title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: With Brunei's withdrawal, the Philippines had expressed its interest to host the Games Vietnam, the 2021 Southeast Asian Games host, was also offered to host this edition, but declined. On July 10, 2015, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) announced that the Philippines will be hosting the Games. Davao City and Manila were touted as the top candidates for the main host city of the Games. Cebu City and Albay also expressed interest in hosting some events.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: On July 21, 2017, The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) addressed the POC that it is withdrawing its support for the Philippine hosting of the 2019 Games, saying that government decided to reallocate funds meant for hosting to the rehabilitation efforts of Marawi, which was left devastated following the Battle of Marawi and it was later reported that the POC's insistence on handling all matters of the hosting; finance, security and the conduct of the Games as it did for the 2005 Southeast Asian Games led to the PSC's withdrawal of support.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: However, in August 2017, the Philippines, through the then-POC president Peping Cojuangco, confirmed that the country will be hosting the 2019 SEA Games, after Cojuangco wrote to then-President Rodrigo Duterte and appealed for reconsideration.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Cojuangco has stated that the Games would be held in the Central Luzon area, particularly in the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, and Zambales. He added that the Philippine Arena in the municipality of Bocaue in Bulacan province would "most likely" be used in the Games. In January 2018, during the groundbreaking of the New Clark City Sports Hub (then known as the Philippine Sports City), it was announced that the organizers will attempt to hold all events of the games outside of Manila with New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, Subic, and Bulacan as main host localities.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: During the closing ceremony of the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, the symbolic SEA Games Federation council flag was handed over by outgoing Malaysian Olympic Committee president HRH Tunku Tan Sri Imran to then-Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco, who in turn passed the flag to then-Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who will be the Chairman of organizing committee for 2019 games.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: In contrast of other closing ceremonies held throughout the SEA Games, only a discrete video promoting tourism in the Philippines was presented instead of a grand presentation for the next host country. One of the reasons given by the Philippine Olympic Committee is the cost of holding a handover ceremony, at . Another reason is to give focus on the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Malaysian federation.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Unlike the 2005 games, the 2019 SEA Games adopted a different organizing structure for the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC). According to Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez, Foreign Secretary (now House Speaker) Alan Peter Cayetano would be appointed as the organizing committee chairman, instead of the Philippine Olympic Committee president who presumed the role in 2005. Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri was initially the head of the organizing committee before being replaced by Cayetano.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: At least three meetings were held for the preparation of the games. The first meeting was held in Shangri-la Hotel at the Fort on May 16 and 17, 2018. Another meeting was held on November 23 and 24, 2018.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Officials of National Sports Associations of the Philippines were designated as competition managers and were tasked to deal with local arrangements concerning their sport including logistics, venues and equipment.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The budget for the games is at least (US$147 million as of July 31, 2019). (US$118 million) were provided by the government while the rest were secured by PHISGOC from sponsorship agreements. The government funds were allocated to the Philippine Sports Commission with (US$98 million) from the funds approved by the Philippine Congress and the remainder derived from augmentation fund approved by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte approved the additional funds by May 2019.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The organizers entered negotiations with SM Tickets for ticketing systems. All tickets for all events were originally planned to cost a fee, with sports determined to be less popular by the organizers, to have a minimal fee. On October 3, 2019, tickets for the opening ceremony and select events were made on available on all SM Tickets branches and online. However, in a few days leading to the opening ceremony, there were clamors to make the tickets free to the general public. Public figures and groups, such as the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas President Monico Puentevella and the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines appealed to then-President Rodrigo Duterte to make the tickets free. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo suggested the organizers to give the tickets free or charge tickets at a discounted price for students.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: On November 29, 2019, upon instructions of then-President Duterte, tickets were made available for free for all sporting events, except basketball, football and volleyball, which were sold out. Tickets were also made available for free for the closing ceremony, with organizers giving 10,000 tickets to SM Tickets for distribution and thousands of other tickets to local government units.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Organizers coordinated with the Department of Transportation regarding logistics for the games including the possible closure of the North Luzon Expressway to the public for 12 hours before the opening ceremony.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Vehicles, including 362 public buses, 162 sedans and 100 VIP cars, were planned to be bought and 268 vans were to be rented for use for the regional games. There were also three self-driving electric vehicles will be provided by American firm Connected Autonomous Shared Transportation (COAST) for transportation of passengers in New Clark City at no cost to the government.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The organizers of the games launched a volunteer program in April 2019 in Taguig to aid the organization of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games with the target of volunteers initially set to 12,000. Around 9,000 individuals were recruited among those 20,686 people who expressed interest to join the volunteering program, 14,683 of which applied through official online portals. 2,960 applicants were foreigners while 6,003 were elected by educational institutions. There were approximately 2,250 volunteers in the Clark cluster, 1,980 in the Subic cluster, 3,150 in Metro Manila, and 1,620 in other venues not part of the first three clusters.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The official medals for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games were designed by Filipino metal sculptor Daniel dela Cruz, who also designed the SEA Games torch, incorporating elements inspired by the Philippines. On the medal's front, above the SEA Games logo is a sail or "layag" typically used by Filipino boats. Encircling the logo are sea waves signifying the Philippine archipelago. At the back is a rendering of the sports facilities at the New Clark City, site of the SEA Games, which was incorporated using high density etching. Symbols of the various sports are embedded using laser etching.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The gold medal is made of 24-karat gold plated material and its wave design in front is made of rhodium via bi-plating. The bronze medal was made "rose gold" in color instead of the traditional brown hue. The ribbon used to hold the medal features a double-sided design; one side features the colors associated with the Southeast Asian Games and the other is decorated with traditional Filipino weave patterns. They were accompanied by a wooden carrying box, while medalists also received flower bouquets, Pami and Philippine Airlines aircraft stuffed toys.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The design of the official torch for the games was designed by Filipino metal sculptor Daniel dela Cruz The torch was inspired from the sampaguita ("Jasminum sambac") the Philippines' national flower and the hammered portions of the object represents the rays of the Philippine flag's sun. According to the organizers, the sun symbolizes "unity, sovereignty, social equality, and independence" aside from sharing the same symbolism of the sun of the Philippine flag. The torch weighs about 1.5 kilograms, not too heavy for the torch bearer. The torch was officially unveiled on August 23, 2019, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay during the 100-day countdown to the games.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Preceding the torch run in the Philippines was the ceremonial lighting of the lantern at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on October 3, 2019. During the ceremony, Malaysian authorities handed the torch to the Philippine authorities. During the ceremony, the flame was placed on a special lantern and was brought to Davao City to start the domestic part of the relay across the nation.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The Philippine part of the relay, started in front of SM Lanang in Davao City on October 30, 2019. The second leg of the run, participated by 6,500 runners was held at Cebu South Coastal Road in Cebu City on November 16, 2019. The final leg was held on November 23, 2019, at the Bayanihan Park in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The cauldron is a metal structure that stands at , built outside the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac and it was lit on November 30 by the boxers Manny Pacquiao and Nesthy Petecio during the opening ceremony. The inside is a hollow space filled with gravel, Inside the cauldron, there is an open space, which is filled with gravel, being supported by several metal structures on each side of the structure. According to the PHISGOC, estimated costs for the construction and maintenance of the cauldron are estimated in .


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The cauldron was designed by National Artist for Architecture, Francisco Mañosa, which was his last project prior to his death.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: There were four designated clusters or hubs for the sporting events of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games namely Clark, Subic, Metro Manila, and "Other Areas". Previously the fourth cluster was reportedly known as the BLT (Batangas, La Union, and Tagaytay) Cluster The main hub is Clark in the sports complex at the National Government Administrative Center, New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac. The secondary venue will be Subic while the tertiary venue will be Metro Manila and the other nearby areas. The Philippine Sports Commission confirmed that Manila would host boxing, basketball, and volleyball events while Subic would host water sport events.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The NOC (National Olympic Committee) mansions and villas for accommodating of the delegates from the competing countries were built in New Clark City. Each mansion would have 15 to 17 rooms each.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The opening ceremony was held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan while the closing ceremony was held at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The official launch and countdown ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games was made at the Bayanihan Park at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga on November 30, 2018 which was attended by representatives of the 11 participating countries of the Games. At the ceremony the logo and theme of the Games were officially unveiled. A structure consisting of 11 rings representing the 11 nations was also lit up as part of the countdown ceremony. The mascot was shortly confirmed as official outside the countdown ceremony rites.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: A preview of the logo of the 2019 SEA Games was earlier presented in front of the Olympic Council of Asia on August 20, 2018, in Jakarta, Indonesia during the 2018 Asian Games. The official logo depicts 11 rings from the logo of the Southeast Asian Games Federation forming the shape of the Philippines and colored with the red, blue, dark blue, yellow, and green. It was made official during the launching ceremony in Bayanihan Park on November 30, 2018. Public reception of the logo in the host country was mixed, with critics stating that the logo lacked creativity and design interest.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Pami, with their name derived from the "pamilya", the Filipino word for "family", is the official mascot of the games. According to 2019 SEA Games executive director Ramon Suzara, the mascot represents every nation, every athlete, every person coming together that support each other at the games. The mascot with a joyful character has been described to have been made from squishy spherical balls. Just like the logo and theme, it was also previewed during the meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was made official during the countdown ceremony in Bayanihan Park.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Ryan Cayabyab composed the official theme song of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, which shares the name of the games' official slogan "We Win As One". Floy Quintos wrote the lyrics for the song, which was officially launched on July 11, 2019. Lea Salonga performed for the official release of theme song. The theme song and music video for "We Win as One" was formally released on September 3, 2019, at the Resorts World Manila. The music video which was shot at the New Clark City Sports Hub was directed by Shem Hampac and was produced by Equinox Manila.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Cayabyab originally made the composition of the song, with the expectation that 11 singers would do the official performance. The song was revised, in order to be more suitable for a solo performance, after Lea Salonga was tapped to do the performance. Cayabyab and Jimmy Antiporda were the ones responsible for the arrangement of the song.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Sarah Geronimo released "Who We Are", a legacy song for the workforce and volunteers of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. The song was eventually played in several victory ceremonies with Filipino medalists. The music video was shot on several venues of the games.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Arnel Pineda and Filipino band KO Jones also released "Rock the SEA Games", which was also played during several SEA Games competitions, and was performed during the closing ceremonies on December 11, 2019.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: In March 2020, "We Win as One" was remixed as "We Heal As One" in response to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the Philippines. Ryan Cayabyab also composed the song with new lyrics by Floy Quintos. The song was performed by various Filipino singers.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Clothing for official use were designed for the games various use. The presenters of the games' victory ceremonies would be wearing attire inspired from Filipino traditional clothing namely the Balintawak dress, Barong Tagalog, and Baro't Saya. Color coded polo shirt and jacket were devised: For Southeast Asian Games Federation officials it was blue, for technical officials, green, for volunteers, red, and Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) officials, navy blue. Business uniforms made by fashion designer Rajo Laurel will also be used. Laurel made two sets of uniform for women (black and white sets) and three sets for men (one black set and two white sets).


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The Barong Tagalog was used as the official uniform for Team Philippines' parade in the 2019 SEA Games Opening Ceremony. The official uniform was designed by Francis Libiran, while the Filipino athletes' official training apparel is sponsored by Asics.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: There were three tiers of sponsorship for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, depending on the amount of funds a company contributes to the games; Preferred sponsors contributed , Gold sponsors contributed and Platinum sponsors contributed . Philippine Airlines provided the air transport for the delegates of the games. Singapore-based Razer Inc. will be involved in the organization of the Esports events.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Six companies have sealed their partnership agreements with PHISGOC during the sponsorship signing ceremonies on February 13, 2019. Atos, an international company which is also the IT Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, is designated as the official games management system provider. France-based GL events provided the overlays and temporary structures of the 39 sporting venues to be used for the 2019 SEA Games. Grand Sport, a sports apparel company from Thailand, is the official provider of the uniforms for the workforce, volunteers and technical officials. The official kits of the national athletes of the host country will be provided by ASICS. Mikasa, Marathon, and Molten are the providers of the official game balls and sporting equipment of the games, all brought in by Sonak Corporation. PHISGOC appointed MediaPro Asia as the official exclusive production, media rights, marketing and sponsorship agent of the games.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Autonomous vehicle (AV) service from United States-based COAST Autonomous was used to serve athletes and officials between the athletes' village, aquatic center and athletics stadium in New Clark City. This will be the first ever implementation of an AV service in a major sporting event.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: SM Lifestyle, Inc., an arm of SM Prime Holdings, was named the regional games' official venue partner with the venue for men's basketball and ice hockey to be held in facilities managed by the SM Group.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Pennsylvania-based NEP Group was the official host broadcaster of the games which sold full and partial broadcasting rights to other broadcasters.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Skyworth was named as the official television partner in the games. They covered events prior to the competition proper including the torch relays in the Philippines and Malaysia, as well as the Game Hub and Fan Zones. The platinum-tier sponsorship was helped secured by Singapore firm Mediapro Asia.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Mastercard is the main sponsor of the games' official mobile app which would allow users to view the schedule and results as well purchase tickets and food in the venue.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The organizers secured insurance for the games' athletes and officials from Standard Insurance Co. Inc. which covered a period of October 15 – December 15, 2019, with each beneficiary having a coverage of . The insurance plan covers death or any accident-related injuries incurred both during the games and in training, and losses due to sabotage and terrorist acts. Standard Insurance has EMA-Global as its medical service provider partner.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, the world's largest indoor arena, hosted the opening ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. In the opening ceremony, Manny Pacquiao and Nesthy Petecio lit the cauldron in New Clark City. The lighting of the cauldron was not live and pre-recorded. It was initially planned to have conducted live but in anticipation of Typhoon Kammuri (Tisoy), a contingency had to be made. A separate cauldron was not built near the arena. Carlos Yulo was designated as the torch bearer and light the cauldron.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The opening ceremony was inspired from the opening ceremonies of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Originally, the organizers announced plans to conduct a digital lighting of the flame during the event, but later added a backup plan for a "normal, traditional opening ceremony". The American entertainment company FiveCurrents, which produced the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics, the 2007 Pan American Games and 2012 Summer Olympics, was hired to advise the local companies; Video Sonic and Stage Craft.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Filipino-American artist apl.de.ap, a member of The Black Eyed Peas, performed at the opening ceremony. Collaborating with Ryan Cayabyab, he performed a remix of his troupe's song rendered in Filipino traditional instruments and orchestral accompaniment. Previously the organizers negotiated with another Filipino-American artist, Bruno Mars, to do the same, but the negotiations did not advance. There were also expectations for performances by Filipino singer Lea Salonga and Journey lead singer Arnel Pineda, but they did not advance either, with Salonga declining due to an agenda conflict with the local production of the musical "".


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The closing ceremony was held in the athletics stadium in New Clark City. The Black Eyed Peas as a group performed in the closing ceremony. Arnel Pineda and Filipino band KO Jones are also one of the performers.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: All 11 members of Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) are expected to take part in the 2019 SEA Games. Below is a list of all the participating NOCs.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: A record of 530 events in 56 sports have been approved to be contested at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games making this edition the largest Southeast Asian Games in terms of the number of sports and events contested.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: An initial list of 32 sports to be contested at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games was agreed upon following the two-day SEA Games Federation Council Meeting from May 16 to 17, 2018 at the Shangri-La at the Fort in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila. Badminton was initially excluded by the hosts from the initial list, but was reinstated following the objections of the National Olympic Committees of Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. Vovinam was later dropped from the finalized list of sports released by the organizers in mid-December 2018 and polo was included in January 2019.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The following is a list of sports to be contested at the games including partial figures for the number of events in each sport:


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The proposal to include additional sports was allowed through suggestions of the different NOCs until June 13, 2018. There was reportedly a provision that a proposed sport must be backed by at least four nations to be instated to the list. Among the sports proposed to be included in the final list are e-sports, netball, obstacle course, sambo, skateboarding, shuttlecock, surfing, water skiing, sports rock climbing, and aero sports Malaysia planned to propose the inclusion of tennis, ice skating and martial arts which featured in the previous edition while Cambodia lobbied for the inclusion of tennis, petanque, and vovinam.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: On September 30, 2018, during a meeting at the SEA Games Council Federation headquarters in Bangkok. The NOCs of Southeast Asia approved 56 sports in total to be contested in the Games; all sports were proposed by the NOC of the host nation except the disciplines of floorball, vovinam, and indoor hockey which were lobbied for by the other NOCs.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Arnis, a Filipino martial art, was last featured as a demonstration sport in the 2005 edition. Arnis will be a regular sport in the 2019 games, and its national sport association lobbied for 20 events for the discipline (16 in combat; 4 in "anyo" ()) The Philippines will introduce 3x3 basketball for the first time in the history of the games.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: Upon the approval of the 56 proposed sports, it was reported that no additional sports was to be added. However the Philippine Olympic Committee later announced that it would propose the addition of beach handball and beach netball after consultations with the sports' respective national associations to the final list of sports to be contested in the games to be agreed upon on November. Following a meeting of the Southeast Asian Games Federation Council from November 23 to 24, 2018, the approval of the 56 proposed sports were finalized with 530 events planned to be contested. The number of events was finalized by mid-December 2018.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The 2019 Southeast Asian Games has 530 events in 56 sports, resulting in 530 medal sets to be distributed. Other additional number of medal sets that will be distributed, will be announced before the awarding of different sports in the games respectively.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The Philippines won 149 gold medals, 117 silver medals, and 121 bronze medals, finishing with their best finish yet on the games up to date.


title: 2019 Southeast Asian Games

text: The 2019 Southeast Asian Games was marred by a series of controversies, including corruption allegations, marketing and logistics problems, and poor treatment of delegates.


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: The Astronaut's Wife is a 1999 American science fiction thriller film directed and written by Rand Ravich. It stars Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron.


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: The film was released on August 27, 1999. It received negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb.


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: Spencer Armacost is an astronaut working for NASA, and his wife Jillian is a second-grade teacher. While he and Alex Streck are walking in space on a mission, an explosion knocks out their communication with the command center.


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: They land safely, but when their spouses arrive to see them they are in the hospital; both asleep until they recover. Armacost eventually wakes up without problems, but Streck has a medical emergency requiring him to have an electrical cardioversion. Neither speak about the in-flight emergency. Armacost accepts a position with a New York-based company, McClaren. At a farewell party, Streck's aggressive behavior catches Jillian's attention before he suddenly dies from what NASA attributes to a stroke. Streck's wife, Natalie, electrocutes herself in the bath with a radio.


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: In New York at a party, Jillian asks Spencer to tell her about the space walk incident. He answers vaguely, and then has aggressive sex with her. Soon afterward, she finds out she is pregnant with twins. She tells the doctor that earlier in her life, after her parents died, she sought psychiatric care because she started to see her loved ones dead, including herself.


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: Sherman Reese has been terminated from NASA because he continued to insist that something was wrong with Spencer, though all tests came back normal. Reese confronts Jillian to warn her, and she leaves in fear, wanting to believe he is crazy but knowing he is right about Spencer being different. Jillian calls Reese and he tells her that Natalie was pregnant with twins at the time of her suicide. Jillian asks what the autopsy showed about the twins and Reese tells Jillian that he needs to meet her in person to show her. Spencer intercepts him, and he goes missing. As a backup plan, he has sent her a key to a self storage locker that has a VHS video cassette that explains that there was a signal in space near Spencer and Streck when they lost contact with NASA. He believes the signal was an alien that wanted to get to Earth and traveled as a radio wave through space, taking over Spencer's body. He believes it will use her twins to pilot the McClaren plane that it is designing that disables warfare machinery. Jillian attempts a medical abortion but is thwarted by Spencer who slaps her. She throws herself down a flight of stairs and wakes up in the hospital. Spencer tells her that the twins survived the fall and intimidates her to keep silent about what had happened.


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: In a dream, Jillian sees her sister, Nan, killed by Spencer when she questions why he has Reese's briefcase. Jillian leaves the hospital on her own but Spencer follows her because of his connection with the twins inside her. At home, Jillian barricades the door and goes into the room where she dreamed her sister was killed. She sees her body on the floor, but then it is gone, presumably a vision. When Spencer breaks his way into the apartment, she has flooded the kitchen floor with water, with a radio in the sink and an extension cord plugged into the wall. She holds the ends of the cords in each hand and tells Spencer to stay away from her. She notices bloody nail marks on Spencer's hand and she knows that her sister really is dead, as she dreamed. She tells Spencer she does not know who he is, that he killed her sister and her husband. He tells her he did, and that he lives inside of her now. Water begins pouring down from the ceiling, as Jillian turned on all of the water in the bathroom upstairs. Spencer is engulfed in the water, Jillian lifts her feet off the wet floor, connects the cords and electrocutes the alien. The alien leaves Spencer's body and transmits into Jillian.


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: Jillian has remarried and her twin sons are off on their first day of school. Her sons look back before boarding the bus with a look on their face before they smile and are on their way. Jillian assures the stepfather that he is now their father.


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: The film was a box-office bomb. Domestically, it grossed $4 million in its opening weekend, and finished with $10.7 million; it made an additional $8.9 million in foreign markets, bringing its total box office gross to $19.6 million.


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 15% based on 59 reviews, with an average rating is 4.26/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Despite the best efforts of its talented leads, "The Astronaut's Wife" moves at a snail's pace and fails to generate enough intrigue to keep viewers engaged." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 37 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D" on an A+ to F scale.


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: Joe Leydon of "Variety" wrote, ""Rosemary's Baby" gets an extraterrestrial twist in "The Astronaut's Wife", an aggressively stylish but dramatically flaccid drama that plays like an upscale reprise of a '50s sci-fi potboiler," while Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly" rated it C+ and wrote, "The movie is far from incompetent; it simply has too few surprises to justify its indulgent atmosphere of malignant revelation." Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" wrote that the direction was better than she expected but the writing was "ridiculously derivative," while Mick LaSalle of "The San Francisco Chronicle" stated, "The movie might not be perfect, but it deserved better than to be dumped into theaters. I rather enjoyed it." Kevin Thomas of the "Los Angeles Times" described it as "a moderately diverting thriller that builds suspense and entertains effectively".


title: The Astronaut's Wife

text: "The Astronaut's Wife" was nominated for Best Film at the Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival in 1999.


title: Malavika Menon

text: Malavika Menon (born 6 March 1998) is an Indian actress who works in Malayalam and Tamil films mainly in supporting roles.


title: Malavika Menon

text: She made her career debut in 2012 with the film "916". She went on to play minor supporting roles before beginning to land starring roles later in 2012.


title: Paul LaCamera

text: Paul Joseph LaCamera (born September 4, 1963) is a United States Army four-star general and infantry officer who serves as commander of the United Nations Command, ROK/US Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea since July 2, 2021. LaCamera most recently served as commanding general of United States Army Pacific from November 18, 2019 to June 3, 2021. He previously served as the commanding general of XVIII Airborne Corps. His other assignments include the commander of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and as the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division. LaCamera is a native of Westwood, Massachusetts. He was nominated to replace General Robert Abrams as the next commander of United Nations Command, R.O.K.-U.S. Combined Forces Command, and U.S. Forces Korea, on December 2, 2020, however his nomination was returned to the president on January 3, 2021, without action. He was renominated on April 27, 2021.


title: Paul LaCamera

text: LaCamera was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1985. He served as rifle platoon leader with C Company, 3d Battalion (Airborne), 504th Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division. Later he served as Company commander, 4th Ranger Training Battalion, Ranger Training Brigade, Operations Officer, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 2d Infantry Division and Executive Officer, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. From February 2001 to May 2003, he commanded the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division (Light), which deployed as part of Operation Anaconda to Afghanistan. LaCamera then took command of the 3d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia from June 2003 to May 2004. Lacamera graduated from College of Naval Warfare, Naval War College located at Newport, Rhode Island in June 2005 before taking command of the 75th Ranger Regiment from August 2005 to August 2007. Following this command, he became the Director of Operations, Joint Special Operations Command from 2007 to 2009. In 2009, he became the Assistant Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command. From 2010 to 2012, LaCamera served as the Deputy Commanding General (Operations), 25th Infantry Division. He later served as commanding general XVIII Airborne Corps and commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.


title: Paul LaCamera

text: LaCamera's sister Trese is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who was the wife of Major general Jeffrey L. Bannister.


title: Paul LaCamera

text: LaCamera earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, the Army War College, the Naval War College, and the Senior Service College Fellowship Course.


title: Luka (song)

text: "Luka" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, released as the second single from her second studio album, "Solitude Standing" (1987), in May 1987. It remains her highest-charting hit in the United States, reaching 3 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Worldwide, the song charted the highest in Sweden, peaking at No. 2, and reached the top 10 in Austria, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. Shawn Colvin sings background vocals on the record.


title: Luka (song)

text: "Luka" earned Vega nominations at the 1988 Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Vega also recorded a Spanish-language version of the song, included on the single release.


title: Luka (song)

text: The song deals with the issue of child abuse. On a 1987 Swedish television special, Vega revealed her inspiration for Luka:


title: Luka (song)

text: In a Dutch video documentary by "Top 2000 à gogo" in December 2018, Vega spoke about the meaning of the song:


title: Luka (song)

text: The accompanying music video for "Luka" was directed by Michael Patterson and Candice Reckinge. It was shot over three days in New York City. The part of Luka was played by actor Jason Cerbone (who years later played Jackie Aprile Jr. on the series "The Sopranos"), who was chosen after the directors auditioned more than 90 children for the part.


title: Luka (song)

text: During a 2012 episode of BBC Radio 4's "Mastertapes", Vega revealed that she had written a follow-up to "Luka", from the point of view of the character as he looked back on his life. The song, titled "Song of the Stoic", later appeared on her eighth studio album "Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles" (2014).


title: The Robe (film)

text: The Robe is a 1953 American fictional Biblical epic film that tells the story of a Roman military tribune who commands the unit that is responsible for the Crucifixion of Jesus. The film was released by 20th Century Fox and was the first film released in the widescreen process CinemaScope. Like other early CinemaScope films, "The Robe" was shot with Henri Chrétien's original Hypergonar anamorphic lenses.


title: The Robe (film)

text: The film was directed by Henry Koster and produced by Frank Ross. The screenplay was adapted by Gina Kaus, Albert Maltz, and Philip Dunne — although Maltz's place among the blacklisted Hollywood 10 led to his being denied his writing credit for many years — from Lloyd C. Douglas's 1942 novel. The score was composed by Alfred Newman, and the cinematography was by Leon Shamroy.


title: The Robe (film)

text: The film stars Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, and Michael Rennie and co-stars Dean Jagger, Jay Robinson, Richard Boone, and Jeff Morrow. The 1954 sequel, "Demetrius and the Gladiators", picks up exactly where "The Robe" ends.


title: The Robe (film)

text: Roman tribune Marcellus Gallio, on the way to a gladiator auction, helps catch runaway defiant Greek slave Demetrius, then at the auction site is reunited with childhood love Diana (now ward of Emperor Tiberius), who has been pledged in marriage to the regent Caligula, with whom Marcellus has a longstanding feud. Marcellus outbids Caligula in an auction for Demetrius, whom Marcellus wins and sets free, yet Demetrius remains honor bound to Marcellus and becomes his household servant. That evening, Caligula vengefully assigns Marcellus a military transfer to Jerusalem; before Marcellus leaves, he and Diana pledge their love and reaffirm their promise from youth to one day marry, as Diana will not allow her marriage to Caligula.


title: The Robe (film)

text: Accompanied by Demetrius and centurion Paulus, Marcellus arrives in Jerusalem on the same day Jesus, a man hailed as the Messiah, enters the city. Demetrius feels compelled to follow this man and later learns of the plot to arrest him; he attempts to warn Jesus but is told by a distraught man that he has already been arrested. Demetrius implores Marcellus to intercede, but the procurator Pontius Pilate has already condemned Jesus to death and orders Marcellus to take charge of the crucifixion.


title: The Robe (film)

text: Shortly after the crucifixion, Marcellus wins Jesus's robe from Paulus in a dice game on Calvary, but when he uses it to shield himself from rain, it causes him sudden, intense pain. Demetrius denounces Marcellus and the Roman Empire and leaves with the robe. Marcellus, now haunted by nightmares of the crucifixion, reports back to Tiberius at Capri, where the emperor's soothsayer says that the robe is cursed and has begun to work its dark magic. Tiberius gives Marcellus an imperial commission to find and destroy the robe as well as the followers of Jesus. At Diana's request, Tiberius leaves her free to marry Marcellus, provided he successfully returns from his commission and cures himself of his madness.


title: The Robe (film)

text: Marcellus travels to Cana, whose inhabitants believe Jesus has risen from the dead. Marcellus learns from a weaver, Justus, that Demetrius has arrived at the village and confronts him at an inn, where he is unable to destroy the robe. Demetrius says the robe has no real power and it is Marcellus' guilt over killing an innocent man that has caused his troubles. Justus is killed by Paulus, who informs Marcellus that Caligula has succeeded Tiberius as emperor and his original orders are no longer valid. Marcellus defeats Paulus in a duel and is invited by the fisherman Simon Peter to join Demetrius and him as missionaries. After confessing his role in Jesus' death, Marcellus pledges his life to Jesus and their missionary journey takes them to Rome, where Caligula has proscribed them.


title: The Robe (film)

text: In Rome, Caligula informs Diana that Marcellus has become a traitor to Rome by indulging his madness and proceeds to have Demetrius captured and tortured. The slave Marcipor helps reunite Marcellus and Diana, who attempt to rescue Demetrius, but he is mortally wounded through torture. Demetrius is brought to the house of Gallio where he is healed by Peter, and Marcellus' father disowns his son as an enemy of Rome. Caligula, learning that Demetrius was rescued, orders Marcellus to be brought before him to stand trial. Marcellus and Demetrius attempt to flee but Marcellus gives himself up so Demetrius can escape. Diana visits Marcellus in his holding cell and pleads with him to say what is necessary during his trial, but Marcellus will not deny Jesus.


title: The Robe (film)

text: At his trial, Marcellus admits to being a follower of Jesus but denies that he and his friends are plotting against the state. Caligula condemns Marcellus to death unless he denounces his beliefs that Jesus is the son of God and rose from the dead, but Marcellus defies him. Diana stands with Marcellus and denounces Caligula, who condemns Diana to die alongside Marcellus. As they depart the audience hall for their execution, Marcellus is pitied by his forlorn father and Diana gives the robe to Marcipor. The two are led from the hall and prepare for an eternal life together in heaven.


title: The Robe (film)

text: Despite the careful attention to Roman history and culture displayed in the film, some inaccuracies are included: in reality, Emperor Tiberius' wife, Julia, who had been banished from Rome by her father Augustus years before Tiberius acceded to the imperial throne, was already dead.


title: The Robe (film)

text: Caligula did not systematically persecute Christians, as indicated in the movie (Roman soldiers killing Justus in Cana). The first persecution of Christians organized by the Roman government was under the emperor Nero in 64 AD after the Great Fire of Rome and took place entirely within the city of Rome.


title: The Robe (film)

text: "The Robe" was originally announced for filming by RKO in the 1940s and was set to be directed by Mervyn LeRoy, but the rights were eventually sold to Twentieth Century Fox. Ross received $40,000 plus 20% of the profits. RKO received $300,000 plus $650,000 from future profits.


title: The Robe (film)

text: Jeff Chandler was originally announced for the role of Demetrius. Victor Mature signed in December 1952 to make both "The Robe" and a sequel about Demetrius. John Buckmaster tested for the role of Caligula.


title: The Robe (film)

text: The film was advertised as "the modern miracle you see without glasses", a dig at the 3D movies of the day. Since many theaters of the day were not equipped to show a CinemaScope film, two versions of "The Robe" were made: one in the standard screen ratio of the day, the other in the widescreen process. Setups and some dialogue differ between the versions. The film was usually shown on television using the standard 1.33:1 aspect ratio version that fills a standard television screen rather than the CinemaScope version. American Movie Classics may have been the first to offer telecasts of the widescreen version. Recent DVDs and Blu-ray Discs of the film, however, present the film in the original widescreen format, as well as the multitrack stereophonic soundtrack.


title: The Robe (film)

text: Critical reaction of the film and CinemaScope following the premiere in New York was generally favourable. Frank Quinn of the "New York Daily Mirror" called it "a new realistic and phenomenal concept of the art of motion picture production." Kate Cameron at the "'New York Daily News" gave it eight stars (four for the film and four for CinemaScope) and claimed that "any picture projected on a flat screen...is going to seem dull" after "The Robe". The only criticism came from Bosley Crowther of "The New York Times" who wrote, "The human drama of this story of Christian conversion occurs amid sumptuous and scenic surroundings and are mighty impressive to see. But the mightiness of surroundings—the spectacle of settings and costumes—is meaningful only in relation to the story that is being told. And the story in this instance is not spectacular, so that the amplitude of its surroundings does not enhance its scope." "Variety" wrote, "It is a 'big' picture in every sense of the word. One magnificent scene after another, under the anamorphic technique, unveils the splendor that was Rome and the turbulence that was Jerusalem at the time of Christ on Calvary."


title: The Robe (film)

text: Edwin Schallert of the "Los Angeles Times" stated that the film was in "a class that is unique, deeply spiritual and even awe-inspiring." Richard L. Coe of "The Washington Post" wrote, "Partly through the writing, partly through the variety of acting styles, this reverence does not stir the emotions. It is very hard to take seriously a film which presents so petulantly obvious a performance as Jay Robinson's sophomoric Caligula or a script which early observes: 'You have made me the laughing stock of Rome.' These and matters like them are not aspects of fine motion picture making." "Harrison's Reports" declared, "Excellent! Even if it had been produced in the conventional 2-D form, Lloyd C. Douglas' powerful novel of the birth of Christianity in the days of ancient Rome would have made a great picture, but having been produced in the revolutionary CinemaScope process, it emerges as not only a superior dramatic achievement but also as a spectacle that will electrify audiences with its overpowering scope and magnitude." "The Monthly Film Bulletin" called it "a routine addition to the numerous Hollywood Biblical films", presenting "a characteristically distorted and simplified view of Imperial Rome, with a ranting Caligula, a doddering Tiberius, and the customary scenes of 'spectacle' in the palace, the market-place and the torture chamber. The performances lack enthusiasm, and Richard Burton in particular seems ill at ease as the morose Marcellus." Basil Wright wrote in "Sight & Sound", "As a film on a religious subject, Henry Koster's "The Robe" has rather fewer lapses in taste than most of its predecessors. If the actual speaking of Christ's cry from the Cross is a major error, it is not multiplied. In general, the subject is treated with reasonable reverence and is a deal better than "Quo Vadis", which was a perfect illustration of Aristotle's remark about the ludicrous being merely a sub-division of the ugly."


title: The Robe (film)

text: The film premiered at the Roxy Theatre in New York City on September 16, 1953. On its public release the following day it set a record one-day gross (for a single theatre) of $36,000. It set a one-week record gross (for a single theatre) of $264,427.


title: The Robe (film)

text: It earned an estimated $17.5 million in North America during its initial theatrical release. Its worldwide rentals were estimated at $32 million.


title: The Robe (film)

text: ABC paid a record $2 million for the television rights, sponsored by Ford, for four screenings in the United States. The film was first telecast on Easter weekend on Sunday 26, March 1967, at the relatively early hour of 7:00 P.M., EST, to allow for family viewing. In a highly unusual move, the film was shown with only one commercial break – a luxury not even granted to the then-annual telecasts of "The Wizard of Oz". The film received a Nielsen rating of 31.0 and an audience share of 53%, with the second largest TV audience for a film, behind "The Bridge on the River Kwai", with 60 million viewers.


title: The Robe (film)

text: The film was released on VHS and DVD on October 16, 2001. It was released on Blu-ray on March 17, 2009.


title: The Robe (film)

text: The elaborate poster for the film has one glaring flaw. The woman's face is "not" Jean Simmons. Originally, Jean Peters had been cast as Diana, but became pregnant. Simmons was hired to replace her. But the poster was not changed, and shows the wrong Jean.


title: The Robe (film)

text: The film's successful and highly praised sequel, "Demetrius and the Gladiators" (1954), featured Victor Mature in the title role. "Demetrius and the Gladiators" begins with Caligula's challenge to Marcellus and Diana as they climb the stairs to their execution. Filming was completed before "The Robe" was released.


title: The Robe (film)

text: In the first episode "Openings" of "The Queen's Gambit" miniseries series, the film is playing for the staff and wards of the Mathuen orphanage, and the final chorus of Alleluia provides a diegetic source of music while Beth breaks into the dispensary and overdoses.


title: Princess Salma bint Abdullah

text: Princess Salma bint Abdullah (; born 26 September 2000) is the second daughter and third child of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan.


title: Princess Salma bint Abdullah

text: Princess Salma is part of the Hashemite family. She attended the 'IAA' (International Amman Academy) as a twelfth–grade student. Princess Salma graduated from the IAA on 22 May 2018. In November 2018, Princess Salma graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. She graduated from a short commissioning course, and became the first female jet pilot in the Jordanian Armed Forces in 2020.


title: Marketing research

text: Marketing research is the systematic gathering, recording, and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data about issues relating to marketing products and services. The goal is to identify and assess how changing elements of the marketing mix impacts customer behavior.


title: Marketing research

text: This involves specifying the data required to address these issues, then designing the method for collecting information, managing and implementing the data collection process. After analyzing the data collected, these results and findings, including their implications, are forwarded to those empowered to act on them.


title: Marketing research

text: Market research, marketing research, and marketing are a sequence of business activities; sometimes these are handled informally.


title: Marketing research

text: The field of "marketing research" is much older than that of "market research". Although both involve consumers, "Marketing" research is concerned specifically about marketing processes, such as advertising effectiveness and salesforce effectiveness, while "market" research is concerned specifically with markets and distribution. Two explanations given for confusing "Market research" with "Marketing research" are the similarity of the terms and also that Market Research is a subset of Marketing Research. Further confusion exists because of major companies with expertise and practices in both areas.


title: Marketing research

text: Consumer marketing research is a form of applied sociology that concentrates on understanding the preferences, attitudes, and behaviors of consumers in a market-based economy, and it aims to understand the effects and comparative success of marketing campaigns.


title: Marketing research

text: Thus, marketing research may also be described as the systematic and objective identification, collection, analysis, and dissemination of information for the purpose of assisting management in decision making related to the identification and solution of problems and opportunities in marketing. The goal of market research is to obtain and provide management with viable information about the market (e.g. competitors), consumers, the product/service itself etc.


title: Marketing research

text: The purpose of marketing research (MR) is to provide management with relevant, accurate, reliable, valid, and up to date market information. Competitive marketing environment and the ever-increasing costs attributed to poor decision making require that marketing research provide sound information. Sound decisions are not based on gut feeling, intuition, or even pure judgment.


title: Marketing research

text: Managers make numerous strategic and tactical decisions in the process of identifying and satisfying customer needs. They make decisions about potential opportunities, target market selection, MARKETING segmentation, planning and implementing marketing programs, marketing performance, and control. These decisions are complicated by interactions between the controllable marketing variables of product, pricing, promotion, and distribution. Further complications are added by uncontrollable environmental factors such as general economic conditions, technology, public policies and laws, political environment, competition, and social and cultural changes. Another factor in this mix is the complexity of consumers. Marketing research helps the marketing manager link the marketing variables with the environment and the consumers. It helps remove some of the uncertainty by providing relevant information about the marketing variables, environment, and consumers. In the absence of relevant information, consumers' response to marketing programs cannot be predicted reliably or accurately. Ongoing marketing research programs provide information on controllable and non-controllable factors and consumers; this information enhances the effectiveness of decisions made by marketing managers.


title: Marketing research

text: Traditionally, marketing researchers were responsible for providing the relevant information and marketing decisions were made by the managers. However, the roles are changing and marketing researchers are becoming more involved in decision making, whereas marketing managers are becoming more involved with research. The role of marketing research in managerial decision making is explained further using the framework of the DECIDE model.


title: Marketing research

text: Evidence for commercial research being gathered informally dates to the Medieval period. In 1380, the German textile manufacturer, Johann Fugger, travelled from Augsburg to Graben in order to gather information on the international textile industry. He exchanged detailed letters on trade conditions in relevant areas. Although, this type of information would have been termed "commercial intelligence" at the time, it created a precedent for the systemic collection of marketing information.


title: Marketing research

text: During the European age of discovery, industrial houses began to import exotic, luxury goods - calico cloth from India, porcelain, silk and tea from China, spices from India and South-East Asia and tobacco, sugar, rum and coffee from the New World. International traders began to demand information that could be used for marketing decisions. During this period, Daniel Defoe, a London merchant, published information on trade and economic resources of England and Scotland. Defoe was a prolific publisher and among his many publications are titles devoted to the state of trade including; "Trade of Britain Stated," (1707); "Trade of Scotland with France," (1713) and "The Trade to India Critically and Calmly Considered," (1720) - all of which provided merchants and traders with important information on which to base business decisions.


title: Marketing research

text: Until the late 18th-century, European and North-American economies were characterised by local production and consumption. Produce, household goods and tools were produced by local artisans or farmers with exchange taking place in local markets or fairs. Under these conditions, the need for marketing information was minimal. However, the rise of mass-production following the industrial revolution, combined with improved transportation systems of the early 19th-century, led to the creation of national markets and ultimately, stimulated the need for more detailed information about customers, competitors, distribution systems, and market communications.


title: Marketing research

text: By the 19th-century, manufacturers were exploring ways to understand the different market needs and behaviours of groups of consumers. A study of the German book trade found examples of both product differentiation and market segmentation as early as the 1820s. From the 1880s, German toy manufacturers were producing models of tin toys for specific geographic markets; London omnibuses and ambulances destined for the British market; French postal delivery vans for Continental Europe and American locomotives intended for sale in America. Such activities suggest that sufficient market information was collected to support detailed market segmentation.


title: Marketing research

text: In 1895, American advertising agency, N. H. Ayer & Son, used telegraph to contact publishers and state officials throughout the country about grain production, in an effort to construct an advertising schedule for client, Nichols-Shephard company, an agricultural machinery company in what many scholars believe is the first application of marketing research to solve a marketing/ advertising problem)


title: Marketing research

text: Between 1902 and 1910, George B Waldron, working at Mahin's Advertising Agency in the United States used tax registers, city directories and census data to show advertisers the proportion of educated vs illiterate consumers and the earning capacity of different occupations in a very early example of simple market segmentation. In 1911 Charles Coolidge Parlin was appointed as the Manager of the Commercial Research Division of the Advertising Department of the Curtis Publishing Company, thereby establishing the first in-house market research department - an event that has been described as marking the beginnings of organised marketing research. His aim was to turn market research into a science. Parlin published a number of studies of various product-markets including agriculture (1911); consumer goods (c.1911); department store lines (1912) a five-volume study of automobiles (1914).


title: Marketing research

text: In 1924 Paul Cherington improved on primitive forms of demographic market segmentation when he developed the 'ABCD' household typology; the first socio-demographic segmentation tool. By the 1930s, market researchers such as Ernest Dichter recognised that demographics alone were insufficient to explain different marketing behaviours and began exploring the use of lifestyles, attitudes, values, beliefs and culture to segment markets.


title: Marketing research

text: In the first three decades of the 20th century, advertising agencies and marketing departments developed the basic techniques used in quantitative and qualitative research – survey methods, questionnaires, gallup polls etc. As early as 1901, Walter B Scott was undertaking experimental research for the Agate Club of Chicago. In 1910, George B Waldron was carrying out qualitative research for Mahins Advertising Agency. In 1919, the first book on commercial research was published, "Commercial Research: An Outline of Working Principles" by Professor C.S. Duncan of the University of Chicago.


title: Marketing research

text: Adequate knowledge of consumer preferences was a key to survival in the face of increasingly competitive markets. By the 1920s, advertising agencies, such as J Walter Thompson (JWT), were conducting research on the "how" and "why" consumers used brands, so that they could recommend appropriate advertising copy to manufacturers.


title: Marketing research

text: The advent of commercial radio in the 1920s, and television in the 1940s, led a number of market research companies to develop the means to measure audience size and audience composition. In 1923, Arthur Nielsen founded market research company, A C Nielsen and over next decade pioneered the measurement of radio audiences. He subsequently applied his methods to the measurement of television audiences. Around the same time, Daniel Starch developed measures for testing advertising copy effectiveness in print media (newspapers and magazines), and these subsequently became known as Starch scores (and are still used today).


title: Marketing research

text: During, the 1930s and 1940s, many of the data collection methods, probability sampling methods, survey methods, questionnaire design and key metrics were developed. By the 1930s, Ernest Dichter was pioneering the focus group method of qualitative research. For this, he is often described as the 'father of market research.' Dichter applied his methods on campaigns for major brands including Chrysler, Exxon/Esso where he used methods from psychology and cultural anthropology to gain consumer insights. These methods eventually lead to the development of "motivational research." Marketing historians refer to this period as the "Foundation Age" of market research.


title: Marketing research

text: By the 1930s, the first courses on marketing research were taught in universities and colleges. The text-book, "Market Research and Analysis" by Lyndon O. Brown (1937) became one of the popular textbooks during this period. As the number of trained research professionals proliferated throughout the second half of the 20th-century, the techniques and methods used in marketing research became increasingly sophisticated. Marketers, such as Paul Green, were instrumental in developing techniques such as conjoint analysis and multidimensional scaling, both of which are used in positioning maps, market segmentation, choice analysis and other marketing applications.


title: Marketing research

text: Web analytics were born out of the need to track the behavior of site visitors and, as the popularity of e-commerce and web advertising grew, businesses demanded details on the information created by new practices in web data collection, such as click-through and exit rates. As the Internet boomed, websites became larger and more complex and the possibility of two-way communication between businesses and their consumers became a reality. Provided with the capacity to interact with online customers, Researchers were able to collect large amounts of data that were previously unavailable, further propelling the marketing research industry.


title: Marketing research

text: In the new millennium, as the Internet continued to develop and websites became more interactive, data collection and analysis became more commonplace for those marketing research firms whose clients had a web presence. With the explosive growth of the online marketplace came new competition for companies; no longer were businesses merely competing with the shop down the road — competition was now represented by a global force. Retail outlets were appearing online and the previous need for bricks-and-mortar stores was diminishing at a greater pace than online competition was growing. With so many online channels for consumers to make purchases, companies needed newer and more compelling methods, in combination with messages that resonated more effectively, to capture the attention of the average consumer.


title: Marketing research

text: Having access to web data did not automatically provide companies with the rationale behind the behavior of users visiting their sites, which provoked the marketing research industry to develop new and better ways of tracking, collecting and interpreting information. This led to the development of various tools like online focus groups and pop-up or website intercept surveys. These types of services allowed companies to dig deeper into the motivations of consumers, augmenting their insights and utilizing this data to drive market share.


title: Marketing research

text: As information around the world became more accessible, increased competition led companies to demand more of market researchers. It was no longer sufficient to follow trends in web behavior or track sales data; companies now needed access to consumer behavior throughout the entire purchase process. This meant the Marketing Research Industry, again, needed to adapt to the rapidly changing needs of the marketplace, and to the demands of companies looking for a competitive edge.


title: Marketing research

text: Today, marketing research has adapted to innovations in technology and the corresponding ease with which information is available. B2B and B2C companies are working hard to stay competitive and they now demand both quantitative (“What”) and qualitative (“Why?”) marketing research in order to better understand their target audience and the motivations behind customer behaviors.


title: Marketing research

text: This demand is driving marketing researchers to develop new platforms for interactive, two-way communication between their firms and consumers. Mobile devices such as Smart Phones are the best example of an emerging platform that enables businesses to connect with their customers throughout the entire buying process.


title: Marketing research

text: As personal mobile devices become more capable and widespread, the marketing research industry will look to further capitalize on this trend. Mobile devices present the perfect channel for research firms to retrieve immediate impressions from buyers and to provide their clients with a holistic view of the consumers within their target markets, and beyond. Now, more than ever, innovation is the key to success for Marketing Researchers. Marketing Research Clients are beginning to demand highly personalized and specifically-focused products from the marketing research firms; big data is great for identifying general market segments, but is less capable of identifying key factors of niche markets, which now defines the competitive edge companies are looking for in this mobile-digital age.


title: Marketing research

text: First, marketing "research is systematic". Thus systematic planning is required at all the stages of the marketing research process. The procedures followed at each stage are methodologically sound, well documented, and, as much as possible, planned in advance. Marketing research uses the scientific method in that data are collected and analyzed to test prior notions or hypotheses. Experts in marketing research have shown that studies featuring multiple and often competing hypotheses yield more meaningful results than those featuring only one dominant hypothesis.


title: Marketing research

text: Marketing research is "objective". It attempts to provide accurate information that reflects a true state of affairs. It should be conducted impartially. While research is always influenced by the researcher's research philosophy, it should be free from the personal or political biases of the researcher or the management. Research which is motivated by personal or political gain involves a breach of professional standards. Such research is deliberately biased so as to result in predetermined findings. The objective nature of marketing research underscores the importance of ethical considerations. Also, researchers should always be objective with regard to the selection of information to be featured in reference texts because such literature should offer a comprehensive view on marketing. Research has shown, however, that many marketing textbooks do not feature important principles in marketing research.


title: Marketing research

text: Organizations engage in marketing research for two reasons: firstly, to identify and, secondly, to solve marketing problems. This distinction serves as a basis for classifying marketing research into problem identification research and problem solving research.


title: Marketing research

text: Problem identification research is undertaken to help identify problems which are, perhaps, not apparent on the surface and yet exist or are likely to arise in the future like company image, market characteristics, sales analysis, short-range forecasting, long range forecasting, and business trends research. Research of this type provides information about the marketing environment and helps diagnose a problem. For example, the findings of problem solving research are used in making decisions which will solve specific marketing problems.


title: Marketing research

text: The Stanford Research Institute, on the other hand, conducts an annual survey of consumers that is used to classify persons into homogeneous groups for segmentation purposes. The National Purchase Diary panel (NPD) maintains the largest diary panel in the United States.


title: Marketing research

text: Standardized services are research studies conducted for different client firms but in a standard way. For example, procedures for measuring advertising effectiveness have been standardized so that the results can be compared across studies and evaluative norms can be established. The Starch Readership Survey is the most widely used service for evaluating print advertisements; another well-known service is the Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies. These services are also sold on a syndicated basis.


title: Marketing research

text: All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research.


title: Marketing research

text: There are two main sources of data — primary and secondary. Primary research is conducted from scratch. It is original and collected to solve the problem in hand. Secondary research already exists since it has been collected for other purposes. It is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else. Secondary research costs far less than primary research, but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher.


title: Marketing research

text: A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research. Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation. It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution. Conclusive research draws conclusions: the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population.


title: Marketing research

text: Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research. It may serve as the input to conclusive research. Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews, reviewing literature or books, discussing with experts, etc. This is unstructured and qualitative in nature. If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose, a convenience sample of small size can be collected. Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem. It is essentially, structured and quantitative research, and the output of this research is the input to management information systems (MIS).


title: Marketing research

text: Exploratory research is also conducted to simplify the findings of the conclusive or descriptive research, if the findings are very hard to interpret for the marketing managers.


title: Marketing research

text: Researchers often use more than one research design. They may start with secondary research to get background information, then conduct a focus group (qualitative research design) to explore the issues. Finally they might do a full nationwide survey (quantitative research design) in order to devise specific recommendations for the client.


title: Marketing research

text: Business to business (B2B) research is inevitably more complicated than consumer research. Researchers need to know what type of multi-faceted approach will answer the objectives, since seldom is it possible to find the answers using only one method. Finding the right respondents is crucial in B2B research, since they are often busy, and may not want to participate. Respondents may also be biased on a particular topic. Encouraging them to “open up” is yet another skill required of the B2B researcher. Last but not least, most business research leads to strategic decisions and this means that the business researcher must have expertise in developing strategies that are strongly rooted in the research findings and acceptable to the client.


title: Marketing research

text: There are four key factors that make B2B market research special and different from consumer markets:


title: Marketing research

text: International Marketing Research follows the same path as domestic research, but there are a few more problems that may arise. Customers in international markets may have very different customs, cultures, and expectations from the same company. In this case, Marketing Research relies more on primary data rather than secondary information. Gathering the primary data can be hindered by language, literacy and access to technology.


title: Marketing research

text: Basic Cultural and Market intelligence information will be needed to maximize the research effectiveness. Some of the steps that would help overcoming barriers include:


title: Marketing research

text: Market research techniques resemble those used in political polling and social science research. Meta-analysis (also called the Schmidt-Hunter technique) refers to a statistical method of combining data from multiple studies or from several types of studies. Conceptualization means the process of converting vague mental images into definable concepts. Operationalization is the process of converting concepts into specific observable behaviors that a researcher can measure. Precision refers to the exactness of any given measure. Reliability refers to the likelihood that a given operationalized construct will yield the same results if re-measured. Validity refers to the extent to which a measure provides data that captures the meaning of the operationalized construct as defined in the study. It asks, “Are we measuring what we intended to measure?”


title: Marketing research

text: Some of the positions available in marketing research include vice president of marketing research, research director, assistant director of research, project manager, field work director, statistician/data processing specialist, senior analyst, analyst, junior analyst and operational supervisor.


title: Marketing research

text: The most common entry-level position in marketing research for people with bachelor's degrees (e.g., BBA) is as operational supervisor. These people are responsible for supervising a well-defined set of operations, including field work, data editing, and coding, and may be involved in programming and data analysis. Another entry-level position for BBAs is assistant project manager. An assistant project manager will learn and assist in questionnaire design, review field instructions, and monitor timing and costs of studies. In the marketing research industry, however, there is a growing preference for people with master's degrees. Those with MBA or equivalent degrees are likely to be employed as project managers.


title: Marketing research

text: A small number of business schools also offer a more specialized Master of Marketing Research (MMR) degree. An MMR typically prepares students for a wide range of research methodologies and focuses on learning both in the classroom and the field.


title: Marketing research

text: The typical entry-level position in a business firm would be junior research analyst (for BBAs) or research analyst (for MBAs or MMRs). The junior analyst and the research analyst learn about the particular industry and receive training from a senior staff member, usually the marketing research manager. The junior analyst position includes a training program to prepare individuals for the responsibilities of a research analyst, including coordinating with the marketing department and sales force to develop goals for product exposure. The research analyst responsibilities include checking all data for accuracy, comparing and contrasting new research with established norms, and analyzing primary and secondary data for the purpose of market forecasting.


title: Marketing research

text: As these job titles indicate, people with a variety of backgrounds and skills are needed in marketing research. Technical specialists such as statisticians obviously need strong backgrounds in statistics and data analysis. Other positions, such as research director, call for managing the work of others and require more general skills. To prepare for a career in marketing research, students usually:


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Lisa Read Bloom (née Bray; born September 20, 1961) is an American attorney known for advising Harvey Weinstein amid various sexual abuse allegations, and for representing women whose sexual harassment claims precipitated the firing of Bill O'Reilly from Fox News.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Bloom founded and owns the Bloom Firm, a law firm that has represented clients including Kathy Griffin and Mischa Barton. Bloom was also the anchor of "Lisa Bloom: Open Court" (formerly "Bloom and Politan: Open Court"), a two-hour live legal news program on truTV's "In Session", from 2006 to 2009.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Bloom was born Lisa Read Bray, the daughter of Gloria Bloom (later Allred) and father Peyton Huddleston Bray Jr. Her mother is Jewish. Her parents' marriage was short-lived—they had married and divorced while in college. Peyton Bray, who suffered from bipolar disorder, later killed himself, and Bloom subsequently took her mother's maiden name. When Bloom was seven, her mother married William C. Allred.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Bloom received a bachelor's degree from UCLA, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was National College Debate Champion. She received her J.D. degree from Yale Law School in 1986.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: After graduating from law school, Bloom began her career in New York and by 1991 worked at her mother’s law firm, Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, assisting in unsuccessfully suing the Boy Scouts of America for sex discrimination on behalf of Katrina Yeaw, a girl who wanted to join the organization. While at her mother’s firm, Bloom also filed a child sexual abuse suit against the Roman Catholic Church and sued the LAPD.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: In 2001, Bloom left her mother’s firm, having developed a career in cable news punditry, eventually serving as a legal analyst on CBS News, CNN, HLN, and MSNBC, and appearing on "The Early Show", "The Insider", "Dr. Phil", "Dr. Drew", "The Situation Room", "Reliable Sources", "The Joy Behar Show", "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell", and "The Stephanie Miller Show". Bloom returned to practicing law in 2010 when she founded the Bloom Firm, a small, general-practice law firm that handles family, civil and criminal matters. She is licensed to practice law in both New York and California.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: At the Bloom Firm, Bloom has represented several notable clients, including model and actress Janice Dickinson in her defamation case against comedian Bill Cosby, as well as model and actress Mischa Barton in her revenge porn case. Model Blac Chyna later hired Bloom to obtain a temporary restraining order against socialite Rob Kardashian, with whom Chyna shares a daughter, Dream. Amid a series of sexual abuse allegations against powerful men in entertainment and media, and following a BuzzFeed report detailing a sexual harassment settlement paid out of Representative John Conyers’ office budget, Bloom represented Marion Brown, who spoke to BuzzFeed off the record and later came forward publicly to allege harassment by Conyers.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: In 2017 Bloom represented three women accusing then-Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly of sexual harassment. Jehmu Greene, a television commentator who had appeared on Fox News, also approached Bloom with sexual harassment allegations against O'Reilly, although she ultimately declined Bloom's services. One of Bloom's clients, Wendy Walsh, filed the complaint that led Fox News' parent company, 21st Century Fox, to initiate an investigation that resulted in O'Reilly's dismissal and the end of his eponymous program.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Bloom offered to represent four women who alleged sexual misconduct by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. Two of these women came forward publicly with their allegations, including Jill Harth and Lisa Boyne, and two who did not, including a woman from Virginia and another woman who claimed Trump had raped her when she was thirteen years old.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: On November 2, 2016, Bloom canceled a press conference with the unnamed client, saying the client was scared because of death threats. According to Bloom, after this press conference, multiple donors contacted her with offers to cover accusers' relocation and security. Bloom felt an obligation to relay the offers to her clients. The Virginia woman said that donors had offered her as much as $750,000, but that she declined the offer. In a 2017 report, "The New York Times" identified the donors who contacted Bloom as David Brock's American Bridge 21st Century, which offered $200,000, and Susie Tompkins Buell, who offered $500,000.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Bloom received significant media attention after film producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual misconduct in October 2017. While noting that Weinstein "denies many of the accusations as patently false," Bloom acknowledged advising Weinstein on power dynamics and harassment, calling him "an old dinosaur learning new ways." Bloom's advisory role, which she assumed in late 2016, was pilloried for its dissonance with her prior representation of sexual assault victims, with some in the media calling her book adaptation deal with The Weinstein Company, signed during Weinstein's tenure as co-chairman, a conflict of interest.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: On October 7, 2017, two days after the initial article on sexual misconduct in "The New York Times", Bloom stepped down from her advisory role amid mounting public criticism and friction with The Weinstein Company's board. According to emails obtained by "The New York Times", Bloom had weighed responding to allegations against Weinstein with "photos of several of the accusers in very friendly poses with Harvey after his alleged misconduct." Bloom denied plotting to undermine the accusers. "The Daily Beast" later reported that Bloom had offered journalist Ronan Farrow opposition research on one of Weinstein's accusers, Rose McGowan, during his own reporting on Weinstein. In Farrow's 2019 book, he further claims that Bloom would report any information gleaned about his investigation back to Weinstein, and that she admitted to being "his people". A 2019 book by reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey contains a 2016 memo from Bloom, as well as 2017 billing statements for services rendered on Weinstein's behalf. These documents show how Bloom would proactively assist Weinstein in undermining his accusers.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Shortly after resigning from Weinstein's team, Bloom fell victim to "email prankster" James Linton masquerading as Weinstein. In reply to the prankster, Bloom wrote that "[t]he new round of far more serious allegations were not made known to me". "Variety" later reported that Bloom "was only aware of accusations of verbal remarks, behaviors, and temper tantrums" when she began advising Weinstein, and was unaware of more serious allegations of rape and sexual assault. Within weeks of the initial report in "The New York Times", Bloom publicly apologized for her role advising Weinstein.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Bloom also represented former Amazon Studios president Roy Price amid sexual harassment allegations, but said her representation of Price concluded before Price's accuser Isa Hackett "went public". "The Daily Beast" reported that Bloom, while representing Price, had attempted to disparage Kim Masters, "The Hollywood Reporter"'s Editor-at-Large, to media outlets considering publishing Masters' report on the allegations against Price. Bloom had allegedly accused Masters of a conflict of interest for badgering Price to advertise on her KCRW show, a charge Masters denied.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Following a controversial 2017 photo shoot in which comedienne Kathy Griffin clenched a severed and bloodied mask that resembled the face of President Donald Trump, Bloom held a joint press conference with Griffin, then her client, to address the controversy. Their appearance was widely panned in the media for its self-victimization and lack of focus.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Amid fallout over Bloom's role advising Harvey Weinstein, Griffin posted a Facebook video denouncing Bloom and her husband, Braden Pollock, for "exacerbat[ing] my personal situation". Griffin later publicly asked Bloom to stop calling her and denounced Bloom for "fame-whoring," a criticism of Bloom's proposal for a joint media tour following their joint press conference. According to Griffin, Bloom also charged exorbitant legal fees, which Griffin estimated were $40,000 for two days' representation, including by defense attorney Dmitry Gorin, whom Bloom allegedly hired without Griffin's consent. In response to Griffin's comments, Bloom claimed she "had no idea there was a problem" and released a statement criticizing Griffin for speaking extemporaneously at their press conference. Bloom nevertheless wished Griffin well.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Following Griffin's own comments on Bloom, Tamara Holder, a former Bloom client, and Jehmu Greene, who had considered hiring Bloom, came forward with their own criticisms. Holder had retained Bloom after accusing Fox News Latino Vice President Francisco Cortes of sexual assault. According to Holder, Bloom proposed an initial retainer agreement granting herself 40% of any settlement, as well as a $10,000 retainer fee and reimbursement for any relevant hotel and travel expenses. Although Holder ultimately negotiated a more favorable contract, she criticized Bloom for charging thousands of dollars in extraneous fees, as well as pushing Holder to accept a gag order in her settlement with Fox News. For her part, Greene called Bloom "deceptive" for presenting her with a contract for media representation after a meeting focused primarily on legal services. Bloom responded to both allegations by claiming that "the vast majority of [the Bloom Firm's] clients are delighted with our work".


title: Lisa Bloom

text: In October 2014, Carol Swanson Chitwood (n/k/a Carol Swanson Smith) retained Lisa Bloom and the Bloom Firm to pursue domestic violence claims against her then-husband, Martin Chitwood, a prominent Atlanta attorney, who had sued her for divorce in Atlanta two months earlier. While the divorce was still pending, Bloom filed suit against Martin Chitwood in California asserting domestic violence claims on Carol Chitwood’s behalf. Martin Chitwood denied the allegations, claiming they were a tactic to prevent the enforcement of the parties' prenuptial agreement and force a settlement.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Martin Chitwood refused to settle, and on August 31, 2017, after a five-week civil trial, a twelve-person jury found him not liable for the claim Bloom brought against him. Bloom did not appeal.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Bloom and her firm are representing male model Jason Boyce in his lawsuit against fashion photographer Bruce Weber among other people in New York State Supreme Court in December 2017.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: On May 1, 2020, Bloom posted on Twitter that although she believed Tara Reade was assaulted by the former vice president Joe Biden, she would still support Biden.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Bloom married her current husband, Braden Pollock, on December 5, 2014. Pollock is the founder of Legal Brand Marketing and works as the Bloom Firm's manager. He was formerly on the board of the web services company Epik. Bloom lives with her husband and a foster son in Los Angeles.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Bloom has two adult children, daughter Sarah Wong Bloom and son Samuel "Sam/Sammy" Wong, with her former husband Jim Wong, a LAUSD teacher.


title: Lisa Bloom

text: Bloom has written three books, including "Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World", from 2011, and "Swagger: 10 Urgent Rules for Raising Boys in an Era of Failing Schools, Mass Joblessness, and Thug Culture", from 2012. In early 2017, The Weinstein Company and Jay-Z announced plans to adapt Bloom's 2014 book, "Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It", into a six-part documentary series. The status of the project is unknown following turmoil at the Weinstein Company.


title: Hemipenis

text: A hemipenis (plural hemipenes) is one of a pair of intromittent organs of male squamates (snakes, lizards and worm lizards). Hemipenes are usually held inverted within the body, and are everted for reproduction via erectile tissue, much like that in the human penis. They come in a variety of shapes, depending on species, with ornamentation, such as spines or hooks. The female homologue is the hemiclitoris.


title: Hemipenis

text: The hemipenis is the intromittent organ of squamata, which is the second largest order of vertebrates with over 9000 species distributed around the world. They differ from the intromittent organs of most other amniotes such as mammals, archosaurs and turtles that have a single genital tubercle, as squamates have the paired genitalia remaining separate. Squamate hemipenes also develop from a different cell origin, originating from the same embryonic cells that produce the limbs, whereas mammalian penises arise from the embryonic cells that develop the tail.


title: Hemipenis

text: Much debate continues regarding the evolutionary origin of hemipenes and their relationship to the intromittent organs of other species. However, embryonic and molecular research is beginning to shed light on the origin of the hemipenis.


title: Hemipenis

text: This theory proposes that the single unpaired penis is the ancestral state for amniotes, and that this trait was retained by most amniotes today. A look at the embryonic underpinning of hemipenes and penises of other animals suggests that there are fundamental differences in their developmental stages, particularly their origin of development relative to the embryonic cloaca. Specifically, the hemipenes of squamata are found to develop on the posterior side, while the paired genitals of non-squamata amniota develop on the anterior side. This developmentally significant difference suggests that the two types of penises could have distinct homologies, and it is thought that this could be attributed to variance of signaling genes during embryological development.


title: Hemipenis

text: Hemipenes are also being used to study speciation among squamata, especially in identifying cryptic diversity and understanding taxonomy at a species level. One study conducted in 2015 investigated anole speciation through hemipenis variation, and found that anole hemipenial morphology evolved six times faster than other non-genital morphological features. Such studies can help researchers understand adaptive radiation and recover phylogenetic relationships, especially between species that are morphologically very similar.


title: Hemipenis

text: Hemipenes can be examined on a living snake or lizard by gently squeezing on the tail and massaging towards the vent, which is the cloacal opening on the underside of the tail. This will cause the hemipenis to evert out of the body. However, this method can also make it difficult to identify the sex of a dead specimen if it is damaged or dry.


title: Hemipenis

text: While the presence of hemipenes is an indicator of a specimen being male, its absence should not be immediately inferred as the specimen being female. Juveniles of a species may appear similar in size to mature adults, but possess little-developed hemipenes that might not be easily recognizable. It is also possible to misinterpret the scent gland papillae by the cloaca of the female as a hemipenis, as it can also protrude and be quite large. However, they will be smaller than male hemipenes and have no visible blood vessels, though a red tip may be visible.


title: Hemipenis

text: Hemipenes can be found in a variety of shapes and sizes, but foundationally, have the same general structure. They are made up of two hemipenises tucked under the tail side by side or stacking; bottom and top, with each of the lobes exhibiting a range of ornamentation, including spicules and hooks. Hemipenes also have an outer groove called the sulcus spermaticus, which transports sperm through the outside, rather than the inside, of the organ. This is structurally different from the human penis, which has sperm travel inside the organ through the vas deferens and the urethra.


title: Hemipenis

text: The surface of hemipenes is one of the most interesting and unique features, and is often covered in sharp spines and spicules that are organized in formations called rosettes. However, species with relatively smooth hemipene surfaces also exist. For example, the hemipenis of the Siamese spitting cobra ("Naja siamensis") is smooth with blunt ends, while that of the many-spotted cat-eyed snake ("Boiga multomaculata") is entirely covered in hooked spines and spicules. Yet despite this assortment of hemipenis designs, no association has been found between the design of hemipenes and the disposition or danger of the animal. Rather, it is believed that hemipenes found in the squamate world exhibit such diverse designs to facilitate mating compatibility amongst individuals of the same species, a theory that is referred to as the “lock-and-key mechanism”.


title: Hemipenis

text: The lock-and-key mechanism or hypothesis is the idea that genital morphology has evolved to maintain reproductive isolation between species, by ensuring that mating can only occur between a male and female of the same species. The idea was first postulated in 1844 by French entomologist, Leon Dufour, who observed the diversity of genital morphology among Dipteran flies. It is thought that the physiological differences between species prevents hybridization. The genital lock-and-key mechanism can operate in two ways: by the direct prevention of copulation and insemination due to physical incompatibilities, or by a sensory lock-and-key that induce behavioral responses that disrupt mating attempts. This mechanism is found across the animal kingdom, from Lepidoptera to Squamata.


title: Hemipenis

text: In snakes and lizards, morphological differences in the reproductive organs are believed to exist to help the male copulate with the female. Spikes and hooks are thought to assist the male in fixing the hemipenis in place during mating, and are made specifically compatible to the female of the species. For example, species with branched hemipenes have females with branched cloacas, and species with many spikes have females with thicker cloacal walls, compared to those of species with males having little or no spines. This huge variety among the reproductive organs of squamata is of interest to taxonomists, as it may be able to shed light on evolutionary relationships among reptiles.


title: Hemipenis

text: The function of the ornamentation of the hemipenes is still being explored by researchers, but one study supports the theory that the spines that can be found on many hemipenes is a trait to assist in longer, and hence more successful, reproduction for males. Through surgically removing the large basal spine of the red-sided garter snake, researchers found that while males were still able to mate, the duration of mating and the depth of copulation were much shorter than the unaffected control males, indicating that the spines play a crucial role in the male's ability to mate successfully with the female. Females responded to the male hemipenis with strong vaginal contractions that prevented longer mating. To test that the purpose of the contractions was to shorten mating time, researchers anesthetized the female to prevent the contractions and found that mating did indeed last longer.


title: Hemipenis

text: Often times, female snakes and lizards also have the ability to control whether they get pregnant immediately after mating or not, to account for the fact that the ideal time for mating may not translate to the most optimal time for ovulation and gestation. Consequently, females can store sperm internally for as long as five years, or possibly longer. This phenomenon is known as cryptic female choice, as the physiological mechanisms making this possible are hidden within the body, and the female has the ability to influence when egg fertilization occurs.


title: Hemipenis

text: While the exact mechanism of how the female controls the stored sperm to fertilize her eggs remains unclear, it is believed that the specialized pockets found in the reproductive tract play a key role. As a result, a female can mate with multiple males and choose when to fertilize her eggs. Furthermore, females can also produce offspring that can feature genetic material from multiple males in a single clutch if she mated with more than one male.


title: Hemipenis

text: A product of this system is that males are not guaranteed to successfully reproduce and bear offspring from a single mating. Therefore, it is in their interest to mate with as many females as possible to increase their chance of passing on genetic material. This is one hypothesized reason for males having two penises instead of one: as each hemipenis is associated with one testis and only one side can be used during mating, having a second hemipenis functions as a "backup" and ensures that mating can continue even if one side were to run out of sperm.