As we all know, the huge BP oil spill has cause some major damage to our wildlife. Thankfully studies have shown that Dawn dish washing detergent gets rid of the grease and is also gentle enough for the animals as well as human hands. In the past other things were used such as bird washing machines which injured the birds each time causing them to die. During the 50's and 60's, "different substances were applied to the feathers of oiled birds, some of which were: mascara remover, butter, lard, powdered chalk, waterless hand cleaner, acetone, detergent and various oils." None worked very well, which led to one not-so-bright idea in the early 70's. At that time, oiled birds were covered with warmed mineral oil and then corn meal, thought to absorb the oils.The IBRRC and other groups next tried certain solvents and cleansers, most of which were difficult to rinse out and were irritating to the skin and feathers of the animals, and bothered the human staff as well. IBRRC founder Alice Berkner and her team then started to try out "off the shelf" dishwashing detergents and "one, and only one, stood out above all others...Dawn dish washing detergent. This soap has helped save many lives of animals that need to live in our oceans and have become covered in oil and are now suffering a slow death. It has been made public knowledge that although Dawn dish washing detergent is great for cleaning these animals covered in oil, it should not be used for household pets. This is just a means to help our wildlife that has fallen victim to human error.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/dawn-detergent-oil-spills-animals.html

BP gulf oil spill

This oil spill has been one huge disaster against our oceans, wildlife and already struggling economy. This will take years to clean up. I really feel that BP should be completely held accountable, not just for the cost of cleaning up the spill but also for the cost to fully repair the damage to the local communities and the enviroment. I read somewhere that under current law, financial liability for oil companies is capped at 75 million....are they kidding me?? This liability cap definitely needs to be lifted and these companies need to be held responsible for their carelessness and causing damage to our planet. The gulf oil disaster is a tragedy of epic proportions to say in the least. This has to be a wake up call for congress to do more to protect our enviroment and our economy from the huge price of our heavy dependence on fossil fuels. Will this madness ever end?? We can only hope this disaster will open everyone's eyes and help gain appreciation for our precious planet.

Wal-Mart being sued for gender discrimination

Everyone has shopped at Wal-Mart at one time or another. They have low prices, have many sales and they claim to offer great benefits and many advancement opportunities to all members of their staff. A former employee named Betty Dukes filed along with 5 other co-workers filed a class action employment lawsuit against Wal-Mart back in 2001. The plaintiffs are accusing Wal-Mart of paying women alot less per hour than the male employees and giving them less promotion opportunities and that most of upper management opportunites are given to men. The lawsuit also alleges that the company's "strong, centralized structure fosters or facilitates gender stereotyping and discrimination"(Bill Mears CNN). The plaintiffs are trying to win this lawsuit by receiving back pay and punitive damages. The federal appeals court has concluded that there was enough merit in the claims to proceed to trial which could mean millions of dollars in damages for Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has also been accused in other lawsuits of discrimination against African-American truck drivers and workers with disabilities. In 2001, the company settled 13 lawsuits by paying out $6 million. I am personally rooting for the plaintiffs. Wal-Mart always tries to represent the company as family oriented and a great place to work and to be honest I never believed any of it. Everytime I have gone inside a Wal-Mart I can't say that I've ever seen a happy employee, they all seem disgruntled and make me feel like I'm bothering them for asking a question. So how can such a great place, have so many unhappy employees? In my many years of working experience I have to say that the times that I have acted just like the Wal-Mart employees with attitudes, was because I was unhappy with my employer and felt like I was being used and abused. I feel that this lawsuit will be a great victory against discrimination especially against women, we work just as hard as men do and most of the time we work alot harder and are way smarter!! I'm looking forward to seeing the outcome of this case and in the meantime I will be boycotting Wal-mart to support those female employees who are brave enough to speak up for their rights! I'm posting the link to this article in case anyone is interested in reading it in it's entirety.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/26/walmart.suit/index.html?iref=allsearch