Harry Potter and Culture Industry Essay Research Paper Example

Harry Potter and Culture Industry Essay Research Paper Example Harry Potter and Culture Industry Essay Paper Harry Potter and Culture Industry Essay Paper Harry Potter – this name is familiar with all the age groups in the universe today and the ground behind it is good known to all of us. The Harry Potter book series written by a individual female parent J. K. Rowling. who wouldn’t have imagined in her wildest dreams that a narrative she thought of while going in a train. would derive so much popularity. So much so that her character and her name would go a family name across the Earth! J. K. Rowling Harry Potter books came into the market in 1998. The first portion called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone gained a batch of popularity with the childs and easy with the grownups excessively. Due to its immense success it was converted into a gesture image as good and so the first film when on to let go of in the twelvemonth 2001. Subsequently the other parts ( books ) were out in the market and the films started let go ofing every bit good. Of class it was after the colossal success of the initial books that J. K. Rowling was encouraged to compose on the farther parts. So what is it in Harry Potter that attracts so much attending? Or what is it that makes people want to read a 600-700 pages long book once more and once more. This isn’t merely a individual book we are speaking about. but every book in the series is read all over once more by people repeatedly. These books tell us the narrative of an orphan. Harry who lives with his aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon. and non to bury his immense sized cousin Dudely with a nut sized encephalon. He leads a suffering life until the he turns 11. when he realizes that he is really a ace. : He is admitted to the Horgwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So follows his journey of charming experiences. Very alone but waxy characters are introduced in the book in Rowling’s ain manner. The books detailing his experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have bred passion. compulsion. creativeness. and a new or renewed involvement in reading throughout the universe. JK Rowling has created an luxuriant dramatis personae of characters and an environment for them to populate that entreaties to grownups and kids likewise. The fantasy facet of the wizarding universe expands the imaginativeness. and transports the head to new and exciting topographic points ; presenting thaumaturgy opens new kingdoms of possibilities within the secret plans. Anything could go on. Her intricate narratives contain strands of the credible and incredible. changing the predictability that readers normally encounter and endure in fiction. Harry Potter Movie Poster These factors contributed to the â€Å"Harry Potter Phenomena† which really swept across the universe every bit shortly as the film series became immense hits! Young kids started placing with Harry’s shy but brave character. The terrifying Lord Voldemort and how he is after Harry’s life. after holding murdered his parents when Harry was a babe. The artlessness of school life along with the mixture of thaumaturgy. hit children’s heads like the Magic Bullet Theory. wherein. the information seen by audiences hits their heads like slugs and penetrates within. At the same clip. the subjects driving the narratives resonate with authoritative literature. offering mature readers narratives that wear like a comfy brace of places. while presenting younger readers to constructs they will meet throughout their lives. The chief subject of the series is the topic of many theories. including. but non limited to: good versus immorality. bias. love. decease. forfeit. friendly relationship and trueness. In actuality. all of these elements contribute to the dateless nature of the narratives. As and when the books started acquiring truly celebrated with a specific mark audience. the first large spring that was taken to spread out the full Harry Potter construct were the films. When the films were made they went on to snap with the younger every bit good as the older audiences. One portion after the other. the films became darker easy fring the initial happy and bright visual aspect. They now started looking more â€Å"real† and â€Å"practical† . There was a feel of â€Å"there is more to Harry Potter† than what you expect. The screens of all books started holding two versions. one which was bright and the other dark and cryptic so that the books would appeal to grownups as good. Slowly there was Harry Potter everyplace! There was Culture Industry get downing to take topographic point because of the full Harry Potter construct. By Culture Industry we mean that all of a sudden a peculiar thing which is highly popular is produced in forepart of us in many different ways. It is â€Å"claimed† by the several manufacturers that their merchandise is alone and adds more to a peculiar franchise. This construct focuses on media and selling. Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno specify the Culture Industry through its focal point on the media and mass selling. This industry is alone in that it does non reflect economic procedures and basically becomes homogeneous ; therefore. fluctuation is nonmeaningful. The Culture Industry is characterized by three specific thoughts: Monopoly. Mass Production. and Technology. So there is lesser control over production of certain merchandises and lesser control in the market. Hence when a certain merchandise is freshly launched in the market. people rush to buy it and research that peculiar merchandise. So what happens when the freshness of that merchandise wears off? Simple. another merchandise is launched in the market and promoted on its â€Å"unique† belongingss. But the existent gimmick here is that every merchandise is about similar to one another. but it is sold as being different from the old one. Hence people are urged to purchase them. This besides gives them another merchandise in topographic point of the old 1. This is termed as â€Å"Pseudo Singularity† justly intending false uniqueness. This is how the civilization industry besides called as Mass Industry works. When Culture Industry meets something like Harry Potter. what is created is a immense successful mass industry which becomes vastly moneymaking and popular. Besides when the topic is like Harry. who chiefly entreaties to people due to his emotional entreaty. his belief in friendly relationship. love and courage. These are the factors on which assorted merchandises apart from films like ware are publicized to people. There are Harry Potter subject based amusement Parkss. the costumes. competitions to prove your HP cognition. digital games and web sites like Pottermore where you really live Harry’s life. You are sorted into different houses merely like in the book and you face different escapades like Harry. There are things taken from the book which will entertain and divert people. Like the broom used to play the game Quidditch once more an fanciful construct of a game like football but you are really winging on broom handles. Harry Potter wands. cards. chapeaus. spectacless and the celebrated cicatrix which Harry have all became trade goods and we are expected to buy them. The chief aim here is to do people experience like Harry himself. Examples of assorted Harry Potter Merchandise So even if J. K. Rowling has completed her set of books. manufacturers still want to harvest the net incomes from this topic. Hence. even after she officially completed her books. due to enormous response and popular demand she wrote another book where people know what happens after Harry defeats Lord Voldemort and finishes his surveies from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So much is the popularity of Harry Potter. Not merely Harry. but other chief characters like Hermoine and Ron ( Harry’s best friends ) . Professor Dumbledore. Hagrid. Sirius Black etc have gained a connect with the audiences. There is a feeling generated that â€Å"my best friend to necessitate to be like Ron† or â€Å"I wish I could analyze magic† . This feeling of longingness is usurped but the manufacturers to lend more to the civilization industry! These feelings are so used by the people to bring forth more and more net incomes. therefore trips to the palace where Harry Potter was shot are arranged. Though a peculiar location is non used continuously in the films. they keep altering. but so much is the fad that people travel all the manner to Scotland merely to see where their Hero spent this school yearss. All in all a different civilization itself is created and we don’t recognize it. Such is the nature civilization industry and it prevails n today’s universe to a much greater extent. The chief feeling of Love ever triumphs over the evil makes Harry Potter what it is. I would wish to stop my seting in a celebrated commendation in the book- It is our picks that show what we genuinely are. far more than our abilities. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 1999. spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore This is one of the most celebrated quotation marks from the series and justly. it is our picks that make us who we are. Peoples chose to love Harry Potter even though the full construct being fanciful because it has appealed to their Black Marias. It is this emotional factor which makes us give in to the ‘market and producers’ but in the terminal. they are our picks. aren’t they?

Linguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Linguistics - Essay Example Basically, ads in the newspapers are very concise and very informative. It is very important to enable people to read information quickly and correctly. Very often in printed media a strategy of noun-phrases ‘squeezing’ is used, for example: Larger- than- life comedienne Joe Brand (Saks, 2010). This strategy kills two birds with one stone: we save words and we also appeal for the readers attention from the very beginning of our story. In the story from a newspaper, it is possible to see the exact structure. There are the following main elements of the article/story in the newspaper: abstract-setting-complicating action-resolution-coda. Abstract of the story combines the headline and the lead sentence. We provided a piece of text from the newspaper in the Appendix I and it is evident that in the first paragraph attention of readers is grasped for sure. The author introduces a special quote, which proves that his further claims underline the importance of the story. Then the author introduces a subhead, which organizes the story. It is also evident that the author prognosticates further development of events and confirms its reliability. This newspaper article presents the authors different claims as he changes directs speech and indirect speech. Moreover, he introduces another subheading in the middle of the article: "Frozen in Time" and in such a way he attracts attention of the readers and reminds them about din osaurs that are the basic objects of the article. Both, the ideas of detective stories and glimpses of paleontology are combined. With this citation: "You take all these bits of evidence and reconstruct the past" the author draws parallels between the science of paleontology and gives some hints on a detective story. Of course, when we talk about language of media the first thing, which comes to our minds, are original headlines. Very often puns or alliteration are used there as attractors

Organizational Context For Distant Learning System. (ABC Mobiles Essay

Organizational Context For Distant Learning System. (ABC Mobiles context analysis) - Essay Example ABC Mobiles has recently ordered a detailed consultancy report to assess the needs and requirements of their organization for a distant learning system. ABC Mobiles is a renowned supplier of mobile telephones in the region and has a vast network of it regional offices, contractors and franchise partners all around the country. Moreover, the company also exports mobile telephones to many countries around the globe. The company has introduced a vast range of products in the market and has to introduce new products periodically to all partners, stakeholders and customers in order to seize new customers and capture new markets. However, the help and support of all previous products pose a serious challenge to the management and because new products are very frequent, these challenges are a common feature of corporate operations. In order to support all these products support operations the company has to held seminars and workshops to give orientation to the customer and retailers. Besid e the product help and support operations the company launches programs at regular intervals for the training of sales, marketing and technical staff. The company has to incur a lot of expense to conduct these training programs in order to keep its work force vibrant and updated on various developments and advancement being introduced in their respective fields of expertise. Keeping your workforce at educated and updated is the most important requirement in today’s rapidly changing world. Dam (2005) has stressed the same need, when he states, â€Å"The adoption of new technologies, the rapid obsolescence of knowledge, the need for just-in-time learning and the search for cost-effective ways to meet the learning needs of a global workforce have redefined the processes that underlie the design, development and delivery of training and education.† Therefore, learning is an indispensible exercise that ABC Mobiles will have to undertake to keep pace with the changing global learning requirements. A major aspect of modern learning modals is their cost-effective mode of conduct. Organizations despite being aware of the important role of trainings, workshops and courses, tend to cut costs over the training because a major portion of this training expense is drained in transportation, accommodation and other miscellaneous daily expenses of the distant participants of the course or training workshop. Organizations are now moving towards the online trainings, courses, workshops and seminars in order to control the surplus expenses that were not truly educational in nature. â€Å"Online training is growing in popularity and can reach the audiences in a very cost effective manner. Online training allows for customization of location, language, employee function and subject matter.† (Biegelman & Daniel, 2008, p. 192). This changed learning modal is extensively applicable in ABC Mobiles. The ABC Mobiles can exploit flexibility and ease of use that online learning systems can offer. This flexibility can be especially beneficial in organizations like ABC Mobiles that operates round the clock in various time zones and it is usually difficult to schedule a course or training using video conferencing. Online learning systems can deliver these training and courses within selected time slots or at a user request. ABC Mobiles constantly allocates considerable financial and human resources to keep these traditional learning programs running but yet the company is falling far behind in meeting the

The stakeholder relationships in this case, and why they matter Essay - 1

The stakeholder relationships in this case, and why they matter - Essay Example [Also] Any group or individual who can affect or who is affected by achievement of a firms objectives.† The purpose of this paper is to identify the stakeholder relationships in this case and discuss why they matter. The instructions identify five major stakeholder groups in this case, and these are CMC, the Food and Drug Administration, hospitals, operators, and patients. Other groups or subgroups exist, including the public, medical physicists, doctors, engineers, salespeople, Atomic Energy Canada Limited’s managers, other government regulators, AECL, CGR, each medical facility, associations of operators, and CRPB. Now that stakeholders have been identified and further supporting documentation has been reviewed, it is easy to see that the control system on Therac-25 was not adequate for its purposes (ComputingCases, 2008). This case tells the stories of six unfortunate patients who were injured or even faced death because of control failure in the Therac-25. They were Linda Knight, Donna Gartner, Janis Tilman, Isaac Dahl, Daniel McCarthy, and Anders Engman. They are the primary stakeholders that should be considered in this cased as they were either seriously injured or died as a direct result of the actions of some of the other stakeholders (Computing Cases, 2008). The stakeholders who have a business interest in the company which manufactures the machine all hold a duty to the public. Each of the regulatory agencies, the manufacturer of the machine, and the hospital staff owe a duty to the patients. The hospitals in the scenario hold duties both to upholding the requirements of the regulatory agencies and to their employees and those they care for. The operators are responsible for stopping treatment when a patient has been injured, regardless of whether or not a monitor and camera are broken. Medical physicists, doctors, engineers, and salespeople all hold a duty to the public and the patients. Engineers and

With reference to relevant academic and trade sources, explain the Essay

With reference to relevant academic and trade sources, explain the provision of your topic within your chosen destination and suggest how it may develop in the future - Essay Example ilm induced tourism is not new, it is just that it wasnt predicted in the beginning, the movie business was supposed to be about arts and not financial gains for the tourism industry. However it has changed the overall film production business. There is sufficient evidence present that shows by portraying a place in an attractive fashion tourists and visitors would flock to that place. They might have heard about the place before, but seeing it in a movie and especially in the context of the plot, it leaves a unique impact on the audience. This is a form of subliminal advertisement. Since 1935, movies have changed how they impact the audiences. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) was the first movie that attracted huge number of visitors to the location of the shooting (Roesch, 2009, p. 8), and Tahini turned into a major tourist location only because the film was shot there. By the filming of great masterpieces such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Bridge on the River Kwai (1958) and The Sound of Music (1965), their respective locations have turned them into Makkah for tourists. The great upsurge in tourist influx because of Hollywood movies did not come until the release of the blockbuster Jaws (1975). This movie proved that movies can be a marketable commodity, an attraction to lure tourists in to visit the locations shown in the movie. The era of the 70s is also marked by the expansion seen in the Hollywood world by the emergence of production companies like the Walt Disney, Time Warner, and Bertelsmann. These production giants were not only confined to making movies, they started investing in theme parks and other tourist attractions. They realized how the success of the movie can contribute to business of tourism. Suddenly the movies were not only about film production, many factors started going into the production and the eventual outcome of the movie. For instance a movie might not do very good on the box office (the movie Godzilla is an excellent example of this)

Trauma Radiography And Procedure

Trauma Radiography And Procedure Trauma radiography can be an exciting and challenging environment for the radiographer. However the performing trauma procedure can be intimidating and stressful. The difference depends on how prepared the radiographer is to handle the situation. To reduce the stress associated with trauma radiography, the radiographer must be properly prepared for multitude of responsibilities encountered in the emergency room (ER). Trauma is defined as a sudden, unexpected, dramatic, forceful, or violent event. Trauma ranks as the leading cause of death. The term trauma center signifies a specific level of a emergency medical care as defined by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Trauma. Specialized equipment in trauma. Time is a critical element in the care of a trauma patient. To minimize the time required to acquire diagnostic x-ray images, many emergency rooms have dedicated radiographic equipment located in the department or immediately adjacent to the department. Specialized trauma radiographic systems are available and are designed to provide greater greater flexibility in x-ray tube IR maneuverability. These specialized systems help to minimize the movement of the injured patient while performing imaging procedure. Mobile radiography is widely utilized in the emergency room. Many patients will have injuries that prohibit transfer to a radiographic table, or their condition may be too critical to interrupt treatment. Trauma radiographers must be competent in performing mobile radiography on almost any part of the body and be able to utilize accessory devices like a grids, air-gap technique. Its needed to produce quality mobile images. Positioning aids are necessity in trauma radiography. Sponges, sandbags, and the creative use of tape are often the trauma radiographerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s most useful tools. Most trauma patients are unable to hold the required positions as a result of pain or impaired consciousness. Other patients cannot moved into the proper position because to do so would exacerbate their injury. Exposure factors in trauma Patient motion is always a consideration in trauma radiography. The shortest possible exposures time that can be set should be used in every procedure., except when a breathing technique is desired. Unconscious patients are not able to suspend respiration for the exposure. Conscious patients are often in extreme pain and unable to cooperate for the procedure. Radiographic exposure factors compensation may be required when a making exposures through immobilization devices, like a spine board or backboard. Most trauma patient arrive at the hospital with some type of immobilization devices. Pathologic changes should also be considered when setting technical factors. For instance, internal bleeding in the abdominal cavity would absorb a greater amount of radiation than a bowel obstruction. Types on trauma injuries. The some types of trauma injuries is head injuries, spinal injuries, chest injuries, extremity fractures, wounds, burns and also postsurgical complications wound dehiscence. The head injuries is the patients who have to received a blow to the head may have sustained serious injury, even when there are external signs of trauma. Damage may occur with or without a skull fracture. If have bleeding or swelling occurs inside the skull, a rise in intracranial pressure(ICP) may cause seizures, loss of consciousness, or respiratory arrest. incidentally, similar symptoms may also occurs in patients with increased ICP due to brain tumors. The patients with spinal injuries, every trauma patient should be considered to have a potential spinal injury and should be evaluated by the ED physician before being moved. even slight movement of a spinal fracture may cause pressure on the spinal cord, resulting in paralysis or death. for this reasons, exposures should be made without moving the patient whenever possible. when a change of position is required, as for a lateral lumbar radiograph, use a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“log rollingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  approach, which keeps the body in one plane. this two-person procedure avoids twisting or bending the spine. patients with possible cervical spine fractures are immobilized with cervical collars and other radiolucent devices. About the patient with the chest injuries is the motor vehicle accidents and falls are two of the most common causes of chest injuries seen in the imaging department. Deaths due to crushing or penetrating wounds of the thorax comprise a significant number of the trauma deaths each year. Fractures ribs are painful and can be life threatening if along or blood vessel in punctured. Extremity fractures is a trauma involving the long bones of the body may classified in two categories, first is compound fractures, in which the splintered ends of bone are forced through the skin, and then the second is closed fractures. Compound fractures are usually partially reduced and dressing applied before radiographic examination. Some common types of fractures are greenstick, spiral, overriding, comminuted, transverse, compression, depressed(skull), and avulsion. Fractures may also be classified according to the nature of the injury. there are many ways of temporarily immobilizing extremity fractures. the two legs may be fastened together for stability during transportation, or a stiff object, such as a board or rolled-up magazine, may serve as a splint. When want to position the patients with fractured extremity that is not supported by a splint, maintain gentle traction while supporting and moving the arm or leg. The wounds in the type or trauma is patients with open wounds have usually been treated before you see them in radiology suite. Bleeding has been controlled, and dressings have been applied. the radiographer primary responsibility regarding open wounds is to maintain the dressings and the report promptly any significant amount of fresh bleeding. This is usually considered to be the amount of bright red blood sufficient to soak through a fresh dressing. if a laceration or incision opens, causing severe hemorrhaging, apply direct pressure to the side of bleeding while summoning immediate assistance. While burns in type of trauma is, burn patients may also have traumatic injuries such as fractures. Burns are frequently associated with respiratory complications. Inhalation of hot gases may result in pleural effusion or the development of pneumonia, which must be monitored radiographically. Burns may be categorized by cause of injury, percentage of body surface involved, and depth of tissue destruction. The depth of burns is classified as first, second or third degree. When a burn patient needs a radiograph, coordinate your examination with the nursing staff to ensure that the patient has had pain medication about 30 minute before the procedure. Postsurgical complications(wound dehiscence) is the patient who had a major surgery may require radiographic examination. Wound dehiscence occurs when a suture line parts and the underlying tissues or organs protrude through the opening. While this rare, it may happen, particularly in obese patients who had extensive abdominal surgery. It is possible for evisceration its means loss of organs from a body cavity, it to result when extensive suture lines spread apart or split. Positioning of the patient trauma The primary challenge of the trauma radiographer is to obtain a high quality, diagnostic image on the first attempt when the patient is unable to move into the desired position. To minimize risk of exacerbating the patients condition, the x-ray tube and IR should be positioned, rather than the patient or the part. For examples, position the stretcher adjacent to the vertical Bucky or upright table as often as the patients condition allows. To increases the efficiency, while minimizing patient movement, is to take all of the AP projections of the requested examinations, moving superiorly to inferiorly. Then perform all of the lateral projections of the requested examinations, moving inferiorly to superiorly. This method moves the x-ray tube in the most expeditious manner. Radiographers Role as Part of the Trauma Team The role of the radiographer within the emergency rooms ultimately depends on the department protocol and staffing, as well as the extent of emergency care provided at the facility. Regardless of the size of the facility, the primary responsibilities of a radiographer in an emergency situation include the following , the first is perform quality diagnostic imaging procedures as requested. Then to practice ethical radiation protection , and also provide competent care. It is impossible to rank these responsibilities because they occurs simultaneously, and all are vital to quality care in the emergency rooms. Diagnostic imaging procedures producing a high quality, diagnostic image is one of the more obvious roles of any radiographer. A radiographer in the trauma environment has the added responsibility to perform that task efficiently. Efficiency and productivity are commo0n and practical goals for the radiology department. In the emergency room, efficiency is often crucial to saving the patients life. Diagnostic imaging in the emergency room is paramount to an accurate, timely and often life saving diagnosis. Radiation protection. One of the most essential duties and ethical responsibilities of the trauma radiographer is radiation protection of the patient, the members of the trauma team, and self. In highly critical care situations, members of the trauma team cannot leave the patient while imaging procedure are being performed. The trauma radiographer must ensure the others team members are protected from unnecessary radiation exposures. Common practices should minimally included the following close the collimation to the anatomy of interest to reduce scatter, gonadal shielding for the patients of child bearing age, lead aprons for all personnel that remain in the room, during the procedure, exposure factors that minimize patient dose and scattered radiation and also announcement of impending exposure to allow unnecessary personnel to exit the room. Patient Care As with all imaging procedures, trauma procedures required a patient history. the patient may provide this, if he or she is conscious, or the attending physician may inform you of the injury and the patients status. if the patient is conscious, explain what you are doing in detain in terms the patient can understand. listen to the patient rate and manner of speech, which may provide insight into his or her mental or emotional status. Make eye contact with the patient to provide comfort and reassurance. Keep in mind that a trip to the emergency room is an emotionally stressful event, regardless of the severity of the injuries illness. Radiographers are often responsible for the total care of the trauma patient while performing diagnostic imaging procedures. Therefore it is critical that radiographers constantly assess the patient condition, recognize any signs of decline or distress, and report any change in the status of the patient condition to the attending physician. The trauma radiographer must be well versed in taking vital signs and knowing normal ranges, competent in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), administration of oxygen, and dealing with all types of medical emergencies. the radiographer must be prepared to perform these procedures when covered by a standing physicians order or as departmental policy allows. Additionally, the radiographer should be familiar with the location and contests of the adult and pediatric crash carts, and understand hoe to use the suctioning devices. Patient Preparation It is important to remember that the patient has endured an emotionally disturbing and distressing event in addition to the physical injuries he or she may have sustained. If the patient conscious, speak calmly and look directly in the patient eyes while explaining that procedures that have been ordered. Do not assume that the patient cannot hear you even if he or she cannot or will not respond. Check the patient thoroughly for items that might cause an artifact on the images. Explain what are you removing from the patient and why. Be sure to place all removed personal effects, especially valuables, in the proper container uses by the facility example like a plastic bags, or in the designated secure area. every facility has a procedure regarding proper storage of a patients personal belongings. Be sure to know the procedure and follow it carefully. Immobilization Device A wide variety of immobilization devices are uses to stabilize injured patients. Standard protocol is to perform radiographic images without removing immobilization devices. Once injuries have been diagnosed or rules out, the attending physician gives the order for immobilization to be removed, changed, or continued. Many procedures necessitate the use of some sort of immobilization to prevent in voluntary and voluntary motion. Prudent use of such is discussed in many patient care textbooks. The key issue in the use of immobilization in trauma is not to exacerbate the patient injury nor increase his or her discomfort. Image Evaluation Ideally, trauma radiographs should be of optimum quality to ensure prompt and accurate diagnosis of the patients injuries. Evaluate images for proper positioning and technique as indicated in the routine projections. Allowance can be made when true right angle projections (AP/PA and also lateral) must be altered as a result of patient condition.

HMOs Failing State Standards :: social issues

HMOs Failing State Standards New Yorkers may be covered by one of the nation's most comprehensive health consumer protection laws--but insurers routinely flout it, according to a report released yesterday by New York City Public Advocate Mark Green. Posing as prospective clients, Green's investigators called 12 of the region's health maintenance organizations, including some of the largest on Long Island and in Queens, to get information about their complaint records, lists of covered prescription drugs and medical procedures, and policies on confidentiality and experimental treatments. Although New York's new managed care bill of rights requires health plans to provide the information to both members and potential members, all of the HMOs flunked the test most of the time, with representatives either unwilling or unable to answer the questions. "Five out of six times the HMOs refused to tell one of our callers whether a drug was covered by the HMO," Green said. "Not to know whether the HMO you might join will cover a drug you use monthly is like a computer store refusing to tell you the memory of the computer--or an auto dealership refusing to give you the miles-per-gallon of the Pontiac." "Our callers got extremely frustrated, and their health wasn't even at risk," Greensaid. The survey was conducted in July and August, just months after the New York law went into effect in April. Kevin McGrath--a spokesman for Wellcare, the small plan that had the worst score--said that although he hasn't seen the full report, he is "suspicious" of the survey's methodology because the results were so extreme. "From the results, it looks to me that the survey may be flawed," he said. "The results are hard to believe." [CURE Comment: Not to MCL subscribers, Kevin.] Even Cigna HealthCare of New York, which scored highest on a point system devised by Green, complied with the law only one-third of the time, according to the report. Other top performers were NYLCare Health Plans of New York, which complied 15 percent of the time, and United Healthcare and Oxford, which both complied 14 percent of the time. Prudential HealthCare, MagnaCare/MagnaHealth and WellCare ranked at the bottom of the list, complying less than 5 percent of the time, Green's office said. Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York, Aetna/US Healthcare and Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield ranked in the middle, complying 20 percent, 16 percent and 13 percent of the time, respectively.