title: Rory Delap

text: On 10 July 2001, Southampton signed Delap for a fee of £4 million. In the process he not only became Stuart Gray's first signing since replacing Glenn Hoddle as manager, but also Southampton's record transfer - a tag he held onto for almost 11 years, before they signed Jay Rodriguez from Burnley for £7 million on 10 June 2012. Prior to Delap's arrival, his former club Carlisle received £700,000 from the deal. Delap's first goal for Southampton came during a 3–1 victory over Ipswich Town at Portman Road on 2 March 2002. It was later that month when he scored his first goal at St Mary's in a 1–1 draw with Fulham.


title: Rory Delap

text: Although Delap failed to score during the 2002–03 campaign, he made a total of 30 appearances in all competitions and helped Southampton reach the 2003 FA Cup Final, despite missing the game due to an ankle injury. Although they narrowly lost to Arsenal after Robert Pires scored the only goal of the game, the Gunners had already qualified for the Champions League after finishing second in the Premier League, therefore Southampton qualified for the UEFA Cup. Their UEFA Cup campaign was short-lived, after a 1–1 draw with Steaua București at St. Mary's was followed by a 1–0 away defeat on 15 October 2003. Delap played in both legs.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap's third goal for Southampton and arguably the best of his career, was a spectacular bicycle kick in a 1–0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on 27 March 2004. The 64th-minute strike ended a near two-year goal drought. Seven months later he scored two headers in a 2–2 draw with Arsenal at Highbury. Both goals came in the last ten minutes of the game, and would have secured three points for Southampton had it not been for Robin van Persie's last-minute equaliser, which maintained Arsenal's position at the top of the Premier League.


title: Rory Delap

text: From Southampton, Delap was signed by Mick McCarthy for Sunderland in the 2005–06 season. He made six appearances for the club that season before injury struck. On 8 April 2006, under caretaker manager Kevin Ball, he clashed heads with teammate George McCartney during his side's league game with Fulham, a game that was subsequently abandoned. In doing so, he broke his nose and underwent an operation to adjust it correctly after being selected to play at Manchester United only to withdraw after suffering a nose bleed during the warm-up. Thus he was ruled out for the remainder of the season and Manchester United relegated Sunderland and their own title hopes with a 0–0 draw. He scored once in the league during his spell at Sunderland, a crucial equaliser in a 2–2 draw with Everton on 1 April 2006.


title: Rory Delap

text: Having become a marginal figure when Roy Keane took over as manager of Sunderland, Delap was loaned to Stoke City in October 2006. He made his debut in the 4–0 thumping of Leeds United at Elland Road. A week after signing on loan, Delap made his home debut for Stoke against his parent club Sunderland on 17 October 2006. However, after a challenge from Robbie Elliott, he sustained fractures to his tibia and fibula early in the game, resulting in a broken leg. Although the injury sidelined him for the remainder of the 2006–07 season, Stoke manager Tony Pulis signed Delap on a permanent basis on 9 January 2007.


title: Rory Delap

text: On 15 July 2007, Delap made his comeback in a pre-season friendly with Newcastle Town. On 15 September 2007, Delap scored his first goal for Stoke in a 1–1 draw with Hull. On 22 September 2007, Richard Cresswell scored from Delap's throw in a 3–1 win over Queens Park Rangers. On 1 January 2008, in a second 1–1 draw with Hull, Delap assisted Leon Cort with another long throw. On 9 February 2008, Delap scored his second goal of the season in a 4–2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Delap made a total of 46 appearances in the league, as Stoke finished 2nd and were promoted to the Premier League on the final day of the season. They had been away from the top-flight for 23 years.


title: Rory Delap

text: The potency of the "Delap Special" reached new heights as Stoke City began their debut Premier League season. Of their first 13 goals, seven were credited as Delap assists. Stoke's first Premiership goal from a Delap throw was Mamady Sidibe's injury-time winner against Aston Villa on 23 August 2008. His throws continued to cause further problems for Stoke's opposition throughout the season, and would have earned the Potters a point against Everton on 14 September, had it not been for Tim Cahill's 77th-minute header. The game finished 2–3, with both Stoke goals coming from Delap throws. Tony Pulis suggested his absence was a crucial factor in Stoke's 2–0 defeat to Chelsea on 27 September. He returned the following week to face Portsmouth, and despite helping to create Ricardo Fuller's goal from a throw-in, Stoke lost the game 2–1. It was just one game later when Delap scored his first goal of the season and only his third in a Stoke shirt. He met Sidibe's cross at the far post to give his side an important 2–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Delap was sent off in Stoke's 1–0 win over Manchester City for fouling and kicking out at Shaun Wright-Phillips.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap's throw-ins quickly caused problems at the beginning of the 2009–10 season. In Stoke's opening game against newly promoted Burnley, Delap's throw-in forced an own goal from Stephen Jordan in a 2–0 win. On 31 October 2009, Delap's throw-in created another goal for Stoke. Although Christophe Berra of Wolverhampton Wanderers attempted to clear the ball, it fell to Matthew Etherington, who volleyed it into the top corner. Delap then gave away two penalties within three games, against both Portsmouth and Arsenal. Portsmouth's Aruna Dindane was struck in the head by Delap's boot, while Andrei Arshavin was tripped up by Delap's leg. Both penalties were saved by Thomas Sørensen.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap proved crucial in Stoke's 2009–10 FA Cup campaign. His throw-ins created two goals in a third-round win over York City, helping Stoke come from behind within just two minutes. Daniel Parslow headed the first into his own net, before Ricardo Fuller put Stoke ahead after York failed to clear the second. Just 70 seconds into their fourth-round tie with Arsenal, Fuller gave Stoke the lead from Delap's swirling throw-in. Stoke won the game 3–1. In their fifth-round tie against Manchester City, Fuller converted yet another Delap throw-in to cancel out an early goal from Shaun Wright-Phillips. Several pundits drew comparisons to Fuller's goal against Arsenal in the previous round. A replay was required after the game finished 1–1. The replay finished 1–1 over 90 minutes, meaning extra-time was required. Just five minutes into extra-time, Ryan Shawcross beat Shay Given to the ball and headed in from Delap's throw-in. Tuncay later added to the scoring, ensuring Stoke made it to the quarter finals. Stoke were defeated 2–0 by holders Chelsea in the quarter finals.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap in-directly assisted two more goals from throw-ins during the remainder of Stoke's league campaign. Danny Pugh scored in a 3–1 defeat to Arsenal on 27 February 2010, while Tuncay scored a header in a 1–1 draw with Burnley on 10 March 2010. Stoke finished the season in 11th place with 47 points, one place and two points higher than the previous season.


title: Rory Delap

text: On 13 September 2010, Delap made his 300th Premier League appearance against Aston Villa, becoming the 82nd player to reach the landmark. On 16 October 2010, Delap ended a 21-month goal drought against Bolton Wanderers. Although his goal was the equaliser, Stoke lost 2–1 during injury-time, with Ivan Klasnić's winner ironically occurring from a long throw-in. Just a few minutes after Klasnić's goal, he received two yellow cards in quick succession, with the second coming after catching Delap in the face while challenging for a header. He scored another rare goal against West Bromwich Albion in February 2011.


title: Rory Delap

text: While Delap's throw-ins were becoming much less effective in the Premier League, they were decisive throughout Stoke's 2010–11 FA Cup campaign. They created goals against Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham and Bolton Wanderers, helping Stoke reach their first ever FA Cup Final. Stoke lost 1–0 to Manchester City in the final, but as City had already qualified for the Champions League through the league, Stoke qualified for the Europa League.


title: Rory Delap

text: In April 2011, Delap signed a one-year extension to his contract. After turning 35, Delap stated that he had no plans for retirement.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap's throw-ins only created one goal during the 2011–12 season, but he did manage to find the back of the net on two occasions. Both goals were headers and came in home wins over Fulham and Blackburn. On 19 February 2012, in the fifth round of the FA Cup against Crawley Town, Delap received a straight red card for a sliding tackle on David Hunt. Despite the sending off, Stoke went on to win the game 2–0. Stoke later appealed against the decision and Delap's three-match ban was overturned. Delap made a total of 36 appearances in all competitions, six of which came in Stoke's historic Europa League campaign, which saw them reach the round of 32 before being knocked out by Spanish side Valencia. On 1 May 2012, Delap was rewarded with another one-year extension to his contract, which would see him extend his stay at Stoke until the end of the 2012–13 season.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap found himself out of favour during the 2012–13 season, making just one appearance away at Reading on the opening day of the season.


title: Rory Delap

text: On 31 January 2013, Delap joined Barnsley on loan until the end of the season. Soon after his move to Oakwell, he expressed his desire to make the move permanent in order to continue his playing career. Following his debut in a 2–1 win over Blackpool, his throw-in quickly caused problems as it created Scott Golbourne's equaliser in a 3–2 victory over Middlesbrough. He then assisted Chris Dagnall's header in his third league appearance against Wolves, before his throw created Tomasz Cywka's goal in a 5–3 defeat to Bristol City.


title: Rory Delap

text: After leaving Stoke, Delap spent time on trial with League Two side Burton Albion in an attempt to earn a contract. He signed a one-year contract with the Brewers on 18 July 2013. His third appearance and first as a contracted Burton player was a friendly against Stoke. Burton lost the game 2–0, as Delap played 55 minutes at right-back. He played seven matches for Burton scoring once in a 2–2 draw against Cheltenham Town on 3 August 2013. On 16 December 2013 Delap announced his retirement from football.


title: Rory Delap

text: After retiring from playing he began working as a coach at Derby County's academy. In June 2015 he was appointed coach of Derby's under-18 side. On 10 February 2016, he was promoted to coach of the under-21 team.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap returned to Stoke in June 2018 as first-team coach to Gary Rowett. Delap took caretaker charge of Stoke on 1 November 2019 following the sacking of Nathan Jones.


title: Rory Delap

text: A former Republic of Ireland under-21 international, Delap won 11 caps for the national team between 1998 and 2004. He was not included in the Irish squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where the nation reached the final sixteen of the tournament. His international career was marked by a number of withdrawals, the last of which was with a twisted knee on 25 April 2004 before a midweek friendly with Poland.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap, a former schoolboy javelin champion, is renowned for having had one of the longest and most feared throw-ins in football; his throws, noted by Martin O'Neill as equivalent to "a corner or a free kick", often ranged (averaging ), and could reach the speed of . They served as an assist in more than one case before 2008. Numerous experts, including his former manager Tony Pulis, commented on the technique Delap employed, the length and flatness undoing many a defence. "It causes so many problems (amongst the opposition defence). I think it's because they're so flat. They're not lofted into the air, he throws it pretty flat and it's very difficult for defenders to pick up the flight."


title: Rory Delap

text: Fellow professionals similarly renowned for long throw-ins, such as Mario Melchiot, formerly of Wigan Athletic, and Lee Dixon, formerly of Arsenal, also spoke of their admiration for Delap. Melchiot described Delap's ability as "one hell of a throw-in" and a "great weapon", having already set Delap out for unique praise in stating that he did not think there was "anyone in the league that can throw like him".


title: Rory Delap

text: To increase the momentum of the throw, Delap took four steps from the advertising boards around the pitch, followed by one long stride. In doing this he planted his front foot solidly on the ground propelling all momentum forward, thus increasing the speed with which the ball was released. Delap said he did not work on building his upper body strength and physique, although he used his shoulders and lower back muscles to give power to his throw. For the ball to reach his target faster, Delap threw it on a flat trajectory releasing in such a way as to cause large amounts of backspin. This helped to counter gravity so the ball travelled on a more level elevation even though it was released at such a low angle. He tended to target two players within 6ft of each other. His throw-ins are reputed as more accurate than most corners being that more muscles are used to control the direction in which the ball travels.


title: Rory Delap

text: Factors, according to Dixon's analysis, which further enhanced the dangerous nature of Delap's throw-ins were the fact that "you cannot be offside from a throw-in, so the attackers can crowd the six-yard box" and "because a free-kick starts with the ball on the ground it means it has to have a natural arc in order to get up and over the first defender", whereas "from a throw-in the ball starts from six-foot and it is the angle and trajectory of Delap's darts that make them so potent".


title: Rory Delap

text: In the 2008–09 Premier League season Delap's throw-ins led directly to both goals scored in at least two matches. Both Stoke goals in the 3–2 loss to Everton on 14 September 2008 came about as a result of Delap's throw. Afterwards Everton manager David Moyes referred to Delap as the "Human Sling". Later, Delap used his ability to help score Stoke's goals in the 2–1 victory over Arsenal at the Britannia Stadium on 1 November 2008. The first of these travelled 45 metres from the sideline into the penalty area.


title: Rory Delap

text: The then Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari described the technique as "fantastic" and suggested the goalkeeper ought not to attempt claiming the ball in this situation. "I think he puts the ball better with his hands than his foot, it's fantastic. I have never seen anything like this in my life; 10 metres outside midfield, this boy puts the ball inside the area. Maybe it's not beautiful football but it's effective."


title: Rory Delap

text: Some teams developed techniques to try and put Delap's long throws off. Notable examples include against Hull City on 29 November 2008, goalkeeper Boaz Myhill kicking the ball out beyond the byline for a corner kick instead of out into touch when under pressure; unused Hull substitute Dean Windass received a yellow card for unsporting behaviour after warming up too close to Delap when preparing to take a throw-in. On 27 March 2010, West Ham United erected an extra set of advertising boards considerably close to the touchline to hamper Delap's run-up, but he was still capable of reaching the penalty box in spite of the limited space. These boards backfired when West Ham lost possession from a Julien Faubert throw-in, which led to Ricardo Fuller scoring the only goal of the game in Stoke's favour. Burnley also tried a similar tactic; however, the match finished 1–1 with Stoke's goal coming from a Delap throw.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap served as the inspiration for Danny Brooks – a P.E. teacher from West Yorkshire who broke the world record for the longest football throw-in. He performed a flip throw to gain extra momentum and lifted the record to . The record was once again broken on 18 June 2010, and is now held by Thomas Grønnemark of Denmark, who threw the ball .


title: Rory Delap

text: Although Delap was born in Sutton Coldfield to Irish parents, his family moved to Carlisle when he was just six months old. He therefore supported Carlisle United and attended matches at Brunton Park with his father. Rory's father is John Delap from Letterkenny and his mother Maura Delap from Kells. His uncle is Paddy Delap, a Letterkenny businessman, golfer, and athletics coach who runs Clarke's Newsagent's and organises an annual charity cycling event in aid of cancer noted for launching the career of former Cervélo TestTeam member Philip Deignan. Another uncle, Anthony, is an actor-playwright whose works have been performed at An Grianán Theatre in the town. Delap visits his family in Letterkenny at least once every year.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap has been acknowledged for his generosity towards the Donna Louise Children's Hospice in Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent. He completed a 202-mile bike ride from Newcastle upon Tyne to Edinburgh in June 2009, raising more than £7,000 for the charity. He then repeated the same route in June 2010, completing it in just two days.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap also took part in and won Marco Pierre White's Stoke Kitchen contest, with the proceeds benefiting Caudwell Children. The contest also featured a special appearance from Soccer AM's Tubes.


title: Rory Delap

text: Due to the use of his shoulders and lower back muscles when throwing a football, Delap is an ambassador of Back in Play - a campaign to help raise awareness of Ankylosing spondylitis.


title: Rory Delap

text: Delap appears on the cover of ""...And She Laughed No More: Stoke City's First Premiership Adventure"", a book written by Stoke supporter Stephen Foster.


title: Awer Mabil

text: Awer Bul Mabil (born 15 September 1995) is a professional soccer player who plays as a winger for La Liga club Cádiz. Born in Kenya, he represents the Australia national team at international level.


title: Awer Mabil

text: Born a South Sudanese refugee in Kenya, Mabil played youth soccer at the South Australian National Training Centre and with Adelaide United. He made his senior debut for Campbelltown City, before making his debut in the A-League for Adelaide United in 2013.


title: Awer Mabil

text: Mabil was born on 15 September 1995 to South Sudanese parents in Kakuma, located in northwestern Kenya. He lived with his family in the Kakuma Refugee Camp until the age of 10 when they moved to Australia and settled in Adelaide. He first began playing soccer at the Kenyan refugee camp at around the age of five, stating: "We would just go outside and start kicking around. It was not structured and there was little else to do". They played with bare feet and used a rolled-up sock as a football. During a 2022 World Cup qualifier, Mabil said "I was born in a hut, a little hut. My hotel room here is definitely bigger than the hut, the room we had as a family in that refugee camp".


title: Awer Mabil

text: Mabil played in youth teams at St Augustines; Playford City; SA NTC (2010–2011); and Salisbury East Junior Soccer Club.


title: Awer Mabil

text: Mabil made his senior debut at Campbelltown City (in the FFSA National Premier League) in 2012. Later that year he was signed by Adelaide United in the A-League, after he had displayed a number of performances showing his pace and dribbling skills to outwit many defenders in the FFSA National Premier League.


title: Awer Mabil

text: He made his Adelaide United senior debut on 11 January 2013 in a 2012–13 A-League match against Perth Glory. He scored his first goal in a 2–1 away loss to Wellington Phoenix in Round 17 of the 2013–14 A-League season, after coming on as a substitute in the second half.


title: Awer Mabil

text: In July 2015, Mabil secured a move to Danish Superliga club, FC Midtjylland for a reported transfer fee in excess of AU$1,300,000 Awer Mabil made his Danish Superliga debut for FC Midtjylland on 16 October 2015 against Randers FC at the MCH Arena in Herning as an 83rd-minute substitute for Daniel Royer. On 22 October 2015, Mabil made his UEFA Europa League debut at home to Napoli FC, coming on for Mikkel Duelund in the 73rd minute.


title: Awer Mabil

text: He has said that when he went to FC Midtjylland he began to appreciate the seriousness of the game, and to develop a winning mentality. Initially he was not getting much game time, and the club sent him to two clubs on loan to help develop his skills and a winning mindset.


title: Awer Mabil

text: In August 2016, Mabil was loaned to Esbjerg fB to allow him to get more game time and develop. Mabil made his debut on 8 August 2016, starting the match against AGF but was sent off in the 44th minute. Esbjerg was relegated to the Danish 1st Division, and Esbjerg announced that Mabil was one of nine players who would be leaving the club.


title: Awer Mabil

text: In July 2017, Mabil was loaned to Paços de Ferreira to allow him further first-team opportunities. Paços de Ferreira were relegated at the end of the 2017–18 Primeira Liga season; however, Mabil impressed while on loan, scoring twice and providing a further three assists in 26 league appearances. He still follows the club.


title: Awer Mabil

text: Mabil returned to Denmark in 2018 a more mature player, and had a strong start, scoring a goal and registering two assists in his first six appearances of the season. On 11 November 2018, Mabil scored two and set a further two up in Midtjyllands 5–0 win over Vejle, taking his season tally to four goals and eight assists. He worked his way into the first team squad.


title: Awer Mabil

text: On 30 September 2020, he assisted Sory Kaba's headed goal with a cross in a 4–1 home win over Slavia Prague in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League play-off round that qualified Midtjylland for their first UEFA Champions League. He scored his first Champions League goal on 25 November that year against Ajax from the penalty spot in a 3–1 defeat.


title: Awer Mabil

text: In February 2022, after being sidelined at Midtjylland owing to his unwillingness to sign a further contract after seven years in Denmark, Mabil was loaned to Kasımpaşa in Turkey until the end of the season.


title: Awer Mabil

text: In August 2013, Mabil was called up by Australia for COTIF Tournament in L'Alcúdia, Spain. The tournament was used by the FFA to prepare players for their successful 2014 AFC U-19 Championship qualification campaign.


title: Awer Mabil

text: A citizen of South Sudan by birth, he was cleared by FIFA to play for Australia in March 2014 after a year-long process to obtain a birth certificate and gain exemption from FIFA eligibility rules due to his refugee status.


title: Awer Mabil

text: He featured for Australia in the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship, playing in all three of their games, the opponents were Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.


title: Awer Mabil

text: After showing impressive form with FC Midtjylland, Mabil was called up to the senior team for the first time. Participating in the Socceroos first training camp under new coach Graham Arnold.


title: Awer Mabil

text: On 16 October 2018, Mabil made his debut for the Australia senior national team against Kuwait in an international friendly match at the Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium. He came on as a second-half substitution for Mathew Leckie and scored his maiden goal for the senior national team in the 88th minute to give Australia their fourth and final goal in a 4–0 win over Kuwait in Graham Arnold's first match of his second stint with the Australian national team. Mabil's goal was assisted by Tomi Juric and Thomas Deng. Mabil celebrated the goal with childhood friend and fellow South Sudanese refugee Deng, who was also making his international debut for Australia. Awer dedicated the goal, post-match, to his mother.


title: Awer Mabil

text: Mabil played in qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup. In the final "must-win" game against Peru, he scored one of the penalties that secured a place in the competition for the Socceroos. He said that scoring the crucial goal was "the only way to say thank you to Australia on behalf of my family".


title: Awer Mabil

text: On 22 September 2022, Mabil scored his first home international goal against New Zealand in a 1–0 win in a friendly at Lang Park.


title: Awer Mabil

text: Mabil helped to establish the humanitarian charity Barefoot to Boots with his elder brother Awer G. Bul, and Ian Smith to ensure better "health, education, and gender equality" outcomes for refugees. Mabil returned to Kakuma with the organisation, with the aim of promoting football as well as helping refugees in other ways.


title: Awer Mabil

text: In 2018, Mabil was awarded the FIFPRO Merit Award, presented by the International Federation of Professional Footballers at a ceremony in Rome. The award is worth worth US$25,000, to be donated to his charity to continue his work.


title: Awer Mabil

text: In June 2022, on a visit to his old school, St Columba College, Mabil was presented with the 2022 Alumni of the Year Award, in recognition of his high level of achievement in football as well as his service to the community with his Barefoot to Boots charity.


title: Awer Mabil

text: In November 2022, Mabil was announced as recipient of the 2023 Young Australian of the Year award for his home state of South Australia.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Selene is a character and the main protagonist of the "Underworld" film franchise, in which she is portrayed by Kate Beckinsale. The character is introduced in the first film, "Underworld", as an elite vampire assassin known as a "Death Dealer" who relentlessly hunts down the Lycans for allegedly murdering her family. She becomes attracted to a human named Michael Corvin and, upon discovering that her sire and adoptive father Viktor was actually responsible for the death of her family, defects from the vampire clan.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Selene was created by Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, and Danny McBride. According to Grevioux, Selene is based on the X-Men villain of the same name appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Selene was introduced in the first film of the series, "Underworld".


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Selene is born in the late 14th century and grows up as a normal, happy, vibrant child. The youngest of two daughters of a master mason and smith, Selene and her sister Cecilia loved painting pictures, and playing games like 'Silly Goose'. At the age of nineteen, the untimely and gruesome deaths of her entire family completely breaks her heart and leaves her an orphan. The deaths of her six-year-old nieces hit her especially hard. Deceived by their murderer, Viktor, into believing that a pack of Lycans were the ones responsible, Selene dedicates herself to avenging their deaths.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: As a Death Dealer (the Vampires' fighting elite), Selene commits herself to the duty of exterminating the Lycans as a species, a duty she sees as 'sacred', burying herself into her work. She also isolates herself, never socialising with anyone outside of the Death Dealers, as the majority of the Vampire Coven are more concerned whiling away their immortal lives in hedonistic pursuits instead of concerning themselves with the serious business of the war against the Lycans.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: She also serves as one of Viktor's most loyal and most powerful Death Dealers, having been vampirically-sired by him personally. While she looks up to Viktor as a surrogate father figure (and he sees her as a surrogate daughter), she never stops to feel grief over the loss of her real family.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: According to Kate Beckinsale in "The Making of Underworld", by the point in time of the events of the first movie, Selene has been a soldier of the Vampire Clan for so long, it has gotten to the point where "[Selene's] almost forgotten she's a woman, she's absolutely focused on revenge and killing, and she's really good at it. Then, she meets Michael, she starts to get a... kind of memory of what it's like to be human, and to be with humans. She's not completely human, but she is actually 'human' somewhere underneath there."


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: According to the novelisations of the events of the movies, prior to crossing paths with Michael, Selene has never been in love before. She was not a virgin; neither love nor lust had lured Selene into 'carnal encounters' with other vampires, but rather curiosity and loneliness. Such encounters are few, infrequent, and without consequence, all of them "temporary indulgences quickly put behind her".


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Selene is headstrong and stubborn, even to a fault, not willing to back down when she knows something is wrong when she is investigating Lycan activity. This can continue even to the point of endangering herself, such as when she passed out from blood loss at the wheel of her car after Michael warned her against driving in her condition. Selene is described as being "steely-eyed", and having great "emotional independence" from the rest of the Coven, as well being of "extreme intelligence" and of "sharp intuition". In her "Underworld" official bio, it is stated that she "trusts almost no-one", and that she has a "passion for truth, albeit laced with vengeance", which "traps her in a reluctantly violent and tragic purpose".


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: After centuries of militaristic discipline, having served as a Death Dealer of the vampire clan, Selene had long since developed a near-impervious, stoic external demeanor. Selene is not known for a sense of humor and is actually one of the most honest vampires in the franchise. She is also something of an idealist, believing in certain ideals as justice. Although a vampire for six centuries, Selene only really willingly interacted with other Death Dealers and has never fit in with her own kind (most of whom are too absorbed in their own pursuits of self-gratification) unlike them, Selene has never forgotten why she became a vampire and that they are at war with the Lycans, which leads her to consider them layabouts and dead weight, so she cares little for what they all think of her.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: In the first installment, Kraven, who fancies himself as her suitor, complains that she pays far too much attention to hunting and killing Lycans, and that she takes "this warrior business far too seriously". Selene, meanwhile, regards Kraven as "a pig, a coward and an insufferable egotist" who is too wrapped up in himself to even pick up on the fact that Selene simply doesn't want anything to do with him, let alone be his arm-trophy at the coven's social events. She dodges his social gatherings, she outright rejects his romantic advances at every turn, in public and in private and she prefers to dedicate her every waking hour into her calling as a Death Dealer.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: For the most part, Selene comes across as "icy" and "unemotional" to those who don't really bother to get close to her, like most of the coven. After years of being a disciplined soldier, Selene is well into the habit of keeping her emotions in check, and keeps her cool in the heat of battle and the face of danger. This same rigorous mentality has made it difficult sometimes to open up to others, especially Michael, early in the story. By her own admission, she's "not good with feelings". In the first novelisation, she is described as being "much more comfortable discussing interrogation techniques" than "divulging the seamier underside of the vampiric lifestyle". In "", her own daughter easily misinterprets her behaviour for being "as cold as one already dead", before Selene explains that her heart isn't cold, but it is broken (as Michael is missing at the time) Selene is also in the habit of downplaying any pain or wounds she has received - a habit of hers that Michael has since become familiar with.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Cracks in Selene's emotional armour start to show themselves when she and then-human Michael Corvin meet for the first time at a subway, moments before a shootout, at the beginning of the first film. Other vampires, like Kraven and Erika, quickly catch on to Selene's feelings towards Michael before even she herself does. The two experience a mutual "dynamic attraction" at first sight and things start to escalate between the two of them, even after she learns that Michael has been bitten by a lycan while she was trying to protect him from them. Because of his innocence, Selene defends Michael from both vampire and lycan, knowing full well Viktor would kill her for doing so.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Selene also becomes noticeably more violent when those she loves suffer or die. When her family was murdered, she went on a revenge spree against the lycans (whom she had been led to believe were responsible by Viktor) that lasted over six centuries, until the truth was revealed to her. When she learns of Viktor's hand in her family's murder and sees him about to kill Michael, she slices through his head with his own sword the first shot she gets, without hesitation. Furthermore, when she believes Michael dead by Markus' hand she goes on a suicide mission to eliminate Markus and William, before Michael's hybrid abilities revive him; Selene doesn't care if she dies, just as long as she can take Markus and William down with her. When Markus brings up her family, after impaling her with one of his wing talons, saying how it was a "mistake" for Viktor to have "(kept Selene) as a pet. He should have killed you with the rest of your family" (in the novelisation, Markus also calls them "insignificant"); in a fit of rage, Selene snaps the wing talon off at a joint, using it to stab him through the head before pushing him into the spinning rotors of a helicopter. In "Underworld: Awakening", when her daughter is taken by the lycans at the Antigen facility, Selene stages an attack on the building, luring the lycan security personnel into a trap by taking the elevator up the building and setting silver gas explosives at every floor, to get back her daughter.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: As revealed in the first & , Selene is born to a Hungarian family; her father, mother, her older sister Cecilia, and her baby twin nieces. Selene is estimated to have been born around the year 1383.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: At some point, Selene's father is approached by a powerful warlord named Viktor with a commission to design and build a prison. According to the novelisations, Selene's father is well known as both a stone mason and blacksmith; and the commission involves the excavation of a new dungeon and prison under a fortress of Viktor's, as well as striking two unique keys for one cell in particular. Selene is around 6-7-years-old when work on the prison is completed.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Seven years later, at around the age of 13 to 14 years, Selene becomes an aunt to her older sister's twin daughters.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: During the winter of , about 6-years-later, Viktor fears that Lucian may know of William, the progenitor of all werewolves, (given that Lucian, whether he knew it or not, was now holding one of the keys to William's prison): To Keep the Location of William's prison a secret, Viktor kills everyone involved in the construction of the prison and anyone who may have visited or seen the fortress. One night, Viktor prowls into the farm of Selene's family, kills, and feeds upon them one-by-one. When he comes across Selene, however, he funds that he 'could not bear the thought of draining [her] dry', (as described by Kraven) '[Selene], who reminded him so much of his precious Sonja'.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: That night, Viktor turns Selene into a vampire. She is 19 years old when turned. He leads her to believe that the culprits of the murder of her family are Lycans and that Viktor saved her from them. He claims to have been tracking The Lycans when they led him to her family's farm. With the strength of a vampire, Viktor tells Selene, she can avenge them all. Selene is the only survivor to have walked through the corridors of the fortress. Viktor does not kill her because of her resemblance to his deceased daughter and his belief that she is much too young to remember where exactly the fortress' location is.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Selene goes on to become a Death Dealer, fighting against the Lycans for vengeance. For the centuries that follow, (the better part of a thousand years) she serves under Viktor with blind loyalty, remaining in the dark about her family's murder by none other than Viktor himself.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: On Viktor's orders, Selene exiles Andreas Tanis, the Coven's official historian. At some point, she also becomes the unwilling object of the romantic interests of Kraven, the Coven's regent.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: After a confrontation with the Lycan hitman Raze, she discovers what is supposedly a Lycan lair. She is angry when Kraven dismisses her claims, not knowing that Kraven is in league with the Lycan leader Lucian in a bid to take over the control of the vampire realm from the Elders.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: She tracks down Michael Corvin, in whom she believes the Lycans hava an interest. Against the sacred laws of The Vampire Covenant, she and Michael, who is infected with the lycanthropy virus, fall in love.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: She awakens Viktor from his deep slumber (torpor), believing that only he has the power to deal with the conspiracy between Kraven and Lucian. She then leads a mass assault on the Lycans' underground bunker.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: After Michael is shot with silver nitrate by Kraven, Selene is forced to infect Michael with her vampire strain in order to save his life, thus making him the first hybrid. She also learns the truth about the identity of her family's killer from Kraven; she strikes Viktor down while the Elder is preoccupied fighting Michael. She then retrieves Sonja's pendant, carrying on her legacy.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: In "", after Viktor's death, Selene and Michael go on the run from both Lycans and Vampires. They are confronted by Markus, the last surviving Vampire Elder. He is now a Vampire-Dominant Hybrid, due to his ingesting the blood of Lycan scientist Singe, which seeped into his chamber. As Markus attacks her, Michael intervenes and battles him to protect her.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: After narrowly escaping Markus and the sunlight, Selene and Michael take refuge in a warehouse and begin a sexual relationship. Selene also finds that she has seen the pendant that Markus was trying to get, when she was a child. In order to find out why Markus was after the pendant, she seeks out Andreas Tanis. Tanis tells her the truth about her family's slaughter, (they were killed after Lucian began his revolution to keep William from being freed,) and reveals to her that, contrary to popular belief, Markus, not Viktor, is the original vampire.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: He then sets up a meeting for her and Michael with Alexander Corvinus, Markus's father and the first true immortal. Selene is angered at Alexander for not removing the threat his sons, Markus and William, posed long ago. Alexander retorts by asking her if she would murder her own son. An interruption by Markus, in which Michael is seemingly killed, also results in Selene's memories of the fortress to be revealed to Markus through her blood. Alexander, dying from his son's attack, tells Selene that the only way to defeat Markus and William is to drink his legendary immortal blood, adding that she will become "The Future". Selene gains greater strength and new powers from Alexander's blood.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: She and a squad of Alexander's Cleaners (who, like Michael, are Alexander's descendants through his third son) invade William's dungeon, trying to stop the threat. They arrive too late, however, and Selene is forced to fight Markus. Markus is shocked at the smell of his father's blood coursing through Selene's veins. Locking Markus in William's dungeon, Selene discovers that William infected all surviving members of the six Cleaners escorting her, all of which become Lycans.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Markus kills the last remaining Cleaners who are operating a helicopter which provides close air support/suppressing-fire. When it crashes, the rotors continue to spin dangerously close to those in the fray.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Selene fights Markus once more, and the Elder drives his wing talon through her chest. Selene, empowered by Alexander's ancient and pure blood, tears away the talon and drives it upwards through Markus's skull before throwing him into the moving rotor blades and killing him. After Selene defeats Markus and Michael defeats William, sunlight lands on Selene's arm, revealing that Alexander's blood has purged the vampiric weakness to sunlight.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: In "", Selene escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. However, Selene and her two new allies; David (a young vampire) and Detective Sebastian (who lost his wife after being discovered as a vampire), discover a hidden conspiracy from rogue members of the Lycan clan within the humans' war against both species, and also finds that she has mothered a child with Michael, Eve, who was born during Selene's suspended animation.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Despite their never having met or become acquainted with one another since Eve's birth, Selene ultimately bonds with her daughter. Selene battles to rescue Eve and Michael, facing a 'Super Lycan', with abilities similar to her own including incredible healing rate and an immunity to silver. Eventually Selene kills the Super Lycan, and rescues Eve, who kills the Lycan doctor in charge, but when they go to rescue Michael (whom Selene had found and weakened the cryogenic tank of earlier), they find that he has already escaped and are unable to locate him, but Selene knows he will be hunted like Eve was.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Earlier in the film David offers her the opportunity to return to the vampire coven, in hopes she will consent to train a new generation of Death Dealers in response to both the human and Lycan threats, as many of their numbers are either in hiding from their enemies or dead.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Following the events of "Awakening", Selene sends Eve away for her own safety with not even Selene knowing where she is. Selene keeps a lock of Eve's hair in remembrance and is hunted by the Lycans for Eve's location and the Vampires as a traitor for killing the Vampire Elder Viktor.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: In response to the threat posed by new Lycan leader Marius, the Vampire Council agrees to grant Selene clemency in exchange for Selene training their Death Dealers to fight this new threat. David eventually convinces Selene to take the offer, but she is betrayed by Council member Semira and her lover Death Dealer Varga as Semira desires revenge for Viktor's death and mostly covets Selene's power for herself. With the help of David and Thomas, Selene escapes, but not before at least a litre of her blood is drained and Thomas killed.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Following Thomas' last wishes, David and Selene travel to the Nordic Coven where David is revealed to be the son of the Vampire Elder Amelia and her rightful heir. Selene meets Nordic warrior, Lena, who shows her the Nordic Coven's cocooning process, a process that enables them to access the "special place" between worlds and enhance their abilities. Shortly afterwards, Marius and his Lycans attack the Coven and Selene is defeated. Marius learns from Selene's blood memories that she truly does not know where Eve is and remembering that Lena told her the cocooning process starts with the Vampire submerging themselves in water, Selene submerges herself in a frozen lake. She is later retrieved by David and Lena and cocooned properly.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: During the Lycan attack on the Eastern Coven, Selene returns with her powers enhanced by the cocooning, wearing the coat of a member of the Nordic Coven and with her hair having turned partially white. Selene leads the Nordic Vampires to the aid of the Eastern Coven and battles Marius, learning from his blood memories that he murdered her lover Michael and is using his blood to temporarily increase his own abilities (believing that Eve's blood will make this permanent). Selene uses her new speed to get behind Marius and rip out his spine, killing him. David is then able to use Marius' head to get the remaining Lycans to retreat.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Following the battle, Selene helps to treat the injured Vampires wounds and is elected one of the new Vampire Elders, alongside David and Lena, making Selene one of the three new leaders of the entire Vampire race. In a flash forward, it is revealed that Selene was reunited with Eve while at the Nordic Coven.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Selene is proficient with many weapons, medieval and modern. She is well versed with both projectile and melee weapons. Modern firearms that she uses include the Walther P99 and a variety of fully automatic machine pistols. Selene is also an expert in unarmed combat. In "Blood Wars", Selene's combat skills are stated to be "second to none." In all three films, she is seen jumping from a ledge of at least one hundred feet and landing without injury.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: As a vampire, Selene frequently demonstrates superior physical abilities. After absorbing the Corvinus strain directly from Alexander Corvinus, Selene's powers were greatly upgraded. Following her use of the Nordic Coven's sacred ritual, Selene's already incredible powers were greatly enhanced. Selene is stated to be "the Purest Vampire" due to having Alexander Corvinus' blood and is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful Vampire at the time of Blood Wars.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: In 2003's "Underworld", Kate Beckinsale became known as an actor and stated that it was markedly different from her previous work and Beckinsale has said she was grateful for the change of pace after appearing in "a bunch of period stuff and then a bunch of romantic comedies." "It was quite a challenge for me to play an action heroine and pull off all that training when [in real life] I can't catch a ball if it's coming my way." The film received mostly negative reviews but was a surprise box office hit and has gained a cult following.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: In September 2003, shortly after the release of "Underworld", production companies Screen Gems and Lakeshore planned to release a prequel as the third film following "Underworld"s sequel, "Underworld: Evolution". Kate Beckinsale, who portrayed Selene in "Underworld", expressed interest in reprising her role for the sequel and the prequel.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: In 2006, Beckinsale reprised her role as Selene in the successful vampire sequel "", directed by her husband. It was the first time she had "been involved with a movie from the moment it's a germ of an idea right through the whole editing process." Her daughter had a small role as the younger Selene, and took direction well: "I didn't think she would take either of us that seriously. We both envisaged a situation where it would be kind of like trying to get her into a snow suit. She suddenly became highly professional ... She said, “Could you call me Selene?” I certainly don't insist on being called Selene, so she didn't get that from me."


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: In a June 2006 interview, When asked if Kate Beckinsale would reprise her role as Selene in the prequel, Wiseman said, "It will be in the time period before, but it will overlap into the creation of her as well. We're in the process of seeing how far we go with that."


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: In the actual film, Selene appears briefly at the end. Beckinsale did not film new footage, a scene from "Underworld" was used to bookend the film. Beckinsale also provided a monologue for the beginning of the film.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Beckinsale returned to the role of Selene for the fourth installment of the vampire franchise "". She "wasn't intending to do another one" but was convinced by the quality of the script: "You really want to see stakes that mean something in these kind of movies. Otherwise, it really is just lots of explosions and people running around in tight clothes."


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Selene appears in the non-canon novel "Underworld: Blood Enemy", written by Greg Cox. Selene is responsible for the death of renegade Lycan Leyba, tracking her down after Leyba's forces attack a Lycan weapons deal and are responsible for the deaths of both the Lycans and another member of Selene's team. During the confrontation with Leyba, Leyba briefly reflects that Selene's eyes are like 'hers' (Sonja's), but Selene never learns the meaning of this comment before she kills Leyba. Leyba's goals remain a mystery to Selene.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Selene also appears in the IDW Publishing "Underworld" series. She is portrayed as having the same characterization as seen in the film. She also appears in the sequel novelization series for "Underworld: Evolution". The only novelization series of "Underworld" she hasn't appeared in is the novelization for "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans".


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Though the first film received generally negative reviews from critics, several elements were praised by audiences and a number of reviewers, including the "icy English composure" in Kate Beckinsale's performance as Selene.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: A few scenes of "Underworld: Evolution" were shown in a panel at Comic-Con in San Diego, in July 2005; however, these scenes did not contain any plot spoilers of the new script, with attendees only being informed about the new hybrids by production designer Patrick Tatopoulos. The previewing was well-received as hundreds of fans waited hours to see a clip of the film as well as Kate Beckinsale and the other stars of the movie.


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: In a review for "Underworld: Awakening", a top critic from "Variety" said "Once again, Beckinsale brings an impressive physicality and subzero cool to her portrayal of Selene".


title: Selene (Underworld)

text: Due to the impact of the films, action figures for Selene were created, all designed by Mezco. Their size is 5 inches in scale. They all come with display base and accessories.


title: China Crisis

text: China Crisis are an English new wave and synth-pop band. They were formed in 1979 in Kirkby, near Liverpool, Merseyside with a core of lead vocalist and keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon. Initially a politically charged post-punk band influenced by Brian Eno's ambient soundscapes China Crisis soon crossed over to a more commercial sound and had success in the United Kingdom in the 1980s with ten Top 50 singles (four of them reached the Top 20) and three Top 40 albums (two entered the Top 20 and received a Gold certification). The band also achieved commercial success in Western Europe (notably in Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands), Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, and some minor chart successes in North America (particularly in Canada).


title: China Crisis

text: Sharing an affection for Steely Dan, David Bowie, Brian Eno and Talking Heads, Gary Daly (born 5 May 1962, Kirkby, Knowsley, Merseyside) and Eddie Lundon (born 9 June 1962, Kirkby, Knowsley, Merseyside) played with various Knowsley post-punk groups. Around 1980 they got a synthesizer and a drum machine and began writing songs; electronic acts Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Depeche Mode were influential on their musical trajectory. Eventually joined by drummer and percussionist Dave Reilly, they released their debut single "African and White" as China Crisis on the independent record label Inevitable in 1981. Initially the band's main interest was in studio recording, but did a few live gigs. On 31 December 1981 they performed at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London along with Haircut One Hundred. In March 1982 they recorded a four-song Peel session for the BBC. In April-May 1982 they played their first UK tour. In June 1982, they backed Tom Verlaine at The Venue in London. In September they performed at the Futurama 4 Festival, followed by a late 1982 UK tour.


title: China Crisis

text: The band signed a recording contract with Virgin Records and released their debut studio album, "Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain" in November 1982. A re-release of "African and White" reached No. 45 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1982. The follow-up single, "No More Blue Horizons (Fool, Fool, Fool)", released in October 1982 had little success, but the single "Christian", made UK No. 12 in early 1983 and brought them to national prominence. By the time of this success, Reilly had left the band, but had remained with the band long enough to co-write and perform on "Christian", along with session musician Steve Levy playing oboe and saxophone. The album peaked at No. 21 in the UK Albums Chart. During this period the band toured supporting Simple Minds on their "New Gold Dream" tour.


title: China Crisis

text: Adding Gary "Gazza" Johnson (bass guitar) and Waterboys drummer Kevin Wilkinson to the line-up, the band, augmented by Steve Levy (oboe), premiered new songs, including "Wishful Thinking", in a BBC Peel session in January 1983. In May the single "Tragedy and Mystery" was released and peaked at number 46 on the UK Singles Chart. The arrangement of the song with prominent use of Levy's oboe and flugel horn marked a noticeable change from the band's previous synth-pop sound.


title: China Crisis

text: The band, again augmented by Steve Levy on oboe and saxophone on several tracks, recorded a second studio album, "Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two", which was released in November 1983. Prior to the release of the album the title track, "Working with Fire and Steel", was released as a single. While only a minor hit in the UK at number 48, it became a hit single in Spain, Australia and Ireland, also entering the US Dance Club Songs chart.


title: China Crisis

text: In early 1984, the single "Wishful Thinking" peaked at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, making it their first and only UK Top 10 hit single. The song was also a Top 10 hit in Ireland, a Top 20 hit in several European countries and hit number 1 on the Swedish radio chart "Poporama". In March 1984 the follow-up single "Hanna Hanna" reached number 44 on the UK singles chart.


title: China Crisis

text: The album itself was a top 20 success in the UK, also reaching the top 40 in several other countries (including Spain, Australia, Canada, etc.), and China Crisis spent 1984 and 1985 making their biggest chart run. In spring 1984 China Crisis toured Europe on their "Working with Fire Steel Tour", followed by touring Europe and North America supporting Simple Minds.


title: China Crisis

text: Their third studio album, "Flaunt the Imperfection", was produced by Walter Becker of Steely Dan fame and reached No. 9 in the UK Albums Chart in May 1985. China Crisis was so honoured to directly work with Becker that they officially listed him in the group as a quintet consisting of Daly, Lundon, Johnson, Wilkinson, and Becker on the album's credits. He never formally appeared with the band (but made important playing contributions on the album) or the subsequent tour featuring new keyboardist Brian McNeill. Johnson was now credited as co-writer with Daly and Lundon.


title: China Crisis

text: The album was promoted by the No. 14 UK hit single "Black Man Ray", which also enjoyed critical acclaim and international success, reaching the Top 40 in Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the Netherlands, etc. The follow-up, "King in a Catholic Style (Wake Up)", was a Top 20 UK single at No. 19, but it would prove to be the band's last substantial hit. A third release from the album, "You Did Cut Me", stalled at UK No. 54 but reached the Top 30 in Ireland and Top 10 in Spain. They simultaneously released a video compilation, "Showbiz Absurd".


title: China Crisis

text: The album was followed by a spring 1985 UK tour, performance at the Netherlands Pinkpop Festival in May, six dates in the US and Canada in July/August and further UK dates in October 1985.


title: China Crisis

text: In 1986, the band collaborated with producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley (known for their work with Madness) on "What Price Paradise", which included "Arizona Sky", the album's first single release and another Australian hit. All of the band members were now credited as songwriters. A second single from the album, "Best Kept Secret", made UK No. 36 in early 1987 and reached the Top 20 in Spain and Ireland. It was to be the band's final Top 40 hit single.


title: China Crisis

text: The album was followed by China Crisis touring UK and North America in 1987. In summer 1987 they performed at the German Rock am Ring festival, at Stockholm Olympic Stadium, and at the Leysin Festival in Switzerland.


title: China Crisis

text: The five-piece band worked with Becker once more on 1989's "Diary of a Hollow Horse", which earned critical acclaim though little commercial success. It fared slightly better than its predecessor, making the UK Top 60, and spawned the singles "St. Saviour Square" and "Red Letter Day", both achieving the lower reaches of the UK Singles Chart. Becker produced most of the album's tracks, but this time was not credited as an official band member.


title: China Crisis

text: The album was followed by a May-June UK tour, which was the last performances of the five-piece band and the last China Crisis concerts for over five years.


title: China Crisis

text: The band's sixth studio album, "Warped by Success", was released in 1994, following the band's parting of ways with the Virgin label. The album produced their final studio chart single, "Everyday the Same", which briefly edged into the UK Top 100. The band was now once again a duo of Daly and Lundon, although Johnson and Wilkinson were both amongst the session musicians employed in the recording of the album. In 1995 they released a live unplugged album and video entitled "Acoustically Yours". This featured a live version of "Black Man Ray", and also saw a brief return for Johnson, McNeill, and Wilkinson.


title: China Crisis

text: Since 1992, there have been four compilation albums of their work for the UK and US markets and three live DVDs. The first of these, entitled "Collection: The Very Best of China Crisis", made the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart in 1990.


title: China Crisis

text: Since the late 1990s, China Crisis has concentrated on live performances with only original members Eddie Lundon and Gary Daly being constant throughout; the band alternates between performances either as a duo or with a fluctuating line-up of backing musicians.


title: China Crisis

text: On 17 July 1999, drummer Kevin Wilkinson died by suicide, hanging himself at the age of 41. Wilkinson had played with a wide variety of other artists including the Waterboys, Fish, the Proclaimers, Squeeze and with Howard Jones. In 2000, Daly contributed a track to a tribute compilation to Wilkinson, "Green Indians".


title: China Crisis

text: In December 2002, China Crisis' Daly and Lundon held a one-night unplugged venue in Manila, Philippines, with the support of a local band, Rivermaya. They toured the UK during January and February 2007 as part of their 25th anniversary. Gary Daly released his limited edition solo studio album ("The Visionary Mindset Experience") in 2007, featuring collaborations with Megan Kovacs (from the band Kovacs) and Jean Weir.


title: China Crisis

text: In 2008 they were the support act for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's UK October tour. The following year the band performed a fund raising gig for The Friends of Meols Park, played at Fort Perch Rock on the Wirral, the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames, and the Mathew Street Festival in Liverpool.


title: China Crisis

text: They returned to the Philippines to perform at Eastwood City on 20 January 2011 and played at the Rewind Festivals in Perth (Scotland) and Henley-on-Thames in August 2011. Another concert in the Philippines was held on 9 September 2011 at the SMX Convention Center Manila, together with Ex-Simple Minds with further shows in the Philippines, Singapore and Hong Kong that followed. China Crisis' two lead musicians were joined by Siân Monaghan on drums.


title: China Crisis

text: Subsequently, the band toured extensively playing dates in the UK (including regular gigs at the Cavern Club, Liverpool) as well as visiting the United States and Canada, and returning to the Philippines.


title: China Crisis

text: On 16 December 2013, the song "Everyone You Know" was made available as a free download on the PledgeMusic website, when pre-ordering the studio album "Autumn in the Neighbourhood" announced for release in 2014. On 13 January 2014, the band posted an illustrated account of the track and how it was written and came to be recorded. 87% of the pledge goal had been reached at that time. Ahead of the release of the new album, the track "Being in Love" was premiered on Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 6 Music show on 25 April 2014. The band toured in late 2014, playing some tracks from the new album alongside older favourites. As of 5 February 2015, the band had achieved 235% of its Pledgemusic target and the album was in final mix and production.


title: China Crisis

text: "Autumn in the Neighbourhood" was released on 3 June 2015 via the Pledge Music website. It was their first studio album for 21 years, and contained 11 songs; however, the pre-release taster track, "Everyone You Know", was not included on the album. The band undertook an extensive promotional tour of the UK from the end of September until December 2015, both as a trio and as a full band. The tour included a special "Flaunt the Imperfection Live" night at The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool on 17 October 2015 to mark the thirtieth anniversary of their 1985 album of that name. The band also played five nights in North America in December under the banner of "North America Merry Christmas Tour".


title: China Crisis

text: In November 2015, a compilation album, "80s Recovered", featuring many 1980s-related artists was released on the Music Brokers label. China Crisis contributed a cover of Carole King's "It's Too Late", with both a regular version and an extended remix.


title: China Crisis

text: In March 2017, China Crisis performed as part of the 80's Invasion Tour that included Toyah, Paul Young and Martika.


title: China Crisis

text: In July 2017, the band returned to the Philippines for a show at the Kia Theatre, alongside Peter Coyle of fellow Liverpool band the Lotus Eaters.


title: China Crisis

text: While China Crisis continue to tour the UK and play live dates, founder member Eddie Lundon teaches songwriting at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Lead vocalist Gary Daly released his solo debut studio album "Gone from Here" in May 2019. Former China Crisis bassist Gary "Gazza" Johnson and keyboardist Brian McNeill both play on the album. In February 2020, Daly released the solo studio album "Luna Landings", a collection of instrumental recordings written between 1981 and 1987.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris where the Bastille prison once stood, until the storming of the Bastille and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution. No vestige of the prison remains.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: The square straddles 3 "arrondissements" of Paris, namely the 4th, 11th and 12th. The square and its surrounding areas are normally called simply "Bastille". The July Column ("Colonne de Juillet") which commemorates the events of the July Revolution (1830) stands at the center of the square. Other notable features include the Bastille Opera, the Bastille subway station and a section of the Canal Saint Martin. Prior to 1984, the former Bastille railway station stood where the opera house now stands.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: The square is home to concerts and similar events. The north-eastern area of Bastille is busy at night with its many cafés, bars, night clubs, and concert halls. As a consequence of its historical significance, the square is often the site or point of departure of political demonstrations, including the massive anti-CPE demonstration of 28 March 2006.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: The Bastille was built between 1370 and 1383 during the reign of King Charles V as part of the defenses of Paris, the structure was converted into a state prison in the 17th century by Richelieu, who was king Louis XIII's chief minister. At that time it primarily housed political prisoners, but also religious prisoners, "seditious" writers, and young rakes held at the request of their families. It began to acquire a poor reputation when it became the main prison for those taken under lettres de cachet issued by the King of France.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: By the late 18th century, the building was made up of eight close-packed towers, around 24 m (80 ft) high, surrounding two courtyards and the armoury. The prisoners were held within the 5-7 story towers, each having a room around 4.6 m (15 ft) across and containing various articles of furniture. The infamous cachots (dungeons), the oozing, vermin-infested subterranean cells were no longer in use, since the respective reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI, who both worked on reforming the penal system in France. The governor of the prison was given a daily allowance per prisoner, the amount depending on their status—from nineteen livres per diem for scientists and academics down to three for commoners. Although its prisoners' conditions were better than in many other prisons in France, including the dreaded Bicêtre in Paris, popular literary accounts focused on the Bastille as a place of horror and oppression and a symbol of autocratic cruelty.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: The confrontation between the commoners and the Ancien Régime ultimately led to the people of Paris storming the Bastille on 14 July 1789, following several days of disturbances. At this point, the prison was nearly empty, with only seven inmates: four counterfeiters, two madmen, and a young aristocrat who had displeased his father. The regular garrison consisted of about 80 'invalides' (veteran soldiers no longer capable of service in the field) under Governor Bernard-René de Launay. They had however been reinforced by a detachment of 32 grenadiers from one of the Swiss mercenary regiments summoned to Paris by the Monarchy shortly before 14 July.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: A crowd of around 600 people gathered outside around mid-morning, calling for the surrender of the prison, the removal of the guns and the release of the arms and gunpowder. Two people chosen to represent those gathered were invited into the fortress and slow negotiations began.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: In the early afternoon, the crowd broke into the undefended outer courtyard and the chains on the drawbridge to the inner courtyard were cut. A spasmodic exchange of gunfire began; in mid-afternoon the crowd was reinforced by mutinous Gardes Françaises of the Royal Army and two cannons. De Launay ordered a ceasefire; despite his surrender demands being refused, he capitulated and the victors swept in to liberate the fortress at around 5:30.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: On 16 June 1792, the area occupied by the Bastille was turned into a square celebrating liberty, and a column would be erected there. The first stone was laid by Palloy; however, construction never took place, and a fountain was built instead in 1793.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: In 1808, as part of several urban improvement projects for Paris, Napoléon planned to have a monument in the shape of an elephant built here, the Elephant of the Bastille. It was designed to be 24 m (78 ft) in height, and to be cast from the bronze of cannons taken from the Spanish. Access to the top was to be achieved by a stairway set in one of the legs. However, only a full-scale plaster model was built. Victor Hugo immortalized the monument in the novel "Les Misérables" where it is used as a shelter by Gavroche. The monument was demolished in 1846.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: In 1833, Louis-Philippe decided to build the July Column as originally planned in 1792. It was inaugurated in 1840.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: The former location of the fort is currently called "Place de la Bastille". It is home to the Opéra Bastille. The large ditch ("fossé") behind the fort has been transformed into a marina for pleasure boats, the Bassin de l'Arsenal, to the south, which is bordered by the Boulevard de la Bastille. To the north, a covered canal, the Canal Saint-Martin, extends north from the marina beneath the vehicular roundabout that borders the location of the fort, and then continues for about 4.4 kilometers to the Place de la Bataille-de-Stalingrad.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: On Thursdays and Sundays, a large, open-air market occupies part of the park to the north of the Place de la Bastille, along the Boulevard Richard-Lenoir. Consumers can find fresh fruit, fish, meat, cheese and bread along with clothing and typical flea market items.


title: Place de la Bastille

text: Some undemolished remains of one tower of the fort were discovered during excavation for the Métro (rail mass-transit system) in 1899, and were moved to a park (the Square Henri-Galli) a few hundred metres away, where they are displayed today. The original outline of the fort is also marked on the pavement of streets and pathways that pass over its former location, in the form of special paving stones. A café and some other businesses largely occupy the location of the fort, and the Rue Saint-Antoine passes directly over it as it opens onto the roundabout of the Bastille.


title: Jon Jon Briones

text: Ernesto Cloma Briones Jr., known as Jon Jon Briones (born August 7, 1965), is a Filipino-American actor best known for his work in musical theatre. He was born in Quezon City, Philippines and became a United States citizen in 2010.


title: Jon Jon Briones

text: While an engineering student in the Philippines, Briones became involved with the original 1989 London production of "Miss Saigon". Briones had a friend who was a producer in the Philippines, who asked Briones to help "facilitate an audition" for the Cameron Mackintosh team who were holding auditions in the Philippines for "Miss Saigon". In addition to helping with the organization of the auditions, Briones himself auditioned for and then became a member of the ensemble.


title: Jon Jon Briones

text: He has been involved with various touring productions of "Miss Saigon", as a swing and covering other roles, finally playing the Engineer. In 2014 he joined the original cast of the "Miss Saigon" West End revival, playing the Engineer. He was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for playing this role and won the Whatsonstage.com Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He remained in the role until the production closed on February 27, 2016.


title: Jon Jon Briones

text: In 2017, Briones transferred with the production to Broadway at the Broadway Theatre. Previews started on March 1, 2017, with an official opening on March 23.


title: Jon Jon Briones

text: On April 30, 2019, Briones received the Visionary Award from East West Players during their annual awards dinner and silent auction. The award is given to celebrate individuals that are able to raise the visibility of Asian Pacific Americans through their work. During his acceptance speech, Briones said that his "vision is that we change hearts and minds in Hollywood and in the theatre community so they see that we have a voice and a story – beautiful stories – to tell, and "we" are the ones who can and should tell it."


title: Jon Jon Briones

text: In 2018, he appeared in "" as Modesto Cunanan, father of Gianni Versace's murderer, Andrew Cunanan, and in "" as Ariel Augustus.


title: Jon Jon Briones

text: In 1996, Briones married Megan Johnson. They have two children: Isa Briones (b. 1999) and Teo Briones (b. 2005). His wife and children are also actors.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: John F. Kennedy's tenure as the 35th president of the United States, began with his inauguration on January 20, 1961, and ended with his assassination on November 22, 1963. A Democrat from Massachusetts, he took office following the 1960 presidential election, in which he narrowly defeated Richard Nixon, the then-incumbent vice president. He was succeeded by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Kennedy's time in office was marked by Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union and Cuba. In Cuba, a failed attempt was made in April 1961 at the Bay of Pigs to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. In October 1962, the Kennedy administration learned that Soviet ballistic missiles had been deployed in Cuba; the resulting Cuban Missile Crisis carried a risk of nuclear war, but ended in a compromise with the Soviets publicly withdrawing their missiles from Cuba and the U.S. secretly withdrawing some missiles based in Italy and Turkey. To contain Communist expansion in Asia, Kennedy increased the number of American military advisers in South Vietnam by a factor of 18; a further escalation of the American role in the Vietnam War would take place after Kennedy's death. In Latin America, Kennedy's Alliance for Progress aimed to promote human rights and foster economic development.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: In domestic politics, Kennedy had made bold proposals in his New Frontier agenda, but many of his initiatives were blocked by the conservative coalition of Northern Republicans and Southern Democrats. The failed initiatives include federal aid to education, medical care for the aged, and aid to economically depressed areas. Though initially reluctant to pursue civil rights legislation, in 1963 Kennedy proposed a major civil rights bill that ultimately became the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The economy experienced steady growth, low inflation and a drop in unemployment rates during Kennedy's tenure. Kennedy adopted Keynesian economics and proposed a tax cut bill that was passed into law as the Revenue Act of 1964. Kennedy also established the Peace Corps and promised to land an American on the moon, thereby intensifying the Space Race with the Soviet Union.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, while visiting Dallas, Texas. The Warren Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating Kennedy, but the assassination gave rise to a wide array of conspiracy theories. Kennedy was the first Roman Catholic elected president, as well as the youngest candidate ever to win a U.S. presidential election. Historians and political scientists tend to rank Kennedy as an above-average president.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Senator Kennedy had finished second on the vice presidential ballot of the 1956 Democratic National Convention. After Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower was reelected over Adlai Stevenson in the 1956 presidential election, Kennedy began to prepare a bid for the presidency in the 1960 election. In January 1960, Kennedy formally announced his candidacy in that year's presidential election. Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota emerged as Kennedy's primary challenger in the 1960 Democratic primaries, but Kennedy's victory in the heavily-Protestant state of West Virginia prompted Humphrey's withdrawal from the race. At the 1960 Democratic National Convention, Kennedy fended off challenges from Stevenson and Senator Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas to win the presidential nomination on the first ballot of the convention. Kennedy chose Johnson to be his vice-presidential running mate, despite opposition from many liberal delegates and Kennedy's own staff, including his brother Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy believed that Johnson's presence on the ticket would appeal to Southern voters, and he thought that Johnson could serve as a valuable liaison to the Senate.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon faced little opposition for the 1960 Republican nomination. He easily won the party's primaries and received the nearly-unanimous backing of the delegates at the 1960 Republican National Convention. Nixon chose Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., the chief U.S. delegate to the United Nations, as his running mate. Both presidential nominees traveled extensively during the course of the campaign. Not wanting to concede any state as "unwinnable," Nixon undertook a fifty-state strategy, while Kennedy focused the states with the most electoral votes. Ideologically, Kennedy and Nixon agreed on the continuation of the New Deal and the Cold War containment policy. Major issues in the campaign included the economy, Kennedy's Catholicism, Cuba, and whether the Soviet space and missile programs had surpassed those of the U.S.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: On November 8, 1960, Kennedy defeated Nixon in one of the closest presidential elections in American history. Kennedy won the popular vote by a narrow margin of 120,000 votes out of a record 68.8 million ballots cast. He won the electoral vote by a wider margin, receiving 303 votes to Nixon's 219. 14 unpledged electors from two states—Alabama and Mississippi—voted for Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virginia, as did one faithless elector in Oklahoma. In the concurrent congressional elections, Democrats retained wide majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Kennedy was the first person born in the 20th century to be elected president, and, at age 43, the youngest person elected to the office. He was also the first Roman Catholic elected to the presidency.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Before taking office at his inauguration, Kennedy went through a transition period. Kennedy placed Clark Clifford in charge of his transition effort.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Kennedy was inaugurated as the nation's 35th president on January 20, 1961, on the East Portico of the United States Capitol. Chief Justice Earl Warren administered the oath of office. In his inaugural address, Kennedy spoke of the need for all Americans to be active citizens, famously saying: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." He also invited the nations of the world to join together to fight what he called the "common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself." To these admonitions he added:


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: The address reflected Kennedy's confidence that his administration would chart a historically significant course in both domestic policy and foreign affairs. The contrast between this optimistic vision and the pressures of managing daily political realities at home and abroad would be one of the main tensions running through the early years of his administration.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Kennedy spent the eight weeks following his election choosing his cabinet, staff and top officials. He retained J. Edgar Hoover as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Allen Dulles as Director of Central Intelligence. C. Douglas Dillon, a business-oriented Republican who had served as Eisenhower's Undersecretary of State, was selected as Secretary of the Treasury. Kennedy balanced the appointment of the relatively conservative Dillon by selecting liberal Democrats to hold two other important economic advisory posts; David E. Bell became the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, while Walter Heller served as the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Robert McNamara, who was well known as one of Ford Motor Company's "Whiz Kids", was appointed Secretary of Defense. Rejecting liberal pressure to choose Stevenson as Secretary of State, Kennedy instead turned to Dean Rusk, a restrained former Truman official, to lead the Department of State. Stevenson accepted a non-policy role as the ambassador to the United Nations. In spite of concerns over nepotism, Kennedy's father insisted that Robert F. Kennedy become Attorney General, and the younger Kennedy became the "assistant president" who advised on all major issues. McNamara and Dillon also emerged as important advisers from the cabinet.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Kennedy scrapped the decision-making structure of Eisenhower, preferring an organizational structure of a wheel with all the spokes leading to the president; he was ready and willing to make the increased number of quick decisions required in such an environment. Though the cabinet remained an important body, Kennedy generally relied more on his staffers within the Executive Office of the President. Unlike Eisenhower, Kennedy did not have a chief of staff, but instead relied on a small number of senior aides, including appointments secretary Kenneth O'Donnell. National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy was the most important adviser on foreign policy, eclipsing Secretary of State Rusk. Ted Sorensen was a key advisor on domestic issues who also wrote many of Kennedy's speeches. Other important advisers and staffers included Larry O'Brien, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., press secretary Pierre Salinger, General Maxwell D. Taylor, and W. Averell Harriman. Kennedy maintained cordial relations with Vice President Johnson, who was involved in issues like civil rights and space policy, but Johnson did not emerge as an especially influential vice president.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: William Willard Wirtz Jr. was the last surviving member of Kennedy's cabinet, and died on April 24, 2010.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Kennedy made two appointments to the United States Supreme Court. After the resignation of Charles Evans Whittaker in early 1962, President Kennedy assigned Attorney General Kennedy to conduct a search of potential successors, and the attorney general compiled a list consisting of Deputy Attorney General Byron White, Secretary of Labor Arthur Goldberg, federal appellate judge William H. Hastie, legal professor Paul A. Freund, and two state supreme court justices. Kennedy narrowed his choice down to Goldberg and White, and he ultimately chose the latter, who was quickly confirmed by the Senate. A second vacancy arose later in 1962 due to the retirement of Felix Frankfurter. Kennedy quickly appointed Goldberg, who easily won confirmation by the Senate. Goldberg resigned from the court in 1965 to accept appointment as ambassador to the United Nations, but White remained on the court until 1993, often serving as a key swing vote between liberal and conservative justices.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: The president handled Supreme Court appointments. Other judges were selected by Attorney General Robert Kennedy. Including new federal judgeships created in 1961, 130 individuals were appointed to the federal courts. Among them was Thurgood Marshall, who later joined the Supreme Court. Ivy League undergraduate colleges were attended by 9% of the appointees; 19% attended Ivy League law schools. In terms of religion, 61% were Catholics, 38% were Protestant, and 11% were Jewish. Almost all (91%) were Democrats, but few had extensive experience in electoral politics.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: An agency to enable Americans to volunteer in developing countries appealed to Kennedy because it fit in with his campaign themes of self-sacrifice and volunteerism, while also providing a way to redefine American relations with the Third World. His use of war rhetoric for peaceful ends made his appeal for the new idea compelling to public opinion. Upon taking office, Kennedy issued an executive order establishing the Peace Corps, and he named his brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver, as the agency's first director. Due in large part to Shriver's effective lobbying efforts, Congress approved the permanent establishment of the Peace Corps programs. Kennedy took great pride in the Peace Corps, and he ensured that it remained free of CIA influence, but he largely left its administration to Shriver. In the first twenty-five years, more than 100,000 Americans served in 44 countries as part of the program. Most Peace Corps volunteers taught English in schools, but many became involved in activities like construction and food delivery.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Kennedy's foreign policy was dominated by American confrontations with the Soviet Union, manifested by proxy contests in the global state of tension known as the Cold War. Like his predecessors, Kennedy adopted the policy of containment, which sought to stop the spread of Communism. President Eisenhower's New Look policy had emphasized the use of nuclear weapons to deter the threat of Soviet aggression. Fearful of the possibility of a global nuclear war, Kennedy implemented a new strategy known as flexible response. This strategy relied on conventional arms to achieve limited goals. As part of this policy, Kennedy expanded the United States special operations forces, elite military units that could fight unconventionally in various conflicts. Kennedy hoped that the flexible response strategy would allow the U.S. to counter Soviet influence without resorting to war. At the same time, he ordered a massive build-up of the nuclear arsenal to establish superiority over the Soviet Union.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: In pursuing this military build-up, Kennedy shifted away from Eisenhower's deep concern for budget deficits caused by military spending. In contrast to Eisenhower's warning about the perils of the military-industrial complex, Kennedy focused on rearmament. From 1961 to 1964 the number of nuclear weapons increased by 50 percent, as did the number of B-52 bombers to deliver them. The new ICBM force grew from 63 intercontinental ballistic missiles to 424. He authorized 23 new Polaris submarines, each of which carried 16 nuclear missiles. Meanwhile, he called on cities to prepare fallout shelters for nuclear war.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Fulgencio Batista, a Cuban dictator friendly towards the United States, had been forced out office in 1959 by the Cuban Revolution. Many in the United States, including Kennedy himself, had initially hoped that Batista's successor, Fidel Castro would preside over democratic reforms. Dashing those hopes, by the end of 1960 Castro had embraced Marxism, confiscated American property, and accepted Soviet aid. The Eisenhower administration had created a plan to overthrow Castro's regime though an invasion of Cuba by a counter-revolutionary insurgency composed of U.S.-trained, anti-Castro Cuban exiles led by CIA paramilitary officers. Kennedy had campaigned on a hard-line stance against Castro, and when presented with the plan that had been developed under the Eisenhower administration, he enthusiastically adopted it regardless of the risk of inflaming tensions with the Soviet Union. Some advisors, including Schlesinger, Under Secretary of State Chester Bowles, and former Secretary of State Dean Acheson, opposed the operation, but Bundy and McNamara both favored it, as did the Joint Chiefs of Staff, despite serious reservations.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: On April 17, 1961, Kennedy ordered the Bay of Pigs Invasion: 1,500 American-trained Cubans, called Brigade 2506, landed on the inlet of that name. The goal was to spark a widespread popular uprising against Castro, but no such uprising occurred. Although the Eisenhower administration plan had called for an American airstrike to hold back the Cuban Counter attack until the invaders were established, Kennedy rejected the strike because it would emphasize the American sponsorship of the invasion. CIA director Allen Dulles later stated that they thought the president would authorize any action required for success once the troops were on the ground. By April 19, 1961, the Cuban government had captured or killed the invading exiles, and Kennedy was forced to negotiate for the release of the 1,189 survivors. After twenty months, Cuba released the captured exiles in exchange for a ransom of $53 million worth of food and medicine.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Despite the lack of direct U.S. military involvement, the Soviet Union, Cuba, and the international community all recognized that the U.S. had backed the invasion. Kennedy focused primarily on the political repercussions of the plan rather than military considerations. In the aftermath, he took full responsibility for the failure, saying: "We got a big kick in the leg and we deserved it. But maybe we'll learn something from it." Kennedy's approval ratings climbed afterwards, helped in part by the vocal support given to him by Nixon and Eisenhower. Outside the United States, however, the operation undermined Kennedy's reputation as a world leader, and raised tensions with the Soviet Union. The Kennedy administration banned all Cuban imports, convinced the Organization of American States to expel Cuba, and turned to the CIA to plot the overthrow of Castro through its Cuban Project. A secret review conducted by Lyman Kirkpatrick of the CIA concluded that the failure of the invasion resulted less from a decision against airstrikes and had more to do with the fact that Cuba had a much larger defending force and that the operation suffered from "poor planning, organization, staffing and management". Kennedy dismissed Dulles as director of the CIA and increasingly relied on close advisers like Sorensen, Bundy, and Robert Kennedy as opposed to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA, and the State Department.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: In the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs invasion, Kennedy announced that he would meet with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the June 1961 Vienna summit. The summit would cover several topics, but both leaders knew that the most contentious issue would be that of Berlin, which had been divided into two cities with the start of the Cold War. The enclave of West Berlin lay within Soviet-allied East Germany, but was supported by the U.S. and other Western powers. The Soviets wanted to reunify Berlin under the control of East Germany, partly due to the large number of East Germans who had fled to West Berlin. Khrushchev had clashed with Eisenhower over the issue but had tabled it after the 1960 U-2 incident; with the inauguration of a new U.S. president, Khrushchev was once again determined to bring the status of West Berlin to the fore. Kennedy's handling of the Bay of Pigs crisis convinced him that Kennedy would wither under pressure. Kennedy, meanwhile, wanted to meet with Khrushchev as soon as possible in order to reduce tensions and minimize the risk of nuclear war. Prior to the summit, Harriman advised Kennedy, "[Khrushchev's] style will be to attack you and see if he can get away with it. Laugh about it, don't get into a fight. Rise above it. Have some fun."


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: On June 4, 1961, the president met with Khrushchev in Vienna, where he made it clear that any treaty between East Berlin and the Soviet Union that interfered with U.S. access rights in West Berlin would be regarded as an act of war. The two leaders also discussed the situation in Laos, the Congo Crisis, China's fledgling nuclear program, a potential nuclear test ban treaty, and other issues. Shortly after Kennedy returned home, the Soviet Union announced its intention to sign a treaty with East Berlin that would threaten Western access to West Berlin. Kennedy, depressed and angry, assumed that his only option was to prepare the country for nuclear war, which he personally thought had a one-in-five chance of occurring.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: In the weeks immediately after the Vienna summit, more than 20,000 people fled from East Berlin to the western sector in reaction to statements from the USSR. Kennedy began intensive meetings on the Berlin issue, where Dean Acheson took the lead in recommending a military buildup alongside NATO allies. In a July 1961 speech, Kennedy announced his decision to add $3.25 billion to the defense budget, along with over 200,000 additional troops, stating that an attack on West Berlin would be taken as an attack on the U.S. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union and East Berlin began blocking further passage of East Berliners into West Berlin and erected barbed wire fences across the city, which were quickly upgraded to the Berlin Wall. Kennedy acquiesced to the wall, though he sent Vice President Johnson to West Berlin to reaffirm U.S. commitment to the enclave's defense. In the following months, in a sign of rising Cold War tensions, both the U.S. and the Soviet Union ended a moratorium on nuclear weapon testing.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: In the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs invasion, Cuban and Soviet leaders feared that the United States was planning another invasion of Cuba, and Khrushchev increased economic and military assistance to the island. The Kennedy administration viewed the growing Cuba-Soviet alliance with alarm, fearing that it could eventually pose a threat to the United States. Kennedy did not believe that the Soviet Union would risk placing nuclear weapons in Cuba, but he dispatched CIA U-2 spy planes to determine the extent of the Soviet military build-up. On October 14, 1962, the spy planes took photographs of intermediate-range ballistic missile sites being built in Cuba by the Soviets. The photos were shown to Kennedy on October 16, and a consensus was reached that the missiles were offensive in nature.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Following the Vienna Summit, Khrushchev came to believe that Kennedy would not respond effectively to provocations. He saw the deployment of the missiles in Cuba as a way to close the "missile gap" and provide for the defense of Cuba. By late 1962, both the United States and the Soviet Union possessed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of delivering nuclear payloads, but the U.S. maintained well over 100 ICBMs, as well as over 100 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBMs). By contrast, the Soviet Union did not possess SLBMs, and had less than 25 ICBMs. The placement of missiles in Cuba thus threatened to significantly enhance the Soviet Union's first strike capability and even the nuclear imbalance. Kennedy himself did not believe that the deployment of missiles to Cuba fundamentally altered the strategic balance of the nuclear forces; more significant for him was the political and psychological implications of allowing the Soviet Union to maintain nuclear weapons in Cuba.


title: Presidency of John F. Kennedy

text: Kennedy faced a dilemma: if the U.S. attacked the sites, it might lead to nuclear war with the U.S.S.R., but if the U.S. did nothing, it would appear weak. On a personal level, Kennedy needed to show resolve in reaction to Khrushchev, especially after the Vienna summit. To deal with the crisis, he formed an ad hoc body of key advisers, later known as EXCOMM, that met secretly between October 16 and 28. The members of EXCOMM agreed that the missiles must be removed from Cuba, but differed as to the best method. Some favored an airstrike, possibly followed by an invasion of Cuba, but Robert Kennedy and others argued that a surprise airstrike would be immoral and would invite Soviet reprisals. The other major option that emerged was a naval blockade, designed to prevent further arms shipments to Cuba. Though he had initially favored an immediate air strike, the president quickly came to favor the naval blockade the first method of response, while retaining the option of an airstrike at a later date. EXCOMM voted 11-to-6 in favor of the naval blockade, which was also supported by British ambassador David Ormsby-Gore and Eisenhower, both of whom were consulted privately. On October 22, after privately informing the cabinet and leading members of Congress about the situation, Kennedy announced on national television that the U.S. had discovered evidence of the Soviet deployment of missiles to Cuba. He called for the immediate withdrawal of the missiles, as well as the convening of the United Nations Security Council and the Organization of American States (OAS). Finally, he announced that the U.S. would begin a naval blockade of Cuba in order to intercept arms shipments.