No Loitering

Field of Dreams, La Bamba, and Memento among Films Added to National Film Registry

Established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, the National Film Preservation Board is an advisory body for the Librarian of Congress. The Board helps shape national film preservation planning policy, and also recommends films for the National Film Registry.

Chosen for their cultural, historic, or aesthetic significance, the Board's 25 annual selections for 2017 cover a wide gamut of genres and time periods, from such early films as The Sinking of the Lusitania and Gentleman's Agreement to such later works as Boulevard Nights and Memento. The full list for 2017 is as follows:

2000s
Memento (2000)

1990s
4 Little Girls (1997)                                  

Titanic (1997)

To Sleep with Anger (1990)                 

1980s

Field of Dreams (1989)

Die Hard (1988)

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)                  

La Bamba (1987)                                 

The Goonies (1985)

1970s

Boulevard Nights (1979)     

Superman (1978)

Time and Dreams (1976)

Lives of Performers (1972)

Wanda (1971)                                                                                              

                      
1960s

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)              

Spartacus (1960)

1950s

Ace in the Hole (aka Big Carnival) (1951)

1940s

Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

Dumbo (1941)

1930s

Only Angels Have Wings (1939)                      

With the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in Spain (1937-1938)

1920s

Fuentes Family Home Movies Collection (1920s-1930s)                  

He Who Gets Slapped (1924) 

1910s

The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918)         

1900s

Interior New York Subway, 14th Street to 42nd Street (1905)       

Further information on the Registry as well as the films themselves can be found on the Library of Congress' web site. All 725 films selected for the Registry since 1989 can also be browsed online. In addition, the public is encouraged to make nominations for next year's selections to the National Film Registry.

Wapsipinicon Almanac No. 24

The latest annual installment of the eclectic Wapsipinicon Almanac is now available for purchase and perusal. Published and letterpress printed since 1988 by Timothy Fay of Route 3 Press, the present issue, as with previous numbers, features an engaging mix of essays, reviews, fiction, poetry, art, wit, and wisdom.

Number 24 can be purchased at bookstores and other establishments or by writing the publisher directly at Wapsipinicon Almanac, 19948 Shooting Star Road, Anamosa, Iowa 52205. Single copies are $9, plus $2.70 for postage; Iowa residents should also include 63-cents for sales tax.

The front cover shown here was designed by Elizabeth Munger of Iowa City, and depicts The Black Angel, a well-known local statue in Oakland Cemetery. A brief history of the publication can be viewed at the Almanac's website, and a video of "Linotype Operator Emeritus" Eldon Meeks in action can be viewed here.

Net Neutrality Is Being Upended

Net neutrality is the principle that all data or content should be treated equally, without discrimination, by every Internet Service Provider (ISP). Net neutrality thus ensures that all stakeholders share an equitable platform for communication, commerce, and other purposes.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be voting on December 14, 2017 to approve or reject Chairman Ajit Pai's draft order to undermine the current framework as articulated in the FCC's 2015 Open Internet Order. Organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), among many others, are partners in the Battle for the Net coalition, which is actively advocating for the complete rejection of Chairman Pai's new order.

To learn about what you can do to make your voice heard, visit the Battle for the Net website, which provides links to an online petition, information about upcoming protests around the United States, and details about contacting your elected officials as well as communicating your views directly to the FCC.

Heirloom Variety Is the Spice of Life

The always-amazing annual catalog from Seed Savers Exchange (SSE), featuring heirloom, untreated, non-hybrid, and non-GMO seeds, is now available online; a print copy of the 2018 catalog can also be requested free of charge online.

Founded in 1975 by Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy, Seed Savers Exchange is now the largest non-governmental seed bank of its kind in the United States. With over 13,000 members, SSE conserves and maintains heirloom seeds for thousands of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. Its mission is: 

. . . to save North America's diverse, but endangered, garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, while educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity.

Located on the 890-acre Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa, SSE is open to visitors from April to October, and sponsors special events such as seed starting, grafting, and gardening workshops. It also hosts an annual conference and campout. To learn more about Seed Savers Exchange and the benefits of membership, visit its website.