Until my early teens, I lived with my mother in New York, and I spent a lot of time in the company of her friends, mostly artists and designers, such as Andy Warhol, Ross Bleckner and Francesco Clemente, none of whom had kids, so I was like their shared child.

I sometimes clean my ears up to five times a day. Even having buds in the same room makes me want to have a go. When I'm in India, the cheap ones freak me out because I worry they'll drop off inside my ear. In the U.K., I like Johnson's.

Becoming a grandmother has felt like being a mother.

I listen to all sorts of music, but I'm not musically talented. Everyone expects me to be a good singer or musician, but I really am terrible. I'm a great dancer, though.

My decision to look seriously at elected office is grounded in a deep commitment to public service and my experience - both my own and that of my family - in finding just, practical, and bipartisan solutions to difficult challenges.

My family had to live in Vienna for three months, then in Italy for another nine, while we waited for refugee status.

Parenting classes should be mandatory, whether you are adopting or not, and would include an evaluation of your current physical, mental and financial state as well as how ready you are to take on the rigors of parenthood. Our children are our most precious natural resource, and there is absolutely no other way to parent but to put them first.

Allowing children to spew forth whatever is on their minds in the name of openness only creates an illusion of family closeness.