Professor Susan Wendell comments on my book

I'm very honoured to have received the following comments from Professor Susan Wendell, author of the book 'The Rejected Body: Feminist Philosophical Reflections on Disability' about my book, comments she has given permission to make public:

"I am very, very impressed by the thoroughness of your research. Even though our lines of inquiry into both ME/CFIDS and psychosomatic diagnosis have been different, nearly every relevant study I had encountered in my own research is discussed by you, and then you cover far more. I am equally impressed by your careful reasoning in confronting the scientific inadequacies and logical absurdities of much psychosomatic theorizing.

Perhaps most important for readers who are at risk of receiving psychosomatic diagnoses (and, from my own research, I would say that includes virtually everyone who may become ill), you expose the consequences of psychosomatic diagnosis or speculation in medicine, clinical psychology, counselling, social work and everyday life. Your book is a gift to everyone who has endured these consequences - including shame, isolation, loss of income and social rejection. Thank you, thank you for all the painstaking work you have done in writing it."

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rejected-Body-Philosophical-Reflections-Disability/dp/0415910471/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357639592&sr=1-1

My submission to the Select Committee on Dog Control and Welfare

My submission to the Commons Select Committee on Dog Control and Welfare has been accepted and published by them here:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmenvfru/writev/dogcontrol/dog27.htm

first paragraph:

"My submission to this Committee is informed by my own position as a dog owner (of a small English Bull Terrier Cross rescue who is NOT ‘of type’), and as an academic social science lecturer and researcher, with a research interest in the social and material effects (on both people and dogs) of breed specific legislation (or BSL), and in public and state construction and management of risk. I have a number of grave concerns about the BSL component of the current UK Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (DDA) in its present form. As I shall demonstrate, it is not a rational law, and gives rise to many instances of injustice, while failing to protect the public, or dogs. Any attempt to extend this aspect of the law would not be rational or just. In addition, there are a number of additional proposals around dog control that are unreasonable and unworkable. These will make owning and controlling a dog more difficult, and will not protect the public or dogs. I will therefore also address these..."