He was very perceptive and very understanding and very honest. We were able to communicate in a way that was exceedingly positive and at the same time, very direct.

We're hoping for 100 percent compliance, it's a very simple thing. It's the lack of information, and lack of understanding and education.

It's so important for kids to come to kindergarten with at least the start of literacy, understanding letters and the direction of print, ... It's crucial for their success.

Listen to me, Amin," I said slowly. "Listen to me very carefully. Nothing is the same. Nothing will ever be the same again. There lives on this earth a woman who can be my friend and my lover. Do you understand that? Do you understand what a marvelous thing that is?"

"A friend is a friend," Uthman interrupted, "and a woman is a woman. You can't have them in one person. The whole world knows that."

"If that's what the whole world knows, ...then the whole world is wrong. I believed the whole world, and I lost her.

We are hoping for a banner year and looking forward to an impressive turnout on this, our 20th anniversary of the New York State Beach Cleanup. We want to thank all of our volunteers and the organizations involved. Without their support and time, this event would not be possible.

Our thanks go to all the volunteers and their organizations for joining us on September 17 to make a difference on our beaches and waterways.