I recently purchased King Kong on DVD and while I enjoyed the movie, I made what I consider to be a pretty funny observation. In a film with a 25-foot-tall silverback gorilla; dinosaurs; violent, 3-foot cockroaches; and 12-foot crabs, the most unrealistic part of the movie was most definitely the 30 minute response from the military to a disaster in a major U.S. city.

That’s right, only 30 minutes after Kong started ripping apart buildings and tearing up cars in New York City, the military showed up with jeeps, trucks and planes ready to fight the terror. Personally, I think there’s a better chance of finding a 25-foot-tall silverback on a remote island in the Indian ocean than seeing a response like that from the U.S. military to a natural disaster or terrorist attack in New York City.

…that premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death in the first month of life? It affects half a million babies a year in the United States. Those who survive may have lifelong health problems. And premature births are on the rise — up to 30% since 1981.

On April 29th, my wife and I will be participating in WalkAmerica to raise money for this cause. I invite any of you who enjoy Thought Mechanics to show your support by making a donation to WalkAmerica, which is the March of Dimes single largest fund-raising event. You can donate as little as 5 bucks.

Your support helps fund:

• Research into stress and other factors that may trigger preterm labor.
• Programs to educate pregnant women to recognize the warning signs of preterm labor.
• Tools to help health care providers find better ways to detect women who may be at risk for preterm labor.

Thanks for your support!