Tracing the Americas History

Since the beginning of the nation on the shores of Virginia, has remained highly diverse I terms of race and ethnicity. Recent statistics have indicated how more than a third of Americans are unable to trace their specific origin, making America to stand at the verge of being dominated by pre-conceived minorities in the next few years. This is evidenced by the predominance of racial diversity in the major cities like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles among others in America.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Tracing the America’s History specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This prevalent racial diversity arouses the fundamental question about America’s cultural historical identity. Perhaps, it is not possible to tell the story of the United States without considering racial and ethnic lens. According to Takaki (7), the significance or racial diversity in America’s history remains remarkable with respect to the prevalent demographic trends in the country. This paper analyses the role of immigration and laws based on ethnicity to describe America’s historical pathway. As it has been revealed, much of what is known in America’s cultural setting has ethnic perspective. It is important to note that, some outstanding figures like Martin Luther and Ah Bing among others are not Native Americans, yet their contribution in shaping the nation remains remarkable (Takaki 19). More so, president Barrack Obama’s origin is traced in Africa, yet his superiority in the nation is inarguable. Despite being the central minority all through the nation’s history, African Americans are currently becoming majorities in many academic institutions in US today. This is an indication that, America is taking new shape as a result of its diverse ethnic background in its historical development. It thus goes without saying that, historical immigrations in America are of gr eat significance in telling the history of the United States. With reference to Takaki (8), massive migrations from various parts of the world to America have largely been focused by historians to explain the prevalent American culture. For instance, artisan manual workers of Philadelphia and the Irish immigrants are described as historians as key elements in the revolution of various artistic works in America. Basically, studying each ethnic group in America separately reveals one or more aspects of the entire American culture at large. It is the integration of these diverse cultural values and practices that have shaped the prevalent American culture today. In the historical make-up, the nationality of Americans can be attributed to the various ethnic groups that migrated into the country several decades ago. Various laws in United States have as well contributed towards the prevalent situation in terms of the nation’s culture. For instance, the immigration and marriage law s in the US have largely contributed towards the homogeneity of the previous diverse cultural practices. Since the immigration laws have been liberated, many people from various global regions have migrated into the country, increasing the level of cosmopolitanism in the country today (Takaki 29).Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Having fewer restrictions in marriage amongst races and ethnic groups, the current states laws in US can be considered as having played significant role in promoting cultural integration in the country. Indeed, immigration and law based on the race and ethnicity has played remarkable role in the historical development of the United States of America. Generally, studying America’s past from racial and ethnic diversity can form a fundamental perspective of understanding the current demographic trends in US. The realization of how America’s pre-concei ved minorities as the future’s majority is becoming a real issue in explaining America’s history. In this regard, it is not possible to unravel the history of the United States without focusing on racial and ethnic lens. Work Cited Takaki, Ronald. A Different mirror: A history of multi-cultural America. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1993. This essay on Tracing the America’s History was written and submitted by user Russell Woodard to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Ghengis Khan

â€Å" The Mongolian Empire† The Mongolian warrior Genghis Khan (1162-1227), also known as Jenghiz Khan was said to have conquered over two-thirds of the known world in his lifetime. He was renowned as a brilliant strategist, employing methods of warfare that were decades before his time. He had a mobile cavalry, coordinated fighting style, and respect for his subordinates, the Mongolian horde. Temu-jin of Mongolia, best known by others as Genghis Khan, meaning â€Å"Universal ruler† or â€Å"emperor of all emperors† is said to have created one of the greatest empires spanning from China to the Adriatic Sea. Temu-jin was the son of Kiyat- Borijiad chieftan who was assassinated when Temu-jin was a young man. Most of the followers of Genghis Khans father felt he was to young of a boy to protect them, so the tribe went and sought a more powerful lord leaving Genghis Khan and his family to fend for themselves. For about ten years they lived off the land eating roots, berries and small animals such as mice. During these years it taught Genghis Khan to not be foolishly adventurous and brave giving him the shrewd, steady and practical personality that will be reflected in his return to unite the Mongols in his conquests. Years later in 1206 he would accept the rule of leader of the Kiyat tribes in an attempt to reunite his people. The many hardships he endured in his youth would embolden him and give him courage to face the battles that lay ahead. Starting from nowhere Genghis Khan he had to improve his station in life, he sought the help of a friend of his fathers Togrul- Khan of the Keraits. Genghis Khan used a coat of black sable as a gift to Togrul-Khan in exchange for his promise of reuniting his Fathers’ followers. â€Å"As a descendent of royal blood, he considered himself an aristocrat of the Steppes, he was the father of three valiant war... Free Essays on Ghengis Khan Free Essays on Ghengis Khan â€Å" The Mongolian Empire† The Mongolian warrior Genghis Khan (1162-1227), also known as Jenghiz Khan was said to have conquered over two-thirds of the known world in his lifetime. He was renowned as a brilliant strategist, employing methods of warfare that were decades before his time. He had a mobile cavalry, coordinated fighting style, and respect for his subordinates, the Mongolian horde. Temu-jin of Mongolia, best known by others as Genghis Khan, meaning â€Å"Universal ruler† or â€Å"emperor of all emperors† is said to have created one of the greatest empires spanning from China to the Adriatic Sea. Temu-jin was the son of Kiyat- Borijiad chieftan who was assassinated when Temu-jin was a young man. Most of the followers of Genghis Khans father felt he was to young of a boy to protect them, so the tribe went and sought a more powerful lord leaving Genghis Khan and his family to fend for themselves. For about ten years they lived off the land eating roots, berries and small animals such as mice. During these years it taught Genghis Khan to not be foolishly adventurous and brave giving him the shrewd, steady and practical personality that will be reflected in his return to unite the Mongols in his conquests. Years later in 1206 he would accept the rule of leader of the Kiyat tribes in an attempt to reunite his people. The many hardships he endured in his youth would embolden him and give him courage to face the battles that lay ahead. Starting from nowhere Genghis Khan he had to improve his station in life, he sought the help of a friend of his fathers Togrul- Khan of the Keraits. Genghis Khan used a coat of black sable as a gift to Togrul-Khan in exchange for his promise of reuniting his Fathers’ followers. â€Å"As a descendent of royal blood, he considered himself an aristocrat of the Steppes, he was the father of three valiant war...

Smart Budgeting for College Students

Smart Budgeting for College Students College: the time when we stretch our wings, learn to fly†¦and do some serious partying! All levity aside, college is an important time in any person’s life. It’s where we set the stage for the rest of our life and form habits that will serve us well (or ill) in the years to come. Many will tell you that study habits are an important skill to cultivate. They might be. Some say your interpersonal skills will take you places. Uh-uh. Kindness, love, positive outlook? Maybe. Of course you shouldnt be completely lacking in all these areas. But these things can be learned fairly easily at any time during your life. And hopefully, you’ve already been practicing these skills for the majority of your years. The Importance of a Budgeting Skill The most important habit to strengthen during your college years is BUDGETING. Though you may not feel that money is something you should be focused on – and you’re right, it’s not, you should be able to exercise at least a modicum of control over your cash on hand. That’s the important point: Control. Living within your means, saving for the future (not talking retirement – think car or trip), and not getting caught in the slippery slope of debt (credit card interest rates rank among the most insidious and evil forces in the universe†¦right behind sugar). Self-Control is the Hardest Part At its heart, budgeting isn’t a difficult thing. The really tricky part is self-control. Budgeting provides something we all want – money for the things we need when we need them – but does require that we sometimes go without the things we want. The nice thing is, if we do it right, we can eventually have both: the things we need AND the things we want. It just takes time. That’s where the self-control comes in. We have to be able to wait and save for the wants while focusing squarely on the needs. And college is a perfect time to hone the budgeting skills because many of us still have a backup (our parents) to whom we can turn. How To Do It 1) Separate needs from wants. This is definitely the hardest part of the whole process. Wants can suddenly become needs when the weekend looms large and you need to unwind. But partying is by no means more important than eating or having a place to sleep or being able to get to class. Needs are, for the most part, things that keep you alive and functioning in your environment. Food, shelter, utilities, transportation money, so you can get to class. Wants are everything else. You could still make it through college alive and with a decent GPA without that case of beer†¦it would be less fun but you could do it. 2) Money goes to the needs first. Whatever money you have coming in (thorough work or an allowance) you should use to pay for the needs first. Unless you’re really poor, you’ll have a bit of money left over after the needs are taken care of. This leftover money can be used or saved for wants. That’s pretty much budgeting in a nutshell. The practice though, can take many forms and can be as complicated or as simple as you like. It can involve multiple bank accounts and lots of back-and-forth transfers or just a number of envelopes and a pile of cash. Cash is not recommended to college students – the envelope system is great, – but it’s just too easy to cheat (plus, there’s the whole security thing). The best method is somewhere in between complicated and simple while still making use of the basic concepts of the envelope system. Budgeting Categories Basically, all money that comes in is deposited in a checking account. You can then use a budgeting app or financial tracking software (choose your favorite) to earmark (set aside within the checking account) money for the needs and wants for which you are saving. Again, that’s pretty much it. Some categories in budget may include: food (meals), rent, utilities, gas money, weekend money (this includes parties), travel (probably not other countries but maybe just taking road trips every once in a while) and snacks (some coffee and a muffin now and again). If you spend all the money in one of the â€Å"want† categories (i.e., weekend money or snacks), you resist the urge to take from one of the other categories (even if it’s a â€Å"want† category) so that you train yourself to spend within your means. Make It More Simple If it’s easier to think in terms of weekly expenses, divide your monthly expenses by four and save accordingly. Most bills are paid monthly so if you know that you need $100 a month for food, earmark $25 each week to that category. When the end of the month comes, write a check for the monthly amount and start saving again. It is really just that simple. It may take a few minutes each week – and some serious self-control the rest of the time – to get everything earmarked but it’s time well spent in the long run. The college experience never comes around again but your money habits are with you for the rest of your life (like luggage). Take the time to build a good financial routine and your college years will be productive regardless of how much time you spend partying.

Roman Games and their Role in Ancient Rome Research Paper

Roman Games and their Role in Ancient Rome - Research Paper Example While the different types of games including horse racing, gladiatorial combat and so on, all emerged from different origins, each had two important functions: to provide entertainment and titillation to the population, keeping them happy to be part of the Pax Romana and establishing aspects of Roman culture and rule across the breadth of the giant Empire, and as a commercial venture for those involved. There were two major types of games held during the Roman era: chariot racing and gladiatorial combat. Both were immensely popular, but chariot racing was one somewhat more common than gladiatorial games (Romano 387), partly because of the cost of the gladiatorial games, which could often end with an incredibly expensive and well trained slave being wounded or even killed. It is estimated that at their height, there were twenty-four races a day on sixty-six days of the year, meaning that races were relatively common but still rare enough to be of great entertainment value (Bennet 42). Chariot races would consist of several competitors racing in an oval around central pier in a building called a circus or, after the Greek fashion, a hippodrome. Roman chariot racing evolved from the Greek practice, which had been ongoing for centuries, with a recorded history dating back to the first Panhellenic games (Levick 117). Though the Roman one was probably adapted from the Etruscan adaption of Greek racing, it was also probably directly influenced by the Greek practice (Matz 33). While the evolution of Roman chariot racing evolved slowly over many centuries, and has distinctive origins that are somewhat difficult to trace, the origins of gladiatorial games, which involved two slaves fighting each other for public entertainment, are a bit clearer. It seems that it was an Etruscan religious practice amongst the wealthiest people in society to hold funerary games to send off the dead: perhaps to give them a companion to accompany them to the underworld (Minowa 89). These the n began to be a part of traditional religious practices during the Roman ludi (games), which were massive week long festivals that would also include dramatic performances, religious festivities honoring Jupiter, music, and other activities (including chariot racing) (Plecket 160). Gladiatorial combats were also held by various wealthy and/or powerful Romans (people were rarely one without being the other) for various reasons, including celebrating an event like a military victory, ascension to a position and so on (Tataki 369). While the origins of both chariot racing and gladiatorial games are somewhat obscure and debated, their role in Roman society is relatively clear. The Roman state, and the people who ran it, saw games as part of their patrician obligation to their populace (Boatwright 190). They would keep the population happy and entertained as well as thankful to the Roman state. This was true of games that were held as a part of ludi, which also had religious significance , as well as one-off games that were often more explicitly designed for entertainment. Furthermore, amphitheaters and circi were often installed in smaller cities in Roman provinces, making their connection with the Roman state strong and centralizing the importance of Roman culture that might be quite distant from its centre, Rome (Carter 300). This all plays a central part of the Roman character, the idea

HCM427-0801A-01 Human Resource Management in Health Care - Phase 3 Essay

HCM427-0801A-01 Human Resource Management in Health Care - Phase 3 Discussion Board - Essay Example secretary, we have been told that she is no longer interested with her job since she strongly feels that all of her improvement suggestions are not taken seriously by the doctors. Based on the medical secretary’s explanation, it is very clear that she is a leader in her own way because of her desire to develop improvement suggestions for the betterment of the health care organization. In line with this matter, self-management serves as an effective intrinsic motivation on her part. (Graham & Unruh, 1990) It means that simple one-on-one rewards such as a sincere acknoweldgement for her effort and determination to develop improvement suggestions is all she is asking for. Basically, there are two types of rewards that could improve the job performance and satisfaction of the employees. These are the company rewards which are offered by the organization management and the one-on-one rewards which are being extended by the employees’ bosses. Traditional reward system such as compensation and promotions are slowly becoming ineffective in terms of motivating the generation X and Y employees. (Craig, March-April 1989) Material rewards such as cash incentives could also result in demotivating the employees. (Anthony, Dearden, & Bedford, 1989; Cecil Hill, Spring 1989) Basically, the main reason why ‘pay-for-performance’ concept fails to work is because in exchange with the money, the pride and job satisfaction of employees suffer. Eventhough extrinsic rewards such as increase in pay or bonus given to employees could still be effective in some cases, a more recent study shows that intrinsic rewards / motivation such as congratulating the employees for a job well done either verbally, written on a personal note, through public recognition, or implementing a celebration for success in work performance is more effective in motivating employees to increase their work performance. (Graham & Unruh, 1990) The best way to retain and regain the job satisfaction of

A Semiotic Analysis of a Newspaper Story Essay Example for Free

A Semiotic Analysis of a Newspaper Story Essay A logical place to start may be to ask ‘what is news?’ Professor Jonathan Bignell suggests that ‘news is not just facts, but representations produced in language and other signs like photographs.’ The newspaper is just one medium of news communication; other media include television, radio, magazines, and the Internet. We will concentrate on a particular news item as covered in three different British daily newspapers, namely The Sun, The Telegraph, and The Times. The story which is being covered is that of the death of a female police officer who was stabbed by a man whilst she was on duty. The medium of the newspaper is particularly interesting as signifiers are presented simultaneously thus offering a concrete display of signs which the reader can consume at their own pace and can also be re-read, as opposed to television or radio news which can only be watched or listened to at particular times. The process of selection is central to the production of all newspapers. This involves selecting events which are considered to be worthy of being printed as news, and excluding news which is considered to be irrelevant, insignificant or unworthy of news coverage. Thus news is a social construct dependent on what is deemed to be important by those who work in the ‘news industry’ based on certain codes of behaviour which have been learned by news workers in order to do their job. The codes of behaviour which have been learnt by news workers undoubtedly depend on the particular newspaper for which they are working. It could be suggested that in British society most adults would be aware of the conventions of different newspapers. We will attempt to examine the types of sign systems within which a particular news story is encoded in a selection of newspapers, and how these different sign systems may affect meaning. It is clear when looking at The Sun, The Telegraph, and The Times articles, which were all published on Saturday, April 18th, 1998 that each newspaper attaches significance to different news items. This is made clear by looking at the front pages of each newspaper, with The Suns main front page story concentrating on the relationship of Patsy Kensit and Liam Gallagher, compared to The Telegraphs main story which concentrates on a ‘shake-up’ of scientific committees that advise government ministers on food safety; and The Times main front page story which covers the story of the new National Lottery Big Ticket show which is facing the BBC ‘axe’. Although we will not be concentrating on the comparison of the front pages of the newspapers in this term paper, these examples demonstrate how drastically the different newspapers differ in what constitutes front-page news. The examples also demonstrate the interpretation of newspaper conventions, as we analyse the stories which are considered to be the intended main news of the front-page. As can be seen with the front page of The Sun the main story is clear as it dominates most of the available space on the front-page. However, with the other newspapers the distinction is not quite as clear. The main criteria when deciding on which was the main story of the front-pages of The Telegraph and The Times was the size of the typeface of the headline. This emphasises that the reader comes to the newspaper with a set of codes with which to decode the text, and these codes may differ from individual to individual. This leads to the point that the text is open to a variety of interpretations depending on the ideological standpoint of the reader, and whether the reader is familiar with the newspaper and the codes which. it employs to communicate the ‘news’ which it has selected. Connotations of the linguistic and visual signs which are presented by newspapers are central to the meaning of the news item to the reader. The connotations of the news item are perceived within a coded framework and there are recognisable codes within different newspapers. It is clear that different newspapers use particular narrative codes when representing the same item of news. This can be seen in the three headlines which refer to the particular news item which I have chosen to examine. The Sun headline states ‘SCANDAL OF PSYCHO FREED TO KILL HERO COP NINN, The Telegraph ‘WPc was knifed to death after removing armour’, and The Times ‘WPc paid with her life for dedication to duty.’ Each of these narrative codes used in the headlines instantly provide a framework on which to build the meaning of the news item. The headlines are linguistic syntagms which aim to attract the attention of the reader to the topic of the news story, and the linguistic signs which are employed in the headline suggest to the reader the appropriate codes which are needed to understand or decode the news item. It is clear that the newspapers use different linguistic codes as a means of representing the news item. The Times and The Telegraph are similar in their use of language. However, both differ dramatically with The Sun. It is clear that The Sun uses orally based vocabulary, and dramatic and sensational language. This can be seen in the first sentence of the news item, which reads ‘A. violent cop-hating nut killed brave WPC Nina Mackay after a catastrophic catalogue of blunders by Crown prosecutors and police allowed him to roam free.’ The article also employs alliteration for emphasis , as in ‘catastrophic catalogue’ and ‘scandal of psycho’. The linguistic codes of the news item certainly connote speech which in turn connotes familiarity, informality, and camaraderie. The article also implies familiarity with the victim (We Nina Mackay) who is referred to throughout as ‘Nina’ where as a distance is created between the reader and the offender who is referred to throughout by his surname, Elgizouli. This code of familiarity is significantly different to that which is employed by The Telegraph and The Times who refer to the victim either in her professional capacity (WPc Nina Mackay) or by her full name. However, it is perhaps significant that the offender is referred to by his surname in all of the different representations of the news items. This strategy of distancing the reader from the criminal is blatantly employed by all three of the newspapers, clearly suggesting that the preferred reading of the texts should involve no sympathy with the offender. Another drastic difference between the newspaper representations of the news item are the typographic devices used to break up the text. Again, The Sun differs dramatically to The Telegraph and The Times using bold text to start the article, serving to extend the role of the headline in attracting the attention of the reader to the topic of the news story. The use of bold and one word sub-headings which are employed throughout the text serve to direct the reader in making meaning of the text and make blatantly obvious the points which the newspaper deem to be of particular significance to the understanding of the news item. The Telegraph and The Times do not employ the same typographic codes as The Sun, apart from bold type which is used for the headline, and the bold type used to name the journalist/s of the article. The narrative of the news story uses the same type and size of font throughout the item. Arguably, this connotes authority and formality to the reader which is also demonstrated by the fairly long sentences, the correct spellings and the lack of colloquial language such as ‘cop’ which is used in The Sun. This perhaps implies that the ‘quality’ press such as The Times and The Telegraph provide better news than tabloids such as The Sun. However, this kind of value judgement is inappropriate as both types of newspaper are constructions of the news with the ‘quality’ newspapers aiming to connote authority and formality and the ‘popular’ tabloids aiming to connote an attitude of ‘telling it how it is.’ Thus both types of representation of the news items present mythic meanings. Linguistic and typographic codes are not the only codes employed in news discourse. Graphic codes must also be considered. The photographs used in the press have also undergone a process of selection. One image will be chosen over another as it connotes a message that the selectors of the photograph want to communicate. Barthes (cited in Bagnell, 1977:98) suggests that the newspaper photograph is ‘an object that has been worked on, chosen, composed, constructed, treated according to professional, aesthetic or ideological norms which are so many factors of connotation.’ The ‘treatment’ of photographs which is referred to by Barthes can be seen in the different newspapers which I have chosen. Interestingly, each version of the news item has used the same photographs, but treated them differently according to the required connotation. Each representation uses the same picture of the victim in her police uniform looking directly at the camera, and the same pictu re of the offender looking vacant and away from the camera. Again, The Times and The Telegraph use similar codes, and The Sun employs a drastically different strategy despite using the same original photographs. The most drastic difference is that The Sun presents the photographs in colour, connoting realism and the dangerousness of the offender. This is also connoted by the size of the photographs, with the graphic representation dominating a large proportion of the overall available space on the page, which is another drastic difference between The Suns representation of the news item and the other two newspapers. Despite these major differences it is significant that the newspapers have all used the same photographs, and it is interesting to look at why these particular photographs might have been chosen. Paradigmatically, photographs involve connotations, and thus the significance of the particular photographs which have been chosen can be seen more clearly when considering what other paradigmatic connotations might have appeared in their place. For example the connotations of the picture of the police officer would change considerably if she was not in uniform. Likewise, the connotations of the picture would change if the offender was looking directly at the camera and smiling, instead he is pictured looking away from the camera with a blank expression, connoting lack of emotion. The contrasted pairs which seem to be involved in the paradigms are innocence and guilt, justice and injustice. These contrasted pairs are made more clear by the way in which the meanings of the photographs are anchored in a small amount of text beneath the photographs. The Times offers its own contrasted pair in the text beneath the pictures, namely ‘killer’ and ‘killed’. As Bignell (1997:99) suggests, the caption underneath the picture enables the reader to ‘load down the image with particular cultural meanings and the photograph functions as the proof that the texts message is true.’ The pictures are also shown in different contexts in the three newspapers with The Sun using a different strategy to The Telegraph and The Times. The Telegraph and The Times use similar sized pictures of the individuals involved. In The Sun the size of the photographs of the individuals differ considerably with the ‘killer’ being represented as significantly bigger than the ‘killed’. Also, the photograph of the police officer is presented in a photograph-like frame connoting sentimentality, and elevating her position in comparison to the ‘killer’. This emotionalism is carried over into the other picture which The Sun represents which shows the coffin of the police officer being carried by her colleagues. This is a cultural sign which most readers will be able to relate to, and connotes sympathy, tragedy and injustice. This discussion of several newspapers representations of the same news item show how semiotic analysis can determine the meanings of such news items, as a result of the linguistic and visual signs used within the texts. However, semiotic analysis cannot determine how an individual reader might interpret the representations of the news items in a real social context. Semiotic analysis does offer an insight into the factors at work in the production of a news item and distinguishes the various codes which are employed by different types of newspaper when representing a particular news item.

The Koala Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Koala Inroduction The koala is the Australian jewel. It has very furry, ash colored hair, a rubbery black nose, sharp claws, fuzzy ears, and a grizzly personality, or should I say, koalality. If you kill a koala, you'll make a million off their fur! They would sell the fur to coat companies and make coats out of koala fur. Well, sadly enough, too many people are making millions on koalas. That's why they're endangered species. Habitat The koala is distributed along the eastern coastal semi-tropical forests of Australia, ranging from north Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and a small area in the south of Australia. Breeding The male koala and the female koala have two very different mating calls. When humans reach their sexual maturity at around the age of 14 or 15, koalas reach their sexual maturity at the age of two. The female produces one baby every other year. The koala almost never produces twins. In the female's pouch, there are two nipples. The female koala gives birth after a 20-35 day gestation period. When the joey (baby koala) is born, it is no longer than 2 cm and weighs no more than a 1/2 gram. The joey stays in its mother's pouch for 5-7 months. The term "joey ² is used when you are talking about a baby marsupial. The mother gives "pap ² to the joey, a liquid from the caecum (which is similar to the human organ, appendix.) This is thought to give the joey the ability to eat only eucalyptus leaves. When the joey emerges from the pouch, it clings to its mother for another seven months. The joey stays with its mother for another three or four years, until it is fully grown. Diet Koalas eat eucalyptus and don't drink water. I guess that's how they got their name. In the aboriginal language, "koala" means "no drink water." But, the koala does drink water, only when it is ill. Out of the 350 species of eucalyptus, the koala can only eat 20, will only eat 5, and only prefers to eat a certain one. Population and Extinction Since the koala population has dropped since 50% since the turn of the century, the Australian government passed a law banning anything harmful to the koalas. At first, in the 1920's they were killed for their fur. Then, somehow, a high perce... ...e New Columbia Encyclop'dia, 1975 ed., p. 1491 (New York: Columbia University Press) Bergh, John. Austrailian Koala Hospital Assosiation, Inc.: Koala Facts Sheet, http://onthenet.com.au/~jbergh/koala2.htm (Sydney: onthenet.com) Bergh, John. Austrailian Koala Hospital Assosiation, Inc.: Koala Facts Sheet, http://onthenet.com.au/~jbergh/koala4.htm (Sydney: onthenet.com) Bergh, John. Austrailian Koala Hospital Assosiation, Inc.: Koala Facts Sheet, http://onthenet.com.au/~jbergh/koala1.htm (Sydney: onthenet.com) World Book Encyclop'dia, 1996 ed., 11:361 (Chicago: World Book, Inc.) Payne, Oliver. "Koala†¹ Out on a Limb," National Geographic Magazine, April, 1995 (Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society Press) Academic American Encyclop'dia, 1994 ed., 12:103. (Danbury: Grolier, Inc.)