Resolve to Succeed;
For Nothing is Impossible

JAD Woman of the Month

Catherine Hughes, Radio One
Photo: Erika Larsen—Redux

This month’s JAD woman is Cathy Hughes a woman I admire a lot! I recently met Ms. Hughes at the N’Digo Pretty in Pinstripes 2005 Breakfast event in Chicago and was inspired by how accessible she made herself to everyone. She walked around the ball room with all of the other attendees just networking and meeting the attendees. This was my first experience at an event when the featured ‘celebrity’ [sic.] speaker did not remain in the green room away from the attendees and just come onstage for the opening.

Hughes founded Radio One in 1980 and grew it into the seventh-largest U.S. radio network, No. 1 in the African-American market. Here's the story of how she went from sleeping on the floor of her office to running a company with $303 million in revenue.

Read the full story.

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Mothers of Invention of the Month

Our woman inventor for June is – Mary Anderson Creator of the Windshield Wiper

It was a horrible winter day as snow and sleet pointed the pavment. People hunkered down in their coats to stay warm hustled to get indoors. Mary Anderson, hoping to catch the sights and escape the cold climbed aboard a New York City streetcar. The year was 1902 and it turned out to be a ride she would never forget, not because of the scenery, but because the ride would inspire her to invent the very first windshield wiper. Little did she know at the time, but the invention she created out of empathy for the streetcar driver who struggled to see through the glass, would improve conditions for all drivers and save countless lives as well.

Many top engineers had tackled the problem of poor visibility in bad weather and their solution was to split the windehiedl Once the glass became covered with rain or snow, the driver would fling open the middle for a clear view. The trouble was, it didn't work very well. Mary watched helplessly as the driver desperately tried to see, but when he opened the split glass, they were greeted with a burst of icy cold air and blast of heavy snow.

"Why doesn't someone create a device to remove the snow?" Mary asked and was told "It's been tried many times but it can't be done." What nonsence, thought Mary as she scribbled in her notebook. Why can't there be a lever inside that would move an arm outside to wipe off the snow? Later, when she returned home, she studied her sketches, spent time refining them and adding more details. When she was satisfied, she brought her design to a small manufacturing company and hired them to make a model.

When she filed her patent application, she wrote "My invention relates to an improvement in window-cleaning devices in which a radically-swinging arm is actuated by a handle from inside of a car-vestible." The lever inside would move an arm on the outside. Mary's wiper was made of wooden stips and pieces of rubber. It was designed for easy removal in good weather so that it would not interfere with the appearance of the streetcar. One of her most important pieces was the addition of a counter weight "to provide means for maintaining a uniform pressure upon the glass throught the entire swep by my improved window-cleaning device."

Mary was awarded a patent in 1903 for 'a window cleaning device' — a windshield wiper. Once she received the patent, she offered to sell her rights to a Canadian company. They weren't interested and responded that after reviewing her proposal, had decided that the invention was of little if any commercial value. They simply didn't think it would sell!

Mary put the patent in a drawer and, eventually, it expired. Someone else revived her idea, patented it, and made a fortune. Today lives are saved because of increased visibility and even in our high tech society, the windshield wiper remains one of the greatest safety inventions for the automobile. Some cars even have little wipers on the headlights.

Editors note: The next time you are caught in the rain or snow and flip on the windshield wiper to increase visibility, remember Mary Anderson and thank her for her invention. I also urge you to remember how because she let it expire, her patented idea was retrieved by someone else and converted into a fortune. It was an excellent idea, but because of naysayers, she lost a fortune. Do you have an idea you have put away because it was laughed at or seemed silly? If your answer is yes, then retrieve it and get back to work. Perhaps you too have in your possession just the thing that will make you a fortune.

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Book of the Month

"When you give someone a book, you don't give her just paper, ink, and glue. You give her the possibility of a new life." - Christopher Morley - 1890 - 1957, Novelist, Journalist, Poet

Do you have a college student, teenager, daughter, grand daughter, sibling or friend who needs guidance or who is at a turning point in her career and needs to open her eyes to new directions? A copy of Self Creation: 10 Powerful Principles for Changing Your Life is a great gift for young adults, mothers and women in transition. It's just the gift to help them focus. The templates included in the book helps you to plan for your future whether you are just starting out, making a change, or in transition. To order online click the link, to order by phone call 866-294-0351

What People Say

"Every once in a while, an individual is privileged to read a book that helps them to Re-Ground, Re-balance, and Re-focus on those elements that make you the individual that you are. This book focuses on identifying those elements in life that help you become the person you dream of becoming. Yvonne's application of the principles that she lives by to achieve her dreams, should be used as encouragement; that by understanding, planning, being persistent in your beliefs, and allowing the universe to work with you, Your Dreams Can Come True. This is a must read book for individuals desiring to take responsibility for achievement of their dreams. Once I picked up the book, I found it almost impossible to put it down until the entire book had been read. Read It, Understand It, Apply its principles, and start your journey towards Self Creation." – Robert Perrin, President and CEO, Magellan Associates LLC

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Innovation of the Month

Have you been a new Target store lately? There’s a new one in Chicago with escalators that have a special escalator for your shopping cart. Seriously! Here’s how it works. Prior to stepping on the escalator, you push your shopping cart onto its escalator. Then both escalators go up and you retrieve your cart at the top on the next floor. It’s awesome and something my grandmother would say I made up. But if you live in Chicago, then visit the new Target store on Roosevelt just past Michigan Avenue. The experience is worth the trip to this state of the art facility.

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The skinny on anorexics: Ana is their goddess

They call her ''Ana.'' She is a role model to some, a goddess to others — the subject of drawings, prayers and even a creed.

She tells them what to eat and mocks them when they don't lose weight. And yet, while she is a very real presence in the lives of many of her followers, she exists only in their minds.

Ana is short for anorexia, and — to the alarm of experts — many who suffer from the potentially fatal eating disorder are part of an underground movement that promotes self-starvation and, in some cases, has an almost cult-like appeal.

Followers include young women and teens who wear red Ana bracelets and offer one another encouraging words of ''thinspiration'' on Web pages and blogs.

They share tips for shedding pounds and faithfully report their ''cw'' and ''gw'' — current weight and goal weight, which often… Read the full story

Do you know someone who is anorexic or who obsesses about food? Tell us your views

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Empowering Your Destiny

This month's Empowering Question

"What are five things that are good about me?"

This month's Empowering Affirmation

"My self-image is that of a winner. I am what I need to be when I need to be it. I play an important role in the lives of many. My energy is growing every day."

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JAD Gear

Get your exclusive JAD Gear. This is just a sample of the variety of items we have to choose from. Visit our store to view more.

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