title: Carl von Clausewitz

text: After 1970, some theorists claimed that nuclear proliferation made Clausewitzian concepts obsolete after the 20th-century period in which they dominated the world. John E. Sheppard, Jr., argues that by developing nuclear weapons, state-based conventional armies simultaneously both perfected their original purpose, to destroy a mirror image of themselves, and made themselves obsolete. No two powers have used nuclear weapons against each other, instead using diplomacy, conventional means, or proxy wars to settle disputes. If such a conflict did occur, presumably both combatants would be annihilated. Heavily influenced by the war in Vietnam and by antipathy to American strategist Henry Kissinger, the American biologist, musician, and game-theorist Anatol Rapoport argued in 1968 that a Clausewitzian view of war was not only obsolete in the age of nuclear weapons, but also highly dangerous as it promoted a "zero-sum paradigm" to international relations and a "dissolution of rationality" amongst decision-makers.


title: Carl von Clausewitz

text: The end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century have seen many instances of state armies attempting to suppress insurgencies, terrorism, and other forms of asymmetrical warfare. Clausewitz did not focus solely on wars between countries with well-defined armies. The era of the French Revolution and Napoleon was full of revolutions, rebellions, and violence by "non-state actors," such as the wars in the French Vendée and in Spain. Clausewitz wrote a series of "Lectures on Small War" and studied the rebellion in the Vendée (1793–1796) and the Tyrolean uprising of 1809. In his famous "Bekenntnisdenkschrift" of 1812, he called for a "Spanish war in Germany" and laid out a comprehensive guerrilla strategy to be waged against Napoleon. In "On War" he included a famous chapter on "The People in Arms."


title: Carl von Clausewitz

text: One prominent critic of Clausewitz is the Israeli military historian Martin van Creveld. In his book "The Transformation of War", Creveld argued that Clausewitz's famous "Trinity" of people, army, and government was an obsolete socio-political construct based on the state, which was rapidly passing from the scene as the key player in war, and that he (Creveld) had constructed a new "non-trinitarian" model for modern warfare. Creveld's work has had great influence. Daniel Moran replied, 'The most egregious misrepresentation of Clausewitz's famous metaphor must be that of Martin van Creveld, who has declared Clausewitz to be an apostle of Trinitarian War, by which he means, incomprehensibly, a war of 'state against state and army against army,' from which the influence of the people is entirely excluded." Christopher Bassford went further, noting that one need only "read" the paragraph in which Clausewitz defined his Trinity to see "that the words 'people,' 'army,' and 'government' appear nowhere at all in the list of the Trinity's components... Creveld's and Keegan's assault on Clausewitz's Trinity is not only a classic 'blow into the air,' i.e., an assault on a position Clausewitz doesn't occupy. It is also a pointless attack on a concept that is quite useful in its own right. In any case, their failure to read the actual wording of the theory they so vociferously attack, and to grasp its deep relevance to the phenomena they describe, is hard to credit."


title: Carl von Clausewitz

text: Some have gone further and suggested that Clausewitz's best-known aphorism, that war is a continuation of policy with other means, is not only irrelevant today but also inapplicable historically. For an opposing view see the sixteen essays presented in "Clausewitz in the Twenty-First Century" edited by Hew Strachan and Andreas Herberg-Rothe.


title: Carl von Clausewitz

text: In military academies, schools, and universities worldwide, Clausewitz's "Vom Kriege" is often (usually in translation) mandatory reading.


title: Carl von Clausewitz

text: August Otto Rühle von Lilienstern – Prussian officer from whom Clausewitz allegedly took, without acknowledgement, several important ideas (including that about war as pursuing political aims) made famous in "On War". However, such ideas as Clausewitz and Lilienstern shared in common derived from a common influence, i.e., Scharnhorst, who was Clausewitz's "second father" and professional mentor.


title: Shueisha

text: Manga magazines published by Shueisha include the "Jump" magazine line, which includes shonen magazines "Weekly Shōnen Jump", "Jump SQ", and "V Jump", and seinen magazines "Weekly Young Jump", "Grand Jump" and "Ultra Jump". They also publish other magazines, including "Non-no". Shueisha, along with Shogakukan, owns Viz Media, which publishes manga from all three companies in North America.


title: Shueisha

text: In 1925, Shueisha was created by major publishing company Shogakukan (founded in 1922). became the first novel published by Shueisha in collaboration with Shogakukan—the temporary home of Shueisha. In 1927, two novels titled "Danshi Ehon", and "Joshi Ehon" were created. In 1928, Shueisha was hired to edit , a compilation. "Gendai Humor Zenshū" continued 12 volumes, some issues being "Joshi Shinjidai Eishūji-chō" and . In the 1930s another novel called "Tantei-ki Dan" was launched and "Gendai Humor Zenshū" was completed in 24 volumes. In 1931 two more novels were launched, "Danshi Yōchien" and "Joshi Yōchien".


title: Shueisha

text: After World War II, Shueisha started publishing a manga line called "Omoshiro Book". "Omoshiro Book" published a picture book called "Shōnen Ōja", which became a huge hit among boys and girls. The first full volume of "Shōnen Ōja" was released as "Shōnen Ōja Oitachi Hen", which became an instant best-seller.


title: Shueisha

text: The first magazine published by Shueisha was "Akaruku Tanoshii Shōnen-Shōjo Zasshi". In September 1949, "Omoshiro Book" was made into a magazine with all the contents of the former line. In 1950, a special edition of the magazine was published under the title "Hinomaru". In addition to "Omoshiro Book", a female version was published in 1951: "Shōjo Book" which featured manga aimed at adolescent girls. The Hitotsubashi building of Shueisha became completely independent in 1952. In that year, "Omoshiro Book" ceased publication and "Myōjō" began publication as a monthly magazine. The series of "Omoshiro Book" were published in bunkoban editions under the "Omoshiro Manga Bunko" line. A novel called "Yoiko Yōchien" was published and "Omoshiro Book" was replaced with another children's manga magazine called "Yōnen Book".


title: Shueisha

text: In 1955, the success of "Shōjo Book" led to the publication of currently running "Ribon". The novel "Joshi Yōchien Kobato" began publication in 1958. On November 23, a special issue of "Myōjō" titled "Weekly Myōjō" was released. In 1951, another male edition of "Shōjo Book" was released, "Shōnen Book" was made, and "Shōjo Book" series were released in bunkoban editions under the "Shōjo Manga Bunko" imprint. In the 1960s, another spin-off issue of "Myōjō" was released called "Bessatsu Weekly Myōjō".


title: Shueisha

text: Shueisha continues to publish many novels. A compilation of many "Omoshiro Book" series was released as "Shōnen-Shōjo Nippon Rekishi Zenshū" complete in 12 volumes. Many other books were published including "Hirosuke Yōnen Dōwa Bungaku Zenshū", "Hatachi no Sekkei", "Dōdō Taru Jinsei", "Shinjin Nama Gekijō", and "Gaikoku kara Kita Shingo Jiten". In 1962, Shueisha published a female version of "Myōjō" titled "Josei Myōjō" and many more novels. In 1963, Shueisha began publication of the widely successful "Margaret" with the additional offshoot "Bessatsu Margaret". The novel "Ukiyo-e Hanga" was released complete in seven volumes, and the picture book "Sekai 100 Nin no Monogatari Zenshū" was released in the usual 12. In 1964, "Kanshi Taikei" was released in 24 volumes plus a reprint. In that year a line of novels, "Compact Books", was made and a line of manga called "Televi-Books" ("televi": short for "television"). In 1965, two more magazines were made: "Cobalt" and the "Shōnen Book" offshoot "Bessatsu Shōnen Book".


title: Shueisha

text: In 1966, Shueisha began publication of "Weekly Playboy", "Seishun to Dokusho" and "Shōsetsu Junior". A novel called "Nihonbon Gaku Zenshū" spawned a great 88 volumes. Another manga magazine was made titled "Young Music". "Deluxe Margaret" began publication in 1967 and the additional "Margaret Comics" and "Ribon Comics" lines. In 1968 the magazine "Hoshi Young Sense" began publication as spin-off to the short-lived "Young Sense". Later in that year "Margaret" launched the "Seventeen" magazine as a Japanese version of the English edition.


title: Shueisha

text: "Shōnen Jump" was created in the same year as a semi-weekly magazine. Another children's manga magazine was created in that year called "Junior Comic" and another "Ribon" spin-off called "Ribon Comic". In 1969 the magazine "Joker" began publication along with "guts". Several other novels were published. The magazine "Bessatsu Seventeen" began publication. In that year "Shōnen Jump" became a weekly anthology and changed its name to "Weekly Shōnen Jump". Following up the end of "Shōnen Book" a spin-off of "Weekly Shōnen Jump" started at the same time as it became weekly, initially called "Bessatsu Shōnen Jump". It changed its name to "Monthly Shōnen Jump" with the second issue.


title: Shueisha

text: The 1970s started with the launch of the novel magazine "Subaru" and in 1971 the "Non-no" and "Ocean life" magazines began publication. The novel series "Gendai Nippon Bijutsu Zenshū" spawned 18 volumes and became a huge seller. In 1972 "Roadshow" began publication and "The Rose of Versailles" begins in the "Margaret Comics" line gaining massive popularity. In 1973 "Playgirl" magazine began publication and the novel series "Zenshaku Kanbun Taikei" spawning a huge 33 volumes. In 1974 "Weekly Shōnen Jump" launched "Akamaru Jump". "Saison de Non-no" launches.


title: Shueisha

text: Shueisha announced that in the summer of 2011, it would launch a new manga magazine titled "Miracle Jump".


title: Shueisha

text: In October 2016, Shueisha announced that they had created a new department on June 21 called the . Headed by "V Jump" editor-in-chief Akio Iyoku, it is dedicated solely to Akira Toriyama's "Dragon Ball" and optimizing and expanding the brand.


title: Shueisha

text: On January 28, 2019, Shueisha launched the global English-language version of the online magazine "Shōnen Jump+", titled "Manga Plus". It is freely available in every country except China and South Korea, which have their own separate services. A Spanish-language version will be launched in February/March 2019, and may have a different library of content. Like the Japanese app, it has large samples of manga that can be read for free including all the current titles of Weekly Shōnen Jump, a sizeable number of titles from "Shōnen Jump+" and some titles from Jump Square. However, unlike the Japanese version; the latest chapters of current "Weekly Shōnen Jump" manga are made available free for a limited-time and it does not sell content.


title: Shueisha

text: On March 31, 2022, Shueisha announced that it established a new wholly-owned affiliated subsidiary named Shueisha Games on February 16. The company will support other developers on over five ongoing projects, and to develop a mobile game with character design by a "Weekly Shōnen Jump" artist.


title: Shueisha

text: Shueisha has published many kanzenban magazines. Kanzenban magazines consist of one series being published for roughly a year and then another and so on, unlike normal manga magazines which have a variety of series. The select series has chapters from roughly three volumes in every issue.


title: Shueisha

text: is a "seinen" kanzenban magazine published by Shueisha's subsidiary Home-sha. The magazine currently serializes the samurai-based "Nobunaga no Kyodai Tetsu Fune: Sengoku no Umi o Seisu" every month.


title: Shueisha

text: is a multi-demographic manga magazine published by Shueisha. It features an individual kanzenban of a classic Shueisha manga series. Each issue is a continuation of the last kanzenban. "Shueisha Original" has only featured two series which have run in the magazine for a long time. The first series was "Chibi Maruko-chan" from the "shōjo" manga anthology "Ribon". "Chibi Maruko-chan" ran in the magazine from August 2007 to January 2008. "Rokudenashi Blues" by Masanori Morita which ran in "Weekly Shōnen Jump" started in March 2008 and is currently running in "Shueisha Original".


title: Shueisha

text: is one of many kanzenban magazines published by Shueisha. "Shueisha Remix" magazines are split into four lines: "Shueisha Jump Remix", "Shueisha Girls Remix", "Shueisha Home Remix" and "Shueisha International Remix".


title: Shueisha

text: Shueisha English Edition is an imprint of Shueisha. It publishes Japanese literature, including mystery, fantasy, horror and erotica, in English translation.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: Get Rich or Die Tryin is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing with Eminem, 50 Cent also worked heavily with Dr. Dre and Kaz Wilde acting as the album's executive producers, who worked to combine the gangsta rap and R&B combo prevalent in New York hip hop. Additional production is provided by Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL (who also executive produced the album), Mr. Porter, Rockwilder, Dirty Swift, Megahertz, and more.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: The album also contains guest appearances from Eminem, Young Buck, and Nate Dogg, as well as features from G-Unit co-members Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Prior to the album, 50 Cent released several mixtapes alongside the Trackmasters on an unreleased album widely believed to be his debut in 2000. However, after suffering legal troubles and being blackballed from the music industry, 50 Cent found difficulty in securing another major-label recording contract, until he signed with Eminem's Shady Records in 2002.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: Released a week in advance to combat bootlegging and internet leakage, "Get Rich or Die Tryin"' debuted and peaked at number one on the "Billboard" 200, selling over 872,000 copies in its first week of sales. The album's singles also saw worldwide success, with both "In da Club" and "21 Questions" reaching number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100, while "P.I.M.P." became a number one hit in several countries. The album was ranked number one on the "Billboard" Year-End 2003 and received generally positive reviews from music critics.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: "Get Rich or Die Tryin"' was ranked by several publications as one of the best albums of the 2000s. In 2020, it was certified 9× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was the best-selling album of 2003 in the US, and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 46th Grammy Awards. It won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album at 2003 American Music Awards and Top "Billboard" 200 Album at the 2003 "Billboard" Music Awards. In 2020, "Rolling Stone" ranked the album number 280 on their updated 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: Prior to the release of his first studio album, titled "Power of the Dollar", 50 Cent was shot nine times in Queens, New York, on May 24, 2000. He survived but was dropped from his label, Columbia Records, who canceled the album's release. In 2002, Eminem listened to a copy of 50 Cent's "Guess Who's Back?" mixtape album through Jackson's attorney, who was working with Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg. After being impressed with the mixtape, Eminem invited 50 Cent to Los Angeles where he was introduced to producer Dr. Dre. 50 Cent signed a one-million-dollar record deal with Eminem and Dr. Dre; 50 Cent then released his next mixtape, "No Mercy, No Fear". It featured his own "8 Mile" single, "Wanksta" (in addition to appearances on three other tracks from the album), which was later put on "Get Rich or Die Tryin". Both Eminem and Dr. Dre had started working-productions on his debut album with additional help from producers Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL among others.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: His second single, "In da Club", was the first of seven tracks 50 Cent recorded in five days with Dr. Dre. Eminem was featured on two songs, "Patiently Waiting" and "Don't Push Me". His songs also featured rappers within G-Unit such as Lloyd Banks ("Don't Push Me"), Tony Yayo ("Like My Style"), or Young Buck ("Blood Hound"). The next single, "21 Questions", was not in line to be on the album, according to 50 cent, who stated that Dr. Dre did not want the song on the album. According to 50 Cent, "Dre was, like, 'How you goin' to be gangsta this and that and then put this sappy love song on?'" 50 Cent responded saying, "I'm two people. I've always had to be two people since I was a kid, to get by. To me that's not diversity, it's necessity." "Back Down" was an instrumental originally composed by Dr. Dre. It was originally intended to be used on Rakim's debut Aftermath album, "Oh My God," but due to creative differences was not released. Early pressings of "Get Rich or Die Tryin" included a limited edition bonus DVD.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: The album's lead single, "In da Club", was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), becoming 50 Cent's first song to top the "Billboard" Hot 100 for nine weeks and remained on the charts for twenty-two weeks. The track also reached number one on the Top 40 Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Hot Rap Tracks charts. The song reached number one in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland and the top five in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It received two Grammy nominations for Best Male Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song. It was listed at number 18 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time".


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: Its second single, "21 Questions", became 50 Cent's second chart topper on the "Billboard" Hot 100, where it remained for four non-consecutive weeks. It spent seven weeks on top of the "Billboard" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Outside the States, "21 Questions" reached number six in the United Kingdom. It was certified gold by the RIAA. The third single "P.I.M.P." was shipped with a remix featuring rapper Snoop Dogg and trio-group G-Unit. It was the third single that peaked at number three on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and number one on "Hot Rap Tracks", becoming the third single from the album to peak in the top ten on the "Hot 100" chart. It also reached number one in Canada. It was certified Gold by RIAA. The album's final single, "If I Can't", peaked at number seventy-six on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and thirty-four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: "Get Rich or Die Tryin" received favorable reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, it holds an aggregate score of 73 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: In his review for "USA Today", Steve Jones believed that the album is worthy of the hype 50 Cent had attracted because of how he "delivers, in vivid detail, stories of the violent life he led as a crack dealer and speaks with the swagger of one who has been shot nine times and lived to tell about it." AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier described it as "impressive" and "incredibly calculated", and identified it as "ushering in 50 as one of the truly eminent rappers of his era". "Rolling Stone" magazine's Christian Hoard praised the album's production and 50 Cent's "thug persona" and rapping ability. Brett Berliner of "Stylus Magazine" felt that he is versatile as a rapper and wrote that, "while not even close to perfection, [the album] is one of the freshest to come out in years." It is one of only 19 rap albums to receive a perfect rating from "XXL" magazine. Kelefa Sanneh of "The New York Times" wrote that 50 Cent is "an appealing, mischievous character" whose talent for threatening raps aimed toward rivals is also limiting thematically.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic in his consumer guide for "The Village Voice" and gave it a two-star honorable mention, indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy." He cited "What Up Gangsta" and "Patiently Waiting" as highlights and said that 50 Cent "gets no cuter as his character unfolds" on the album.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: In December 2009, "Billboard" magazine ranked "Get Rich or Die Tryin" at number 12 on its list of the Top 200 Albums of the Decade. In 2012, Complex named the album one of the classic releases of the last decade. The single, "In da Club", earned the number-one spot on "Billboard" 2003's single and album of the year charts, the first since Ace of Base had both in the same year. "Back Down" was listed on "XXL"s list of the greatest diss tracks of all time. The album was also included in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". "Get Rich or Die Tryin"' was also ranked as the 139th best album of all time on the "Billboard" Top 200 Albums of All Time.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: In 2020, in their second revised edition of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, "Rolling Stone" ranked "Get Rich or Die Tryin"' as the 280th greatest album of all time.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: In the 2017 video game "Paradigm", one of the records found inside Paradigm's home is "Get Rich or Die of Natural Causes", a reference to the album.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: "Get Rich or Die Tryin" debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 chart, selling 872,000 copies in its first week. In its second week, the album sold an additional 822,000 copies. It was the best-selling album of 2003, selling 12 million copies worldwide by the end of the year. It remains 50 Cent's best-selling album, with certified sales of 9 million copies in the United States, and is the tenth best-selling hip hop album in the country. The album was certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2003 for shipping six million copies in the US. In 2003, "Get Rich or Die Tryin"' was ranked as the number one album of the year on the "Billboard" 200.


title: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

text: "Get Rich or Die Tryin" is credited with restoring gangsta rap to prominence in an era when prevailing trends favored "slick, flashy ladies-man rappers". In a 2013 retrospective, "Billboard" states that the album "rewrote the hip-hop rulebook". Neil Kulkarni of "Crack" states that "Get Rich or Die Tryin" combined "Southern-style textures with gritty East Coast lyrical content" in a way that many succeeding artists would strive to replicate, and argues that the album's success paved the way for future gangsta rap artists including Jeezy, Rick Ross, and the Game.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVeyan Satanism is a nontheistic religion founded in 1966 by the American occultist and author Anton Szandor LaVey. Scholars of religion have classified it as a new religious movement and a form of Western esotericism.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey established his movement in the U.S. state of California through the founding of his Church of Satan on Walpurgisnacht of 1966, which he proclaimed to be "the Year One", "Anno Satanas"—the first year of the "Age of Satan". His ideas were heavily influenced by the ideas and writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and Ayn Rand. The church grew under LaVey's leadership, with regional "grottos" being founded across the United States. A number of these seceded from the church to form independent Satanic organizations during the early 1970s. In 1975, LaVey abolished the grotto system, after which LaVeyan Satanism became a far less organized movement, although it remained greatly influenced by LaVey's writings. In the coming years, members of the church left it to establish their own organizations, also following LaVey's ideas, among them John Dewey Allee's First Church of Satan and Karla LaVey's First Satanic Church.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: The religion's doctrines, codified in LaVey's book, "The Satanic Bible", are based on Materialism, rejecting the existence of supernatural beings, body-soul dualism, and life after death. Adherents do not believe that Satan literally exists and do not worship him. Instead, Satan is viewed as a positive archetype representing pride, carnality, and enlightenment. He is also embraced as a symbol of defiance against Abrahamic religions, which adherents criticize for suppressing humanity's natural instincts and encouraging irrationality. The religion propagates a naturalistic worldview, seeing mankind as animals existing in an amoral universe. It promotes a philosophy based on individualism and egoism, coupled with Social Darwinism and anti-egalitarianism.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVeyan Satanism involves the practice of magic, which encompasses two distinct forms; greater and lesser magic. Greater magic is a form of ritual practice and is meant as psychodramatic catharsis to focus one's emotional energy for a specific purpose. These rites are based on three major psycho-emotive themes: "compassion" (love), "destruction" (hate), and "sex" (lust). Lesser magic is the practice of manipulation by means of applied psychology and glamour (or "wile and guile") to bend an individual or situation to one's will.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVeyan Satanism – which is also sometimes termed "Modern Satanism" and "Rational Satanism" – is classified by scholars of religious studies as a new religious movement. When used, "Rational Satanism" is often employed to distinguish the approach of the LaVeyan Satanists from the "Esoteric Satanism" embraced by groups like the Temple of Set, and Joy of Satan Ministries. A number of religious studies scholars have also described it as a form of "self-religion" or "self-spirituality", with religious studies scholar Amina Olander Lap arguing that it should be seen as being both part of the "prosperity wing" of the self-spirituality New Age movement and a form of the Human Potential Movement. Conversely, the scholar of Satanism Jesper Aa. Petersen preferred to treat modern Satanism as a "cousin" of the New Age and Human Potential movements.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: The anthropologist Jean La Fontaine described LaVeyan Satanism as having "both elitist and anarchist elements", also citing one occult bookshop owner who referred to the church's approach as "anarchistic hedonism". In their study of Satanism, the religious studies scholars Asbjørn Dyrendal, James R. Lewis, and Jesper Aa. Petersen suggested that LaVey viewed his religion as "an antinomian self-religion for productive misfits, with a cynically carnivalesque take on life, and no supernaturalism". The sociologist of religion James R. Lewis even described LaVeyan Satanism as "a blend of Epicureanism and Ayn Rand's philosophy, flavored with a pinch of ritual magic." The historian of religion Mattias Gardell described LaVey's as "a rational ideology of egoistic hedonism and self-preservation", while Nevill Drury characterised LaVeyan Satanism as "a religion of self-indulgence". It has also been described as an "institutionalism of Machiavellian self-interest".


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: The Church of Satan rejects the legitimacy of any other organizations who claim to be Satanists, dubbing them "Devil worshipers". Prominent Church leader Blanche Barton described Satanism as "an alignment, a lifestyle". LaVey and the church espoused the view that "Satanists are born, not made"; that they are outsiders by their nature, living as they see fit, who are self-realized in a religion which appeals to the would-be Satanist's nature, leading them to realize they are Satanists through finding a belief system that is in line with their own perspective and lifestyle.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: "The Satanic Bible" has been in print since 1969 and has been translated into various languages. Lewis argued that although LaVeyan Satanists do not treat "The Satanic Bible" as a sacred text in the way many other religious groups treat their holy texts, it nevertheless is "treated as an authoritative document which effectively "functions" as scripture within the Satanic community". In particular, Lewis highlighted that many Satanists – both members of the Church of Satan and other groups – quote from it either to legitimize their own position or to de-legitimize the positions of others in a debate. Many other Satanist groups and individual Satanists who are not part of the Church of Satan also recognize LaVey's work as influential.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: Many Satanists attribute their conversions or discoveries of Satanism to "The Satanic Bible", with 20 percent of respondents to a survey by James Lewis mentioning "The Satanic Bible" directly as influencing their conversion. For members of the church, the book is said to serve not only as a compendium of ideas but also to judge the authenticity of someone's claim to be a Satanist. LaVey's writings have been described as "cornerstones" within the church and its teachings, and have been supplemented with the writings of its later High Priest, Gilmore, namely his book, "The Satanic Scriptures".


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: "The Satanic Bible" has been described as the most important document to influence contemporary Satanism. The book contains the core principles of Satanism, and is considered the foundation of its philosophy and dogma. On their website, the Church of Satan urge anyone seeking to learn about LaVeyan Satanism to read "The Satanic Bible", stating that doing so is "tantamount to understanding at least the basics of Satanism". Petersen noted that it is "in many ways "the" central text of the Satanic milieu", with Lap similarly testifying to its dominant position within the wider Satanic movement. David G. Bromley calls it "iconoclastic" and "the best-known and most influential statement of Satanic theology." Eugene V. Gallagher says that Satanists use LaVey's writings "as lenses through which they view themselves, their group, and the cosmos." He also states: "With a clear-eyed appreciation of true human nature, a love of ritual and pageantry, and a flair for mockery, LaVey's "Satanic Bible" promulgated a gospel of self-indulgence that, he argued, anyone who dispassionately considered the facts would embrace."


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey was an atheist, rejecting the existence of all gods. LaVey and his Church do not espouse a belief in Satan as an entity who literally exists, and LaVey did not encourage the worship of Satan as a deity. Instead, the use of Satan as a central figure is intentionally symbolic. LaVey sought to cement his belief system within the secularist world-view that derived from natural science, thus providing him with an atheistic basis with which to criticize Christianity and other supernaturalist beliefs. He legitimized his religion by highlighting what he claimed was its rational nature, contrasting this with what he saw as the supernaturalist irrationality of established religions. He defined Satanism as "a secular philosophy of rationalism and self-preservation (natural law, animal state), giftwrapping these ideas in religious trappings to add to their appeal." In this way, LaVeyan Satanism has been described as an "antireligious religion" by Rubin van Luijk. LaVey did not believe in any afterlife.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: Instead of worshiping the Devil as a real figure, the image of Satan is embraced because of its association with social nonconformity and rebellion against the dominant system. LaVey embraced the iconography of Satan and the label of "Satanist" because it shocked people into thinking, and when asked about his religion, stated that "the reason it's called Satanism is because it's fun, it's accurate and it's productive".


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey also conceptualised Satan as a symbol of the individual's own vitality, thus representing an autonomous power within, and a representation of personal liberty and individualism. Throughout "The Satanic Bible", the LaVeyan Satanist's view of god is described as the Satanist's true "self"—a projection of his or her own personality—not an external deity. In works like "The Satanic Bible", LaVey often uses the terms "god" and "Satan" interchangeably, viewing both as personifications of human nature.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: Despite his professed atheism, some passages of LaVey's writings left room for a literal interpretation of Satan, and some members of his Church understood the Devil as an entity that really existed. It is possible that LaVey left some ambivalence in his writings so as not to drive away those Church members who were theistic Satanists.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: Both LaVey's writings and the publications of the church continue to refer to Satan as if he were a real being, in doing so seeking to reinforce the Satanist's self-interest.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey used Christianity as a negative mirror for his new faith, with LaVeyan Satanism rejecting the basic principles and theology of Christian belief. It views Christianity – alongside other major religions, and philosophies such as humanism and liberal democracy – as a largely negative force on humanity; LaVeyan Satanists perceive Christianity as a lie which promotes idealism, self-denigration, herd behavior, and irrationality. LaVeyans view their religion as a force for redressing this balance by encouraging materialism, egoism, stratification, carnality, atheism, and social Darwinism. LaVey's Satanism was particularly critical of what it understands as Christianity's denial of humanity's animal nature, and it instead calls for the celebration of, and indulgence in, these desires. In doing so, it places an emphasis on the carnal rather than the spiritual.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVeyan Satanism has been characterised as belonging to the political right rather than to the political left. The historian of Satanism Ruben van Luijk characterised it as a form of "anarchism of the Right". LaVey was anti-egalitarian and elitist, believing in the fundamental inequality of different human beings. His philosophy was Social Darwinist in basis, having been influenced by the writings of Herbert Spencer, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Ayn Rand. LaVey stated that his Satanism was "just Ayn Rand's philosophy with ceremony and ritual added". Characterising LaVey as a Nietzschean, the religious studies scholar Asbjørn Dyrendal nevertheless thought that LaVey's "personal synthesis seems decidedly his own creation, even though the different ingredients going into it are at times very visible." Social Darwinism is particularly noticeable in "The Book of Satan", where LaVey uses portions of Redbeard's "Might Is Right", though it also appears throughout in references to man's inherent strength and instinct for self-preservation.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: For LaVey, the human being was explicitly viewed as an animal, who thus has no purpose other than survival of the fittest, and who therefore exists in an amoral context. He believed that in adopting a philosophical belief in its own superiority above that of the other animals, humankind has become "the most vicious animal of all". For LaVey, non-human animals and children represent an ideal, "the purest form of carnal existence", because they have not been indoctrinated with Christian or other religious concepts of guilt and shame. His ethical views championed placing oneself and one's family before others, minding one's own business, and – for men – behaving like a gentleman. In responding to threats and harm, he promoted a policy of "lex talionis", for instance reversing a Biblical Christian teaching by stating that "if a man smite thee on the one cheek, "smash" him on the other", derived from Ragnar Redbeard's infamous book "Might is Right".


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVeyan Satanism places great emphasis on the role of liberty and personal freedom. LaVey believed that the ideal Satanist should be individualistic and non-conformist, rejecting what he called the "colorless existence" that mainstream society sought to impose on those living within it. He rejected consumerism and what he called the "death cult" of fashion. He praised the human ego for encouraging an individual's pride, self-respect, and self-realization and accordingly believed in satisfying the ego's desires. He expressed the view that self-indulgence was a desirable trait, and that hate and aggression were not wrong or undesirable emotions but that they were necessary and advantageous for survival. Accordingly, he praised the Seven Deadly Sins as virtues which were beneficial for the individual.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: Similarly, LaVey criticized the negative and restrictive attitude to sexuality present in many religions, instead supporting any sexual acts that take place between consenting adults. His Church welcomed homosexual members from its earliest years, and he also endorsed celibacy for those who were asexual. He sought to discourage negative feelings of guilt arising from sexual acts such as masturbation and fetishes, and believed that rejecting these sexual inhibitions and guilt would result in a happier and healthier society. Discussing women, LaVey argued that they should use sex as a tool to manipulate men, in order to advance their own personal power. Conversely, non-consensual sexual relations, such as rape and child molestation, were denounced by LaVey and his Church.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey believed in the imminent demise of Christianity. In addition, he believed that society would enter an Age of Satan, in which a generation living in accordance with LaVeyan principles would come to power.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey supported eugenics and expected it to become a necessity in the future, when it would be used to breed an elite who reflected LaVey's "Satanic" principles. In his view, this elite would be "superior people" who displayed the "Satanic" qualities of creativity and nonconformity. He regarded these traits as capable of hereditary transmission, and made the claim that "Satanists are born, not made". He believed that the elite should be siphoned off from the rest of the human "herd", with the latter being forced into ghettoes, ideally "space ghettoes" located on other planets.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: The anthropologist Jean La Fontaine highlighted an article that appeared in a LaVeyan magazine, "The Black Flame", in which one writer described "a true Satanic society" as one in which the population consists of "free-spirited, well-armed, fully-conscious, self-disciplined individuals, who will neither need nor tolerate any external entity 'protecting' them or telling them what they can and cannot do." This rebellious approach conflicts with LaVey's firm beliefs in observing the rule of law.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: Although LaVey's ideas suggest a secular and scientific world-view, he also expressed a belief in magic. Rather than characterising magic as a supernatural phenomenon, LaVey expressed the view that it was a part of the natural world thus far undiscovered by scientists. Outlined in "The Satanic Bible", LaVey defined magic as "the change in situations or events in accordance with one's will, which would, using normally accepted methods, be unchangeable", a definition that reflects the influence of the British occultist Aleister Crowley. Although he never explained exactly how he believed that this magical process worked, LaVey stated that magicians could successfully utilise this magical force through intensely imagining their desired goal and thus directing the force of their own willpower toward it. He emphasised the idea that magical forces could be manipulated through "purely emotional" rather than intellectual acts.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: This practice puts LaVeyan Satanism within a wider tradition of 'high magic' or ceremonial magic, and has also been compared with Christian Science and Scientology. LaVey adopted beliefs and ideas from older magicians but consciously de-Christianised and Satanised them for his own purposes.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: In presenting himself as applying a scientific perspective on magic, LaVey was likely influenced by Crowley, who had also presented his approach to magic in the same way. However, in contrast to many older ceremonial magicians, LaVey denied that there was any division between black magic and white magic, attributing this dichotomy purely to the "smug hypocrisy and self-deceit" of those who called themselves "white magicians". He similarly differed from many older magicians who emphasised magic as a practice designed to bring about personal transformation and transcendence; rather, for LaVey magic was employed for material gain, personal influence, to harm enemies, and to gain success in love and sex.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey defined his system of magic as greater and lesser magic. Greater magic is a form of ritual practice and is meant as psychodramatic catharsis to focus one's emotional energy for a specific purpose. These rites are based on three major psycho-emotive themes: "compassion" (love), "destruction" (hate), and "sex" (lust). The space in which a ritual is performed is known as an "intellectual decompression chamber", where skepticism and disbelief are willfully suspended, thus allowing the magicians to fully express their mental and emotional needs, holding back nothing regarding their deepest feelings and desires. This magic could then be employed to ensure sexual gratification, material gain, personal success, or to curse one's enemies. LaVey also wrote of "the balance factor", insisting that any magical aims should be realistic. These rituals are often considered to be magical acts, with LaVey's Satanism encouraging the practice of magic to aid one's selfish ends. Much of Satanic ritual is designed for an individual to carry out alone; this is because concentration is seen as key to performing magical acts.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: Lesser magic, also referred to an "everyday" or "situational" magic, is the practice of manipulation by means of applied psychology. LaVey defined it as "wile and guile obtained through various devices and contrived situations, which when utilized, can create change in accordance with one's will." LaVey wrote that a key concept in lesser magic is the “command to look”, which can be accomplished by utilizing elements of “sex, sentiment, and wonder”, in addition to the utilization of looks, body language, scents, color, patterns, and odor. This system encourages a form of manipulative role-play, wherein the practitioner may alter several elements of their physical appearance in order to aid them in seducing or "bewitching" on object of desire.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey developed “The Synthesizer Clock”, the purpose of which is to divide humans into distinct groups of people based primarily on body shape and personality traits. The synthesizer is modeled as a clock, and based on concepts of somatotypes. The clock is intended to aid a witch in identifying themselves, subsequently aiding in utilizing the “attraction of opposites” to “spellbind” the witch's object of desire by assuming the opposite role. The successful application of lesser magic is said to be built upon one's understanding of their place on the clock. Upon finding your position on the clock, you are encouraged to adapt it as seen fit, and perfect your type by harmonizing its element for better success. Dyrendal referred to LaVey's techniques as “Erving Goffman meets William Mortensen”. Drawing insights from psychology, biology, and sociology, Petersen noted that lesser magic combines occult and “rejected sciences of body analysis [and] temperaments.”


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: The "central convictions" of LaVeyan Satanism are formulated into three lists, which are regularly reproduced within the Church of Satan's written material.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: "The Nine Satanic Statements" are a set of nine assertions made by LaVey in the introductory chapters of "The Satanic Bible". They are considered a touchstone of contemporary organized Satanism that constitute, in effect, brief aphorisms that capture Satanic philosophy. The first three statements touch on "indulgence", "vital existence" and "undefiled wisdom" which presents a positive view of the Satanist as a carnal, physical and pragmatic being, where enjoyment of physical existence and an undiluted view of this-worldly truth are promoted as the core values of Satanism, combining elements of Darwinism and Epicureanism. Statement four, five and six deal in matters of ethics, through "kindness to those who deserve it", "vengeance" and "responsibility to the responsible", painting a harsh picture of society and human relations by emphasizing justice rather than love. Statements seven, eight and nine reject the dignity of man, sin and the Christian church. Humans are characterized as "just another animal", traditional "sins" are promoted as means for gratification, and religion as mere business. The adversarial and antinomian aspect of Satan takes precedence in support of statements four through nine, with non-conformity being presented as a core ideal.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey emphasized that in his tradition, Satanic rites came in two forms, neither of which were acts of worship; in his terminology, "rituals" were intended to bring about change, whereas "ceremonies" celebrated a particular occasion. These rituals were often considered to be magical acts, with LaVey's Satanism encouraging the practice of magic to aid one's selfish ends. Much of LaVeyan ritual is designed for an individual to carry out alone; this is because concentration is seen as key to performing magical acts. In "The Satanic Bible", LaVey described three types of ritual in his religion: sex rituals designed to attract the desired romantic or sexual partner, compassionate rituals with the intent of helping people (including oneself), and destructive magic which seeks to do harm to others. In designing these rituals, LaVey drew upon a variety of older sources, with scholar of Satanism Per Faxneld noting that LaVey "assembled rituals from a hodgepodge of historical sources, literary as well as esoteric".


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey described a number of rituals in his book, "The Satanic Rituals"; these are "dramatic performances" with specific instructions surrounding the clothing to be worn, the music to be used, and the actions to be taken. This attention to detail in the design of the rituals was intentional, with their pageantry and theatricality intending to engage the participants' senses and aesthetic sensibilities at various levels and enhancing the participants' willpower for magical ends. LaVey prescribed that male participants should wear black robes, while older women should wear black, and other women should dress attractively in order to stimulate sexual feelings among many of the men. All participants are instructed to wear amulets of either the upturned pentagram or the image of Baphomet.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: According to LaVey's instructions, on the altar is to be placed an image of Baphomet. This should be accompanied by various candles, all but one of which are to be black. The lone exception is to be a white candle, used in destructive magic, which is kept to the right of the altar. Also to be included are a bell which is rung nine times at the start and end of the ceremony, a chalice made of anything but gold, and which contains an alcoholic drink symbolizing the "Elixir of Life", a sword that represents aggression, a model phallus used as an aspergillum, a gong, and parchment on which requests to Satan are to be written before being burned. Although alcohol was consumed in the church's rites, drunkenness was frowned upon and the taking of illicit drugs was forbidden.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVeyan rituals sometimes include anti-Christian blasphemies, which are intended to have a liberating effect on the participants.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: In some of the rituals, a naked woman serves as the altar; in these cases it is made explicit that the woman's body itself becomes the altar, rather than have her simply lying on an existing altar. In contrast to longstanding stereotypes about Satanists, there is no place for sexual orgies in LaVeyan ritual. Neither animal nor human sacrifice takes place. Children are banned from attending these rituals, with the only exception being the Satanic Baptism, which is specifically designed to involve infants.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey also developed his own Black Mass, which was designed as a form of deconditioning to free the participant from any inhibitions that they developed living in Christian society. He noted that in composing the Black Mass rite, he had drawn upon the work of the French fiction writers Charles Baudelaire and Joris-Karl Huysmans. LaVey openly toyed with the use of literature and popular culture in other rituals and ceremonies, thus appealing to artifice, pageantry, and showmanship. For instance, he published an outline of a ritual which he termed the "Call to Cthulhu" which drew upon the stories of the alien god Cthulhu authored by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. In this rite, set to take place at night in a secluded location near to a turbulent body of water, a celebrant takes on the role of Cthulhu and appears before the assembled Satanists, signing a pact between them in the language of Lovecraft's fictional "Old Ones".


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: In "The Satanic Bible", LaVey writes that "after one's own birthday, the two major Satanic holidays are Walpurgisnacht and Halloween." Other holidays celebrated by members include the two solstices, the two equinoxes, and Yule.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: As a symbol of his Satanic church, LaVey adopted the upturned five-pointed pentagram. The upturned pentagram had previously been used by the French occultist Eliphas Lévi, and had been adopted by his disciple, Stanislas de Guaita, who merged it with a goat's head in his 1897 book, "Key of Black Magic". In the literature and imagery predating LaVey, imagery used to represent the "satanic" is denoted by inverted crosses and blasphemous parodies of Christian art. The familiar goat's head inside an inverted pentagram did not become the foremost symbol of Satanism until the founding of the Church of Satan in 1966. LaVey learned of this variant of the symbol after it had been reproduced on the front cover of Maurice Bessy's coffee table book, "Pictorial History of Magic and the Supernatural". Feeling that this symbol embodied his philosophy, LaVey decided to adopt it for his Church. In its formative years, the church utilized this image on its membership cards, stationary, medallions and most notably above the altar in the ritual chamber of the Black House.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: During the writing of "The Satanic Bible", it was decided that a unique version of the symbol should be rendered to be identified exclusively with the church. LaVey created a new version of Guaita's image, one which was geometrically precise, with two perfect circles surrounding the pentagram, the goat head redrawn, and the Hebrew lettering altered to look more serpentine. LaVey had this design copyrighted to the church, claiming authorship under the pseudonym of "Hugo Zorilla". In doing so, the symbol – which came to be known as the Sigil of Baphomet – came to be closely associated with Satanism in the public imagination.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: Although there were forms of religious Satanism that predated the creation of LaVeyan Satanism—namely those propounded by Stanisław Przybyszewski and Ben Kadosh—these had no unbroken lineage of succession to LaVey's form. For this reason, the sociologist of religion Massimo Introvigne stated that "with few exceptions, LaVey is at the origins of all contemporary Satanism". Similarly, the historian Ruben van Luijk claimed that the creation of LaVeyan Satanism marked "the actual beginning of Satanism as a religion such as it is practiced in the world today".


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: After he came to public attention, LaVey shielded much of his early life in secrecy, and little is known about it for certain. He had been born in Chicago as Howard Stanton Levey in either March or April 1930. He was of mixed Ukrainian, Russian, and German ancestry. He claimed to have worked in the circus and carnival in the years following the Second World War, and in later years, he also alleged that he worked at the San Francisco Orchestra, although this never existed. He also claimed to have had a relationship with a young Marilyn Monroe, although this too was untrue.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: By the 1960s he was living at 6114 California Street in San Francisco, a house that he had inherited from his parents. He took an interest in occultism and amassed a large collection of books on the subject. At some point between 1957 and 1960 he began hosting classes at his house every Friday in which lectures on occultism and other subjects were given. Among the topics covered were freaks, extra-sensory perception, Spiritualism, cannibalism, and historical methods of torture. Attendees of these lectures coalesced into an informal group which came to be known as the Magic Circle. Among those affiliated with this gathering were the filmmaker and Thelemite occultist Kenneth Anger, and the anthropologist Michael Harner, who later established the core shamanism movement.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey likely began preparations for the formation of his Church of Satan in either 1965 or early 1966, and it was officially founded on Walpurgisnacht 1966. He then declared that 1966 marked Year One of the new Satanic era. It was the first organized church in modern times to be devoted to the figure of Satan, and according to Faxneld and Petersen, the church represented "the first public, highly visible, and long-lasting organisation which propounded a coherent satanic discourse". Its early members were the attendees of LaVey's Magic Circle, although it soon began attracting new recruits. Many of these individuals were sadomasochists or homosexuals, attracted by the LaVeyan openness to different sexual practices. LaVey had painted his house black, with it becoming known as "the Black House", and it was here that weekly rituals were held every Friday night.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey played up to his Satanic associations by growing a pointed beard and wearing a black cloak and inverted pentagram. He added to his eccentric persona by obtaining unusual pets, including a lion that was kept caged in his back garden. Describing himself as the "High Priest of Satan", LaVey defined his position within the church as "monarchical in nature, papal in degree and absolute in power". He led the churches' governing Council of Nine, and implemented a system of five initiatory levels that the LaVeyan Satanist could advance through by demonstrating their knowledge of LaVeyan philosophy and their personal accomplishments in life. These were known as Apprentice Satanist I°, Witch or Warlock II°, Priest or Priestess of Mendes III°, Magister IV°, and Magus V°.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: The church experienced its "golden age" from 1966 to 1972, when it had a strong media presence. In February 1967, LaVey held a much publicized Satanic wedding, which was followed by the Satanic baptism of his daughter Zeena in May, and then a Satanic funeral in December. Another publicity-attracting event was the "Topless Witch Revue", a nightclub show held on San Francisco's North Beach; the use of topless women to attract attention alienated a number of the church's early members. Through these and other activities, he soon attracted international media attention, being dubbed "the Black Pope". He also attracted a number of celebrities to join his Church, most notably Sammy Davis Junior and Jayne Mansfield. LaVey also established branches of the church, known as "grottos", in various parts of the United States. He may have chosen the term "grotto" over "coven" because the latter term had come to be used by practitioners of the modern Pagan religion of Wicca. These included the Babylon Grotto in Detroit, the Stygian Grotto in Dayton, and the Lilith Grotto in New York City. In 1971, a Dutch follower of LaVey's, Maarten Lamers, established his own Kerk van Satan grotto in Amsterdam.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: As a result of the success of the film "Rosemary's Baby" and the concomitant growth of interest in Satanism, an editor at Avon Books, Peter Mayer, approached LaVey and commissioned him to write a book, which became "The Satanic Bible". While part of the text was LaVey's original writing, other sections of the book consisted of direct quotations from Arthur Desmond's right-wing tract "Might is Right" and the occultist Aleister Crowley's version of John Dee's "Enochian Keys". There is evidence that LaVey was inspired by the writings of the American philosopher Ayn Rand; and while accusations that he plagiarized her work in "The Satanic Bible" have been denied by one author, Chris Mathews stated that "LaVey stole selectively and edited lightly" and that his "Satanism at times closely parallels Ayn Rand's Objectivist philosophy." The book "The Satanic Bible" served to present LaVey's ideas to a far wider audience than they had previously had. In 1972, he published a sequel, "The Satanic Rituals".


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVey's Church emerged at a point in American history when Christianity was on the decline as many of the nation's youth broke away from their parental faith and explored alternative systems of religiosity. The milieu in which LaVey's Church was operating was dominated by the counterculture of the 1960s; his Church reflected some of its concerns – free love, alternative religions, freedom from church and state – but ran contrary to some of the counterculture's other main themes, such as peace and love, compassion, and the use of mind-altering drugs. He expressed condemnation of the hippies; in one ritual he hung an image of Timothy Leary upside down while stamping on a tablet of LSD.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: In 1973, church leaders in Michigan, Ohio, and Florida split to form their own Church of Satanic Brotherhood, however this disbanded in 1974 when one of its founders publicly converted to Christianity. Subsequently, Church members based in Kentucky and Indiana left to found the Ordo Templi Satanis. In 1975, LaVey disbanded all grottos, leaving the organisation as a membership-based group that existed largely on paper. He claimed that this had been necessary because the grottos had come to be dominated by social misfits who had not benefitted the church as a whole. In a private letter, he expressed frustration that despite growing church membership, "brain surgeons and Congressmen are still in short supply". He also announced that thenceforth all higher degrees in the church would be awarded in exchange for contributions of cash, real estate, or valuable art. Dissatisfied with these actions, in 1975, the high-ranking Church member Michael Aquino left to found his own Satanic organisation, the Temple of Set, which differed from LaVey's Church by adopting a belief that Satan literally existed. According to Lap, from this point on Satanism became a "splintered and disorganized movement".


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: Between the abolition of the grotto system in 1975 and the establishment of the internet in the mid-1990s, "The Satanic Bible" remained the primary means of propagating Satanism. During this period, a decentralized, anarchistic movement of Satanists developed that was shaped by many of the central themes that had pervaded LaVey's thought and which was expressed in "The Satanic Bible". Lewis argued that in this community, "The Satanic Bible" served as a "quasi-scripture" because these independent Satanists were able to adopt certain ideas from the book while merging them with ideas and practices drawn from elsewhere.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: During the late 1980s, LaVey returned to the limelight, giving media interviews, attracting further celebrities, and reinstating the grotto system. In 1984 he separated from his wife, Diane Hegarty, and began a relationship with Blanche Barton, who was his personal assistant. In 1988 Hegarty brought a court case against LaVey, claiming that he she owned half of the church and LaVey's Black House. The court found in Hegarty's favour, after which LaVey immediately declared bankruptcy. In May 1992, the ex-couple reached a settlement. The Black House was sold to a wealthy friend, the property developer Donald Werby, who agreed to allow LaVey to continue living at the residence for free. Also in 1992, LaVey published his first book in twenty years, "The Devil's Notebook". This was followed by the posthumous "Satan Speaks" in 1998, which included a foreword from the rock singer Marilyn Manson, who was a priest in the church.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: In his final years, LaVey suffered from a heart condition, displayed increasing paranoia, and died in October 1997. In November, the church announced that it would subsequently be run by two High Priestesses of joint rank, Barton and LaVey's daughter Karla LaVey. That same year, the church established an official website. Barton attempted to purchase the Black House from Werby, but was unable to raise sufficient funds; the building had fallen into disrepair and was demolished in 2001, subsequently being replaced with an apartment block. A disagreement subsequently emerged between Barton and Karla, resulting in an agreement that Barton would retain legal ownership of the name and organization of the church while LaVey's personal belongings and copyrights would be distributed among his three children, Karla, Zeena, and Satan Xerxes. Barton stood down as High Priestess in 2002, although continued to chair the church's Council of Nine. The headquarters of the church were then moved from San Francisco to New York, where Peter H. Gilmore was appointed the church's High Priest, and his wife Peggy Nadramia as its High Priestess.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: After LaVey's death, conflict over the nature of Satanism intensified within the Satanic community. At Halloween 1999 Karla established the First Satanic Church, which uses its website to promote the idea that it represents a direct continuation of the original Church of Satan as founded by Anton LaVey. Other LaVeyan groups appeared elsewhere in the United States. An early member of the Church of Satan, John Dewey Allee, established his own First Church of Satan, claiming allegiance to LaVey's original teachings and professing that LaVey himself had deviated from them in later life. In 1986, Paul Douglas Valentine founded the New York City-based World Church of Satanic Liberation, having recruited many of its members through Herman Slater's Magickal Childe esoteric store. Its membership remained small and it was discontinued in 2011. In 1991, the Embassy of Lucifer was established by the Canadian Tsirk Susuej, which was influenced by LaVeyan teachings but held that Satan was a real entity. Splinter groups from Susuej's organisation included the Embassy of Satan in Stewart, British Columbia, and the Luciferian Light Group in Baltimore.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: LaVeyan groups also cropped up elsewhere in the world, with a particular concentration in Scandinavia; most of these Scandinavian groups either split from the Church of Satan or never affiliated with it. These included the Svenska Satanistkyrkan and the Det Norske Sataniske Samfunn, as well as the Prometheus Grotten of the Church of Satan which was established in Denmark in 1997 but which officially seceded in 2000. A Satanic Church was also established in Estonia based on the LaVeyan model; it later renamed itself the Order of the Black Widow.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: The Church of Satan became increasingly doctrinally-rigid and focused on maintaining the purity of LaVeyan Satanism. The church's increased emphasis on their role as the bearer of LaVey's legacy was partly a response to the growth in non-LaVeyan Satanists. Some Church members – including Gilmore – claimed that only they were the "real" Satanists and that those belonging to different Satanic traditions were "pseudo" Satanists. After examining many of these claims on the church's website, Lewis concluded that it was ""obsessed" with shoring up its own legitimacy by attacking the heretics, especially those who criticize LaVey". Meanwhile, the church experienced an exodus of its membership in the 2000s, with many of these individuals establishing new groups online. Although the church's public face had performed little ceremonial activity since the early 1970s, in June 2006 they held a Satanic 'High Mass' in Los Angeles to mark the church's fortieth birthday.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: Membership levels of the Church of Satan are hard to determine, as the organisation has not released such information. During its early years, the church claimed a membership of around 10,000, although defectors subsequently claimed that the number was only in the hundreds. Membership was largely, although not exclusively, white. LaVey recognised this, suggesting that the church appealed particularly to white Americans because they lacked the strong sense of ethnic identity displayed by African-Americans and Hispanic Americans. The historian of religion Massimo Introvigne suggested that it had never had more than 1000 or 2000 members at its height, but that LaVeyan ideas had had a far greater influence through LaVey's books. Membership is gained by paying $225 and filling out a registration statement, and thus initiates are bestowed with lifetime memberships and not charged annual fees.


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: La Fontaine thought it likely that the easy availability of LaVey's writings would have encouraged the creation of various Satanic groups that were independent of the Church of Satan itself. In "The Black Flame", a number of groups affiliated with the church has been mentioned, most of which are based in the United States and Canada although two groups were cited as having existed in New Zealand. In his 2001 examination of Satanists, the sociologist James R. Lewis noted that, to his surprise, his findings "consistently pointed to the centrality of LaVey's influence on modern Satanism". "Reflecting the dominant influence of Anton LaVey's thought", Lewis noted that the majority of those whom he examined were atheists or agnostics, with 60% of respondents viewing Satanism as a symbol rather than a real entity. 20% of his respondents described "The Satanic Bible" as the most important factor that attracted them to Satanism. Elsewhere, Lewis noted that few Satanists who were not members of the Church of Satan would regard themselves as "orthodox LaVeyans".


title: LaVeyan Satanism

text: Examining the number of LaVeyan Satanists in Britain, in 1995 the religious studies scholar Graham Harvey wrote that the Church of Satan had no organized presence in the country. He noted that LaVey's writings were widely accessible in British bookshops, and La Fontaine suggested that there may have been individual Church members within the country.


title: Opinion polling for the next German federal election

text: In the run-up to the next German federal election, various organisations carried out opinion polling to gauge voting intentions in Germany. Results of such polls are displayed in this list.


text: These polls were conducted before the announcement of each party's Chancellor candidate, and gauged opinion on various politicians who were considered to be plausible candidates for their respective parties.


title: Blackpink discography

text: South Korean girl group Blackpink have released two studio albums, three extended plays, four single albums, one compilation album, and four live albums in total.


title: Blackpink discography

text: Blackpink released their debut single album "Square One" in August 2016, which includes the songs "Whistle" and Boombayah". "Whistle" debuted atop the Circle Digital Chart (formerly Gaon Digital Chart) and sold more than 2.5 million digital copies in South Korea while "Boombayah" became the group's first number-one hit on the "Billboard" World Digital Song Sales chart. The group continued their success with the release of "Square Two" on November 1, 2016. The single album includes "Playing with Fire", which sold more than 2.5 million digital copies in South Korea and became Blackpink's second number-one hit on the "Billboard" World Digital Song Sales chart. "Square Two" peaked at number 13 on the "Billboard" Top Heatseekers chart and number two on the World Albums chart.


title: Blackpink discography

text: In June 2017, the group released their fifth single, "As If It's Your Last", which became the group's third song to reach 2,500,000 certified downloads in South Korea and their third number-one hit on the "Billboard" World Digital Song Sales chart (after "Boombayah" and "Playing with Fire"). In August of the same year, Blackpink made their Japanese debut with their EP "Blackpink", which featured Japanese-language editions of the group's existing tracks at the time. The EP was a commercial success, debuting atop the Oricon chart and selling over 80,000 copies in Japan.


title: Blackpink discography

text: In June 2018, the group released their first Korean EP, "Square Up", which debuted atop South Korea's Circle Album Chart (formerly Gaon Album Chart). "Square Up" peaked at number 40 on the "Billboard" 200, and spawned the hit single "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du", which spent three weeks atop the Circle Digital Chart. "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" was also the group's first song to enter the "Billboard" Hot 100, debuting and peaking at number 55, and their fourth number-one on the World Digital Song Sales chart. As of April 2019, the single has achieved a platinum certification for both streaming and downloads within South Korea. In October 2018, the group collaborated with British singer Dua Lipa for the track "Kiss and Make Up", achieving commercial success worldwide. In December 2018, the group released their first Japanese studio album, "Blackpink in Your Area", which included all tracks from their previous Japanese self-titled extended play as well as Japanese versions of the four tracks on "Square Up".


title: Blackpink discography

text: The group's second Korean EP "Kill This Love" was released digitally on April 5, 2019. A physical version of the album was released later on April 23, 2019. The EP has received positive reviews and has been a commercial success. "Kill This Love" sold over 350,000 copies in China in the first week alone, and around 250,000 physical copies in South Korea within the first eight days. "Kill This Love" peaked at number 24 on the "Billboard" 200, making them the highest-charting female Korean act on the chart. The EP's lead single, "Kill This Love," peaked at number 41 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, marking the group's third hit to enter the chart and extending their record for the most entries and longest-charting single of a female Korean act on the chart. It also became the group's fifth single to chart at number one on "Billboard"'s World Digital Song Sales chart.


title: Blackpink discography

text: In June 2020, Blackpink released "How You Like That" as a pre-release single from the group's debut studio album "The Album". The song spent three weeks atop the Circle Digital Chart and debuted at number 33 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, tying with the group's collaboration with American singer Lady Gaga, "Sour Candy", as the highest-charting songs by a female Korean act on the Hot 100. The group subsequently released the second pre-release single “Ice Cream" featuring American singer Selena Gomez on August 28, which peaked at number 13 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming the highest-charting as well as the longest-charting song by a female Korean act on the chart. On October 2, 2020, "The Album" was released alongside title track “Lovesick Girls", which peaked at number two on both the "Billboard" Global 200 and the Circle Digital Chart. The album debuted at number one on the Circle Album Chart and broke the record for the best-selling album by a Korean female act of all time, selling over 1 million copies in its first month. It also debuted at number two on the "Billboard" 200, becoming the highest-charting album by a female Korean act and the highest-charting album by a girl group since 2008 on the chart.


title: Blackpink discography

text: On August 19, 2022, Blackpink released the pre-release single "Pink Venom" from the group's second studio album "Born Pink", which peaked on the "Billboard" Global 200 for two weeks, their first number-one single. It also peaked at number two on the Circle Digital Chart and number 22 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. "Born Pink" was released on September 16, alongside title track "Shut Down", which was their second single to top the "Billboard" Global 200 and peaked at number three on the Circle Digital Chart and number 25 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The album debuted at number one on the Circle Album Chart with 2.2 million copies sold in the first two days, breaking the record for the best-selling album by a Korean female act of all time. It debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200, the first album by a female Korean act to do so and the first album by a girl group to do so since 2008. It also debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the first number-one album by a K-pop girl group.


title: Persona non grata

text: In diplomacy, a (Latin: "person not welcome", plural: ") is a status applied by a host country to foreign diplomats to remove their protection of diplomatic immunity from arrest and other types of prosecution.


title: Persona non grata

text: Under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a receiving state may "at any time and without having to explain its decision" declare any member of a diplomatic staff ". A person so declared is considered unacceptable and is usually recalled to his or her home nation. If not recalled, the receiving state "may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the mission". A person can be declared before that person even enters the country.


title: Persona non grata

text: With the protection of mission staff from prosecution for violating civil and criminal laws, depending on rank, under Articles 41 and 42 of the Vienna Convention, they are bound to respect national laws and regulations. Breaches of these articles can lead to a declaration being used to punish erring staff. It is also used to expel diplomats suspected of espionage, described as "activities incompatible with diplomatic status", or any overt criminal act such as drug trafficking. The declaration may also be a symbolic indication of displeasure.


title: Persona non grata

text: So-called "tit for tat" exchanges have occurred (whereby countries involved in a dispute each expel the ambassador of the other country), notably during the Cold War. A notable occurrence outside of the Cold War was an exchange between the United States and Ecuador in 2011: the Ecuadorian government expelled the United States ambassador, as a result of diplomatic cables leaking (WikiLeaks); the United States responded by expelling the Ecuadorian ambassador.


title: Persona non grata

text: In non-diplomatic usage, referring to someone as " is to say that the person is not popular or accepted by others.


title: Persona non grata

text: In the Philippines, local legislatures of provinces, towns, and cities can declare certain people or groups, including non-diplomats and Filipino citizens, as "persona non grata" to express a negative sentiment toward the certain person through a non-binding resolution. This could be in response to the person breaking local ordinance or laws. This has also happened in Spain.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: The common raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), also called the Chinese or Asian raccoon dog, is a small, heavy-set, fox-like canid native to East Asia. Named for its raccoon-like face markings, it is most closely related to foxes. Common raccoon dogs feed on many animals and plant matter, and are unusual among canids (dogs, foxes, and other members of the family Canidae) for climbing trees and for hibernating in cold winters. They are widespread in their native range, and are invasive in Europe where they were introduced for the fur trade. The similar Japanese raccoon dog ("Nyctereutes viverrinus"), native to Japan, is the only other living member of the genus "Nyctereutes". Other names for the common raccoon dog include mangut (its Evenki name), neoguri (its Korean name) or simply raccoon dog.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: The raccoon dog is named for the resemblance of its masked face to that of the North American common raccoon ("Procyon lotor"). The closest relatives of the raccoon dogs are the true foxes, not the raccoon, one of the musteloids, which are not closely related. Among the Canidae, the raccoon dog shares the habit of regularly climbing trees only with the North American gray fox, which is not a true fox and to which the raccoon dogs are not closely related.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Due to the fur trade, the common raccoon dog has been widely introduced in Europe, where it has been treated as a potentially hazardous invasive species. In Scandinavia, it is called "marten-dog" (Swedish: "mårdhund", Norwegian and Danish: "mårhund"). In Europe, the raccoon dog is included since 2019 in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list). This implies that this species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Common raccoon dog skulls greatly resemble those of South American foxes, particularly crab-eating foxes, though genetic studies reveal they are not closely related. Their skulls are small, but sturdily built and moderately elongated, with narrow zygomatic arches. The projections of the skull are well-developed, the sagittal crest being particularly prominent in old animals.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Reflecting their omnivorous diets, raccoon dogs have small and weak canines and carnassials, flat molars, and relatively long intestines – (1.5–2.0 times longer than other canids). They have long torsos and short legs. Total lengths can range from . The tail, at long, is short, amounting to less than a third of the animal's total length and hangs below the tarsal joints without touching the ground. The ears are short and protrude only slightly from the fur.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Weights fluctuate according to season: in March they weigh 3 kg (6.6 lb), while in August to early September males average 6.5–7 kg (14–15 lb), with some individuals attaining a maximal weight of . Specimens from Japanese and Russian studies have been shown to be on average larger than those from Chinese studies.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: The winter fur is long and thick with dense underfur and coarse guard hairs measuring 120 mm in length. The winter fur protects raccoon dogs from low temperatures ranging down to −20° to −25 °C. It is of a dirty, earth-brown, or brownish-grey colour with black guard hairs. The tail is darker than the torso. A dark stripe is present on the back, which broadens on the shoulders, forming a cross shape. The abdomen is yellowish-brown, while the chest is dark brown or blackish. The muzzle is covered in short hair, which increases in length and quantity behind the eyes. The cheeks are coated with long, whiskery hairs. The summer fur is brighter and reddish straw-coloured.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Common raccoon dogs are omnivores that feed on insects, rodents, amphibians, birds, fish, reptiles, mollusks, carrion, and insectivores, as well as fruits, nuts, and berries. Among the rodents targeted by raccoon dogs, voles seem to predominate in swampy areas, but are replaced with gerbils in flatland areas such as Astrakhan. Frogs are the most commonly taken amphibians; in the Voronezh region, they frequently eat fire-bellied toads, while European spadefoot toads are usually taken in Ukraine. Raccoon dogs are able to eat toads that have toxic skin secretions by producing copious amounts of saliva to dilute the toxins. They prey on waterfowl, passerines, and migrating birds. Grouse are commonly hunted in their introduced range, and many instances of pheasant predation are recorded in the Ussuri territory.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Common raccoon dogs eat beached fish and fish trapped in small water bodies. They rarely catch fish during the spawning season, but eat many during the spring thaw. In their southern range, they eat young tortoises and their eggs. Insectivorous mammals hunted by raccoon dogs include shrews, hedgehogs, and, on rare occasions, moles and desmans. In the Ussuri territory, large moles are their primary source of food. Plant food is highly variable, and includes bulbs, rhizomes, oats, millets, maize, nuts, fruits, berries, grapes, melons, watermelons, pumpkins, and tomatoes.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Common raccoon dogs adapt their diets to the season; in late autumn and winter they feed mostly on rodents, carrion, and feces, while fruit, insects, and amphibians predominate in spring. In summer they eat fewer rodents, and mainly target nesting birds, fruits, grains, and vegetables.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Wolves are the main predators of common raccoon dogs, killing large numbers of them in spring and summer, though attacks have been reported in autumn, too. In Tatarstan, wolf predation can account for 55.6% of raccoon dog deaths, while in northwestern Russia, it amounts to 64%. Red foxes kill raccoon dog pups, and have been known to bite adults to death.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Both foxes and European badgers compete with raccoon dogs for food, and have been known to kill them if raccoon dogs enter their burrows. Eurasian lynxes rarely attack them. Birds of prey known to take raccoon dogs include golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, goshawks, and eagle owls.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: The mating season begins from early February to late April, depending on location. Raccoon dogs are monogamous animals, with pair formations usually occurring in autumn. Captive males, however, have been known to mate with four or five females. Males will fight briefly, but not fatally, for mates. Copulation occurs during the night, or at dawn, and typically will last 6–9 minutes. Estrus lasts from a few hours to six days, during which females may mate up to five times. Females enter estrus again after 20–24 days, even when pregnant.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: The gestation period lasts 61–70 days, with pups being born in April–May. Litter sizes typically consist of 6–8 pups, though 15–16 pups can be born in exceptional cases. First-time mothers typically give birth to fewer pups than older ones. Males take an active role in raising the pups. This male role is very significant, as demonstrated by early releases in 1928 of pregnant females without males, resulting in very limited success at introduction, while later releases of pairs from 1929 until the 1960s resulted in the raccoon dog's now-extensive introduced European range.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: At birth, pups weigh 60–110 g, and are blind and covered in short, dense, soft wool lacking guard hairs. Their eyes open after 9–10 days, with the teeth erupting after 14–16 days. Guard hairs begin to grow after 10 days, and first appear on the hips and shoulders. After two weeks, they lighten in colour, with black tones remaining only around the eyes. Lactation lasts for 45–60 days, though pups begin eating food brought to them as early as the age of three weeks to one month. They reach their full size at the age of 4.5 months. Pups leave their parents in late August–September. By October, the pups, which by then resemble adults, unite in pairs. Sexual maturity is reached at 8–10 months. Their longevity is largely unknown; animals 6–7 years of age have been encountered in the wild, while captive specimens have been known to live for 11 years.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Raccoon dogs are the only canids known to hibernate. In early winter, they increase their subcutaneous fat by 18–23% and their internal fat by 3–5%. Animals failing to reach these fat levels usually do not survive the winter. During their hibernation, their metabolism decreases by 25%. In areas such as Primorsky Krai and their introduced range, raccoon dogs hibernate only during severe snowstorms. In December, their physical activity decreases once snow depth reaches 15–20 cm, and limit the range from their burrows to no more than 150–200 m. Their daily activities increase during February when the females become receptive, and when food is more available.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Like foxes, they do not bark, uttering instead a growl, followed by a long-drawn, melancholy whine. Captive specimens have been known to utter daily a very different kind of sound when hungry, described as a sort of mewing plaint. Males fighting for females may yelp and growl.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: The Japanese raccoon dog was also considered a subspecies, but is now thought to better represent a distinct species of its own.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: From 1928 to 1958, 10,000 raccoon dogs of the "N. p. ussuriensis" subspecies were introduced in 76 districts, territories, and republics of the Soviet Union in an attempt to improve their fur quality. Primorye in the Russian Far East was the first region to be colonised, with individuals being transplanted from islands in the Sea of Japan. By 1934, raccoon dogs were introduced into Altai, the Northern Caucasus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan (then known as Kirgizia), Tatarstan, Kalinin (now Tver Oblast), Penza, and Orenburg regions. In the following year, they were further introduced into Leningradsky District (Krasnodar Krai), Murmansk, Novosibirsk, and Bashkortostan.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Raccoon dogs in Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Trans-Baikaliya, and Altai did not fare well, due to harsh winters and scarce food. Raccoon dogs also fared badly in the mountainous regions of the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Moldova. However, successful introductions occurred in the Baltic states, European Russia (particularly in then-Kalinin, now Tver Oblast; Novgorod, Pskov, and Smolensk regions), in central Russia (Moscow, Yaroslavl, Vologda, Gorkiy (now Nizhny Novgorod), Vladimir, Ryazan Oblasts, etc.) as well as in the Chernozem belt of Voronezh, Tambov, and Kursk; the lower Volga Region, and the level parts of Northern Caucasus and Dagestan. In Ukraine, the greatest numbers of raccoon dogs were established in Poltava, Kherson, and Lugansk.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: In 1948, 35 raccoon dogs were introduced into Latvia. The population increased rapidly. In 1960, Latvia officially reported a total of 4,210 raccoon dogs were hunted.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: The raccoon dog is now abundant throughout Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and has been reported as far away as Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Belarus, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Moldova.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: In response, Denmark set a goal of zero breeding for raccoon dogs by 2015. However, by 2018, it had become fully established in Jutland (the mainland of Denmark, directly connected to Germany), with further projects mainly aimed at limiting or preventing its spread on the Danish islands.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: In June 2021, a study commissioned by the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs identified the raccoon dog as one of 20 invasive species likely to spread to the British Isles.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: A virus similar to SARS-CoV was isolated from Himalayan Palm Civets ("Paguma larvata)," a raccoon dog, and humans working in a live-animal market in Guangdong, China in May 2003.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Raccoon dogs, as well as masked palm civets, were originally believed to be the natural reservoirs of severe acute respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus. However, genetic analysis has since convinced most experts that bats are the natural hosts. Raccoon dogs were most likely only transient accidental hosts.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: According to German virologist Christian Drosten, the raccoon dog is the most likely intermediate host for transmission of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-Cov-2 to humans, as raccoon dogs are bred in China in fur farming.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: The introduction of the raccoon dog to Europe is thought to have brought with it infected ticks that introduced the Asian tick-borne meningoencephalitis virus.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Captive raccoon dogs in Soviet state animal farms were recorded to carry paratyphoid, anthrax, and tuberculosis.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Raccoon dogs carry 32 different parasitic worms, including eight trematode species, 17 species of nematodes, seven cestodes, and particularly "Echinococcus".


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Ticks include "Dermacentor pictus", "Ixodes ricinus", "I. persulcatus", "I. crenulatus", and "Acarus siro".


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Six species of fleas are known to be carried by them, including "Chaetopsylla trichosa", "C. globiceps", "Paraceras melis", "Ctenocephalides felis", "C. canis" and "Pulex irritans".


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Although they can be infected with mange, it does not pose a significant threat to their populations as it does with foxes.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Raccoon dogs are harmful to game bird populations, particularly in floodplains and the shorelines of estuaries, where they feed almost exclusively on eggs and chicks during the spring period. Birds amount to 15–20% of their diets in Lithuania, 46% on the Oka River floodlands, and 48.6% in the Voronezh Reserve. They are also harmful to the muskrat trade, destroying their nests and eating their young. In Ukraine, raccoon dogs are harmful to kitchen gardens, melon cultivations, vineyards, and corn seedlings.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Raccoon dogs are typically hunted from November until the snow deepens. In the Far East, they are hunted at night using Laikas and mongrels. In the 19th century, the Goldi and Oroch people fastened bells to the collars of their raccoon dog hounds. In their introduced range, raccoon dogs are usually caught incidentally during hunts for other species. Hunting with dogs is the most efficient method in raccoon dog hunts, having success rates of 80–90%, as opposed to 8–10% with guns and 5–7% with traps. Unless they retreat in their burrows, hunted raccoon dogs can be quickly strangled by hunting dogs. Traps are usually set at their burrows, along the shores of water bodies, and around marshes and ponds.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: In Finland, 60,000–70,000 raccoon dogs were hunted in 2000, increasing to 170,000 in 2009 and 164,000 in 2010. Hunting of raccoon dogs in Hungary began in 1997, with an annual catch of one to nine animals. In Poland, 6,200 were shot in 2002–2003. Annual Swedish and Danish raccoon dog hunts usually result in the capture of two to seven individuals. Between 18,000 and 70,000 Japanese raccoon dogs were killed in Japan from the post-WWII period to 1982. Japan intensified its raccoon dog culling starting in the 1970s, averaging 4,529 kills annually between 1990 and 1998. The numbers killed have since decreased.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: When used on clothing, the fur of the raccoon dog is often called "murmansky" or "tanuki" fur. In the United States, it is marketed as "Asiatic raccoon", and in Northern Europe as "Finn raccoon". Generally, the quality of the pelt is based on the silkiness of the fur, as its physical appeal depends upon the guard hairs being erect, which is only possible in silkier furs. Small raccoon dog pelts with silky fur command higher prices than large, coarse-furred ones. Due to their long and coarse guard hairs and their woolly fur fibre, which has a tendency to felt or mat, raccoon dog pelts are used almost exclusively for fur trimmings. Japanese raccoon dog pelts, though smaller than other geographic variants, are the most valued variety, with specimens from Amur and Heilongjiang coming close behind, while Korean and southern Chinese are the least valued. When raised in captivity, raccoon dogs can produce 100 g of wool of slightly lesser quality than that of goats.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: In the Japanese islands, the natives employed raccoon dog skin to make bellows, to decorate their drums, and for winter headgear. Russian trade in raccoon dogs was quite developed in the Primorye and Ussuri areas in the 1880s. The world trade of raccoon dog pelts during 1907–1910 amounted to 260,000–300,000, of which an estimated 20,000 (5–8%) came from Russia, though more recent figures estimate a lesser number of 5,000–6,000; 12,000 raccoon dogs were caught in the 1930s. In their introduced range, licensed trade of raccoon dogs began in 1948–1950, with restrictions being removed in 1953–1955.After the trade began, the number of catches increased sharply; from 1953–1961, it fluctuated between 30,000 and 70,000. In the latter year, about 10,000 were taken from their natural range in the Far East, while 56,000 were taken in their introduced range. Of the 56,000, 6,500 came from Belarus, 5,000 in Ukraine, 4,000 each for Latvia, Lithuania, and Krasnodar, 3,700 in Kalinin, 2,700 in Pskov, and 2,300 in Astrakhan, while 1,000–2,000 pelts each were produced in Vologod, Moscow, Leningrad, Novogrod, Smolensk, Yaroslavl, Azerbaijan, Estonia, and Dagestan. Fewer than 1,000 pelts were produced in all remaining republics and districts. Successful raccoon dog introductions in Kalinin resulted in animals with denser and softer fur: The length of guard and top hairs increased by 7.96%, that of the underfur increased by 5.3%. The thickness of the guard and top hairs decreased by 3.41%. The density of the fur increased by 11.3%. They also became darker in colour, with black-brown pelts occurring in 8% of specimens, as opposed to 3% in their homeland.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: Captive breeding of raccoon dogs was initiated in 1928 in the Far East, with 15 state farms keeping them in 1934. Raccoon dogs were the principal furbearers farmed during the early years of collective farms, particularly in Ukraine. By the 1940s, this practice lessened in popularity, as the raccoon dogs required almost the same types of food as silver foxes, which were more valuable. An investigation by three animal protection groups into the Chinese fur trade in 2004 and part of 2005 asserts approximately 1.5 million raccoon dogs are raised for fur in China. The raccoon dog comprises 11% of all animals hunted in Japan. Twenty percent of domestically produced fur in Russia is from the raccoon dog.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: In several widely publicized incidents, clothing advertised and sold as having synthetic "faux" fur, were documented as actually containing real fur from raccoon dogs.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: On 22 December 2006, MSNBC reported Macy's had pulled from its shelves and its website two styles of Sean John hooded jackets, originally advertised as featuring "faux" fur, after an investigation concluded garments were actually made from raccoon dog.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: On 24 April 2008, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) filed a false-advertising complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission alleging at least 20 retailers in the U.S. had been mislabeling raccoon dog fur. They assert 70% of fur garments they tested were raccoon dog, but were mislabeled as "faux" fur, coyote, rabbit, or other animals. In December 2009, Lord & Taylor announced new regulations banning the sale of raccoon dog fur in its stores.


title: Common raccoon dog

text: On 19 March 2013, three U.S. retailers settled lawsuits with the U.S. government following an investigation that confirmed they had been selling raccoon dog fur, but labeling it as fake (‘faux’) fur. Neiman Marcus, DrJays.com, and Eminent (Revolve Clothing) reached settlements with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that do not incur financial penalties unless they mislabel the fur again.


title: Gong Li

text: Gong Li (Chinese: 巩俐; born 31 December 1965) is a Chinese actress. She starred in three of the four Chinese-language films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.


title: Gong Li

text: Gong was born in Shenyang, Liaoning, and grew up in Jinan, Shandong. She enrolled at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, from where she graduated in 1989. While a student at the Academy, she was spotted by director Zhang Yimou and debuted in Zhang's "Red Sorghum" in 1987. Gong and Zhang's professional and personal relationship received much media attention in the Chinese-speaking world, as they continued to collaborate on a string of critically acclaimed movies, including the Oscar-nominated features "Ju Dou" (1990) and "Raise the Red Lantern" (1991). For her role in the Zhang-directed "The Story of Qiu Ju" (1992), Gong won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival.


title: Gong Li

text: Gong also starred in the Chen Kaige-directed Oscar-nominated "Farewell My Concubine" (1993), for which she won Best Supporting Actress at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. In English-language films, she won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress for her Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), directed by Rob Marshall. Other notable appearances include "Flirting Scholar" (1993), "To Live" (1994), "Chinese Box" (1997), "The Emperor and the Assassin" (1998), "Breaking the Silence" (2000), "Zhou Yu's Train" (2003), "2046" (2004), "Miami Vice" (2006), "Curse of the Golden Flower" (2006), and "Coming Home" (2014).