title: Ishmael

text: According to other Jewish commentators, Ishmael's mother Hagar is identified with Keturah, the woman Abraham sought out and married after Sarah's death. It is suggested that Keturah was Hagar's personal name, and that "Hagar" was a descriptive label meaning "stranger". This interpretation is discussed in the Midrash and is supported by Rashi, Gur Aryeh, Keli Yakar, and Obadiah of Bertinoro. Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Itzhaki) argues that "Keturah" was a name given to Hagar because her deeds were as beautiful as incense (Hebrew, "ketoret"), and that she remained chaste (literally "tied her opening", with the verb "tied" in Aramaic being "k-t-r") from the time she was separated from Abraham.


title: Ishmael

text: It is also said that Sarah was motivated by Ishmael's sexually frivolous ways because of the reference to his "making merry" (Gen. 21:9), a translation of the Hebrew word "Mitzachek". This was developed into a reference to idolatry, sexual immorality or even murder; some rabbinic sources claim that Sarah worried that Ishmael would negatively influence Isaac, or that he would demand Isaac's inheritance on the grounds of being the firstborn. Regarding the word "Mitzachek" (again in Gen. 21:9) The Jewish Study Bible by Oxford University Press says this word in this particular context is associated with "Playing is another pun on Isaac's name (cf. 17.17; 18.12; 19.14; 26.8). Ishmael was 'Isaacing', or 'taking Isaac's place'." Others take a more positive view, emphasizing Hagar's piety, noting that she was "the one who had sat by the well and besought him who is the life of the worlds, saying 'look upon my misery'".


title: Ishmael

text: In the book of Galatians (4:21–31), Paul uses the incident to symbolize the two covenants the old but fulfilled and new covenant which is universal by promise through Jesus Christ. In Galatians 4:28–31, Hagar is associated with the Sinai covenant, while Sarah is associated with the covenant of grace into which her son Isaac enters.


title: Ishmael

text: Some Christians believe that God fulfills his promises to Ishmael today by blessing the Ishmaelites with oil and political strength.


title: Ishmael

text: Ishmael (Arabic:إسماعيل "Ismāʿīl") is recognized as an important prophet and patriarch of Islam. Like Christians and Jews, Muslims believe that Ishmael was the firstborn of Abraham, born to him from his wife Hagar. Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of several northern prominent Arab tribes and the forefather of Adnan, the ancestor of Muhammad. Muslims also believe that Muhammad was the descendant of Ishmael who would establish a great nation.


title: Ishmael

text: Ishmael is mentioned over ten times in the Quran, often alongside other patriarchs and prophets of ancient times. He is mentioned together with Elisha and Dhul-Kifl as one of "the patiently enduring and righteous, whom God caused to enter into his mercy." It is also said of Lot, Elisha, Jonah and Ishmael, that God gave each one "preference above the worlds". These references to Ishmael are, in each case, part of a larger context in which other holy prophets are mentioned. In other chapters of the Quran, however, which date from the Medina period, Ishmael is mentioned closely with his father Abraham: Ishmael stands alongside Abraham in their attempt to set up the Kaaba in Mecca as a place of monotheistic pilgrimage and Abraham thanks God for granting him Ishmael and Isaac in his old age. Ishmael is further mentioned alongside the patriarchs who had been given revelations and Jacob's sons promised to follow the faith of their forefathers, "Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac", when testifying their faith. In the Quranic narrative of the near-sacrifice of Abraham's son, the son is not named and, although the general interpretation is that it was Ishmael, Tabari maintained that it was Isaac, consistent with the Hebrew scriptures. Most modern commentators, however, regard the son's identification as least important in a narrative given for its moral lesson.


title: Ishmael

text: The commentaries on the Quran and the numerous collections of "Stories of the Prophets" flesh out the Islamic perspective of Ishmael and detail what they describe as his integral part in setting up the Kaaba. According to Muslim tradition, Ishmael was buried at the Hijr near the Kaaba, inside the Sacred Mosque.


title: Ishmael

text: In Islamic belief, Abraham prayed to God for a son and God heard his prayer. Muslim exegesis states that Sarah asked Abraham to marry her Egyptian handmaiden Hagar because she herself was barren. Hagar soon bore Ishmael, who was the first son of Abraham. God then instructed Abraham to take Hagar and Ishmael to the desert and leave them there. He did so, taking them to the location of the Kaaba's foundations (which now was in ruins) and as he turned away from Hagar and started to walk away she called out to him and asked "Why are you leaving us here?", to which Abraham didn't reply the first two times she asked. She then changed her question and asked "Did God command you to do this?" to which Abraham stopped, turned around, looked back and replied "Yes." She responded, "Then God will provide for us." Abraham then continued on his journey back to Sarah. In the desert, the baby Ishmael cried with thirst. His mother placed him in the shade under a bush and went on a frantic search for water, which resulted in her running seven times between the Safa and Marwah hills trying to find a source of water or a passing caravan she could trade with for water. Hagar, not finding any sources of water and fearing the death of her baby, sat down and cried asking for God's help. God sent angel Gabriel to her informing her to lift up her baby and when she did, she noticed that his feet had scratched the ground allowing a spring of water to bubble up to the surface. Hagar quickly shifted the ground to form a well around the spring to contain the water, forming the Zamzam well. Hagar refilled the bottle with water and gave her baby a drink. This spring became known to caravans that traveled through Arabia and Hagar negotiated deals with them for supplies in exchange for the water. From her actions, the city of Mecca (originally Becca or Baca in Hebrew) grew, and attracted settlers who stayed and provided protection for her and Ishmael as well as being sources of various goods brought in and exchanged with visiting caravans. To commemorate the blessing of the Zamzam well God gave to Hagar and Ishmael, Muslims run between the Safa and Marwah hills retracing Hagar's steps during the rites of Hajj.


title: Ishmael

text: Abraham returned and visited Ishmael at various times throughout his life. At one time, according to a tradition of Muhammad, Abraham had arrived when his son was out and Abraham visited with Ishmael's wife. Abraham decided to leave before seeing his son, but based upon the complaints Ishmael's wife made in response to his questions, he gave her a message to give to her husband when he returned home, which was "change his threshold." When Ishmael arrived that night, he asked if they had had any visitors, and was informed by his wife of the man who had visited and what he said. Ishmael understood his father and explained to his wife that the visitor was his father and he had been instructed to divorce his wife and find a better one, which Ishmael did. Some time after this, Abraham returned to visit Ishmael and again Ishmael was out. Abraham talked with Ishmael's new wife and found her answers indicated faith in God and contentment with her husband. Abraham again had to leave before he saw his son, but left him the message to "keep his threshold." When Ishmael returned that night, he again asked if there had been any visitors and was informed of Abraham's visit. Ishmael told his wife who it was that had come to visit and that he approved of her and their marriage.


title: Ishmael

text: On one of his visits to Mecca, Abraham is said to have asked his son to help him build the requested Kaaba. Islamic traditions hold that the Kaaba was first built by Adam and that Abraham and Ishmael rebuilt the Kaaba on the old foundations. As Ishmael grew up in Arabia, he is said to have become fluent in Arabic. In the genealogical trees that the early scholars drew, Ishmael was considered the ancestor of the Northern Arabs and Muhammad was linked to him through the lineage of the patriarch Adnan.


title: Ishmael

text: The scriptures of the Baháʼí Faith state that it was Ishmael, and not Isaac, who was the son Abraham almost sacrificed. But they also state that the name is unimportant as either could be used: the importance is that both were symbols of sacrifice. According to Shoghi Effendi, there has also been another Ishmael, a prophet of Israel, commonly known as Samuel.


title: Khat

text: Khat or qat ( "ch’at"; Oromo: "Jimaa", , khaad, khat or chat, "al-qāt") is a flowering plant native to eastern and southern Africa. Khat contains the alkaloid cathinone, a stimulant, which is said to cause excitement, loss of appetite, and euphoria. Among communities from the areas where the plant is native, khat chewing has a history as a social custom dating back thousands of years analogous to the use of coca leaves in South America and betel nut in Asia.


title: Khat

text: The World Health Organization (WHO) classified it in 1980 as a drug of abuse that can produce psychological dependence, although the WHO does not consider khat addiction to be a serious problem.


title: Khat

text: The legality of khat varies by region. In many countries, khat might not be a specifically controlled substance but may nevertheless be illegal under more general laws. It is a specifically controlled substance in some countries including Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. By contrast, the production, sale, and consumption are legal in the nations where its use is traditional of those cultures, including Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. In Israel, which hosts a population of Yemenite Jews, only the consumption of the plant's leaves in its natural state is permitted.


title: Khat

text: The genus name "Catha" is a Latinization of the Arabic name "قات", which is regularly romanized as "qāt". Other romanizations include "kat", "quatt", "qaad", "qhat", "ghat", and "chat".


title: Khat

text: The khat plant is known by a variety of names, such as "qat" and "gat" in Yemen, "qaat" and "jaad" in Somalia, and "chat" in Ethiopia. It is also known as "jimaa" in the Oromo language, "mayirungi" in Luganda, and as "miraa" in Kenya. In the African Great Lakes region, where "Catha edulis" is in some areas cultivated, it is known as "miraa", "muhulo" and "muirungi".


title: Khat

text: It also goes by various descriptive names, such as "Abyssinian tea", "Somalian tea", "miraa", "Arabian tea", "jimaa", and "kafta" in its endemic regions of the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula. In South Africa, the plant is known as "bushman's tea". The plant is also known as "chat tree" and "flower of paradise".


title: Khat

text: Khat is a slow-growing shrub or tree that typically attains a height of . However, it can reach heights of up to in equatorial areas. The plant usually grows in arid environments, at a temperature range of . It has evergreen leaves, which are long and broad.


title: Khat

text: It takes seven to eight years for the khat plant to reach its full height. Other than access to sun and water, khat requires little maintenance. Ground water is often pumped from deep wells by diesel engines to irrigate the crops, or brought in by water trucks. The plants are watered heavily starting around a month before they are harvested to make the leaves and stems soft and moist. A good khat plant can be harvested four times a year, providing a year-long source of income for the farmer.


title: Khat

text: The shrub's flowers are produced on short axillary cymes that are in length. Each flower is small, with five white petals.


title: Khat

text: Khat has been grown for use as a stimulant for centuries in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula. There, chewing khat predates the use of coffee and is used in a similar social context. Its fresh leaves and tops are chewed or, less frequently, dried and consumed as tea, to achieve a state of euphoria and stimulation. The leaves or the soft part of the stem can be chewed with either chewing gum or fried peanuts to make it easier to chew.


title: Khat

text: In Uganda, it is grown in the central region, especially in Kasenge (Wakiso), Butambala District, Mabira Forest, and in some parts of the western region of the country. In Kenya, it is grown in Meru County.


title: Khat

text: Although the practice of khat-chewing is still primarily restricted to its original area of cultivation in the Red Sea area, the khat plant has over the years found its way to southern Africa as well as tropical areas, where it grows on rocky outcrops and in woodlands. The shrub is today scattered in the KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa, in addition to Eswatini and Mozambique. In recent years, however, improved roads, off-road motor vehicles, and air transportation have increased the global distribution of this perishable commodity, and as a result, the plant has been reported in England, Wales, Rome, Amsterdam, Canada, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. In the US, freshly packed khat leaves are sold on the markets of New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Dallas, where the demand is highest.


title: Khat

text: Traditionally, khat is used as a socialising drug as in Yemen where khat-chewing is predominantly a male habit. Khat is so popular in Yemen that its cultivation consumes much of the country's agricultural resources. An estimated 40% of Yemen's water supply goes towards irrigating it, with production increasing by about 10% to 15% every year. One "daily bag" of khat requires an estimated of water to produce. Water consumption is high and groundwater levels in the Sana'a basin are diminishing, so government officials have proposed relocating large portions of the population of Sana'a to the coast of the Red Sea.


title: Khat

text: One reason for the widespread cultivation of khat in Yemen is the high income that it provides for farmers. Some studies done in 2001 estimated that the income from cultivating khat was about 2.5 million Yemeni rials per hectare, while fruits brought only 0.57 million rials per hectare. Between 1970 and 2000, the area on which khat was cultivated was estimated to have grown from 8,000 to 103,000 hectares. In 2000, according to a World Bank estimate, khat accounted for 30% of Yemen's economy.


title: Khat

text: In countries outside the core area of growth and consumption, khat is sometimes chewed at parties or social functions. It may also be used by farmers and labourers for reducing physical fatigue or hunger, and by drivers and students for improving attention.


title: Khat

text: More recently, in 2019, reports indicate that child soldiers in Yemen have been chewing khat in order to remain alert on the battlefield.


title: Khat

text: Khat consumption induces mild euphoria and excitement, similar to that conferred by strong coffee. Individuals become very talkative under the influence of the plant. Animal testing has shown that khat causes an increase in motoric activity. The effects of oral administration of cathinone occur more rapidly than the effects of amphetamine pills; roughly 15 minutes as compared to 30 minutes in amphetamine. Khat can induce manic behaviours and hyperactivity, similar in effects to those produced by amphetamine.


title: Khat

text: The use of khat results in constipation. Dilated pupils (mydriasis) are prominent during khat consumption, reflecting the sympathomimetic effects of the drug, which are also reflected in increased heart rate and blood pressure. Long-term use can precipitate permanent tooth darkening (of a greenish tinge), susceptibility to ulcers, and diminished sex drive. Khat is an effective anorectic, causing loss of appetite.


title: Khat

text: It is unclear if the consumption of khat directly affects the mental health of the user or not. Occasionally, a psychotic episode can result, resembling a hypomanic state in presentation. In humans, its prolonged consumption creates an uplifted mood and a sense of release from time and space.


title: Khat

text: The stimulant effect of the plant was originally attributed to "katin", cathine, a phenethylamine-type substance isolated from the plant. However, the attribution was disputed by reports showing the plant extracts from fresh leaves contained another substance more behaviourally active than cathine. In 1975, the related alkaloid cathinone was isolated, and its absolute configuration, (S)-2-Amino-1-phenylpropan-1-one, was established in 1978. Cathinone is not very stable and breaks down to produce cathine and norephedrine. These chemicals belong to the PPA (phenylpropanolamine) family, a subset of the phenethylamines related to amphetamines and the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine. In fact, cathinone and cathine have a very similar molecular structure to amphetamine. Khat is sometimes confused with methcathinone (also known as "cat"), a Schedule I substance that possesses a similar chemical structure to the khat plant's cathinone active component. However, both the side effects and the addictive properties of methcathinone are much stronger than those associated with khat use.


title: Khat

text: When khat leaves dry, the more potent chemical, cathinone, decomposes within 48 hours, leaving behind the milder chemical, cathine. Thus, harvesters transport khat by packaging the fresh leaves and stems in plastic bags or wrapping them in banana leaves to preserve their moisture and keep the cathinone potent. It is also common for them to sprinkle the plant with water frequently or use refrigeration during transportation.


title: Khat

text: When the khat leaves are chewed, cathine and cathinone are released and absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth as well as the lining of the stomach. The action of cathine and cathinone on the reuptake of epinephrine and norepinephrine has been demonstrated in lab animals, showing that one or both of these chemicals cause(s) the body to recycle these neurotransmitters more slowly, resulting in the wakefulness and insomnia associated with khat use.


title: Khat

text: Receptors for serotonin show a high affinity for cathinone, suggesting this chemical is responsible for feelings of euphoria associated with chewing khat. In mice, cathinone produces the same types of nervous pacing or repetitive scratching behaviours associated with amphetamines. The effects of cathinone peak after 15 to 30 minutes, with nearly 98% of the substance metabolised into norephedrine by the liver.


title: Khat

text: Cathine is somewhat less understood, being believed to act upon the adrenergic receptors causing the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine. It has a half-life of about three hours in humans. The medication bromocriptine can reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms within 24 hours.


title: Khat

text: An estimated 5 to 10 million people globally use khat on a daily basis. It is grown principally by communities in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula, where khat-chewing has a long history as a social custom dating back thousands of years.


title: Khat

text: The traditional form of khat chewing in Yemen involves only male users; khat chewing by females is less formal and less frequent. Researchers estimate about 70–80% of Yemenis between 16 and 50 years old chew khat, at least on occasion. Approximately 60–90% of male and 35% of female Yemenis chew khat daily. Before Yemeni unification in 1990, khat chewing was largely confined to the north-west mountains of the country, where khat grows. Yemenis spend an estimated 14.6 million man-hours per day chewing khat. Researchers have also estimated that families spend about 17% of their income on khat.


title: Khat

text: According to some sources, khat was first grown in Kenya, with the explorer Sir Richard Burton suggesting the plant was later introduced to Yemen from Ethiopia in the 15th century. He specifically mentions the eastern city of Harar as the birthplace of the plant.


title: Khat

text: However, amongst communities in the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia) and the Arabian Peninsula, khat-chewing has a long history as a social custom dating back thousands of years.


title: Khat

text: Ancient Egyptian imperial cults considered the khat plant a sacred substance, which was capable of realizing a user's divinity. These early Egyptians consumed the plant ceremoniously in attempts to transcend into "apotheosis" and or garner and manifest mystical experiences, systemic trances, and other metaphysical experiences rather than habitual recreational use or abuse. Sufis also used it to intensify their mystical experience and to facilitate a sense of union with God.


title: Khat

text: The earliest known documented description of khat is found in the "Kitab al-Saidala fi al-Tibb" , an 11th-century work on pharmacy and materia medica written by Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī, a Persian scientist and biologist. Unaware of its origins, al-Bīrūnī wrote that khat is:


title: Khat

text: In 1854, Malay author Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir noted that the custom of chewing khat was prevalent in Al Hudaydah in Yemen:


title: Khat

text: In 1856, English writer Charles Dickens also described the custom of khat chewing in the Horn region and the adjacent Gulf territories, likening it to drinking strong green tea:


title: Khat

text: Nowadays khat consumption is limited to East Africa and South Western Arabia. These countries include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia (includes Somaliland), Uganda, and Yemen. The author Yousif Al Zarouni writes in his book:


title: Khat

text: Following a ban on khat in the British-governed Aden Protectorate, the Qāt Commission of Inquiry in Aden concluded: "Qāt does not create an addiction, like opium or hashish, in that those who are suddenly deprived of it, do not suffer physical consequences."


title: Khat

text: In 1965, the World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Dependence-producing Drugs' "Fourteenth Report" noted, "The Committee was pleased to note the resolution of the Economic and Social Council with respect to khat, confirming the view that the abuse of this substance is a regional problem and may best be controlled at that level." For this reason, khat was not scheduled under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. In 1980, the WHO classified the plant as a drug of abuse that can produce mild to moderate psychological dependence (less than tobacco or alcohol), although the WHO does not consider khat to be seriously addictive. It is a controlled or illegal substance in some countries, but is legal for sale and production in others.


title: Khat

text: Khat is legal in Kenya. However, two of its active components, cathinone and cathine, are classed as Class C substances.


title: Khat

text: Khat is regarded as a dangerous drug in Hong Kong. Traffickers can face a penalty up to HK$5 million as well as life imprisonment.


title: Khat

text: Khat, called "Gat" in Israel, is consumed mainly by Yemenite Jews. The activity of chewing its leaves is called "lehazen" (). The process of chewing the Gat can take up to several hours. Some chew the Gat in a gathering which is called "tahazina" (). The Gat is grown traditionally in private gardens, but it may be found in some markets.


title: Khat

text: Gat is legal in Israel as long as it is consumed in its natural form, but the distillation of its components is illegal. Some use the plant as a hedge since it is an evergreen.


title: Khat

text: In 2003, Hagigat, a pill based on extracted cathinone, began to be sold in kiosks in Israel. Following several cases of hospitalisation, the Israeli Ministry of Health classified cathinone as a dangerous drug, and "Hagigat" was outlawed. The plant itself is allowed to be chewed and sold in its natural state, as no harm was found in normal quantities.


title: Khat

text: As of June 2012, the Israeli anti-drug authority announced that beverages containing Khat are considered illegal as per the dangerous drug ordinance of the state of Israel.


title: Khat

text: Khat is illegal in the United Arab Emirates under federal law number 14 of 1995 on the Countermeasures against Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Schedule No. 4, Part 2(5), provides for the prohibition of the cultivation and possession of khat. The possession and selling of khat may lead to life imprisonment.


title: Khat

text: Khat is legal in Yemen. However, cultivation of the crop and the selling of its leaves are governed by a series of regulations. In 2007, the Yemeni government passed a law that restricted the cultivation of khat in a number of agricultural flatlands and basins with high water stress. The Law Concerning the General Sales Tax in 2005 also set the tax rate on khat at 20% of its retail price.


title: Khat

text: The widespread cultivation of khat in Yemen has exacerbated a severe water shortage. Khat is much more water-intensive to grow than other crops. It has also played a major role in a famine in the country.


title: Khat

text: Khat has been illegal in Denmark since 1993. In 2009, the Danish Health Authority investigated khat use among Somalis in Denmark. A questionnaire with 848 respondents was used. The responses indicated that 48% of Somali males and 16% of females used the narcotic on a monthly basis and that 29% of males and 6% of females used it two times or more a week. Half the respondents had never used khat. The responses indicated that Somalis constituted the great majority of users in Denmark.


title: Khat

text: The report also investigated attitudes towards khat use among Somalis in Denmark. In total, two out of three respondents stated that khat is a problem for social integration into Danish society, while one in three users stated the same. Responses indicated that two out of three considered khat to be part of Somali culture, although two in three also stated that they agree that khat should be banned in Denmark.


title: Khat

text: Khat is classified as an illegal drug in Finland, and possession, use and sale of the substance is prohibited and punishable. As with all illegal drugs, operating a motor vehicle with detectable levels of Khat or its metabolites in one's system can also lead to a conviction for driving under the influence, even if the driver does not appear intoxicated.


title: Khat

text: In Germany, cathinone is listed as a "non-trafficable substance", which makes the possession, sale and purchase of fresh khat illegal. The derivative cathine, with "norpseudoephedrin" listed as an alternate name, is only available on prescription.


title: Khat

text: In 2017, 5815 kg of khat was discovered by customs officials in Frankfurt. In June 2018, 324 kg of khat was discovered in packages from East Africa.


title: Khat

text: In August 2010 the Icelandic police intercepted khat smuggling for the first time. 37 kg were confiscated. The drugs were most likely intended for sale in Canada. Again in May 2011 the police intercepted around 60 kg.


title: Khat

text: Khat is a controlled drug for the purpose of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 and Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1988. As such its unauthorised possession and supply is prohibited.


title: Khat

text: Khat is inserted in the Table I of the Italian official list of psychoactive drugs under the name "Catha edulis pianta" (English: "Catha edulis plant") and thus possession is forbidden.


title: Khat

text: In the Netherlands, the active ingredients of khat, cathine and cathinone, are qualified as hard drugs and forbidden. Use is mostly limited to the Somali community. In 2008 health minister Ab Klink decided against qualifying the unprocessed plant as drugs after consultation with experts. However, on 9 January 2012 the Dutch government announced a ban on khat.


title: Khat

text: In Norway, khat is classified as a narcotic drug and is illegal to use, sell and possess. Most users are Somali immigrants and khat is smuggled from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.


title: Khat

text: The drug was prohibited in Sweden in 1989, without research. In 2007, it was estimated that 30% of Somali males in Sweden were using khat. Smuggling seizures by police amounted to about 9 tonnes annually.


title: Khat

text: Khat was made illegal in the UK on 24 June 2014. Concerns had been expressed by commentators, health professionals and community members about the use of khat in the UK, particularly by immigrants from Somalia, Yemen and Ethiopia. Studies of the effects of khat use by immigrants on their mental health suggested that there was a need for better research on khat-chewing and its possible link with psychiatric disorders; it also suggested that public discourse on the issue displayed elements of a moral panic. Some Somali community organisations also campaigned for khat to be banned. As a result of these concerns, the Home Office commissioned successive research studies to look into the matter, and in 2005, presented the question of khat's legal status before the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. The study concluded that most of the participants who were using khat were using it moderately in terms of both the quantity used and the frequency and duration of chewing sessions, and that khat use was typically a social activity. Only a small minority of the study participants' khat use was judged to be excessive. After a careful review of the evidence, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommended in January 2006 that the status of khat as a legal substance should remain for the time being.


title: Khat

text: In 2008, Conservative politician Sayeeda Warsi stated that a future Conservative government would ban khat. The website of the Conservative Party, which in 2010 became the larger party in a UK coalition government, previously stated that a Conservative government would "Tackle unacceptable cultural practices by", amongst other measures, "classifying Khat". In 2009, the Home Office commissioned two new studies in the effects of khat use and in June 2010, a Home Office spokesperson stated: "The Government is committed to addressing any form of substance misuse and will keep the issue of khat use under close scrutiny".


title: Khat

text: During a parliamentary debate on the legality issue on 11 January 2012, Mark Lancaster, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes, stated that the importation of Khat into the UK stands at 10 tonnes every week.


title: Khat

text: On 23 January 2013, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) said there was "insufficient evidence" that khat caused health problems. The ACMD said there was "no evidence" khat was directly linked with serious or organised crime, and was chewed to obtain a "mild stimulant effect much less potent than stimulant drugs, such as amphetamine".


title: Khat

text: On 3 July 2013, the British Home Secretary Theresa May announced that khat was to be banned in Britain, designating it a Class C substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.


title: Khat

text: Alex Miller, a journalist from the Montreal, Canada-based magazine and television channel Vice, looked into the use of the substance and the potential impact of the ban for BBC nightly current affairs programme Newsnight and for a Vice documentary.


title: Khat

text: In March 2014, the United Kingdom House of Commons' Home Affairs Select Committee announced that it would continue to lobby for the UK government not to go through with its intended ban on khat. The committee had shortly before also completed an inquiry and a report recommending that the British authorities refrain from banning the plant.


title: Khat

text: On 12 May 2014, the House of Lords passed a Motion to Approve the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Designation)(Amendment) (No. 2)(England, Wales and Scotland) Order 2014, in order to control "Catha edulis" as a Class C drug. An amendment was proposed stating that, "this House regrets that Her Majesty’s Government’s plans for the introduction of the Order do not include provisions for a 12-month review of the impact of the reclassification of khat in view of the highly unusual community focus of its use, for putting a detailed policing strategy in place before a ban takes effect, or for a health strategy to prevent a transfer of addiction to other substances; and do not commit the Department for International Development to do more work with the government of Kenya to alleviate the effect of the reclassification on the Kenyan economy." However, the amendment was defeated by vote. The prohibition came into effect on 24 June 2014.


title: Khat

text: In January 2015, the "Bristol Post" reported that most khat houses in the city had closed down, "forcing users to take the drug in their homes instead". The local police had initially not sought to enforce the ban, giving users a grace period, but according to the "Bristol Post" had recently started to take action against khat use and had issued three warnings and a caution. Additionally, in September 2014 the police had seized 24 bags of dried khat from a property in Easton, but no arrests were made. Additionally, the Somali Resource Centre indicated that the ban seemed to have been effective, and that the prohibition had all but destroyed the import market since the plant has to be fresh in order to be consumed. A consultation with Somalis in Glasgow undertaken by the national voluntary organisation Fast Forward at the request of the Somali Association in Glasgow in October 2014 suggested that khat continues to be used in both fresh and dried forms by some Somalis in the city, and that the ban has also led some users to seek out other substances. The ban has reportedly served to increase the price of khat in the UK. Channel 4 News reported in September 2014 that before the ban, 20 tonnes of khat arrived at Heathrow Airport daily, and it would sell for £3 per bundle. After the ban, it was reportedly selling at £30 per bundle.


title: Khat

text: In Canada, khat is a controlled substance under Schedule IV of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA), meaning it is illegal to seek or obtain unless approved by a medical practitioner. Possession of khat for personal use is not an arraignable offence in Canada. The maximum punishment for trafficking or possession with the intent of trafficking is ten years in prison.


title: Khat

text: In 2008, Canadian authorities reported that khat is the most common illegal drug being smuggled at airports.


title: Khat

text: However, in 2012 the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a 2011 absolute discharge of a young woman who brought 34 kilograms of khat into Canada in 2009. According to the defence, the ruling recognises that there is no empirical evidence that khat is harmful. The courts in Quebec and Ontario continued to discharge the accused for bringing khat into Canada for the same reason (no evidence of harmfulness of khat) in 2014 and 2016.


title: Khat

text: In the United States, cathinone is a Schedule I drug, according to the US Controlled Substance Act. The 1993 DEA rule placing cathinone in Schedule I noted that it was effectively also banning khat:


title: Khat

text: "Catha edulis" (khat) is a stimulant similar to that of amphetamine and its congeners, not a drug as categorised by US FDA (United States Food & Drug Administration) and FDA import Alert #66-23 (published date 03/18/2011) states that "Districts may detain, without physical examination, all entries of khat", based on section 801(a) (3) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act on the grounds that "its labeling fails to bear adequate directions for use."


title: Khat

text: As federal and local khat raids have often targeted immigrants from countries where khat is legal, issues of cultural misunderstanding have sometimes been raised.


title: Khat

text: In Australia, the importation of khat is controlled under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956. It is illegal to import khat into Australia for personal use. Khat can be imported only for medical or scientific use.


title: Khat

text: Importing khat without a permit is subject to fines or prosecution. In 2003, the total number of khat annual permits was 294 and the total number of individual khat permits was 202 however as of 1 December 2013, permits for the use of khat by individuals for recreational/cultural purposes are no longer issued. There are currently no plans by the Australian Government to amend the regulations to allow the importation of khat for personal use.


title: Khat

text: Khat is listed as a Schedule 2 dangerous drug in Queensland, in the same category as cannabis. Legality in New South Wales is not clear.


title: Khat

text: The importation of Khat ("Catha edulis") material (includes material that is fresh, dried, powdered, capsules or tablets) is prohibited under the Customs (Prohibited Import) Regulations 1956 unless the person importing the material is the holder of both a license to import and a permit to import granted by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).


title: Khat

text: In South America, there is no legislation regarding khat; the active ingredients in the plant can be found in several weight control compounds sold in the continent.


title: Khat

text: In 2009, the University of Minnesota launched the Khat Research Program (KRP), a multidisciplinary research and training program focusing on the neurobehavioral and health effects of khat, led by Prof. Dr. Mustafa al'Absi. The program was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute for Drug Abuse of the United States. The inaugural event for the KRP was held in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, in December, 2009 in collaboration with the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) and its local affiliates.


title: Dina Meyer

text: Dina Meyer (born December 22, 1968) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in a recurring role on the Fox teen drama series "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1993–94), before landing a leading role opposite Keanu Reeves in the 1995 film "Johnny Mnemonic".


title: Dina Meyer

text: Meyer has acted in a number of roles in films "Dragonheart" (1996), "Starship Troopers" (1997), "Bats" (1999), "D-Tox" (2002), and "" (2002). She played Detective Allison Kerry in the "Saw" film franchise. On television, Meyer starred as Barbara Gordon/Oracle/Batgirl in the short-lived series "Birds of Prey" (2002–03) and was regular on "Secret Agent Man" (2000) and "Point Pleasant" (2005).


title: Dina Meyer

text: Meyer was born in Queens, New York. In 1991, she graduated from Long Island University in Brookville, New York with a bachelor of business administration degree. She trained in acting for three years at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York.


title: Dina Meyer

text: Meyer moved to Los Angeles in 1993 to appear in the Fox teen drama series "Beverly Hills, 90210" in the recurring role of Lucinda Nicholson. Shortly afterwards, she was cast as the female lead in the action film "Johnny Mnemonic" opposite Keanu Reeves. The following year, she appeared in the fantasy film "Dragonheart" directed by Rob Cohen. In early 1997, Meyer had a recurring role as Kate Miller in the NBC sitcom "Friends". Later that year, she went to appear alongside Casper Van Dien in the science fiction film "Starship Troopers" directed by Paul Verhoeven. The film underperformed at box-office. The following year, she starred alongside James Caan in the neo-noir film "Poodle Springs", which was released on HBO. In 1999, she starred in the horror film "Bats", the film was a moderate box office success. In 2002, she appeared opposite Sylvester Stallone in the thriller film "D-Tox". Also in 2002, Meyer appeared as Romulan Commander Donatra in the science-fiction film "".


title: Dina Meyer

text: In 2000, Meyer starred in the UPN spy drama series "Secret Agent Man", which was canceled after one season. From 2002 to 2003, she starred as Barbara Gordon/Oracle/Batgirl in the short-lived The WB superhero series "Birds of Prey". She reprised this role in 2019, on the CW series "The Flash" during "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover. In 2003, she had a recurring role in the Fox comedy-drama "Miss Match", and in 2005 was regular cast member in the Fox primetime soap opera, "Point Pleasant". Meyer also played the leading roles in the Lifetime television movies "Deception" (2004), "Crimes of Passion" (2005), "His and Her Christmas" (2005), "The Boy Next Door" (2008), and "Web of Desire" (2009).


title: Dina Meyer

text: In 2004, Meyer played Detective Allison Kerry in the horror film "Saw". She reprised her role in "Saw II" (2005), "Saw III" (2006), and "Saw IV" (2007). She later starred in a number of straight-to-video horror films, include "Crazy Eights" (2006) and "" (2007). She appeared in the 2010 horror-comedy film "Piranha 3D" and 2017 horror film "The Evil Within". In 2013, Meyer appeared in the Western film "Dead in Tombstone" opposite Mickey Rourke. Meyer also played the leading roles in two more Lifetime Movie Network films, "Lethal Seduction" (2015), as a sexy, psychotic woman determined to get her man, and "Flight 192" (2016), playing an FBI agent who is caught in a dilemma when she learns shortly after boarding a flight to Washington, DC, that her husband and son have been taken hostage.


title: Dina Meyer

text: Meyer has made several guest appearances on television series, including "Ally McBeal", "Six Feet Under", "Nip/Tuck", "The Mentalist", "Castle", "NCIS", "", and "American Horror Story". She had a recurring roles ABC comedy-drama "Scoundrels" in 2010, and on The CW teen drama "90210" from 2011 to 2012. In 2014, she starred opposite Patrick Warburton and Jesse Bradford in the Crackle series "Sequestered". In 2018, she had a recurring roles on SyFy fantasy series "The Magicians," as in the fourth season of Showtime's critically acclaimed drama, "The Affair". In 2019, she began appearing in a recurring role in the CW sports drama "All American" as Gwen Adams, Asher's (played by Cody Christian) mother.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: , <onlyinclude> also known simply as Madoka Magica, is a 2011 Japanese anime television series created by Magica Quartet, and animated by Shaft. The story follows a group of middle school girls, led by protagonist Madoka Kaname, who make supernatural contracts to become magical girls ("mahō shōjo"). In battling surreal enemies known as "witches", they learn of the anguish and peril associated with their new roles.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: The first ten episodes of the series aired in Japan on TBS and MBS between January and March 2011, while the final two episodes were delayed until April 2011 due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. A manga adaptation of the anime and various spin-off manga have been published by Houbunsha and licensed in North America by Yen Press. A novelization by Nitroplus was released in August 2011, and a dedicated magazine, "Manga Time Kirara Magica", was launched by Houbunsha in June 2012. A video game for the PlayStation Portable was released in March 2012 and another for PlayStation Vita was released in December 2013. A smartphone game, "Magia Record", launched in August 2017, and a three-season anime adaptation produced by Shaft aired from January 2020 to April 2022.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: An , beginning with two films recapping the television series, was released in October 2012. A third film featuring an original story, "Rebellion", was released in October 2013. In April 2021, it was announced that a sequel to "Rebellion" was in production.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" has received widespread critical acclaim, with praise for its complex narrative, visuals, themes, and soundtrack as well as its unconventional approach to the magical girl subgenre. It became a commercial success; each Blu-ray Disc volume sold more than 50,000 copies in Japan. The series garnered a variety of awards, such as the Television Award at the 16th Animation Kobe Award, as well as 12 Newtype Anime Awards and the Grand Prize for the Animation Division at the 15th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2011.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: In the fictional city of Mitakihara, Japan, a middle school student named Madoka Kaname and her best friend, Sayaka Miki, encounter a small, cat-like creature named Kyubey. It offers a contract in which a girl may have any wish granted in exchange for obtaining magical powers and being tasked with fighting witches. Meanwhile, a transfer student and mysterious magical girl named Homura Akemi tries to stop Madoka from making the contract with Kyubey. Madoka and Sayaka then meet Mami Tomoe, an upperclassman at the same school who is also a magical girl. Noticing their indecisiveness on whether to become a magical girl, Mami offers to take Madoka and Sayaka along on her witch hunts so they may learn of the responsibilities that come with being a magical girl.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: However, after witnessing Mami's death at the hands of a witch, Madoka realizes the life of a magical girl is filled with suffering and pain. This is further enforced by the appearance of Kyoko Sakura, a veteran magical girl whose wish unintentionally caused the death of her family. Madoka also discovers magical girls give up their souls to form Soul Gems, the source of their magic, and that when Soul Gems become too tainted with despair, magical girls are converted into witches. Sayaka decides to become a magical girl after learning that doing so would allow her to heal a young musician whom she admires. However, her classmate Hitomi Shizuki confesses her love to him first, causing Sayaka to become disillusioned and fall into an inescapable despair that turns her into a witch. Kyubey reveals to Madoka that he is of an alien race that has been harvesting the emotions of magical girls for centuries to use as energy to counteract the spread of entropy, and thus stave off the heat death of the universe. Madoka also learns that Homura is a magical girl from a different timeline who has repeated the same month countless times to try to save Madoka from a grisly fate.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Madoka and Kyoko attempt to reverse Sayaka's transformation, but the plan fails and Kyoko is forced to sacrifice herself to allow Madoka to escape, leaving Homura as the only remaining magical girl. Following this, an extremely powerful witch known as Walpurgisnacht approaches the city. Homura attempts to stop it, but is defeated. She begins to lose hope and is on the verge of becoming a witch when Madoka arrives. With the past month's events in mind, Madoka decides to become a magical girl and makes a wish to stop the creation of all witches in the past, present, and future. The paradoxical nature of her wish causes her to transcend into a godlike psychopomp, and establishes a new "Law of Cycles" in which magical girls are purified and disappear into a higher plane instead of becoming witches. A new reality, in which Homura is the only one who remembers Madoka, is formed. Homura vows to continue fighting in honor of Madoka and the world she cherished.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: While collaborating on "Hidamari Sketch" and "Bakemonogatari", Akiyuki Shinbo told Aniplex producer Atsuhiro Iwakami he wanted to create a new magical girl series, beginning the development of "Puella Magi Madoka Magica". During the early planning stage, Iwakami decided not to adapt an existing work to give Shinbo more freedom in his direction style. Another goal of the project was to develop an anime that would appeal to a wider audience than the usual demographic for media within the magical girl subgenre. Iwakami and Shinbo intended their series to be accessible to "the general anime fan". Shinbo then asked Gen Urobuchi to work on the project as a scriptwriter and Ume Aoki as original character designer. Takahiro Kishida was engaged to adapt Aoki's character designs for the television series.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: In his role as producer, Iwakami took a mostly hands-off approach. Because "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" is an original series rather than an adaptation of an existing work, his main goal was "coming up with a high-quality piece of entertainment". After helping to recruit the staff, he allowed them freedom to develop the content of the story, providing minimal guidance. After viewing the character designs that Aoki created, he was sure he could trust the creative talent of the team. In an interview with "Anime News Network" after the series finished airing in Japan, Iwakami said, "I don't matter much; it's up to those talents to do their work. If something comes to a stand-still I might intervene, but they did an excellent job and I was very happy seeing the results in episode one."


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: During the pre-writing planning phase, Iwakami asked Urobuchi to make the storyline "heavy". Shinbo specified it should contain copious amounts of blood and violence, elements that were unusual in the magical girl genre. Iwakami also asked for many of the magical girl characters to be killed throughout the series. Urobuchi said he had no trouble with these requirements, referencing his past reputation as a writer of very dark and somber stories, the extent of which Shinbo had not known.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: One objective was for the script to contrast starkly with the way the anime was to be marketed. Shinbo planned to advertise the series innocently and purely that would deliberately conceal its dark undertones. For example, the title logo was rendered using rounded fonts that would appear harmless to audiences. Urobuchi further misled fans by using his Twitter account to persuade them the plot of the series was innocuous. The true nature of the series was disguised because Shinbo wanted its dark themes to be a complete surprise to the viewers. Iwakami later defended the mature themes in the "Puella Magi Madoka Magica", stating, "the story of "Madoka" is serious but it's not entirely inappropriate for children. For example, there's nothing sexually explicit in it. There's some death, but it's not gratuitous; it can be explained within the context of the story."


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Shinbo granted Urobuchi a large amount of autonomy in writing the series and determining the path of the story. In describing his interactions with Iwakami and Shinbo while working on the series, Urobuchi commented that "neither one is the type to show their hand, they would always wait for me to make the next move". To create a successful deconstruction of the magical girl genre, Urobuchi studied aspects of traditional magical girl media that were "troubling or overlooked". He also stated the plot development was heavily influenced by the character drawings by Aoki, and credited horror fiction author Stephen King and Shinbo's previous projects such as "Hidamari Sketch" and "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha" as inspirations for the series.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Urobuchi attributed his experience working on projects with screenwriters Ichiro Itano and Yōsuke Kuroda as a major influence in his writing for "Puella Magi Madoka Magica", and has referred to both of them as his mentors. To set the initial pacing of the series, Urobuchi used a technique he credited to Kuroda. The first episode would throw the viewer into a specific part of the story with unknown context. The second episode would define the rules governing the story's setting. The third episode would divulge the revelation in the plot to hook the viewer. The twist in the third episode was determined during the project proposal stage and involves the death of Mami, the main character. This decision was controversial; Urobuchi said production staff continually approached him and asked him to reconsider because of their fondness for the character. He refused and the plot remained unchanged during production. Urobuchi realized this progression could be very hard for viewers to accept and might hurt the overall series' success with some audiences; he said, "I always thought this is an age where entertainment basically is about soothing and healing, like adopting a style where unchanging day-to-day life is to continue forever".


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: In an interview with "Ultra Jump Egg", Urobuchi gave insight into his writing philosophy, stating that he believed the overarching plot of a story was more important than its characters. He said he would first determine the actions and the ultimate fate of a character before even assigning it a name, and contrasted this with other writing methods that first focused on developing the characters and then creating a storyline for them to follow. He again defended his decision to have Mami die, saying this could have the effect of making the character more memorable, saying, "I think there are quite many characters who became immortal exactly because they died, like Caesar Zeppeli in "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" or Raoh in "Fist of the North Star". Precisely because of the way they died, they were able to live forever."


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Urobuchi stated that Sayaka was his favorite character overall and said her plotline was the most enjoyable to write. Because of her grim fate by the end of the series, a destiny that Shinbo believed was slightly unfair, he asked Urobuchi if it was possible to change the plot so Sayaka could be spared. Urobuchi declined, saying her death was integral to the overarching story. Shinbo then asked if she could be brought back to life, saying he had become very attached to the character. Urobuchi again refused, saying this would be impossible because of the already-established rules governing the story. Shinbo acquiesced to this but said he believed there may have been too large a burden placed on the characters who were young, middle-school girls.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: The alien character Kyubey was also envisioned and designed by Urobuchi. Iwakami stated that as one of the primary antagonists in the series, "the mash-up of cuteness and darkness is the central theme to "Madoka", and Kyubey is an epitome of that theme". A central goal in Urobuchi's writing was to highlight the moral and ethical dissonance between Kyubey and the young middle school girls, which was done through actions such as Kyubey eating its own corpse to recycle energy. He compared the character to monsters in the works of horror fiction author H. P. Lovecraft, commenting of Kyubey: "he isn't evil, it is his lack of feelings that make him scary". Urobuchi also remarked upon the moral ambiguity the series displays in an interview with "Asahi Shimbun", stating "Al-Qaeda brought down the Twin Towers due to their self-righteousness. Justice for some people is an evil for others. Good intentions, kindness, and hope will not necessarily make people happy."


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Due to unforeseen scheduling problems with Shaft, production of the series was postponed for three years following the completion of its writing. Once the issues were resolved, production began without further complications. The animation studio led the conception and design of the witches, and created each one's individual backstory. Urobuchi had originally envisioned the witches to be similar to conventional monsters such as Godzilla, but upon seeing the surreal concept art for one of the main witches, Walpurgis Night, he said; "How can Homura possibly fight against something like this?" Designers from Shaft added quotations from the German folklorist Faust to the series. Throughout production, the animation production team Gekidan Inu Curry had freedom to insert new details and to modify existing ones from the original script; for example, during a scene in the final episode in which the team added black wings to Homura—something that was not included in Urobuchi's writing. Urobuchi praised this aspect of the production, commenting, "additions by the animation production team added more mystery and depth to [the] characters, and without them, it would have been very difficult to write any further stories in the world of the series".


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Iwakami and Shinbo recruited Yuki Kajiura to compose the soundtrack for the series after Urobuchi recommended her. Shinbo had previously worked with Kajiura on "Le Portrait de Petit Cossette"; Urobuchi told of the inspirational effect the music from that series had on him while writing parts of the script. Urobuchi said he had long been a fan of Kajiura's anime soundtracks and praised her work ethic, saying she would always familiarize herself with the story's plotline while composing for it. Japanese pop music duo ClariS was also commissioned to perform the series' opening theme . Iwakami involved himself in the song's development to ensure it would fit with the series, marking one of the few times he intervened in an aspect of the production. Both "Connect" and the ending theme "Magia" by Kalafina were revealed in a television commercial several weeks before the series' premiere in Japan.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: On January 7, 2011, "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" debuted on Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS), Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting (CBC) in Japan. The first ten episodes aired weekly without interruption and were made available for streaming on Nico Nico Douga and BIGLOBE's Anime One service. That March, the planned broadcasts of the last two episodes were halted because of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami; TBS also canceled its scheduled airing of the 10th episode so it could provide more news coverage of the natural disaster.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Urobuchi apologized to viewers for the delays; he also said the postponements could be viewed in a positive light because they alleviated some production pressures on animation studio Shaft because of the tight broadcast schedule. Citing particularly challenging drawings for episodes 11 and 12, Urobuchi and Iwakami planned to have Shaft continue to improve the episodes up until their rescheduled broadcasts. According to Urobuchi if episode 11 had been aired in its current state as scheduled, the result would likely have been disappointing. On March 23, 2011, the broadcast for the rest of the series was indefinitely delayed but the production team reported that they were continuing to work on the episodes and announced their intention to finish airing the series by April. On April 10, 2011, the official website for "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" announced that broadcasts would resume on April 21. Episodes 11 and 12 aired back-to-back on MBS while TBS and CBC ran episode 10 together with episodes 11 and 12.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Iwakami later commented on this unique production experience in an interview with Anime News Network. He said Shaft was always pressed for time during the production process and only just completed each episode before its air time. After the earthquake and tsunami, he stated that many of the company's staff were upset by the incident and were unable to work effectively on episodes 11 and 12. He said, however, "a week went by, and two weeks went by, and the staff started saying that they couldn't stay in shock forever, that they had to keep on going, and then production continued". The series was released on six Blu-ray Disc (BD) and DVD volumes between April 27 and September 21, 2011, having been delayed by the earthquake from the original release date of March 30, 2011. Drama CDs were included with the first, third, and fifth BD/DVD volumes. The sixth and final volume released on September 21, 2011, contains a director's edit of episode 12. The series began streaming on Crunchyroll on February 15, 2012, as well as on Hulu and Crackle.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Aniplex of America released the series in North America, including an English dub, in three BD and DVD volumes released between February 14 and June 12, 2012. Aniplex also released limited editions containing the original soundtrack CDs and special items. Manga Entertainment licensed the series in the United Kingdom and released it on October 29, 2012 on BD and DVD in a complete collection. Madman Entertainment licensed the series in Australia, where it was broadcast on the children's channel ABC Me on June 29, 2013, following an early preview on January 6. The dubbed series began streaming on Viz Media's streaming service Neon Alley in late 2013. In Italy, the anime was broadcast on Rai 4 on February 5 until April 22, 2012. On September 1, 2018, a television anime series based on the smartphone game "Magia Record" was announced. It was originally scheduled to begin airing in 2019, but it was delayed to a January 2020 premiere. It began airing on January 4, 2020.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: In November 2011, it was announced in the December issue of Kadokawa Shoten's "Newtype" magazine that Shaft was developing a three-part theatrical film project. The first two films, titled and , are compilations of the anime television series featuring re-recorded voices and some new animation. The first film, which covers the first eight episodes of the television series, was released in theaters on October 6, 2012, while the second film, which covers the last four episodes, was released on October 13, 2012. The first two films were screened in selected locations in the United States and seven other countries between October 2012 and February 2013; they were also screened at Anime Festival Asia between November 10 and 11, 2012, in Singapore. The two films were released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on July 30, 2013, in standard and collector's edition sets and is being made available for import by Aniplex of America. The third film, titled , features a new story written by Urobuchi and acts as a sequel to the television series. It was released to Japanese theaters on October 26, 2013. The film received a North American imported release on December 3, 2013. The first and second films were re-released with an English dub on July 15, 2014.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: A short concept film for a new story, described as a "movie-based image board", was debuted at Shaft's anniversary exhibition Madogatari on November 27, 2015. Shaft representative director and president Mitsutoshi Kubota later confirmed in an interview in "Newtype" that the concept film will launch a new "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" project.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: At a 10th anniversary event held on April 25, 2021, a sequel movie to "Rebellion" was announced, titled .


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Houbunsha has published several manga series based on "Puella Magi Madoka Magica". A direct adaptation of the anime series was illustrated by Hanokage and published in three four-chapter "tankōbon" volumes that were released between February 12 and May 30, 2011. The manga has been licensed in North America by Yen Press. A side story manga titled , which was written by Masaki Hiramatsu and illustrated by Takashi Tensugi, was serialized in "Manga Time Kirara Forward" between March 2011 and January 2013. A third manga titled , which was written by Kuroe Mura, was released in two "tankōbon" volumes on May 12, 2011, and June 12, 2011. Both "Kazumi Magica" and "Oriko Magica" have been licensed by Yen Press in North America. The first volume of "Kazumi Magica" was released in May 2013. , which was written and illustrated by Hanokage, began serialization in the 20th issue of "Manga Time Kirara Magica" released on June 10, 2015. The plot describes the events that happened between "" and "". Yen Press will publish it in English.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: The first volume of an official anthology comic featuring illustrations by guest artists was released on September 12, 2011. A dedicated monthly magazine published by Houbunsha and titled was launched on June 8, 2012; it features various manga stories, including spin-off stories of "Oriko Magica". A film comic adaptation of the series titled "Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Film Memories" went on sale on May 26, 2012. "Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story", another manga by Hanokage, was published in three "tankōbon" volumes between October 12 and November 12, 2012, and was licensed by Yen Press in 2014. The first volume of , which was written and illustrated by Gan, was released on November 12, 2013, before being serialized in "Manga Time Kirara Magica" on November 22, 2013. , which was written and illustrated by Afro, is serialized in "Manga Time Kirara Magica"; its first volume was released in October 2013 and was licensed by Yen Press. , written by Kawazukuu and illustrated by Masugitsune, was serialized in "Manga Time Kirara Magica" and released two volumes in December 2013; Yen Press licensed the manga.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Hajime Ninomae wrote a novel adaptation of the series that was illustrated by Yūpon and published by Nitroplus on August 14, 2011. Pre-release copies were available at Comiket 80 on August 12, 2011. A book titled "Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Beginning Story", which is based on Gen Urobuchi's original draft treatment for the anime, was released in November 2011.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: A video game based on the series titled and designed for the PlayStation Portable was released by Namco Bandai Games on March 15, 2012. The game allows players to take many routes and change the ending of the story. Urobuchi returned as the writer and Shaft animated the title, while Yusuke Tomizawa and Yoshinao Doi produced it. The game was released in two editions; a standard box including a bonus DVD, and a limited edition box containing a Madoka Figma, a bonus Blu-ray Disc, a Kyubey pouch, a 'HomuHomu' handkerchief and a special clear card. An action game for the PlayStation Vita titled was developed by Artdink and published by Namco Bandai Games, and was released in Japan on December 19, 2013. The game features an original story that was created with guidance from Urobuchi in which all five magical girls team up to defeat a powerful witch called Walpurgis Night. Upon release, a limited edition version that included codes for additional in-game costumes and merchandise such as a CD copy of the game's soundtrack and an art book, was also on sale.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: A free smartphone application called was released on October 14, 2011. A third-person shooter (TPS) titled "Puella Magi Madoka Magica TPS featuring Homura Akemi" was released for Android devices in December 2011. A second TPS title featuring Mami was released in August 2012 and a third featuring Sayaka and Kyoko was released on October 16, 2012. A puzzle game for iOS devices titled "Puella Magi Madoka Magica Puzzle of Memories" was released on March 29, 2013. Costumes from "Puella Magi Madoka Magica", alongside content based on other anime and games, are available in Japan as downloadable content (DLC) for the PSP game "Gods Eater Burst". Costumes and accessories are also available as DLC for "Tales of Xillia 2", and were available for "Phantasy Star Online 2" in October 2013. Another collaboration with the mobile game "Phantom of the Kill" took place for an event that ran from August 8, 2015 to September 21, 2015. During that campaign, players had a chance of obtaining playable Madoka characters through in-game lotteries. "Puella Magi Madoka Magica"-themed missions, weapons and items were also available at that time.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: A pachinko game titled "Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica" was released in 2013, and a second pachinko game titled "Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica 2" was released in 2016. "Slot Puella Magi Madoka Magica 2" features the song "Naturally" by Aoi Yūki and Eri Kitamura. Also in 2016, the smartphone game "Girl Friend Beta" announced a collaboration with "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" in which players got a Madoka card as a log-in bonus. A smartphone game called "", was released in Japan on August 22, 2017. The game features a new protagonist named Iroha Tamaki, who arrives in Kamihama City to search for her missing sister. The game features the theme song by TrySail. An anime adaptation of the game premiered on January 4, 2020.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" has received widespread critical acclaim. Masaki Tsuji lauded the series' world-building and narrative as well as the character development, and called the series groundbreaking. Masaki went on to say that "Madoka Magica" has reached a "level of perfection", and noted that the series is worthy of people's admiration. "UK Anime Network"'s Andy Hanley rated the anime 10 out of 10 and lauded it for its deeply emotional content, and described it as immersive and filled with grandiose visuals along with an evocative soundtrack. He recommended watching it several times to fully comprehend the complex and multi-layered plot. Hanley called it the greatest television anime series of the 21st century thus far. Scott Green of "Ain't It Cool News" called the series "hugely admirable"; he praised the animation team's attention to detail, stating that the series "would not work nearly as well if the characters in general and as magical girls specifically weren't presented so spectacularly winningly by the production". Green also said he would highly recommend "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" to anyone with an interest in anime.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Michael Pementel of "Bloody Disgusting" called "Madoka Magica" a "fascinating work", and lauded its dark atmosphere and horror elements. Pementel highly praised the show's aesthetics and wrote that the "pacing in revealing twists" is one of the "show's most exceptional qualities" and also commended the characters tragic arc—particularly Sayaka and Homura. He further praised the series for offering "unique, grim twist that not only seeps the show in despair, but subverts the subgenre", concluding that "Madoka Magica" "stands as one of the best works of anime horror, presenting characters that must strive to find hope through profound darkness." "THEM Anime Reviews" reviewer Tim Jones called it "beautiful, well-written, and surprisingly dark", and gave it four out of five stars. Jones also commended the unique animation and design of the backdrops shown during witch fights, which he described as "surreal, beautiful, [and] trippy". In his review of the three blu-ray volumes of the anime series, Zac Bertschy of "Anime News Network" characterized the story as very emotionally dark and one of the most ambitious and beautiful anime series in recent memory. He awarded each of the volumes ratings of A or A+ overall, and stated "Time will tell us whether or not this show will be remembered as fondly as it is regarded by the fan community now, but it feels like a masterpiece, something to be appreciated again and again. It is a must-see for anyone remotely interested in what anime can accomplish as an art form".


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Awarding the series five stars out of five, "Common Sense Media" wrote that the "animation style is full of fluid motion and attention to detail that makes it a uniquely pleasurable experience to watch" and "the main characters [are] well developed and its hard not to get attached to them as the story progresses". Reviewers highly praised the series' darker approach to the popular magical girl subgenre in Japanese anime and manga. In its review of the series, the staff at "Japanator" said this trope "added a level of depth and complexity to the genre that we haven't ever seen, and I don't think we will see again ... [a]dding on that dressing gave the show a more perverse and cruel feeling to it, making it all the more compelling to watch". Liz Ohanesian of "LA Weekly" attributed the series' popularity with older, male audiences—an otherwise unusual demographic to the genre—to the genre deconstruction of "Puella Magi Madoka Magica". She also commented on the series' cultural impact, writing that in Japan and the US there has been incredible fan interest for the series. She credited the all-star crew including writer Urobuchi, director Shinbo, and the Shaft animation studio as "hitmakers" and described the anime as "a series designed for acclaim". TechnologyTell's Jenni Lada wrote that the show's external appearance belied its true "darker and more twisted" essence. She recommended viewers watch at least three episodes to discover the series' true nature.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: According to Sara Cleto and Erin Bah, the subversion of the magical girl genre "draw[s] attention to the question of narrative power"—particularly in the use of alternative timelines—as the characters fight for their survival. Production I.G's Katsuyuki Motohiro watched "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" after hearing opinions that it exceeded "Neon Genesis Evangelion". Upon viewing the series, he was "amazed that there was a person who could write such a work" and began analyzing Urobuchi's other works; he was motivated to ask Urobuchi to write the crime thriller "Psycho-Pass". In issue 103 of "Neo", journalist Matt Kamen wrote, "With its daring approach to a dated genre, "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" essentially does for magical girls what "Neon Genesis Evangelion" did for giant robots". Writing for "Kotaku", critic Richard Eisenbeis hailed the series as "one of the best anime" and wrote, "It deconstructs the magical girl genre and builds an emotional narrative filled with memorable characters". Joshua Greenberg of "The Daily Bruin" described it as "a creepy, deconstructionist take on the [magical girl] genre."


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: The first Blu-ray volume of the series sold 53,000 copies in its first week, 22,000 of which were sold on its first day, breaking the record held by the sixth BD volume of "Bakemonogatari". The second volume sold 54,000 copies, breaking the first volume's record. Each subsequent volume sold over 50,000 copies in their first week. This was despite controversy over the pricing of the volumes, which some considered to be unfairly high. The staff at Japanator stated they could not recommend the volume to their readers due to the prohibitive cost. Bertschy concurred, writing that the "limited episode count and high price of entry make the show inaccessible to an audience unwilling to shell out". The 2017 compilation album "Puella Magi Madoka Magica Ultimate Best" ranked at No. 4 on Oricon's weekly albums chart, having sold over 13,500 copies. By the end of 2017, "Ultimate Best" was the 29th best-selling anime CD album of the year.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Japanese newspaper "Nihon Keizai Shimbun" reported that "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" had grossed over () from the sales of related goods within two years of its release. A live broadcast of the entire series was streamed on Nico Nico Douga on June 18, 2011, garnering around a million viewers, surpassing the previous streaming audience record of 570,000 held by "Lucky Star". According to Google Zeitgeist, "Madoka Magica" was the most-searched and fastest-rising search query in the anime category of 2011.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: The show won the Television Award at the 16th Animation Kobe Awards as well as 12 Newtype Anime Awards and the Grand Prize for animation in the 15th Japan Media Arts Festival awards, making it the first and only original anime television ever to win this award with the jury describing the series in their justification as "an outstanding animation with an ingenious magical scenario" and commended the "ambitious" show for "skillfully setting critical traps that shook the very foundations of the genre". It was nominated for the 32nd Nihon SF Taisho Award and won the 2011 Bronze Prize for Kyubey's catchphrase. It also won three 11th Tokyo Anime Awards in the Television Category, Best Director and Best Screenplay, and the Selection Committee Special Prize award at the 2012 Licensing of the Year awards. "Madoka Magica" was awarded a 43rd Seiun Award for "Best Media" at the 2012 Japan Science Fiction Convention and was also awarded a Sisterhood Prize for the 11th Sense of Gender Awards. It also won the 2012 "UK Anime Network" Reader's Choice Award. In 2015, the show was awarded the inaugural 1st Sugoi Japan Award Grand Prix; Japan's nationwide vote for manga, anime, and novels considered as cultural assets that have the potential to be beloved all over the world, among all of the works published since 2005. In 2017, "Madoka Magica" was selected as the best anime of 2011 by the Tokyo Anime Award Festival.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: Multiple media publications have hailed "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" as one of the best anime of the 2010s, that includes "Polygon," "Thrillist," "Looper," IGN, Crunchyroll and "Anime UK News". The Brazilian website "Legiao Dos Herois" listed the series as one of "10 most successful anime" of 2010s.


title: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

text: The radio station Tokyo FM reported that "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" has developed into a social phenomenon in Japan. Toussaint Egan of "Paste magazine" stated that the series was "widely celebrated by fans and critics alike" upon its release and that the show is "a postmodern reconfiguration of genre tropes rife with plot twists and existential malaise on a cosmic horror level". The Spanish film director Carlos Vermut has cited "Madoka Magica" as a large influence on his 2014 film "Magical Girl". The series was referenced in the HBO series "Euphoria". Anime director Hiroyuki Imaishi said that darker-toned series like "Madoka Magica" are an "industry trend". The series also inspired a Nigerian magical girl franchise, "Adorned by Chi".


title: Pete Wentz

text: Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III (born June 5, 1979) is an American musician best known as the bassist and lyricist for the rock band Fall Out Boy since 2001. Before Fall Out Boy, Wentz was a fixture of the Chicago hardcore scene and was the lead singer and songwriter for Arma Angelus, a metalcore band. During Fall Out Boy's hiatus from 2009 to 2012, Wentz formed the experimental, electropop and dubstep group Black Cards. He owns a record label, DCD2 Records, which has signed bands including Panic! at the Disco and Gym Class Heroes.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Fall Out Boy returned from hiatus in February 2013, and have since released three number-one albums; "Save Rock and Roll", "American Beauty/American Psycho", and "Mania".


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz has also ventured into other non-musical projects, including writing, acting, and fashion; in 2005 he founded a clothing company called Clandestine Industries. He hosts the TV show "Best Ink" and runs a film production company called Bartskull Films, as well as a bar called Angels & Kings. His philanthropic activities include collaborations with Invisible Children, Inc. and UNICEF's Tap Project, a fundraising project that helps bring clean drinking water to people worldwide, "People" magazine states that "no bassist has upstaged a frontman as well as Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy." He is also a minority owner of the Phoenix Rising FC, a USL Championship team.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III was born in Wilmette, Illinois, an affluent suburb of Chicago. His parents are Dale (née Lewis), a high school admissions counselor, and Pete Wentz II, an attorney. Wentz is of English and German descent on his father's side and Afro-Jamaican descent on his mother's side. He has a younger sister, Hillary, and a younger brother, Andrew. His maternal grandfather, Arthur Winston Lewis, served as the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone; Arthur Winston Lewis' cousin was General Colin Powell.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz' parents met in the 1970s while campaigning for Joe Biden's senatorial run. Wentz recalled in a "Rolling Stone" interview that his earliest musical memory was listening to The Foundations' song "Build Me Up Buttercup" in the back of his father's car. Wentz attended North Shore Country Day School, where he was an all-state soccer player. He considered pursuing a professional career in the sport, but decided that music was a more fulfilling choice; he says that he "always had a magical connection to the ball. But it didn't feel like an adventure. Music was more of a challenge and, in the end, felt more interesting."


title: Pete Wentz

text: During his first year of high school, he began skipping school regularly and smoking marijuana with friends, but later quit as it was affecting his grades at school. After graduating from high school in 1997, he attended DePaul University, where he studied political science, dropping out one quarter shy of graduation to focus on Fall Out Boy.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz was primarily involved in the Chicago hardcore punk scene and was in several bands in the late 1990s. He formed his first band, First Born, in 1993. By the mid-1990s, he became an infrequent bass player for Racetraitor.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz formed the metalcore band Novena (later renamed to Arma Angelus) soon after, along with Adam Bishop of XshroudX and Extinction; Daniel Binaei of Racetraitor; and Timothy Miller. The band cycled through six bassists before recruiting Tim McIlrath, who had recently departed from Baxter. They released their debut EP "the Grave End of the Shovel" in 2000. Around this time, Binaei's partial relocation of California led to hiring of Jay Jancetic of Extinction. McIlrath then departed from the band in 2000, in order to focus on Transistor Revolt and The Killing Tree, leading to the band's recruitment of, XshroudX and Restraint member, Christopher Gutierrez. In 2001, the released their debut album "Where Sleeplessness Is Rest From Nightmares". In support of the album they toured with Throwdown and Hatebreed, and performed at Hellfest. These tours also saw the recruitment of bassist Joe Trohman, after Gutierrez's departure, however Trohman's severe stage fright led to the band bringing him back mid-tour, and residing Trohman to selling merchandise.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Around this time, Wentz also played in Birthright, Extinction and Yellow Road Priest. He and Arma Angelus' bassist Joe Trohman founded the pop-punk band Fall Out Boy after Trohman introduced Wentz to a musical acquaintance, Patrick Stump. Andy Hurley agreed to drum part-time, but only joined the band full-time later. In 2002, Arma Angelus, played its last show.


title: Pete Wentz

text: In 2002, Fall Out Boy released an EP called "Fall Out Boy/Project Rocket Split EP". Soon after, in 2003, the band released their mini-LP "Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend" on Uprising Records. This album would later be digitally remastered and reissued after the band's third, successful full-album release "From Under the Cork Tree", on the major label Island Records. In 2003, the band released their first full-length album, "Take This to Your Grave" through Fueled by Ramen. Fall Out Boy signed with major label Island Records in 2003 and in 2004 released an acoustic EP and DVD entitled "My Heart Will Always Be the B-Side to My Tongue".


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz wrote the lyrics to the lead single, "Sugar, We're Goin Down" with his dad in Chicago; the song peaked at No. 8 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and spent months in the top 50 of the Hot 100, marking five weeks in the top 10 and fourteen weeks in the top 20. The band's major label debut album has since been certified double platinum by the RIAA as well as "Sugar, We're Goin Down".


title: Pete Wentz

text: In 2007, Fall Out Boy's fourth album, "Infinity on High" was released to major success, debuting at No. 1 on the "Billboard" 200 with 260,000 sales, spurred by the lead single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", which reached the top ten in the US & UK and topped the charts in New Zealand. The second single, "Thnks fr th Mmrs" sold more than 2 million units in the US. The band's fifth studio album, "Folie à Deux" was released on December 13, 2008, and debuted at No. 8 on the "Billboard" 200. The band toured extensively in support of their albums.


title: Pete Wentz

text: In November 2009, the four band members announced they will be taking an indefinite hiatus, saying they were unsure of the future of the band. Wentz has said that his personal reason for taking a break is that he feels that his name and marriage to pop singer Ashlee Simpson had become a hindrance for the band. He added: "I think the world needs a little less Pete Wentz".


title: Pete Wentz

text: On February 4, 2013, Fall Out Boy unexpectedly announced their return, along with an album and single with which all four members contributed. Once again, Wentz had main control of song writing duties. On April 12, 2013, the band released a new album entitled, "Save Rock and Roll," featuring the lead single "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)", and dates for a new tour. The band played their first show in over three years on the night of February 4 in Chicago. "Save Rock and Roll" peaked at No. 1 on the "Billboard" 200, selling 154,000 copies in its first week, becoming the band's fourth consecutive top 10 album. With Fall Out Boy, Wentz toured heavily throughout 2013 and 2014 on the album, selling out arenas worldwide, with bands such as Paramore on the Monumentour. In October 2013, they released a new EP, "PAX AM Days" which they recorded in a two-day session with producer Ryan Adams.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Sixth studio album "American Beauty/American Psycho" was released to become the band's third "Billboard" 200 No. 1 album, debuting with 192,000 first week sales and 218,000 equivalent album units. The album was preceded by the triple Platinum top 10 single "Centuries". "Uma Thurman" was released to mainstream radio on April 14, 2014, and peaked at 22 on the 'Billboard' Top 100, and were certified as Platinum in August 2015.


title: Pete Wentz

text: In April 2017, Fall Out Boy released Young and Menace, the lead single for the seventh studio album. The band's seventh album "Mania" was officially released January 19, 2018, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it the band's third consecutive and fourth chart-topping debut overall.


title: Pete Wentz

text: In 2018, Fall Out Boy headlined Wrigley Field in the band's hometown of Chicago, marking a milestone in their career as their first headline show at a stadium.


title: Pete Wentz

text: In July 2010, Wentz, with singer Bebe Rexha, guitarist Nate Patterson, and drummer Spencer Peterson, formed the ska/electropop band Black Cards. Originally, the band had planned to release a full-length LP in the summer of 2011. However, after several delays, the departures of both Patterson and Rexha, and general uncertainty about the band's future, the group reshuffled, scrapping the original album and announcing plans to release a mixtape, write new material, and continue to remix tracks by other artists.


title: Pete Wentz

text: With regards to the band's sound, Wentz has said that during the time he took off to spend with his family, he began to be inspired by Jamaican reggae songs such as Culture's "Two Sevens Clash" and The Gladiators' "Warriors". Wentz then contacted producer Sam Hollander (Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship, Hey Monday) and discussed the idea with him to mash up ska, dance and reggae with 80s British rock and pop to create a new experimental sound.


title: Pete Wentz

text: On January 12, 2012, the band announced via Facebook that vocalist Bebe Rexha was no longer a member of the group.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Apart from his musical career, Wentz has been involved in various entrepreneurial ventures. Fall Out Boy bandmate Patrick Stump says of Wentz's endeavors: "It scares me sometimes, watching him. The two seconds you're not with that dude he's made 30 decisions that are going to affect our band for the rest of the year." Wentz's company, Clandestine Industries, distributed books, clothing, and other merchandise. On August 2, 2007, fashion company DKNY joined a partnership with Clandestine Industries. Wentz himself has served as a model on the DKNY/Clandestine promo website.


title: Pete Wentz

text: In April 2007, Wentz came out with his own signature Squier Precision Bass. It has a black body with a red shell pickguard and special graphics that include Wentz's own red bat/heart design on the body, plus a black bat/diamond fingerboard inlay at the 12th fret. It also features Wentz's signature on the back of the headstock. Wentz owns a very similar custom Fender bass with a purple pickguard and bat/heart. In 2008, Fender gave his son, Bronx Wentz, a three-quarter-sized modified version of his guitar.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz opened a nightclub in New York with his bandmates as well as members of Gym Class Heroes, The Academy Is..., and Cobra Starship; the bands' managers are also involved in the enterprise. Called Angels & Kings, the club occupies the former space on 11th Street near Avenue A that housed the Orchid Lounge. Notable guests, including Tommy Hilfiger, arrived for the grand opening on April 20, 2007. In June 2007, Wentz celebrated the opening of Angels & Kings' second location in Chicago.


title: Pete Wentz

text: On December 13, 2008, Wentz, along with Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, created several pieces for an art exhibit at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles called "Without You, I'm Just Me". The exhibit closed on December 24, 2008. Wentz appeared in the season 5 episode of "", "Point of No Return", along with then-wife Ashlee Simpson. Wentz also hosted the Australia MTV VMAs on March 27, 2009.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz collaborated with Mark Hoppus on the track "In Transit" on the "Almost Alice" soundtrack for the 2010 movie "Alice in Wonderland". He was also a judge for the 10th and 11th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Friends or Enemies was a blogging platform created by Wentz to showcase "VIP" content of the bands signed to DCD2. The site first appeared online in the latter half of 2005 stating "coming this fall". On January 16, 2006 the page published its first post, welcoming people to its BETA version; earlier that day Wentz appeared on MTV's "TRL" wearing a friendsorenemies.com branded t-shirt, to promote the website. The platform allowed its users to customise their own page, comment and reply, and post entries on their profile. In support of Friends or Enemies, William Beckett of The Academy Is... posted on their website that it is "the hatester's MySpace", and Cobra Starship shared a preview of their music video, Church of Hot Addiction on the website, a week before it was to be aired on MTV2. By February 2007, Equalstudio, the designer and host of the website, stated there were over 100,000 members on Friends or Enemies. The website became a hub for posting tour announcements and updates, and had increased its VIP journals to include bands that were not signed to DCD2, such as Armour For Sleep and Innerpartysystem


title: Pete Wentz

text: In 2009, Twitter and Facebook accounts were created, which posted the same content as the website, that was still being regularly updated with blogs and competitions. Also in 2009, Friends or Enemies began posting on their YouTube channel which published skits, live performances and interviews. Through 2011 and 2012, the social media pages began to post links to new music videos, while the website continued with blog updates from bands. Despite 2012 being the year for the website that had amassed the most blog posts, in January 2013, Wentz posted an edited photograph of Britney Spears with a shaved head, which served as his last post. By May 2013, the homepage stated the "Network [is] offline" and has remained down since.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz has written a book entitled "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side", a story based on nightmares he had as a child. The title is a reference to "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" on The Smiths' album "The Queen Is Dead". Wentz explained that writing books serves as another mode of self-expression other than songwriting: "My inspiration and my ideas don't begin and end at the beginning and the ending of a song. It is too limiting." It was reported that he was to publish another book, entitled "Rainy Day Kids", but years went by without any word on the book's progress, and Wentz even expressed on his Twitter account that he didn't think it would ever come to fruition. However, in February 2012, he posted a photo on his personal blog of what appeared to be a rough draft of the book's manuscript, explaining that he was currently in the process of editing "Rainy Day Kids" and that it would be 40–50 pages longer than he originally expected. On December 13, 2012, Wentz revealed the cover for the book, now titled "Gray", on his personal blog. The book, which was written with MTV News writer and former FNMTV co-host James Montgomery, was released on February 26, 2013.


title: Pete Wentz

text: In June 2009, it was announced that Wentz was working on a five-issue comic book mini-series called "Fall Out Toy Works", to be published by Image Comics. The idea was conceived by Wentz and designer Darren Romanelli. The plot is loosely based on the Fall Out Boy song "Tiffany Blews" and focuses on "a mysterious toymaker, a cyborg gal named Tiffany and a kid in a bear suit that looks lifted from the cover of Fall Out Boy's "Folie á Deux."" With writing by Brett Lewis, and art by Sam Basri, the first issue was released on September 2, 2009.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz also has a film production company called Bartskull Films, which put out the DVD "Release the Bats", starring Wentz, his bandmates, and several of his personal friends. Wentz has told several sources that he has all the footage to release a sequel, but editing and time constraints have kept him from doing so, and therefore the fate of the project is still up in the air.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz was in a multi-episode arc of the show "One Tree Hill", appearing at Tric (the local all-ages club in Tree Hill) with the entire band. The band first appeared in an episode "An Attempt to Tip the Scales", where they played their single "Dance, Dance" and went on to appear on Peyton and Ellie's (also One Tree Hill's album) tribute album, "Friends with Benefit" to support cancer awareness. Wentz made his first solo cameo in the episode "When It Isn't Like It Should Be" as the romantic interest of Peyton Sawyer, a senior at Tree Hill who had booked the band to play at Tric.


title: Pete Wentz

text: He also made a brief cameo appearance in the show "Californication". On February 6, 2008, it was reported that Wentz was the leading candidate for writer Diablo Cody's follow-up film to "Juno", "Jennifer's Body". The role ended up going to Adam Brody. On February 24, 2008, Wentz appeared in comedian Jimmy Kimmel's video "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck" as a chorus member (along with many other celebrities). The video was in response to one made by Kimmel's then-girlfriend, Sarah Silverman, "I'm Fucking Matt Damon".


title: Pete Wentz

text: In 2009, he made a cameo appearance as himself in "Degrassi Goes Hollywood". In 2016, he made a guest appearance on the Nickelodeon series "School of Rock".


title: Pete Wentz

text: In 2017, Wentz guest starred, with his bandmates, in Cartoon Network's "Teen Titans Go!" playing himself in the first, third and fourth parts of "The Night Begins to Shine". Their cover of the title song from the special was commercially released.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz hosts the TV show "Best Ink". Wentz directed a music video for the song "If It's Love" by American rock band Train. He was a contestant in an episode of the Nickelodeon game show "Double Dare".


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz has bipolar disorder, and has taken medication for it since he was eighteen. In February 2005, Wentz attempted suicide by taking an overdose of the anxiety medication Ativan<nowiki>, and as a result, spent a week in the hospital. Commenting on the event to a magazine, he said:</nowiki>


title: Pete Wentz

text: The suicide attempt was put into song form, "7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen)", and released on their album "From Under the Cork Tree". After this event, Wentz moved back in with his parents. Wentz later spoke of his suicide attempt to the support site Halfofus.com.


title: Pete Wentz

text: In 2006, Wentz started dating singer Ashlee Simpson. In April 2008, Simpson and Wentz confirmed their engagement, and were married on May 17, 2008, at Simpson's parents' residence in Encino, Los Angeles, with her father officiating the ceremony. Two weeks later, she confirmed her pregnancy. Her surname changed from Simpson to Wentz and she was briefly known professionally as Ashlee Simpson-Wentz. Simpson gave birth to their son on November 20, 2008.


title: Pete Wentz

text: On February 8, 2011, Simpson filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences". She asked for joint custody and primary physical custody of their son with visitation for Wentz, along with spousal support. However, a later report said that Simpson believed the couple simply "married too young", with the source stating that, "It was honestly a classic case of marrying young, having a kid young and growing apart over the years". Wentz reportedly did not want the divorce. Their divorce was finalized on November 22, 2011.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz is currently in a relationship with Meagan Camper. They have two children together, a son born in 2014 and a daughter born in 2018.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz is a supporter of Invisible Children, Inc., an organization dedicated to helping the cause of displaced refugees in Uganda. He and Fall Out Boy traveled to the nation, and filmed the music video for the song "I'm Like a Lawyer... (Me & You)" there. Prior to the trip, he participated in an event organized by Invisible Children called "Displace Me", in which 67,000 activists throughout the United States slept in the streets in makeshift cardboard villages, hoping to raise awareness about those displaced by the Ugandan government.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Along with Mary J. Blige and Billy Corgan, Wentz is a spokesperson for The Jed Foundation's Half of Us campaign, a program aimed at lowering the rate of teenage suicide.


title: Pete Wentz

text: Wentz was a vegetarian for many years, and appeared on the ballot of PETA's third annual "Sexiest Vegetarian" awards.