Academy Award-winner Robert Duvall is not taking lightly the proposed construction of a Wal-Mart Supercenter within a mile of the Wilderness Battlefield in Virginia. The 78-year-old actor has teamed up with two Congressmen to oppose the big box store and help preserve the sanctity of the area. From the article,

Mr. Duvall and others, including Reps. Ted Poe, Texas Republican, and Peter Welch, Vermont Democrat, cited the sanctified ground of battle in arguing against the Wal-Mart. “Those young men who died, many of them are still out there in graves known only by God,” Mr. Poe said. He said 60 percent of Texas’ 800-man force at the Wilderness was killed or wounded. For Vermonters, the death toll of 1,234 on May 5, 1864, amounted to 16 percent of the state’s total combat deaths for the war. “This hallowed ground must be protected and preserved so that future generations of Vermonters can appreciate our state’s crucial role in saving the Union,” Mr. Welch said in prepared remarks.

Wal-Mart has argued that its proposed 138,000-square-foot store will not diminish the battlefield — but we have to wonder if it’s really worth the PR battle to go through with this. The company has been working hard to change its image — especially on the green side of things — but placing a Supercenter so close to a national historic battlefield just seems in poor taste. As the article mentions, Disney tried something similar several years ago and got sqaushed by the bad press.

I guess we’ll see what kind of fight Duvall and his connections put up.

Thanks to Erin for the tip!

Harrison Ford surprised schoolchildren on a trip to Washington’s National Zoo, by appearing with members from the World Bank to officially launch a new global effort to save tigers from extinction. The 65-year-old star has been ramping up his philanthropic efforts — mainly we suspect due to the spotlight of the latest Indiana Jones movie shining brightly on him.

The campaign, which also has the support of celebrities like Bo Derek and Robert Duvall, will highlight how deforestation, development and illegal poaching are having a devastating impact on tiger populations across Asia. “I am concerned about the future of the entire animal community and human community as well,” Ford said. “The focus on tigers today is a critical opportunity to talk about tigers and talk about the communities in the places in which they live and the others who share that environment – humans included.”

Most recently, Ford participated in some new 30-second PSA’s for the organization WildAid urging people not to purchase or support illegal animal skins or poached products from abroad. “No thanks, just send me a postcard,” he says in the videos.

Check out a video of Ford speaking at the Zoo yesterday below. To find out more on the initiative, jump here.

Photo credit: AFP: Karen Bleier