More on the human microbiome = "your own personal ecosystem": "You’re barely human. For every one of your own cells in your body, there are many microbial ones. They not only outnumber you, but they affect your health and your mind....the Human Microbiome Project – has just unveiled the most thorough picture yet of the microscopic majority that colonises us."

At the Alison Bechdel gala hosted for frosh on Thursday night, the last question she was asked was about her bravery in coming out @ Oberlin several decades ago: She replied, "I wasn't brave. I was in a very protected place. It was like being here."

I realized today (after talking with Julia) that there might be some people in the class who don't know what posse is. Sorry if anyone felt confused/left out, if you don't know about the Posse program, please ask! If you want to check out the official posse website here is the link.  Also, Jomaira wrote a blog about posse a while ago, which was in response to some of the negativity we sometimes recieve as posse scholars (i.e: general attitude that we received a handout and that we are "lucky" to be here rather than that we "deserve" to be here).

http://news.brynmawr.edu/2012/09/27/vartanian/

This is research done by a Bryn Mawr GSSWSR professor. It ties in well with the idea of dependence that we've been discussing in Barb's class! 

As I was reading “Offending Women” I started to draw some similarities and differences from the article we read for Jody’s class, “Suspending Damage: A Letter to Communities” by Eve Tuck. Both the Need-based system and Desire based system claimed to do similar things in the way in which it reframes the way we approach women offenders. Both claim to align themselves with the marginalized in their ability to attend to their needs/desires. However, the Alliance’s institution itself seemed more to be a situation that was filled with implicit codes of dependency, disguised under the rhetoric of a needs/desire based system. They maintained power and interdependency between the women and the institution by claiming to know and attend to the “girl’s real needs.” Unlike a desire-based system, they did not bother to ask what the mothers needed. Furthermore, the implications of desire and need have more subtle but significant distinctions.  A desire does not necessarily have to be a need; a need is something deemed more necessary for living. The word need itself is limited; whereas desire can account for possibilities and hope. Need implies one only requires the bare minimum to survive, while desire leaves much more room for more abstract needs as well- such as happiness or mental stability. While I realize this may sound idealistic, I think both kinds of needs and desires are necessary.

I meant to ask you to leave w/ me what you wrote--and read--in class today;
I would like to post this as another collectively written "poem," if you are willing.
If you are, please add your answers to the questions--
"What do I need to flourish here?"
"What might we need to flourish here?"--
as comments to this post, and I'll collate them all.
Thank you all, again--
A.