Charles+B.

Phase I: Who Am I? What's My Place?


 * What __really__ makes up your identity?

I'm am a little unsure of how to answer this question and that probably says something about my identity. I think of myself as intelligent, probably a little more on the spontaneous intelligence side than controlled. I'm in control of my emotions and project confidence in professional situations but am less comfortable in social situations. I enjoy learning new things and I prefer to look at the big picture rather than micro-manage.


 * What __really__ makes up your sense of place?

I feel most at home when surrounded by people who share my goals and thoughts. Best evidence I have of this is when I'm at the gym or engaging in one of my hobbies everything seems to fall into place and I have a sense of fullfillment that I rarely experience at work.


 * What roles do your identity and sense of place play when you work with others in a group project?

I think I bring a broad knowledge base to projects and I know how to ask the right questions. I'm good at taking apart a problem, examing what resources are available, building concensus among different groups and guiding people to a solution. I would say being able to distance myself from emotions in a professional setting is one of my strengths here.


 * What are the qualities that you bring to the GLIP conversation that will help you make a contribution to your global group?

I grew up in rural NC and my experiences living in a farming community will allow me a broader perspective than people who have never experienced life in the country.


 * What is one local problem (where you live) that you believe needs to be addressed? Suggest some steps could you take to try to solve it?

One local problem I see is the increasing cost of a secondary education. The UNC Board of Governors has decided to again raise tuition costs for attending college. This problem could be solved by a small sales tax increase. I would also suggest looking at the lottery program and how the money from it is being spent.


 * Finally, some problems have been around for a long time. What qualities do you think a person must have to step up and try to solve them?

I think one of the most important qualities a person can have is understanding how to effectively communicate with people. Our world today seems driven by the 24hour news cycle and things can get easily misinterpreted when journalists need a story or politicans need something to rail against. An effective leader must know how to get attention for their cause, build their team of experts to solve it and maintain popular support for the cause. A great example of this is healthcare reform in the US. The problem has been around for a long time. Many presidents both republican and democrat have attempted to solve it. The public recognizes the need to have better access to healthcare, yet the media, politicians and lobbyists have created an atmosphere where reform measures have been demonized and government run healthcare was completely off the table before things even began.

Phase II: Sense of Place

Upload image (s) here:



Use these questions to help you determine which picture shows someone else why your “place” is so special to you.
 * Does a scenic picture represent the beauty you believe that your town has?
 * Does a picture of a group of people represent and show a warmth and friendliness that your town has?
 * Does a statue or building convey the feeling of history that makes your place important and unique?
 * Is there a cultural event that represents the values of your home location?


 * NC is a special place for a number of reasons. The state has a variety of natural resources juxtaposed with modern cities. NC can be very rural in some respects but at the same time there is a series of small and large towns where people can experience modern life. The reverse is also true, if you live in the city it's very easy to escape the hustle and find a small farm where you can pick your own crops and get your hands dirty. NC has variety for all. We have beaches, mountains and everything in between, so no matter what your tastes are, you can find them in NC.**

What are your initial thoughts about how your image addresses the questions above? Later, you will be working with the members of your group to create a travel package that includes visits to each group member's home location (see Phase II)


 * I think the images show NC has plenty of scenic vistas. I'm not sure my images showcase enough of the very near when it comes to my local area. With this project being on a global scale, do we want to get on such a micro-level scale.**

Phase III: Identify Local Issue:

What is your local issue?


 * The rising price of energy is a huge concern for all of America. The recent hikes in the price of gas has made this even more abundantly clear than normal. NC has one of the highest gas taxes at least in the surrounding states, probably across the US. This problem has even reached into the local schools where already tight funding for education is even tighter due to increased transportation costs for students.**

What can you do to be address the issue?

What is the global impact of your local issue?
 * The biggest thing that can be done to solve this problem locally is to help people realize there are ways to beat the gas prices. First, we could organize car pool opportunities. Second, we can urge people to consolidate trips to town or to the grocery store. Third, we can try and convince our local business leaders and local governments to provide more incentives for people to bike.**


 * Energy prices are a world wide problem. The more energy the US uses the more the world supply of oil is affected as well. The US is seen as a leader and we need to step up and lead by example. We have failed to do this and in fact have encouraged countries like China who used to be more dependent on bikes to shift to cars if some of our news stories can be believed.**

Add these thoughts to your Group's Discussion Forum on Local Issues