The recent mass murders of the 20 children ages 6 and 7, with 6 of their educators in Newtown, Connecticut, has prompted me to put forth a challenge to the NRA.  Public sentiment is changing and if the NRA and its membership are unwilling to consider compromise, I fear that responsible gun owners will no longer be able to own guns of the type used in the mass murders in Newtown and Aurora, Colorado, where the 70 people were killed or injured.

We need the help of the NRA, now more than ever, to help protect our second amendment rights.

This is what I propose to the NRA.  First, help us ensure that ALL gun purchases require a background check.  As cited at Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, csgv.org, only six states require universal background checks on sales of ALL types of firearms sold at gun shows, commonly known as the “Gun Show Loophole”.  In addition, we need the NRA to support background checks for all guns sold through “private sales”.  Only two out of every five guns sold in the United States required a background check.  If we are to protect our children, that is unacceptable.

Second, consider restricting the carrying and use of ALL semi-automatic guns and large magazine clips, to licensed shooting ranges.  This will allow sportsman to still own and shoot these guns in a controlled environment.  My plan would outlaw keeping these guns in private homes, but I feel that is a small compromise where the safety of our children is concerned.

Link to my podcast “Challenging the NRA”:

https://joanjerkovich.com/2012/12/23/challenging-the-nra-3-year-old-avas-cancer-13-year-old-is-moms-secret-santa-a-teachers-generous-spirit/

Link to my blog:  A Mother’s Plea to the NRA, “Please help us protect our children!”

https://joanjerkovich.com/2012/12/26/a-mothers-plea-to-the-nra-please-help-us-protect-our-children/

 

 

It’s that time of year when we get thrown together with those family members we don’t get along with, or worse, would be happy to avoid seeing altogether.

• The drinker who imbibes too much to the embarrassment of all.
• The politico who likes to argue his point until everyone is frustrated.
• The jokester whose jokes always poke fun at someone else.
• The pill popper who sits in the corner glassy eyed and disengaged.
• The newly widowed or divorced who are struggling to make it through their first holiday alone.
• The drama king or queen who can always be expected to stir the pot and get people riled up.
• The unexpected angry outburst that leaves those involved fuming, and those who are not, wishing they could leave.
• The stress of being in the same room with the family member you have been avoiding all year.

The combination of challenging holiday scenarios is unlimited and we’ve all found ourselves in these situations.

Would you like to talk with me about strained family holidays?                       Join my Live Chat!  Details below.

 

So how do you brace for the onslaught of uncomfortable interactions and emotions during the Holidays?

• Plan ahead for what you will say to that challenging person to avoid a confrontation.
• Repeat a calming mantra in your head.
• When you feel yourself getting triggered, focus on your breathing.
• Embrace your personal power by maintaining your dignity and keeping your cool.
• Honor yourself by setting reasonable boundaries; such as not allowing personal attacks.
• Take the high road by apologizing or holding out the olive branch for peace (if only for the day).
• Monitor your own behavior, don’t drink too much, choose your words thoughtfully.
• If you feel provoked, disengage or walk away.  A family holiday is not the time to work on a relationship.
• If need be, be courteous to the person who triggers you, but keep your distance.
• Place your focus on the family members you cherish and enjoy your time with them.
• Accept what is and what you can’t change.

Truth is, the holidays may not always be the postcard picture of happy.  Instead, they are a chance to rise above your relationship issues to find the silver lining of personal growth.

Lunch Hour Live Chat

Joan Jerkovich, Board Certified Life Coach

Topic:  Strained Family Holiday Relationships

When:  Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Time:  12:15pm to 12:45pm

Link to my Joan Jerkovich Facebook Page via my website www.joanjerkovich.com

In the wake of the massacre at the Aurora, Colorado theatre, which left so many feeling stunned and in shock, a heartwarming story came out of Columbia Missouri.  Given notice that the Westboro Baptist church from Topeka, Kansas would be picketing the funeral of fallen soldier, 21-year-old Army Spc. Sterling Wyatt who was killed by an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan; thousands of people gathered outside the church to show their support.

Dressed in red shirts, the supporters formed a human shield blocking out the six or so people from the Westboro Church whose organization, considered radical by many, often picket the funerals of soldiers.  The Westboro group believes that the military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are God’s punishment for the US tolerance of homosexuality.

As reported by Janise Silvey in the Columbia Daily Tribunes, several times, Wyatt’s parents, Randy and Sherry, and brother Chandler, came out of the church before the 1 p.m. service to greet and hug attendees.

Citizens who deplore the activities of this radical group have been following their actions and organizing counter protests.  Link to this podcast to hear from my Producer, Tonya Powers, as she talks about her participation in a counter protest against the Westboro group held in Hutchinson, Kansas:  https://joanjerkovich.com/2012/07/24/response-to-westboro-baptist-church/

 

To hear Joan Life Coaching on Starting a New Business at 60, and Co-Dependent Relationship listen this Saturday and Sunday at 9am on 910 KINA or go to https://joanjerkovich.com/ for the Podcast and link to iTunes.

 

Joan Jerkovich is a Board Certified Life Coach

For Free Life Coaching on The Joan Jerkovich Show

Go to https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

The Joan Jerkovich Show

Weekends at 9am on 910 KINA

On the web at www.joanjerkovich.com

 

 

 

Like so many others who heard news of the Aurora shootings, I wish there was more I could do to offer assistance to the victims and all those involved or affected by this massacre.  I first heard of the shootings when my brother, who lives in the Denver area, called to tell me that his girlfriend and 18-year-old daughter were in the adjoining theatre when the attack occurred.  They witnessed the bullets tearing through the walls, and the bloody carnage of fellow moviegoers who got hit.  They escaped and saw the shooter outside the theatre as they were driving off.  Listen to the 2 minute recording I posted of their story and of the horrors of witnessing this type of event:  https://joanjerkovich.com/2012/07/20/aurora-co-massacre/

Suspect James Holmes, 24, bought his movie ticket just like everyone else.  Once inside the theatre, he opened the exit door and propped it open so that he could access the weapons he had planted outside and arm himself.  He then re-entered the Aurora, Colorado movie theatre wearing a riot helmet, gas mask and bulletproof vest just after the beginning of the midnight opening of the Batman sequel “Dark Knight Rises”.  He released a smoke canister, then began shooting from the front row leaving 14 dead and 50 wounded in the massacre.  The suspect is in custody after being found outside the theatre holding a rifle and a handgun.

Holmes, described as a loner, withdrew abruptly last month from the University of Colorado Medical School, spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery said Friday.  Police were being cautious as they searched his Denver suburb, North Aurora, apartment as Holmes apparently cued police that his apartment may be booby-trapped with explosives.

What causes someone to crack like this? Is the suspect mentally ill, or is he acting as some sort of vigilante?  I’m sure the answers to these and more questions will begin to unfold, but in the mean time, the victims are the ones I want to focus on.  Just as my brother’s girlfriend and daughter will have a long way to go to heal emotionally from just witnessing this event, it will likely be a longer journey for those who were wounded or who were affected by the loss of lives.  Tragic.

While writing this blog I just received a text from my brother with an update.  He tells me that his girlfriend is “just sitting on the floor, in shock”.  I texted back that I will light two candles, one for her and one for her daughter, at the shrine of our Blessed Virgin Mary here in the Catholic Church (honoring their Catholic beliefs as well as my own).  What more can I do?  One feels so helpless in these situations…

To hear Joan Life Coaching with an “Aspiring Filmmaker”, “Kids Taken Away” and “Daughter Pregnant at 14”, listen this Saturday and Sunday at 9am on 910 KINA or go to https://joanjerkovich.com/ for the Podcast and link to iTunes.

 

Joan Jerkovich is a Board Certified Life Coach

For Free Life Coaching on The Joan Jerkovich Show

Go to https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

The Joan Jerkovich Show

Weekends at 9am on 910 KINA

On the web at www.joanjerkovich.com

 

 

 

The Good Ole Boys played their little game of cover up for 14 years while club member, now-convicted pedophile, Jerry Sandusky continued his victimization of children. Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse involving 10 victims during a span of 15 years.

Todays release of the Penn State internal investigation, conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh, points fingers at “Good Ole Boys” Coach Joe Paterno, president Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz. By pointing fingers, I mean to say that according to this report these higher-ups knew of Sandusky’s immoral and illicit activities and consciously chose to cover it up! I don’t know about you, but this just makes my blood boil!

Sandusky is exactly where he should be, in a Pennsylvania county jail awaiting sentencing. He will probably never see time outside of a jail cell, nor should he. He deserves to be imprisoned for life. He has emotionally imprisoned his victims, with the trauma of abuse, for the rest of their lives.

What culpability should the rest of this gang of over-paid, intentionally amnesic, lawyered-up cronies have?

Freeh’s investigation took 7 months, at a cost to Penn State of $500,000 per month. Peanuts, compared to the cost to the emotional bank accounts of the victims. As excerpted from the report by Rana L. Cash with Sporting News, this is what Freeh had to say about this investigation:

• “The evidence clearly shows in our view an active agreement of concealment,”
• Freeh was quoted as saying there were “more red flags here than you can count”.
• Our most saddening and sobering finding is the total disregard for the safety and welfare of Sandusky’s child victims by the most senior leaders at Penn State. The most powerful men at Penn State failed to take any steps for 14 years to protect the children who Sandusky victimized.
• Messrs. Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley never demonstrated, through actions or words, any concern for the safety and well-being of Sandusky’s victims until after Sandusky’s arrest.
• In critical written correspondence that we uncovered on March 20th of this year, we see evidence of their proposed plan of action in February 2001 that included reporting allegations about Sandusky to the authorities. After Mr. Curley consulted with Mr. Paterno, however, they changed the plan and decided not to make a report to the authorities.
• Their failure to protect the February 9, 2001 child victim, or make attempts to identify him, created a dangerous situation for other unknown, unsuspecting young boys who were lured to the Penn State campus and football games by Sandusky and victimized repeatedly by him.
• Further, they exposed this child to additional harm by alerting Sandusky, who was the only one who knew the child’s identity, about what McQueary saw in the shower on the night of February 9, 2001.

Did the concealment by the principle players in “The Sandusky Good Ole Boys Club” rise to the level of a criminal offense?  Go to the link for the legal definition of Accomplice and Accessory to a Crime and you decide!    https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

To hear Joan Life Coaching with a young woman who started blackout drinking after her brother died, grieving after a relationship and deciding on engagement after seven years, listen this Saturday and Sunday at 9am on 910 KINA or go to https://joanjerkovich.com/ for the Podcast and link to iTunes.

 

Joan Jerkovich is a Board Certified Life Coach

For Free Life Coaching on The Joan Jerkovich Show

Go to https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

The Joan Jerkovich Show

Weekends at 9am on 910 KINA

On the web at www.joanjerkovich.com

 

 

 

If you haven’t yet heard of this steamy, sexy, erotic novel that is sure to introduce many of its readers to the BDSM lifestyle, all I can say is, “What rock have you been living under?”

British author, 48 year old Erika Leonard who writes under the pseudonym E.L. James, has described the “Fifty Shades” trilogy as her “midlife crisis” saying, “All my fantasies in there, and that’s it.”. Erika shared her fantasies all right, and took millions of us along for the ride with sales of around 20 million worldwide.

In the book, Anastasia Steele, the nerdy and bumbling beautiful young college graduate has a chance meeting with the uber successful, young business prodigy Christian Grey. Grey, with his millions, sensual good looks and mysterious persona to go with it, is every woman’s fantasy. Women can’t keep their eyes off of him, and their lustful thoughts from wanting him, but his detached demeanor has prompted rumors that he is gay. The media has never captured a picture of him on a date.

There are no date pictures of Grey, he doesn’t “date”, and he doesn’t “make love”, he just “F***s, he F****s hard”….and off to the “Red Room of Pain” the novel takes its readers. Before spending intimate, romantic time with Grey; excuse me, in keeping with the novel I mean to say, before spending time F-ing with Grey you will need to sign a NDA, Non-Disclosure Agreement; and, before spending time in the Red Room of Pain, you will need to sign a contract spelling out what your “hard” and “soft” limits are. “Hard limits” in BDSM are what you will not participate in within the confines of this form of sexual role-playing.

Playing “Hard” is Grey’s preference, but oh, to add to the irony of the story line, Anastasia, his newest muse, is still a virgin and completely inexperienced. This is where the novel loses credibility with its readers. Are we seriously to believe she goes from virginity to all levels of “Kinky F***ery” as it is described in the book?

What does keep the story believable and the plot line moving along through all the sex scenes, is how two people, each with their own insecurities, find each other and fall in love. It is the exploration of those insecurities, and the love story and personal growth that embraces them, that elevates these novels to the level of romance gold. Yes, the character Christian Grey is 50 Shades of F’d up, but the unfolding of the how and the why, lends the reader to feel compassion for his character. Understand the complexities and insecurities of this outwardly confident, successful man and one can understand how such a nice young girl could fall for him.

Whatever you think of this book that some have called “Mommy Porn” and “Smut”, it has found it’s way in to the hands of decent, respectable women. I don’t doubt that most readers, just as I have, had to consult Wikipedia for details on the BDSM lifestyle just to understand parts of the book.

Think of 50 Shades as a romance novel on steroids and give it a read if you dare. Prepare to get titillated by the scenes, which is why husbands and boyfriends worldwide (…..taking liberty from what I’ve heard from the guys at work and from friends) are quite happy to have their ladies tucked in the easy chair reading before coming to bed at night!

In their own brand of “50 Shades”, enjoy this video clip from the 1980’s movie “9 1/2 Weeks”:  https://joanjerkovich.com/2012/07/08/50-shades-of-grey-the-joan-jerkovich-show/    Vintage Mickey Rourke with Kim Basinger set to the music of Joe Cocker. Tittilating!

***DISCLAIMER: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS ADULT CONTENT AND NUDITY, NOT INTENDED FOR MINORS    

 

ENTER TO WIN a $10 Amazon gift card so that you can get “50 Shades of Grey” for you or your lady compliments of The Joan Jerkovich Show. To enter, subscribe to Joan’s emails and give a “Like” to the Joan Jerkovich show. Entries close 7/18/12.

 

Joan Jerkovich is a Board Certified Life Coach

For Free Life Coaching on The Joan Jerkovich Show

Go to https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

The Joan Jerkovich Show

Weekends at 9am on 910 KINA

On the web at www.joanjerkovich.com

 

 

 

“Meet the guys who always aim to tease”…

…and tease they did!  The women packed the theatre and they did not go away disappointed by the raunchy, racy, highly anticipated beefcake stripper film “Magic Mike”.  The whoops and hollers at all the appropriate scenes …or might I say inappropriate scenes, only added to the fun of a girl’s night out!

As if the male nudity isn’t reason enough to go see the film, it actually has a pretty decent story line, but don’t try to convince anyone you went just because you heard it had a good plot.  You’re really going to go see this film for Channing Tatum, “Magic Mike” and his killer dance moves, not to mention his killer abs and not-to-be missed rear-view nude scene!  I’m seriously thinking of putting that up as my new screen-saver!

Take your pick, as I’ve heard from the different ladies, we all have our favorites. Matthew McConaughey as Dallas, Alex Pettyfer as Adam, Joe Manganiello as Big Dick Richie, Adam Rodriguez as Tito, Matt Bomer as Ken.  A little, or big, something for every appetite.

If you see the film be sure you don’t miss the scene with Big Dick Richie getting ready for his on stage performance.  He uses a vacuum device to “enhance” his stage presence.  The camera work for this scene is artfully done and two of my friends missed it altogether.  You can thank me later for that movie-going tip!

Go see the movie, and if you want a chance to WIN FREE TICKETS and see killer pics of my two favorite actors link to my website: https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

We’re on a roll ladies, coming soon watch for my blog on the book “Fifty Shades of Grey” and another give-away!

 

Joan Jerkovich is a Board Certified Life Coach

For Free Life Coaching on The Joan Jerkovich Show

Go to https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

The Joan Jerkovich Show

Weekends at 9am on 910 KINA

On the web at www.joanjerkovich.com

 

 

 

It was a casual invitation to dinner but she wanted more.  She wanted to at least feel that she was being courted, but when the check arrived the dance of “who’s going to pay for dinner?” ensued. Being a progressive young career woman, Lauren offered to split the check.  Her dinner date happily agreed.  There have been more dinner dates over the past month with the all-too-familiar dance of “who’s going to pay”.  Sometimes they split the check; at other times they take turns paying.

When I asked Lauren if her girlfriends help pay for their dates she explained how they all seem to approach this dilemma differently.  Some expect the guy to pay for all the first dates until they are officially a couple.  Others, like her, don’t have problems taking turns paying.

What do you think?  Who do you think should pay for dates?

There’s more to Lauren’s dating story than who’s paying for dinner.  To hear Life Coaching with Lauren listen this weekend, May 26 & 27, at 9am on 910 KINA or go to https://joanjerkovich.com/ for the Podcast titled “Dating” or link to iTunes.

 

WIN a $10 Amazon gift card!

For contest details go to “Click HERE” at https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

Joan Jerkovich is a Board Certified Life Coach

For Free Life Coaching on The Joan Jerkovich Show

Go to https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

 The Joan Jerkovich Show

Weekends at 9am on 910 KINA

On the web at www.joanjerkovich.com