When we settled our country, the dark forest was considered in some ways evil and something that you needed to plow or, later, bulldoze. We now have a new understanding of the interconnectedness of ecosystems and the need for bird flyways and why all species matter.

If Reagan had intelligence information that showed that the upheaval in Egypt is actually Democratic in spirit, then he would have, I believe, turned his back on Mubarak, even though there's a long friendship between the United States and Egypt.

I feel like I'm always learning from people.

The world of high-stakes international diplomacy can be rough and tumble, but it's more often than not a procession of suits and summits, protocol sessions and photo ops.

I started writing probably around when I was 15, because that's when I picked up the guitar. That was also around the same time when I began to create my own music, and everything really just clicked for me, and I knew this was what I was going to do.

It has always been important to me to be a creative artist, not to be a star, not to be rich, not to be famous.

As a creative, as an artist, I'm just excited when people want my stuff, and want to experience it.

For me, music is my art and what I have dedicated my life to. For fashion designers, clothing is art. Just as much as a piece of music that I might write is a piece of art. Being able to merge the two industries on stage or at an event is really fun.