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The Sound Kitchen

The 'impossible' race across Antarctica

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This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about the recent race across Antarctica. There’s the listener mailbag, music by request from Heimer Sia - and of course, the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo above and enjoy!

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Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you have grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

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I would also like to hear from you about your little moments of joy. Small, daily things: a beautiful sunset, a baby’s laugh. Add that as a very nice ingredient to our communal cooking – let’s share the joy! In these crazy times, we all need it … write to me at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

For our DX enthusiast and shortwave listener friends: I am sad to announce we no longer have a shortwave frequency; we have severe budget constraints which no longer permit us to broadcast via shortwave.

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To listen to our features, go to our website and click on “Features”. You’ll see all of our features (now podcasts only). You can either listen directly, or subscribe and receive them directly in your e-mail inbox. Don’t give up on us!

“My Favorite Music” is our new musical segment on The Sound Kitchen. Until the end of February, we’ll listen to your favorite songs sung by a male singer. But it’s time to start thinking about our next adventure: your favorite song by your favorite band, coming up in March and April. Be sure you tell why the song and the band are important to you. Every week I’ll play one of your suggestions, and then we’ll change to instrumental, film, your children’s favorites … so to your pens! Write to me at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr, and be sure you include your city and country in your note – along with a link and a short translation, if you can. I think it is quite nice to share your favorite music as well as your thoughts about it – thanks to Daniel Singleton, the RFI English Head of Service, for the idea!

This week’s request is from RFI Listeners Club member Heimer Sia from Manila in the Philippines. Heimer requested"Kaleidoscope World" by Francis M. 

Teachers, take note!I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know.The address is thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

Did you know there’s an RFI English newsletter? If you subscribe, you'll receive our newsletter every day. Just click on Newsletters,fill out the form, and you'll stay up-to-date with RFI English.

Welcome to our new RFI Listeners Club members: J. A. Marmer from Baltimore, Maryland (U-S); Alan Holder from the Isle of Wight, England and Helmut Matt from Herbolzheim, Germany.

So glad you joined us!

You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write me at english.service@rfi.fr and tell me you want to join, and I’ll send you a membership number. It’s that easy. When you win a Sound Kitchen quiz as an RFI Listeners Club member, you receive a premium prize.

RFI Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department on all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B. You do not need to send her your quiz answers!

We’ve made a Facebook page just for you, the RFI English Clubs. It is a closed group, so when you apply to join, be sure you include the name of your RFI Club and your membership number. Everyone can look at it, but only members of the group can post on it. If you haven’t yet asked to join the group, go to the Facebook link above and fill out the questionnaire !!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”).

Are you interested in forming an official RFI Club, or transforming your existing club into an official RFI Club? Click on the link to find out how!

This week’s quiz: On 12 January, I asked you a question about two incredibly courageous men who had just raced each other across Antarctica - coast to coast, all by themselves, with no dogs or wind filled kites to pull their provision carts. Thank heaven, they both made it to the end safe and sound. I asked you to write in with the names of the two men, and how many days it took each one to cross Antarctica, a 1500-kilometer journey.

The answer is: American Colin O’Brady, who made it in 53 days. His competitor was Louis Rudd from Britain, who made it in 56 days.

Both men leftthe Ronne Ice Shelf, a few miles out from the beginning of the Antarctic continent, on 3 November.

O’Brady made it to Leverett Glacier on 26 December after an amazing final sleepless, 32-hour burst. Rudd arrived a little more than 48 hours later.

Can you imagine? Almost two months alone, with nothing but white white white to see. Wow. 

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Arne Timm from Harjumaa, Estonia; M. N. Sentu, a member of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh; Ram Babu Kumar from Bihar, India; Subha Biswas from West Bengal, India and Fatematuj Zahra, a member of the Shetu Radio Fan Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: Stevie Wonder: “Sir Duke”; Rimsky-Korsakov: “Flight of the Bumblebee”; the traditional Mexican birthday song “Las Mananitas” sung by Pedro Infante y la Rondalla del Amor de Saltillo, and “Kaleidoscope World”, written and performed by Francis Magalona.

Do you have a musical request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

This week’s question ... You'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 25 March to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 30 March podcast. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address in with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

or

By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country’s international access code, or “ + ”, then  33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one,your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

To find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize, click here:

To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or to form your own official RFI Club, click here:

 

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