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Posted by Egyptian Streets

https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/04/16/egypt-opens-first-child-friendly-investigation-rooms-at-public-prosecution-offices/

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The Public Prosecution inaugurated on Wednesday, 15 April, the first three child-friendly investigation rooms, established with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The rooms are located at the Sheikh Zayed Prosecution Office, the Child Prosecution Office in the Al-Amiriya Courts Complex, and the Alexandria Courts Complex. This initiative is the first of its kind in Egypt. It forms part of efforts to strengthen children’s rights and achieve the child’s best interest through cooperation between the Public Prosecution and UNICEF. At the opening, Counselor Mohamed Shawky, the Attorney General of the Arab Republic of Egypt, stated that equipping these child-friendly rooms comes within the Public Prosecution’s plan to activate a child-friendly justice system. This ensures the protection of children during various stages of investigation, preserves their dignity, and takes into account their psychological and social needs. He added that this model will be gradually generalized across all governorates of the Republic. Shawky explained that the rooms were prepared according to approved international standards in terms of design and equipment. They include appropriate educational tools and integrated audio and video recording systems. These allow for the documentation of investigation…

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Posted by Nicole Hunn

https://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gf-lemon-bars-for-dad-plain-lemons-for-me/

http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/?p=2693

3 bright yellow gluten free lemon bars with powdered sugar on top on a rectangular white platter

These gluten free lemon bars have a crisp, buttery shortbread crust and a smooth, bright lemon custard filling that sets just right every time. They’re simple to make, slice neatly, and deliver that classic balance of sweet and tart without any guesswork.

Why this recipe works

The texture is exactly what you want from classic lemon bars, and is even better without gluten. The crust bakes up tender but sturdy, with just enough chew to hold its shape under the filling without turning soft or greasy.

The filling is smooth, creamy, and full of real lemon flavor. Fresh lemon zest flavors the crust, not just the custard, so every bite tastes balanced and bright instead of flat or overly sweet.

The filling sets properly because you’re not guessing when it’s done. Since ovens vary, I give you multiple doneness cues so you can use your best judgment and pull it at just the right moment. That’s how you avoid a filling that’s underbaked or firm and rubbery.

“I’m the only gf person in the room but everyone loved it! Custard is so lemony and delicious.” Shannon

“I have made it many times and am making it again to bring to my 101 year-old grandpa who loves lemon bars.” Jennifer

Recipe ingredients

Here's a bit about the ingredients you'll need to make these bars, how to select the best of each, and what they do to contribute to the best result:

Overhead view of measured ingredients in bowls with labels including confectioners’ sugar, gluten free flour, lemon zest, eggs, lemon juice, baking powder, sugar, melted butter, and salt.

Gluten free flour blend: Both the shortbread-style crust and the filling require a gluten free flour blend with superfinely ground rice flour as a base, without any xanthan gum. I’ve found that adding a binder like that makes the crust more chewy and the filling gummy, not smooth. The flour blend adds structure to both components of the bars. You can use my 3-ingredient blend or Nicole's Best. If you choose to use King Arthur Flour's gf blend without xanthan gum, I highly recommend sifting it multiple times before you measure to ensure there's no grittiness.
Confectioners' sugar: In the crust, it adds sweetness and helps create a lightly crispy crumb that melts in your mouth. We dust more on top for extra sweetness and because it looks pretty (and covers any imperfections in the top of the bars).
Granulated sugar: In the filling, it balances out the tartness of the lemon and ensures that the filling is smooth since the sugar dissolves in the lemon juice.
Lemon juice: We use a lot to add tons of fresh lemon flavor. As it bakes, the taste intensifies, so avoid bottled juice in favor of freshly-squeezed. And strain out the pulp and seeds before measuring, to make sure you have enough.
Lemon zest: Adds extra lemon flavor since it contains all of the essential lemon oils. Be sure not to grate down all the way to the bitter white pith.
Butter: Brings the shortbread crust together, provides buttery flavor and richness, and makes the crust crisp on the outside.
Eggs: Thicken and bind the custard filling, setting into a creamy structure that holds as the bars cool.
Salt: Balances the sweetness and brightens the other flavors.
Baking powder: Gives the filling a bit more rise for a slightly lighter-textured custard.

How to make gluten free lemon bars (step by step photos)

To make these bars, you have to place the pan in the oven twice. This visual guide includes an explanation of the reason behind each step in the recipe. For full ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

For the crust: whisk dry ingredients
Whisk together all of the dry ingredients to make the shortbread-style cookie crust of these bars, including the flour blend, confectioners' sugar, salt, and lemon zest. The lemon zest will stick to itself, so keep whisking until everything is fully combined, with no clumps.

Metal mixing bowl filled with white dry ingredients and a small pile of yellow lemon zest, with a glass of melted butter mixture partially visible to the side.

Metal mixing bowl with white dry ingredients being whisked with a metal whisk, with some visible yellow flecks of lemon zest

Add melted butter
The only remaining ingredient to bring the crust together is 9 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter. I melt the butter in the microwave on medium power, stopping just before it's fully liquid, as the residual heat will melt the rest and it cools more quickly and doesn't cook, losing moisture.

Hand holding a small glass of melted butter mixture about to pour it into a bowl of white dry ingredients, with a fork resting nearby.

Melted butter mixture poured over white dry ingredients in a metal mixing bowl.

Mix into clumps
I prefer to mix the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork to create large, fully incorporated clumps that are easy to scatter evenly in a fully lined and greased pan. To keep the parchment paper in place during baking, you can clip all 4 sides with small binder clips.

Clumpy pale dough mixture in a metal bowl with a fork.

Pale dough clumps scattered in an even layer in a square baking pan lined with parchment paper, clipped to each of the four sides with a small black binder clip.

Smooth the crust
Use a small offset spatula or butter knife to press down on the cookie clumps, smoothing them into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Don't press down too hard or you'll compress the crust and it won't bake as evenly.

Parbake it
To seal the crust and ensure it doesn't get soggy once you add the liquid filling, partially bake it first at 325°F for about 15 minutes. As it parbakes, the crust will turn shiny as the ingredients melt, then lose its shine and the crust will turn very pale and matte. Let it cool briefly while you make the filling mixture. This also prevents you from having to overbake the filling just to get the crust firm enough to hold it.

Hand holding a small offset spatula to press pale dough into a smooth, even layer in a parchment-lined square pan.

Baked pale yellow crust in a square pan, with very lightly golden color on the edges.

For the filling: whisk dry, then wet ingredients
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining 2/3 cup of the flour blend, granulated sugar and a bit of baking powder. Whisk fully to avoid any pockets of leavening which will cause uneven baking and can taste off.

Add 2/3 cup of fresh-squeezed and strained lemon juice and 4 eggs to the mixing bowl, and whisk to combine. Whisk fully to ensure that everything is smooth and fully combined, and the eggs well-beaten, but not so roughly that introduce too many air bubbles.

Metal mixing bowl with white dry ingredients and a whisk resting inside.

Hand holding a metal whisk about to whisk together a mixture of white dry ingredients with eggs and lemon juice liquid mixture.

Combine crust and filling
Pour the smooth filling into the partially baked crust. It will be thin enough to smooth itself into an even layer. Tap the bottom of the pan a few times on the counter to help break as many air bubbles as possible for a filling that bakes as smoothly as possible.

Hand pouring a pale yellow liquid filling mixture from a metal bowl into a baked crust in a parchment-lined square pan.

Square pan filled with a smooth pale yellow layer over the crust, spread evenly to the edges.

Finish baking the bars
Bake the crust and filling together for about 25 minutes. The filling may seem like it's going to remain liquid for the first 18 to 20 minutes, until it finally appears set. When it's done baking, the filling will have begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, will look uniformly risen across the top, and will only jiggle a bit in the center when you shake the pan gently back and forth, much like gluten free cheesecake.

Chill and slice
Remove the baked bars from the oven, place them on a wire rack, and let them cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. This allows the pan to release any residual hot air from the oven so you don't trap condensed steam, making the bars soggy. Refrigerate the bars for at least 2 hours to allow the egg custard to set enough to allow you to slice it.

Uncut, baked lemon bars in a parchment-lined square pan resting on a round wire rack, lightly golden around the edges.

Hand holding a square lemon bar dusted with powdered sugar over several cut bars on parchment paper, with a sieve partially visible to the side.

Expert tips

Use fresh lemon juice

Like in our gluten free lemon pie, bottled lemon juice tends to taste bitter, and the heat of baking intensifies flavors. If the flavor isn't great at the start, it will be worse after baking. Conventional lemons are available year-round, and there are even seedless ones that have more juice per lemon. Be sure to strain any pulp and seeds away before you measure the 2/3 cup of juice you need.

Whisk the filling fully, but gently

The filling mixture is quite thin, since it starts out as mostly liquid, then thickens in the oven as the eggs set with some stability added by the added flour. If you whisk the filling too vigorously, you'll create more air bubbles in the mixture which will break through the surface during baking.

If you've created too many bubbles, just let the filling sit for a while to allow the bubbles to break through, tapping the filling flat on the counter to help them burst. You can't eliminate every bubble though, so don't stress.

Allow for setting time

The lemon filling slices cleanly on top of the shortbread crust, but only if you allow it enough time to set in the refrigerator. Chilling allows the egg-based filling to set so that it's firm enough to slice.

Ingredient substitutions

Here are my suggestions for how you might be able to avoid some of the ingredients in these bars, and where you can't:

Dairy free

For the butter in the crust, I recommend using half Spectrum brand nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening and half block-style vegan butter to mimic the flavor profile and moisture content of dairy butter. For vegan butter, I like Melt or Miyoko's brand.

Egg free

There are 4 eggs in this recipe. I don't believe that you can replace all 4 of them with an egg substitute and achieve anything like the texture of these smooth, creamy custardy bars.

Lemon alternatives

In place of freshly squeezed lemon juice, try lime juice or orange juice, along with the corresponding zest.

A single lemon bar on a small square plate

Storage suggestions

These bars can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. If you've already dusted them with confectioners' sugar, it will likely absorb into the bars so you'll have to dust them again before serving.

For longer storage, freeze the bars uncovered just until firm (about 1 hour), then wrap each bar individually with plastic wrap for up to 3 months. They won't freeze solid, so they'll defrost quickly even in the refrigerator. Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.

Gluten Free Lemon Bars Recipe

Fresh, tart and sweet gluten free lemon bars are packed with the bright taste of citrus in a smooth, creamy filling and easy shortbread crust.

Course Bars, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free lemon bars

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Chilling time 2

Servings bars

Calories 292kcal

Author Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the crust

1 cup gum-free gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
½ cup confectioners’ sugar plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest from 1 large lemon
9 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled

For the filling

⅔ cup gum-free gluten free flour blend (See Recipe Notes)
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon baking powder
⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice juice of 4 to 5 medium lemons, strained of seeds and pulp
4 eggs at room temperature

Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan, line with criss-crossed pieces of parchment paper that overhang the sides, and grease the parchment paper. Set the pan aside.

Make the crust

In a medium-sized bowl, combine 1 cup (140 g) of the flour blend, confectioners’ sugar, salt and lemon zest and whisk to combine, breaking up any clumps of lemon zest.
Add the melted butter and mix with a fork until well-combined. The mixture will be clumpy.
Scatter the clumps evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Then use a small offset spatula or knife to press the mixture into a smooth, even layer on the bottom of the dish.
Place the baking dish in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until no longer shiny. When it's done, it will have a matte look to it and be very pale in color.
Allow the crust to cool briefly while you make the filling.

Make the filling

In a separate large mixing bowl, place the remaining 2/3 cup (93 g) flour blend, granulated sugar, and baking powder, and whisk to combine.
Add the lemon juice and the eggs, and whisk until smooth. The mixture will be very thin. Make sure there are no dry patches and the eggs are fully combined.
Pour the filling into the baked crust.

Bake

Return the pan to the center of the oven. Bake until just set (25 to 30 minutes).
The filling is set when it does not jiggle more than a tiny bit in the center when the pan is shaken gently back and forth. It will also likely have begun to pulled away from the sides of the pan and should look uniform across the top.
Remove the pan from the oven. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow the bars to cool, still in the pan, for about 20 minutes.

Chill the bars

Cover the top of the pan with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm (at least 2 hours).
Remove the bars from the pan by running a butter knife or thin spatula around the perimeter of the baking dish, then lifting the bars out of the pan by the overhung pieces of parchment paper.
Pull the paper away from the sides of the baked bars to expose the sides. Use a very sharp knife to slice into 9 equal squares. Separate the bars from one another.
Dust the top of the cut bars with confectioners sugar. Serve chilled.

Video

Notes

Flour blend notes

To make the full 1 2/3 cups (233 grams) of the gum-free blend needed for the filling and the crust, combine 154 grams superfine white rice flour + 51 grams potato starch + 28 grams tapioca starch/flour. Since I created Nicole's Best, I often use that in place of this blend.

Nutrition

FAQs

How much juice is in one lemon?

One average-sized fresh lemon, when squeezed, will produce about 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. This recipe requires 2/3 cup of juice (or just over 10 tablespoons), so you'll need about 4 lemons to get enough juice.

Can I use bottled lemon juice?

I don't recommend using bottled lemon juice, as it tends to be bitter, and baking with it will only intensify its bitterness. There are some bottled lemon juice brands, like Best Select, that people swear taste like fresh-squeezed. If you have a brand of bottled lemon juice that has juice you love the taste of, then use it!

Can I make this recipe with a graham cracker crust instead of shortbread?

Yes, you can make these lemon squares with a graham cracker crust if you'd like. Just follow my gluten free graham cracker crust recipe, which uses my homemade graham crackers.

A simple lemony shortbread crust with a tart, refreshing lemon custard, these gluten free lemon bars are so easy to make!

Lemon bars on brown paper with two lemons

A small white plate with two lemon squares and powdered sugar

Step by step images of raw and baked crust and raw and baked custard on top

More lemon dessert recipes

Here are a few more of my favorite gluten free lemon dessert recipes.

Gluten Free Lemon Cookies – Buttery-rich and light, these delightful lemon cookies melt in your mouth, and call for only 15 minutes of prep time.
Gluten Free Lemon Brownies – The chewy consistency of a brownie with the bright flavor of citrus.
Gluten Free Lemon Cake – If you've ever had the lemon cake at Olive Garden, try this tender, lemon-rich copycat recipe.

https://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gf-lemon-bars-for-dad-plain-lemons-for-me/

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Posted by Egyptian Streets

https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/04/16/96-of-divorces-begin-with-egyptian-men-but-women-pay-the-price/

https://egyptianstreets.com/?p=103379

“Reality is far more terrifying than anything we portray on screen,” Egyptian actress and cultural icon Youssra said during a panel discussion titled Balancing the Scales to mark International Women’s Day at the Australian Ambassador’s Residence on Tuesday, 14 April. “We impose our own form of censorship as artists, yet the truth is even harsher and darker than what we can imagine.” The actress was referring to her work in films and series such as Qadeyet Ra’y ‘Am (A Case of Public Opinion, 2007) and Leilet Eid (The Night of the Feast, 2024), both of which confronted women’s social issues, particularly taboo subjects like sexual violence, and the ways they were received within Egyptian society. While cinema operates within defined boundaries of censorship, the panel brought forward a far starker, unfiltered reality. It moved beyond polished narratives and unreliable figures, laying bare the enduring challenges women continue to face. Moderated by Soraya Bahgat, the discussion featured Randa Abul Azm, Bureau Chief for Al Arabiya News Channel in Cairo; Nehad Aboul Komsan, Chair of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights; and Amel Fahmy, Managing Director of Tadwein Center for Gender…

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Posted by Dorothy Snarker

https://dorothysurrenders.blogspot.com/2026/04/gender-fuck-thursday-jodies-tux.html

Wait, why did no one tell me that in addition to speaking French throughout the whole movie, Jodie Foster also appears in a tuxedo in “A Private Life”? It’s like you don’t even care about my happiness. I’ll have to think about this for a while. You know, to heal our trust. That’s the only reason I plan to think about these photos of Jodie in a tux with slicked back hair. Yep, trust. Anyway, it’s a Thursday so if you, like, me, were not aware of these facts then you are now welcome.

https://dorothysurrenders.blogspot.com/2026/04/gender-fuck-thursday-jodies-tux.html

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Posted by Mark Liberman

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=73338&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bro

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=73338

On walkways around Penn's campus, I'm hearing bro more and more often. Especially common, or at least especially striking, is a monosyllabic response meaning something like "You're kidding!"

A: So then they [blah blah]…
B: Bro!

…which I'm hearing as often among groups of female students as male students (though I admit that the added surprisal in that context might leave me with a false estimate of frequency).

More traditional vocative uses — "See ya later, bro" — are also common among all-female student groups.

No students seem to be using sis, even among sorority members.

See also "Gender-neutral 'bro'", 9/26/2020, and "Brose", 3/25/2025

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=73338&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bro

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Posted by Egyptian Streets

https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/04/15/ahmad-kaabour-the-man-who-made-art-a-form-of-resistance-in-the-arab-world/

https://egyptianstreets.com/?p=103359

In the summer of 1975, a 19-year-old with no formal musical training sat down with a decade-old poem and, amid the beginning of a civil war, composed a melody he assumed few would hear. Fifty years later, Ounadikom (I Call on You, 1976) is still being sung in the streets. Born on 9 July, 1955, in Beirut, Kaabour studied theatre at the Lebanese University before beginning to perform in small cultural gatherings. He came of age during the Lebanese Civil War, a period that would shape both his artistic voice and his political outlook. A Song Born in Crisis In 1975, with the outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War, Kaabour turned to the 1966 poem by the Palestinian poet Tawfiq Ziad, Ounadikom, setting it to music and performing it as both his first composition and his first vocal test. While he had no formal musical training, the song was born out of a desire to offer moral support to those fighting across various fronts. Shared between his voice and a chorus, his youthful delivery gave the song a raw authenticity. The song spread in ways he could not have anticipated,…

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Posted by Egyptian Streets

https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/04/15/tmg-the-spine-madinaty-cairo-urban-development/

https://egyptianstreets.com/?p=103259

There is a tendency in Egyptian real estate to describe things in superlatives. Every development is a landmark; every master plan is visionary. The Spine, Talaat Moustafa Group’s forthcoming urban corridor at the heart of Madinaty, invites that kind of language, but the details behind it are specific enough to warrant a closer look.

Stretching across five kilometres within Madinaty, the project covers approximately 2.4 million square metres of land and 3.8 million square metres of built-up area, combining residential, commercial, hospitality, retail, entertainment, and public green space within a single continuous urban environment. It is, by any measure, one of the largest and most complex mixed-use developments ever attempted by a private developer in Egypt.

A Corridor, Not a Compound

The framing TMG has chosen for The Spine is deliberate. This is not a gated community, nor a standalone tower cluster. The developer describes it as “the central nervous system of a city”: a linear urban corridor designed around movement, connectivity, and public life rather than enclosure.

At the centre of that vision is a commitment to putting people before vehicles. The Spine is being positioned as Cairo’s first car-free community, with a pedestrian-first public realm, walkable streets, and a network of parks, promenades, and water features extending across more than one million square metres of landscaped area.

Underground, a fully integrated logistics and service network is intended to power the city’s operations invisibly, keeping the surface clear for people, greenery, and what the project describes as a green and blue infrastructure of lakes and water features designed to improve microclimate and urban experience.

The master plan has been developed by OBMI, a globally recognised urban design firm, and the architectural ambition is considerable: 165 towers rising up to 130 metres, intended to establish a new skyline identity for the eastern edge of Cairo.

The Cognitive City

The technology proposition at the heart of The Spine goes further than the “smart city” language that has become commonplace across the region. TMG is describing the development as Egypt’s first cognitive city, one where artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and an integrated digital infrastructure work together not just to manage services but to learn from them.
At the operational centre of this system will be The Spine Control Room, a unified command facility coordinating smart energy, water and security systems, data-driven mobility, autonomous transport, and a tram network across the entire development. Residents will interact with these systems through The Spine App, a single interface designed to personalise services, manage access, and connect users to the community platform.

The residential experience has been designed with this integration in mind. Units will feature smart-home connectivity tied into the wider Spine systems, a unified resident identification framework, and AI-enabled digital assistants operating on a permission-based model.

Emergency medical routing, wearable safety systems, and contractual service level agreements for utilities complete a residential offering that positions the development squarely at the premium end of the market.

Connectivity infrastructure runs to 5G readiness, fibre redundancy, satellite backup, and cybersecurity compliance, specifications that reflect the profile of the corporate occupiers The Spine is designed to attract.

A Business District With Regulatory Teeth

One of the more consequential details to emerge from TMG’s latest materials is the confirmation that The Spine will be located within a Special Investment Zone, bringing with it a package of tax, customs and regulatory incentives, accelerated licensing, flexible employment frameworks, and a dispute-resolution structure designed to reduce friction for international investors and businesses.

The 580,000 square metres of Grade A+ office space planned for the development will operate on a fully serviced model, with utilities, internet, security, cleaning and maintenance included in a single operating framework. Formats range from small flexible units to full headquarters configurations, with digital enablement tools covering space analytics, QR-based occupancy tracking, and collaboration infrastructure built in as standard.

TMG has identified the information and communications technology, professional services, corporate headquarters, and financial sectors as its primary targets for the commercial component, a profile consistent with the proximity to the New Capital, where government ministries and embassies have been relocating since 2024.

Scale in Numbers

The hospitality dimension of the project adds a further layer of ambition. The Spine will offer 3,500 hotel rooms and suites across upper-upscale properties, complemented by serviced apartments targeting both business and leisure demand. The retail and entertainment offering, spanning 565,000 square metres, is being positioned as Cairo’s first regional retail and dining destination, incorporating a luxury retail district, experiential fine dining, a theatre, a multi-use arena, a digital art gallery, and adventure sports facilities.

Among the more distinctive anchor features proposed is Cairo’s first swimmable lagoon alongside a landmark dancing fountain, public realm activations, and what the developer describes as AI-powered digital installations within the retail and food and beverage environments.

The location reinforces the logic of the investment. The Spine sits 12 minutes from the New Capital, 20 minutes from Al Rehab, and 25 minutes from Cairo International Airport, placing it within reach of a catchment that TMG projects will reach seven million people by 2040 as Greater Cairo continues its eastward expansion.

Meanwhile, the environmental credentials of the development are framed as structural rather than cosmetic. A centralised cooling system is projected to reduce energy consumption by approximately 30 percent compared to conventional systems. AI-driven building management, eco-friendly materials, and, notably, carbon-credit trading potential are all cited as components of the sustainability framework, the last of which TMG describes as a first-of-its-kind mechanism in Egypt.

Positioning Egypt on the Map

What TMG is attempting with The Spine is a statement as much as a development. The pitch materials describe it as “a future-forward model for integrated development and a statement positioning Egypt at the forefront of next-generation urban design”: language that reflects a deliberate effort to attract not just Egyptian buyers and businesses but international capital and global enterprises looking for a foothold in a market that has, for structural and economic reasons, often remained at the margins of regional investment conversations.

Whether The Spine delivers on that positioning will depend on execution across a long development timeline. But the specificity of what has now been made public, the technology architecture, the investment zone mechanics, the scale of the public realm commitment, suggests a project that has moved well beyond concept stage into something far more defined.

For a corridor conceived as a city within a park, The Spine is beginning to look very much like a city.

Register your interest in The Spine here.

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https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/04/15/tmg-the-spine-madinaty-cairo-urban-development/

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https://egyptianstreets.com/?p=103348

Oum Kalthoum, Abdel Halim Hafez, Asmahan, and Mohamed Abdel Wahab were not simply singers who appeared in films. They were, at the time, cinema. Their voices carried the emotional weight of entire films, such as Gana El Hawa (Love is in His Way to Us) in Abi Foq Al-Shagara (My Father On Top of a Tree, 1969). A single song could stretch for forty minutes, while the camera lingered on the expression of faces that seemed to renew with every modulation of the melody. Yet that marriage between film and music has never really ended. It has only changed with time, and today, a new generation is rewriting Egyptian cinema through music. At Petit Bain in Paris on Friday, 10 April, the Arab cultural platform Kalam Aflam presented Maqam, a curated program of ten short films that opens the Paris stop of Ziad Zaza and Lege-Cy’s World Tour. The event is a living manifesto on how young Arab filmmakers are reclaiming music as an essential storytelling device, pushing it beyond performance or playlist fodder into a narrative that carries the emotion of an entire film. The title itself draws…

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Posted by Dorothy Snarker

https://dorothysurrenders.blogspot.com/2026/04/so-gay-for-tv.html

Oh, geez, I’m going to have to read this book now, aren’t I? A new series based on Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey’s post-The L Word memoir “So Gay For You” is in the works at Amazon MGM Studios. Kate and Leisha will star and executive produce, and the series will be helmed by nonbinary creator Charlie Covell, the writer behind “The End of the F***ing World,” Kaos” and the upcoming “Life Is Strange” adaptation. Look, I already admitted to not reading their book yet. But I have always and continue to enjoy the dynamic between Kate and Leisha both onscreen and off.

Twenty-two years since the series premiered and there still aren’t queer female characters much more iconic than Shane and Alice. So, duh, I will be watching. Someone just hand me the Cliffs Notes. (That’s how we used to cheat, kids. By opening a skinnier book. Not by just typing a prompt so some datacenter plopped into some unwitting rural community to guzzle a couple million gallons of water to churn out stolen intellectual property for the enrichment of our tech billion overlords. Anyway, not sure how this turned into a rant againt AI, but as always, fuck AI. But yay for more TV featuring and about queer women.)

https://dorothysurrenders.blogspot.com/2026/04/so-gay-for-tv.html

watersword

+ gorgeous sunny warm day
+ MULTIPLE asparagus spears emerging!
+ finally managed to book 2/3 of my birthday trip flights
- something in how I configure my browser means I cannot interact with the airline website and must do everything on the library computers
- I bragged to my therapist yesterday about how productive and upbeat I am now that it's properly spring and today I think my everything is made of molasses

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Posted by Egyptian Streets

https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/04/14/diwan-bookstore-hosts-anniversary-event-for-plestia-al-aqads-the-eyes-of-gaza/

https://egyptianstreets.com/?p=103344

One year after the release of the book, The Eyes of Gaza (2025), Palestinian journalist and author Plestia Al-Aqad will return to the spotlight in Cairo for a special evening of conversation and reflection at Diwan Bookstore in Heliopolis. The event, scheduled for Saturday, April 18, at 6 PM, will feature Al-Aqad in conversation with writer Laila Shadid. The discussion aims to explore the human stories behind the headlines from Gaza and the broader urgency of imagining a different future. Diwan Bookstore described the gathering as “a powerful evening marking the anniversary of The Eyes of Gaza — a work that moves beyond memoir into a call for witness, solidarity, and hope.” The program will be followed by a book signing with the author. Al-Aqad, who gained international attention for her on-the-ground reporting from Gaza during the ongoing conflict, documented daily life, personal experiences, and the reality of civilians through her writing and social media dispatches. The memoir has been praised for its intimate, unfiltered perspective that humanizes the realities often reduced to news cycles. The anniversary discussion comes amid continued global attention on the humanitarian situation in Gaza…

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The post Diwan Bookstore Hosts Anniversary Event for Plestia Al-Aqad’s “The Eyes of Gaza” first appeared on Egyptian Streets.

https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/04/14/diwan-bookstore-hosts-anniversary-event-for-plestia-al-aqads-the-eyes-of-gaza/

https://egyptianstreets.com/?p=103344

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Posted by Victor Mair

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=73330&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ackee-names

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=73330

From Barbara Phillips Long:

In a cooking competition show that I was watching as an antidote to all the political news I read, the chefs were assigned canned ackee as an ingredient. I hadn't thought about ackee before; I mostly recognize the word from a song by Harry Belafonte that refers to ackee:

Down at the market you can hearLadies cry out while on their heads they bearAckee rice, saltfish are niceAnd the rum is fine any time of year.

— Jamaica Farewell

The BBC has an article and photos of ackee, along with some history of how the fruit arrived in Jamaica from Africa.

Brendan Sainsbury (3/15/21)

How did a meal that combines a preserved North Atlantic fish and a potentially deadly West African fruit become Jamaica’s national dish?

Ackee and saltfish is synonymous with Jamaica, as entwined with the national identity as reggae or cricket. Spiked with herbs and peppers and accompanied by rich Caribbean trimmings like plantains and breadfruit, it pays testimony to the country’s tempestuous history and multiracial roots. The world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt reputedly has it for breakfast. But how did a meal that combines a preserved North Atlantic fish and a potentially toxic West African fruit become Jamaica’s national dish?

The answer is embedded in the country’s history of slavery. Ackee is a voluptuous, red-skinned fruit related to the lychee that is native to Ghana. Saltfish originates in the choppy seas of Northern Europe and Eastern Canada. The ingredients’ subsequent marriage in the kitchens and restaurants of Jamaica was a direct result of the triangular slave trade between Britain, West Africa and its Caribbean colonies in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Ackee was brought to Jamaica from West Africa in the 18th Century, most likely on a slave ship. [photo]

"Ackee was brought to the island, probably on a slave ship from West Africa, sometime in the mid-1700s," explained Janet Crick, director of Jamaica Culinary Tours in Falmouth on the island’s north coast. "Its name is derived from the original name of the fruit in the Ghanaian Twi language: ankye. Interestingly, its scientific name Blighia Sapida was accorded in 1806 in honour of Captain Bligh (of Mutiny on the Bounty fame), who took the plant from Jamaica to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, in 1793. Prior to this, the ackee was unknown to science."

Saltfish (traditionally cod) is caught and prepared in the North Atlantic. In the days before freezers and refrigerators, drying and salting was the main means of preserving fish. By the mid-17th Century, it became economically viable to transport large quantities of salted cod from Nova Scotia in Canada to Britain’s Caribbean colonies, where it was traded for rum, sugar and molasses.

That both foods became staples in colonial Jamaica was not surprising. Non-perishable saltfish is inexpensive, easy to store and high in protein. Ackee is loaded with fibre, protein and vitamin C. In Jamaica’s brutal slave society, the foodstuffs made a cheap and nutritious repast for enslaved people on the country’s hot, humid sugar plantations. There is no record of when the two ingredients were first combined in one dish; but at some point over the last century, a definitive recipe emerged.

"First you boil the ackee and saltfish together for around 20 minutes before draining and removing any fish bones," explained Cuthbert Binns, executive chef at Pelican Grill, a longstanding restaurant on Montego Bay’s Hip Strip. "In this way the ackee absorbs some of the salt."

Despite its vivid vermillion skin, ackee has a dark side: the fruit is toxic when unripe. Eating it before it is mature induces what is known as Jamaican vomiting sickness, which, on rare occasions, can be fatal. Time Magazine has listed ackee as one of the world’s 10 most dangerous foods. As a result, its trade is carefully controlled. In 1973, the American FDA (Food and Drug Administration) banned the importation of ackee into the US. After a protracted lobbying campaign by the Jamaica Ackee Task Force, the ban was partially lifted in 2000, allowing canned or frozen ackee to be imported as long as it meets tight FDA regulations.

For Jamaicans, there are no such restrictions. Ackee is often sold by the roadside on makeshift tables mere metres from its mother tree. "It is safe to pick ackee when the fruit has opened naturally and you can see the yellow pods inside without forcing the fruit open," said Crick. "Ackee contains a toxic gas, hypoglycin A, which is released when the red fruit pops open, meaning it is mature and ready for consumption."

For Jamaican food aficionados, the nuances go further. There are two different types of ackee – cheese and butter – each with their culinary merits. "The flesh of butter ackee has a richer, more yellow colour," said Crick. "It boils quickly and mashes or disintegrates very easily when cooked. By contrast, cheese ackee is a lighter pale colour and much firmer in texture, causing it to stand up more readily to the cooking process."

Since ackee is toxic when unripe, it is only safe to pick when the fruit has opened and its yellow pods are visible. [photo]

Ackee’s poisonous image has meant its adoption as a food delicacy outside Jamaica has been limited. In West Africa, the seeds and pods are used to make soap. In Haiti, food shortages have sometimes led to illnesses and deaths after people have eaten unripe ackee.

Ackee has a dark side: the fruit is toxic when unripe

For the Jamaican diaspora, getting fresh ackee is difficult. Most expats have to settle for the canned variety, an adequate if unspectacular substitute akin to eating tinned peaches rather than juicy market fruit. Saltfish is similarly variable. These days it is more likely to come from Norway or Guyana than Nova Scotia. While cod is still the default, depleted stocks in recent years means that other white fish such as tilapia is sometimes used.

Ackee and saltfish is often served with sides like roasted breadfruit, johnnycake and pan-fried plantain. [photo]

Wikipedia says:

The ackee (Blighia sapida), also known as acki, akee, or ackee apple, is a fruit of the Sapindaceae (soapberry) family, as are the lychee and the longan. It is native to tropical West Africa. The scientific name honours Captain William Bligh who took the fruit from Jamaica to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England, in 1793. The English common name is derived from the West African Akan-language name akye fufo.

Although having a long-held reputation as being poisonous with potential fatalities, the fruit arils are renowned as delicious when ripe, prepared properly, and cooked and are a feature of various Caribbean cuisines. Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica and is considered a delicacy.

…

The fruit is pear-shaped and has three lobes (two to four lobes are common). When it ripens it turns from green to a bright red to yellow-orange and splits open to reveal three large, shiny black seeds, each partly surrounded by soft, creamy or spongy, white to yellow flesh — the aril having a nut-like flavour and texture of scrambled eggs. The fruit typically weighs 100–200 grams (3+1⁄2–7 ounces). The tree can produce fruit throughout the year, although January–March and October–November are typically periods of fruit production.

…

The fruit has various uses in West Africa and in rural areas of the Caribbean Islands, including use of its "soap" properties as a laundering agent or fish poison. The fragrant flowers may be used as decoration or cologne, and the durable heartwood used for construction, pilings, oars, paddles and casks. In African traditional medicine, the ripe arils, leaves or bark were used to treat minor ailments.

The seeds were formerly used as standardized weights for weighing gold dust, leading to the currency issued by Great Britain in the former colony of Gold Coast to be named the "Gold Coast ackey".

Vernacular names in African languages

Language	Word	Meaning
Bambara	finsan	akee apple
Kabiye	kpɩ́zʋ̀ʋ̀	akee apple
Yoruba	iṣin
Dagaare	kyira
Ewe	atsa

_____________________________________

On to my question about the names of ackee. The BBC has a source who says the Jamaican name is from the "Ghanaian Twi language" and the Twi word is "ankye." But Twi is not listed in the Wikipedia table. Nor do I see any particular relationship between the various words for ackee in the African languages listed.

I am curious about the apparent lack of relationships between the various words because my college interest in linguistics began with my discovery, in junior high or earlier, of a table of words in various European languages in a Britannica volume that came with our encyclopedia. It included English, Romance, and non-Romance languages and I could see there were patterns.

I don't know anything about African language families. Are there patterns that link any of the names for ackee in Africa?

Selected readings

"Jafaican doesn't exist" (8/28/11)
"Toronto Jamaican" (1/22/14)

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=73330&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ackee-names

https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=73330

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Posted by Farah Samir

https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/04/14/egypt-study-identifies-over-17-million-previously-undocumented-genetic-variants/

https://egyptianstreets.com/?p=103339

Egypt has identified more than 17 million previously undocumented genetic variants in its first large-scale genome study, according to findings from the Egypt Genome Project published on 6 April. The research, which analysed 1,024 individuals across 21 governorates, marks a major step toward understanding the genetic makeup of Egyptians, an area that has long been underrepresented in global research. Scientists say the findings could reshape how diseases are diagnosed and treated in Egypt, as many existing medical models are based largely on European populations and may not accurately reflect local genetic differences. The study identified more than 51 million genetic variants in total, with around one-third not found in international databases, highlighting gaps in global genetic data. Researchers also found that Egyptians have a distinct genetic profile, combining shared Middle Eastern ancestry with a unique North African component. This distinction may help explain differences in how certain diseases appear and how patients respond to treatment. When international risk models were applied to the sample, results showed unusually high risk levels for several conditions, something researchers say reflects limitations in those models rather than actual disease rates. The findings also pointed…

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The post Egypt Study Identifies Over 17 Million Previously Undocumented Genetic Variants first appeared on Egyptian Streets.

https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/04/14/egypt-study-identifies-over-17-million-previously-undocumented-genetic-variants/

https://egyptianstreets.com/?p=103339

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Posted by Nadine Tag

https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/04/14/the-woman-who-stood-equal-to-amenhotep-iii-queen-tiye/

https://egyptianstreets.com/?p=103336

A commoner who worked her way to royalty and power, Queen Tiye would be remembered as a formidable New Kingdom figure in ancient Egypt thousands of years later. Tiye, who lived during the 18th Dynasty, was of non-royal origins. Her father, Yuya, served as a priest of Min in Akhmim, Chief of Horses and Commander of Chariots. Her mother, Thuya, was the Superintendent of the Harems of Amun in Thebes and of Min in Akhmim. Amenhotep III, 1390 BCE – 1352 BCE, married her during the second year of his reign, and she became the Great Royal Wife. For nearly 38 years, Tiye stood at Amenhotep III’s side as an equal partner. Together, they presided over a vast and prosperous empire, a reign defined by stability, during which Egypt grew rich, confident, and largely at peace with the world. The Leading Woman She was believed to be a woman of a strong personality and sharp intelligence, which may have helped her earn a seat at the table in both domestic governance and international diplomacy. Theodore M. Davis, an American lawyer and businessman, recovered several seals bearing Queen Tiye’s royal cartouche…

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The post The Woman Who Stood Equal to Amenhotep III: Queen Tiye first appeared on Egyptian Streets.

https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/04/14/the-woman-who-stood-equal-to-amenhotep-iii-queen-tiye/

https://egyptianstreets.com/?p=103336

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