Covid-19 and booster shots for the over 50s

This week on The Sound Kitchen you'll hear the answer to the question about the percentage of people over 50 years old in France's hospitals with Covid-19 infections. There's a tribute to the wonderful Josephine Baker, Ollia's “Happy Moment”, lots of good music - and of course, the new quiz question. Just click on the “Audio” arrow above and enjoy! 

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll hear the winners' names announced and the week's quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you've 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.

I am busy cooking up special shows with your musical requests, so get them in! Send your musical requests to [email protected]. Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, rfienglish.com, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts which will leave you hungry for more.

There's Paris Perspective, Africa Calling, Spotlight on France, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have a bilingual series - an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too.

As you see, sound is still part of the RFI English service!  Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our excellent staff of journalists.

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website and click on the three horizontal bars on the top right, choose "Listen to RFI / Podcasts", and you've got 'em! You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

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 [email protected]   If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: my beloved music teacher from St Edward's University in Austin, Texas, Br Gerald Muller, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They are also a good way to help you improve your English - that's how I worked on my French, reading books which were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it's a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald's free books, click here.

RFI Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni ([email protected]) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me ([email protected]) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

And don't forget, there is a Facebook page just for you, the RFI English Clubs. Only members of RFI English Clubs can belong to this group page, 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, and you are a member of an independent, officially recognised RFI English Club, go to the Facebook link above and fill out the questionnaire!!!!! (if you do not answer the questions, I click “decline”).

There's a Facebook page for members of the general RFI Listeners Club, too. Just click on the link and fill out the questionnaire, and you can connect with your fellow Club members around the world. Be sure you include your RFI Listeners Club membership number (most of them begin with an A, followed by a number) in the questionnaire, or I will have to click “Decline”, which I don't like to do!

This week's quiz: On 13 November, I asked you a question about a speech French President Emmanuel Macron gave earlier that week. Macron announced that everyone over 65 would need proof of a Covid-19 booster shot to keep their health passes – which you have to show to get into restaurants, museums and concert halls, and to use intercity rail travel.  He also said the booster shots would be open to 50 to 64-year-olds starting this month.

RFI English's Head of Service, journalist David Roe, noted in his article “French over-65s will need booster Covid jab from December to keep health pass”, that the percentage of the French population in intensive care due to Covid-19 infections were overwhelmingly over 50 years old. I asked you to send in that percentage.

The answer is: As of the beginning of November when Macron made his speech, more than 80 percent of the people in intensive care in France with Covid were aged over 50.

The booster shot is now available after five months since the last jab instead of six and is available to everyone 18 years and older.

The winners are: Asifa Riaz, a member of the RFI Listeners Club in Sheikhupura City, Pakistan, and Jobayada Aktar Jai, a member of the Nilshagor RFI Fan Club in Nilphamari, Bangladesh. There's RFI Club member Arne Timm from Harjumaa in Estonia, and two RFI English listeners: Arundhati Mukherjee from West Bengal, India, and Rajia Khatun from Joypurhat in Bangladesh.

Congratulations winners!
Here's the music you heard on this week's programme: “J'ai deux amours” by Vincent Scotto, Géo Koger, and Henri Varna, sung by Josephine Baker; “Au bon vieux temps du Paris” by David Lewis Luong, played by Luong and Yuri Ryadchenko; “Recuerdos de la Alhambra” by Francisco Tárrega, performed by Ana Vidovic; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Besame Mucho” by Consuelo Velazquez, sung by Josephine Baker.  

Do you have a musical request? Send it to [email protected]

This week's question ... You'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 20 December to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 25 December 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:
[email protected]
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