Children need continuity as they grow and learn.

Diversity gives our city a competitive edge.

Boston is the engine of the state's economy.

And it was from Boston that one in every six American families began their journey into the land of the free.

I am also committed to providing city employees with housing assistance.

Here's what I see all across this great city - people working together to make Boston a better place to live and to raise children, to grow and pursue dreams.

One of our key strategies has been to restructure traditional high schools into small learning communities with personalized attention and a range of options.

Children need continuity as they grow and learn.

I'm proud to report that in 2004 alone, we approved 3,600 new units of housing - our best year ever!

Let's use the energy of this historic year to propel us toward our shared vision of a greater Boston.

The true privilege of being Mayor is that I have the opportunity to be everyone's neighbor.

We were the first urban school system in the country to wire all of our schools for the Internet.

Currently, Boston has only nine percent of the state's population - but we provide more than 16 percent of the jobs and 19 percent of the state's revenues.

I brought together experts from health care, business, academic institutions, and the community to develop a comprehensive blueprint for eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health care in the City of Boston.

Boston is safe. And we're going to keep it safe.

Tonight, I am pleased to announce that I have secured $1 million from the Convention Host Committee to fund the beautification of Boston's neighborhoods.

The true value of sport is more than the skills that young people learn.

Preparing our city to achieve its destiny will require strong leadership.

And for the city's birthday, we will host events in every neighborhood of the city, inviting all of our residents to share in the celebration of Boston's great epic - the story of neighbors who support one another where it matters most.

For every $5 that Boston's economy sends up to Beacon Hill, the state gives only $1 back to us.

We must be vigilant in our actions towards criminals, and innovative in our approach towards solving crime.

I am working hard to ensure that working families can continue to afford to live in our city.

Boston is known for its innovation.

In the 1990s, we introduced Boston's community policing strategy. We reversed the tide of violent crime that threatened our city, and we established a national model for preventing and fighting crime.

My fellow citizens, the state of our city is strong.

2004 was a great year for Boston! The Patriots won the Super Bowl! Boston hosted its first national political convention! And - the Red Sox won the World Series!

These are national problems that require national solutions.

This is a bad day for Boston, but I think if we pull together we'll get through it.

Boston is the engine of the states economy.

I grew up with a Christmas tree Im going to stay with a Christmas tree.

Corporate partners help UNICEF fund our programmes for children, advocate with us on their behalf, or facilitate our work through logistical, technical, research or supply support.

Bambi has a profound effect on children because it's about losing your mother.

I love children and I love men, but I can't commit to either for the rest of my life.

We're all like children. We may think we grow up, but to me, being grown up is death, stopping thinking, trying to find out things, going on learning.

Public opinion polls are rather like children in a garden, digging things up all the time to see how they're growing.

For example, UNICEF works with governments to change legislation such as in India where a law was passed raising the age of compulsory school completion to keep children in school and away from the workplace for longer.

I'm not up on today's television for children, because it's mostly cartoons that don't seem to interest me.

When I see children, I see the face of God. That's why I love them so much. That's what I see.

We have three cats. It's like having children, but there is no tuition involved.

Instead of needing lots of children, we need high-quality children.

Disney had such a hold on the mind of America-they were Adolf Hitler. The whole country thought Disney was some sort of god and that animation was some sort of pure thing for children.

Fiction came quite a while later. I began with short stories and fiction for children.

A drunkard would not give money to sober people. He said they would only eat it, and buy clothes and send their children to school with it.

Words are the children of reason and, therefore, can't explain it. They really can't translate feeling because they're not part of it. That's why it bugs me when people try to analyze jazz as an intellectual theorem. It's not. It's feeling.

I believe very firmly that gay people of every stripe and age should be role models for all children, and that means interacting with them.

In fact I have nightmares about having children. I want to carry a baby and feel the life within me and in my dream, I do. But every time after it's born, there's this incredible fear, this pounding pulse of fear. It's a real bad nightmare.

When you are getting ready to become a mom, being in love with someone just isn't enough. You need to think about whether he would be a good parent and raise your children with similar beliefs.

The real question isn't whether you love your kids or not, but how well you are able to demonstrate your love and caring so that your children really feel loved.

I am glad that I do not have any children.