What do Walter Cronkite, Apache Kid, and Joseph Barbera have in common?

First, who’s who.   Walter Cronkite reported news.  He represents something or another to Baby Boomers.  Apache Kid scouted for the U.S. Army and later became a symbol of Apache resistance.  Joseph Barbera was 1/2 of the genius team Hanna-Barbera, the very folks behind some of the most loved cartoon characters including Fred Flintstone, George Jetson, Papa Smurf and Scooby Doo.

But back to the question… what connects all of these men?

Fact: all are men.

Fact: all are dead.

Fact: all had mothers.

Fact: none of them were members of the Hair Club for Men.

That last one I just threw in to see if you were paying attention.  Give up?  They are all recent additions to the American National Biography.

Other great biography sources include:

• Biography In Context
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
• Dictionary of Irish Biography

And I don’t mean four square the app or the playground game, people!  I’m talking “four score and seven years ago,”  the opening line of the Gettysburg Address.   The text, compliments of Britannica reads,

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Britannica has updated their interface.  It is a whole new world out there people!  Please take a look at it.  Don’t forget that it’s much more than an encyclopedia.  It’s got country data, news (from the NYT & BBC), videos, and spotlights. And just in time for fall… the newly revised article on beekeeping!

If I really took the time to read the huge article on beekeeping and watch all the videos and just pay attention in the first place, I could probably start my own colony next spring.  Of course, I would insist on being the queen bee cuz of this sentence alone, “Back in the parent colony, the first queen to emerge after the mother queen departs with the swarm immediately attempts to destroy the others. “  Heh.  Destroy the others.  Being a bee sounds like fun.  And my first act as sovereign (after I’ve destroyed the others) would be to declare war on some other colony.   Thus my empire grows.

My second act would definitely be to get my minions and faithful followers to sting the crap outta this Irishman.  In 2005 he attempted to beat the 1998 World Record for the largest bee beard, which was 87lbs worth of bees.  That 1998 record was set by  Mark Biancaniello of California.  USA! USA! USA!  For the curious, the guy in the photo was only wearing 60lbs worth.  USA for the win!

Returning to bees, colony collapse could have enormous implications for food production and  the economy.  You can find out about colony collapse from a number of our databases:

• Biological Abstracts for articles from major biology journals
• GreenFile for articles from ecological journals
• Science Reference Center for both journals and magazines
• Encyclopedia of Life Science

Now that I think about it, you could save a ton of time by just searching in Summon (a Google-like search of library resources).

Where was I?  Oh yeah, queen bees destroy others.  Good stuff.

OneSource Global Business Browser is the new name for ReferenceUSA International,  a name that never made sense.  OneSource Global Business Browser is exactly that – a single source to find international company directory information, as well as executives, articles, and industry info.

Andrea Koeppe, one of the business librarians, writes:

I just finished reading Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky, a fictionalized account of their short lived, tempestuous affair and the main thing the book made me wonder is how Coco’s very famous company is fairing these days.  This is not so easy to find because not only is the company based out of France, but it a private company which makes it all the more tricky to learn about.  However I found a lot of good information in OneSource Global Business Browser, such as financial data, a list of their subsidiaries, names of executives, competitors and links to other international industry reports that I can use to gauge the environment in which Chanel operates in.

Don’t think that this is the only way to use OneSource Global Business Browser, you will good information on private and public companies alike and I promise it will not be as overwrought, emotional and soap-y as the book Coco Channel and Igor Stravinsky.

Europa World has just released the 2011 Sub-Saharan Africa survey.  In it you can find all kinds of goodies:

General Survey

• thoroughly revised and updated analytical articles written by acknowledged experts covering the issues affecting the area as a whole, including: Economic Trends in Africa South of the Sahara; Health and Medical Issues; State Failure in Africa; A Century of Development; Chinese Stakes in Sub-Saharan Africa; European Colonial Rule; Peace and Security Architecture; Information and Communication Technology in the East African Community; and Terrorism and Trafficking in West Africa
• a political map of contemporary Africa and a chronological list of the dates of independence of African countries.

Country Surveys

Individual chapters on every country incorporating:

• an introductory survey, containing essays on the physical and social geography, recent history and economy of each country
• an extensive statistical survey of economic indicators, which include area and population, health and welfare, agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, industry, finance, trade, transport, tourism, communications media and education
• a full directory containing names, addresses and contact details for key areas such as the government, political organizations, diplomatic representation, the judiciary, religion, the media, finance, trade and industry, tourism, defence and education
• a useful bibliography, providing sources for further research.