Hello everyone!

Welcome to the “new/old” Sound Kitchen. We’ve put the programme back together: instead of two smaller programs on two days, The Sound Kitchen is now one program on one day – Saturday, at 4:52, 6:22, and 7:52 universal time.

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 tune in every Saturday!

Just look at that beautiful link to the Sound Kitchen Listener’s Cookbook! It actually happened! I’m very happy about it, and I hope you enjoy looking at it – and trying out some recipes! Please feel free to send in any comments you have, and we would love it if you’d send in photos – both of you, and of your completed dish. Don’t hesitate to use the “zoom” tool on countries where there are a lot of forks; that will separate them so you can read the titles easier. Click on the title, and the recipe will appear.

Also, if you are interested in corresponding with other Sound Kitchen listeners, let me know. I’ll figure out a way to get you together – most likely through a special page on our web-site …

Parliamentary elections 2012

This week’s question was read on 23 June, and was about French politics. Elections had just been held for the National Assembly representatives. I asked you which political party won the majority in the legislative elections held on 17 June, and the answer is: the Socialist party. The Socialist party has the majority in the Senate, the National Assembly, and of course, our new president, François Hollande, is also a socialist.

The winners this week are Jean Forget, from Attleboro, Massachusetts; Majid Sharif, from Rawalpindi, Pakistan; Miss Sharifun Islam Nitu, from Rajshahi, Bangladesh; Mr. Sethu Bai Pillai, from Maseru, Lesotho, and the President of the Chaitak Listeners Club in West Bengal, India, Dr. S. S. Bhattacharyya.

Congratulations, winners!

This week’s question is about the Nonaligned Movement’s summit meeting, which was held this past week in Iran. The Non-aligned Movement was founded in 1961; it’s a group of states who consider themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. There are 120 member nations – which represents nearly two-thirds of the United Nations members, and contains 55 percent of the world’s population.

This past Thursday, Egypt’s new president, Mohammad Morsi, addressed the group. What did he say in his speech about Syria? Specifically, what is the Egyptian president’s view for finding a solution to the conflict in Syria – a view which, by the way, is not shared by the conference’s host, Iran?

Send in your answers by 1 October; the answer and the winners will be announced on the 7 October programme. As always, be sure you send your postal address in with your answer … and be sure and tell me if you are a Mr. or a Mrs. or a Ms. or a Miss – I don’t want to get it wrong!

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby
RFI – The Sound Kitchen
BP 9516
75016 Paris
France

or

By SMS … Now you can send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen cell 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.

Remember, it’s not just the quiz which wins you a prize. If your essay goes on the air, you’ll find a package in the mail from the Sound Kitchen. Write in about your community heroes – the people in your community who are quietly working to make the world a better place, in whatever way they can. I am still looking for your “This I Believe” essays, too. Tell us about the principles that guide your life … what you have found to be true from your very own personal experience. Or write in with your most memorable moment, and/or your proudest achievement.

Send your mini book reviews, your musical requests, your secret “guilty” pleasure (mine’s chocolate!), your tricks for remembering things, your favourite quotations and proverbs, descriptions of the local festivals you participate in, your weirdest dream, or just your general all-around thoughts to:

thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

Include a phone number, if you can. I’d like to call you and put you on-the-air … and send you a thank-you gift for participating.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

All the best,

Susan