Gender Fuck Thursday: StudBudz Edition
Jul. 24th, 2025 12:30 am![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
dorothysnarker_feed
dorothysnarker_feedJapanese lexical influence on other East Asian languages
Jul. 23rd, 2025 10:13 pmlanguagelog_feedMore Julesy:
Why 50% of modern Chinese vocabulary was made in Japan
She says that the flood of Japanese words that inundated China during the last century and more has finally begun to recede and that the Chinese are starting to create their own words for new ideas, concepts, and things. It would be good to know what some of these are and whether they are seeping into the vocabularies of Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Selected readings
- "Massive borrowing" (2/18/19)
- "Japanese borrowings and reborrowings" (4/20/24)
- "'And the greatest Japanese export to China is…'" (8/21/12) — and the comments thereto for an interesting discussion boncerning it
- "Sino-Nipponica" (7/26/15)
- "Too many recent Japanese loanwords in English?" (7/17/13)
- "Etymologizing and fantasizing: economy and relish" (2/26/22)
- Victor H. Mair, "East Asian Round-Trip Words," Sino-Platonic Papers, 34 (October, 1992)
Egypt Hosts Junior Squash as the Sport Nears Olympic Debut
Jul. 23rd, 2025 04:09 pmegystreets_feedAs global attention turns to Cairo, Egypt is preparing to welcome the 2025 World Squash Junior Championships, a marquee event in the sport’s youth calendar. Beginning 21 July, the tournament will gather top under-19 players from around the world, with individual matches slated through 26 July, followed by the team competition from 27 July to 1 August. This year’s tournament marks a milestone for Egypt, as the country hosts the Boys’ World Junior Squash Championship for the first time since 1996, and welcomes back the Girls’ Championship after a 22-year absence, last held on home soil in 2003. On 7 July, the event’s players, seedings, and draws were announced. Thirteen Egyptians will compete alongside 234 top under-19 players from dozens of countries, including China, New Zealand, England, France, the USA, Germany, India, Brazil, and more. The tournament takes place at New Cairo’s Black Ball Sporting Club, home to 16 glass-backed courts, the largest squash court complex in Egypt, equipped for international broadcast and audience seating. It begins with singles matches, featuring a 128-player knockout format and a triple plate consolation system to ensure all competitors get multiple matches. Later, the…
The post Egypt Hosts Junior Squash as the Sport Nears Olympic Debut first appeared on Egyptian Streets.
Gluten Free Vegan Muffins
Jul. 23rd, 2025 03:37 pmgfshoestring_feed
These gluten free vegan muffins are rich and flavorful with a slightly crisp outside, and a tall, golden brown dome. This special recipe needs no tricky “egg replacers” since it is made to be naturally egg-free and dairy-free without sacrificing that dense, moist crumb.
Plus, you can add our secret vegan-friendly flavoring that makes them taste like they're made with dairy butter!
Why this recipe makes the best vegan gf muffin
These muffins combine vegan butter and oil for a super tender crumb without any oily flavor, and add some extra tapioca starch to a classic gf flour blend for the best texture and a supported rise. Plus, with plenty of vanilla extract and buttery-flavored vegan butter emulsion oil, they're full of authentic bakery flavor.
This vegan recipe has all the same texture as our classic gluten free chocolate chip muffins made with eggs and buttermilk. But it's developed without the need for eggs in the first place, so it's vegan first and without compromise.
Made easily in one bowl, this small batch recipe can be doubled easily to make an even 12 muffins—or even halved to make just 3!
Ingredient notes: the secret to perfect texture & flavor
The ingredients in this recipe may seem a bit unfamiliar, since there are no “egg replacers.” Just basic ingredients that act together to create the best textured muffin. Here's a bit about what each does:
- Oil: Any neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, peanut, vegetable, avocado) works well. Just a little bit helps lock in moisture without adding flavor or making the muffins taste oily.
- Vegan butter: Block-style vegan butter provides flavor and moisture. The kind in the tub has too much oil, so use Miyoko's Creamery, Melt, or Trader Joe's vegan butter, which are all good. If you use Earth's Balance Buttery Sticks, reduce the salt by 1/8 teaspoon since it's very salty.
- Plant-based milk: Adds richness and brings the muffin batter together. Use something with a similar thickness to cow's milk, like unflavored and unsweetened almond milk or soy milk. Avoid anything fat free, like rice milk, anything with texture, like oat milk, or anything without enough moisture, like canned coconut milk.
- Apple cider vinegar: Reacts with baking soda alone and the baking soda in your baking powder to help the muffins rise high. It may have a strong smell in the bottle, but it doesn't add any distinct flavor to the muffins.
- Granulated vegan sugar: Adds sweetness and tenderness. If you're a very strict vegan, refined sugars can be vegan if they're processed without the use of bone char, so look for words like “natural” and “raw.”
- Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness, tenderness, and depth of flavor. Be sure it's vegan if you're strict.
- Gluten free flour blend: For the proper structure, you need a finely ground rice flour based blend that's properly balanced. Better Batter's classic blend and Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour (blue bag) are both vegan-friendly. If you're using Bob's, add another 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum or your muffins will be crumbly. You can also use my mock Better Batter blend, but Nicole's Best has milk powder, so it won't work here.
- Tapioca starch: To help the muffins rise up tall without eggs, we add additional tapioca starch even though your blend most likely already contains some.
- Salt: Brightens all the other flavors and balances the sweetness.
- Vanilla extract & butter emulsion oil: Add depth of flavor in these otherwise simple muffins, especially in the absence of eggs and regular butter. LorAnn brand butter emulsion is sold on Amazon (where I bought it) and in some of the larger craft stores.
- Chocolate chips: The easiest and most popular of all mix-ins, they add some texture and a touch of chocolate flavor. Enjoy Life is my favorite brand of vegan-friendly chocolate chips.
How to make gluten free vegan muffins, step-by-step
1. Make the muffin batter
Begin by mixing together white and light brown sugars to ensure that you are able to break up any lumps in the brown sugar. Add the vegan milk, vanilla extract, butter emulsion oil, melted vegan butter and oil, and whisk vigorously. The mixture should lighten in color as you begin to emulsify the oil in the milk which creates a more tender, smooth muffin after baking.
Add the gluten free flour blend including xanthan gum, additional tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. You can whisk these dry ingredients together separately to avoid clumping of the leaveners, or just scatter each of them evenly over the top of the wet ingredients.
Whisk until very well combined. The mixture will fall off the whisk in relatively thin ribbons.
2. Let the batter sit
Let the batter sit, undisturbed, for about 30 minutes. As the flours absorb some of the moisture, the mixture will thicken. That creates a more stable batter that can hold the chocolate chips in suspension, and will rise higher in the oven. Double-acting baking powder will activate once when it's first mixed with moisture, and again when it goes into the oven.
3. Portion the batter and bake
Fill the wells full with batter, concentrating it toward the center of each well. In my experience, thick muffin batter piled high makes for muffins with a beautiful, tall dome.
If you're making 6 muffins (meaning you didn't double the recipe to make 12), and you don't have a 6-muffin tin, leave every other well of the tin empty to give the muffins space to expand without interfering with each other. Place the pan in the oven and fill the empty wells about 70% full with hot water to encourage even baking. Cold or lukewarm water will lower the oven temperature.
If you didn't have time to let it sit, line the prepared muffin wells with some plain batter first. Then, mix in the chips and fill the wells the rest of the way.
Bake first at 400°F for a burst of hot air that creates as much oven spring as possible for a high dome, then finish baking at 350°F so the muffins don't burn.
Cool briefly and transfer the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling, and serve.
Expert tips for bakery-style muffins
Let the muffin batter rest
When you let the smooth muffin batter, without chips or other mix-ins, rest for about 30 minutes, the batter thickens enough to keep the mix-ins from sinking in the batter during baking. Without eggs, this is a relatively thin muffin batter when just mixed. This way, the chips stay suspended in the thicker batter, and the muffin tops rise even higher into a big bakery-style dome.
Use a combination of oil and vegan butter
Even though the vegan butter is melted, combining it with a neutral oil like peanut or vegetable oil keeps the muffins from smelling or tasting oily. If you don't mind that taste, the recipe will work with all oil (just replace the vegan butter with 35 grams more oil, not 42, since oil is all fat and butter has some moisture).
Add butter flavoring
Block-style vegan butter like Miyoko's Creamery brand is better than ever before, but it still doesn't taste exactly like dairy butter. To get that butter flavor and cover any oily aftertaste, try using LorAnn Oil's vegan-friendly butter emulsion oil. Although it doesn't taste like much on its own (I tried it!), it elevates the buttery flavor of baked goods.
Fill every other well of a 12-cup tin
If you are making only 6 muffins, you don't need a 6-cup muffin tin. It's actually better to use a 12-cup tin and fill every other well of the tin to allow the tops plenty of room to expand without interference. To help the muffins bake evenly, fill the empty wells 2/3 of the way full of warm water once the pan is in the oven.
Variations & mix-in ideas
Chips
Any other sort of vegan chocolate chip works, but it's best to avoid white chocolate chips since a dairy free variety is very hard to find.
Nuts
I like raw nuts best for baking, since they tend to be softer. Try adding some broken pieces of walnuts or pecans. Toasted coconut chips would be great, too.
Spices
Whether you're adding chocolate chips or nuts or not, try enhancing the flavor of by adding 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and/or 1/8 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg.
Fruits
If you'd like to make these into vegan blueberry muffins, start with only 3 ounces of fresh or frozen (undefrosted) blueberries but toss them in some more tapioca starch/flour before carefully mixing them into the muffin batter. Be sure to let the batter sit first to thicken before mixing them in.
You can also add up to 4 ounces dried fruit like raisins or dried cranberries. Try 2 ounces dairy free chocolate chips and 2 ounces dried blueberries for a more complex flavor.
Ingredient substitutions
Since these muffins are vegan, they're already dairy free and egg free. There are still some other ingredients you might like to replace, and some mix-ins you might like to swap. Here are some ideas:
Tapioca starch
If you don't have additional tapioca starch, try replacing it with superfine glutinous rice flour in place of tapioca starch. You can also use more of the all purpose blend, but the muffins will be shorter and the crumb tighter.
Apple cider vinegar
In my experience, apple cider vinegar is the most effective acid in activating baking powder and soda. If you need to replace it, you can use fresh lemon juice or white vinegar.
Butter emulsion oil
This is an optional ingredient. If you don't want to purchase it, the muffins are delicious as is. You can also use a full 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste, or pure vanilla extract with some vanilla bean seeds.
Gluten Free Vegan Muffins Recipe
These gluten free vegan muffins are moist, tender, and have that beautiful bakery dome on top, all without eggs or butter.
Servings 6 muffins
Calories 380kcal
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons granulated sugar (vegans, be sure it's appropriate)
- 5 tablespoons packed light brown sugar (vegans, be sure it's appropriate)
- ¾ cup nondairy milk at room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon LorAnn butter emulsion oil optional, for buttery flavor
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter melted and cooled
- 1 ½ tablespoons neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, vegetable, peanut oils are all fine)
- 1 cup all purpose gluten free flour blend be sure it's dairy free (See Recipe Notes)
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 6 tablespoons tapioca starch/flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounces mix-in pieces dairy free chocolate chips, raisins, or chopped nuts
- Coarsely ground sugar optional, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Grease and/or line 6 standard-sized muffin wells and set the pan aside. (See Recipe Notes about muffin tin.)
- In a large bowl, place the granulated sugar and light brown sugar and mix them together, breaking up the lumps in the brown sugar.
- Add the milk, vinegar, vanilla, optional butter emulsion, melted vegan butter, and oil to the bowl, and whisk vigorously to combine very well. The mixture will be thin.
- Scatter the dry ingredients, first the flour blend and xanthan gum, then the tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, on top of the wet ingredients. Whisk to combine until very smooth. The batter will be sticky and runny.
- Set the batter aside for at least 20 minutes, ideally 30 minutes. It will thicken as it stands.
- While the muffin batter rests, preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Use a silicone spatula to turn the thickened muffin batter over a few times. Add almost all of the mix-in pieces, and mix until evenly distributed throughout. Reserve a few chips or other mix-ins.
- Fill the prepared wells of the muffin tin all the way with batter. Pile the batter toward the center of each well if at all possible. Top evenly with any remaining mix-in pieces and press in gently to help them stick to the batter. Sprinkle the top of the batter in each well lightly with the optional coarse sugar.
- Place the baking tin in the top third of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until a tester comes out mostly clean and the muffins are nicely domed (about another 12 minutes).
- Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Flour blend information.
My favorite vegan-friendly gluten free flour blend is Better Batter's original blend gluten free flour. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is also dairy free and works well. I recommend adding an additional 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to your dry ingredients or the muffins will look good, but will be crumbly.
To make your own blend using my “mock” Better Batter recipe, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page.
About the muffin tin
If you don't have a 6-well muffin tin, use a standard 12-well muffin tin and fill every other well. To ensure even baking, fill the 6 empty wells about 2/3 of the way with lukewarm water. To make 12 muffins
This recipe doubles really easily to make a full dozen (12) muffins. Just double all the ingredients by changing the yield to 12 or clicking the [2x] button.
If you don't have a 6-well muffin tin, use a standard 12-well muffin tin and fill every other well. To ensure even baking, fill the 6 empty wells about 2/3 of the way with lukewarm water. To make 12 muffins
This recipe doubles really easily to make a full dozen (12) muffins. Just double all the ingredients by changing the yield to 12 or clicking the [2x] button.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 306mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 383IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 2mg
Storage instructions
Short term
Wrap baked and cooled muffins in plastic wrap or store in a sealed container at room temperature. They will stay fresh that way for at least 3 days.
Longer term
Freeze them in a single layer on a flat surface, then pile them into a sealed, freezer-safe container. They'll last at least 2 months that way, and can be defrosted in the microwave and refreshed in the toaster oven.
FAQs
Can I use this same recipe to make a quickbread loaf?
No, this muffin batter doesn't have enough structure to make a whole quickbread loaf that rises and holds together properly.
Why didn't my muffins rise?
Always check the freshness of your baking powder and baking soda, as they're the only source of rise in this egg-free, vegan recipe. Make sure you didn't omit the vinegar, which activates the baking soda, and measure all of your dry ingredients by weight. And be sure your baking powder is double-acting, which means once when hydrated and a second time in the oven.
What can I use if I don't have butter emulsion oil?
You can just leave it out and use the recipe as-is, or replace the vanilla extract with 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste for enhanced flavor.
What happens if I don't let the batter rest first?
The muffins will still turn out, but they'll just be a bit shorter. If you watch the recipe video, you'll see that I didn't always let the muffin batter rest. Instead, to prevent the chocolate chips from sinking all the way to the bottom, I lined the muffin wells with some plain batter first before mixing in the chips and filling the wells all the way.
What's the best type of plant-based milk for this recipe?
I really like unsweetened almond milk, since it has some fat and not a lot of distracting flavor. Unsweetened unflavored soy milk and Ripple milk are also great. I don't like baking with oat milk since it usually has unwanted texture, but if you have a favorite oat milk that mimics cow's milk in texture, it's worth a try!
Can I make these muffins oil-free?
Yes, you can use all melted vegan butter instead a combination of butter and oil. I prefer to add some oil to help soften the crumb and keep the muffins fresher, longer.
Can I reduce the sugar or use maple syrup instead?
I don't recommend reducing the sugar, since it's also a tenderizer and keeps the muffins moist. If you'd like to try using maple syrup in place of both sugars, try using 6 tablespoons (126 grams) pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk by 1 1/2 tablespoons. Reduce the initial oven temperature to 375°F since maple syrup burns more easily, and let the muffin batter sit for 1 hour before adding the chips since it has extra moisture that we aren't able to entirely remove.
How should I store these muffins and how long do they last?
These moist and tender muffins will stay fresh in a sealed container at room temperature for at least 3 days. For longer storage, I recommend freezing them wrapped tightly, and removing as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. Defrost for 20 seconds in the microwave and sprinkle with water then refresh in a 300°F toaster oven until warm.
Ragheb Alama’s Controversy Amid North Coast Performance
Jul. 23rd, 2025 02:50 pmegystreets_feedOn Monday, 21 July, Mostafa Kamel, head of Egypt’s Musicians’ Syndicate, announced the suspension of Lebanese artist Ragheb Alama from performing in one of his concerts at the North Coast, citing ‘inappropriate behavior’ during a recent concert where a fan kissed him. Kamel’s statement emphasized that the actions observed “violate all Egyptian customs, traditions, and societal values.” He underscored that Egypt’s stages should not be venues for “inappropriate kisses, suggestive gestures.” In response to the decision, Khodr Alama, Ragheb’s brother and manager, stated that they had not received any official notification regarding the suspension. Moreover, Ragheb Alama reached out to Kamel directly, expressing his point of view on the situation. In a voice message according to CNN, Ragheb stated, “Egypt is my second home, the country of great artists,” emphasizing the role Arab artists play in supporting tourism in the countries they visit. He additionally remarked that the incident at the concert was unintentional and a result of poor organization concerning stage access. In his message to Kamel, Ragheb also expressed a desire to clarify any misunderstandings with the Musicians’ Syndicate, which he views as his “home.” He also stressed…
The post Ragheb Alama’s Controversy Amid North Coast Performance first appeared on Egyptian Streets.
Neighborhood PR Bots
Jul. 23rd, 2025 10:29 amlanguagelog_feedThe PR campaign for the Unitree GI Robot now comes in at least three local variants: the "Uncle Bot" in China, "Jake the Rizzbot" in Austin, and a gay version of Jake in Los Angeles.
As far as I can tell, Uncle Bot doesn't talk, but Jake does, sometimes with compliments and sometimes not, but in both cases displaying accurate perception of the person addressed.
No doubt these interactions are managed by a human teleoperator, just as the robotic bartenders at Musk's Robotaxi party were. But Uncle Bot and Jake are not limited to an invitation-only party, and Gay Jake advertises this with the "NOT ELON'S BITCH" sign on his chest.
Rizzbot is making a splash in the news and in various social media, so props to the Unitree PR team. Maybe interactive advertising is an actual application for teleoperated humanoid robots? Will we see Jake passing out Coca Cola samples, or spreading the word about an upcoming concert, or promoting a movie?
If so, it's one of the first examples out there of an actual use for humanoid robots — see Brad Porter, "The Problems With Humanoid Robots" for some relevant background.
Much Meg
Jul. 23rd, 2025 12:30 amdorothysnarker_feed
Also, did you catch the glorious chaos of her Colbert interview last week?
p.s. Speaking of Colbert. We all knew his show got canceled because Trump made it a condition of his lawsuit settlement. And while that may on its surface seem like just another stupid, petty, and vindictive move from a small man with even smaller hands, what it is is textbook authoritarianism. Silence your critics, squash those who mock you. First they came for the late-night talk show hosts, but actually late night talk-show hosts are like the 200,000th thing he’s come for after immigrants, political protestors, former prosecutors, public and private universitiers, political rivals, scientists, humanitarian workers, park rangers, climate researchers, Rosie O'Donnell…
(no subject)
Jul. 22nd, 2025 11:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
waterswordThe barre class at the gym today kicked my ass; genuinely kind of embarrassed that I had to put down the weights and sit down during the arm work bit because I got dizzy. Anemia, why you gotta be so intractable?
The nectarine I had this morning was the best nectarine I have ever eaten, and I have eaten a lot of nectarines. The community garden is having a flame war in email over everyone's garlic being stolen for the second year in a row and lines of battle are being drawn between people who think we should install cameras as a deterrent and people who think this is surveillance culture/security theater.
It's been a few weeks since I've been to campus and I have a day chockablock with meetings; I will have to remember to pack lunch and a snack and I'm annoyed I already wore the shirt I planned to wear. How did I do this five days a week in the Before Times???
diy vegan cheese
Jul. 22nd, 2025 06:16 pmfrandroidMy mom sent me a cashew cheese recipe, and it's reminding me of something. I bought Miyoko Shinner's (the founder of "Miyoko's", that fancy vegan cheese company) recipe book a long time ago but one of her base ingredients is making your own rejuvelac culture, which takes like a week to come together, with daily maintenance. That was too much planning and thinking for me so I let the book sit aside, but now that I have some spare time I'm going to try some of these recipes.
Proto-emoji
Jul. 22nd, 2025 03:17 pmlanguagelog_feedAt the Swarthmore Farmers Market this past Saturday morning, I came upon a new stall selling onigiri, which are Japanese rice balls, a popular and versatile snack or meal component. They consist of steamed rice formed into various shapes, often triangles, and typically filled with savory ingredients like pickled plums (umeboshi), salmon, or tuna with mayonnaise. They are often enclosed in nori (seaweed).
These onigiri were wrapped in cellophane and had a label stuck on the side. As soon as I saw the design on the label, which looked like a human face, I found that I could "read" it:
I didn't know what it "meant", but I knew what it "sounded like": hehenonomoheji. Moreover, the nose and the jaw plus left side of the face, sans the nose, were pronounced "moji 文字", which means "writing", as in "emoji 絵文字" ("picture writing"), now a common English word — or so it seemed to me (I don't know if Japanese would view it that way).
Henohenomoheji (Japanese: へのへのもへじ HEH-noh-HEH-noh-moh-HEH-jee) or hehenonomoheji (へへののもへじ) is a face known to be drawn by Japanese schoolchildren using hiragana characters. It became a popular drawing during the Edo period.
The Edo period dates from 1603-1868, so that means this kind of emoji face has been around a long time, at least more than a century and a half. I suspect, though, that it is part of a deeper tradition called etoki 絵解き ("picture explanation"), which goes back to medieval times and I wrote about in Painting and Performance: Chinese Picture Recitation and Its Indian Genesis (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1988).
A henohenomoheji featuring in a manga panel in the 1910 issue of the Japanese girls' magazine Shōjo.
The word breaks down into seven hiragana characters: he (へ), no (の), he (へ), no (の), mo (も), he (へ), and ji (じ). The first two he are the eyebrows, the two no are the eyes, the mo is a nose, and the last he is the mouth. The outline of the face is made by the character ji, its two short strokes (dakuten) forming the ear or cheek.
Henohenomoheji is often used to symbolize an undistinguished or generic human face, such as the faces of kakashi (scarecrows) and teru teru bōzu. The characters are often sung as they are drawn, making the henohenomoheji an ekaki uta (絵描き歌, drawing song).
Entertainment and education combined in a popular activity that was fun for its participants.
Selected reading
- "Memes, typos, and vernacular English in a 12th-century Latin homily" (7/20/25)
- "Emojis vs. emoticons" (7/8/19)
- "Emoticons as writing" (7/7/19)
- "Monumental laughing face" (1/22/19)
- "The prehistory of emoticons" (9/21/07)
- "'Facial expressions' in text-dominant online conversation" (8/2/16)
- "Explication of a favored emoji" (2/20/21)
Sudanese Refugees Begin Return Journey from Egypt
Jul. 22nd, 2025 03:21 pmegystreets_feedThe Egyptian government and the National Egyptian Railways Authority organized on Monday 21 July a special train, number 1940, to transport refugees from Cairo to Aswan, covering approximately 2,080 kilometers in about 12 hours. Passengers will then transfer to ferries and buses to cross into Sudan. This initiative supports those displaced by the ongoing civil war that began in April 2023. According to eyewitnesses, emotions ran high as many packed their belongings, with some expressing mixed feelings of sadness and joy. The ongoing civil war in Sudan started on 15 April, 2023, when two military factions—the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo—engaged in conflict over the RSF’s integration into the national army The conflict between the SAF and RSF has led to severe humanitarian crises, with over 40,000 deaths and more than 7 million displaced internally. Although Khartoum, recently recaptured by the government, is slowly recovering, significant destruction remains, and basic services are still lacking….
The post Sudanese Refugees Begin Return Journey from Egypt first appeared on Egyptian Streets.
No Buffer, Only Scroll: What It Means to Stay Digitally Connected in Egypt Today
Jul. 22nd, 2025 03:13 pmegystreets_feedScroll through any social media feed and the contradictions appear instantly: starving children in Gaza, bombed streets, grieving families, followed seconds later by brunch clips, trending dances, or skincare routines. Unlike previous generations who read about tragedy in print, young people today experience it in real-time: livestreamed, replayed, and wedged between ads. There is no buffer, only the scroll. “Sometimes I’m laughing at a meme, and then suddenly I see footage from Gaza or bombs flying over Lebanon, and I feel guilty for smiling,” says Marwan Ahmed, 18, an engineering student. This endless stream is not merely background noise. For many young Egyptians, it is the environment in which they are growing up, one shaped by constant exposure to conflict, crisis, and instability, both online and offline. In uncertain times, when futures feel unstable and structural support is limited, this transition becomes even more fragile. According to a 2017 study published in Demographic Research, found that when there is a disconnect between a young person’s aspirations and what is actually achievable, due to economic hardship, job scarcity, or social constraints, mental health outcomes tend to worsen. A Generation Defined by…
The post No Buffer, Only Scroll: What It Means to Stay Digitally Connected in Egypt Today first appeared on Egyptian Streets.
21 Children Starve to Death as Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
Jul. 22nd, 2025 12:48 pmegystreets_feedAt least 21 children in Gaza have died from malnutrition and starvation over the past 72 hours, according to Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The update comes amid other figures released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, reporting 15 additional deaths from hunger in the past 24 hours, including four children. According to Abu Salmiya, the territory’s children are facing a dire emergency, with around 900,000 suffering from hunger. Of these, some 70,000 are already malnourished, he said, putting them at imminent risk of death without urgent intervention. He further states that patients with diabetes and kidney disease are also at extreme risk due to a lack of essential treatment. According to the ministry’s latest data, these recent deaths raise the cumulative number of people who have lost their lives due to starvation-related causes in Gaza to 101, 80 of whom are children. These fatalities come amid a continuing blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip, which has severely limited access to food and essential supplies. With food scarcity accelerating, reaching “new and astonishing levels of desperation,” and medical infrastructure collapsing under pressure,…
The post 21 Children Starve to Death as Gaza’s Humanitarian Crisis Deepens first appeared on Egyptian Streets.
Multiplication of unlawful disjunctions
Jul. 22nd, 2025 10:43 amlanguagelog_feed
Charles B. writes:
Apparently, birds are not considered wild animals by law. Reference here, where apparently feeding them in parks in permitted except if they are red masked parakeets:
SEC. 486. FEEDING BIRDS AND WILD ANIMALS PROHIBITED.
It shall be unlawful for any person to feed or offer food to any bird or wild animal in or on any sidewalk, street or highway of the City and County of San Francisco. It shall be unlawful to feed or offer food to any Red Masked Parakeet in any park of the City and County of San Francisco.
(Added by Ord. 268-64, App. 10/2/64; Ord. 133-07, File No. 070467, App. 6/15/2007)
The sign and the ordinance title have "birds and wild animals", while the body of the ordinance has "any bird or wild animal". And the ordinance specifies three (or four?) disjunctions within the scope of "unlawful": what you can't do ("feed or offer food"), who you can't do it to ("any bird or wild animal"), and where you can't do it "in or on any sidewalk, street or highway". Multiplying it all out, this gives 2x2x3 = 12 (or if we include "in or on", 2x2x2x3 = 24) specific prohibitions.
The uncertainty arises because the interaction of "in or on" with "any sidewalk, street or highway" is kind of fuzzy. It's fine to say that you can't feed any bird on any sidewalk, but it's unidiomatic at best to tell you not to do it in any sidewalk. And both "in any street" and "on any street" are plausible phrases, but they seem to mean almost the same thing. (Though maybe it matters whether it's the feeder or the food that's in or on the street…)
Anyhow, given that birds are biologically animals, and therefore non-pet birds are "wild animals", Charles relies on the Gricean Maxim of Quantity to infer that the San Francisco Police department adheres to a non-standard taxonomy of species. But it seems more likely that they're trying to avoid the misunderstandings that might arise if they left out the explicit prohibition again feeding birds.
And of course there's also the ambiguity of shall, though in this case the prescription of plainlanguage.gov to replace it with must doesn't work, since the subject is expletive it ("?It must be unlawful for any person…"). The Pennsylvania legislature (along with many other groups) uses plain old is in that context ("It is unlawful for any person …"), which is less fancy but clearer.
All in all, a good example of why legal drafting is hard.
I'll leave it to readers to tell us about the Red Masked Parakeets.
Against the Status Quo: Egypt’s Centuries-long Relationship with Caricatures
Jul. 22nd, 2025 08:21 amegystreets_feedIn Egypt, a single sharply-drawn caricature has often spoken more defiantly than a thousand words. As Egyptians overthrew governments, protested injustice, and sought new freedoms, one weapon has remained constant and quietly mighty: the satirical cartoon. From colonial resistance to digital dissent, caricature has served as a visual battlefield where Egyptians waged their quiet revolutions. During Egypt’s most turbulent modern moments, such as the anti-colonial protests of the 1919 Revolution and the electrified rallies of Tahrir Square in 2011, caricature amplified the voice of the people against those in power. Whether sketched on yellowed newsprint or shared with hashtags on Facebook, Egypt’s caricatures have inspired protest, fostered community, and cut through censorship when words grew too dangerous. Caricature in Egypt has not simply functioned as comic relief, but rather as a fiercely democratic medium, embedding coded resistance within lines and ink. Politically charged artwork often marked the pulse of social unrest, with cartoons reflecting public sentiment and shaping it, fueling debate, encouraging solidarity, and forging new social contracts. The tradition of political cartoons in Egypt dates back to the late 19th century, coinciding with the rise of the popular press….
The post Against the Status Quo: Egypt’s Centuries-long Relationship with Caricatures first appeared on Egyptian Streets.
Tank Top Tuesday: Plain White Tank Edition
Jul. 22nd, 2025 12:30 amdorothysnarker_feed
Renee Rapp
Samira Wiley
Jodi Balfour
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Melissa King
Lucy Dacus
Kate Moennig
Linguistics Olympiad
Jul. 21st, 2025 10:21 pmlanguagelog_feedTaiwan hosts its 1st International Linguistics Olympiad
Nearly 400 people competing at National Taiwan University
Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News (7/21/25)
I wonder whether any Language Log readers have heard of the International Linguistics Olympiad or may even have participated in one of the Olympiads that have been held in at least 23 different countries since its founding in 2003. Because it has an interesting history and purpose, before telling about what is happening in Taiwan right now (July 21-26, 2025), I'll give a brief sketch of the origins and aims of the Olympiad:
The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) is one of the International Science Olympiads for secondary school students. Its abbreviation IOL is deliberately chosen not to correspond to the name of the organization in any particular language, and member organizations are free to choose for themselves how to designate the competition in their own language. This olympiad furthers the fields of mathematical, theoretical, and descriptive linguistics.
Format
The setup differs from most of the other Science Olympiads, in that the olympiad contains both individual and team contests. The individual contest consists of 5 problems, covering the main fields of theoretical, mathematical and applied linguistics – phonetics, morphology, semantics, syntax, sociolinguistics, etc. – which must be solved in six hours.
The team contest has consisted of one extremely difficult and time-consuming problem since the 2nd IOL. Teams, which generally consist of four students, are given three to four hours to solve this problem.
Like nearly all International Science Olympiads, its problems are translated and completed in several languages and as such must be written free of any native language constraints. However, unlike other olympiads, the translations are provided by the multilingual Problem Committee, a body of experts independent of the delegates' team leaders. Because competitors could gain some advantage if they are familiar with one or more of the language groups which are the subject of some of the assignments, problems are increasingly based on some of the world's lesser known languages. Fortunately, with more than 6,000 languages spoken world-wide (not including so-called dead languages) there are plenty to choose from. The committee has a policy of not using artificial[contradictory] or fictional languages for its problems. The presence of an independent Problem Committee and Jury means that team leaders do not have to be experts in the field (though most are): they can (and often do) work closely with their teams, providing last-minute coaching throughout the week of the competition.
In any case, the most helpful ability is analytic and deductive thinking, as all solutions must include clear reasoning and justification
History
The concept of self-sufficient linguistics problems was formulated in the 1960s, in the intellectual environment of the recently founded Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (OTiPL) of the Moscow State University. Moscow linguists in this environment were specially interested in understanding and modelling the formal and mathematical aspects of the natural languages; they were hatching things like the meaning-text theory, the Moscow School of Comparative Linguistics and the beginnings of what later became computational linguistics.
In 1963, Andrey Zaliznyak published a book called Linguistics problems (Лингвистические задачи), explaining in the introduction:
Specially crafted problems can serve as an important tool for teaching the fundamental principles and methods of linguistics. In existing collections, the material used for problems is often drawn from the facts of students' native language or the most well-known European languages. While such tasks are undoubtedly beneficial, they often suffer from the disadvantage that it is challenging to separate the linguistic task itself (which requires nothing but understanding the basic linguistic principles) from testing specific knowledge of the language under consideration. The best (though not the only) way to get rid of that second element, which doesn't directly relate to general linguistics, is to create tasks based on material from languages unfamiliar to the students. Of course, it is more challenging to craft such problems, since all the essential specific facts necessary for solving the task must somehow be presented in the problem data. However, in this case, students only need an understanding of the properties of language in general.
Following the publication, the then student Alfred Zhurinsky proposed to the mathematics professor Vladimir Uspensky the creation of a high-school olympiad using such problems.
Thus, in 1965, the first edition of the Moscow's Traditional Olympiad on Linguistics and Mathematics was held, with an Organizing Committee composed by Uspensky (president), Igor Miloslavsky, Alexander Kibrik and Anna Polivanova. The Problem Committee consisted of Zhurinsky (the author of most of the problems) and Zaliznyak, plus Boris Gorodetsky (president), Alexandra Raskina and Victor Raskin. The Moscow Olympiad was held regularly until 1982 and resumed again in 1988, being still held nowadays.
Now, as to what's happening in Taipei this week:
The 22nd International Linguistics Olympiad got underway at National Taiwan University on Monday.
During the opening ceremony, Deputy Education Minister Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) pointed out that Taiwan is a place rich in linguistic diversity, with languages including Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Hakka, and 16 Indigenous languages, CNA reported. Multilingual education is promoted in schools, and the cultural values behind each language are respected, Chiu said.
He encouraged IOL participants to use their analytical and problem-solving skills to help create a better future for the world.
This is the first time Taiwan is hosting the IOL since its establishment in 2003. Contestants use logical reasoning and observations to analyze unfamiliar languages, uncover their structures, and understand their rules and cultural contexts. Nearly 400 people from 43 countries and regions are competing this year.
IOL Taiwan Organizing Chair Chiu Chen-hao (邱振豪) said IOL is a gathering of the world’s top linguistic talents. Chiu hoped that through this event, the world could witness Taiwan’s linguistic diversity and vitality, and that it would inspire young Taiwanese to see all the possibilities in linguistics.
Taiwan first participated in the IOL in 2016 and won gold in the team event in 2017.
Inasmuch as the IOL has had such an intriguing conceptual background, I would be interested in knowing what impact it has had on linguistics in the years following its foundation. How many participants have gone on to become professional and academic linguists? No matter what, it must have been an exciting experience for those who participated in it throughout the decades.
From the very first year (2003), when the IOL was held in Borovets, Bulgaria, the problem sets have been challenging: .
Individual Contest
Team Contest
Here's a list of the problems by year.
Selected reading
- "International Linguistics Olympiad" (5/27/11)
- "The International Linguistics Olympiad" (7/31/15)
[h.t. AntC]
Egyptians in Saudi Arabia: Stories of Opportunity and Constraint
Jul. 21st, 2025 04:38 pmegystreets_feedAs tens of thousands of Egyptians continue heading to Saudi Arabia for work each year, their immigration experiences reflect a broader geo-economic dynamic shaping the Middle East today. While the move offers financial opportunity for many, it also brings challenges shaped by changing labour policies and legal frameworks. Since the 1970s, Saudi Arabia has remained the primary regional destination for Egyptian labour migration, especially following the oil boom. A 2024 study in Comparative Migration Studies showed that Egypt has been sending a larger number of older, work-experienced migrants to Saudi Arabia than to Kuwait or Libya; two other oil-rich nations that also became major destinations for Egyptian migrants following the oil boom. These migrants often rely on earnings to support families back home. In April 2025, the Central Bank of Egypt reported that remittances from Egyptians abroad reached approximately USD 3 billion (EGP 143.5 billion), a 39 percent increase compared to April 2024, following Egypt’s decision to float its currency in March. Gulf countries, led by Saudi Arabia, played a central role in financing this inflow. According to the World Bank, Egypt received approximately USD 19.5 billion (EGP 932.3 billion)…
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Chinese Investment Accelerates in Egypt Amid U.S. Tariff Pressures
Jul. 21st, 2025 03:54 pmegystreets_feedFaced with rising trade barriers in the United States and Southeast Asia, a growing number of Chinese manufacturers are relocating operations to Egypt, seeking a more stable and cost-effective base to maintain access to Western markets. The shift, which has accelerated since early 2025, is driven by U.S. tariffs that now affect a wide range of goods produced in both China and Southeast Asia. Egypt’s comparatively low import duties, favorable trade balance with the United States, and strategic geographic position have made it an increasingly attractive destination for investors seeking to navigate a turbulent global trade environment. This shift began under the Trump administration in early 2025, which levied sweeping tariffs on a wide range of goods produced in both China and Southeast Asia. Many firms initially shifted production to Southeast Asia. In April, steep duties were extended on Chinese products, with tariffs reaching as high as 145 percent on some Chinese goods. Although the headline tariff rate has been reduced to 10 percent, a significant drop from the previous high of 145 percent, additional trade duties keep the overall effective tariff on most Chinese products above 30 percent. Though…
The post Chinese Investment Accelerates in Egypt Amid U.S. Tariff Pressures first appeared on Egyptian Streets.