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Previously unseen live footage of Mansun’s October 1997 warm-up gig at the Tunbridge Wells Forum. “We videoed the Tunbridge Wells gig last year, it was great, it’ll probably be released one day.” – Paul Draper, 1998

Duration : 0:5:13

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"love the heart that hurts you but never the heart that loves you."

"Some of the greater things in life are unseen thats why you close your eyes when you kiss, cry, or dream."

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved."

"You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.”

"There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved."
I really like that one. It’s definitely the most true out of them all.
Without love, what do you have? Nothing.

I find it totally disrespectful when people deny God. It makes me so sad for them. It isn’t fair that Evolution (which is a scientific theory) is being taught in school as though it is definite Truth; when God has been removed from the school system.

I don’t see how people can believe in Evolution & the supposed "Big Bang Theory" when it is just that..a THEORY. It is impossible for planets to just explode & combine together & create life without some driving force behind it.

Many Scientist as well as un-believers always need to base things on facts & what CAN be seen while Chrisitians believe & have Faith in the UN-seen. The main thing is; what can be seen only lasts for a certain period of time while the unseen lasts forever

Faith is the substance of things hoped for & the evidence of the unseen….what so many people don’t realize is that if theyonly just let go & believed; then God would help them & take over in any area of their lives that is needed. Then they’d understand & there would be no room skepticism & doubt. They would just FEEL God’s Love by simply having Faith.

So my question is: Why do people not believe in the Lord….what is the reason??
EDIT: I find it "disrespectful" towards God when ppl don’t believe because you are denying a man who literally WAS NAILED TO A CROSS to save you.

Some of you are being very un-appreciative
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDJ4H–AMdI&feature=related

I don’t dig your swag* and I think this question is completely irrelevent in this section.
Asto why people do not believe in the Lord – that is a bit of an assumption on your part.
Of course religion is far more prevalent than non-belief. Its just that there is disbelief in YOUR lord. There’s a difference.
Why is there a disbelief ? Perhaps the level1 stories just aren’t convincing enough anymore. Perhaps mankind has grown up and needs level2 reading material ?

"When you (fully) understand
the invocation, recite it every night before Friday, or once every month,
or
once every year, or once in your lifetime, you will be protected, helped,
blessed, and forgiven (by the Almighty)."

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
O’ my God! I ask You,
by Your mercy, which covers everything,
by Your power, which overpowers everything, and to which everything submits
and is humble,
by Your might, by which You overcome everything,
by Your glory, before which nothing stands,
by Your magnificence, which fills everything,
by Your authority, which rises over everything,
by Your face (i.e., essence), which remains after the destruction of
everything,
by Your names, which fill the essence of everything,
by Your knowledge, which encompasses everything, and
by the light of Your face (i.e., essence), for which everything shines.

O’ the Light, O’ the Most Holy, O’ the first of those who where first,
and the last of those who will be last.
O’ God! Forgive me (my) sins, which tear apart modesty.
O’ God! Forgive me (my) sins, which bring down misfortunes.
O’ God! Forgive me (my) sins, which change prosperity.
O’ God! Forgive me (my) sins, which block out invocation.
O’ God! Forgive me (my) sins, which cut off hopes.
O’ God! Forgive me (my) sins, which bring down distress.
O’ God! Forgive me all sins that I have committed and all mistakes that I
have made.

O’ God! I approach You by Your remembrance, seek Your intercession through
Yourself, and ask You by Your generosity,
to bring me closer to You,
to bestow on me the ability to thank You,
to inspire me to Your remembrance.
O’ God! I ask You as a person who is submissive, humble, and obedient,
to treat me kindly, to have mercy on me, and to make me satisfied, content
with what You have allotted, and humble in all circumstances.

O’ God! I ask You as a person,
whose poverty is intense,
who presents his need only to You, and
whose desire is great for what You have.

O’ God! Great is Your authority, exalted is Your place, unknown is Your
plan, clear is Your command, overwhelming is Your might, continuous is Your
power, and escape is impossible from Your domain.

O’ God! I can not find anyone,
who can forgive my sins,
who can cover my ugly misdeeds, nor
who can change my misdeeds to good, but You.

There is no God but You, glory and praise be to You.
I have harmed myself, I dared (to sin) because of my ignorance, and I was
confident in Your past remembrance of me, and Your continuous grace on me.

O’ God!
How many ugly deeds You have covered!
How many heavy misfortunes You have lifted!
How many stumblings You have prevented!
How many disliked (objects) You have removed!
How many graceful praises, which I was not worthy of it, You have made
spread!

O’ God! My distress is great, my sorry plight exceeded the limits, my deeds
are short, my chains kept me down, and my high desires withheld me from
gaining what was at hand.
The world has deceived me by its illusion, and my soul by its disloyalty,
and my postponement.

O’ my Master! I ask You by Your might, not to let my ugly deeds and acts
conceal my invocation from You. Thus do not disgrace me by exposing what is
secret of my acts which only You are aware of, and do not rush the
punishment of what I have done secretly, such as, my ugly deeds, my
offenses, my continuous negligence, my ignorance, my numerous whims, and my
foolishness.

O’ God! By Your might, be compassionate to me in all circumstances, and
have
grace on me in all matters.

My God and my Lord! Whom can I ask, beside You, to remove my disadvantages,
and to look into my affairs?

My God and my Protector! You have laid on me rules (to follow), but I
followed my own whims. I did not take protection from the sham of my enemy.
Therefore, he was able to deceive me through my desire, and the divine
decree favored him in this matter. Thus I have exceeded Your limits by
violation of some of Your rules, and disobeyed some of Your commands.
But Your praise is due on me in all these matters, and I have no argument
against the judgment You passed on me. Your judgment and Your test on me
became indispensable.

My God! I come to You after my faults and my wastefulness against myself,
while apologizing, repentant, dejected, asking to discharge me from my
sins,
asking forgiveness, turning to You, confessing, yielding, and acknowledging
my mistakes.

I do not find any way out from what I have done, nor any place to refuge to
turn to, about my affairs, except Your acceptance of my apology, and Your
entering me in to the range of Your mercy.

O’ my God! Then accept my apology, have mercy on my intense disadvantage,
and free me from the solid chains.
O’ my Lord! Have mercy on my weak body, the thinness of my skin, and my
delicate bones.
O’ He has began my creation, my remembrance, my upbringing, my welfare and
my nourishment,
Be generous to me as You were in the beginning, and be kind to me as You
were before.

O’ my God, my Master, and my Lord! How could You see me punished with Your
fire,
after my belief in Your unity,
after my heart recognizing You,
after my tongue speaking continuously in Your remembrance,
after my heart has been bound to Your love,
after my true confession, and my humble invocation to Your divinity?

No, How impossible it is!
You are too generous to abandon one whom You have raised,
or to push away (from Your mercy) one whom You have already brought near,
or to drive away one whom You have given shelter,
or to leave to misfortune one whom You have enriched and blessed.

O’ my Master, my God! I wish I could know, how would You impose fire
on faces, which fall down prostrating to Your magnificence, and
on hearts, which surely acknowledge Your divinity, and
on tongues which have sincerely pronounced Your unity and thanked You with
Your praise, and
on minds, which acquired knowledge until became humble, and
on limbs, which hurried to praise You and which obediently moved to place
of
Your worship, introducing Your forgiveness, (while) yielding (to it).

No. Never! Such a suspicion can never be directed to You, nor we have heard
of such a thing from Your grace.

O’ the Most Generous! O’ Lord! You know my weakness to endure a small
portion of worldly misfortune, its punishment, and difficulties, which fall
upon its inhabitants, while that is a misfortune and difficulty whose
duration is short. How then can I bear the misfortune of the hereafter and
the occurrence of its tremendous difficulties while it is a misfortune
whose duration will be long, whose situation will continue, and there will
be no decrease for its inhabitants because it can not be but from Your
wrath, vengeance, and anger for which neither Heavens nor Earth can stand?
O’ my Master! How can I endure it, while I am Your servant, the weak, the
insignificant, the low, the poor, and the humble.

O’ my God, my Lord, my Master, and my Protector! About which should I
complain to You, and about what should I outcry and weep,
for the grievous punishment and its intensity, or
for the length of misfortune and its duration?
Therefore if You send me to Your enemies for punishment, gather me with
misfortune people, and separate me from those who love You and those who
adore You, Then O’ my God, my Master, my Nourisher, my Lord!
suppose that I would be patient on Your punishment, how then, would I be
patient on my separation from You? and
suppose that I would be patient on the heat of Your fire, how then, would I
be deprived of looking into Your honor? or how would I abide in fire, while
I hope for Your forgiveness?

O’ my Master and my Protector! Thus, truly I swear by Your might, that if
You leave me with the power of speech, among the inhabitants of Hell,
I would cry to You like those who cry out of hope,
I would scream like those who scream for serious help,
I would weep like those who have lost (hope), and
I would call You saying: "O’ the Protector of believers! O’ the utmost hope
of those who know You! O’ the Helper of those who appeal for help! O’ the
beloved of trustfuls! O’ the Lord of the worlds!"

O’ my God! Glory and praise be to You. How would You hear the voice of a
submissive servant, who is imprisoned (within the fire) because of his
disobedience, tasted the flavor of its punishment for his resistance,
blocked within the layers of Hell for his sins and crimes, while he cries
as
one who hopes for Your mercy, calls You by the language of the people who
believe in Your unity, and seek refuge to You by Your divinity!

O’ my protector! Then how can (Your servant) remain in pain while he hopes
Your indulgence that was in the past? or,
how can the fire hurts him while he has hope in Your favor and compassion?
or,
how can the flames burn him while You hear his voice and see his place? or,
how can the exhaling (of fire) covers him while You know his weakness? or,
how can he be immersed in its layers while You know his sincerity? or,
how can the flames torture him while he calls You "O’ my Lord!"? or,
how possible can it be to leave him in the fire while he hopes for Your
grace to free him?!

No. Never. Such an idea can not be attributed to You, nor it is known of
Your grace, nor it is similar to the way You have treated the believers in
Your unity by Your kindness, and Your generosity.

Therefore, I am certainly sure that had You not judged to punish
unbelievers
in You, and to leave Your enemies in the fire that lasts for ever, then You
have made the fire totally cool and peaceful, and no one would have any
place in it, neither permanently, nor even for a short time.

But You have sworn by Your sanctified Names that You will fill it with all
unbelievers, from the unseen (Jin) and mankind, and that You keep Your
enemies there forever. You, great be Your praise, have said in the
beginning, and by Your generosity extended the grace, that: "Is he who a
believer like the one who is not? No, they can not be alike." (Quran:
32:18)

O’ my Lord and my Master! I ask You, then,
by the power, which You have enforced,
by Your divine decree, which You have made a necessity, governed, and
overpowered whom You have imposed (the power) on,
that, You forgive me at this night, and this moment,
all crimes, which I have dealt with,
all sins, which I have committed,
all ugly deeds, which I have kept secret,
all foolishness, which I have done, whether kept it secret, or disclosed,
covered or uncovered, and,
all evils, which You have ordered the noble scribes to record, those whom
You authorized to keep what is done by me, and made them witnesses on me
beside my limbs, then, (after all) You are the observer above them, the
witness of what remains hidden from them, and what You did hide by Your
mercy, and (You have) covered by Your grace,
and that You increase my share of all good things, which You have sent
down,
or good deeds, which You have favored,
or Kindness, which You have spread,
or means of living, which You have made available,
or sins, which You forgive,
or mistakes, which You conceal.

O’ Lord, O’ Lord, O’ Lord, my Master, my Protector, and the Master of my
freedom!
O’ He who has my forehead in His hands,
O’ He who knows my disadvantages and my poverty,
O’ He who is well acquainted with my misery and neediness,
O’ Lord, O’ Lord, O’ Lord!
I ask You by Yourself, by Your Holiness, by Your great attributes, and
names,
that, You make my times of days and nights alive by Your remembrance, and
joined to Your service, my deeds accepted by You. So that my deeds and my
remembrances all become one harmonic effort, and my (life be in an) eternal
state, devoted to Your service.

O’ my Master!
O’ He only on Him I depend!
O’ He only to Him I complain about my situation!
O’ Lord, O’ Lord, O’ Lord!
Strengthen my limbs for Your service,
intensify (my) determination through all parts of my body,
grant me eagerness in Your fear, and continuous service to You, in order to
move towards You among those who are first in their fields,
be prompt toward You among those who are first,
yearn toward Your nearness among those who are eager,
become close to You like the closeness of those who are sincere,
fear You like those who are certain, and join the believers near You.

O’ God!
Whoever wishes me evil, wish him the same,
Whoever wants to harm me, harm him,
put me among the best of Your servants, the closest in status to You, the
most privileged to You.
Indeed, that can not be attained without Your grace.
Grant me generously by Your generosity,
have sympathy for me, by Your glory,
protect me by Your mercy.
Make my tongue dedicated to Your remembrance, and my heart subservient to
Your love.
Bestow blessings on me by Your excellent fulfillment,
prevent my stumbling, and forgive my lapses.
Indeed You have commanded Your servants to worship You, ordered them to
call
upon You, and assured them Your fulfillment(of their requests).
Therefore, O’ Lord! I raise my face to You, and I extend my hands toward
You.

O’ Lord! By Your might, then, answer my invocation, make me attain my
request.
By Your grace, do not cut off my hope, and protect me from the harms from
the unseen and the mankind among my enemies.

O’ He who is quickly pleased! Forgive he who has nothing but prayer.
Indeed,
You do what You please.
O’ He whose Name is remedy, whose remembrance is healing, and whose
obedience is prosperity!
Have mercy on he, whose capital is hope, and whose weapon is weeping.

O’ He who provides complete blessing, and, who removes misfortunes!
O’ the Light of those who are distressed in darkness!
O’ He who knows without learning!
Bless Mohammad and The Members of his House, and do for me what You are
worthy of doing.

May Allah bless His Messenger, and the blessed Leaders among his
descendants, and bestow upon them an endless peace and tranquillity.

Ameen

Given to Kumayl Ibn Ziad by Imam Ali

I know there is the world unseen but that isn’t available online either yet. So im looking for some movies that can entertain me until those two come out.

Also does anyone know when "I can’t think straight" will be released in The United States?

Thx

I searched and searched everywhere this movie for you and couldnt find it. But if you are looking for the latest movies and other great movies. You can go to think website: http://www.oodles-of-entertainment.com

hope this helps you…sorry i couldnt fin exactly what you were looking for.

We know that it’s a LOT, because we can see with our eyes and our lovely telescopes that there are, because we have actually counted and catalogued them. My question is, how do you count the ones you cannot see?

You know without a doubt, there’s more, but how do you really really know if you can’t see them?
What is the thought process that leads to the conclusion that the unseen, unverifiable star is real? Is it The Scientific Method? Please help me understand the manner in which Science comes to it’s conclusions.
so the answer is No. Nobody can say how many?
Why not? Because we lack the faculties to count them? NO. We can count them if we could only see them, but at this point in our existence and this stage of our technology, we can not see them all to count them all. If we continue to count the ones we see and continue to expand our abilities to see them and continue to count…….at some point…..we wil, indeed, have seen them all and counted them all.

Does this theory work? Why or why not?

The number of stars will NEVER be the same at anytime, therefore a real count in never going to be made. A start can burn out or another one may apear, thus the number is always changing, and we wouldn’t be able to count but maybe 1/100 of what is out there. We have no idea how large " space " really is, and don’t know the stars from there either, so the closet anyone will ever get is saying there are billions and billions..and they are right..its an estimated guess, and thats about as close as we can come at this point.

Thanks for the advice. Have you seen this alot in your line of work? Are you in the US or Canada? Will I have to do any modifications? Should I check with VW about the warranty? The dealer says I have it until July 2010 which sounds right. I’m nervous doing all of this long distance – sight unseen…

Hey, ok, the cruise issue I have not seen yet, there have been issues with the steering control module but mostly in GTI’s which is corrected by replacing the module. I have not seen this in the Passat. The main issues I have seen in the Passat are airbag light (easy fix), hesitation on acceleration (there is a software update for this), but the biggest issue is with the high pressure oil pump but again this will be covered warranty if it actually comes up(you will hear a loud engine rattle) Other than that all else has been mild. You should see about the certified vw warranty if avail, will cost a few more bucks but I believe this will extend your 4/50000 to 7/70000 so ask about it. The absolute main issue with VW’s is customers not staying up on regular scheduled maintenance due to cost. The 20k maint will run around 300 bucks and 40k around 400-500 bucks. Rear brakes, depending on driving habits, will need to be replaced around 40k as well but just recently VW has said that if the rotors are in spec then they can be turned where as before they were replaced. Oil changes are synthetic only but you may be able to extend your interval to every 10k miles instead of the standard 5000 but again this depends on climate, driving habits, etc. The car is awesome to drive and very very comfortable. Safety features are phenomenal. If you are not pleased with your purchase due to reliability issues, then speak with your local dealership service manager and if still no help then call vw customer care. I see weekly customers that are very good with maintenance and staying on top of their cars get major issues covered good will by vw outside of their warranty ie. you have 63000 miles and all the sudden the transmission fails. This is not always the case but more often covered than not. VW wants your business and will work with you if you have problems, at least so far as I have experienced. Good luck on the car, if you need further help just ask. If you want, foward me the vin (vehicle id number on the driver side windshield) and I can pull a history report.

The Poem Is Entitled:
Blood, Tears And Death.

Can you still face yourself,
Once you’ve has done something you regret?
This wouldn’t have happened at all,
Had we never ever met.

This heart silently screams,
Bleeds and cries, though left unseen.
A tear falls from these eyes,
A tear of darkness from this teen.

Blood trickles down this hand,
Drips quietly on to the ground.
In her cries and in her pain,
Her blood and tears, she has drowned.

Oblivion awaits for those who dies,
And yet she hope and prays each night.
Driven by madness and sorrow,
Slowly extinguished, is the Light.

The Light has melted away,
As she lays on this lonely bed.
People crying with remorse and pity,
She lays in bed, already dead.

Sorrowed and depressed,
Pained and bled, did she.
This girl finally rests with a smile,
For she realizes she’s free…

Man I hope I haven’t lost my touch in poetry. =/
Give me your honest opinions please. =)
to bluesk: yeah sure you can save it to your folder but of course if you wish to use it for anything at all you cannot claim it as yours, kay? =) thanks for the comment

I love all poetry this one is dark and I personally think it’s fantastic. I’ve read some of your work and i really like them. For as young as you are hat’s off to you kiddo. You have some serious talent. Take some creative writing courses that’s what i did years ago and i have a couple published. Good luck to you.

I will be moving to Fort McPherson (outside Atlanta, Georgia) in 2007. I will need to rent a home for my family before I move and don’t want to end up living in a dive.

Many real estates rent online and have pictures and descriptions.

The study of politics first grabbed my attention when I started to pursue my own examination of the Civil Rights Movement. Examining the methods employed by the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations to achieve “order over justice” at various points in the movement always bothered me. However, these same methods that I deplored with the advantage of hindsight that I now enjoy through the works of many scholars such as Taylor Branch and David Garrow led to my fascination with international and comparative politics. Particularly, Pan-Africanism and its effect on Black American political thought and activism.
My study of civil rights was originally intended to be a personal examination of the people, places and events that were so critical in shaping my African-American experience. During undergrad, I found myself enchanted with classes such as Turning Points in U.S. History #1 which examined the Black slave from colonial times to the beginning of reconstruction, Turning Points in U.S. History #2 which examined the Black man during the height of the second freedom struggle know as the Civil Rights Movement, and Africana Studies which examined the modern African-American experience today in America – and was taught by a professor with a professed Pan-Africanist point of view. This Pan-Africanist prospective opened my eyes not only to Pan-Africanism, but also to having a more internationalist perspective of current events.
Coincidentally, the semester I was enrolled in Africana Studies, I was also privileged to be enrolled in The History of South Africa and Middle East 2: The Modern Period simultaneously. Looking back, The History of South Africa course reinforced Ian Bremmer’s theory on “The J Curve.” I saw how domestic pressure from an increasingly unhappy but politically powerless Black majority combined with sanctions and isolation from the international community eventually hastened the inevitable breakdown of apartheid. However, I was more impressed by how President Mandela had the vision and political savvy to use his political capital to transition his country to the upper right side of the J-Curve through the combination of reconciliation, openness, and sound economic policies (However, I firmly believe that to keep South Africa from the same fate as Zimbabwe or other African countries he had no choice but to pursue the policies that he did. Mandela was thinking for the long term rather than short term, just as the Whites who voted for the transitional government were thinking.)
Just as President Mandela was planning for the long term, Middle East 2: The Modern Period also taught me Theodore Herzl’s long term strategies for Zionism and the establishment of the modern nation of Israel. This was particularly fascinating for me because I was able to compare and contrast Pan-Africanism with Zionism. Although the two philosophies aren’t identical, a sharp comparison of the two demonstrates when, where and how an idea is likely to take hold and evolve into a movement and why great movements don’t always make for great administration and state building.
As a social studies education major I was often forced to substitute courses I was eager to take in the fields of international relations and Africana studies for courses that "were required" for my major. Originally I viewed this as a negative aspect, but once again hindsight has proved that taking the required social studies education curriculum which stressed breadth (geography, history, political science, economics, sociology) over depth (single discipline) has placed me ahead of some of my peers when it comes to understanding politics and contemporary history from multiple perspectives, which is an even bigger advantage in the interdisciplinary fields of Africana studies and international relations. This was confirmed in the summer prior to my senior year of undergrad. I finally got my opportunity to take two courses that induced me to consider a change of career plans, U.S. Foreign Policy and Comparative Politics. These two courses challenged the typical American citizen’s thinking of foreign affairs by requiring us to go beyond our perceptions of the policy by examining a policy’s messy domestic formulation, its comparative perception overseas, and the policy’s resulting consequences at home and abroad. Each course challenged mythmaking by examining harsh realities due to history, geography, economics, and sociology – not just politics. Everything plays a role seen and unseen.
Although graduate school was never my intention three years earlier as I first entered college, I had now given it enough thought over the course of two years (sophomore & junior) to know that it was something I definitely wished to pursue. I knew I wanted to combine my interests in Africana studies, history, and political science/international affairs in a way that both advanced knowledge and challenged social norms and values in ways that could bring about fundamental change through practical pursuits. I needed creativity combined with hard facts, solid statistics, and in-depth analysis. I needed to study Africana studies with an emphasis in political science (international/comparative) and contemporary history. I saw this as the best path for myself because I would be able to use my breadth of studies to analyze issues from multiple angles, as well as my strong desire for in-depth analysis to dig deep into the heart/root of any issue.
Coincidentally, I had been a member of the legislative body of the student government for two years. This granted me the opportunity to participate in researching issues, conducting opinion polls, and most importantly test my knowledge, judgment and interpersonal communication skills in choosing the best options and alternatives for the student body. This experience was extremely helpful in my understanding of legislative politics by providing a practical application to my theory based knowledge. In the same manner my three years spent as a resident assistant in the residence halls on campus induced me into good time management skills as well as opening my senses and sensibilities to people with different backgrounds, ideals and habits from my own. Talking with residents and learning their values and interests forced me to see each situation that arose from multiple perspectives, be they right or wrong.
Being away from school for two years has been a huge advantage for me. Moving to metro N/A from central Pennsylvania (raised)/northeast Ohio (college) has also allowed me to bring the Civil Rights Movement to life through visiting museums and historic sights. Also, my southern experience has allowed me to experience life in a different region of the country which in turn has taught me just how diverse African-American thought can range on similar issues. I’ve invested my time in reading history, politics, old college textbooks (which seem to make even more sense now), The Washington Post, and scholarly journals such as Foreign Affairs, The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, and Policy Review. I also used my degree in education to teach tenth grade World History Honors at a local high school in N/A. This experience gave me (my last semester in undergrad I also student taught American government and Economics to high school seniors) the honor of disseminating knowledge to young intellectuals striving to push ahead in life. However, this isn’t a path that can cure my intellectual hunger and curiosity. Even though I love teaching, I also love researching and creating knowledge as well. Teaching in an inner-city high school reinforced and even expanded upon my deep beliefs in "learning for learning’s sake" and keeping an open mind. Not only has my experience exposed weaknesses in me that I previously could only recognize in other people, but it also focused my graduate studies on African Americans within the African Diaspora. Growing up in Williamsport, PA, a conservative predominately white town in central Pennsylvania, I often experienced subtle (but noticeable) racism hidden under a veil of generosity. African-American history, culture and activism were ‘melted’ rather than ’solidified’. My college and subsequent job experience has provided me with a greater realization of my place within the African Diaspora. Naturally, my intense interest in the Civil Rights movement, international relations, and African Diaspora studies has revealed that my deepest desire is to increase communication, openness and cohesion among members of the Diaspora throughout the world. I realize that politics is what helps create history and should be taken more seriously by citizens and scholars alike.
In graduate school I intend to focus on African American studies with an emphasis in contemporary history and politics (primarily international/comparative). I intend to research how the African-American "double-consciousness" (Dubois) can effectively promote U.S. foreign policy (and global stability) in ways that will strengthen Pan-Africanism. In part of this study I intend to examine contemporary African-American members of the federal government to examine their "views and proceeding actions" towards U.S. foreign policy and Pan-Africanism. This is necessary in order to examine whether African-American policy makers have "adopted" a mainstream view of foreign affairs and why. I also intend to expand upon African-American participation in foreign policy to include new African immigrants and the effect they could have on U.S. foreign policy and their former countries by empowering democracy from abroad through American soft power, particularly the media. Do we need more "African" politicians in so called "Black" communities in order to diversify thinking on both sides and foster a better working coalition among both groups? If so, what compromises will have to be made on each side? In speaking of Africa, I would love to examine the question, "Does a shared view of history decrease violence and promote cooperation between rival groups within Africa and among the African Diaspora?"

I admit I skimmed a bit after the first portion, but you don’t want to give an entire autobiography, particularly if the information is covered elsewhere in your application (transcript, CV, etc.). Briefly cover your background, spend a little more time on your motivation for studying in this field without giving a laundry list of your previous courses and accomplishments (if you have to go into depth, pick the most important ones or the ones you don’t think are highlighted sufficiently in the rest of the application), and then explain why you need this degree from this school’s particular program and what you hope to accomplish with it.