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In this story, everyone seems to be doing research – Angela, Jenny, Larry, Harry, Connie and even Freddie’s alter ego and name sake, Freddie Clegg, so we thought you might be amused to see some of the research Freddie ad I (writes Phil) did as we put the story together. We tried to give Thesis a sharper edge by writing as close to the real world as we could and we were surprised (to say the least) to find some of our own musings turned out to have very close parallels in the real world! We should also point out, by the way, that and neither Freddie nor Phil has any commercial connection whatsoever with any of the companies mentioned.
Chapter 1: Board Meeting
1. Freddie Clegg Enterprises:
Readers who want to know more about this organization and about how Larry Ross came to be in their employ should read Market Forces, Freddie’s previous magnum opus!
2. A University in the English Midlands:
There are several universities in the English Midlands. We have deliberately not been specific about which particular university Jenny Mc Ewan works at, but she lives in Warwick and there is one there ……
3. Second Skin
This magazine was invented by Freddie but in the real world, you could always have a look at Skin Two! Their website is www.skintwo.com
4. Professor Angela Dawney
Angela was inspired by Professor Madeline Dawnay, a character in the SciFi TV series ‘A for Andromeda’ written by the noted cosmologist Fred Hoyle and broadcast on BBC Television beginning in 1961. Professor Dawnay was played by Mary Morris who sported a cutting-edge, short, butch, haircut when she played the part. Freddie and Phil are (just) old enough to remember the series! Sadly only one episode remains. The series is famous for being Julie Christie’s first screen role. It was remade in 2006 in an OK version for BBC 4 with Jane Asher in the role of Dawnay. (not really how we see the Prof at all, I’m afraid).
5. Huntingdon
A country market town north of Cambridge, England.
6. Brick Lane
A commercial street in the Whitechapel district of the East End of London, near the old London Docks. It has always been a rather work-a-day area and after the docks moved to Tillbury became rather run down. Now, however, it is a centre for Indian food. If you like a good curry you can find one around here (with care). Also not far from where Jack The Ripper used to ply his grisly trade. You can find it on Google Earth, but we are not being drawn on which building is the HQ of FCE although it might be loosely based on an office that Freddie once worked in real life.
Also the title of a proper (much hyped, shortlisted for the Man-Booker prize in 2003) novel by Monica Ali and more recently (2007) a feature film of the book. Probably more literary than anything Phil or Freddie aspire to. We’ll let you judge whether or not this is more entertaining.
7. Sarah and the characters at the Board Meeting
More about this desperate crew can be found in Freddie’s earlier story Market Forces – except for Connie Mbazu who first appeared in Freddie and Phil’s last story The Greenwich Tales. Phil had Connie just where he wanted her at the end of GT but this time ……….
8. Jenny’s surrendered wife fantasies.
Laura Doyle’s book attracted plenty of controversy when it was first published.
http://www.surrenderedwife.com/
Interestingly Wikipedia talks about a “surrendered wives movement” without providing any evidence for it at all beyond describing the basic tenets of the book.
Chapter 2: Acquisitions
1. Kushtia
Kushtia is a fictitious country somewhere between Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Iran. It has got its own unique culture and you can learn more about it in Freddie’s tales Market Forces and Anthropology.
2. BDSM weekends
There really are one or two places you can go in the UK to spend a weekend in a BDSM guest house. Phil for one has never been to any of them and so we will not quote a web address except to say that you can look them up at: www.informedconsent.co.uk and then click the link to “services”. You might also want to have a look at www.ladomaine.com.
3. The Other World Kingdom
OKW really does exist and once again Phil has no personal experience to draw upon. However, their website makes it look as if the experience would be rather harsh, if you were a male sub. (But I guess that is the idea, says Freddie) If you dare, go to: www.owk.cz
4. Centre Parcs
A well known inland holiday resort company in the UK and Europe. Originally a Dutch firm, the Cambridgeshire village (as they are called) at Elvedon even used to have distinctly Dutch sanitary wear in the villas and the staff, including cleaners travelled around the site on bicycles.
Centre Parcs is very family friendly and vanilla but perhaps not completely. Phil read in the papers that the pool was open for adults in the late evening on a “costume-optional” basis. You might have to go to find out for real. It’s not mentioned on the website!
Chapter 3: Fond Farewell
1. MUNCH.
Meeting of BDSM enthusiasts in vanilla venue. Especially good for new people to introduce themselves and take the measure of new acquaintances in safe surroundings.
2. Fancy your academic potential?
“How to Get a PhD” from the Open University Press covers finance, choice of topic, and in particular, several pages about the relationship between the Phd student and their supervisor. Jenny and Angela would have found it useful – but if they had read it, Freddie and I might not have had a story to tell …….
How to Get a PhD: A Handbook for Students and Their Supervisors. 4th edition
Estelle Phillips and Derek S Pugh. Available from www.Amazon.co.uk
3. Fetish Wear In Public?
Of course there’s a web site for it: http://www.publicfetishgirls.com/
Chapter 4: First Contact
1. Café Nero.
It’s a large real-life chain of coffee bars in the UK : “the best expresso this side of Milan” they claim (“No,” say’s Freddie, “that’s mine!”) and they are actually very good! They are not known for their hosting of activities like these but you never know. Don’t you ever wonder what those people hunched over their laptops are actually doing?? :-)
2. Santa Maria Novella.
An up-market Italian firm of perfumiers . You can visit them at www.smnovella.it or Google Santa Maria Novella perfume to find an outlet near you. It is rather special.
Chapter 5: Goodbye & Hello
1. Whitby.
Seaside resort on the north sea coast of Yorkshire, England. It’s very picturesque. A small harbour nestling in a steep sided estuary. Famous as the birth place of Captain James Cook and in the fiction of Bram Stoker, infamous as the port where Count Dracula arrived in England.
Chapter 6: A Long & Winding Road
1. Warwick.
A university town in the English Midlands famous for its excellent castle.
2. Warwick Sports Centre
Warwick has several sports centres. This isn't based on any of them but it seemed a more likely venue for a swimming pool than Warwick Castle.
3. NX Hair
The shop; entirely fictional. The receptionist; entirely believable.
4. Hello! Magazine.
A glossy magazine available in the UK to keep you up-to-date with Celebrity Gossip,
a favourite of hairdressers and hospital waiting rooms.
5. Journey Times.
We checked all Jenny’s journey times which were correct at the time of writing (least ways according to the timetables – we haven’t allowed for leaves on the line).
6. Marylebone Station
One of our favourite movies is the classic 1960’s spy movie The Ipcress File, which begins as two of the characters reach Marylebone Station. However, if you are traveling from Warwick to London, the train will indeed take you to Marylebone. There is one other Ipcress reference hidden in the story. Afficionarnos may spot it!
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marylebone_station
7. The Elephant, Fenchurch Street
There is a brightly painted model elephant street sign hanging outside The Elephant and hence Jenny found her way to the meeting point easily.
http://fancyapint.com/pubs/pub2209.html
8, Gerry’s first speech.
Gerry paraphrases the speech from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice given by the unsavoury Mr Wickham to The Bennets, just before he and Lydia leave for Newcastle where he will join his new regiment: “The carriage awaits, duty and honour call us to the North. Let us not say goodbye, but as the French have it, au revoir”. Blimey, sas Freddie, I hadn’t reaised we’d come over all literary.
9. NCP
National Car Parks has a facility not far from the Elephant pub.
10. The Story of O
We’re guessing you know this already folk but in case you don’t:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Story_of_O
www.amazon.com/Story-O-Pauline-Reage/dp/0345301110
Chapter 7: Admissions Procedure
1. Collars and cuffs
There are a surprisingly (encouragingly??) large number of firms in this market. You might like to look at: www.slaveregister.com/listings/collars but what we actually had in mind were some of the Tollyboy products. Check out: www.tollyboy.com
Once you are in the site, pick “jewellery” from the product index
Chapter 8: A Problem With Puppy Fat
1. Body Fat Percentage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_fat_percentage
www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/skinfolds.htm
2. Weight loss strategies
Definitely Phil’s area of expertise. For more on this see The Greenwich Tales.
A helpful website is: http://www.anitabean.co.uk/weightloss.html but please bear in mind that this is a completely kink-free vanilla site.
3. Electro-conductive rubber
This really is available although the the kit used by IWB was entirely our own invention. Check out: http://shop.e-stim.co.uk/index.php?cPath=22_40
Chapter 9: Bad Hair Day
1. Ramatoulaye Diallo
…really was the Face of Africa. Here she is:
http://members.fortunecity.com/pete100/smoothoperators/id17.html
2. Inspired to shave your own head?
For more information, visit: http://www.headshaver.org/ Personally Phil suggests just having the barber or hairdresser give you a number 1 crew cut and then go over what’s left with an electric razor! (Alternatively, says Freddie, just wait for the advancing years and it does it on its own.)
Chapter 10: Piercing Questions
1. Chlorhexidine mouth wash
Sold in the UK as “Corsodyl”. The bottle cap doubles as a measure and has a mark on the inside to show 10 mls.
2. Celia’s Medical Kit
If you are into playing doctors and nurses you can get kitted out like Celia at: www.awbent.co.uk Pick up the link to scrub suits, for Celia’s blue surgical scrubs and www.westcountryclogs.co.uk for your own white surgical clogs. Alternatively Google search “toffeln”.
Please remember that these are both completely vanilla, kink-free, firms, if you contact them.
3. Tongue piercing technique
As experienced in real life by one of us, but not in quite such an exotic way!!!!!
4. Medical Fun generally
If medical play is your scene you almost certainly already know about www.medicaltoys.com
Chapter 11: Why Weight?
1. Weight & Strength Training
There are dozens of books in the Amazon on-line catalogue and websites about weight training and the personal sites of bodybuilders – just do a Google search. However here are a couple of books Phil found helpful:
1. Weight Training for Dummies
Liz Neporent, Susanne Scholsberg and Shirley J Archer . For Dummies Books: John Wylie
2. The Complete Guide to Strength Training
Anita Bean, AC Black and Co.
Chapter 12: Ylena Zhukova
1. The bambach saddle seat
The saddle stool in the e-mail room was inspired by a real product which you can go buy yourself! Its called the Bambach Saddle Seat and you can find it at: www.bambach.com.au and www.bambach.co.uk
However, Bambach are not the only firm in this market.
Chapter 13: Is There Life After Housework?
1. Victorian Mosaic tiles.
These were very popular in their day and were often to surface the front porch of houses. And even the front path. Recently they have become popular again and two companies manufacturing the tiles are Original Style (www.originalstyle.com) and Maw & Co. (www.maw.co.uk).
The tiles are not too expensive but the trick is to find a tiler who can put then down correctly. The lines of tiles need to be ABSOLUTELY straight and the whole floor needs to be ABSOLUTELY flat.
2. The two bucket technique for washing floors
This comes from “Is there Life After Housework?”, Don Aslett, Exeley Publications.
Don taught himself t be an expert cleaner to fund his was through college and remained in the business afterwards. His book is full of excellent advice on keeping the house clean yet reducing the work you have to do! (Assuming that you don’t have your own slave and even if you do this might help them free up some time for other activities)
Chapter 14: How To Be A Gardener
1. People chipping
When Freddie and I wrote The Greenwich Tales we were taken aback when two ideas we had invented for the plot actually came to pass in real life. The idea of chipping the IWB slaves seemed to be the sort of thing IWB might do but nature began to imitate art once more when we found a media report about a company in the United States which wanted to have some of its employees chipped: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48760
Now visit this astonishing website: www.digitalangel.com and then follow the links to http://www.verichipcorp.com/ where you will find proposals for “wanderer prevention” and patient records data. In fact their Wanderer Prevention system is exactly what IWB seem to have installed – except that Freddie and I thought we were writing fiction!
2. The International Register of Slaves and Submissives
This can be found at: www.informedconsent.co.uk and follow the link to The Slave Register
3. Breastfeeding with pierced nipples
Here are a couple of encouraging references:
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/pregnancy/1957/can-you-breastfeed-with-pierced-nipples
and http://www.llli.org//llleaderweb/LV/LVJunJul99p64.html
So if Jenny and Joe have kids in due course, Jenny’s pierced nipples will be one less thing to worry about!
Chapter 15: The Garden Party
1. Naked slave waiters
This chapter was inspired by something Phil heard on BBC Radio 4. The COE of a Corporate Entertainments company was being interviewed and he disclosed that his most unusual request was to provide naked slaveboys and slavegirls to be waiters at a private party!
So what on earth did you do? asked the astonished interviewer.
Well, came the reply, I put it to the staff who were all very much up for it. We did the party and the staff were not naked – but they were not wearing much!
Unfortunately, neither Freddie nor Phil get invited to parties like that!
2. Jenny’s muzzle harness
This was inspired by an item available from Top-To-Bottom-Leathers: www.top-to-bottom-leathers.co.uk. When you enter the site follow the link to Products, then pick Hoods, then pick Muzzle Harness.
3. The Greek looking sandals
The ones that we had in mind were from: www.pipersandals.com. Please bear in mind that this is a completely kink-free, vanilla, organisation, if you decide to contact them.
4. Jenny’s serving tray
This isn’t quite what we had in mind but if you wanted to re-enact the Garden Party, this would do the job: http://uk.geocities.com/voodoo_restraints/serving.html
Chapter 16: Getting What She Came For
1. E-stim things
Definitely kink-friendly and vanilla-free, this time! We also have it on good authority that some of the kit you can buy there and at other similar outlets could produce the effects enjoyed by Jenny!
Chapter 17: The Tattooing Incident
1. Jenny’s tattoo
There are lots and lots of tattoo sites on the ‘net. However you might like to look at
www.tattoo.dk. Click to read the site in English, then click the link to see Erik Rieme’s work. His “latest” (as at May 2008) gives you an idea of what we thought Jonathan did to Jenny.
Chapter 18: Elementary String Theory
1. Shibari / kinbaku-bi
Some useful information on shibari can be found at http://rare.ropemarks.com.
Chapter 20: The Problem With Research
1. Pump up the volume
You really can buy an e-stim kit which responds to an incoming signal such as music from a CD or moans and gasps picked up by a microphone!
2. Charlotte’s wedge for Jenny
Jenny was strapped to a “Liberator Shape” which you can find at:
http://www.liberator.com/z_black_products_shapes_gamma.php
Chapter 21: Private Investigations
1. Research Assessment Exercise.
The majority of funding for British Universities comes from the Government. When Mrs Thatcher was Prime Minister, a scheme to assess the research quality and productivity of universities was devised and called the Research Assessment Exercise. It places significant demands on the university staff and the conversation between Angela and Roy could have taken place at any university in recent years! http://www.rae.ac.uk/
2. The Vice –Chancellor.
The “chief executive” of a British University
3. Research Ethics Committees
Exist to protect human subjects in clinical research. Many Learned Journals will not now accept articles and research reports for publication if the investigations have not been approved by a research ethics committee. The constitution and rules governing the committees will vary from country to country. Here is a link to the European Community arrangements which would apply to Angela and Jenny: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_Committee_%28European_Union%29
and a more general reference: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis.cfm
4. The British Association
Angela might have has one of a number of scientific societies in mind. An example of the species is The British Association for the Advancement of Science. Visit them at: www.the-ba.net
5. Harry
One of Larry’s former colleagues at Fredie Clegg Enterprises. Harry is in charge of what you might call “Black Ops”. You can read more about Harry in “Market Forces”, on Freddie’s Yahoo site.
6. Anatoly Kustensky
Another character from “Market Forces”. One of Harry’s Black Ops Team misidentified Anatoly’s daughter as an abduction target. Anatoly was not terribly pleased and Freddy has been trying to develop better relationships ever since!
Chapter 22: Extraordinary Rendition
1. Jenny’s Shibari Head Bondage
Phil didn’t think this was very credible so I found an example. I’m not sure that it’s an authentic Japanese form but I think it looks like the sort of thing Ylena might have done. (Check out the one named Basic Face Bondage.)
http://www.youtube.com/twistedmonkcom
2. Energetic CIA activity in London
Was suggested in the recent movie “The Bourne Supremacy” in a terrific scene which takes place in Waterloo Station.
3. UK Extradition Act 2003.
Now you might be surprised at how easily Jenny, Charlotte and Jo have been taken it by all this CIA hokum, but this Act was passed by the Government as part of its response to the “new situation” created by the 9/11 attacks in New York. The main purpose of the Act was to make the extradition of terrorist subjects easier but most extraditions from the UK have been to do with more routine criminal offences. A particular cause celebre in the UK was the case of the “Natwest Three”. Three former employees of the National Westminster Bank were extradited to stand trial in Texas on fraud charges. However they were British citizens who were alleged to have committed their crime in London against a British bank – which incidently declined to instigate a prosecution! However a fourth individual was an employee of the Enron Corporation which was what sparked the interest of the authorities in Texas. Formerly the United States authorities would have to show before a court that there was a case to answer, now after the Act ,they merely have to make a request for extradition and the British authorities are expected to comply. Which is what happened.
4. Connie's electric pony
This can be found at http://shop.e-stim.co.uk and follow the links to Electro Furniture and then to
Very Alternative Furniture
5. “US says it has the right to kidnap British Subjects”
This was a headline in the Sunday Times, 2nd December 2007. The story continued… “a senior American Jurist has told Judges from the Court of Appeal that the United States reserves the right to kidnap british subjects and take them to the United States, if it suspects them of a crime in the United States”
Chapter 23: An Uncertain Future
1. Foreign Office, Home Office, Ministry of Justice
British government departments dealing with foreign relations, internal security (amongst many other things) and the Judiciary. www.foreignoffice.gov.uk www.homeoffice.gov.uk www.ministryofjustice.gov.uk
2. Amnesty International
A wholly admirable international non-governmental organization seeking (for example) the release of political prisoners: www.amnesty.com
3. Liberty
A British non-governmental organization concerned to oppose the abuse of power by the government and promote the defense of civil liberties. It was formerly the National Council for Civil Liberties. www.liberty.co.uk
4. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Abraham Maslow proposed (1943) the idea that humans prioritise their behaviour to meet their needs according to a hierarchy with Physiological needs (breathing, food, water, sex, sleep) taking priority over the needs for Safety, for Belonging, for Esteem and for Self-Actualisation. Although based on questionable research and by no means universally accepted it remains a popular way of explaining human motivation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs
http://www.maslow.org/sub/lowry1.htm
Chapter 24: Some Restorative Justice
1. Connie’s multi-coloured flogger.
We had the idea from the catalogue at Heartwood Whips of Passion.
Chapter 25: Helping Others
1. The Milgram Experimemt
In the early 1960’s Dr Stanley Milgram showed that ordinary people tended to obey authoritative commands even when obedience was in conflict with conscience.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment
Jenny is probably being too hard on herself – Judy definitely deserved her spanking!
Chapter 26: I’ve Got You Under My Skin
1. Tattooing
Tattooing has come a long way in recent years and there is no shortage of sites on the Net to give you pause for thought. However our ideas about Jenny’s tattoo came from Erik Rieme’s site:
www.tattoo.dk Click the link to read the site in English and click the link to Erik’s part of the site. One of our Editors did not think Jenny would easily put her trust in Jonathan & Charlotte when it came to the design, but read the story of Torben’s Tattoo in Photo Collection 2 …..
Chapter 27: Seeking Perfection
1. Gosford Park
Gosford Park is an Academy award-winning 2001 film, directed by Robert Altman. The film is set in 1932 at an English country house and presents a murder from the perspective of the servants in the house. Rather than a simple mystery to be solved, the film uses the whodunit format to create a drama showcasing the tensions of the British class system. Many intertwining subplots detail the complex relationships among the characters, both above stairs (the wealthy guests) and below (the servants). The story is fictional, but features the composer and singer, Ivor Novello as a character.
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gosford_Park
2. Lord Peter Wimsey and Bunter
Lord Peter Wimsey is a fictional character in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers, in which he solves mysteries—usually murder mysteries. Bunter was his ever faithful valet and – as required in all detective novels – sidekick. The novels are set in Britain contemporary to when they were written, from the early 1920s to the late 1930s; pretty much the time of another of Freddie’s tales, “The Golden Age”.
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Peter_Wimsey
3. External Works
Gerry’s catalogue called External Works is real (of course). It has details of everything from traffic lights to tennis court surfaces and its quite interesting even if you aren’t an architect but are abit of an anorak like Freddie. You can find http://www.endat.com and pick up the link to External Works.
Chapter 28: A New Beginning
1. Keeping track of slaves.
The slave-tracking collar is really available. It’s really been designed for pets and the elderly but, hey, why should dog owners have all the fun? You can learn more about it at ...
The magnetic lock on the collar is one that’s really available too. See it here at…
http://www.zip.com.au/~koroba/necklace/Neck0081.html
2. The Embankment
This road follows part of the north bank of the River Thames in London, eastwards from The Houses of Parliament, it is a wide road and provides a dramatic stage for the final mile or two of the London Marathon. (and, says Freddie, “The Greenwich Tales”)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Embankment
3. The London Eye
Is the tallest Ferris Wheel in Europe and provides wonderful views of London – its well worth a visit!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Eye
You can book tickets at the official London Eye website: www.londoneye.com
4. Thai Airways
Their flight frm Bankok really does arrive at Heathrow at 7.30 pm – or it did at the time of writing!
5. The Heathrow Shuttle
This is the railway connection from central London at Paddington Station to Heathrow Airport, although its correct name is The Heathrow Express.
6. Jenny & Joe’s Hotel
The hotel opposite the BBC was inspired by The Langham. See what you think at
http://london.langhamhotels.co.uk/
7. Jenny’s final musings
The Shakespeare quotation is taken from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Act 3, Scene 1.
© Copyright Freddie Clegg & Phil Lane 2008
All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or reposted without permission.
E-mail: freddie_clegg@yahoo.com
Web Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freddies_tales/
All characters & organisations fictitious
Acknowledgements
Phil & Freddie would like to acknowledge the help given by the editors in creating the final version of this tale. Many thanks to Dennis, Peter, Red & Rohanna for their input, corrections and suggestions. If there are any typos, punctuation mistakes, inconsistencies or continuity errors left in Thesis then they are Phil’s and Freddie’s fault!
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