The Dutch call Indonesian lapis legit “bacon cake.”  In English, the sweet goes by “thousand-layer cake.”  Though both names are hyperbolic, they are a testament to this treat’s decadence.  The Indonesian-Dutch fusion dessert features 18 to 30 individually baked layers of spiced butter, sugar, and egg yolk.   https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/lapis-legit-kueh-lapis-indonesia

Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in East Africa.  It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the west and Sudan to the northwest.  With over 109 million inhabitants as of 2019, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent (after Nigeria).  Ethiopia and Eritrea use the ancient Ge'ez script, which is one of the oldest alphabets still in use in the world.  They follow the Ethiopian calendar, which is approximately seven years and three months behind the Gregorian calendar.  In English, and generally outside of Ethiopia, the country was once historically known as Abyssinia.  The country's population is highly diverse, containing over 80 different ethnic groups.  According to Ethnologue, there are 90 individual languages spoken in Ethiopia.  Time in Ethiopia is counted differently from most countries. The Ethiopian day is reckoned as beginning at 06:00 as opposed to 00:00, coinciding with sunrise throughout the year.  To convert between the Ethiopian clock and Western clocks, one must add (or subtract) six hours to the Western time.  The best-known Ethiopian cuisine consists of various types of thick meat stews, known as wat in Ethiopian culture, and vegetable side dishes served atop injera, a large sourdough flatbread made of teff flour.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia 

Frank Morgan was born Francis Wupperman on June 1 1890 in New York City.  He was the youngest of eleven children in a wealthy family.  His brother Raphael Wupperman was the eighth of the siblings and would go into show business, taking the stage name "Ralph Morgan".  Francis Wupperman attended Cornell University and then followed his elder brother Ralph Morgan into the entertainment industry, taking the stage name "Frank Morgan".  Frank Morgan made his debut on Broadway in the play A Woman Killed with Kindness / Granny Maumee in 1914.  It only ran for one performance, but Mr. Morgan would return to Broadway several more times.  From 1914 to 1920 alone he appeared in the productions Mr. Wu, Under Fire, Under Sentence, Rock-a-Bye Babym and My Lady Friends.  Over the years Frank Morgan appeared in some very notable productions on Broadway.  He played the role of Henry Spoffard in the original production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1926, the rich Philadelphian played by George Winslow in the 1953 film.  http://mercurie.blogspot.com/2015_11_15_archive.html 

The Arab American National Museum (AANM) is the first and only museum of its kind in the United States devoted to recording the Arab American experience.  Since opening in 2005, AANM’s mission has been to document, preserve and present the history, culture and contributions of Arab Americans.  Our exhibitions cover the Arab world and the history of Arab Americans from the first immigrants who arrived in the late 19th century to today.  We offer safe spaces for open dialogue and community gatherings and provide educational opportunities for children and students of all ages to expand their knowledge and appreciation of Arab American history and culture.  We work with established and emerging artists of all artistic mediums to uplift their work and share it with our regional and national audiences.  AANM has one of the most extensive archives of Arab American historical documents, oral histories and artifacts.  We are the only museum in the country that actively collects Arab American art. The Annex @ AANM, a multi-purpose space and a symbol of the Museum’s growing engagement with the community, opened in 2015.  Link to more information at https://arabamericanmuseum.org/about/  The Arab-American Museum is located at 13624 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, Michigan.  At the time of this writing, it is closed due to COVID-19. 

America’s largest Oktoberfest takes place in downtown Cincinnati every September, bringing three days of German food, beer, music and the World’s Largest Chicken Dance.  2020 will be different because of coronavirus.  Oktoberfest Zinzinnati will be held virtually with bands performing Polka Pop-Ups, or pop-up events in a variety of local neighborhoods (yet to be announced).  People also are encouraged to celebrate in person at area restaurants and bars.  Oktoberfest Zinzinnati will be longer, running for 10 days Sep. 18 to 27.  These festivities will be found online In Za Haus and in restaurants and bars: · Friday, Sep. 18 - Oktoberfest Zinzinnati Official Opening Ceremony including a special guest message  · Saturday, Sep. 19 - World’s Largest Chicken Dance  · Friday, Sep. 25 – Samuel Adams Stein Hoist Challenge  · Saturday, Sep. 26 - World’s Largest Oktoberfest Toast & Prost led by Jim Koch, Founder of Samuel Adams  · Every night, Sep. 18-27 - Singing of Ein Prosit with special guests  Jennifer Edwards Baker   https://www.fox19.com/2020/08/27/coronavirus-is-changing-oktoberfest-zinzinnati-this-year/ 

Germany's Oktoberfest is canceled.  The German beer festival, scheduled to take place Sept. 19 through Oct. 4, 2020 expected nearly 6 million guests to attend.  According to Reuters, Oktoberfest brings 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) into Munich.  Morgan Hines  https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2020/04/21/germany-oktoberfest-2020-canceled-face-coronavirus-pandemic/2995274001/ 

In the bee family, only honeybees sting—and they don’t like to do it because they lose that stinger and die.  Many members of the wasp family sting and they can sting repeatedly without any harm to themselves.  Yellow jackets actually like to sting.  If your yellow insects were coming in and out of a hole in the ground, they would definitely be yellow jackets; honeybees don’t nest in the ground, and native stingless bees are solitary nesters.  But a lot of yellow insects in a garden wall could be an escaped “feral” (or “wild”) colony of honeybees, which are prized by beekeepers for their stamina.  Mike McGrath  https://wtop.com/garden-plot/2016/07/yellow-jackets-honeybees-whats-difference/#:~:text=Both%20insects%20are%20yellow%20with,and%20look%20kind%20of%20fuzzy.

Hurricanes are tropical storms that form over the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific.  Cyclones are formed over the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.  Typhoons are formed over the Northwest Pacific Ocean.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/24879162 

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2259  September 18, 2020