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Marieke de Lange

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Ms. Porchon Lynch

Extraordinary leaders and teachers change the way we perceive the world. The very best lead us by their example.  

Tao Porchon-Lynch, Master Yoga teacher, 93 years young, synthesizes the most positive aspects of Indian, European and American thought.  Tao is uniquely equipped to spread Yogic insights, originating in India, to Westerners seeking enlightenment.   

She has trained and certified  hundreds of yoga instructors, since founding the Westchester Institute of Yoga in 1982.  Tao has over 70 years of yoga practice and more than 45 years of teaching yoga to students in India, France and the U.S.

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Helle Thorning-Schmidt

Denmark’s has elected its first female prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the social democrat leader and daughter-in-law of Neil and Glenys Kinnock.

Her broad centre-left coalition ends the far-right’s 10 year hold on Denmark’s government, in a narrow victory to the Social Democrats. The win defies European political trends, as leftist parties have struggled to gain ascendency during the economic downturn.

Dubbed the "Gucci Helle" because of her designer predilections, the 44-year-old mother-of-two is married to former Labour Leader Neil Kinnock’s son, Stephen Kinnock, a director at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

“The Social Democrats are ready to take their share of the responsibility,” the tall blonde told her supporters. “We will do our utmost, our utmost to live up to your confidence.”

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Paloma Faith

“Sometimes life can taste so sweet When you slow it down
You start to see the world a little differently When you turn it upside down”

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Julia Bacha

Julia Bacha is a Brazilian documentary filmmaker.
She was born in 1980 in in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At 17, she moved to the United States.
Bacha was awarded the 2003 Phi Beta Kappa prize upon graduation from Columbia University.

In 2004, she was the co-writer (with director Jehane Noujaim) and editor of Control Room, a critically acclaimed documentary about Al Jazeera. Bacha was nominated to the Writers Guild of America Awards 2005 for her work on this film. 

Two years later, she co-directed (with Ronit Avni) the documentary Encounter Point, which was the official selection at Tribeca Film Festival, Hot Docs, Jerusalem Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival and San Francisco International Film Festivals, where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary.

Most recently, Bacha directed the 2009 documentary Budrus, which was shown at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival and became runner up in the festival's documentary competition.

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Women in drag!

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Kirsten van den Hul

'Without change no butterflies.'

Radical optimist, change catalyst, columnist, Dutch UN Women's Representative.

Latest column in AD:

'Slut. A nasty word that seems to pop up more and more often.

On soccer fields for example.
First it was “homo”, now words like “ho”, “slut” and “bitch” fly over the pitch just like that.
I’ve also had an occasional “slut” thrown at me, walking down the street wearing heels and a dress. It used to piss me off, but these days, I let it slide. Slut is no longer just a swear word, it’s also a new sobriquet for women who’ve had enough of being judged by their appearance. I’m one of them.

After Toronto, London, Seoul and New Delhi, last Saturday women in Berlin took to the streets for a Slut Walk. Around a thousand self-proclaimed sluts joined in their mini-skirts, stockings and even wearing nothing at all, to protest against the widespread notion that women wearing sexy outfits “are asking for it”.

The slut movement started in Canada, after a cop advised women to dress less “like sluts”. The city of Rome went even further and issued a flyer on street safety which suggested women should not wear short skirts. According to an Indian police commisioner women are better off not going out on the streets at night at all.

The world upside down, if you ask me. Let’s go after the perpetrators of sexual violence, rather than blaming the victims.
Still, not everyone agrees. Recent research in the UK showed that more than half of the interviewed women think that victims are partly responsible for being raped. Dancing, sexy outfits, flirting: sluts “are asking for it”.
I for one believe no one is asking to be raped, whether wearing a burka or a bikini. So I say: sluts (m/f) of the world, unite! Cause no still means no, you know.'

www.thechangeagent.nl

Marilyn Monroe

"This life is what you make it. Not matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up.

Girls will be your friends - they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world.

As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And babe, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soul mate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything.

Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about."

Karsu Dönmez

Karsu Dönmez is a multi-talent; she is not merely a singer, but also a gifted pianist, composer, arranger and lyricist. This 20-year-old Dutch daughter of Turkish parents has performed on many local and international stages, including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, North Sea Jazz Festival and twice at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York. She is currently working on her debut album, but already released her first CD, a Live registration of her sold-out concert at the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ.

It is clear from a very early age that Karsu has music running through her veins. As a child, she is fascinated by piano music. “I saw these pianists on TV with long, flowing hair, professor Einstein-like types – I thought they were really cool and I loved the melodies they played,” explains Karsu her love for this particular musical instrument. When she gets her own piano at seven, she immediately starts taking lessons. It doesn’t take long for her to be able to play classical pieces of Chopin, Mozart, Bach and Beethoven in addition to traditional Turkish songs and modern jazz songs. For three years, she receives vocal coaching from famous Turkish singer Esra Dalfidan. Karsu’s voice turns out to be very distinguishing for such a young girl: she sounds mature, inspired and powerful.

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Kat von D

"I am a canvas of my experiences, my story is etched in lines and shading,

and you can read it on my arms, my legs, my shoulders, and my stomach. "

Katherine Drachenberg (born March 8, 1982), known professionally as Kat Von D  is an American tattoo artist and television personality. She is best known for her work as a tattoo artist on the TLC reality television show LA Ink.

Kat Von D was born in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Her parents are Argentinean-Mexican. Her father, René Drachenberg, is of German descent and her mother, Sylvia Galeano, is of Italian and Spanish descent. She moved with her family to the Los Angeles area at age 4 and grew up in Colton, California.Von D was classically trained in piano beginning at age 6. She particularly appreciates Ludwig van Beethoven.

She credits the prominent Latino culture of Los Angeles as being a major influence drawing tattoos in her art and style. She began listening to the Ramones, Misfits and other punk rock bands at the age of 12. She got her first tattoo at 14 and quit school at 16 to become a tattoo artist.

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