Expressions from Alice in Wonderland

Hello! From VOA Learning English, this is Words and Their Stories. Many expressions that we use in American English come from movies and books. Today we will explore expressions from Lewis Carroll’s famous book “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.” This book is better known as “Alice in Wonderland.” “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” was published in 1865. The story is about a young girl falling, falling, falling … for a long time down a rabbit hole. When she finally lands, she finds herself in a strange world.                                                              In this strange world are some of the most recognizable characters in children’s literature. Many of them, and other expressions from the book, have found their way into American English. The first character Alice meets is the White Rabbit. The White Rabbit is not your usual rabbit. First of all, he is wearing a vest and carrying a pocket watch. He also has somewhere very important to be, he says over and over. Running past Alice, he says, “I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date! No time to say hello goodbye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!” Alice chases after him, and that is where her adventures begin.  In English, chasing a white rabbit means to chase the impossible, a fantasy, a dream. In 1967, the rock band Jefferson Airplane wrote a song called “White Rabbit.” The song tells of Alice's adventures and hints that drugs are involved. And if you go chasing rabbits And you know you're going to fall Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar But don’t worry. You need not take drugs. Following the white rabbit means following an unlikely clue and finding yourself in the middle of an extraordinary situation. This situation often challenges your beliefs and changes your life. The White Rabbit is so curious, so strange, that Alice cannot help but to follow him. As she chases after him, she falls down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. Like chasing a white rabbit, these days to go down the rabbit hole does not have to mean taking drugs to change your reality. To fall down the rabbit hole can mean to enter a confusing situation. However, usually we use this expression to mean we got interested in something to the point of distraction. We lose all track of time. It often happens by accident and is about something not that meaningful. With this idiom, you can add details to further describe what type of rabbit hole you fell into, as in this example: "Where have been? You were supposed to meet me here an hour ago." "I am so sorry! I was looking online for some advice on how to get a baby to fall asleep and I fell into a rabbit hole of parenting blogs!" "There are tens of thousands of those. It’s a wonder you made your way out!" Going down the rabbit hole can also mean a strange state of mind. Later in the story, Alice is the guest at a tea party – a crazy tea party! There she meets the March Hare and the Hatter. They give her riddle after riddle. And both seem truly crazy.   As with many expressions found in Carroll’s books mad as a March hare appeared in other places long before the publication of his book. Hares have long been thought to behave excitedly in March, which is their mating season. Scientifically, this may not be true. But to be mad as a March hare means that someone is completely mad, or crazy. The expression mad as a Hatter also means to be completely crazy. Of the two, mad as a Hatter is more common. But don’t tell the March Hare. Who knows how he will react! Now, we move on to the Cheshire Cat. Smiling like the Cheshire Cat was a common expression during Victorian times. Carroll brought this expression to life in his book with the character the Cheshire Cat. A person who is compared to the Cheshire Cat is sneaky, cunning, mischievous, unpredictable and mysterious. Near the end of the story, Alice meets the Queen of Hearts. The Queen of Hearts is a foul-tempered monarch. She is quick to give the death sentence for the slightest wrongdoing by yelling, “Off with their heads! Off with their heads!” A woman who is called a Queen of Hearts is a control freak. She is a self-appointed queen of events. And she is an aggressive woman who tries to dominate everything and everyone around her. Using expressions from popular books can add a special flavor to your English. And when used properly, they also show you have a deeper understanding of the literature and culture of the English language. So, have fun with them! And that’s Words and Their Stories. I’m Anna Matteo. I found myself in Wonderland, Get back on my feet again ...   Anna Matteo wrote this for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. The song at the end if "Almost Alice" by Avril Lavigne and is featured in the movie "Alice in Wonderland" by Walt Disney Pictures. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   hint – v. to say (something) or give information about (something) in an indirect way; to suggest extraordinary – adj. very unusual; very different from what is normal or customary sneaky – adj. behaving in a secret and usually dishonest way cunning – adj. getting what is wanted by trickery mischievous – adj. showing a playful desire to cause trouble monarch – n. a leader of a kingdom or empire dominate – v. to have control of or power over someone or something  

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Americans Take 80% of World’s Opioid Supply

The U.S. government is dealing with an epidemic of opioid use. Americans make up about 4.6 percent of the world’s population, but consume 80 percent of the world’s opioid supply. That information comes from the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. Opioids offer strong pain relief. But they are addictive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Taking too many or too much can be fatal. Forty Americans die every day from opioid prescription drug overdoses, said the CDC. This week, the center released new guidelines for relieving pain. It calls on family doctors to consider other pain relief options before prescribing opioids. Options should include high doses of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen and aspirin, the CDC said. When doctors believe severe pain requires opioids, they should prescribe the lowest possible dosage, the CDC said. And patients should be told to exercise and take other steps that could get them off opioids, the agency said. CDC Director Tom Friedman said: “Overprescribing opioids -- largely for chronic pain -- is a key driver of America’s drug-overdose epidemic.” The CDC is not acting alone. President Barack Obama in February proposed $1.1 billion to increase treatment options for people addicted to opioids. And the U.S. Senate recently voted 94-1 to fund treatment programs.   The U.S. presidential candidates have been asked about the problem at town halls and debates. The issue often came up in the first primary state of New Hampshire. New Hampshire has one of the highest opioid addiction rates in the United States. “We can't be here in New Hampshire and not talk about the addiction problem,” said Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton at a town hall meeting. “Not talk about the fact that there have been more deaths by overdoses than car crashes in this state.” Republican candidate Donald Trump also spoke about opioid addiction during a New Hampshire rally. “We are going to try and help the young people, and the old people, and the middle-age people, and everybody that got addicted,” he said. The data show the problem of opioid addiction is growing. This is from a 2016 report prepared by the American Society of Addiction Medicine: Four of every five heroin users start by misusing prescription painkillers.   94 percent of people in treatment for opioid addiction said they turned to heroin because prescription opioids were “far more expensive and harder to obtain.”   In 2012, doctors wrote 260 million opioid prescriptions – enough to give every U.S. adult a bottle full of pills. I’m Kathleen Struck.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   epidemic – n. a situation in which a disease or problem spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people opioids – n. a pain reduction drug that is very addictive addictive – adj. causing a strong and harmful need to regularly have or do something prescription – n. a written message from a doctor that officially tells someone to use a medicine. guidelines – n. advice on how something should be done option – n. something that can be chosen dosage – n. the amount of a medicine, drug, or vitamin that should be taken chronic – adj. continuing pain over a long period of time  

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Islamic State Terrorists Lose Large Areas of Syria, Iraq

Military pressure against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has cost the terrorist group 22 percent of its territory in the past 15 months. About half of the loss has happened since the beginning of this year. The monitoring group IHS said the militants are, in its words, “increasingly isolated and being perceived as in decline.” IHS said the terrorists have been pushed back in northern Syria between Raqqa -- claimed by the Islamic State -- and the Turkish border. Airstrikes by Russia and a coalition led by the United States have freed important border crossings. Kurdish and Sunni fighters have supported that coalition. The Islamic State terrorist group controls only a small area of Syria, where it smuggles supplies and fighters from Turkey. At the same time, pro-government forces in Iraq also regained territory. The army -- and Sunni and Shi’ite militias -- took back control of Ramadi. Iraq also plans to try to retake Mosul in the north. The militants have held the city for more than a year and a half. The international community has noted the need for a unified fight against the Islamic State militants. It says if the Syrian government and rebels sign a peace agreement, their armies and weapons can be used in the fight against the IS militants. Between 250,000 and 470,000 people have died in Syria -- and millions have fled the country -- in the past five years. There has been little progress to end the country’s civil war. UN-led peace talks were held in Geneva, Switzerland this week. I’m Anne Ball.   VOANews.com reported on this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   isolated – adj. separate from others perceive – v. to notice or become aware of (something) smuggle – v. to move (someone or something) from one country into another illegally and secretly militia – n. a group of people who are not part of the armed forces of a country but are trained like soldiers  

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Israeli and US Jews: Alike and Different

Jews in Israel and the United States share pride in their religion, says the Pew Research Center. But there are also differences in how they view being Jewish. Pew polled Jews in America and Israel about religion twice and compared the results. One poll was done this month with Israeli Jews and the other in 2013 of American Jews. In both nations, more than nine out of 10 Jews say they are proud to be Jewish, according to Pew. Other questions drew different responses from American and Israeli Jews. In the United States, 69 percent of Jews said they believe leading an ethical and moral life is important to being Jewish. In Israel, the percentage is 47 percent, Pew said. Also 56 percent of American Jews said they believe working for justice and equality is important to being Jewish. The percentage is about half as much in Israel, according to Pew. Israeli Jews are more likely than American Jews to view following Jewish religious law as important. Thirty-five percent of Israeli Jews consider observing Jewish law important, compared to 19 percent of Americans, Pew said. But Jews in the two countries have similar opinions on what would disqualify a person from being Jewish. Majorities in both countries said they believe a person can be a Jew if she or he works on the Jewish Sabbath, criticizes Israel, or does not believe in God, according to Pew. But only 18 percent of Jews in Israel and 34 percent in the United States said they believe a person who believes Jesus was the Messiah can be Jewish. The two nations have the largest populations of Jewish people – 6.1 million in Israel and 5.7 million in the United States. I'm Bruce Alpert.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page. Tell us how important religion is to you.   _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   pride – n. a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people poll – v. to ask people a question or a series of questions in order to get information about what most people think about something ethical – adj. behaving in a way that is right and good Sabbath – n. day of religious observance Messiah – n. Jews believe a king will be sent by God to save the Jews, and Christians believe it is Jesus Christ  

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VOA English Newscast: 1400 UTC March 18, 2016

  From Washington, this is VOA News.       I’m Steve Karesh reporting. Three policemen have been killed in an attack on security forces in Niger, near the border with Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali. Niger's Ministry of Defense made the statement on public TV on Thursday. In an earlier attack, three members of Niger's defense forces were wounded and five suicide bombers were killed on Wednesday in an ambush in the Diffa region that authorities have blamed on Boko Haram. The attacks come just before Niger voters go to the polls on Sunday for a presidential runoff. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says the "tide of migrants" seeking refuge in Turkey and the European Union is not an issue for bargaining, but an issue of humanitarian values. He made the comments Friday before sitting down with European Union leaders to work out a deal for transferring tens of thousands of migrants from the EU to Turkey. "For us, for Turkey the refugee issue is not an issue of bargaining, but an issue of value -- humanitarian values as well as European values. Turkey has received 2.7 million refugees without any significant assistance from anybody." In a deal met with criticism by human rights advocates, the EU is expected to promise Turkey limited visa-free travel and an accelerated path to EU membership. A U.S. military spokesman is dismissing Taliban claims that they shot down a NATO aircraft. The spokesman said that a helicopter made a 'hard landing' in southern Afghanistan on Friday. All personnel on board were recovered with no casualties. He later added that the incident is under investigation. It happened in the restive Helmand province, where hundreds of U.S. troops have recently arrived. This is VOA. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Newscast   TV – n. short for television ambush – n. a surprise attack region – n. area authorities – n. officials polls – n. voting centers presidential runoff – n. an election involving the two top candidates for president tide – n. the flow of the ocean’s water as water levels rise or fall migrant – n. people who go from one place to another, usually for economic reasons bargaining – n. negotiations over the terms of an agreement transferring – n. movement; transport significant – adj. very important or major advocate – n. supporter; activist accelerated – adj. of or related to moving faster or speeding up aircraft – n. an airplane or other vehicle that flies on board – phrase in or on a train, airplane or other vehicle casualty – n. someone who is hurt or killed during an accident, war or attack restive – adj. showing nervousness or a lack of patience   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ​

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President Obama to Visit Cuba Sunday

President Barack Obama travels to Cuba Sunday, becoming the first American president to visit the communist-ruled island nation in almost 90 years. Obama administration officials say the president will meet Cuban President Raul Castro on Monday. He will meet with members of Cuban civil society, including human rights activists, and will give a speech to the Cuban people on Tuesday. Ted Henken is a professor at Baruch College in New York. He has written about Cuba. He will be in the country during President Obama’s visit. He told VOA that the president is traveling to Cuba to ensure that relations between the United States and Cuba are not reversed when he leaves office. Henken said that Obama wants to speak directly to the Cuban people. Henken said the president will meet and talk with whom “he chooses and not just with whom the government wishes him to meet with only." He added that the president and his aides will work to convince Cuban officials to change their policies. He said they will not stop pushing for the nation to accept the American values of democracy and respect for human rights. But Henken said “the president has made it very clear that it is the Cuban people who should and who will decide their future, and the United States will not be making demands on anyone in Cuba, but will be communicating a message of friendship, of assistance, of solidarity.” Henken said Obama also will explain to the Cuban people that the United States is not the reason for the island’s poor economic conditions.  After his trip to Cuba, Obama will travel to Argentina. In his final months in office, he will also visit Canada and Peru. I’m George Grow.   VOA's Victor Beattie reported on this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   ensure - v. to guarantee reversed - v. changed; overturned convince - v. persuade

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Actress Brings African Experiences to America

Actress Danai Gurira calls herself a Zimerican. Her parents came from Zimbabwe. She was born in the American state of Iowa. But her family moved back to Harare, Zimbabwe, when she was five years old. She returned to the United States for college and has lived there ever since. "I was always in a hodgepodge of culture," she said. "There's no other identity I know, really."  The actress may be best known as Michonne, the zombie–killer in the television series "The Walking Dead." But when Gurira is not killing zombies, she is busy with other projects. She recently played rapper Tupac Shakur’s mother in a film. And she is now busy racing between theaters for two plays in New York City – plays that she wrote. Stories from both sides of the Atlantic Her play "Familiar" is an off-Broadway comedy-drama. It centers on the cultural clashes between American and African traditions. The play takes place in the state of Minnesota. The eldest daughter of Zimbabwean parents is getting married to a white man. The story was taken from her own observations, Gurira said. "I was at a wedding and I was just struck by all of my family's absurdities — and my own included. And I just knew I couldn't not write about it!" The upper middle-class life of "Familiar" may seem familiar to many American audiences. But the setting of her play "Eclipsed" — Gurira's Broadway debut — is something else entirely. Gurira decided to write "Eclipsed" after reading a New York Times story about the civil war in Liberia, and the young women who fought in it. She described it like this. "These were, like, 22-, 23-year-old girls, women, who had, like, you know, little skimpy jeans on, little skimpy tops, and really looked cool and hip and current and then, they had these big AK-47s on their backs." Gurira went to Liberia and met with women who were former soldiers, sex slaves and peace negotiators. She wrote the play based on their stories. A Broadway first In "Eclipsed," Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o plays a 15-year-old girl who is trying to survive under the rebels. The girl is continually raped by a commander, but believes that she can find her freedom in the rebel army. "Well, I think the girl is our way into this world," Nyong’o said. “She comes into this world and is trying to figure out what the rules are. And she has to make a lot of choices about how she intends to survive."  "Eclipsed" is making Broadway history. It is the first production with an all-black female cast. It is also the first Broadway directed by a black woman and written by a black woman. Theater critics have praised the play. With two plays and movie, Gurira is still not slowing down. She is now working on a play about the women's movement in Africa. I'm Mario Ritter.   Jeff Lunden reported on this story for VOANews.com. Hai Do adapted his report for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section and on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   hodgepodge – n. a mixture of different things zombie – n. a dead person who is able to move because of magic usually in stories or movies absurdity - n. the state of being silly, foolish or unreasonable debut – n. the first time an actor, musician etc. does something in public or for the public  

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March 18, 2016

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

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geography (noun)

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Watch Live Video of Bald Eagles Hatching

  This is What’s Trending Today…. The American Bald Eagle has long been the national bird of the United States. In 1782, the Continental Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States. The seal appears on some official U.S. documents. It shows a bald eagle with its powerful wings out-stretched. This week, thousands of people have been watching live video of bald eagles breaking open their eggs. In 2014, two adult eagles built a nest high in the trees of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, DC. The nest is 1.5 meters wide and about 1.8 meters deep. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says this is the first pair of bald eagles to make their home within the arboretum since 1947. Some people are calling the adult eagles “Mr. President” and “The First Lady.” The pair already raised one baby eagle in the same area last year. Mr. President and The First Lady temporarily left the nest site in the summer of 2015 for their annual migration. A short time later, the non-profit American Eagle Foundation set up cameras in trees near the nest, with the help of tree climbers. This weekend, people from around the world get to watch as the Bald Eagle pair hope to add more eaglets to their family. “The First Lady” laid the eggs on February 10 and February 14. Egg #1 began to hatch on Wednesday night, March 16. The baby eagle was born Friday morning. Park officials expect egg #2 to break open sometime this weekend. On social media, people are using the hashtag #dceaglecam to follow the nest and to guess when they think the eggs will hatch.   ​But, on the DC Eagle Cam website, the American Eagle Foundation warns that “this is a wild eagle and anything can happen.” And that’s What’s Trending Today… I’m Lucija Millonig. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story    wing - n. a part of an animal's body that is used for flying or gliding migration - n. the movement from one area to another at different times of the year hatch - v. to be born by coming out of an egg

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'Paul Bunyan,' An American Folk Tale

​Today we tell a traditional American story called a “tall tale.” A tall tale is a story about a person who is larger than life. The descriptions in the story are exaggerated – much greater than in real life. This makes the story funny. Long ago, the people who settled in undeveloped areas in America first told tall tales.  After a hard day’s work, people gathered to tell each other funny stories. Each group of workers had its own tall tale hero. Paul Bunyan was a hero of North America’s lumberjacks, the workers who cut down trees.  He was known for his strength, speed and skill.  Tradition says he cleared forests from the northeastern United States to the Pacific Ocean. Some people say Paul Bunyan was the creation of storytellers from the middle western Great Lakes area of the United States.  Other people say the stories about him came from French Canada. Early in the twentieth century, a writer prepared a collection of Paul Bunyan stories.  They were included in a publication from the Red River Lumber Company in Minnesota.  It is not known if the stories helped the company’s sales, but they became extremely popular. Here is Shep O’Neal with our story about Paul Bunyan. Many years ago, Paul Bunyan was born in the northeastern American state of Maine. His mother and father were shocked when they first saw the boy. Paul was so large at birth that five large birds had to carry him to his parents. When the boy was only a few weeks old, he weighed more than 45 kilograms. As a child, Paul was always hungry. His parents needed 10 cows to supply milk for his meals. Before long, he ate 50 eggs and 10 containers of potatoes every day. Young Paul grew so big that his parents did not know what to do with him.  Once, Paul rolled over so much in his sleep that he caused an earthquake. This angered people in the town where his parents lived. So, the government told his mother and father they would have to move him somewhere else. Paul’s father built a wooden cradle -- a traditional bed for a baby. His parents put the cradle in waters along the coast of Maine. However, every time Paul rolled over, huge waves covered all the coastal towns. So his parents brought their son back on land. They took him into the woods. This is where he grew up. As a boy, Paul helped his father cut down trees. Paul had the strength of many men. He also was extremely fast. He could turn off a light and then jump into his bed before the room got dark. Maine is very cold for much of the year. One day, it started to snow. The snow covered Paul’s home and a nearby forest. However, this snow was very unusual. It was blue. The blue snow kept falling until the forest was covered. Paul put on his snowshoes and went out to see the unusual sight.  As he walked, Paul discovered an animal stuck in the snow. It was a baby ox. Paul decided to take the ox home with him. He put the animal near the fireplace.  After the ox got warmer, his hair remained blue. Paul decided to keep the blue ox and named him Babe. Babe grew very quickly. One night, Paul left him in a small building with the other animals. The next morning, the barn was gone and so was Babe. Paul searched everywhere for the animal. He found Babe calmly eating grass in a valley, with the barn still on top of his back. Babe followed Paul and grew larger every day.  Every time Paul looked, Babe seemed to grow taller. In those days, much of North America was filled with thick, green forests. Paul Bunyan could clear large wooded areas with a single stroke of his large, sharp axe. Paul taught Babe to help with his work. Babe was very useful. For example, Paul had trouble removing trees along a road that was not straight. He decided to tie one end of the road to what remained of a tree in the ground. Paul tied the other end to Babe. Babe dug his feet in the ground and pulled with all his strength until the road became straight. In time, Paul and Babe the Blue Ox left Maine, and moved west to look for work in other forests. Along the way, Paul dug out the Great Lakes to provide drinking water for Babe. They settled in a camp near the Onion River in the state of Minnesota. Paul’s camp was the largest in the country. The camp was so large that a man had to have one week’s supply of food when walking from one side of the camp to the other. Paul decided to get other lumberjacks to help with the work. His work crew became known as the Seven Axemen. Each man was more than 2 meters tall and weighed more than 160 kilograms.  All of the Axemen were named Elmer.  That way, they all came running whenever Paul called them. The man who cooked for the group was named Sourdough Sam. He made everything -- except coffee -- from sourdough, a substance used in making sourdough bread. Every Sunday, Paul and his crew ate hot cakes.  Each hot cake was so large that it took five men to eat one. Paul usually had 10 or more hot cakes, depending on how hungry he was. The table where the men ate was so long that a server usually drove to one end of the table and stayed the night. The server drove back in the morning, with a fresh load of food. Paul needed someone to help with the camp’s finances. He gave the job to a man named Johnny Inkslinger. Johnny kept records of everything, including wages and the cost of feeding Babe. He sometimes used nine containers of writing fluid a day to keep such detailed records. The camp also was home to Sport, the Reversible Dog. One of the workers accidentally cut Sport in two. The man hurried to put the dog back together, but made a mistake. He bent the animal’s back the wrong way. However, that was not a problem for Sport. He learned to run on his front legs until he was tired.  Then, he turned the other way and ran on his back legs. Big mosquitoes were a problem at the camp. The men attacked the insects with their axes and long sticks. Before long, the men put barriers around their living space. Then, Paul ordered them to get big bees to destroy the mosquitoes. But the bees married the mosquitoes, and the problem got worse.  They began to produce young insects. One day, the insects’ love of sweets caused them to attack a ship that was bringing sugar to the camp. At last, the mosquitoes and bees were defeated. They ate so much sugar they could not move. Paul always gave Babe the Blue Ox a 35-kilogram piece of sugar when he was good. But sometimes Babe liked to play tricks. At night, Babe would make noises and hit the ground with his feet. The men at the camp would run out of the buildings where they slept, thinking it was an earthquake. When winter came, Babe had trouble finding enough food to eat. Snow covered everything.  Ole the Blacksmith solved the problem. He made huge green sunglasses for Babe. When Babe wore the sunglasses, he thought the snow was grass. Before long, Babe was strong and healthy again. One year, Paul’s camp was especially cold.  It was so cold that the men let their facial hair grow very long. When the men spoke, their words froze in the air. Everything they said remained frozen all winter long, and did not melt until spring.  Paul Bunyan and Babe left their mark on many areas. Some people say they were responsible for creating Puget Sound in the western state of Washington.  Others say Paul Bunyan and Babe cleared the trees from the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. They prepared this area for farming. Babe the Blue Ox died in South Dakota. One story says he ate too many hot cakes. Paul buried his old friend there. Today, the burial place is known as the Black Hills. Whatever happened to Paul Bunyan?  There are lots of stories. Some people say he was last seen in Alaska, or even the Arctic Circle. Another tradition says he still returns to Minnesota every summer. It says Paul moves in and out of the woods, so few people ever know that he is there. You have just heard the story of Paul Bunyan.  It was adapted by George Grow.  Your narrator was Shep O’Neal.  Now it’s your turn. Tell us in the comments section about a tall tale from your culture. Does the hero of the story have unusual size or strength? Visit our Facebook page, too, for more stories.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   wooded - adj. covered with trees reversible - adj. having two sides that can be used finances - n. matters relating to money and how it is spent or saved blacksmith - n. a person who makes or repairs things made of iron (such as horseshoes) ​

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