Do you live in a Home where there is a smoker and a non-smoker? The University of Minnesota wants to know!
Ms. Marcquilla Allen and Dr. Janet Thomas from the University of Minnesota are doing a study about “smoking in the home.” They both have been kind enough to share information about their study and want people from all walks of life to participate. After you read the information below, please contact Marquilla Allen at (612) 626-3899 to set up an appointment. All qualified participants are compensated for their time.
1. What is the purpose of area of research?
We all know that cigarette smoking is an addiction and that exposure to tobacco smoke is harmful to the smoker and to non-smokers in the home and public environment.
We also know that certain groups are targeted by the tobacco companies to start smoking and to continue smoking once they start.
What we know less about, and what I want to learn in my research, is the messages that really speak to smokers that make them want to eliminate exposing tobacco smoke to others in their environment and motivate them to want to quit.
Specifically, I want to learn how a non-smoker who lives with a smoker might support their smoker to make their home smoke free. Our study is designed to develop and test whether biomarker feedback documenting home exposure to environmental toxins might increase home smoking restrictions and motivate the smoker to make a quit attempt.
This program of research addresses the unfair share of the burden of tobacco-related health problems among underserved communities including high rates of childhood asthma and adult cardiovascular diseases.
Further, our program of study builds upon the important role of the family in health behavior change.
Dr. Thomas has recently received funding from the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association for research to increase the adoption of smoking bans in family homes. The study is designed to develop and test whether biomarker feedback documenting home exposure to environmental toxins might increase home smoking restrictions and motivate the smoker to make a quit attempt.
2. Main outcomes of research?
We hope to move all families towards having a home that promotes the best start and best health possible for children in the home. By learning what messages promote private policies/bans against smoking in the home and car and motivate smokers to quit, we will be better able to help all families.
3. Who is the Principal Investigator of this research?
Janet Thomas, PhD, joined the Program in Health Disparities Research in August 2006. Thomas, a University of Minnesota Department of Medicine Assistant Professor, gained an interest in health disparities from her graduate work in Clinical Psychology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. There she developed an appreciation for the persistent sense of optimism and faith among those dealing with a plethora of major life stressors including poverty, violence, child mortality, and chronic illness, and a curiosity to understand the psychological mechanisms behind this “audacity of hope” She brings to the Program a strong research background in smoking cessation and weight management among African American communities. She is particularly interested in investigating the role of social support as a tool to motivate health behavior change.
*Dr. Thomas has recently received funding from the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association for research to increase the adoption of smoking bans in homes. The study is designed to develop and test whether biomarker feedback documenting home exposure to environmental toxins might increase home smoking restrictions and motivate the smoker to make a quit attempt.
Says Dr. Thomas, “It is vital that we identify innovative ways to eliminate exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). ETS is a recognized cause of heart, lung, vascular disease, and cancer in adults and respiratory diseases including asthma in children.” African Americans have twice the rate of premature death due to heart and vascular disease, the highest overall cancer death rates of all racial groups, and African American children have the highest rates of asthma, sudden infant death syndrome, and low birth weights. She hopes her research may help to address these health disparities.
4. What is the UMN, Program in Health Disparities Research?
The Program in Health Disparities Research is housed within the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Center for Clinical Research. Established in 2006, the Program is dedicated to eliminating health disparities among minority and other underserved populations through interdisciplinary research, education, and community partnership. Dr. Kolawole S. Okuyemi is Director of the Program, and has a strong research background in smoking cessation in African American and other underserved populations. The Program fosters multidisciplinary research in collaboration with community members and academic partners. Program researchers have and continue to receive funding from the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Science Foundation, Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation, among many others.
For more information, call Marquilla at (612) 626-3899
Blue Business Racism on Pluto (A Science Fiction Story, close to Home)
The planet Pluto has been plagued by “same-race business racism”. Local established Blue business owners are not being used for soft services, with comments that their prices are too high, or I can do this better myself – as we all know, that’s never the case. The facts are local Blue residents are the poorest group of aliens on the planet and some of them own restaurants, spaceship repair shops and tech stands across the universe but their own race of people (Blue people) don’t consider them for work unless they have Purple bosses. The Purple business population does not have to qualify themselves when they do business with the Blue people in the community that hold positions like executive directors and presidents of local space companies and organizations, the Blue “muck-mucks” feel comfortable with the Purple’s simply because they are Purple.
Recently, a group of Blue financial services professionals came to Pluto and paid no attention to the local Blue community going as far as to exclude them from the big party, this is an ongoing issue that falls under the saying “all inclusive with exclusions.” There was an effort to address raising “space dock” crime in Blue youth ages 18-34, so the local Purple government started the “Blue Boys Better Battalion” to address issues and start work programs that will help create education, wealth and independence. What happened with the BBBB is they became a glorified referral service and did nothing but send Blue youth to some other planet where they were put in jail or sent to the Universal Ring of Nothingness (URN), to live out life with no chances of developing the greatness in them, dying or being used as batteries by the Borg.
Before I close there was one more example of Blue Racism. The Healthiest Man in the Universe came to Pluto to talk about space travel and the effects of worm holes on the human body. The local SMF (Space Medical Facility) decided that they were not going to give this person a day to talk to the Blue people, because he was more interesting then the folks at the SMF.
All fun aside some of our people need a wakeup call.
Minneapolis Urban Laegue Presents “Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day” Friday, June 20, 2008
Join the Minneapolis Urban League for an evening of information about Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education, featuring Mr. Robert Samuels, the first African American Vice President of a Major Bank in the United States and Prostate Cancer Survivor, Advocate and Educator. June 20, 2008 from 4:30-6 p.m. in the lower level of the Minneapolis Urban League located at 2100 Plymouth Avenue North.
The following article is By Tom Valeo, Special to the Times
Published February 26, 2008 in the St. Petersburg Times.
Screenings designed to save men’s lives
A retired banker sets up free annual tests for prostate cancer and other diseases.
TAMPA - As a banking executive and then into retirement, Robert Samuels received a first-class physical every year.
Yet, in 1994, just four months after a thorough workup, he discovered he had prostate cancer. He was unsure if he had received a prostate cancer screening.
“I was 56 at the time, and I had no symptoms,” Samuels said. “A colleague mentioned that he had just been screened for prostate cancer, and I called my doctor back and asked, ‘Did you test me?’ ”
He went in for the prostate-specific antigen test and found that his level was 47. Normal is between 0 and 4.
Samuels was successfully treated, but he has become an advocate for prostate cancer screening, especially for African-American men. According to the American Cancer Society, the prostate cancer death rate for African-American men is more than twice that of white men.
To encourage men to get tested, Samuels created the Florida Prostate Cancer Network.
“The first year, 750 men showed up,” Samuels said. “In the seven years we’ve been doing this, 10,000 men have been screened.”
And since access to medical care is a big reason why many people don’t get screened for the disease, the forum also provides “safety nets,” as Samuels calls them.
“We invite the VA Veterans Affairs to participate, and people from Medicare and the county’s indigent health care program,” Samuels said.
In addition, the hospitals that conduct the screenings - St. Joseph’s, Tampa General and Moffitt - will help people find a way to get medical care no matter what their financial status.
Brian Rivers, executive director of the FPCN, has conducted research aimed at determining what prevents men from undergoing prostate cancer screening and seeking treatment.
“I think the biggest factor is lack of awareness and knowledge,” Rivers said. “One of the principle barriers to screening is that men just aren’t aware of their risk. There also are policy barriers, such as lack of insurance and lack of access to health care.”
The unpleasantness of getting tested, however, does not seem to be a big deterrent.
“Those who have been through it may talk about the discomfort of a digital rectal exam,” Rivers said, “but men are willing to endure one or two minutes of discomfort. Education is the key. Education is what generates increased awareness and empowers individuals to make informed decisions about their health.”
“1st Annual Minneapolis Urban League’s Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day”
On June 20, 2008 at the Minneapolis Urban League, the MUL Social Wellness Cluster and MUL President Mr. Clarence Hightower welcome world renowned Prostate Cancer National Spokesperson Mr. Robert Samuels to the Minneapolis Urban League for the “1st Annual Minneapolis Urban League’s Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education Day.” This event will take place in the lower level of the Minneapolis Urban League from 4:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.
The event will be a light variety of food and beverages catered by the Twin Cities #1 healthy catering company - “Lisa Anderson catering”, www.lacateringmpls.com.
We encourage all men in the Twin Cities to come out and hear what Mr. Samuels has to say, the life his saves with important information could be yours. For more information contact the Minneapolis Urban League at (612) 986-0010.
Make Extra Money From Work…Don’t Get Caught!
Free coffee, infrequently clean bathrooms, faux friendships—working a cubicle job has several obvious benefits. But in addition to the mysterious rashes, your employer has unknowingly given you everything you’ll need to make some money on the side. Supplement your salary with one of these five day jobs.
The exciting thing about these “extra” jobs is that they are easy to set up and will help you earn extra income!
Virtual Juror
Web sites like ejury.com and onlineverdict.com collect feedback on court cases from virtual jurors, then hawk it to real-life shysters. Cases take between 20 minutes and an hour to read and rate. “It’s an easy way to make money,” says ejury.com founder Chris Bagby, “and people learn to enjoy it because the cases can be intriguing.” Objection, your electronic honor!
Risk: Low (tell your boss you’re doing research)
Pay: $5–$60/case
E-Commerce Jockey
Brilliant T-shirt idea? Download a free trial of Photoshop, use your office scanner to create a design, and enlist cafepress.com or zazzle.com to print the goods. TakePride cofounder Patrick Gray started a line of clothing while working full-time at a corporate law firm. “We launched the business from our desks,” he says.
Risk: High (especially if you ship from work)
Pay: Pennies to gold bullion
Audio Transcriber
As you mindlessly transcribe speeches and interviews, your employer thinks you’re writing up reports while listening to iTunes. Sites like productiontranscripts.com and tigerfish.com prefer speedy typers, but contractedwork.com welcomes average keyboardists. Fingers, ho!
Risk: Low (unless office music is frowned upon)
Pay: $8–$40/hour
Personal Assistant
Making reservations, checking movie times, booking flights—you already run virtual errands for your girlfriend, so why not get paid? With Google, a phone line, and some local knowledge, you can be an at-your-service online assistant. “The pay’s competitive and goes up if you know golf or wine,” says red butler.com concierge specialist Chris Sterling.
Risk: High (use screen-minimizing shortcuts)
Pay: $12–$35/hour
Quality Assurance Specialist
Does the phrase “This call may be recorded for quality assurance” make you hot and bothered? Apply online at voicelog.com to verify calls and analyze customer service for telephone companies and other service industries in shifts of two or more hours. Want to know more? Please hold for the next operator.
Risk: Moderate (you’ll always be on the phone)
Pay: $8.50 and up/hour
Good luck, don’t get caught!
10 Awesome Startups You’ve Never Heard About
Twin City Business is dedicated to bringing you the lastest in the area of business information that you will only get here!
New Yorkers who have a hard time keeping track of personal items now have one less thing to worry about. For a modest annual fee, NewYourKey keeps copies of keys in a secure storage facility and can deliver them right away if customers find themselves locked out. Keys lost in a nightclub at four in the morning? No problem! NewYourKey will deliver spare keys within an hour any time of day or night, wherever a customer happens to be.
Can’t think of that totally awesome domain name for a new website? PickyDomains is a risk-free domain naming service that got a lot of publicity and ‘blogtalk’ in Europe lately despite being only two months old. This is how it works. A customer deposits $50 dollars and describes what kind of domain he or she wants. Domain pickers then send in their suggestions of available domain names. If the customer likes one of the domain names and registers it, the service gets $50. Otherwise the money is refunded at the end of the month.
Dave Schrader of Circle Pines and Tim Dennis of Burnsville are leading groups on trips to haunted hotels and spooky cruise ships. The two started an online radio show called “Darkness Radio” in January 2006. Within a year, their weekly broadcasts had made them celebrities among fanciers of otherworldly mystery.
They then began asking the stars of T-V shows about the supernatural to cohost weekends at haunted destinations. Among the locations are the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado — made famous by the movie “The Shining.” Travelers pay between 180 dollars to 250 dollars for the trips — not including transportation or lodging.
Peasy.com is an online marketplace for parking spaces, enabling drivers to search for and book spaces before they leave home, and letting British homeowners monetize unused parking spaces by adding them to the Peasy network. To rent out a parking space, the owner needs to register and enter all relevant details, including price, when the space is available, and whether it will be rented out daily, weekly, or both. Those who require parking can then search for suitable parking spaces and securely book them online, or first negotiate a better price.
http://recruitmentrevolution.com/
Frustrated with the whole process of recruitment agencies Jamie Mistlin and Anna Taylor decided to design a new system where employers and candidates could communicate directly with each other. The site allows companies to book temporary workers directly via our bespoke fully-automated online system. Both parties can even negotiate the hourly rates directly online, as the service does not filter or distribute CVs. Instead candidates market themselves directly to companies via the website.
http://www.gaming-lessons.com/
Tom Taylor never expected to be a player in the business world; he just wanted to play video games. But as he got better and better, his passion for competitive gaming–and his desire to share his expertise with others–grew. Last year, Taylor, a top-five rated player in the pro-gaming circuit, started a video game coaching business to help others who wanted to improve their games. “I wanted to offer them a shortcut so they didn’t have to go through what I did to learn,” says Taylor, who started playing video games at age 7. Running his business, Gaming-Lessons, out of his Jupiter, Fla., home, Taylor draws dozens of clients from middle-school kids to middle-aged parents and from college students to celebrities. His fees? A whopping $65 an hour.
Two years ago, Eli Reich was a mechanical engineer consultant for a Seattle wind energy company when his messenger bag was stolen. The environmentally conscious Reich, who rode his bike to work every day, decided that instead of buying a new one, he would simply fashion another bag out of used bicycle-tire inner tubes that were lying around his house. Soon compliments on his sturdy black handmade messenger bag turned into requests. “That was the catalyst,” says Reich, who obtained a business license, gave up his day job, and quickly launched Alchemy Goods in the basement of his apartment building. The company’s motto: “Turning useless into useful.”
http://www.bagborroworsteal.com/
Got rich friends and need to look the part? Those that can’t afford to buy the latest Fendi purse can still sport it thanks to Bag Borrow or Steal, a designer handbag rental startup that allows customers to pay a monthly fee, pick and order handbags online, and borrow them for as long as they like. The service allows style-conscious customers access to the ultra-luxe and high-end products that they otherwise couldn’t get their hands on. Monthly memberships range from $20 to $175 a month
http://www.corporateinterns.com/
When Jason Engen was an undergraduate student at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, he and his friends knew the challenges students faced in finding worthwhile internships. So for one of his business classes, Engen wrote a business plan detailing a concept for an internship placement service–one that would interview and screen students and match them with local companies that needed interns. “We hit a nerve in terms of the marketplace and focused 100 percent of our efforts on students,” says Engen. “We started a week after we graduated, and it took off.”
http://www.heybuddyvending.com/
Started in 2005, Startup costs: $6,000
When July hit Miami in 1998, everyone seemed to be enjoying the dog days of summer–except the dogs. As owners took giant swigs from their 32-ounce water bottles, their dogs ran to and fro, wearily retrieving makeshift toys in the afternoon heat. It was on one sunny afternoon in July that Carlotta Lennox rolled by a park on a pair of rollerblades, noticed that the dogs looked tired and hungry, and realized how she could give the day back to the dogs. Seven years later, the first Hey Buddy pet vending machine was established in Bark Park Central, an off-leash dog park in Dallas. Lennox, 36, stocked the machine with dog treats, tennis balls, dog shirts, dog glasses–basically everything a dog might need for a walk in the park. And with its shingled roof and slated facade, the doghouse-inspired vending machine was hard to miss–which meant pets and their owners weren’t the only ones begging Lennox for more.
