The animal kingdom’s Muhammad Ali

This week on The Sound Kitchen you’ll hear the answer to the question about the hardest kicking or hitting animals. There’s “On This Day”, listener news, some great music, and of course - the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo and enjoy!

David Franklin/Getty Images/A Terrade

Hello everyone!

Welcome to The Sound Kitchen. You can catch the programme on-the-air every Saturday at 6:15, 7:15, 14:45 and 16:45 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 be sure and tune in every Saturday.

For our DX enthusiast friends: Our shortwave frequency is 9735 kHz on the 31m band, from 06.00 to 07.00 UT every day. We’ve had reception reports from Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, the UK and the US, and although the frequency is “aimed” (or however that works) towards the African continent, give it a try. You never know … and be sure and send us your reception reports. Maybe we can get more time, which would be wonderful.

You can also hear our programs on WRMI (http://www.wrmi.net/) and WRN (http://www.wrn.org/listeners/). These broadcasters diffuse our programs out of the goodness of their hearts, but unless you tell us how you heard us, we have no way of knowing … so do write and tell us how you listen to us.

If you have an internet radio and would like to add RFI English to your pre-set buttons, send an e-mail to [e-mail] and we'll get the link to you.

We want you to call us! We have a phone number you can call to leave us a message, so we can hear your voice! Just call, give your name, your country, and a short message - something like “I love RFI”, because of course you do – and we can put you on-the-air! Remember, World Radio Day will be here before we know it, so leave a message for your fellow radio lovers which we can air on the big day (13 February). The number to call is: + 33 1 84 22 95 82.

Welcome to our new RFI Listeners Club members! Benson Mutoko from Nairobi, Kenya; Kimera Isadore from Kampala, Uganda; Ariful Islam from Sirajgonj, Bangladesh; from The Gambia: Sainey Cham from Brikama; Mahmud Jallow from Sinchu Sorie and Sheikh Abdul Gerdrie, native of Freetown, Sierra Leone but living and working in Tanji, Kombo North.

So glad you have joined us!

You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write me at [e-mail] and tell me you want to join, and I’ll send you a membership number. It’s that easy.

A warm welcome to Audrey Iattoni ([e-mail]), your new contact person for all RFI Club business. Remember to copy me ([e-mail]) when you write her so that I stay in the loop too.

The RFI Club photography contest is open! This is what you have to do: take a photo of your entire club membership with the RFI banner, doing something in the kitchen, or something to do with cooking - which will make us laugh! So put on your silly thinking caps, get out your pots and pans or whatever you choose, and get all your club members in the photo with the RFI banner … and make us laugh! Send your entries to [e-mail] and [e-mail]  Audrey already has the present for the winning club: a Cyber-shot Sony camera! The deadline for your photos is 15 February.

The RFI Listener Relations department is asking all you football playing radio fans to send photos for the “Ma RFI” web page (it’s in French). They want action photographs, not posed team photos. It’s a cool idea – players and playing fields from around the world. Send your action football photos to [e-mail] and I’ll send you the link to see the page with other football playing RFI radio fans. Don’t be shy!

This week’s quiz: On 30 December, I asked you a question about animals and their defense systems. I had just read an article about the 10-centimeter-long peacock mantis shrimp, which can generate a force peaking at nearly 2500 times their body weight in less than 800 microseconds – making it possibly the animal which can deliver the fastest and hardest punch or hit of all. I asked you to send me the names of two other animals – mammals, birds, or insects – which scientists believe are the hardest kickers or hitters.

The answer is:I accepted the following: brown hare, kangaroo, ostrich, giraffe, secretary bird and the trapjaw ant. I did not accept zebras, because there is not enough research to prove they are exceptional kickers, and I obviously did not accept mantis shrimp as I had already talked about that crazy guy on the program.

The winners are: Mahesh Jain, president of the RFI Club Delhi; M. N. Sentu, president of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh; RFI Listeners Club members Mrs Asifa Riaz from Sheikhupura, Pakistan, Aboiyar Yima from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea and Arne Timm from Harjumaa, Estonia.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: Michio Miyagi: “Hari no Umi”; Rimsky - Korsakov: “The Flight of the Bumblebee”; Alessia Cara: “Wild Things”.

Have a musical request? Write me and let me know! [e-mail]

This week’s question: You'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 5 March to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 10 March program. 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:

[e-mail]

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