Who are these people? Well...they are builders, stewards, book donors, borrowers, neighbors and friends in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and maybe your state very soon. They are "us," and that's the idea. The originators of Little Free Library are Todd Bol and Rick Brooks http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/about-us.html
Brooks, who had helped organize the building of 12 village libraries in Sri Lanka through his work with Sarvodaya USA, understood what a difference a small investment can make in a neighborhood. "We have many individual families who just bought them and put them in their yard," Brooks said. "We like neighborhoods to get together and develop a sense of ownership." Brooks also knew, like many, that he had books at home that he didn't need. "I thought, 'What are they doing on my bookshelves? Why don't we share them,'" he said. "Everybody asks, 'Aren't they going to steal the books?' But you can't steal a free book." Each library has a steward who signs a contract to oversee and maintain the book collection, and one of the first stewards was Megan Blake-Horst, the owner of Absolutely Art Gallery in Madison, who, about a year and a half ago, installed a little library on a bike trail that runs next to her gallery. "I really love the idea of sharing books," she said. "Instantly, we had people stopping and looking at it and using it." Bol initially built 20 libraries, and Brooks marketed them, and as the idea gained traction, the duo enlisted help from an Amish carpenter in Cashton who supplied wood from a barn that had been knocked down in a tornado as well as assistance from WDI, a local woodworking firm. They now have installed about 50 libraries (more than 20 in the Madison area), and 30 more are being built (a July 31 article in the Wisconsin State Journal has provided a spur). To date, Brooks and company have installed all the libraries, but this may no longer be practical as the project has gained momentum across Wisconsin and in other states. http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/891507-264/in_pursuit_of_andrew_carnegie.html.csp

Rocinante has few of the expected attributes of prize literary horses. He does not possess the qualities bestiaries list as desirable in terms of figure, beauty, merit and color. Cervantes skirts the issue of Rocinante’s aesthetic worth by stating that Rocinante was a rocin, a work horse, rather than some noble steed. Clearly, Don Quixote has his own standards for evaluating desirability in horses which run counter to usual knightly criteria. Throughout the novel, the reader is aware of Rocinante’s presence and becomes convinced of his fidelity and durability. Rocinante may not come up to the physical criteria set forth in tradition, but more than proves his worth by qualities of temperament and soul. Don Quixote does not value Rocinante for his athletic abilities or his potential on the battlefield, but rather looks on him as a chosen companion. In the epics and romances Cervantes mentions—El Cid, La Chanson de Roland and Orlando Furioso, horses figure as flamboyant players in dramatic scenes of competition and battle. They complement and enhance their masters’ bravery in scenes of danger and death. In Don Quixote, something markedly diffferent takes place; Rocinante along with Sancho’s Dapple figures importantly as an enduring friend to the knight on the road. Rocinante is used to establish a level of moderate and civilized reality and daily life lived. For purposes of burlesque, Cervantes compares Rocinante to glittering mythic horses. This spirit of banter and parody dictates the introductory verses which present Rocinante as alternately the great-grandson and then the friend, of El Cid’s horse Babieca. In Part II of the novel, the Countess Trifaldi lists a whole catalogue of famous horses before presenting Clavileño the wooden horse, and Sancho professes that Rocinante is better named than all of them.
http://tell.fll.purdue.edu/RLA-Archive/1990/Spanish-html/POWER,MARY.htm

Horses in mythology and literature
http://petcaretips.net/famous-horses-mythology-literature.html

Quote So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.
Franz Kafka (1883-1924) born in Prague, major German-language writer of the 20th century

Master class on salads First, it should start with quality, fresh ingredients. Many lettuces are available year-round, but other fresh ingredients, such as green beans and tomatoes, are so bad when out of season that using them will ruin anything you add them to. A good salad should also have the right choice of vinaigrette or dressing for the greens, and the right amount — underdressing a salad is as much an offense as overdressing one. A salad should have some crunch, either from the crispy lettuce with which it's made or from the addition of croutons or toasted nuts. The ingredients in a salad should be cut or torn or crumbled to the appropriate size. For instance, a chopped salad is all about having same-size ingredients. See more plus pictures at:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-master-class-nancy-silverton-20111006,0,2766363.htmlstory

Q: How do you pronounce “dour”? Does it have an OO or an OW sound?
A: These days, “dour” can properly be pronounced either way, to rhyme with “tour” or “tower.” But it wasn’t always so. At one time, this adjective meaning stern, obstinate, or gloomy had only one pronunciation, the one with the OO sound. A usage note in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.) says “dour, which is etymologically related to duress and endure, traditionally rhymes with tour.” “The variant pronunciation that rhymes with sour is, however, widely used and must be considered acceptable,” American Heritage adds.
http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2011/04/dour.html

Check out grammarphobia.com http://www.grammarphobia.com/index.html for grammar myths, writing tips, daily blog, language links and more.

Website of the Day The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum
www.eisenhower.archives.gov
President Dwight D. Eisenhower was born October 14, 1890, so today head to the site of his presidential library to learn more about the military leader and politician. If you want to visit the actual museum in Abilene, Kan., you’ll find visitors’ information as well.
Number to Know 34: Number president that Dwight D. Eisenhower was.
Daily Quote
One need not be a chamber to be haunted; one need not be a house;
The brain has corridors surpassing material place. Emily Dickinson
http://www.wickedlocal.com/norwell/newsnow/x83585813/Morning-Minutes-Oct-14#axzz1akjiOv6h