The common goals of Puerto Rico and the United States have always been for the benefit of both.

Grant us more powers, not less; grant us more democracy, not less; grant us the tools to move forward because, I can assure you, Puerto Rico will move forward. We did it in the past; we will do it again.

I believe - and so do most Puerto Ricans - that the ideas that will prevail in the new century will be those similar to the basic principles of commonwealth, of national reaffirmation, and political and economic integration among the peoples of the world.

The war in Iraq has fractured the political will of the United States and the world.

I've always been inspired by women, and my mission was to inspire women. I always wanted to become a certain kind of woman, and I became that woman through fashion. It was a dialogue. I would see that the wrap dress made those women confident, and made them act with confidence.

I want to work with Steven Spielberg... whether it is a small role or big in a Hollywood movie, it will be a lifetime experience for me. It will be a dream come true for me. And I always believe that anything can happen in life.

Yo La Tengo were a major inspiration for me because they're one of the first bands that I got into on my own, separate from my parents, when I was in high school. I have all their albums. That's the place we'd like be in someday.

When people feel they're getting to speak into what's being preached, there is high built-in motivation to participate.