Nina Prize: Women That Saved Wild Animals

every year around the time of the Nobel Prizes being given - I select my own honorees for the Nina Prize.  it comes with no monies or fanfare...just my way of acknowledging those that have made a great leap for humankind toward something to be rewarded.

Previous winners include The New York Times for their historic works on investigative reporting, and Robert Redford for his work on conservation and nature.

The history of the world does not honor women often enough - and many women whose achievements have made this world a better place, go unrewarded.

For me, Conservation is the utmost in contributions to the world, because it leaves our world the way we found it - and there is nothing greater than planet Earth.

Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, dramatically stepped in to come to the aid of the animals. She offered to adopt not only the 2,000 mustangs and burros.  Even though these wild horses were not originally "wild", they have been on these lands long enough to protect them.  Now they need people to step up and give them alternative lands to graze.  There are 60,000 wild horses and burros on these lands covered by BLM.

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram.html

We have 2 wild mustangs that we adopted on our farm, Blackfoot and Blossom.

Dian Fossey lived and died to save wild mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

https://gorillafund.org/who-we-are/dian-fossey/

Jane Goodall has done much for the study of Chimpanzees.

"Jane Goodall's scores of honors include the Medal of Tanzania, the National Geographic Society's Hubbard Medal, Japan's prestigious Kyoto Prize, the French Legion of Honor, Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research 2003, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science, UNESCO Gold Medal Award, and the Gandhi/King Award for Nonviolence.

Dr. Jane Goodall with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. © Jane Goodall Institute

In April 2002 Secretary-General Kofi Annan named Goodall a United Nations “Messenger of Peace.” Messengers help mobilize the public to become involved in work that makes the world a better place. "
fro the Washington State Univ website.





There are many other women than this list worth honoring and I will add them to this list with further research.  But I add this blanket honor to all those, including myself, that have worked to preserve lands and wildlife.

The Nina Prize: Seed Savers

 Every year when the Nobel Prize is awarded in many categories, I am reminded to give my own prize to people, organizations, and efforts that command my admiration.

This year, I decided to give a prize to all the seed houses, farmers, and gardeners that save seed from heritage/heirloom plants so that future generations share in the biodiversity that was Planet Earth.  I have been a grower of heirloom plants for over 25 years.  Most of my seeds are purchased from rareseeds.com, growitalian.com.  There are other organizations that promote and sell heirloom seeds. The prominent ones in this country are seedsaversexchange.com and  sustainableseedco.com. and d landreth seed company, and seedsofchange.com and the cooks garden and wild seeds farm.

The list goes on and on.  

Our diet is expanded to include thousands of varieties of vegetables.  The possible natural health medicines and remedies and protectors...are endless because of this work.

To all seed houses, and the many farmers, and household gardeners that preserve seed from their ancestry and the wild from one year to the next, Congratulations!!!  Hard work well done to make a difference in the World.

Also, those people that have help preserve heritage animals, many thanks to you as well.

story corps

http://storycorps.org
...I enjoy listening to these recordings, and will likely make one with family, friends, fiancé - those important to me and my life - best of all - listen to their story.

Nina Prize: Robert Redford

Each year when the Nobel prizes are awarded, I make a selection for my own prize - the Nina Prize- a time for me to reflect on people or institutions I admire.  Those that play a small role of influence in my life.  My prize is by no means comparable to the Nobel prize.  Mine is a small circle - there are many deserving achievements each year that go unrecognized.  Mine has no monetary value.

I admire the Nobel Prize award in and of itself for shining light on these achievements in many fields of arts and sciences.  

My Prize is simply empowering - a time to reflect on some of my icons.  Last year it was The NY Times Co.  This year's Robert Redford.  His interviews for the film released this year- All Is Lost - made me think of him again.  I've had my share of celebrity crushes ("leading men") over the years - he was one of them.  Besides his great looks - he's demonstrated independence and innovation - both in film and lifestyle.  He's bucked the trends toward making yourself look younger.  He started the "independent film" movement which has supplied better movies to the world.  And he's raised awareness for environmental causes.  He has used his celebrity for a greater good.

Entertainment is a large force in the modern world.  People spend more time on entertainment - even while working or schooling - than ever before.  Robert Redford has tried to elevate movies to a finer art.  

I commend him for a life well lived!  

Nina Prize: The New York Times

We grew up reading one of the best newspapers published.  Their numerous prizes for investigative reporting helped keep democracy free.  The Sunday paper was always a big treat - and I mean big - back in the day before internet service, of course.

I salute the paper - my first Nina Prize - and thank them for all the great reporting and general interest stories.  I've tried to learn a lot from reading this newspaper.

here are some of the journalist excellence  - these items are highlighted in the Times - the list goes on:

"An investigation into how Wal-Mart used bribery to dominate the market in Mexico. Winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 2013.

This series delved into business practices by Apple and other technology companies, showing the darker side of a changing global economy. Winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 2013.

An investigation into unexplained deaths of developmentally disabled people in New York group homes. Finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2012"

Today, it is fashionable to say how the "liberal news media" are co-opting our democracy.  Others state that conservative media misleads the public to further their agenda.

In my opinion, one needs to do research - which means studying many sources.  The many facets of a newspaper such as The New York Times can't be labeled - first and foremost - it is educational.   Intellect can be measured.  And reporters for this organization meet this criteria on every level.  They are one of many sources I use for research.  I invite you to read articles on a subject you know something about - and see why their coverage is top notch!  

POSTSCRIPT:
In this age 2017, when powerful people declare "fake news" and random people publish "fake news" - it is good to have an expert in the field that rises above all of it. Like the doctor you relied on to perform surgery - the one that saved your life - or the other kind - the "Quack" - that made you sicker - the importance of professional journalism should NOT be understated or taken for granted.  The New York Times is that journalism - the organization is not infallible - but they make a strong effort to report the news - to investigate - to be above the fray...and unlike certain persuasions who liken every form of intelligentsia to "liberal" values - intellect is not lost on me - and I hope - not lost on the majority of humans - without it - we do not have civilization at it's best.  

The New York Times has won many many Pulitzer Prizes over the decades!

2017 Pulitzer Prize Winners - 3 for NYT!