Risks and Rewards at Zion National Park

The state of Utah is home to five major national parks. They are among the most famous parks in the United States. This week, our national parks journey brings us to the southeastern part of the state. Here, you will find narrow canyons, steep cliffs, and hidden river valleys. Welcome to Zion National Park! Zion sits within a desert landscape. The 260-kilometer-long Virgin River runs through it. It provides water for more than 1,000 kinds of plants to grow and 100 kinds of animals to live, including the desert tortoise, desert bighorn sheep, and mountain lions. River water has also carved out the area’s spectacular canyons and gorges. One of them, called Zion Canyon, stretches more than 20 kilometers through the park. In some places, it is more than 600 meters deep. At its most narrow point, it is just 6 feet across. Zion is one of the 10 most visited parks in the country. Travelers from America and around the world come here to explore its canyons, climb its steep walls, and walk its dramatic trails. ​ Zion’s extraordinary beauty affected early Mormon settlers. Members of the religious group came to the area beginning in the 1850s. They thought it looked like heaven. They named the land after a place from the Bible - Zion. “Zion” means “sanctuary” or “refuge” in ancient Hebrew. Mormons were not, of course, the first people to explore the area. Experts say humans first arrived around 12,000 years ago. They hunted very large animals like mammoths, giant sloths and camels. Climate change and overhunting caused these animals to die out about 8,000 years ago. Humans changed their methods. They hunted smaller animals and gathered other food. Some 2,000 years ago, a culture centered on what we now call Zion began to form. Scientists know these people as the Virgin Anasazi. They settled in the area and grew crops. They used the water from the Virgin River and depended on the rich diversity of native plants and animals. Over time, many Native American groups called the area home, including the Southern Paiute. The Southern Paiutes called the area “Mukuntuweap.” In their language, the name meant “straight canyon.” The United States Congress moved to protect the area beginning in the early 1900s. In 1909, it became a national monument. It was called Mukuntuweap National Monument. President William Taft established the national monument. He described the land as a “labyrinth of remarkable canyons with highly ornate and beautifully colored walls, in which are plainly recorded the geological events of past ages.” In 1918, the national monument became a national park. And in 1919, Congress changed its name to “Zion,” the name used by the Mormons. Visiting Zion National Park Today, almost 3 million people visit Zion National Park each year. Driving is restricted in much of the park during busy months. Instead, visitors travel in small buses that take them to areas where they can walk on paths into the wild areas. Walking is the best way to explore Zion. The park offers visitors many different kinds of paths. Some are short and easy. One easy walk is almost two kilometers. It takes hikers to a clear pool of water and waterfalls. Other hikes take most people all day to complete. Some are not advisable for people who are afraid of high places. A hike called Angels Landing is considered one of the most exciting hikes in America. The trail leads to the top of a rock formation that stands more than 450 meters above the canyon floor. Toward the top of rock, the walking path becomes extremely narrow. On both sides are very steep cliffs. Hikers can hold onto a rope for increased safety. Most hikers say the views from Angels Landing make the difficult and dangerous experience worth it. Some visitors favor the lower parts of Zion National Park. One popular area is known as The Narrows. The Narrows is the narrowest part of Zion Canyon. The area has extremely tall canyon walls and unusual “hanging gardens.” These green areas of wildflowers, ferns, and mosses grow out of the sandstone walls. ​ If you want to explore The Narrows, you must be ready to get wet. Hiking in The Narrows means walking next to -- and even in -- the Virgin River. If water levels are high, walking in the river can be extremely difficult. Sometimes, hikers may be waist-high in water. Even near the canyon floor, hikes at Zion can be dangerous. The great amount of rock in the area does not absorb water. As a result, sudden floods, called “flash floods,” are a serious threat. People can help prepare themselves as much as possible for the dangers of Zion National Park at the visitor’s center. But the risks come with great rewards. As the famous American pilot Amelia Earhart once said, “Adventure is worthwhile in itself.” I’m Caty Weaver.  And I'm Ashley Thompson.  ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   steep - adj. almost straight up and down cliff - n. a high, steep surface of rock, earth, or ice landscape ​- n. ​an area of land that has a particular quality or appearance​ spectacular - adj.​ causing wonder and admiration : very impressive​ gorge ​- n. ​a deep, narrow area between hills or mountains​ dramatic - adj. ​attracting attention​ heaven  ​- n. ​the place where God lives and where good people go after they die according to some religions​ diversity ​- n. ​the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc​ labyrinth ​- n. the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc​  remarkable - adj.​ unusual or surprising : likely to be noticed​ ornate - adj.​ covered with fancy patterns and shapes waist  ​- n. ​the middle part of your body between the hips and chest or upper back that is usually narrower than the areas above and below it

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November 18, 2016

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

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Kanye West Talks Politics

  This is What’s Trending Today. Rapper Kanye West told the crowd at a concert in California Thursday that he did not vote in the presidential election. But he told them that if he had, he would have voted for Donald Trump. West reportedly continued to talk for 40 minutes about his reasons for preferring Trump. The crowd, expecting to hear songs instead of a political speech, booed him. Some even threw shoes.   The majority of voters in California preferred Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. On Friday, people reacted on social media to the singer’s comments. “Kanye” became the most popular topic on Twitter. Many of the concert-goers posted live updates on Twitter of West’s unexpected speech. One person wrote that West told the crowd, “The internet is going to take this out of context.” By that, he means people may misunderstand his comments. Another Twitter user said he was surprised to hear West did not vote in the election. He thought the outspoken performer would have written in his own name on the ballot. West did not say Thursday whether he agreed with Trump’s political ideas. But he did talk about some of the things he believes are wrong with the country.​ He said he believes African Americans should “stop focusing on racism. This world is racist, OK? Stop being distracted …” West also said he thought the next four years would prepare him to run for president in 2020. Some social media users said they missed how Kanye West acted back in 2005. That year, during a fundraising event for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, West criticized President George W. Bush’s response to the storm. He said on live television, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”   And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. What do you think about Kanye West’s comments? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   context – n. the words that are used with a certain word or phrase and that help to explain its meaning appreciate –v. to understand the worth or importance of (something or someone) interpret – v. to understand (something) in a specified way outspoken – adj. talking in a free and honest way about your opinions distract – adj. unable to think about or pay attention to something : unable to concentrate concert – n. a public performance of music

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Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O. Henry

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'Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen,' by O. Henry

We present the short story "Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen," by O. Henry. The story was originally adapted and recorded by the U.S. Department of State. There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all Americans go back to the old home and eat a big dinner. Bless the day. The President gives it to us every year. Sometimes he talks about the people who had the first Thanksgiving. They were the Puritans. They were some people who landed on our Atlantic shore. We don’t really remember much about them. But those people ate a large bird called turkey on the first Thanksgiving Day. So we have turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, if we have enough money to buy turkey. That is a tradition. Yes. Thanksgiving Day is the one day of the year that is purely American. And now here is the story to prove to you that we have old traditions in this new country. They are growing older more quickly than traditions in old countries. That is because we are so young and full of life. We do everything quickly. Stuffy Pete sat down on a seat in the New York City park named Union Square. It was the third seat to the right as you enter Union Square from the east. Every Thanksgiving for nine years he had sat down there at one in the afternoon. Every time, things had happened to him. They were wonderful things. They made his heart feel full of joy—and they filled another part of him, too. They filled the part below his heart. On those other Thanksgiving Days he had been hungry. (It is a strange thing. There are rich people who wish to help the poor. But many of them seem to think that the poor are hungry only on Thanksgiving Day.) But today Pete was not hungry. He had come from a dinner so big that he had almost no power to move. His light green eyes looked out from a gray face on which there was still a little food. His breath was short. His body had suddenly become too big for his clothes; it seemed ready to break out of them. They were torn. You could see his skin through a hole in the front of his shirt. But the cold wind, with snow in it, felt pleasantly cool to him. For Stuffy Pete was overheated with the warmth of all he had had to eat. The dinner had been much too big. It seemed to him that his dinner had included all the turkey and all the other food in the whole world. So he sat, very, very full. He looked out at the world without interest, as if it could never offer him anything more. The dinner had not been expected. He had been passing a large house near the beginning of that great broad street called Fifth Avenue. It was the home of two old ladies of an old family. These two old ladies had a deep love of traditions. There were certain things they always did. On Thanksgiving Day at noon they always sent a servant to stand at the door. There he waited for the first hungry person who walked by. The servant had orders to bring that person into the house and feed him until he could eat no more. Stuffy Pete happened to pass by on his way to the park. The servant had gathered him in. Tradition had been followed. Stuffy Pete sat in the park looking straight before him for ten minutes. Then he felt a desire to look in another direction. With a very great effort, he moved his head slowly to the left. Then his eyes grew wider and his breath stopped. His feet in their torn shoes at the ends of his short legs moved about on the ground. For the Old Gentleman was coming across Fourth Avenue toward Stuffy’s seat. Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years the Old Gentleman had come there to find Stuffy Pete on his seat. That was a thing that the Old Gentleman was trying to make into a tradition. Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years he had found Stuffy there. Then he had led Stuffy to a restaurant and watched him eat a big dinner. They do these things more easily in old countries like England. They do them without thinking about them. But in this young country, we must think about them. In order to build a tradition, we must do the same thing again and again for a long time. The Old Gentleman loved his country. He believed he was helping to build a great American tradition. And he had been doing very well. Nine years is a long time here. The Old Gentleman moved, straight and proud, toward the tradition that he was building. Truly feeding Stuffy Pete once a year was not a very important tradition. There are greater and more important traditions in England. But it was a beginning. It proved that a tradition was at least possible in America. The Old Gentleman was thin and tall and sixty. He was dressed all in black. He wore eye-glasses. His hair was whiter and thinner than it had been last year. His legs did not seem as strong as they had seemed the year before. As this kind Old Gentleman came toward him, Stuffy began to shake and his breath was shorter. He wished he could fly away. But he could not move from his seat. “Good morning,” said the Old Gentleman. “I am glad to see that the troubles of another year have not hurt you. You continue to move in health about the beautiful world. For that blessing you and I can give thanks on this day of thanksgiving. If you will come with me, my man, I will give you a dinner that will surely make your body feel as thankful as your mind.” That is what the Old Gentleman said every time. Every Thanksgiving Day for nine years. The words themselves were almost a tradition. Always before, they had been music in Stuffy’s ear. But now he looked up at the Old Gentleman’s face with tears of suffering in his eyes. The snow turned quickly to water when it fell upon his hot face. But the Old Gentleman was shaking with the cold. He turned away, with his back to the wind, and he did not see Stuffy’s eyes. Stuffy had always wondered why the Old Gentleman seemed sad as he spoke. He did not know that it was because the Old Gentleman was wishing that he had a son. A son would come there after he himself was gone. A son would stand proud and strong before Stuffy, and say: “In remembrance of my father.” Then it would really be a tradition. But the Old Gentleman had no family. He lived in a room in one of the old houses near the park. In the winter he grew a few flowers there. In the spring he walked on Fifth Avenue. In the summer he lived in a farmhouse in the hills outside New York, and he talked of a strange bug he hoped some day to find. In the fall season he gave Stuffy a dinner. These were the things that filled the Old Gentleman’s life. Stuffy Pete looked up at him for a half minute, helpless and very sorry for himself. The Old Gentleman’s eyes were bright with the giving leasure. His face was getting older every year, but his clothes were very clean and fresh. And then Stuffy made a strange noise. He was trying to speak. As the Old Gentleman had heard the noise nine times before, he understood it. He knew that Stuffy was accepting. “Thank you. I’m very hungry.” Stuffy was very full, but he understood that he was part of a tradition. His desire for food on Thanksgiving Day was not his own. It belonged to this kind Old Gentleman. True, America is free. But there are some things that must be done. The Old Gentleman led Stuffy to the restaurant and to the same table where they had always gone. They were known here. “Here comes that old man,” said a waiter, “that buys that old no-good fellow a dinner every Thanksgiving.” The Old Gentleman sat at the table, watching. The waiters brought food, and more food. And Stuffy began to eat. No great and famous soldier ever battled more strongly against an enemy. The turkey and all the other food were gone almost as quickly as they appeared. Stuffy saw the look of happiness on the Old Gentleman’s face. He continued to eat in order to keep it there. In an hour the battle was finished. “Thank you,” Stuffy said. “Thank you for my Thanksgiving dinner.” Then he stood up heavily and started to go to the wrong door. A waiter turned him in the right direction. The Old Gentleman carefully counted out $1.30, and left fifteen cents more for the waiter. They said goodbye, as they did each year, at the door. The Old Gentleman went south, and Stuffy went north. Stuffy went around the first corner, and stood for one minute. Then he fell. There he was found. He was picked up and taken to a hospital. They put him on a bed, and began to try to discover what strange sickness had made him fall. And an hour later the Old Gentleman was brought to the same hospital. And they put him on another bed, and began to try to discover what his sickness could be. After a little time one of the doctors met another doctor, and they talked. “That nice old gentleman over there,” he said. “Do you know what’s wrong with him? He’s almost dead for the need of food. A very proud old man, I think. He told me he has had nothing to eat for three days.”   Download activities to help you understand this story here. Now it's your turn to use the words in this story. What is your favorite holiday? What kinds of holiday traditions do they have in your country? Let us know in the comments section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   Puritan(s) – n. a member of a Protestant group in England and New England in the 16th and 17th centuries that opposed many customs of the Church of England servant – n. a person who is hired to do household or personal duties such as cleaning and cooking eye-glasses – n. a pair of lenses set into a frame and worn over your eyes to help you see tear(s) – n. a drop of liquid that comes from your eyes especially when you cry remembrance – n. something that is done or made to honor the memory of a person, thing, or event bug – n. a usually small insect waiter – n. a man who serves food or drinks to people in a restaurant cent(s) – n. a unit of money that is equal to ¹/₁₀₀ of the basic unit of money in many countries

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Former Philippine President Marcos Buried with Military Honors

  Former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was buried Friday with military honors at a cemetery for national heroes.   His wife Imelda and their children attended the burial at “Cemetery of Heroes” in Manila. A police official told the Associated Press that Marcos’s body was flown to the capital Thursday from his home province of Ilocos Norte. The official described the burial service as a “simple, family” ceremony. Family members and military officials followed the body as it was taken in a horse-drawn carriage to its final resting place. The ceremony included a 21-gun military salute. Imelda Marcos was given the Philippine flag that covered the coffin. The burial was kept secret from the public. Groups representing victims of Marcos’s rule opposed having his remains moved to the cemetery. Other former presidents, military leaders and artists are buried there. No protests were reported at the cemetery, where thousands of riot police and soldiers stood guard. But protesters gathered in other parts of Manila. Some burned pictures of Marcos.  The Philippine Supreme Court approved the burial, which President Rodrigo Duterte also supported. Several groups had gone to court seeking to stop it. Marcos ruled the country for more than 20 years. His administration was accused of widespread corruption and human rights abuses. Family members have denied wrongdoing during his rule. Marcos was removed from office in 1986 when the army supported what was called a “people power” rebellion. He later fled the country. Marcos died in 1989 while living in exile with his family in the American state of Hawaii. In 1993, his body was flown back to the Philippines. Marcos’s oldest daughter Imee is the governor of Ilocos Norte province. She thanked President Duterte for supporting the burial in Manila. “My beloved father's last will to be buried with fellow soldiers was fulfilled today," she said. Duterte had said it was right for the former president to be buried at the Manila cemetery “not because he was a hero, but because he was a Filipino soldier.” Marcos served in the Philippine army and was a guerrilla leader against Japanese occupation forces during World War II. Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo opposed the burial and criticized the secrecy of the ceremony. She compared the process to “a thief in the night.” “This is nothing new to the Marcoses - they who had hidden wealth, hidden human rights abuses and now hidden burial - with complete disrespect for the rule of law,” she said. I’m Bryan Lynn.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press and Reuters. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   cemetery – n. place where dead people are buried salute – n. sign of respect given to high-ranking military officials coffin – n. box used to bury the body of a dead person fellow - adj. used to describe people who belong to the same group or who have shared experiences thief - n. person who steals things  

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Number of Female Lawmakers in US Grows, But Still Low

  Although Hillary Clinton did not become the first woman to be elected president of the United States, there are now more female state legislators than ever before. Beginning in January 2017, about 1,824 women will serve in the legislatures of the 50 states -- the highest number in American history. That is 24.7 percent of the more than 7,380 state house and senate seats. In 1992, 20 percent of state legislators were women. By 2015, 24.4 percent of them were. A record number of women were candidates this year for state legislative seats. The legislatures of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Vermont have the highest percentage of women. Mississippi, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Wyoming have the lowest percentage. About 20 percent of the members of the U.S. Congress are women. Women make up a little more than half of the U.S. population. However, the 2016 election did not bring the big change in the number of women in politics that some people expected, says Debbie Walsh. She is the director of the nonpartisan Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University. She recently spoke with the Washington Post newspaper. “For all of the talk of this being a change election, it was not a change election for women in politics. We just aren’t seeing enough of them,” she said. The elections did bring some “firsts” for female lawmakers. Starting in January 2017, 38 non-white women will serve in Congress. That is a record number. Thirty-five of them are Democrats and three are Republicans. Democrat Catherine Cortez Mastro of Nevada will be the first Latina to serve in the U.S. Senate. And Stephanie Murphy, a Democrat from Florida, will be the first Vietnamese-American woman in Congress. All of the members of the U.S. House and Senate from the state of New Hampshire will be women. Voters in Minnesota elected the first Somali-American state lawmaker. Voters in Kentucky elected its first black female legislator in 20 years. Forty Native American Democratic state legislators were also elected in states throughout the country. Only two of the 50 American states have never elected a woman to serve in the U.S. House or Senate: Mississippi and Vermont. The new Congress will be the most diverse group of American lawmakers ever. However, about 80 percent of its members will be white males. White men are about 31 percent of the U.S. population. I’m Marsha James.   VOA's Christopher Jones-Cruise wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson 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   diverse – adj. made up of people or things that are different from each other  

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English @ the Movies: 'The Cost of Doing Business'

Our English @ the Movies phrase today is "the cost of doing business." The movie is "The Accountant." It is about a man who is helping criminals with their finances. Watch our story so you can find out what "the cost of doing business" means.

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"Feathertop," by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Our story today is called “Feathertop.” It was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Here is Shep O’Neal with the story.  The long cold winter was gone at last.  At first the cold nights went away slowly. Then suddenly, the warm days of spring started to come. There was new life again in the earth. Things started to grow and come up. For the first time, green corn plants began to show. They pushed through the soil and could now be seen above the ground. After the long winter months, the crows, the big black birds, were hungry. And when they saw the little green plants, they flew down to eat them. Old Mother Rigby tried to make the noisy and hungry birds go away. They made her very angry. She did not want the black birds to eat her corn. But the birds would not go away. So, early one morning, just as the sun started to rise, Mother Rigby jumped out of bed. She had a plan to stop those black birds from eating her corn. Mother Rigby could do anything. She was a witch, a woman with strange powers. She could make water run uphill, or change a beautiful woman into a white horse. Many nights when the moon was full and bright, she could be seen flying over the tops of the houses in the village, sitting on a long wooden stick. It was a broomstick, and it helped her to do all sorts of strange tricks. Mother Rigby ate a quick breakfast and then started to work on her broomstick. She was planning to make something that would look like a man. It would fill the birds with fear, and scare them from eating her corn, the way most farmers protect themselves from those black, pesky birds. Mother Rigby worked quickly. She held her magic broomstick straight, and then tied another piece of wood across it. And already, it began to look like a man with arms. Then she made the head. She put a pumpkin, a vegetable the size of a football, on top of the broomstick. She made two small holes in the pumpkin for eyes, and made another cut lower down that looked just like a mouth. At last, there he was. He seemed ready to go to work for Mother Rigby and stop those old birds from eating her corn. But, Mother Rigby was not happy with what she made. She wanted to make her scarecrow look better and better, for she was a good worker. She made a purple coat and put it around her scarecrow, and dressed it in white silk stockings. She covered him with false hair and an old hat.  And in that hat, she stuck the feather of a bird. She examined him closely, and decided she liked him much better now, dressed up in a beautiful coat, with a fine feather on top of his hat. And, she named him Feathertop. She looked at Feathertop and laughed with happiness. He is a beauty, she thought. “Now what?” she thought, feeling troubled again.  She felt that Feathertop looked too good to be a scarecrow. “He can do something better,” she thought, “than just stand near the corn all summer and scare the crows.” And she decided on another plan for Feathertop. She took the pipe of tobacco she was smoking and put it into the mouth of Feathertop. “Puff, darling, puff,” she said to Feathertop. “Puff away, my fine fellow.” It is your life.” Smoke started to rise from Feathertop’s mouth. At first, it was just a little smoke, but Feathertop worked hard, blowing and puffing. And, more and more smoke came out of him. “Puff away, my pet,” Mother Rigby said, with happiness. “Puff away, my pretty one. Puff for your life, I tell you.” Mother Rigby then ordered Feathertop to walk. “Go forward,” she said. “You have a world before you.” Feathertop put one hand out in front of him, trying to find something for support. At the same time he pushed one foot forward with great difficulty. But Mother Rigby shouted and ordered him on, and soon he began to go forward. Then she said, “you look like a man, and you walk like a man. Now I order you to talk like a man.” Feathertop gasped, struggled, and at last said in a small whisper, “Mother, I want to speak, but I have no brain. What can I say?” “Ah, you can speak,” Mother Rigby answered. “What shall you say? Have no fear. When you go out into the world, you will say a thousand things, and say them a thousand times…and saying them a thousand times again and again, you still will be saying nothing. So just talk, babble like a bird. Certainly you have enough of a brain for that.” Mother Rigby gave Feathertop much money and said “Now you are as good as any of them and can hold your head high with importance.” But she told Feathertop that he must never lose his pipe and must never let it stop smoking. She warned him that if his pipe ever stopped smoking, he would fall down and become just a bundle of sticks again. “Have no fear, Mother,” Feathertop said in a big voice and blew a big cloud of smoke out of his mouth. “On your way,” Mother Rigby said, pushing Feathertop out the door. “The world is yours. And if anybody asks you for your name, just say Feathertop. For you have a feather in your hat and a handful of feathers in your empty head.” Feathertop found the streets in town, and many people started to look at him. They looked at his beautiful purple coat and his white silk stockings, and at the pipe he carried in his left hand, which he put back into his mouth every five steps he walked. They thought he was a visitor of great importance. “What a fine, noble face” one man said. “He surely is somebody,” said another. “A great leader of men.” As Feathertop walked along one of the quieter streets near the edge of town, he saw a very pretty girl standing in front of a small red brick house. A little boy was standing next to her. The pretty girl smiled at Feathertop, and love entered her heart. It made her whole face bright with sunlight. Feathertop looked at her and had a feeling he never knew before. Suddenly, everything seemed a little different to him. The air was filled with a strange excitement. The sunlight glowed along the road, and people seemed to dance as they moved through the streets. Feathertop could not stop himself, and walked toward the pretty smiling young girl. As he got closer, the little boy at her side pointed his finger at Feathertop and said, “Look, Polly! The man has no face. It is a pumpkin.” Feathertop moved no closer, but turned around and hurried through the streets of the town toward his home. When Mother Rigby opened the door, she saw Feathertop shaking with emotion.  He was puffing on his pipe with great difficulty and making sounds like the clatter of sticks, or the rattling of bones. “What’s wrong?” Mother Rigby asked. “I am nothing, Mother. I am not a man. I am just a puff of smoke. I want to be something more than just a puff of smoke.” And Feathertop took his pipe, and with all his strength smashed it against the floor. He fell down and became a bundle of sticks as his pumpkin face rolled toward the wall. “Poor Feathertop,” Mother Rigby said, looking at the heap on the floor. “He was too good to be a scarecrow. And he was too good to be a man. But he will be happier, standing near the corn all summer and protecting it from the birds. So I will make him a scarecrow again.” You have heard the American story, “Feathertop.” It was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Lawan Davis adapted it for Learning English. Your storyteller was Shep O’Neal. We want to hear from you. Have you ever met someone that later turned to be different from how you first thought of them? Let us know in the comments section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   broomstick - n. the handle of a broom pesky - adj. making someone annoyed or irritated pumpkin - n. a large, round, orange vegetable used as food and sometimes as a decoration — often used before another noun scarecrow - n. an object that looks like a person and that is placed in a field to scare birds away from crops puff - v. to breathe smoke from a cigarette, pipe, etc., in and out of the lungs  

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FBI: US Hate Crimes Rose in 2015

A United States government report says hate crimes against Muslims in America rose 67 percent in 2015. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, produced the report. It says there were 257 anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2015 compared to 154 in 2014. The number has not been that high since 2001, which saw 481 incidents against Muslims. Many of the incidents followed the September 11 terrorist attacks against the U.S. that year. The FBI report is based on hate crimes recorded by local law enforcement agencies across the United States. Crimes involving religion increased 23 percent to 1,244, the report said. Jews and Jewish organizations were targeted most in religious-based hate crimes. They represented more than half of all those reported. Hate crimes against Jews rose 9 percent.  ​​   Overall, the number of U.S. hate crimes rose from 5,479 in 2014 to 5,850 last year – an almost 7 percent increase. The FBI said 18 victims were murdered and 13 raped. About 41 percent of hate crimes involved threatening behavior, while 60 percent of victims were assaulted.  The largest group of victims – 59 percent – were targeted because of their race or ethnicity, the report says. About 52 percent of these hate crimes were done because of anti-Black bias. More than 18 percent were victims of anti-White bias, while 9 percent were anti-Hispanic or Latino crimes. About 3 percent resulted from either anti-Asian or anti-American Indian bias, while 1 percent involved anti-Arab crimes. The FBI report says 48 percent of the violators were white and 24 percent were black. Nearly 18 percent of reported hate crimes were based on the sexual orientation of victims. Of the 1,263 victims, 62 percent of incidents involved anti-gay bias against men. The report found that about 2 percent of hate crime victims were targeted because of gender identity bias. About 1 percent of victims faced disability bias, while 0.4 percent were targeted because of gender bias.   There have been reports of a rise in hate-related incidents following Donald Trump’s victory last week in the U.S. presidential election. The not-for-profit Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) said it received more than 400 reports of hate-motivated incidents over the past week. It said most of the incidents involved hateful intimidation of victims. The reports were gathered from news reports, social media and people contacting the SPLC directly. Most of the intimidation was directed at immigrants, according to the SPLC’s website. This was followed by threats against African Americans, members of the LGBT community and Muslims. The Washington-based Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR, also said it had received reports of hate-related incidents involving Muslims. In one incident in Columbus, Ohio, a man at a traffic stop made threats against a woman wearing a hijab. In Michigan, a man threatened to set a Muslim woman on fire unless she took off her hijab. Donald Trump appeared Sunday night on the CBS news program “60 Minutes.” The president-elect spoke about reports that some of his supporters had used hate speech against others. “I am so saddened to hear that," Trump said. "And I say, 'Stop it.' If it helps, I will say this, and I will say right to the cameras: 'Stop it.’” Some Muslim rights groups welcomed Trump’s statement. But they also have called for the president-elect to expand on this message. They have asked that he clearly show supporters he does not approve of hateful behavior.     I’m Bryan Lynn. And I’m ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Jill Robbins.   Bryan Lynn wrote this story for Learning English, based on the FBI Hate Crime Statistics report and reports from VOA News. Caty Weaver was the editor. Have you or someone you know been a victim of hate-related incidents? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   hate crimes – n. crimes motivated completely or in part by a bias against race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, etc. assault – v. to cause physical harm in an attack bias – n. belief that a group of people, ideas, etc. are better than others orientation – n. a person’s feelings, interests, or beliefs gay – adj. sexually attracted to someone of the same sex gender – n. the state of being male or female intimidation – n. the act of making someone frightened or afraid LGBT – short cut phrase. stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender hijab – n. a head covering worn outside the home by Muslim women  

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Understanding Adverbs: Always

The film “Casablanca” is one of the most famous American movies of all time. At the end of the film, the actor Humphrey Bogart says a heartbreaking farewell to the woman he loves. Bergman: But what about us? Bogart: We'll always have Paris. Besides affecting one’s emotions, this movie scene can teach you a lot about English grammar. It can show you how English speakers use adverbs in a sentence. In our program today, we explore a single word: always. We will discover why Bogart said his famous line the way he did. Do not worry. Unlike the ending of “Casablanca,” we will not leave you in tears! Adverbs and Movability In other Everyday Grammar stories, we explored adverbs. Adverbs are words that change the meaning of a verb, adjective, or sentence. They are often used to show time, place, or a way of doing things. Adverbs are often movable. They can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. Consider these examples: Occasionally I eat seafood. I occasionally eat seafood. I eat seafood occasionally. In this example, the adverb occasionally appears in three different places in the sentence. The placement of the adverb does not change the meaning. All three sentences have the same meaning. Most English speakers would not think it strange if you used any one of these sentences. Always is not as movable What about the adverb always? In general, the adverb always is not as movable as other kinds of adverbs – like the word occasionally. You will not often hear an English speaker use always at the beginning or the end of a sentence. Most often, you will hear always in the middle of the sentence, before the verb it is modifying. In some cases, you might hear it at the beginning of a sentence – when giving an order or command, for example.* Or you might hear it at the end of a sentence, but usually only in an artistic setting: a poetry reading or a musical performance, for example. But the central point is this: in speaking and in writing, always does not move its position as often as other adverbs. So, if you were to take our example sentence, "I eat seafood," and use the adverb always, you could say, "I always eat seafood." Always generally is found after “BE” verbs and auxiliary verbs, but before other verbs. You will find this structure in many popular films. Consider this famous line from “A Streetcar Named Desire:” "Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951 In the example, always appears after the auxiliary verb, have, and just before the main verb, depended. This same idea is true of Bogart's famous line from “Casablanca,” "We'll always have Paris." "We'll" is a short way to say, "we will." Always appears after the auxiliary verb, will, and before the main verb, have. Emphasized always You might think that our story about the word always ends here, but it does not! English speakers can also change the meaning of always. When you hear or read the adverb always in its usual position, before the verb it is modifying. It generally has the meaning of habitually. However, sometimes you will hear English speakers emphasize the word always. In this case, the meaning of the sentence has changed. Think back to our example sentence: "I always eat seafood." This sentence means that you usually eat seafood – perhaps when you go to a restaurant. If the speaker says, "I ALWAYS eat seafood," with the emphasis on the word "always," then the speaker is expressing annoyance. Perhaps the speaker is angry that another person – a close friend, for example – did not remember they like to eat seafood when they go out to dinner. Here is another example: you hear a child say, "My father always works late on Thursdays." This sentence uses the adverb always to express a habitual or common action. However, if you hear the child say, "My dad ALWAYS works late on Thursdays," then you know that the child is unhappy with the father's work schedule. What can you do? So, now you know that if Bogart had used the emphasized always in the film Casablanca, the ending of the film would have been very different. The next time you are listening or speaking, try to pay attention to the placement of the word always. Then, try to identify if it is emphasized or not. This will help you understand the speaker's feelings. Remember: English does not always communicate meaning through grammar. Emphasis plays an important role in showing the meaning of a sentence. With practice, you, too, will be able to use always like a native speaker! I’m Pete Musto. And I'm John Russell.  John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. *Always can begin imperative sentences. Here is an example: Always wear your seatbelt.  _______________________________________________________________ Words in this Story   farewell – n. an act of leaving adverb – n. a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence and that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree occasionally – adv. sometimes but not often emphasize – v. to place emphasis on (something) auxiliary verb – n. a verb (such as have, be, may, do, shall, will, can, or must) that is used with another verb to show the verb's tense, to form a question, etc.​ modify – v. to limit or describe the meaning of (a word or group of words)​ scene – n. a part of a play, movie, story, etc., in which a particular action or activity occurs​

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