This will be very helpful for us as finding this information can be significant

Very pleased to see these new technologies replacing animal testing!

This is interesting and all, but how long do you think it would take for such a system to be implemented. The thing about using animals is that, although the Tox21 can predict the outcome, that itself is the problem. While testing on lab rats (or any lab animal), we get to see some of the side effects since we have an idea on how it may affect us, since most of the things that kill rats can probably kill humans. Also, buying animals is cheaper for the labs, whereas the Tox21 is limited with how many calculations it can do at once. Even if we give it the benefit of the doubt, there’d be accessibility issues.

This is interesting because a lot of companies use animals to test their products.

Dear Mae,
I did not think that animal cruelty was this bad. I’m glad you shared all this information because we need to stop killing and abusing animals. I think it is really cruel to be doing this to so many different kinds of animals. But I think some people would need to kill some animals because they might benefit from getting food or to make products. But, some people just abuse and kill animals and don’t even care about them.

Dear Mae, I am happy you wrote this post. It shoes just how bad animal cruelty is because a lot of people really dont know how animals are being used to test products that will hurt or kill them.

I thought this was pretty cool and I think it is good that they are moving away from animal testing.

Thank for writing this article, I have never heard of tissue chips before. This seems like a great alternative to animal testing and I hope to see companies use this method in the future.

Dear Mae,
I 100% agree with you that animal testing should stop. This tissue chip will hopefully decrease the number of animals harmed in laboratory testing. Animals have rights too even though they can’t fight for them like we do. One thing that stood out to me was “These chips could even be more effective than animal testing. ” This stood out to me because if the chips do turn out to be more accurate than animal testing, then it will be a win win situation for both humans and animals. This will help us because new medications might be found without harming any living thing. I am looking forward to what you post next. Thank you for your post.

Dear Mae :
I am interested by your post “Alternatives to Animal Testing” because I have never liked the idea of Animal testing. I have never seen the difference between animal cruelty and testing. One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “ Texas A&M University is helping to test tissue chips, which would be an alternative to human and animal testing. ” I think this is wonderful because I believe that Animal testing and animal cruelty are essentially the same. In both cases, animals can get seriously hurt, or even killed, for the sake of the human race. Another sentence that I enjoyed was: “ The National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) has even given the university a $4.2 million dollar grant to continue their research.” This stood out for me because I think it is truly amazing that people are taking the next steps towards happiness for animals. Animals bring people so much joy, but this testing is hurting the delicate creatures of the wild. Your post reminds me of something that happened to me. The day I got my first pet, she was an all black cat. That day I did a bit if research on animals and found out that on halloween, black cats are often burned due to their rumoured bad luck. Also, out of animal tested cats, they are the most often tested on. To me, these two seem like the same thing. Either way,people believe no one will miss these creatures. Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because I feel very passionate about animal testing and think that it is truly wonderful that anyone would decide to help fight against this testing by trying to solve the problem that brings us to this cruelty. I hope to read about more alternatives or maybe some changes in the future.

I find this topic to be very interesting. Nowadays you always hear about the Salem Witch Trails and know the general story but I have never thought to look deeper into the topic. I wonder if the hysteria in Salem spread to other cities too.

I think this is very interesting. The museum in Salem is really cool. It’s sad but interesting to see the replicated conditions some of those accused women had to live.

I think this is a very interesting topic. I first heard about the Salem Witch Trials in middle school when I read “The Crucible,” by Arthur Miller. I found the trials absolutely ridiculous because the accusations were started by young girls and then the paranoia spread so fast throughout the town. Why do you think it took so long for people in Salem to realize that the claims of witch craft were false?

I’ve always found the Salem witch trials really interesting. I’m curious to see what else you find oht about it, good job Mae

Mae, great post! I am currently reading Dead Man Walking and am chilled to the bone. Death penalty is highly debated and a huge contrevarsy in the United States. I thought one of your strongest points was innocence. It is slightly terrifying to know innocent men have been put to death by our government. Also, since when is it okay to answer violence with violence. I believe the death penalty shows poor judgement from the government. One thing I might include is what the national verdict as a whole is. Do more people go for the death penalty, or are more people against the death penalty? Overall, riveting article with great evidence.

Man oh man did I like this post. I am currently emerged into this book and find myself torn. I don’t necessarily have a standing on the death penalty but I believe it is a big enough issue and that there are enough people against it at this point that there needs to be a discussion at a higher level of government. You compared the pros and cons very nicely.

I did enjoy this article not just because of the book that we are reading in English class but also because this argument is brought up frequently with my friends and me. This subject is quite interesting because both sides have facts and statistics to back their sides but no one side is completely correct. It is also interesting to see how this argument will fan out and it will be interesting to see this argument fester in the government until it explodes.

This is an interesting post to read because I’m currently reading a book focusing on this difficult argument. I myself am having a hard time on what to believe is the right thing to do. It is a very hard thing to make a decision on. Great work with your facts and citing!

I am personally opposed to the death penalty mainly because it feels very vengeful and hypocritical. I think this post is really great because you look at both sides of this debate. While I oppose it i do understand how someone in pain might want to seek revenge.

I really liked how your post gives both sides to the topic of criminal punishment, that way I was able to see each point of view ad put them in perspective. This is a difficult subject as its a very extreme way of handling capital crimes. I thought your discussion will help me read Dead Man Walking with an open mind and see the ideas behind both sides.

Good use of concession, however I think it would have benefited the strength of your work to add some opinions (either of your own about the issue, or about the weaknesses and strengths of either side)

Dear Mae,
Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next, because you brought up a very debatable issue and included the arguments of both sides. Personally, I was against the death sentence but after reading your post, I now realize why so many people are for the death sentence. This post opened my eyes and I look forward to learning more from your posts.

Thank you for sharing this information. There is a lot of research that seems to show the positive benefits of meditation and mindfulness. (Mindfulness is another thing you might want to look into. It has a lot of similarities to meditation, but it is also just an everyday way of being present all the time.)

I try to practice this myself, and I find it very helpful. One book I would recommend is “Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World.” The authors’ web site is http://franticworld.com/. (I also follow several mindfulness accounts on Twitter — it might seem that Twitter isn’t very “mindful” but I find that the little reminders help me.)

I will be interested to see more of your writing on this topic and others.

I found this to be very informative. I’ve been very interested in meditation, and this information, like the cited articles, was very helpful. Thank you Mae!

Dear Mae,
I agree with you that medical marijuana should be legalized. Im totally in agreeance with you that it may be a better way than taking medications. Marijuana may be a better solution when it comes to medical issues. If marijuana is a better way to treat illnesses then it should become legalized to use for medicinal purposes. Something that really interests me is when you said, “Pain pills can cause serious issues, and harm the brain, but medical marijuana can provide the same pain relief with much less harm done.” Medical marijuana can be a more effective way to treat illnesses and is less harmful to the patients. Thank you for you project it was really interesting to read.

Thank you for sharing this. I related very much to having a sick grandparent who relies on pain pills, and I agree that medicinal marijuana could be extremely helpful to a wide variety of patients.