Sunday, October 6, 2019

Skip navigation links BFS 3430-09D, PRINCIPLES OF FIRE BEHAVIOR Essay - 3

Skip navigation links BFS 3430-09D, PRINCIPLES OF FIRE BEHAVIOR (BFS3430-09D) - Essay Example Pincer attack generally needs two teams of fire fighters, either of which will take the left side or right side of the fire. Both sides establishes an anchor point from their respective sides which is usually at the point of origin and mounts a direct attack that will come from the left flank and the right flank, both team working their way to the head of the fire (International Association of fire Chiefs n.d.). This form of attack â€Å"pinches† the fire between the two teams that lessens its growth. Flanking attack on the other hand needs only one team of fire fighters that starts at an anchor or safe point and attacks only one side or flank of the fire (International Association of fire Chiefs n.d.). This type of technique is employed when equipment and personnel are insufficient; or when one flank of the fire is higher than the other. The attack on the flank which poses a greater threat is the priority (International Association of fire Chiefs n.d.). An indirect attack is generally used for wild land and ground fires that are large and very dangerous to come close to by using a direct attack. The manner in which this type of attack is employed is done by building a fire line along the natural fuel breaks or within a safe distance from the fire (International Association of fire Chiefs n.d.). Indirect attack is used when equipment and personnel are lacking and the fire is located at a rough and dangerous landscape that makes approach quite impossible (International Association of Fire Chiefs n.d.). International Association of Fire Chiefs (COR), National Fire Protection Association. (n.d.). Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills. Retrieved July 06, 2009 from

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Creating the Appearance of Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Creating the Appearance of Science - Essay Example Additionally, the allegations made against Hwang as to the non-validity of his findings will be discussed. The work of Hwang Woo Suk was aimed at successful cloning as well as furthering stem cell research. Based on Hwang’s findings however, it was alleged that Hwang was guilty of fraud, embezzlement and of violating multiple bioethical regulations. It was also alleged that Hwang had been dealing with the Russian Mafia in order to obtain samples of mammoth DNA for the purposes of cloning. Hwang was also accused of utilizing money intended for research, toward his own personal financial gain. Pertaining to bioethics, Hwang was also accused of purchasing human eggs in exchange for IVF treatments, thus violating a law which prohibits the buying or selling of human eggs or sperm. Specifically, this law makes it illegal for one to sell one’s eggs or sperm in exchange for any personal gain. Although the currency was in fact a treatment, as opposed to monetary exchange, it is still viewed as a means of personal gain for the individual selling or trading the genetic material. Hwang’s work was relevant to a highly controversial and also growing field of Scientific research. Stem cell research and bioengineering are on the cutting edge of modern Science and the race is on to see who is able to achieve breakthroughs in this area which benefit the human race without violating bioethical laws and regulations. When Hwang released his findings and the findings of his research team, scientists from around the world were eager to learn the details of the research as well as to confirm the viability and authenticity of that research, â€Å" Hwang electrified the scientific Most of the work involved in stem cell research has been motivated by aspirations of improving and lengthening human life spans. One possibility for successful cloning, is the harvesting of human organs for perfect blood and tissue matches with that of the recipient. Additionally, stem

Friday, October 4, 2019

Victorian era Essay Example for Free

Victorian era Essay The Hound Of The Baskervilles is an intricate crime detective novel, which is a part of the classic British detective genre. It is set in romantic landscapes surrounded by more land giving the tale the perfect setting for supernatural behaviour. In association with the required Victorian taste, justice prevails at the end of the novel where the detectives discover the true culprits of the crime showing the reader that wrong doings can be overcome as well as reassuring them morally and socially that they are safe. Chapter 14 is one of the most important chapters in the novel because all the unknown events finally become answered in a manner, which would be believable in the 18th century. In the climatic chapter Conan Doyle uses heavy atmosphere and mood to develop variable psychological effects from using devices like fear, shock, surprise or and unexpected twist in the plot from unsuspected occurrences. In this 18th century story, pathetic fallacy is used to accentuate the weather scenarios and environments, which is of the Victorian era, particularly at the time where ghostly mysterious tales were very popular. Any classic British detective always traditionally has a sidekick. In the case of Sherlock Holmes his sidekick is Dr Watson who is an incredibly intelligent character and is addicted to opium. The relationship between Watson and Holmes is a very strong one and is held together by a grand admiration on Watsons part. Watsons admiration is proven in the quote: He had never said as much before, and I must admit that his words gave me a keen pleasure. This shows us Watson is incredibly excited by the fact that Holmes had recognised him and that he has an extreme admiration for him that any accomplishments would be a pleasurable experience. Holmes thinks of Watson as a friend, companion and an assistant if not his conductor of light, this means that Watson is not a genius but he occasionally gives Holmes inspiration to see unseen factors. In Chapter 14 we see the character of Holmes to be very much a genius as he has completely unravelled the curse and has proved it to be physical so that he can actually deal with it, therefore it is definitely a murder case, and the idea of it been supernatural has been dismissed. This is proven in the quote, Its dead whatever it is, said Holmes, We laid the familys ghosts once and forever. Watsons character as the sidekick is shown immensely well in chapter 14, as he witness and tells of Holmess physical and mental superiority and Watson is shown average compared to Holmes. Never have I seen a man run as Holmes did that night. I am reckoned fleet of foot, but he out paced me as much as I out paced the little professor. But in the next instance Holmes had emptied five barons of his revolver into the creatures flank. These quotes illustrate that even though Watson is good physically and mentally quite sharp, more so even than the little professor, Lestrade, but compared to Holmes he is inferior. Holmes is proven to be an amateur detective shown to us by the presence of Lestrade, the actual police officer who is there to make lawful arrest. Are you armed Lestrade? The little detective smiled as long as I have my trouser, I have a hit pocket, and as long as I have a hit pocket I have something in it. This statement can also be interpreted to be a very inappropriate joke and clashes with the serious detective genre. The use of melodramatic speech in chapter 14 is of such an extent that to the modern era it would be out of place but for the Victorian era, which it was written for, it seems intricately placed relating to the strong beliefs of the Victorians. Watson clearly describes the use of melodrama in the quotation, As her beautiful head fell upon her chest I saw the clear red weal of a whiplash across her neck The brust! cried Holmes. This speech is very melodramatic and re-enforces how significant harming a women was in the time of the Victorian. Conan Doyle, in chapter 14 of the Hound of the Baskervilles uses a vast amount of melodramatic description of the hounds to create tension. For example, fire burst from its open mouth, its eyes glowing with a smouldering glare. This portrayal of the hound would be immensely alarming to the reader forcing them into the belief that it would almost be impossible for any man to defeat a beast with such fearsome characteristics. Conan Doyle generates atmospheric suspense by explaining how the facial expressions relate to exactly to what is happening to them. We see this in the quotation; Sir Henry looked back, his face white in the moonlight, his hands raised in horror, glaring helplessly at the frightful thing which was hunting him down. The melodramatic description used here explaining the fear that had amounted on Sir Henry as the hound was ready to pounce on him effectively shows us the horrific situation he is in and that the death, and the curse of the Baskervilles is finally coming to an end. Conan Doyle conveys the mood and atmosphere through using exceptionally detailed descriptions of the surrounds, and much usage of different weather patterns to set a certain ambience, all giving out a fairly tense and mysterious effect. In chapter 14, Dartmoor is described as having a glooming curve with jagged, and sinister hills these adjectives have connotations of depression, and not anything being smooth as if something is wrong. This description darkens the atmosphere and prepares the audience for bad forthcoming events, which makes the reader feel menacing atmosphere. One of the most important senses known to man is sight. As there is lack of light on the moor the detectives result in using their hearing to its full extent. Their hearing seems to be amplified somewhat making any sound that is heard become an eerie one of danger and supernatural behaviour. In the beginning of the chapter there is very heavy fog, which creates a dismal yet mysterious atmosphere, it states the fog to be so heavy that it might have impaired their vision when they were tracking down the hound. The fog in this chapter plays a key part because it stands for the ignorance of the characters, and acts as an excuse to explain what they do not fully understand. To Holmes the fog is, The one thing which could have disarranged my plans. As the story become less of a mystery when they find that they can explain the bizarre antics of the hound the fog dies out. Phosphorus. I said. A cunning preparation of it, Holmes said. This quote explains, using scientific reasons, for the hound behaviour. All the questions have become answered and in the Victorian era, the much-appreciated use of scientific knowledge helped to resolve them, leaving the reader feeling at ease and satisfied.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Relationship Of Religion And Afghanistan Politics Essay

Relationship Of Religion And Afghanistan Politics Essay Historically, religion has a strong influence in every aspect of life, especially politics, in Afghanistan. The relationship between these two entities has been established for long time. The religion of Islam has been always integrated into the political and educational system of the country. Afghanistans constitution is derived from Islamic Sharia laws, which has combined religious and secular systems. The amalgamation of religion and politics in Afghanistan has caused decades of instability and in order to stabilize the country the politics and education system should be separated from the religion. We believe that Islam is the superior religion, and we appreciate the Islamic laws. However, religious leaders who are in the politics are misusing Islamic decrees. Therefore, it is not only defaming Islam, but also creating misunderstanding between nations, slowing down the economy and becoming a reason for conflicts in the county. To stabilize the country, apply human rights, and bring overall peace in Afghanistan, there should be compatibility between religion and politics. This can be possible through a secular system to fragment the religious elite powers from the state or in Islamic point of view Ijtihad (General acceptance of new concepts and privileges in to Islamic Sharia law) in the religion. For the first time in the history of Afghanistan, King Amanullah Khan brought magnificent reforms in the political and education systems of the country during 1928 after his state visit from Europe. King Amanuallah Khan struggled to apply European norms in Afghanistan. He realized that a secular system is the best solution to overcome dilemmas in the country. Europe could not stop their internal political problems for many decades due to religion influences between the sects of Christianity. After years of quarrels Europeans realized that beside religion, which directs spiritual life, government should control secular life. Europeans achieved their goals and created a strong union by their novel idea of separation of religion from state. The king chose the same strategy, but the strong bonds of religious parties and their extremist movements failed him. The religious leaders with public furor turned down the system and ousted the king from the throne(Riza). The newborn secular system was devastated by religious bodies, which changed governments systems. The secular schools, including girls schools, closed. Women divorce rights ended. They abolished the secular courts and replaced them by Sharia law courts, which are still applicable. Overall, Afghanistan relinquished a huge opportunity and faced challenges that led the country to the current instability in every aspect of life, especially politics, education, and social integrity (Riza). The state system was already mixing with strong Sharia law, so that the country faced a dark age of obstacles, three decades of war and Soviet invasion. After the collapse of communist regime, Mujahedeen took over the power and civil war started in the country. It was not long that the fundamentalist Taliban captured Afghanistan. These extremists not only were deprived from global modernity, but also neglect of the real Islamic knowledge. They were claiming on applying pure Islamic Sharia law. In actuality, they applied a system that was anti-Islamic and anti-human means. After the collapse of the Taliban regime, the world supported Afghans and changed the government system of the country. Afghanistans new constitution ratified, an amalgamate government formed. Yet religious parties are strongly involved in the system. They interfere in every component of the government. Indeed, they are a strong barrier against application of democracy in the country and people are still suffering. On the other hand, the legal system is a mixture of devout and customs that mostly religious leaders are practicing customary ideas inside the Islamic laws. It contradicts both Sharia law and human rights. Because of the less and primitive cultural and madrasas knowledge most religious leaders cannot distinguish between Sharia laws and old practiced customs. For example, in the rural regions they are applying a customary concept called Baad. In Baad case when, there is a conflict between two families or relatives, if anyone is killed from any side, to resolve this dispute, the murderers side usually gives his daughter or a girl to the victims family. It is opposite to any Islamic and state laws in the world. This custom is completely against human rights, even not acceptable in the Islamic law, yet it is practiced in many parts of the country. If there were a secular state legal system established in the country, the state would resolve the issue and people would not suffer. Likewise, religion influences has strongly affected globalization and the national interest of Afghanistan. The world market is so diverse now, globalization interconnects the world, and countries have close business relationship in most cases without consideration of differences in ethnicity, language, and religion. Nevertheless, in a country like Afghanistan the devout leaders and their wrong interpretation of Islam have severely damaged the national interest of the country. As an example, a few months ago the Ministry of Work and Social interaction presented a draft of new law for two days of national holiday in a week to the parliament. The ministry clearly pointed the reasons behind its appeal. They calculated the saving of total cost of government employees during the one day off. In broader prospect, Afghanistans official days has a serious problem with global market. Many businesses are suffering from global transactions, because of the clashes between the holidays in Afghani stan and the rest of world. We have one and half-day holiday during a week, half day off on Thursdays and one day off on Friday. Conversely, most countries especially the Europe and market-oriented countries such as US and China are off on Saturday and Sunday. There is a delay of any business activity at least for two days, which can create huge financial damages for businesses in the country. Besides the strong reasons of the Ministry, the parliament of Afghanistan rejected this draft of law. Because, the parliament is consists of many religious leaders they strongly refused to ratify this law. Their only reason behind was that it is an infidel movement and Afghanistan is an Islamic country. Parliament declared that never want to copy the Christian and Jewish customs and refused the draft. They have forgotten that the Saudi Arabia, which is believe to be the center of Islam, has accepted the two days of holiday because of its compatibility with global market and other political issues. I strongly believe that Afghanistan will never triumph over its economic and political struggles, unless the religious leaders are removed from politics and the separation of the state from the religion. Similarly, ignorant religious leaders deprive women of education. We accept that there are certain rights for women in Islam. However, we cannot compare the current modern area with 1,400 years ago. Moreover, a secular system to stabilize the society and apply the human rights should be compatible with the religion and modernity. Sociologist Steve Bruce argues that: Modernity undermines religion, except when it finds some major social role to play other than mediating the natural and supernatural worlds.(Bruce) In the broader view if religion steps outside of its traditional roles and takes on tasks or identities that are useful on a broader social scale, then it is possible for religion to maintain itself into modernity(Barker). In Islam, it is possible through Ijtihad, which Muslims scholars come to gather and introduce new contemporary concepts and privileges into Islamic Sharia law. The concept of Steve Bruce is acceptable in Islam via Ijtihad. They can include further womens rights inside Islamic laws including education, divorce, and gender equality. Unfortunately, considering Afghanistans situation and its religious and political leaders, it is impossible to apply Ijtihad. Therefore, the only proper way to bring prosperity to the people and the country is to set the religious leaders aside from politics. Let them to practice their religion and the government to do its job, like Turkey, another Islamic country. At the same time, education in Afghanistan like other Muslim countries has a long history. Islam had a major role on Afghan education for centuries. Today, education consists of three different categories: traditional or indigenous (pre-Islamic), modern, and Islamic education. Within the last category, there are four types of Islamic schools in Afghanistan: mosque schools; traditional madrasa, first level; second level; and the modern madrasa or in other words Islamic studies in university level. In addition, Arabic schools have appeared from the eighties and onwards. Moreover, Islam has been a dominant religion in most parts of the country for more than 1200 years and Islamic education has reached many parts of the population including rural people living in remote areas. The Koranic education not only teaches Koran but also writing, reading and counting to rural villagers, -i.e. boys and men. Islam also includes Sharia law, which infers that legal regulations and documents used among illiterate people. During the early twentieth century, the leaders tried to modernize the country, and were influenced by the developments in Turkey. The first constitution was approved on 1923 and more opportunities were given to education, and girls were also allowed to go to school. During the supremacy of King Zahir Shah (1933-1973) the government adopted new constitution and there was a significant growth in modern sector. An Islamist movement was crushed in 1975 and its leaders fled to Pakistan (Karlsson and Mansory). Throughout the 20th century there have been excessive waves of both liberal reform and traditionalist movements in Afghanistan. In the meantime, struggles over control of the education system have become a major competition between democratic and Islamist parties. The democratic and Islamist parties of the Mujahedeen have all tried to shape the political and ideological landscape of Afghanistan by carrying out reforms and religious decrees through education institutions. Afghanistan suffered immensely from the struggles for secular and religious control of educational institutions. Control of the education system has been a mobilizing force for the Mujahedeen movement, the socialists, and the overthrow of the Soviet-made government and the rise of the Taliban. There have been Links between the radical madrassas and the formation of the Taliban and involvement of such institutions of education in breeding Islamic extremism and have been a considerable factor on the security of the Afghan state (Afghanitan and Education). The struggles between secular and religious control of educational has almost totally collapsed the social sector. The literacy rate, for men 45 per cent and for women 11 per cent, among the lowest in the world. (Carlson and Mansory) Gender discrimination has been strengthened in the last decades. Over gender issues there have been many insurrections and battles in Afghanistan. Often, when womens participation in education has been enhanced, it has provoked counteractions. It is an empirical fact that education is a component of human security and one of the most important cornerstones of a society. Every society in the world has known the importance of secular education system and replicates each others experiences in peace-building and conflict prevention. A great example could be Turkey, which is one of the most developed Islamic countries in the world. Afghan government can imitate the Turkey experience and build a prosperous state. Education is a key component in creating communities and grantees their stability. However, the institutional aspects of education can also function as a root cause and source of conflict. This dual nature of education implies both the positive, or peace building and the negative, or conflict enhancing potential. Decades of instability in Afghanistan shows the linkage between institutional education and conflict, which has inadvertently helped to create the conditions for further conflict instead of building a foundation for reconciliation and sustainable peace. Education has a very essential but too often ignored role in relation to conflict prevention, reconciliation, resolution, and reconstruction. In fact, education had been known as a basis for investment in human capital, economic growth and mitigation of conflict. This rationale implies that education should be considered as a non-traditional instrument for building security. Brad Hayes and Jeffrey Sands authors of Non-traditional Military Responses to End Wars: Considerations for Policymakers, state: One, final and perhaps surprising, security area is education. Opening schools and getting children (particularly teenagers) off the streets reduces one source of potential instability, and frees their parents to go to work. School attendance also gives children hope for the future and provides them an alternative to joining factional militias.(Chesterman) By providing a civic curriculum and enhancing opportunities for students, education can act as a unifying factor in nation-building and stability. Education is also known as an essential component of peace-building. The global peace building means to empower the society to manage conflicts without violence and achieve sustainable human security. In brief, I would like to conclude that integration of political and educational system with religion has always been a chaos for countries like Afghanistan. Decades of instability and violence in Afghanistan are a good example to cite here. Afghanistan has faced many challenges with religious leaders who have used the religion as a tool to gain power and use the country for their own favors. Afghanistan political situation will never improve until the Afghan citizens identify the place of religion and politics. Since religion is a fate and politics is a game played to gain power. Afghan people should not trust anyone who uses the religion and play with peoples sentiments and gain power. In order to change the political situation in Afghanistan and lead the country to prosperity it is very important to disintegrate the political system from religion and establish a liberal and secular platform for educational system. As a Muslim I am pretty sure that Islam never contradicts modern ed ucation and democracy. Work Cited Page: Riza, Ali. The strategic use of Islam in Afghan politics. New York. Routledge, 2010: p1. Bruce, Steve. Religion in the Modern World. Oxford University Press. 1996: p 3. Barker, Philip W. and William J. Muck. Holy War for the 21st Century: Globalization, U.S. Foreign Policy, and the Development of Islamic Identity. University of Colorado. 2003: p 3. Afghanistan, Education, and the Formation of the Taliban. Fletcher School, Tufts University Leigh Nolan. January 2006: p1. Karlsson, Pia Amir Mansory. Islamic and Modern Education in Afghanistan Conflictual or Complementary? Institute of International Education Stockholm University, July 2008: p2-3. Chesterman, Simon. Walking Softly in Afghanistan: the Future of UN State- Building, Survival, Autumn 2002: vol. 33, p3.

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Intel 1998 Financial Status :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Intel 1998 Financial Status Company Info: Intel Corp was founded in 1968, in the state of California. Intel is an independent company; it is not a subsidiary, nor does it have subsidiaries. Furthermore, it is well known for its microprocessors for PCs, chipsets, flash memory, embedded control chips, and network communications products. The purchasers of the products are original equipment manufacturers, PC users, and other manufacturers. Intel makes computer hardware including motherboards, microprocessors, and chips. It is responsible for approximately 90% of the computer microprocessors. In 1971 the 4004 was Intel's first microprocessor. This breakthrough invention powered the Busicom calculator and paved the way for embedding intelligence in inanimate objects as well as the personal computer. Then in 1974 the 8080 became the brains of the first personal computer--the Altair, allegedly named for a destination of the Starship Enterprise from the StarTrek television show. Computer hobbyists could purchase a kit for the Altair for $395. Within months, it sold tens of thousands, creating the first PC back orders in history. In 1989 the 486TM generation really meant you go from a command-level computer into point-and-click computing. I could have a color computer for the first time and do desktop publishing at a significant speed," recalls technology historian David K.Allison of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The Intel 486TM processor was the first to offer a built-in math coprocessor, which speeds up computing because it offers complex math fu nctions from the central processor. Then in 1993 the Pentium ® processor allowed computers to more easily incorporate "real world" data such as speech, sound, handwriting and photographic images. The name Pentium ®, mentioned in the comics and on television talk shows, became a household word soon after introduction. In 1999 the Pentium ® III XeonTM processor extends Intel's offerings to the workstation and server market segments, providing additional performance for e-Commerce applications and advanced business computing. The processors incorporate the Pentium ® III processor's 70 SIMD instructions, which enhance multimedia and streaming video applications. The Pentium ® III XeonTM processor's advance cache technology speeds information from the system bus to the processor, significantly boosting performance. It is designed for systems with multiprocessor configurations. Intel has only one competitor, and it is a multinational corporation with offices based in over 10 countries. In addition, the company employs 64,500 people, and its annual net income in 1998 was 26,273,000,000 dollars.

IMPAIRMENT NEURAL DEVELOPMENTS AND SYMPTOMS OF AUTISM DISORDER Essay

Autism spectrum disorders are a common neural developmental brain condition (Cheng et al., 2010). It does not have unifying neurobiological or pathological etiology (Geschwind& Levitt, 2007) .It characterized by impaired social interaction and communication skills and restricted repetitive behavior (Johnson & Myers, 2007). Medical condition such as mental retardation, chromosomal anomalies and seizures are often appear with autism (Casanova, 2007). During first 3 years of childhood, these major symptoms are revealed (Casanova, 2007). Autism is one of three recognized condition and the other two know as Asperger’s syndrome (Levy, Mandell, & Schultz, 2009). There are also secondary symptoms that may not be shown in individual with autism disorder such as lower IQ performance and sensory sensitivity (Alexander et al., 2006). It occurs due to altered recognition and connection of brain nerve cell and their synapses (Levy et al., 2009). Other factor contribute to the occurrence of autism are genetics or environmental factors or both (Rodier, 2004). In 1960s, it was estimated to occur in five in every 10,000 child worldwide but this number is increased recently to be 72 in every 10,000 child since the 1990s due to the change in diagnostic practice and media attention (Newschaffer et al, 2007). The reason of increasing this disorder in recent year is still unknown (Comi, Zimmerman, Frye, Law, & Peeden, 1999). This essay will discuss the causes of Autism spectrum disorders, brain structure changes that involved in this condition and thus the major and secondary symptoms occurrence in relating to these structure impaired development in the brain. Autism appears between embryo development and the first 3 years of child development and c... ... Schendel, D., & Windham, G. C. (2007).The Epidemiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Annu. Rev. Public Health, 28, 21.1–21. Geschwind D. H., & Levitt, P. (2007), Autism spectrum disorders: developmental disconnection syndromes. Neurobiology 17,103–11. Johnson, C. P., & Myers, S. M. (2007). Identification and Evaluation of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders. PEDIATRICS, 120, 1183-1215. Levy, S. E., Mandell, D. S., & Schultz, R. T. (2009). Autism. The Lancet, 374(9701), 1627 – 1638. Lam, K. S. L., & Aman, M. G. (2007). The Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised: Independent Validation in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, 37, 855–866. Rodier, P. M. (2000). The Early Origins of Autism. Scientific American, 56-63. Rodier, P. M. (2004). Environmental Causes of Central Nervous System Maldevelopment. PEDIATRICS, 113, 1076-1083.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Nasha is my idol Essay

Natasha (Russian: Ð Ã °Ã'‚Ð °ÃŒ Ã'ˆÐ °) is a female given name of Russian origin. Originally it was a diminutive form of Natalia, which in turn derives from the Latin Dies Natalies, meaning â€Å"Natal Day† or â€Å"Birthday† in reference to the traditional birth of Jesus. It was traditionally given to girls born around Christmas.[1] In Russia and other post-Soviet countries this name still remains only an unofficial diminutive form, while in the West it became an independent given name, probably under influence of Natasha Rostova from Leo Tolstoi’s â€Å"War and Peace†. Alexis Davis (born Natasha Cassadine) on the soap opera General Hospital Other Natashas[edit] Natasha (monkey), macaque at the Safary Park zoo near Tel Aviv, Israel Natasha’s Story, 1994 non-fiction book Where is Baby Natasha? A sesame street children’s book â€Å"Natasha†, a song on the 2003 album Want One by Rufus Wainwright â€Å"Natasha†, a song by American grindcore band Pig Destroyer released on 2004 album Terrifyer as bonus, and also as separate ep album. Natacha (comics) a French comic about an air hostess Natascha Kampusch, an Austrian author who was kidnapped at the age of 10 years old Natascha is the name of an unlockable weapon in Team Fortress 2