VisaHQ just e-mailed me to tell me that I have successfully been issued my Russian Visa. This is exciting news. Now all I have to do is hope the Kazakh embassy follows suit...

Well, there's not much more than a month left and yet it feels like there is still MUCH to do. I have lost track of Tommy's 'sleep-study-schedule' however I think he may be getting released sometime soon (today, maybe, as I think he went in 4 weeks ago today...). Very much hoping he is not suffering too badly from cabin fever. Wondering what the first thing he will do is. Guesses anyone? Go for a jog? Eat junk food purchased from a gas station? Curse the day he decided to participate in this rally? All of the above? I look forward to (I think...) hearing how it all went...Ironsides salutes you T-man, we salute you...

Havent heard from fellow team-member Alex about the car and the t-shirts but as soon as we know more about the above, as well as Tommy's state of being and when we are holding our kick off party, we will let you all know. Stay tuned, it's only gonna get better...

Finally, thanks again to all of you who have been making contributions online - we really appreciate it!!

In an e-mail I received from a friend recently she writes:

"I just checked the Mongol Rally website and I died! I was actually contemplating the sleep study when I got to Boston. However, the sleep study is INSANE. The one I was looking at was only two weeks but its basically like being in jail. You get trapped in the hospital, can't hang with anyone you know, and can't exercise or drink coffee or do anything fun. I always wondered what kind of people did the study, maybe homeless people and such, but I guess now I know. Anyways, good luck with the rally and raising the money."

Best line from above paragraph: "I always wondered what kind of people did the study, maybe homeless people and such..."

Nope! Just a member of Team Ironsides. Here's hoping that Tommy isnt losing his mind...

Hey Everyone. So I have officially incarcerated myself. as of 1:30 Monday the 7th of May, I will be locked away at the Brigham & Women's Hospital In Boston for a 28 day sleep study. After weeks of screening, and regulated diet/sleep I have been accepted as worthy. I will be living for 28 days in a white room, vacant of any time cues. This means, no sunlight, no clocks, no television, no radio. Basically me and a pile of books. i will be wired 24 hrs a day for detailed monitoring by a EEG, EKG, an EMG, and EOG (yes these are all real things) 23 wires will lead from my person to a hole in the wall. I will be unable to leave, or contact anyone in the outside except through the mail. So if you have the urge to write a letter, please do, I will include the address at the bottom. I encourage you to send me fun things to do, newspaper articles, books, mixed CDs would be particularly amazing as I am going to have a ridiculous amount of time on my hands. when I get out, the rally will be rapidly approaching, but until then, I hand the helm over to Alex Switzer and Joya. If you have questions or want information, please contact them. Ironsides, forward! I'm going to sleep now. See you in June.

i live here now...

Thomas Heitkamp
c/o Kate Berkenbush
Division of Sleep Medicine
221 Longwood Ave. Rm. 446
Boston, MA 02115

(be creative, just don't send any food or anything with time pieces or things that will give away time of day. if you aren't sure you probably shouldn't send it.)

WFP News Release

4 May 2007

WFP JOINS WARNER BROS. PICTURES TO HOLD FIRST-EVER SCREENINGS OF THE FILM BLOOD DIAMOND IN SIERRA LEONE

SIERRA LEONE - The United Nations World Food Programme has joined with Warner Bros. Pictures to hold a landmark series of screenings of the film Blood Diamond, which is set against the backdrop of the chaos and civil war that enveloped Sierra Leone in the 1990s. The screenings will take place in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Directed by Ed Zwick and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond has never before publicly screened in the war-ravaged West African country whose troubled recent history is explored in the film. The screenings, which will be free to the public, will be held at the British Council on May 8 and 9, 2007. As many as 600 people are expected to view the film over the course of the two evenings.

"Blood Diamond opened the world's eyes to the tragic suffering endured by so many people across the country, as well as WFP's work to help them," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran. "It also brought into focus the extreme cruelty and tragedy of child soldiers. Sierra Leoneans can take great pride in the immense achievements since the end of the war."

WFP, whose distinctive white and blue markings appear prominently during various scenes in the film, is currently providing food assistance to over 300,000 people in Sierra Leone in its efforts to help rebuild the country after nearly ten years of civil war. WFP delivers rations to vulnerable groups, including school children, families struggling to re-establish their livelihoods and refugees returning home from neighbouring Liberia.

The global distribution of Blood Diamond has helped to raise awareness of hunger and poverty, which stalk more than 850 million people globally. The film includes scenes depicting realistic aid operations as undertaken by WFP in the '90s while feeding thousands of war victims who fled within Sierra Leone and to neighbouring countries. At the time, WFP aid workers witnessed acute humanitarian needs and untold levels of violence and cruelty, similar to those depicted in the movie. Stars Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly added their voices to the call to end hunger by participating in a public service announcement for the World Food Programme, which was broadcast worldwide.

"It is wonderful to have the chance to make this story available to the people of Sierra Leone," said director Ed Zwick. "After all, it is a story that belongs to them."

The Freetown event is being completely financed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
************************
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: each year, we give food to an average of 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs, including 58 million hungry children, in at least 80 of the world's poorest countries. WFP -- We Feed People..

WFP Global School Feeding Campaign – For just 19 US cents a day, you can help WFP give children in poor countries a healthy meal at school – a gift of hope for a brighter future. Visit our website: www.wfp.org

So, the final game of the cricket World Cup took place this past Saturday. Australia was competing against Sri Lanka, these two countries having beaten South Africa and New Zeland in the semi-finals. Needless to say, this was a big deal here in Sri Lanka. The president, Rajapaksa, even flew to the West Indies to attend this final game. Hopes were sailing high here in South Asia and every self-respecting Sri Lankan was watching the game that aired starting at 7pm. My younger brother (my "source") went to a large field here in Colombo where they were showing the game on a big screen. Not long after Sri Lanka came up to bat with the difficult challenge of having to beat the Australian score of roughly 280 runs, the electricity went out and explosions were supposedly heard by those present. At first, it was thought that the explosions were fireworks, however, it turns out that there was an air raid executed by the LTTE targetting a series of oil refineries, amongst other things, in and around Colombo. The army then retaliated with anti-aircraft missiles. According to my "source," (who at the time was apparently sleeping on the ground to be "awake for the end of the match" allegedly) the crowd panicked and mayhem ensued. People were frantic - some thought that the police were indiscriminately shooting at those on the road, others that the military had sent forces into Colombo. None of this was true, it was simply a result of mass panic. Luckily, my "source" did manage to leave the scene unharmed and to my knowledge there were no casualties in Colombo that evening. Sri Lanka did end up losing the match, making the mood here in Sri Lanka the next day, that much more somber.

I was further south on the beach in Hikkaduwa at the time and thus missed these events, although I rushed back the next day after hearing the news. Now that the LTTE have functioning aircraft the war here has escalated and Colombo can no longer be considered untouchable. However, neither parties, the government or the LTTE, deliberately target civilians, especially areas with international presence.

That is the latest from my end. Please see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6604645.stm?ls for further details.

I am still a pending lab rat for an upcoming sleep study. I have made it through two sections of the screening process. Apparently my body checks out, and I sleep long enough. Now, they have to determine whether or not i am psychologically sound enough...discuss amongst yourselves.

I am back to maintaining a sleep log which restricts my diet, (no alcohol, caffeine, chocolate)and regulating my sleep schedule. I am required to be in bed by 12:41am overnight, and I can't leave my bed until 10:26am the next morning. life is difficult, I've never felt so rested in all my life. today I woke up a little early, and was required (yes required) to lounge in the sun, in my bed until 10:26. As I lay there I put on some pleasant music (Kid Koala-"Music For Morning People")and planned out my day- breakfast(granola,banana,grape juice), digging, lunch, digging, coaching the pole vault at my old high school, dinner, and I'm rapidly approaching bedtime. These are the things I'm getting paid to do and think about.

In preparation of the endeavor, I have been sleeping mostly and trying to get outside as much as possible before I get locked away. This has been comprised mostly of hole digging, Jono Newton and I have been picking away at a defenseless hillside for the past week where I can make my residence this summer in the preceding month before the rally. I'm really trying to cut down on my expenses.

Anyway, that's enough for me. I was hoping to post some pictures, but I didn't think anyone needed to see me lounging in the sun, or eating breakfast. Maybe I'll take some hole photos and post them in the upcoming day. exciting, right? well you'll have to wait and check back. I promise, you're going to want to see this. enough. ok bye.

Also: They Might Be Giants are playing at Higher Ground in Winooski, VT on the 4th of May. If you're reading this, It means you're hip enough to visit this site, and therefore are hip enough to be a TMBG fan. I hope to see you there.

First off I would also like to welcome Alex Switzer to Team Ironsides. I agree with Tommy's comments below and I am very excited to have him on board (especially if Tommy ends up spending 28 days locked in a room in a Woman's Hospital prior to the rally...).
Also, I would like to publicly thank Sena Gems, namely Mohammad, my mother's jeweler, who gave us a generous cash donation. If anyone is ever in Colombo, Sri Lanka and is interested in buying good quality and affordable gems, Sena is the place to go and Mohammad the person to talk to. Also, big-big thanks to family members and friends who have donated online to Send a Cow - you guys are amazing (no surprises there)!
I am hoping to share some stories/pictures from a recent trip around Northern Sri Lanka soon; I just need to learn how to post the pictues first!
Alex has only been with us for a short time but he has already brought some serious sponsorship to the table so things are looking good - we are progressing slowly! The next big hurlde will be acquiring the necessary visas (Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan...), which should be an 'interesting' process. We are also looking into the possibility of selling t-shirts so we will keep you posted on that!
Thanks again to everyone who has helped out in some way!!

Team Ironsides continues to forge ahead with preparations for this summer. We have received a handful of generous donations which have put us well on our way to our goals. Thank you to all those who have donated, already. Secondly, we would like to announce the latest addition to our team, Alex Switzer, a youthful adventurer who should prove to be an excellent addition to the current line-up. Having traveled great distances with Alex in the past, I can attest to his driving capability, love of roadside food, and ability to turn a straightforward road trip into a horror film. A finer third driver we could never have expected to take the place of the mysterious Jon.

Although it currently does not feel like it, spring is approaching rapidly which means Ironsides must begin to mount up for the events of the summer. In preparation, JOya will be fundraising overseas, Alex will take the domestic front talking to friends and neighbors looking for support, while I will be sleeping. In lieu of my empty wallet and shriveled bank account, I have opted to sell my body to science in order to fund this adventure. In a couple of weeks, I hopefully will be accepted to enter a pretty little white room at the Brigham Women's Hospital in Boston to sleep for funds. I will be locked in a room with no time cues of any type for 28 days, while being subject to physical and mental tests determined by my agreement to sleep 10 hours a night. Apparently the Library Challenge was only a prelude to something bigger. During this time I will be cut off from the outside world, except by snail mail, which will hopefully inform me of the happenings of the world. As far as I know, we are the only team sleeping our way to Mongolia.

And so I ask you, what are you willing to do for adventure? If you don't support our stupidity by participating in the Mongol Rally, at least acknowledge our dedication and ingenuity.

DONATE HERE.

Team Ironsides officially announces its participation in the 2007 Mongol Rally. This will mark the second involvement of a Bad Colonies team, and hopefully the start of something beautiful. After Wednesday's fiasco, we decided to attack the registration a little more systematically; with two supercomputers from either side of the GMT. (or a laptop and a dial-up connection from Columbo). After three minutes, JOya was able to get in, no problem. Pretty uneventful really, but exciting none the less, I have started breathing again, and my blood pressure has declined to a normal rate. Look for serious updates to follow, we will be setting up a team page on the Official Mongol Rally site so be sure to check it out. It feels good to be done and on our way. Forward Ironsides!