Are you one of this week’s lucky winners? Today you’ll hear who won the quiz about Kofi Annan’s “Mission Impossible”. Click on that little “Listen” arrow above, and join in!
Hello everyone!
You’ve surely noticed by now we’ve been experimenting with the Sound Kitchen recipes … on Saturdays, at 5:16 universal time, tune in to hear if you are amongst the week’s winners. The winners names are here on our website, too. Look for Short Features / Sound Kitchen Winners.
Tune in on Sundays, at 4:22, 5:52 and 7:22 universal time, for the quiz question ... and whatever else is cooking up in the Sound Kitchen.
I have wonderful news! “The Sound Kitchen Listeners Cookbook” will finally become a reality. First it will be put on-line, and then we’ll get to work on a printed version. The web team has asked for photos of your prepared dishes, as well as of you. So if you sent in a recipe, get back into your kitchen and get cooking … but before you “tuck in” to your fabulous dish, take a minute to take a picture or two of the final product. And of yourself, too!
The projected date for the on-line version of the cookbook is sometime this month. Keep your fingers crossed!
This week’s question was read on 8 April, and was about Kofi Annan – who was celebrating his 74th birthday that day. As I said then, most people at age 74 are taking it easy – but not Mr. Annan. He is the chief negotiator for what pundits are calling “Mission Impossible”. I asked you to write in with details of this “mission impossible” … for which country is the former Secretary General of the United Nations seeking to find a peaceful political solution?
The short answer is: Syria, where Mr. Annan is serving as “Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League.” According to the UN, at least 9,000 people have died in the country since pro-democracy protests began fourteen months ago.
Mr. Annan told Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad: “You cannot turn the wind, so turn the sail.”
The peace plan presented by Mr. Annan includes a UN-supervised ceasefire by all parties, the withdrawal of soldiers and heavy weapons from cities, the release of prisoners, delivery of humanitarian aid, and free movement for journalists.
This plan went into effect on 12 April. And there are UN observers in the country – according to the UN, there are 189 observers on the ground – but the violence has not stopped. There was a suicide bomb blast in Damascus on 10 May, which killed at least 55 people; clashes continue across the country, and the death toll continues to mount.
Mission Impossible? Let’s just hope everyone comes to their senses, stops killing, and decides to give peace a chance.
The winners this week are: Ms. Yasmeen Kazi of the Bellary Women’s DX Club in Karnataka, India; Mr. Zenon Teles of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DXers in Goa, India; Mr. N.P.K. Pillai, from Maseru, Lesotho; Josephat Chimpapi, from Kitwe, Zambia, and last but not least, a nice hand-written letter from Mr. Kwasi Serebuor-Badu, of Accra, Ghana.
Congratulations, winners!
This week’s question is again about European politics, and elections – which seem to be following a trend. Recently, voters in Greece, Italy, and also here in France have rejected austerity policies, by voting out the parties which promote them. Now it’s Germany’s turn: last Sunday Angela Merkel’s party lost in the North Rhine – Westphalia state legislative elections. North Rhine – Westphalia, by the way, is Germany’s most populous state, and one which has a history of influencing national elections. Send in the name of Angela Merkel’s party, the party that was voted out in the German North Rhine – Westphalia elections last Sunday.
Send me your answer by 18 June; the answer and the winners will be announced on the 23 June programme. 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:
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, and 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, or just your general all-around thoughts to:
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
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