Engage – Page 19 – Confluence Daily

Reading Time: 4 minutesVoter suppression efforts are at an all-time high for the 2018 midterm elections. This may be the most important election in our lifetimes. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Which is why the voter suppression machine is in full-churn. Your vote matters more than ever. So, it’s important to take every precaution to ensure you can cast it and that it counts.

Many tactics being deployed to stop certain groups of people from voting – and by certain groups of people, I mean mostly minorities. However, the scorched earth tactics being used are affecting a much wider swath of voters than just low income and minority groups. You simply can’t assume just because you’re white or privileged, your vote will be counted. So, now is the time to get prepared for what’s coming in the next few days.

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October 22, 2018 Confluence

We Might Want to Think Twice Before Betting Our Democracy on the Upcoming Blue Wave…

Reading Time: 3 minutesTrump is a historically unpopular president among the general U.S. population, but consistently retains extremely high levels of Republican support. Recent polls have put him at around a 90 percent approval rating among Republicans.

And in case you’re wondering what issue rises to the top for those Republicans, it’s race and race-related issues like immigration and border control. It’s all about race all day long for the majority of those voters. And we’re not guessing. Poll after poll says the same thing.

This telling us something we may not want to hear: About half of the U.S. is racist as A.F. and that’s not much of a secret anymore.

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October 19, 2018 Confluence

You’re Going By Yourself? A Photo Essay from a Solo Traveler

Reading Time: 5 minutesLadies, you do not have to wait for “the one” or your friends to agree to go. There are lots of group tours out there (I prefer small groups of 15 or less) that are affordable and provide a level of safety and comfort to make it easier if you are not comfortable traveling on your own. I’ve met people from various backgrounds and all ages ranging from 20’s to people in their 70’s. I am rarely the only solo traveler on a group tour, as there are many people out there in similar situations. It has mostly been women traveling alone in these groups with a few men sprinkled in.

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October 18, 2018 Cindie Chavez

Five Ideas to Help You Resolve a Conflict

Reading Time: 8 minutesWhen the multitude of conflicts playing out globally leaves me feeling helpless, I remind myself that I am not helpless to deal with conflicts that arise in my own life and relationships. Plus, I agree with the maxim “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – so learning some basic tools of the peacemaker has been part of my personal practice. If “Peace on Earth” begins with me then who knows what cascading effect conflict resolution in my own life could have in the world.

In the interest of making the world a more peaceful place, I’ve compiled five specific ideas that could be useful should you desire to resolve a conflict in your own life.

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October 18, 2018 Confluence

Millennials in the Workplace – A Talk EVERYONE Should Watch, Millennial or Not

Reading Time: < 1 minuteMillennials are the only generation dealing with the issue of digital addiction. However, they are the first generation to grow up with it and we’re learning a lot from their experience about the cost of not understanding it.

Millennials are the most depressed, anxious generation that has come along. They are struggling and medicated – and there is a reason why.

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October 16, 2018 Confluence

Republicans Split a Black College in Half in Extreme North Carolina Gerrymandering | NowThis

Reading Time: < 1 minuteRepublicans split a Black college in half to win elections in this state — but this type of gerrymandering isn’t anything new for the GOP.

Black students at HBCU North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T State University) are calling out Republicans’ aggressive gerrymandering that split their college in two. Republicans’ redistricting divided the black college to win elections. This form of GOP gerrymandering is not anything new or surprising in politics and the age of Donald Trump.

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October 12, 2018 Confluence

Cut For Life – Hairstylists and Barbers Against AIDS

Reading Time: < 1 minuteThis video is a perfect illustration of how impactful and important community is. It’s also a beautiful illustration of how to have conversations about subjects most would feel are difficult of awkward.

It’s thought-provoking to think about the role of a hair stylist or barber in a community, friend, therapist, confidante, even mentor. It’s inspiring to see how the simple act of conversation, especially when it’s difficult, can change the course of a life or save a life.

Brave conversation is the most powerful catalyst for change we have. These two provide a brilliant example of how to navigate that territory.

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October 10, 2018 Confluence

A People Before Politics Platform that Makes Sense When Everything Seems Insane

Reading Time: 8 minutesI woke up this morning with the powerful need to write down what I want to happen in our country, politically.

I’m going to share these ideas with you not because I want you to agree with me, but because I want you to consider your own perspective on these issues and come to your own conclusions.

Then, take a hard look at the candidates on your slate next month. Where do they stand on the issue vs. where you stand? If it’s unclear, find a way to ask them.

Then, vote for the people who are closest to your point of view. They may not be 100% in alignment with you – but vote for the one who’s 80% there over the one who’s 10% with you.

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October 3, 2018 Confluence

Women Crowned Trump and Now They Need to Uncrown Him

Reading Time: 4 minutes“Grab ’em by the pussy.” The words will live in infamy for a very long time.
I don’t need to tell you who’s words those were, because we all know.

More shocking than the words themselves was the fact that after that audio was broadcast on national television for all the world to hear, women went to the polls days later and voted for him. White middle-class suburban women didn’t seem to care that our now President bragged about sexual assault. They followed their husbands to the polls, coasting on their privilege and voted for a man many of us think is a monster.

That one inescapable fact set us up for a Presidency with unthinkable consequences. Donald J. Trump believed he could run the board without the checks and balances that most presidents have to work under. Those checks and balances aren’t about the legislature and the courts. I’m talking about the checks and balances politicians have to ride based on a representation of the people.

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October 2, 2018 Confluence

Business Insider: 5 Quick And Easy Ways To Encrypt Your Life Safely In Less Than An Hour.

Reading Time: 4 minutesJust try to recall how many public figures’ personal information or photos leaked to the public over the last 10 years. And look at what’s just recently happened to Emma Watson and Amanda Seyfriend with their private photos on the phone got hacked.

In fact, the leakage of personal information has become so easily that even the FBI director covered his personal laptop’s webcam with a piece of tape. He suggested us to cover our in-computer webcam with a tape because this is an essential security step that everyone should take.