Skip to main content
The Sound Kitchen

French President Emmanuel Macron’s concessions to the Yellow Vests

Issued on:

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about French President Emmanuel Macron’s concessions to the gilets jaunes, the Yellow Vest protest movement. There’s “On This Day”, music by request from listener Hans Verner Lollike – and of course, the new quiz question. Just click on the arrow in the photo above and enjoy!

The Sound Kitchen
The Sound Kitchen iStockphoto
Advertising

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.

We want to hear from you.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. The number to call is: + 33 1 84 22 95 82.

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.

You can still hear us on WRN. As you know, we now broadcast only 1 hour per day, Monday – Friday, from 14:00 to 15:00 UTC/GMT.

For North America: WRN broadcasts the quotidian RFI English programme three times a day from Monday to Friday, from 06:00 to 06:59, from 10:00 to 10:59 and from 16:00 to 16h59 UTC/GMT.

http://babcock.media/world-radio-network/networks/english-north-america/

For Africa and Asia: WRN broadcasts the quotidian RFI English programme three times a day from Monday to Friday, from 06:00 to 06:59, from 10:00 to 10:59 and from 16:00 to 16h59 UTC/GMT.

http://babcock.media/world-radio-network/networks/english-africa-asia/

For Europe: WRN broadcasts the quotidian RFI English programme three times a day from Monday to Friday, from 07:00 to 07:50, from 12:00 to 12:59 and from 20:00 to 20:59 UTC/GMT

http://babcock.media/world-radio-network/networks/english-europe/

In Paris, you can hear us on World Radio Paris on DAB+, Monday to Friday from 15:00 to 15:59 UTC/GMT as well as Tuesday through Saturday from 07:00 to 07:59 UTC/GMT.

http://www.worldradioparis.fr/

There’s a new musical segment on The Sound Kitchen – your favourite songs. We started with female singers, and now we’re moving on to male singers. What I want you to do is send in your favourite song by a male singer, and tell why that song and that singer are important to you. Every week I’ll play one of your suggestions, and then we’ll change to band, instrumental, film, your children’s favourites … but for January and February, we’ll focus on men, 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 favourite 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 was from Hans Verner Lollike, who lives in Hedehusen, Denmark. Click below to read the lyrics to his favourite song – translated into English. It’s not a perfect translation, but at least you’ll get the general idea.

La Bohème

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 member: Sheriffo Ceesay from Banjul, The Gambia.

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 15 December, I asked you a question about the Gilets Jaunes, or the Yellow Vests. Earlier that week, French president Emmanuel Macron spoke to the French people and offered concessions to help the people who are suffering from low wages and an ever-higher cost of living. I asked you to tell me what President Emmanuel Macron offered to help the Gilets Jaunes, the people who live, mainly, in France’s rural areas.

The answer is: Mr. Macron said there would be a supplement of 100 euros, or about 115 U-S dollars, to workers earning the monthly minimum wage, starting this month; that taxes on overtime pay would be eliminated, and that retirees whose earnings are less than 2,000 euros a month - about 2,270 U-S dollars - will no longer be asked to pay a recent increase in social security taxes.

He also promised to listen to the voices of the country, to its small-town mayors and its working people.

The winners are: Two RFI Listeners Club members won this week’s quiz: Mr S J Agboola from Ekiti State, Nigeria and Zenon Teles from Goa, India – he’s the president of the Christian - Marxist - Leninist - Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers. There are two winners who are members of independent RFI Clubs: Md Rana from the RFI Fan Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh and Raihan Ali, from the Nilshagor RFI Fan Club in Nilphamari, Bangladesh. Last but not least, Shatrudhan Sharma from Rajasthan, India.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Russian Dance” from the ballet Petrouchka by Igor Stravinsky, performed by the Savaria Symphony Orchestra of Hungary conducted by Valeria Martinelli; Rimsky-Korsakov: “The Flight of the Bumblebee”; “The Neighbors’ Dance” from the ballet The Three-Cornered Hat by Manuel de Falla, performed by pianist Alicia de Larrocha, and “La Bohème”, written by Jacques Plante and Charles Aznavour, sung by Charles Aznavour.

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 18 February to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 23 February 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:

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-sound-kitchen-essay-contests

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

http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-how-form-official-rfi-listeners-club

Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning

Keep up to date with international news by downloading the RFI app

Others episodes
Page not found

The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.