bound, blindfolded and wore ear protectors. Regardless of whether detainees exposed to long haul tangible hardship can at present tell fiction from the truth involves some debate.â Starvation and Thirst Maslows chain of importance of necessities recognizes essential physical needs as the most basic, more so than religion, political philosophy or network. A detainee might be given simply enough food and water to endure. It might take up to seven days before he shows up truly more slender, however his life will come to spin around a journey for food and he might be progressively disposed to reveal data in return for food and water.â Lack of sleep Studies have indicated that missing an evenings rest briefly empties 10 calls attention to of a people IQ. Predictable rest deprivationâ through provocation, presentation to brilliant lights and introduction to boisterous, bumping music and accounts can radically hinder judgment and wear out resolve.â Waterboarding Water torment is one of the most established and most basic types of torment. It showed up in the U.S. with the principal homesteaders and has sprung up commonly from that point forward. Waterboardingâ is its most recent manifestation. Itâ involvesâ a detainee being tied down to a board at that point dunked in water. Hes took back to the surface and the procedure is then rehashed until his investigative specialist makes sure about the data being sought.â Constrained Standing Generally basic during the 1920s, constrained standing includes detainees remaining set up, regularly overnight. Sometimes, the detainee may confront a divider, remaining with his arms broadened and hisâ fingertips contacting it.â Sweatboxes Once in a while alluded to as a hot box or just as the case, the detainee is secured up a little, hot room which, because of absence of ventilation, basically works as a stove. The detainee is discharged when he participates. Since a long time ago utilized as a type of torment in the U.S., it is especially powerful in the dry Middle East. Sexual Assaultâ and Humiliation Different types of rape and embarrassment reported in U.S. jail campsâ as types of torment incorporate constrained bareness, coercive spreading of menstrual blood on detainees faces, constrained lap moves, constrained transvestitism and constrained gay follows up on different detainees.

Life Before and After the Fall of Communism in the Czech Republic

Do 1 Life Before and After the Fall of Communism in the Czech Republic Recently the senate and district decisions in the Czech Republic affirmed that the inclination of Czech voters is moving to one side, what's more the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia got the second most noteworthy number of votes. The outcomes are upsetting, in light of the fact that the last time Communists won the surveys, the Czechs wound up being abused for more than 40 years until they figured out how to topple the administration. Presently it appears that similar individuals have experienced an aggregate memory loss.Have they overlooked how life was before 1989 and what wrongdoings the socialists submitted during their rule? Deciding in favor of the socialists is a misstep, which ought to never be made, in light of the fact that it is extensively better not to have them meddle in our lives. Probably the greatest contrast among from time to time is the air of the time. In those days individuals depicted the environment as â€Å"shades of grey†. They were not urged to appear as something else, on opposite independence was mistreated and disliked. Accordingly the vast majority of the individuals were hesitant to do or say whatever would make them stand apart of the crowd.This came about additionally in a climate of dread. These days independence is upheld in practically any territory conceivable. Since early on individuals are pushed to be inventive and this innovativeness recognizes us from others. We have the right to speak freely of discourse, which implies that we can whine about anything even our present government, while in those days on the off chance that you said anything negative regarding the socialists they would place you in jail. The idea of opportunity was likewise totally different. There was anything but a genuine vote based system with the socialists in power. The radical system in Czechoslovakia was described by the nonattendance of free elections.Many fund amental human rights were constrained, for example, opportunity in political or strict convictions, the right to speak freely of discourse, the option to gather or the privilege to training. This influenced the Do 2 existences of individuals tremendously and a significant number of them were unsatisfied and furious, anyway most of the general public was reluctant to do anything. The explanation was that the socialists disposed of badly designed individuals. They terminated individuals, they ensured their kids couldn't jump on the ideal colleges; they extorted, tormented and executed individuals through arranged trials.For most of society it was less difficult to go about as though they approved of the system. These days human rights are made sure about through endless affirmations, laws and arrangements. Worldwide associations administer recognition and nations that penetrate these agreements need to confront approvals and they need to reply to the International Court of Justice. Th ere are likewise significant contrasts in the regular day to day existence of typical individuals in those days and now. During the rule of Communists it was prohibited to go out of Czechoslovakia.Only those, who had uncommon authorization, could travel abroad and still, after all that, the greater part of these individuals were observed by the mystery administration. Socialism is carefully against private enterprise thus the Communists attempted to persuade the open that the industrialist nations were awful and that financially and socially radical nations were in an ideal situation than the greater part of the western free enterprise world. Therefore they couldn't let individuals travel abroad, in light of the fact that it would be gather straight up that they were purposely misdirecting them. Individuals experienced serious difficulties when they went to shop.There were no items from industrialist nations and wherever the determination was exceptionally poor. Things as garments, present day innovation or even meat were rare items. This may sound practically mind boggling to an individual, who didn't encounter this time or who was brought into the world after the fall of socialism. We live in a worldwide present reality. Individuals travel to the farthest corners of the world. It takes a couple of snaps to arrange anything from anyplace on the planet through the Internet. Individuals are encircled by shopping centers with a gigantic determination. At the end of the day we have everything that we need at the scope of our hands. Do 3As we can see life during the revolutionary system was a lot harder than life today and it was loaded with dread, vulnerability, and bad form. Individuals lost a significant number of their fundamental human rights, they needed to stifle their singularity and capitulate to the system. On the off chance that we contrast it with the existence that we have now, we have actually nothing to whine about and clearly we are in an ideal sit uation without the Communists in the legislature. It is then extremely difficult to grasp why the Czechs are overlooking so rapidly, what the socialists have done in this nation just a couple of decades back and why such huge numbers of them have casted a ballot in their favor.I would propose progressively enlightening efforts about this time of history all together for the Czechs to adapt appropriately about their history, on the grounds that as George Santayana once composed: â€Å"Those who can't recollect the past are sentenced to rehash it† (1). Do Thuy Linh (Linda) Paula Solon Composition I Comparison and Contrast Essay †Life Before and After the Fall of Communism in the Czech Republic November 8, 2012 Essay Outline Thesis: Voting for the socialists is an error, which ought to never be made, in light of the fact that it is extensively better not to have them meddle in our lives.Introduction: The consequences of ongoing decisions in the Czech Republic show a move of voters' inclination to one side. The most upsetting result is that the second most noteworthy number of votes has a place with the Communists. The climate in those days and now. â€Å"Shades of grey† and climate of dread People have a sense of security and free Concept of opportunity in those days and now/There was no genuine vote based system and essential human rights were disregarded Human rights are these days made sure about through incalculable worldwide agreements Everyday existence of ordinary individuals in those days and now.Things as voyaging and shopping were impeded or denied Today in this worldwide world we can go anyplace and purchase nearly anything Conclusion: Comparing life in those days and now unmistakably we don't have anything to grumble about. It is then difficult to accept how the Communists got such huge numbers of votes. Perhaps the Czechs need progressively instructive battles so as to adapt appropriately about their history. Works Cited 1. Santaya na, George. The Life of Reason. London: Prometheus Books, 1998. Print.

CPW The Story So Far

CPW The Story So Far Come one, come all to CPW! I dont know about you guys, but the energy on campus right now is absolutely amazing. The Infinite Coordidor is packed with hosts and pre-frosh running to class and with families taking campus tours, the sun is shining beautifully, the steps of the Student Center are thronging with people and I know thing are only going to get even better from here. Really, words fail me. I almost feel like a pre-frosh again. (Almost.) Personally, today has already been even slightly more crazy than usual. After my bioengineering seminar, I ran over to the Student Center to pick up my very own pre-frosh, an awesome guy from Brooklyn named Abi (if youre reading this, hi Abi!). After a quick stop at Annas and bumping into Shamarah 12 in the Infinite Corridor, we arrived at my recitation for 5.12 (organic chemistry), where I spent an hour unraveling the mysteries of Sn2 reactions and E1/E2 elimination. We followed that up with another recitation, this time for 18.03 (differential equations), where the ever-effervescent Jeremy explained convolution and why it matters. Abi then ran off to the Whitehead Institute to take a tour of the Weinberg Lab. To be honest, Im actually incredibly jealous (who would have thought I could be envious of a pre-frosh?), because Dr. Weinberg who was my professor for 7.012 last fall is a brilliant researcher, and I imagine his lab has to be pretty cool as well. Now Im headed to my last class of a day, an hour-and-a-half lecture/discussion about humanistic perspectives in medicine. So far, this class (which fulfills part of my humanities requirement) has covered everything from the Hippocratic Oath to black-market organ harvesting yes, its very intense ;) and today well be discussing Sinclair Lewis Great American Novel, Arrowsmith. (Who says MIT kids arent cultured?) At 4:30, Im heading over to the northeast side of campus for a not-so-secret meeting with several familiar faces sorry to keep you in suspense, but youll definitely hear (and see?) more about the fruits of our meeting later. At 5:00 Im due to meet Abi again at the Student Center well probably head over to Simmons (my dorm), get him settled in my room, and figure out some sort of plan for dinner. After that, Ill be helping set up for the CPW Festival (which you should all come to, by the way: the fun starts at 9:30 in the Johnson Athletics Center) before hopping across the river to meet up with some other pre-frosh friends at Skullhouses Monster Party. And from there, who knows what will happen? Oh, CPW

The At South Africa, And Present Part Of My Thesis

During the month of February, I was given the opportunity to go to South Africa, and present part of my thesis in collaboration with another student. This experience was one in a million for me and it was only the second time in my life that I was able to travel to another country. The only other time was for preview, where I went to London. The trip was from February 18th till the 28th we had a lay over there and one on the way back. So, I can also say that I ve been to Germany and France. Majority of the trip consisted in Johannesburg and Bloemfontein. University of the Free-State was the college that we collaborated with. Me and my partner went on the Monday following our landing. The presentation was on youth gangs and children who live within a prison due to the mother being incarcerated. The presentation was open to the college, but mainly those in the discipline of criminal justice attended the presentations. The audience was very enthusiastic, but it seemed more to due with us being tourists than with the actual presentation. All in all five of us presented that Monday, with the rest presenting that Thursday. This unfortunately would not come to be, due to the fact that the university would be closed that following due and for the rest of the week, due to vandalism and protest. The reasoning behind the protesting had no consist reason. Certain students said this, and others believed that it was another reason. So, what did end up happening was the honorShow MoreRelatedJohn Franklin D. Roosevelt s The Pearl Harbor Address Essay1542 Words   |  7 Pagesand inspire him to take responsibility for his own failures. In my personal experience, this quote relates to the recent death of my friend Connor. He died in a car accident the night of Monday, August 26, 2016. The following Friday, on Labor Day Weekend, my brother, our friends and I traveled to Trevorton, Pennsylvania to camp and ride fourwheelers and dirtbikes in honor of Connor. On Friday night as we sat around the campfire, my friend Nate stood and gave a eulogy about our departed companionRead MoreAfric A Great Topic Of Interest1311 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout history, Africa has been a great topic of interest. Since Africa’s independence, there has been many challenges Africa has faced along with some success throughout the continent. My thesis is Africa has faced more challenges as a country than successes do to missionaries, economic challenges and foreign aid, colonization from the British, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and other challenges. This paper attempts to make points known of some key arguments and debates that have for med these challengesRead MoreCecil Rhodes Essay1292 Words   |  6 PagesCecil Rhodes Thesis Statement: Cecil Rhodes (1853-1902) was the main factor in determining the economic and political structure of today’s Zimbabwe (modern day Rhodesia). In the late 19th century, Cecil Rhodes, along with a multitude of armed white settlers, invaded the country of present-day Zimbabwe. All resistance was crushed and the British South African Company was created; this later became the basis for colonization of the entire country. Once Cecil gained control of the diamond andRead MoreTo What Extent was the European ‘Scramble for Africa’ Driven by Economic Factors?2171 Words   |  9 PagesThe ‘scramble for Africa’ was a phenomenon in the world between the years 1880-1914. The ‘dark continent’ was relatively untouched by Europeans up until this point, with few ports of control on the coasts in the west, which were remnants of the slave trade, and in the south, Britain held the Cape, taken from the Dutch during the French Revolutionary Wars. So, during a p eriod of 30 years, it came to pass that almost the whole of Africa was taken by Europeans. (Except Liberia a colony for freed AmericanRead MoreThe Origin Of The Primate Species1880 Words   |  8 PagesThesis Statement: One of the most fiercely debated issues in paleoanthropology points at the origins the primate species. The top two continents that have been very evident in our origins that can be traced to Africa and (Eur)Asia. African origin stresses the multiregional continuity theory it suggests a single origin for modern humans and gives an explanation to the Out-of-Africa model for the patter of our human evolution. The Multiregional Continuity Model states that after Homo erectus left AfricaRead MoreWater : The Epic Struggle For Wealth, Power And Civilization939 Words   |  4 Pageswar zone, where water may become one of the apples of discord and initiate a new war. Solomon’s overall and comprehensive thesis is that, during the entire history, in the countries, where water resources have been increased and became most manageable, potable and navigable, the societies have normally been stable, secure and long enduring† (Solomon 15). The author presents the historical analysis of the water in his book, or more precisely, the role of water in world history, in which he takesRead MoreA Cultural History Of The Atlantic World Essay2126 Words   |  9 Pageson in the text Thornton details the ways early European merchants and explorers discovered the routes across the Atlantic to what would eventually become the Americas. He then lays out the formation and expansion of the slave trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Throughout all of this Thornton very effectively communicates and disproves any common mistakes or false presumptions readers may have. He continues to do this when he switches his focus from the discovery of the Atlantic worldRead MoreCandido Term Paper: African Slave Trade1254 Words   |  6 Pagesport affected the Atlantic world is a captivating, and also intelligently and well put-together read for those who want to know how colonialism took over Angola’s ports. The book focuses on the port of Benguela, which had a populous city in Angola, Africa. Candido focuses on the trans-Atlantic slave trade which occurred in Benguela, instead of what she believed had been the more popular studied sites of African ports north of the equator. Her study is the first full-length history of Benguela and itsRead MoreComparative Practice 2009 Racial Ideologies in the Americas C31787 Words   |  8 Pagesof the racial label Indian by colonial administrators and settlers helped organize the tribute and labor demands imposed on native peoples, but it also registered the cultural costs of colonial rule†¦ With the opening of a direct slave trade with Africa, the cultural character of the black population of colonial Latin America was altered dramatically. While Afro-Iberians spoke Spanish or Portuguese and were Catholic, African slaves arrived in the colonies with different languages, religious beliefsRead More Education Roles Essay example1879 Words   |  8 Pageshistories that are taught in classrooms around the world-provides a unique venue for the study of the development of nationalism. It may be the primary forum in which people construct, think about and interpret stories about themselves and their past, present and future. Through the Canadian experience, nationalism can be seen outside a context of war and deprivation. Yet as Michael Ignatieff-British resident and son of a Russian-born Canadian diplomat-writes of Canada, Here we have one of the five

Interpreting Katherinas Speech in William Shakespeares...

Interpreting Katherinas Speech in William Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew Kate’s changes in Shakespeare’s play, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ are going to be examined here. I will look at Elizabethan attitudes towards women and see if Kate resolves to conform to these views or to retain her shrewish persona. Additionally I will examine Shakespeare’s use of devices in her final speech (to see whether she is tamed) and how she is portrayed in Zeffirelli’s film. Women in Shakespeare’s time were not held in as high regard as men due to the hierarchical nature of society. At the head of this triangle of power in the Elizabethan society was God himself. This was because in Elizabethan times religion†¦show more content†¦Women held such a low position in society mainly due to the fact that there was a total lack of effective birth control which consequently made it impractical for married women to work outside of their homes. So this led to the widely held, popular perception of women being able only to remain at home to work in the domestic sphere of the household. Women, strangely enough, generally conformed to these views and even took a great deal of pride in bearing a child for their husbands. So to all Elizabethans the roles of women were seen as completely different from those of men and not even as significant as what a man was required to do. While the women stayed at home and looked after the family as well as undert aking general household chores, the men went out to work and earn a living for the family. Though both these jobs were just as important as each other women still occupied a lesser status in society compared to men, and there were many limitations on what a woman could do. Girls could be educated by tutors at home but schools and universities were restricted to them. This was because women were not seen as to require the need for an education as all they should know, according to society at the time, was how to cook clean and raise a family. Women also didn’t have as much power or control in their own marriage as a woman was considered to be

Warm Bodies Chapter 15 Free Essays

The Orchard, as it turns out, is not part of the Stadium’s farming system. It’s their one and only pub, or at least the closest thing they have to a pub in this new bastion of prohibition. Reaching its entrance requires an arduous vertical journey through the Stadium’s Escheresque cityscape. We will write a custom essay sample on Warm Bodies Chapter 15 or any similar topic only for you Order Now First, we climb four flights of stairs in a ramshackle housing tower while the residents glare at us through their cracked apartment doors. This is followed by a vertiginous crossing to a neighbouring building – boys on the ground try to look up Nora’s skirt as we wobble over a wire-mesh catwalk strung between the towers’ support cables. Once inside the other building, we plod up three more flights of stairs before finally emerging onto a breezy patio high above the streets. The noise of crowds rumbles through the door at the other end: a wide slab of oak painted with a yellow tree. The place is packed, but the mood is eerily subdued. No shouting, no high-fiving, no woozy requests for phone numbers. Despite the speakeasy secrecy of its obscure location, the Orchard doesn’t serve alcohol. ‘I ask you,’ Julie says as we push our way through the well-behaved crowds, ‘is there anything sillier than a bunch of ex-Marines and construction workers drowning their sorrows at a fucking juice bar? At least it’s flask-friendly.’ The Orchard is the first building I’ve seen in this city with some trace of character. All the usual drinking accoutrements are here: dart boards, pool tables, flatscreen TVs with football games. At first I’m amazed to see these broadcasts – does entertainment still exist? Are there still people out there engaging in frivolity despite the times? But then, ten minutes into the third quarter, the images warp like VHS tape and switch to a different game, the teams and scores changing in the middle of a tackle. Five minutes later they switch again, with just a quick stutter to mark the splice. None of the sports fans seem to notice. They watch these abbreviated, eternally looping contests with blank eyes and sip their drinks like players in an historical reenactment. A few of the patrons notice me staring at them and I look away. But then I look back. Something about this scene is burrowing into my mind. A thought is developing like a ghost on a Polaroid. ‘Three grapefruits,’ Julie tells the bartender, who looks vaguely embarrassed as he prepares the drinks. We settle in on bar stools and the two girls start talking. The music of their voices replaces the jangling classic rock on the jukebox, but then even this fades to a muffled drone. I’m staring at the TVs. I’m staring at the people. I can see the outline of their bones under their muscles. The edges of joints poking up under tight skin. I see their skeletons, and the idea taking shape in my head is something I hadn’t expected: a blueprint of the Boneys. A glimpse into the their twisted, dried-up minds. The universe is compressing. All memory and all possibility squeezing down to the smallest of points as the last of their flesh falls away. To exist in that singularity, trapped in one static state for eternity – this is the Boneys’ world. They are dead-eyed ID photos, frozen at the precise moment they gave up their humanity. That hopeless instant when they snipped the last thread and dropped into the abyss. Now there’s nothing left. No thought, no feeling, no past, no future. Nothing exists but the desperate need to keep things as they are, as they always have been. They must stay on the rails of their loop or be overwhelmed, set ablaze and consumed by the colours, the sounds, the wide-open sky. And so the thought hums in my head, whispering through my nerves like voices through phone lines: what if we could derail them? We’ve already disrupted their structure enough to incite a blind rage. What if we could create a change so deep, so new and astonishing, they would simply break? Surrender? Crumble into dust and ride out of town on the wind? ‘R,’ Julie says, poking me in the arm. ‘Where are you? Daydreaming again?’ I smile and shrug. Once again my vocabulary fails me. I’m going to need to find a way to let her into my head soon. Whatever this thing is I’m trying to do, I know it can’t be done alone. The bartender returns with our drinks. Julie grins at me and Nora as we appraise the three tumblers of pale yellow nectar. ‘Remember how when we were kids, pure grapefruit juice was the tough-guy drink? Like the whiskey of kiddie beverages?’ ‘Right,’ Nora laughs. ‘Apple juice, Capri Sun, that stuff was for bitches.’ Julie raises her glass. ‘To our new friend Archie.’ I lift my glass an inch off the bar and the girls clang theirs down against it. We drink. I don’t exactly taste it, but the juice stings my mouth, finding its way into old cuts in my cheeks, bites I don’t remember biting. Julie orders another round, and when it arrives she hefts her messenger bag onto her shoulder and picks up all three glasses. She leans in close and gives me and Nora a wink. ‘Be right back.’ With the drinks in hand, she disappears into the bathroom. ‘What’s . . . she doing?’ I ask Nora. ‘Dunno. Stealing our drinks?’ We sit there in awkward silence, third-party friends lacking the connective tissue of Julie’s presence. After a few minutes, Nora leans in and lowers her voice. ‘You know why she said you were my boyfriend, right?’ I shrug one shoulder. ‘Sure.’ ‘It didn’t mean anything, she was just trying to deflect attention away from you. If she said you were her boyfriend, or her friend, or anything to do with her, Grigio would’ve grilled the fuck out of you. And obviously if he really looks at you . . . the make-up’s not perfect.’ ‘I under . . . stand.’ ‘And by the way, just so you know? That was a pretty big deal that she took you to see her mom today.’ I raise my eyebrows. ‘She doesn’t tell people that stuff, ever. She didn’t even tell Perry the whole story for like three years. I can’t say exactly what that means for her, but . . . it’s new.’ I study the bar top, embarrassed. A strangely fond smile spreads across Nora’s face. ‘You know you remind me a little of Perry?’ I tense. I begin to feel the hot remorse boiling up in my throat again. ‘I don’t know what it is, I mean, you’re sure not the blowhard he was, but you have some of that same . . . sparkle he had when he was younger.’ I should stitch my mouth shut. Honesty is a compulsion that’s damned me more than once. But I just can’t hold it in any more. The words build and explode out of me like an uncontainable sneeze. ‘I killed him. Ate . . . his brain.’ Nora purses her lips and nods slowly. ‘Yeah . . . I thought you might have.’ My face goes blank. ‘What?’ ‘I didn’t see it happen but I’ve been putting two and two together. It makes sense.’ I look at her, stunned. ‘Julie . . . knows?’ ‘I don’t think so. But if she did, I’m pretty sure she’d be okay.’ She touches my hand where it rests on the bar. ‘You could tell her, R. I think she’d forgive you.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Same reason I forgive you.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Because it wasn’t you. It was the plague.’ I wait for more. She watches the TV above the bar, pale green light flickering over her dark face. ‘Did Julie ever tell you about when Perry cheated on her with that orphan girl?’ I hesitate, then nod. ‘Yeah, well . . . that was me.’ My eyes dart towards the bathroom, but Nora doesn’t seem to be hiding anything. ‘I’d only been here a week,’ she says. ‘Didn’t know Julie yet. That’s how I met her, actually. I fucked her boyfriend, and she hated me, and then time passed and a lot happened, and somehow we came out the other side as friends. Crazy, right?’ She upends her glass over her tongue to catch the last drops, then pushes it aside. ‘What I’m trying to say is, it’s a shitty world and shit happens, but we don’t have to bathe in shit. Sixteen years old, R – my meth-head parents dumped me in the middle of a Dead-infested slum because they couldn’t feed me any more. I wandered on my own for years before I found Citi Stadium, and I don’t have enough fingers to count all the times I almost died.’ She holds up her left hand and wiggles the half-gone finger like a bride-to-be showing off her diamond. ‘Wha t I’m saying is, when you have weight like that in your life, you have to start looking for the bigger picture or you are gonna sink.’ I peer into her eyes, failing to read her meaning like the illiterate I am. ‘What’s . . . the bigger picture . . . of me killing Perry?’ ‘R, come on,’ she says, mock-slapping the side of my head. ‘You’re a zombie. You have the plague. Or at least you did when you killed Perry. Maybe you’re different now, I sure hope you are, but back then you didn’t know you had choices. This isn’t â€Å"crime†, it’s not â€Å"murder†, it’s something way deeper and more inevitable.’ She taps her temple. ‘Me and Julie get that, okay? There’s a Zen saying, â€Å"No praise, no blame, just so.† We don’t care about assigning blame for the human condition, we just want to cure it.’ Julie emerges from the bathroom and sets the drinks on the bar with a sly grin. ‘Even grapefruit juice can use a little kick sometimes.’ Nora takes a test sip and turns away, covering her mouth. ‘Holy . . . Lord!’ she coughs. ‘How much did you put in here?’ ‘Just a few minis of vodka,’ Julie whispers with girlish innocence. ‘Courtesy of our friend Archie, and Undead Airlines.’ ‘Way to go, Archie.’ I shake my head. ‘Can please . . . stop calling me . . . ?’ ‘Right, right,’ Julie says. ‘No more Archie. But what do we toast to this time? It’s your booze, R, you decide.’ I hold the glass in front of me. I sniff it, insisting to myself that I can still smell things besides death and potential death, that I’m still human, still whole. A citrus tang pricks my nostrils. Glowing Florida orchards in summer. The toast that enters my head seems unbearably corny, but it comes out anyway. ‘To . . . life.’ Nora stifles a laugh. ‘Really?’ Julie shrugs. ‘Unbearably corny, but what the hell.’ She raises her glass and clinks it against mine. ‘To life, Mr Zombie.’ ‘L’chaim!’ Nora bellows, and drains her glass. Julie drains her glass. I drain my glass. The vodka slams into my brain like a round of buckshot. This time it’s no placebo. The drink is strong and I feel it. I am feeling it. How is that possible? Julie orders another round of grapefruits, then promptly converts them into Greyhounds, and she is generous with the pours. I expect the girls to be as lightweight as I am, since alcohol is contraband here, but I realise it’s probably quite routine to visit the liquor store while out salvaging the city. They quickly outpace me as I sip my second drink, marvelling at the sensations that swirl through my body. The noise of the bar fades and I just watch Julie, the focal point in my blurry composition. She is laughing. A free, unreserved kind of laugh that I don’t think I’ve heard before, throwing her head back and letting it just cascade out of her. She and Nora are recounting some shared memory. She turns to me and says something, inviting me into the joke with a word and a flash of white teeth, but I don’t respond. I just look at her, resting my chin in my hand, my elbow on the bar, smiling. Contentment. Is this what it might feel like? After finishing my drink I feel a pressure in my lower regions, and I realise I have to piss. Since the Dead don’t drink, urination is a rare event. I hope I can remember how to do it. I wobble into the bathroom and lean my forehead against the wall in front of the urinal. I unzip, and I look down, and there it is. That mythical instrument of life and death and first-date back-seat fucking. It hangs limp, useless now, silently judging me for all the ways I’ve misused it over the years. I think of my wife and her new lover, slapping their cold bodies together like poultry in a packing plant. I think of the anonymous blurs in my past life, probably all dead or Dead by now. Then I think of Julie curled next to me in that king-sized bed. I think of her body in that comically mismatched underwear, her breath against my eyes as I study every line in her face, wondering what mysteries lie in the glowing nuclei of her each and every cell. There in the bathroom, surrounded by the stench of piss and shit, I wonder: Is it too late for me? Can I somehow snatch another chance from the skymouth’s grinding teeth? I want a new past, new memories, a new first-handshake with love. I want to start over, in every possible way. When I come out of the bathroom the floor is spinning. Voices are muffled. Julie and Nora are deep in conversation, leaning close and laughing. A man in his early thirties approaches the bar and makes some kind of leering comment to Julie. Nora glares at him and says something that looks sarcastic, and Julie shoos him away. The man shrugs and retreats to the pool table where his friend is waiting. Julie calls out something insulting and the friend laughs, but the man just grins coldly and calls back a retort. Julie looks frozen for a moment, then she and Nora turn their backs to the pool table and Nora starts whispering in Julie’s ear. ‘What’s . . . wrong?’ I ask, approaching the bar. I can sense both men at the pool table watching me. ‘Nothing,’ Julie says, but she sounds shaken. ‘It’s fine.’ ‘R, could you give us a quick minute?’ Nora asks. I look back and forth between them. They wait. I turn and walk out of the bar, feeling too many things at once. On the patio I slump against the railing, the streets a dizzying seven floors down. Most of the city’s lights are out, but the street lamps flicker and pulse like bioluminescence. Julie’s mini-cassette recorder is an insistent weight in my shirt pocket. I pull it out and stare at it. I know I shouldn’t but I’m . . . I feel like I just need – Closing my eyes, swaying gently with one arm on the railing, I rewind the tape for a moment and press play. ‘ – really that crazy? Just because he’s . . . whatever he is? I mean, isn’t â€Å"zombie† just a silly name we – ‘ I press rewind again and it occurs to me that the gap between the beginning of this entry and the end of the previous one comprises the entire time I’ve known Julie. Every meaningful moment of my life fits inside a few seconds of tape hiss. I press stop, then play. ‘ – thinks no one knows but everyone knows, they’re just afraid to do anything. He’s getting worse, too. He said he loved me tonight. Actually said those words. Said I was beautiful and I was everything he loved about Mom and if anything ever happened to me he’d lose his mind. And I know he meant it, I know all of that’s really there inside him . . . but the fact that he had to be raging shitfaced drunk to let any of it out . . . it just made the whole thing seem sick. I fucking hated it.’ There is a long pause on the tape. I glance over my shoulder at the bar door, feeling ashamed but desperate. I know these are confidences I should have to earn through months of slow intimacy, but I can’t help myself. I just want to listen to her. ‘I’ve thought about making a report,’ she continues. ‘March into the community centre and make Rosy go arrest him. I mean, I’m all for drinking, I love it, but with Dad it’s . . . different. It’s not a celebration for him, it seems like it’s painful and scary, like he’s numbing himself for some horrible medieval surgery. And yeah . . . I know why, and it’s not like I haven’t done worse stuff for the same reasons, but it’s just . . . it’s so . . .’ Her voice wavers and breaks off, and she sniffles hard like a self-rebuke. ‘God,’ she whispers. ‘Shit.’ Several seconds of tape hiss. I listen closer. Then the door flies open and I whirl around, tossing the recorder out into the dark. But it’s not Julie. It’s the two men from the pool table. They stumble out the door, jostling each other and laughing through the sides of their mouths as they light up cigarettes. ‘Hey,’ the one who was talking to Julie calls to me, and he and his friend start ambling in my direction. He’s tall, good-looking, his muscular arms sleeved in tattoos: snakes and skeletons and the logos of extinct rock bands. ‘What’s up, man? You Nora’s new guy?’ I hesitate, then shrug. They both laugh like I’ve made a dirty joke. ‘Yeah, who ever knows with that chick, right?’ He punches his friend in the chest while continuing to saunter towards me. ‘So you know Julie, man? You Julie’s friend?’ I nod. ‘Known her long?’ I shrug, but I feel a coil inside me tensing. He stops a few feet away from me and leans against the wall, taking a slow drag on his cigarette. ‘That one used to be pretty wild, too, a few years back. I was her firearms teacher.’ I need to leave. I need to turn around right now and leave. ‘She got all pure after she started dating that Kelvin kid, but man, for a year or so she was ripe fruit.’ His exhalations form a haze of smoke that stings my dry eyes. ‘A hundred bucks won’t even buy a pack of cigarettes any more, but it sure went a long way with that bitch.’ I lunge forward and crack his head into the wall. It’s easy, I just palm his face and thrust forward, punching the wall with the back of his skull. I don’t know if I’ve killed him and I don’t care. When his friend tries to grab me I do the exact same to him, two big dents in the Orchard’s aluminium siding. Both men slump to the ground. I wobble my way down the stairs and out onto the catwalk. Some kids leaning on the support cables smoking joints stare at me as I shove past them. Excuse me, I try to say, but I can’t seem to find the syllables. I slide down the four apartment floors and lurch out onto Fairy Street or Tinkerbell Street or whatever the fuck it’s called. I just need to get away from all these people for a minute, collect my thoughts. I’m so hungry. God, I’m starving. After a few minutes of wandering, I’m completely lost and disorientated. A light rain is falling and I’m alone on some dark narrow street. The asphalt glitters black and wet under the crooked street lamps. Up ahead, two guards converse in a rain-flecked cone of light, grunting to each other with the affected toughness of scared boys straining to be men. ‘. . . out in Corridor 2 all last week, pouring foundations. We’re less than a mile away from Goldman Dome but we’ve barely got a fuckin’ crew any more. Grigio keeps pulling guys off Construction and dumping ’em into Security.’ ‘What about the Goldman crew? How’s their end coming?’ ‘Goldman is shit. They’re barely out their front door. I’ve been hearing the merger’s in bad shape anyway, thanks to Grigio’s bad diplomacy. Starting to wonder if he even wants the mergers any more, the way he handled Corridor 1. Wouldn’t surprise me if he arranged the collapse himself.’ ‘You know that’s bullshit. Don’t be spreading that story around.’ ‘Yeah, well, either way, Construction’s gone to shit since Kelvin got squished. We’re just digging holes and filling ’em in.’ ‘I’d still rather be out building something than playing rent-a-cop in here all night. You get any action out there?’ ‘Just a couple of Fleshies wandering out of the woods. Pop, pop, game over.’ ‘No Boneys?’ ‘Haven’t seen one of them in at least a year. They stick to their hives now’days. Fuckin’ bullshit.’ ‘What, you like running into those things?’ ‘Hell of a lot more fun than Fleshies. Fuckers can move.’ ‘Fun? Are you shitting me? Those things are wrong; I don’t even like touching ’em with my bullets.’ ‘Is that why your hit rate’s one in twenty?’ ‘Doesn’t even seem like they’re human remains any more, you know? They’re like aliens or something. Creeps the shit out of me.’ ‘Yeah, well, that’s probably ’cause you’re a pussy.’ ‘Fuck you. I’m going to take a leak.’ The guard disappears into the dark. His partner stands in the spotlight, pulling his parka tighter as the rain comes down. I’m still walking. I’m not interested in these men; I’m looking for a quiet corner where I can close my eyes and gather myself. But as I approach the light, the guard notices me, and I realise there’s a problem. I’m drunk. My carefully studied gait has been replaced by an unsteady stagger. I lumber forward, my head lolling from side to side. I look like . . . exactly what I am. ‘Halt!’ the guard shouts. I halt. He moves towards me a little. ‘Step into the light please, sir.’ I step into the light, standing on the very edge of the yellow circle. I try to stand as straight as I can, as motionless as I can. Then I realise something else. The rain is dripping off my hair. The rain is running down my face. The rain is washing away my make-up, revealing the pale grey flesh underneath. I stumble back a step, slightly out of the lamplight. The guard is about five feet away from me. His hand is on his gun. He moves closer and peers at me through slitted eyes. ‘Have you been drinking alcohol tonight, sir?’ I open my mouth to say, No, sir, absolutely not, just a few glasses of delicious and heart-healthy grapefruit juice with my good friend Julie Cabernet. But the words evade me. My tongue is thick and dead in my mouth, and all that comes out is, ‘Uhhhnnn . . .’ ‘What the fuck – ‘ The guard’s eyes flash wide, he whips out his flashlight and shines it into my grey-streaked face, and I have no choice. I leap out of the shadows and pounce on him, knocking his gun aside and biting down on his throat. His life force rushes into my starved body and brain, soothing the agony of my hideous cravings. I start to tear into him, chewing deltoids and tender abdominals while the blood still pulses through them – but then I stop. Julie stands in the bedroom doorway, watching me with a tentative smile. I shut my eyes and grit my teeth. No. I drop the body to the ground and back away from it. I can no longer hide behind my ignorance. I know now that I have a choice, and I choose to change no matter what the cost. If I’m a thriving branch on the Tree of Death, I’ll drop my leaves. If I have to starve myself to kill its twisted roots, I will. The foetus in my stomach kicks, and I hear Perry’s voice, gentle and reassuring. You won’t starve, R. In my short life I made so many choices just because I thought they were required, but my dad was right: there’s no rulebook for the world. It’s in our heads, our collective human hive-mind. If there are rules, we’re the ones making them. We can change them whenever we want to. I spit out the meat in my mouth and wipe the blood off my face. Perry kicks me in the gut again and I vomit. I lean over and purge myself of everything. The meat, the blood, the vodka. As soon as I straighten up and wipe my mouth, I’m sober. The fuzz is gone. My head is clear as a glossy new record. The guard’s body begins to twitch back to life. His shoulders slowly rise, dragging the rest of his limp parts with them, as if he’s being pinched and pulled upwards by unseen fingers. I need to kill him. I know I need to kill him, but I can’t do it. After the vow I’ve just made, the thought of tearing into this man again and tasting his still-warm blood leaves me paralysed with horror. He shudders and retches, choking and clawing the dirt, straining and dry-heaving, his eyes bulging wide as the grey sludge of new death slithers into them. A wet, wretched groan escapes his mouth, and it’s too much for me. I turn and run. Even in my bravest moment, I am a coward. The rain is in full force. My feet splash in the streets and spatter mud on my freshly washed clothes. My hair hangs in my face like seaweed. In front of a big aluminium building with a plywood cross on the roof, I kneel in a puddle and splash water on my face. I wash my mouth out with dirty gutter run-off and spit until I can’t taste anything. That holy wooden ‘T’ looms overhead, and I wonder if the Lord might ever find cause to approve of me, wherever and whatever he is. Have you met him yet, Perry? Is he alive and well? Tell me he’s not just the mouth of the sky. Tell me there’s more looking down on us than that empty blue skull. Wisely, Perry doesn’t answer. I accept the silence, I get off my knees, and I keep running. Avoiding street lights, I make my way back to Julie’s house. I curl up against the wall, finding some shelter from the balcony overhead, and I wait there while the rain pounds the house’s metal roof. After what seems like hours, I hear the girls’ voices in the distance, but this time their rhythms stir no joy in me. The dance is a dirge, the music is minor. They run towards the front door, Nora with her denim jacket pulled over her head, Julie with the hood of her red sweatshirt cinched tight on her face. Nora reaches the door first and rushes inside. Julie stops. I don’t know if she sees me in the dark or just smells the fruity stench of my body spray, but something draws her to look around the corner of the house. She sees me huddled in the dark like a scared puppy. She ambles over slowly, her hands stuffed into her sweatshirt pockets. She crouches down and peeks out at me through the narrow opening of her hood. ‘You okay?’ she says. I nod dishonestly. She sits next to me on the small patch of dry ground and leans against the house. She takes off her hood and lifts the wool beanie underneath to brush wet hair out of her eyes, then pulls it back down. ‘You scared me. You just disappeared.’ I look at her miserably, but I don’t say anything. ‘Do you want to tell me what happened?’ I shake my head. ‘Did you, um . . . did you knock out Tim and his friend?’ I nod. A smile of embarrassed pleasure creeps onto her face, as if I’ve just given her an over-large bouquet of roses or written her a bad love song. ‘That was . . . sweet,’ she says, holding back a giggle. A minute passes. She touches my knee. ‘We had fun today, didn’t we? Despite a few sticky moments?’ I can’t smile, but I nod. ‘I’m a little buzzed. You?’ I shake my head. ‘Too bad. It’s fun.’ Her smile deepens and her eyes become far away. ‘You know, I had my first drink when I was eight?’ There is just a faint slur in her voice. ‘My dad was a big wine buff and him and Mom used to throw tasting parties whenever Dad was between wars. They’d bring all their friends over and pop a prized vintage and get pretty well toasted. I’d sit there in the middle of the couch taking little sips off the half-glass I was allowed and just laugh at all the silly grownups getting sillier. Rosy would get so flushed! One glass and he looked like Santa Claus. He and Dad arm-wrestled on the coffee table once and broke a lamp. It was . . . so great.’ She starts doodling in the dirt with one finger. Her smile is wistful, aimed at no one. ‘Things weren’t always so grim, you know, R? Dad has his moments, and even when the world fell apart we still had some fun. We’d take little family salvage trips and pick up the most crazy wines you can imagine. Thousand-dollar bottles of ’97 Dom. Romane Conti just rolling around on the floors of abandoned cellars.’ She chuckles to herself. ‘Dad would have absolutely lost his shit over those back in the day. By the time we moved here he was kinda . . . muted. But God, we drank some outrageous stuff.’ I’m watching her talk. Watching her jaw move and collecting her words one by one as they spill from her lips. I don’t deserve them. Her warm memories. I’d like to paint them over the bare plaster walls of my soul, but everything I paint seems to peel. ‘And then Mom ran off.’ She pulls her finger out of the dirt, inspecting her work. She has drawn a house. A quaint little cottage with a smoke cloud in the chimney, a benevolent sun smiling down on the roof. ‘Dad thought she must have been drunk, hence the alcohol ban, but I saw her, and she wasn’t. She was very sober.’ She is still smiling, as if this is all just easy nostalgia, but the smile is cold now, lifeless. ‘She came into my room that night and just looked at me for a while. I pretended I was asleep. Then right as I was about to pop up and yell â€Å"boo† . . . she walked out. So I didn’t get the chance.’ She reaches a hand down to wipe away her drawing, but I touch her wrist. I look at her and shake my head. She regards me silently for a moment. Then she scoots around to face me and grins, inches from my face. ‘R,’ she says. ‘If I kiss you, will I die?’ Her eyes are steady. She’s barely drunk. ‘You said I won’t, right? I won’t get infected? Because I really feel like kissing you.’ She fidgets. ‘And even if you do pass something to me, maybe it wouldn’t be all bad. I mean, you’re different now, right? You’re not a zombie. You’re . . . something new.’ Her face is very close. Her smile fades. ‘Well, R?’ I look into her eyes, splashing in their icy waters like a shipwrecked sailor grasping for the raft. But there is no raft. ‘Julie,’ I say. ‘I need . . . to show you something.’ She cocks her head with gentle curiosity. ‘What?’ I stand up. I take her hand and start walking. The night is still except for the primeval hiss of the rain. It drenches the dirt and slicks the asphalt, liquefying the shadows into shiny black ink. I stick to the narrow back-streets and unlit alleys. Julie follows slightly behind me, staring at the side of my face. ‘Where are we going?’ she asks. I pause at an intersection to retrace the maps of my stolen memories, calling up images of places I’ve never been, people I’ve never met. ‘Almost . . . there.’ A few more careful glances around corners, furtive dashes across intersections, and there it is. A five-storey house looms ahead of us, tall, skinny and grey like the rest of this skeletal city, its windows flickering yellow like wary eyes. ‘What the hell, R?’ Julie whispers, staring up at it. ‘This is . . .’ I pull her to the front door and we stand there in the shelter of the eaves, the roof rattling like military drums in the rain. ‘Can I . . . borrow your hat?’ I ask without looking at her. She doesn’t move for a moment, then she pulls it off and hands it to me. Over-long and floppy, dark blue wool with a red stripe . . . Mrs Rosso knitted this for Julie’s seventeenth birthday. Perry thought she looked like an elf in it and would start speaking to her in Tolkien tongues whenever she put it on. She called him the biggest nerd she’d ever met, and he agreed, while playfully kissing her throat and – I pull the beanie low over my face and knock a slow waltz on the door, eyes glued to the ground like a shy child. The door opens a crack. A middle-aged woman in sweatpants looks out at us. Her face is puffy and heavily lined, dark bags under bloodshot eyes. ‘Miss Grigio?’ she says. Julie glances at me. ‘Hi, Mrs Grau. Um . . .’ ‘What are you doing out? Is Nora with you? It’s after curfew.’ ‘I know, we . . . got a little lost on our way back from the Orchard. Nora’s staying at my house tonight but um . . . can we come in for a minute? I need to talk to the guys.’ I keep my head down as Mrs Grau gives me a cursory appraisal. She opens the door for us with an annoyed sigh. ‘You can’t stay here, you know. This is a foster home, not a flop house, and your friend here is too old for new residency.’ ‘I know, sorry, we’ll . . .’ She glances at me again. ‘We’ll just be a minute.’ I can’t endure formalities right now. I brush past the woman and into the house. A toddler peeks around a bedroom door and Mrs Grau glares at him. ‘What did I tell you?’ she snaps, loud enough to wake the rest of the kids. ‘Back in bed right now.’ The boy disappears into the shadows. I lead Julie up the staircase. The second storey is identical to the first, except there are rows of pre-adolescents sleeping on the floor on small mats. So many now. New foster homes pop up like processing plants as mothers and fathers disappear, chewed up and swallowed down by the plague. We step over a few tiny bodies on our way to the stairs, and a little girl grasps feebly at Julie’s ankle. ‘I had a bad dream,’ she whispers. ‘I’m sorry, honey,’ Julie whispers back. ‘You’re safe now, okay?’ The girl closes her eyes again. We climb the stairs. The third floor is still awake. Young teens and patch-beard semi-adults sitting around on folding chairs, hunched over desks writing in booklets and flipping through manuals. Some kids snore on stacked bunks inside narrow bedrooms. All the doors are open except one. A group of older boys look up from their work, surprised. ‘Wow, hey, Julie. How’s it going? You holding up okay?’ ‘Hey, guys. I’m . . .’ She trails off, and her ellipsis eventually forms a period. She looks at the closed door. She looks at me. Gripping her hand, I move forward and open the door, then shut it behind us. The room is dark except for the faint yellow glow of street lamps through the window. There is nothing in here but a plywood dresser and a stripped bed, with a few pictures of Julie taped to the ceiling above it. The air is stale, and much colder than the rest of the house. ‘R . . .’ Julie says in a quivery, dangerous voice. ‘Why the fuck are we here?’ I finally turn to face her. In the yellow dimness, we look like actors in a silent sepia tragedy. ‘Julie,’ I say. ‘That theory . . . about why we . . . eat the brain . . .’ She starts to shake her head. ‘True.’ I look into her reddening eyes a moment longer, then kneel down and open the bottom drawer of the dresser. Inside, under piles of old stamps, a microscope, an army of pewter figurines, there is a stack of paper bound together with red yarn. I lift it out and hand it to Julie. In so many strange and twisted ways, I feel like the manuscript is mine. Like I’ve just handed her my own bloody heart on a platter. I am fully prepared for her to claw it to shreds. She takes the manuscript. She unties the yarn. She stares at the cover page for a full minute, breathing shakily. Then she wipes her eyes and clears her throat. ‘†Red Teeth,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ she reads. ‘†By Perry Kelvin.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ She glances down the page. ‘†For Julie Cabernet, the only light left.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ She lowers the manuscript and looks away for a moment, trying to hide a spasm in her throat, then steels herself and turns the page to the first chapter. As she reads, a faint smile peeks through the tear tracks. ‘Wow,’ she says, wiping a finger across her nose and sniffling. ‘It’s actually . . . kinda good. He used to write such dry and detached bullshit. This is . . . cheesy . . . but in a sweet way. More like how he really was.’ She glances at the cover page again. ‘He started it less than a year ago. I had no idea he was still writing.’ She flips to the last page. ‘It’s not finished. Cuts off in the middle of a sentence. â€Å"Outmanned and outgunned, certain of death, he kept fighting, because – â€Å"‘ She rubs her thumbs into the paper, feeling its texture. She puts it near her face and inhales. Then she closes her eyes, closes the manuscript, and reties the yarn. She looks up at me. I am nearly a foot taller than her and probably sixty pounds heavier, but I feel small and featherweight. Like she could knock me down and crush me with a single whispered word. But she doesn’t speak. She sets the manuscript back in the drawer and gently slides it shut. She straightens up, dries her face with her sleeve, and embraces me, resting her ear against my chest. ‘Thump-thump,’ she murmurs. ‘Thump-thump. Thump-thump.’ My hands hang limp at my sides. ‘I’m sorry,’ I say. With her eyes closed, her voice muffled by my shirt, she says, ‘I forgive you.’ I raise a hand and touch her straw-gold hair. ‘Thank you.’ These three phrases, so simple, so primal, have never sounded so complete. So true to their basic meanings. I feel her cheek move against my chest, her zygomaticus major pulling her lips into a faint smile. Without another word, we shut the door on Perry Kelvin’s room and leave his home. We descend the stairs past beleaguered teens, past tossing and turning kids, past deeply dreaming babies, and out into the street. I feel a nudge low in my chest, closer to my heart than my belly, and a soft voice in my head. Thank you, Perry says. I would like to end it here. How nice if I could edit my own life. If I could halt in the middle of a sentence and put it all to rest in a drawer somewhere, consummate my amnesia and forget all the things that have happened, are happening, and are about to happen. Shut my eyes and go to sleep happy. But no, ‘R’. No sleep of the innocent. Not for you. Did you forget? You have blood on your hands. On your lips. On your teeth. Smile for the cameras. How to cite Warm Bodies Chapter 15, Essay examples

Organization Behaviour at Amazon Corporation

Question: Discuss about the Organization Behaviour at Amazon Corporation. Answer: Introduction: The current study focuses upon evaluating the issues pertaining to organizational behavior that arises in case of Amazon Inc. The presence of the company around vast geographical areas coupled with high degree of market expansion has displayed that the company has had operational success unmatched by other retailing firms. However, despite generating considerable degree of revenues the company has visible issues pertaining to employee management, organizational behavior. The high degree of turnover pertaining to employees along the degradation of the companys reputation as a recruiter can be construed as a proof towards presence of issues concerning human capital. Employees have showcased frustration coupled with visible degree of resentment towards working at Amazon. Moreover, the problems as regards to employee feedback, employee-superior relationship have been evaluated thoroughly in light of present and past organizational theories. Case Description: The advent of online retailed coupled with the demand for large supplies and high degree of logistics has accelerated the growth of Amazon Inc. as an online retailer. The vast global presence coupled with the culturally diverse set of workforce has aggravated the degree of complexity in labour management. The present workplace conditions pertaining to the companys lower and mid level employees are not conducive to growth. This is because the company has not displayed visible degree of acclimatization to local culture and work values practiced in the markets that it caters (Zillman 2016). Moreover, the working conditions at its warehouses are reported to be inappropriate for its employees. The payments pertaining to the lower level employees of Amazon are also below par as compared to the payment made for the same degree of labour in other organizations. These factors have contributed towards increasing the degree of non-alignment of employees objective with that of the company. The managerial policy undertaken at lower managerial level seeks to undermine labour welfare and which in turn is tend to be solely profit motivated. Moreover, it tends to lack any visible degree of policies, which facilitates sustainability of cohesiveness, in its workforce. There has been instance, whereby the company has penalized its employees for taking on vacations or for taking time out for medical treatments or serious family engagements (Zillman, 2016). The policies regarding the treatment of employees resemble that of start-ups instead of public company as big the size as that of Amazon. The responses received out of current and ex-employees pertaining to the companys human resources policies and work culture display low morale on the part of such employees. This tend to arise out of management that tend implement policies which ends up accelerating the degree of labour turnover and results in fostering of negativity in the organizational culture. In terms of the scale of negative repercussions pertaining to organizational behaviour, the effects of mismanagement prevalent in the organization affects the human resources (HR) of Amazon. Moreover, it tends to affect the labor turnover and degree of employee motivation generated negatively along with adversely affecting the companys human capital. In terms of adherence towards classical theories of organizational management, it can be construed that the organizational problems arising out of workforce and work culture in general tend to arise out of both human resource department. Since the classical theories emphasized that reporting of problems are done based upon hierarchical structures and thereby are restricted on a departmental basis (Streitfeld 2016). Thereby, it can be construed that as per the relevant classical theories, the problems visible in terms of employee management is restricted only to the HR department. Moreover, it is relevant to note the fact that online retail sectors inherently has its own set of constraints in terms of price related competitions and very low or minimal profit margin. It is construed thereby that minimizing the overhead costs pertaining to warehousing, logistics amongst other operations forms a priority for Amazon Inc. Moreover, the motto as regards to work ethics and values for set out by Amazons management for its employees comprises of intense degree of hard work coupled with consistently satisfactory performance. The high benchmark set out by Amazon for its employees in terms of minimal holidays, high work pressures and tough workplace conditions coupled with uncertainty regarding their future in the company aggravated diminishing employee morale. The primary protagonists pertaining to the aforementioned issues arising out of workplace behaviour tend to be the operations manager pertaining to the organisation. The policies as regards to the work ethics, the policies regarding workplace environment, employee retention schemes amongst others have been laid down under the oversight of its CEO and top management team. The primary focus of the operations manager was facilitating enhanced contribution from employees through evolving the labour management policy in a manner that facilities labour productivity and labour welfare. However, expansion policy regarding the operation of the division that the operations manager belongs resulted at a cost of stringent workforce rules pertaining to the employees. This is coupled with considerably low wages and longer working hours at its back offices and warehouses. Moreover, it can be observed that the perception regarding the company as an online retail giant with considerable reputation pe rtaining to the company at stake due to the image that has been created as regards to its employee management policy. Case Analysis: The different theories of organisational behaviour, which could be significant to address the identified issues of Amazon, comprise of ERG theory of motivation. According to Miner (2015), this theory identifies the needs of the human beings into three major categories that constitute of existence, relatedness and growth needs. The existence needs comprise of all the physiological and material desires of the human beings like water, clothing, safety and affection. Another category of ERG theory is the relatedness needs, which entails external and social esteem. This implies significant associations with different persons like friends, families, colleagues and employers. This helps in bringing a sense of confidence and security amongst the human beings (Hogg and Terry 2014). The growth needs in ERG theory comprises of self-actualisation and internal esteem. This impels an individual to make productive or creative influences on the person and the overall environment. As a result, it helps in completing meaningful tasks for the individuals (Pinder 2014). It has been identified that Amazon inserts unjustified pressure on its workers in the form of overtime, low incentives and decreased holidays. As a result, the organisation has failed to maintain the existence and relatedness needs of the ERG theory. This is because the employees did not receive holidays for their physical illnesses and this has negatively influenced their level of motivation. Finally, the growth is limited in Amazon, as the organisation does not conduct regular appraisal of employee performance and provide promotion to its staffs. Another theory of organisational behaviour, which could be applied to address the various employee-related issues of Amazon, is two-factor theory of motivation, as proposed by Mintz Herzberg. According to this theory, the job factors are classified into two major factors like motivation factors and hygiene factors (DuBrin 2013). The motivation factors constitute of recognition, which is the appraisal of the managers for realising the accomplishments of the subordinates. In addition, responsibility is another attribute of the motivation factor, in which the staffs take responsibilities for performing their obligations. In addition, growth and promotion is required in order to enhance the career growth and opportunities of advancement for motivating the employees (Cane, OConnor and Michie 2012). In addition, the work assigned to the employees needs to be challenging and meaningful, so that it could be used to increase the level of motivation for the employees. The hygiene factors, on the other hand, are those factors, which are needed to motivate the employees in the workplace. Although these factors are not fruitful in the long-run, absence of these factors might result in loss of motivation for the employees in the workplace (Naylor, Pritchard and Ilgen 2013). The hygiene factors could further be subdivided into dissatisfiers and maintenance factors. The salary structure needs to be reasonable and appropriate in comparison to the industrial standards. The policies of the organization need not be rigid; instead, they need to be fair and clear. In the words of Altman, Valenzi and Hodgetts (2013), the company policies need to include flexible shifts, vacation, breaks and dress code. In addition, the employees need to be provided with adequate fringe benefit policies like healthcare plans for the family members and help programs. The physical working condition is another criterion of the hygiene factor, in which the organization needs to use modernized and updated equipments (Barrick, Mount and Li 2013). It is the sole responsibility of the management to ensure that strong interpersonal relationships exist between the staffs and managers. The conflict of interest or element of humiliation needs to be eliminated. Finally, job security is another hygiene factor, which aims to increase the satisfaction and motivation levels of the organisation (Borman and Motowidlo 2014). According to the identified problems, the lack of motivation and satisfaction level of the employees has declined the organisational productivity of Amazon. This is because the organisation has not undertaken adequate steps; rather it has enforced rigid working conditions for the employees. The employees are forced to work for additional hours without any additional payment coupled with absence of employee appraisal. Hence, the absence of motivation factors, as depicted in the two-factor theory of motivation, is clearly inherent in the organisation policy of Amazon. In this context, Baran, Shanock and Miller (2012) cited that the organisations failing to motivate the employees often experience fall in productivity and quality of services delivered to the customers. Furthermore, the communication gap between the managers and subordinates of Amazon signifies the absence of hygiene factor. In the current case, analysis regarding Amazons workplace and behavioural analysis pertaining to current employees of the company has been undertaken. The study focuses both upon the individual level and at the group level and tend to evaluate the organizational behavior issues pertaining to the company in the current issue. The current study is relevant in assessing the workplace dynamics prevalent in major organizations, in our case its Amazon, and then evaluates the repercussion of such dynamics upon employee performance, level of motivation and behavior as a group. The assessment then takes into account the different relevant theories, model pertaining to organizational behavior, and applies the theories congruent with the prevalent situation at Amazon. In case of Amazon, for the fresh recruitments a separate set of leadership principles are provided that summarizes the core principles that the employees are required to adhere to. The unproductive habits that Amazon assumes its recruits have inculcated through the previous organizations that they have worked on are to be forgotten and such poor habits are told not to be repeated at Amazon (Kurtz 2016). Moreover, the evaluations pertaining to employee performances are undertaken on a frequent basis and the weaker link in each department are warned of their future prospects at the company lest they continue performing in this manner. Moreover, those that tend to score the highest on the parameters set out by Amazon for gauging employee performances are provided virtual recognition through the title Im peculiar (Kurtz 2016). The current workplace environment at Amazon induces frequent clashes of ideas between the employees. Moreover, instead of facilitating alignment and fostering respect for each employee by another, the company encourages employees towards aggravating clashes with other employees (Streitfeld, 2016). Moreover, the working hours pertaining to Amazonians, what the company calls its employees, are long and hard. Moreover, even for emails that are sent to the employees during midnight, this to be followed by text messages at the employees phone requiring justification as regards to why the email was not replied to. Moreover, proclamation by the management at Amazon that the organization is not the easiest place to work in displays the fact that the management itself implements worker policies that tend to challenge employee in attaining high performances on a regular basis. Further, the organization itself proclaims that its standards regarding employee performance in particular and company s financial performance in general are unreasonably high. There can be several factors, which has facilitated the development of company objectives of such nature. The exponential growth in the number of internet users coupled with rise in online retailing first in the developed economies and then in the emerging economics has created vast opportunities for Amazon. Thus inducing the company to penetrate large number of offshore markets and thereby facilitate high quantum of expansion. However, the approach that Amazon undertakes in order to capitalize upon such opportunities has resulted in negative repercussions upon the performance, work ethics and motivation of its employees. Practices such as encouragement to employee towards sending secret feedbacks to their immediate superior as regards to the happenings in other department of the organization create a negative vive for the employees. Moreover, the phone directory at Amazon implicitly mentions that the higher management approves such exchanges of secret emails in order to mitigate org anizational hazards. However, it can be observed that such practices end up being demoralizing the employee and tend to have negative repercussions upon the degree of integrity inculcated in them. In comparison to Amazon, companies such as Google and Facebook tend to have an organizational structure that is more informal in nature and tend to foster creativity, innovation coupled with enabling its employees towards working under high work pressures. For instance, at Google, no formal outfits have been specified to be worn by its employees and it is at the employees discretion to choose what to wear to work. This is coupled with free gourmet food at its canteens that facilitates in ensuring that employee have a better set of communications with each other. The belief that sharing a meal together has positive repercussions upon employee productivity, efficiency and it mitigates the risks regarding high employee turnover. Facebook too has a organizational structure that is overtly informal in nature and operates as a startup and fosters openness amongst its employees. Moreover, in house contests amongst its employee coupled with numerous set of financial and non-financial bonuses and incentives. Further, Facebook undertakes measures that facilitate absorption of workplace pressure such as mid day yoga sessions for its employees for free at the office premises. In contrast to aforementioned examples, Amazon has an inflexible work regime coupled with the fact that some of its policies directly aggravate internal politics in the organization. Presence of sample texts in Amazons employee directory provides a representation of how the company encourages secret communications regarding minor issues and which encourages sabotage of an employee by another. The aforementioned policies clearly states the fact that work practices at Amazon is not conducive to excellence or growth in the context of employee performance. Moreover, the company has displayed practices that make it difficult for majority of its prospective employees along with those currently employed at retaining their job in the long term. The purposeful Darwinism as described by its human resources is aimed towards weeding out the weak links in the organization but in turn has resulted in creating a bad reputation as a recruiter (Streitfeld 2016). The company undertakes the largest log istical operations in order to facilitate timely deliverance of its products to its government. Moreover, in terms of handling human capital pertaining to the organization, there has been instances that workers suffering from miscarriages, cancers and other major illnesses are not provided adequate time to recover and rejoin the organization. Moreover, in case of performance evaluation, such illnesses and recuperations are seen as a drawback and thereby the probability of such employee not provided a fair hearing prior to being retrenched is significantly high. Therefore it can be construed that organizational culture pertaining to Amazon tend to foster group think where each department tend to assimilate the collective inputs from their employees in order to facilitate higher performance but in turn result towards undertaking dysfunctional decisions. Hogg and Terry (2014) stated that in case of managing occupational stresses, it is required to be ensured that the objectives of the employee has an fair degree of alignment with the organizational and occupational requirements. It can be construed from the practices as observed in case of Amazon that there seems to be substantial degree of non-alignment pertaining to the objective of employees and that of the company. Primary objective of each employee is towards responding to incentives that are both of financial and non-financial nature and to maintain work life balance. In case of the current company, it is observed that few of the employees get to achieve the stringent set of benchmark as has been laid out by Amazon. Even though that facilitates incentives such as financial bonuses and stocks for managerial employees and executives, it is absent in case of lower level staffs. The nature of Amazons business resulted in putting high degree of emphasis upon the warehousing and deli verance of goods. However, the observations made pertaining to the warehouse conditions and the inadequate incentive structures related to lower level workers showcases that Amazon has serious organizational management issues. Shafritz, Ott, and Jang (2015) stated that in case the human resources and incentive structure tend to be constrained by adverse managerial policies, the organizational stress tend to aggravate. It can be construed in case of Amazon; the organizational stress is prevalent in a high quantum. Moreover, it can also be mentioned that there are clear instances of workplace incivility prevalent at Amazon. It can be construed that the policies regarding employee and workforce management that comprises of facilitating means to aggravate office politics, accelerate high degree of employee turnover cannot contribute positively towards Amazons performance in the long run. Naylor, Pritchard and Ilgen (2013) stated in the context of employee performance, job satisfaction is the primary determinant of the rate of employee turnover that the organization faces. Moreover, Altman, Valenzi and Hodgetts (2013) stated that in case of high growth companies, the emphasis shall be upon lowering attrition rates and through incentives and recreational activities. The aforementioned set of observations made upon Amazon results in a perception that the company requires revising its organizational framework and emphasize upon facilitating a workplace environment that is permeated by job satisfaction. Armstrong and Taylor (2014) advocated that transformational leadership theory tend to inculcate the mannerisms and attitudes showcased by the leaders and which in turn is then affects the organization as a whole. CEO Jeffrey Bezos has set high benchmarks for its employees and the financial performance, pertaining to the company has displayed enormous growth prospects. However, the leadership skills of the CEO have failed in motivating the employees in providing their best efforts as regards to performance for a sustainable period. Greaves, Zibarras and Stride (2013) stated that in the organizational contexts, intrinsic motivation has greater degree of dependency upon employee-superior relationship. In case of Amazon, the pressures of generating high quantum of revenue out of thin profit margin on each transactions has resulted in exerting high degree of pressures upon its employees. Timely deliverance of products to consumers coupled with an incentive structure that is below par as f ar as comparisons are made to incentive structures. Recommendations: The prevalent set of work culture at Amazon requires a though evaluation in order to identify the shortcomings in managerial policies pertaining to employee and worker motivation. The policies that aggravates workplace politics requires amendment in order to facilitate an environment where the employee can focus upon the designated jobs rather than indulging in activities that are predominantly unproductive. The feedback policy pertaining to the employees requires overhauling and a grievance redress department is required to be set up by the company. That, in turn, shall facilitate minimizing the adverse issues faced by employees. Moreover, the human resources department requires undertaking measures that aggravates the degree of job satisfaction as is faced by the employee. Moreover, a certain quantum of profit requires to be distributed onto its lower level employees in order to improve the risk mitigation measures. Moreover, the performance parameters are required to be scaled down in order to facilitate minimization of attrition rate of employees. The company requires to observe other giants such as Facebook, Google, Apple amongst others in terms of reframing its policies regarding employee engagement. The leadership pertaining to the CEO and higher-level management requires to be permeated into its employee. Moreover, the company requires focusing upon the fostering motivation onto its employees and restricts policy that tend to aggravate resentment and sabotage. Conclusion: The above study showcased analysis of factors affecting organizational behavior at Amazon Inc. The study had sought to address those issues in light of organizational behavior theories and find remedies pertaining to the problems prevalent in the organization. The observation of employee management policies prevalent at Amazon has displayed that there are serious negative repercussions upon the employee performance. In order to minimize the attrition and turnover rate pertaining to the organization, the aforementioned recommendations are required to be followed by Amazon. References and Bibliographies: Altman, S., Valenzi, E. and Hodgetts, R.M., 2013.Organizational behavior: Theory and practice. Elsevier. Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014.Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Avolio, B.J. and Yammarino, F.J. eds., 2013.Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead. Emerald Group Publishing. Baran, B.E., Shanock, L.R. and Miller, L.R., 2012. Advancing organizational support theory into the twenty-first century world of work.Journal of Business and Psychology,27(2), pp.123-147. Barrick, M.R., Mount, M.K. and Li, N., 2013. The theory of purposeful work behavior: The role of personality, higher-order goals, and job characteristics.Academy of Management Review,38(1), pp.132-153. Bolino, M.C., Klotz, A.C., Turnley, W.H. and Harvey, J., 2013. Exploring the dark side of organizational citizenship behavior.Journal of Organizational Behavior,34(4), pp.542-559. Borman, W.C. and Motowidlo, S.J., 2014.Organizational citizenship behavior and contextual performance: A special issue of human performance. Psychology Press. Cane, J., OConnor, D. and Michie, S., 2012. Validation of the theoretical domains framework for use in behaviour change and implementation research.Implementation Science,7(1), p.1. DuBrin, A.J., 2013.Fundamentals of organizational behavior: An applied perspective. Elsevier. DuBrin, A.J., 2013.Fundamentals of organizational behavior: An applied perspective. Elsevier. Francis, J.J., OConnor, D. and Curran, J., 2012. Theories of behaviour change synthesised into a set of theoretical groupings: introducing a thematic series on the theoretical domains framework.Implementation Science,7(1), p.1. French, S.D., Green, S.E., OConnor, D.A., McKenzie, J.E., Francis, J.J., Michie, S., Buchbinder, R., Schattner, P., Spike, N. and Grimshaw, J.M., 2012. Developing theory-informed behaviour change interventions to implement evidence into practice: a systematic approach using the Theoretical Domains Framework.Implementation Science,7(1), p.1. Greaves, M., Zibarras, L.D. and Stride, C., 2013. Using the theory of planned behavior to explore environmental behavioral intentions in the workplace.Journal of Environmental Psychology,34, pp.109-120. Haslam, S.A., van Knippenberg, D., Platow, M.J. and Ellemers, N. eds., 2014.Social identity at work: Developing theory for organizational practice. Psychology Press. Hatch, M.J. and Cunliffe, A.L., 2013.Organization theory: modern, symbolic and postmodern perspectives. Oxford university press. Hogg, M.A. and Terry, D.J. eds., 2014.Social identity processes in organizational contexts. Psychology Press Hogg, M.A. and Terry, D.J. eds., 2014.Social identity processes in organizational contexts. Psychology Press. Kurtz, D. (2016). Why Is Amazon Still Fighting a Critical New York Times Piece?. [online] New Republic. Available at: https://newrepublic.com/article/123165/why-amazon-still-fighting-critical-new-york-times-piece [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016]. Martins, C., Oliveira, T. and Popovi?, A., 2014. Understanding the Internet banking adoption: A unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and perceived risk application.International Journal of Information Management,34(1), pp.1-13. Metcalf, L. and Benn, S., 2013. Leadership for sustainability: An evolution of leadership ability.Journal of Business Ethics,112(3), pp.369-384. Miner, J.B., 2015.Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge. Naylor, J.C., Pritchard, R.D. and Ilgen, D.R., 2013. A theory of behavior in organizations. Academic Press. Nelson, D.L. and Quick, J.C., 2013.Organizational behavior: Science, the real world, and you. Cengage Learning. Nytimes.com. (2016). Amazon Spars With The Times Over Investigative Article. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/20/business/amazon-spars-with-the-times-over-investigative-article.html [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016]. Pettigrew, A.M., 2014.The politics of organizational decision-making. Routledge. Pinder, C.C., 2014.Work motivation in organizational behavior. Psychology Press. Shafritz, J.M., Ott, J.S. and Jang, Y.S., 2015.Classics of organization theory. Cengage Learning. Streitfeld, J. (2016). Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016]. Twice.com (2016). Bezos Still Smarting From New York Times' Amazon Article. [online] Available at: https://www.twice.com/news/retail/bezos-still-smarting-new-york-times-amazon-article/61056 [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016]. Van de Ven, A.H., Ganco, M. and Hinings, C.R., 2013. Returning to the frontier of contingency theory of organizational and institutional designs.The Academy of Management Annals,7(1), pp.393-440. Venkatesh, V., Thong, J.Y. and Xu, X., 2012. Consumer acceptance and use of information technology: extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology.MIS quarterly,36(1), pp.157-178. Zillman, C. (2016). Amazons Jay Carney rips New York Times report on company culture. [online] Fortune. Available at: https://fortune.com/2015/10/19/amazon-new-york-times-2/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2016].

Battle of Berlin in World War II

Battle of Berlin in World War II The Battle of Berlin was a sustained and ultimately successful attack on the German city by the Allied forces in the Soviet Union from April 16–May 2, 1945, during World War II (1939–1945). Armies Commanders Allies: Soviet Union Marshal Georgy ZhukovMarshal Konstantin RokossovskyMarshal Ivan KonevGeneral Vasily Chuikovapprox. 2,500,000 men Axis: Germany General Gotthard HeinriciGeneral Kurt von TippelskirchField Marshal Ferdinand Schà ¶rnerLieutenant General Hellmuth ReymannGeneral Helmuth WeidlingMajor General Erich Brenfngerapprox. 766,750 men Background Having driven across Poland and into Germany, Soviet forces began planning for an offensive against Berlin. Though supported by American and British aircraft, the campaign would be entirely conducted by the Red Army on the ground. General Dwight D. Eisenhower saw no reason to sustain losses for an objective that would ultimately fall into the Soviet occupation zone after the war. For the offensive, the Red Army massed Marshal Georgy Zhukovs 1st Belorussian Front to the east of Berlin with Marshal Konstantin Rokossovkys 2nd Belorussian Front to the north and Marshal Ivan Konevs 1st Ukrainian Front to the south. Opposing the Soviets was General Gotthard Heinricis Army Group Vistula supported by Army Group Centre to the south. One of Germanys premier defensive generals, Heinrici elected not to defend along the Oder River and instead heavily fortified the Seelow Heights east of Berlin. This position was supported by successive lines of defenses extending back to the city as well as by inundating the Oders floodplain by opening reservoirs. Defense of the capital proper was tasked to Lieutenant General Helmuth Reymann. Though their forces looked strong on paper, Heinrici and Reymanns divisions were badly depleted. The Attack Begins Moving forward on April 16, Zhukovs men assaulted the Seelow Heights. In one of the last major pitched battles of World War II in Europe, the Soviets captured the position after four days of fighting but sustained over 30,000 killed. To the south, Konevs command captured Forst and broke into open country south of Berlin. While part of Konevs forces swung north towards Berlin, another pressed west to unite with advancing American troops. These breakthroughs saw Soviet troops nearly envelop the German 9th Army. Pushing westward, 1st Belorussian Front approached Berlin from the east and northeast. On April 21, its artillery began shelling the city. Encircling the City As Zhukov drove on the city, the 1st Ukrainian Front continued to make gains to the south. Driving back the northern part of Army Group Center, Konev compelled that command to retreat towards Czechoslovakia. Pushing forward north of Juterbog on April 21, his troops passed south of Berlin. Both of these advances were supported by Rokossovsky to the north who was advancing against the northern part of Army Group Vistula. In Berlin, Adolf Hitler began to despair and concluded that the war was lost. In an effort to rescue the situation, the 12th Army was ordered east on April 22 in the hope it could unite with 9th Army. The Germans then intended for the combined force to aid in defending the city. The next day, Konevs front completed the encirclement of the 9th Army while also engaging the lead elements of the 12th. Unhappy with Reymanns performance, Hitler replaced him with General Helmuth Weidling. On April 24, elements of Zhukov and Konevs fronts met west of Berlin completing the encirclement of the city. Consolidating this position, they began probing the citys defenses. While Rokossovsky continued to advance in the north, part of Konevs front met the American 1st Army at Torgau on April 25. Outside of the City With Army Group Centre disengaging, Konev faced two separate German forces in the form of the 9th Army which was trapped around Halbe and the 12th Army which was attempting to break into Berlin. As the battle progressed, 9th Army attempted to break out and was partially successful with around 25,000 men reaching 12th Armys lines. On April 28/29, Heinrici was to be replaced by General Kurt Student.  Until Student could arrive (he never did), command was given to General Kurt von Tippelskirch. Attacking northeast, General Walther Wencks 12th Army had some success before being halted 20 miles from the city at Lake Schwielow. Unable to advance and coming under attack, Wenck retreated towards the Elbe and U.S. forces. The Final Battle Within Berlin, Weidling possessed around 45,000 men composed of Wehrmacht, SS, Hitler Youth, and Volkssturm militia. Initial Soviet assaults on Berlin began on April 23, a day before the city was encircled. Striking from the southeast, they met heavy resistance but reached the Berlin S-Bahn railway near Teltow Canal by the following evening. On April 26, Lieutenant General Vasily Chuikovs 8th Guards Army advanced from the south and attacked Tempelhof Airport. By the next day, Soviet forces were pushing into the city along multiple lines from the south, southeast, and north. Early on April 29, Soviet troops crossed Moltke Bridge and began attacks on the Interior Ministry. These were slowed by a lack of artillery support. After capturing Gestapo headquarters later that day, the Soviets pressed on to the Reichstag. Assaulting the iconic building the next day, they succeeded in famously hoisting a flag over it after hours of brutal fighting. A further two days were needed to completely clear the Germans from the building. Meeting with Hitler early on April 30, Weidling informed him that the defenders would soon run out of ammunition. Seeing no other option, Hitler authorized Weidling to attempt a breakout. Unwilling to leave the city and with the Soviets nearing, Hitler and Eva Braun, who were married on April 29, remained in the Fà ¼hrerbunker and then committed suicide later in the day. With Hitlers death, Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz became president while Joseph Goebbels, who was in Berlin, became chancellor. On May 1, the citys remaining 10,000 defenders were forced into a shrinking area in the city center. Though General Hans Krebs, Chief of the General Staff, opened surrender talks with Chuikov, he was prevented from coming to terms by Goebbels who wished to continue the fight. This ceased to be an issue later in the day when Goebbels committed suicide.? Though the way was clear to surrender, Krebs elected to wait until the following morning so that a breakout could be attempted that night. Moving forward, the Germans sought to escape along three different routes. Only those who passed through the Tiergarten had success penetrating the Soviet lines, though few successfully reached American lines. Early on May 2, Soviet forces captured the Reich Chancellery. At 6:00 am, Weidling surrendered with his staff. Taken to Chuikov, he promptly ordered all remaining German forces in Berlin to surrender. Battle of Berlin Aftermath The Battle of Berlin effectively ended fighting on the Eastern Front and in Europe as a whole. With Hitlers death and complete military defeat, Germany unconditionally surrendered on May 7. Taking possession of Berlin, the Soviets worked to restore services and distribute food to the citys inhabitants. These efforts at humanitarian aid were somewhat marred by some Soviet units which plundered the city and assaulted the populace. In the fighting for Berlin, the Soviets lost 81,116 killed/missing and 280,251 wounded. German casualties are a matter of debate with early Soviet estimates being as high as 458,080 killed and 479,298 captured. Civilian losses may have been as high as 125,000.