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Numbness of the Mind Paradigm in Haruki Murakami’s After the Quake and Iraq’s After the Quake
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Haruki Murakami (1949-present) is a contemporary Japanese writer whose works have been translated into fifty languages and won him plenty of Japanese and international awards. His short stories are well constructed in a weird realistic manner and are mixed with elements of surrealism. His novels and short stories fall under the genre of magical realism. One of the major revolving themes that Murakami wrote about was the haunting feeling of emptiness and disconnectedness in a world which seems to care much for materialism and self-interests.

    The paper explores two of Murakami’s short stories in his book After the Quake (2000) and the relevance of their themes and characters to Iraq after the quake. Literally, Iraq may never have witnessed a real earthquake, but one can say its metaphorical meaning has a great implication upon the lives of its people. The reference to Iraq after the quake in this paper would focus on the aftermath of the 2003 War such as: the feeling of disconnection among people, disinclination in life, feelings of deprivation and depreciation, and the corruption of leaders and politicians. Likewise, though Murakami’s short stories chosen in this paper do not deal with the actual earthquake, its implications can be felt as we read the stories. His characters witness a sense of disconnectedness and the feeling of being unappreciated even when they do the hardest and most dangerous jobs.

    Two of Murakami’s short stories “UFO in Kushiro” and “Super Frog Saves Tokyo” are tackled to show the paradigm and comparison between the lives of these characters (that are actually a reflection of Japanese lives in mid 1990s) and the restricted depressing life of the Iraqis in the postwar era of the 2003 War. Both have experienced fragmentation, despair and lack of self-worth due to the reasons that are explained in this paper. The Iraqis however, may have experienced a deeper suffering where one can say they have reached a state of the numbness or enslavement of the mind and feelings. The paper also highlights that animosity should be dissipated from the hearts of people specifically in politicians and top leaders. Though it is a complicated world, man should conceive that the prosperity of mankind rests in his own hands. Cherishing the diversity of cultures and understanding each other’s moral principles are the means to diminish evil in order to reach the desired bliss.

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Publication Date
Sun Dec 09 2018
Journal Name
Baghdad Science Journal
An Epidemiological, Diagnostic, and Therapeutic Study of the Leishmania tropica Parasite in Iraq’s Anbar Province
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This paper involved the registration of 1,936 cases of infection of the Leishmania tropica parasite observed at hospitals and health centers in Ramadi, Fallujah, Baghdadi, and Hit during 2017. The results revealed that the highest rates of infection were found in Ramadi and Fallujah. The 1-10 years age group recorded the highest rate at 35.5%. There was no significant difference (p ≥ 0.05) between the sexes. December and January saw the highest rate of infection, where the rate in rural townships was found to be 65.5%, higher than in urban regions which saw a rate of 34.4%. Facial lesions were the most prominent area of infection, recorded at a rate of 41.3%. The study also included an examination of 180 rodents (94 mice and 86 black r

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Publication Date
Thu Oct 01 2020
Journal Name
The Asian Efl Journal
The Habits of Mind in Constructing Typical EFL Teacher's Stereotypes
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Publication Date
Thu Mar 15 2018
Journal Name
Journal Of Baghdad College Of Dentistry
The Surface Hardness Measurement of Stone and Improved Die Stone After the Addition of a Mixture of Chemical Additives with Different Proportion
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Background: Incorporation of chemical additives has long been a technique used to improve properties of the gypsum products. The purpose of this work was to study the effects of adding a combination of gum Arabic and calcium hydroxide to a type III dental stone and type IV improved die stone with different proportion. The effect on water/powder ratio, and surface hardness was determined. Material and method: Both material stone and die stone were blended with two proportion of additives so that each material was mixed twice but with different proportion of gum Arabic (0.1% and 0.2%) and calcium hydroxide (0.5 % and 0.3%). Data for hardness were subjected to two-way analysis of variance. Results: The results revealed that the chemical additi

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Publication Date
Mon Apr 04 2022
Journal Name
Journal Of Educational And Psychological Researches
The Effect of the Interaction between the Use of the Improve Strategy in Teaching Mathematics and Achievement Levels on the Acquisition of Algebraic Concepts and Habits of Mind among Tenth Grade Students in Oman
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The current study aims to investigate the effect of the interaction between the use of the improve strategy in teaching mathematics and the level of academic achievement on the acquisition of algebraic concepts and habits of mind among tenth-grade students in Oman. The study adopted the experimental method, based on a quasi-experimental design with two groups: experimental and control groups and pre-post-measurement. The study sample consisted of (28) 10th-grade students as an experimental group and 26 of 10th-grade students as a control group in Al-Tufail bin Amr School in South Al Batinah. The differences in the pretest and posttest gains were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, ANCOVA, t-test, effect size (eta-square), and two-wa

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Publication Date
Mon Sep 16 2019
Journal Name
Ibn Al-haitham Journal For Pure And Applied Sciences
Colorimetric Determination of Meprobamate after a simple derivatization
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     A sensitive and environmentally benign spectrometric method was developed for quantifying Meprobamate (MEP). The analyzed MEP was derivatized into a colored complex and determined spectrometrically. The colorimetric analytical parameters were optimized and validated. Low limit of detection (LOD) was achieved down to 1.88×10-6 mol/l while the limit of quantification (LOQ) was extended over the range of 1.97×10-6 - 1.35×10-3 mol/l. The high precision has been denoted by the 1.54% value of the coefficient of variation. The recovery was 96.07%, while the RSD (n=3) was 1.05 - 1.19%. The apparent molar absorptivity (Ɛ) obtained within 1154.7 - 1691.9 L.mol-1.cm

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Publication Date
Thu Nov 02 2023
Journal Name
Journal Of Engineering
An Overview of How the Petrophysical Properties of Rock Influenced After Being Exposed to Cryogenic Fluid
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Exposure to cryogenic liquids can significantly impact the petrophysical properties of rock, affecting its density, porosity, permeability, and elastic properties. These effects can have important implications for various applications, including oil and gas production and carbon sequestration. Cryogenic liquid fracturing is a promising alternative to traditional hydraulic fracturing for exploiting unconventional oil and gas resources and geothermal energy. This technology offers several advantages over traditional hydraulic fracturing, including reduced water consumption, reduced formation damage, and a reduced risk of flow-back fluid contamination. In this study, an updated review of recent studies demonstrates how the

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Publication Date
Fri Jan 10 2020
Journal Name
Polymers
Influence of Polyphosphates on the Physicochemical Properties of Poly (Vinyl Chloride) after Irradiation with Ultraviolet Light
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Three new polyphosphates were synthesized in good yields by reacting diethylenetriamine with the appropriate phosphate ester in ethanol under acidic conditions. The polyphosphate structures were determined using FT-IR and 1H-NMR spectroscopies, and their elemental compositions were confirmed by EDX spectroscopy. Polyphosphates were added to poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) at low concentrations to fabricate thin films. The PVC films were irradiated with ultraviolet light for long periods, and the effect of polyphosphates as the photostabilizer was investigated by determining changes in the infrared spectra (intensity of specific functional group peaks), reduction in molecular weight, weight loss, and surface morphology. Minimal changes we

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Publication Date
Wed Jan 02 2019
Journal Name
Journal Of Educational And Psychological Researches
The Effect of Using Waks Strategy Upon Acquisition The Psychological Concepts And Mind Habits for Students of College of Education
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  The aim of research is to identify the effect of using Waks strategy upon acquiring the psychological concepts and mind habits for students in the college of education. An experimental design with a partial adjustment of two experimental and control groups as well as a posttest were employed. The researcher divided the study sample into two groups: group one consisted of (38) students to represent the experimental group that was taught according to the waks strategy, and group two consisted of (35) students to represent the control group that was taught according to the traditional method. The sample was chosen based on some variables namely (Intelligence, Prior knowledge). The researcher has designed the research tools as th

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Publication Date
Sun Jul 06 2025
Journal Name
Journal Of Baghdad College Of Dentistry
An Evaluation of Some Mechanical Properties of Autopolymerizing Acrylic Resin with the Modified One after Changing the Curing Environment: (In vitro Study)
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Background: Studying and investigating the transverse strength(Ts), impact strength(Is), hardness (Hr) and surface roughness(Ra) of conventional and modified autopolymerizing acrylic resin with different weight percentages of biopolymer kraftlignin, after curing in different water temperatures; 40°C and 80°C. Material and Methods: Standard acrylic specimens were fabricated according to ADA specification No.12 for transverse strength, ISO 179 was used for impact testing, Shore D for hardness and profilometerfor surface roughness. The material lignin first dispersed in the monomer, then the powder PMMA is immediately added. Ligninadded in different weight percentages. Then cured using pressure pot (Ivomet) in two temperatures;40°C a

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Publication Date
Sun Jul 06 2025
Journal Name
Al-mostansiriyah Journal For Arabic And International Studies
The role of women in combating intellectual extremism
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Abstract: The term extremism refers to the distance from moderation, excess and hyperbole, and it is a relative term that varies from one society to another, according to the prevailing traditions, values and culture, as the problem of extremism is one of the main issues that contemporary societies are concerned with is a phenomenon that has its roots in the intellectual formation of societies. By knowing the concept of extremism, we can identify the reasons that contributed to the existence of extremism as a phenomenon, on the one hand; on the other hand, to clarify the role of women in combating extremism and developing effective solutions to reduce this phenomenon. As women play a major role in society, starting from the family to educa

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