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LEONINE: NINE GREAT LEO MEN IN HISTORY From C2
On the flipside of the moral spectrum, Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician, journalist, and leader of the Nationalist Fascist Party – ruling the country as Prime Minister (Il Duce, after 1925) from 1922 until his ouster in 1943. Some Leos, such as Ole Benny, can make such a lasting impact on the world around them that the echoes of their actions last for decades. In fact, for more than 50 years after his death, the Lazio football team suffered severe image problems no thanks to public knowledge of it being Il Duce’s favorite. At the beginning of the 21st century, roughly 30 percent of the team was owned by the National Alliance, an extreme neo-fascist party. A far more light-hearted Leo was the legendary Louis Armstrong a.k.a. Satchmo, or Pops. An American jazz trumpeter, singer, and one of the pivotal and most influential figures in jazz music. He wasn’t always rainbows and sunshine and red roses, too – Pops was popped by the cops at the tender age of 11. In 1912, he took a New Year’s party, in true Leo fashion, to completely unacceptable levels when he fired his stepfather’s pistol into the air. He was immediately apprehended and then sent to the Colored Waifs’ Home for Boys. It was there that he developed a passion for playing the cornet – perhaps because playing the harmonica in the clink was too cliché a move, by anyone’s standards. Leos make a big impact on a big number of people in a big way. Case in point is Napoléon Bonaparte, who rose to prominence in the French Revolution and its associated wars. As Napoleon I, he was the Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1814, and again in 1815 after a quick touch-move by the rest of Europe. One of the greatest commanders in history, his campaigns are still studied at military schools today, and he remains one of the most celebrated and controversial political figures in history. He’s a wonderful example of weird: because he was a remarkable man, he gets to be remembered as “eccentric” rather than “crazier than a sh*t-house rat.” For example, he suffered from “ailurophobia”, meaning he was afraid of cats. He was also apparently terrified of open doors. Anybody entering the room he was in had to squeeze through a barely adequate opening and then close the door immediately. While obsessed about his public image, he didn’t seem to make a really big effort at making the people around him like him all that much. Take his wife Marie Josephe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie; Napoleon didn’t like her name so he renamed her Josephine. Leos have made strides in art and literature, and one such example of which is Alfred Tennyson, the First Baron Tennyson, the Poet Laureat of Great Britain and Ireland during much of Queen Victoria’s reign and remains one of the most popular British poets to date. Fame is several parts notoriety and scandal however, and Tennyson was plagued by rumors and negative propaganda throughout his life. He had a brother, Edward, who died in a private mental asylum. His sexual orientation is a matter of dispute, and while it is said that he was attracted to women, some of his work suggests homosexuality. In fact, he had a lifelong fear of mental illness. Several
People who love social media are going head-over-heels for this new photo- and video-sharing app. Here’s why. BY KAI MAGSANOC Fernando Poe Jr.
men in his family had a mild form of epilepsy, which was then thought to be a shameful disease. Another great Leo artist, Andy Warhol, was an American who led the pop art movement. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture, and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s. In music, he managed and produced The Velvet Underground, a rock band that had a strong influence on the evolution of punk rock music. He is also notable as a gay man who lived openly before the liberation movement even took place. His studio, The Factory, was a famous gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals, drag queens, playwrights, Bohemian street people, Hollywood celebrities, and wealthy patrons. He was the subject of numerous retrospective exhibitions, books, feature and documentary films. He coined the widely used expression “fifteen minutes of fame.” He almost died when he was shot three times in the chest by Valerie Solanis, an ardent feminist and one of many who thought Warhol was abusive and controlling. She thought that he deserved to die, and he very nearly did, but he was revived and slowly recovered. Solanis founded SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men) and she was its only member. Closer to home, we had Fernando Poe Jr., colloquially known as FPJ and “Da King,” as a Leo of note. Although defeated by incumbent president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the 2004 elections, it has been established that he ought to have been the rightful president-elect, and many people are channeling their loyalty to him to his daughter, Grace Poe, who despite having no real experience in legislation, was voted as a senator who is developing a remarkable track record and stellar reputation for competence and transparency. Fun fact! The real Fernando Poe Jr. was actually FPJ’s younger brother, the late actor Andy Poe. He adopted the name when he entered acting after he was forced to quit school and work after his father died. Leonine influence courses its way throughout history in the same way that it courses through our lives. Never unnoticed, and usually pivotal to the things their lives touch, Leos are a huge part of the Zodiac and the lives we live today. As a bonus, the women are hot: Asia Carrera, Misty Rain, Iman, Jackie O, Martha Stewart, and Mata Hari are all Leo women. To all the Leos in my life, I salute you! Especially you, Michael Spliedt – Happy Geburtstag, Mamser! Are you a Leo, or do you know one who could use a pick-me-up? Pass them a copy of this column or send them my way! Email me at thearmchairpilosopa@ gmail.com, follow me on Twitter via @ArmchrPilosopa, view life through my eyes via IG and Tumblr: thearmchairpilosopa, or add me up on Facebook and drop a little note to say hey if you like what you’ve read so far!
Y
ou take a photo or a video, send it out to the world of cyberspace, and in 24 hours it self-destructs. Sound like a great deal? This is what Snapchat – the newest app to take the world of social media by storm – offers. Hence, it is considered ephemeral or fleeting in nature, compared to the permanence of other apps, such as Instagram, which saves a photo or 15-second video in a user’s account for posterity unless it is deleted. While Snapchat was initially popular only with tweens and teens, the rest of the millennials (and older) have caught up. Today, even brands use the app.
HOW IT STARTED
Snapchat is the brainchild of four Stanford University students, who launched it in 2011. One of them is Filipino-American Bobby Murphy, who today is regarded as the world’s second youngest billionaire at 26, according to Rappler.com. The world’s first youngest billionaire is Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel, who is only 24 years old. The company’s reported worth? At least $10 billion as of March 2015. (In 2013, Facebook offered Snapchat founders $3 billion to purchase the app, according to Forbes.com. They declined the offer.)
HOW IT WORKS
1. Download the Snapchat app for free on Android and iOS. Sign up. 2. Add contacts. You can do this in four ways: add by username, add from address book, add by Snapcode (their version of QR code), and add nearby (your Location Services must be switched on). 3. Take a Snap. The main screen of the app is the camera view, with the camera facing you. There’s a button on the upper right corner to turn the camera view around. Tap the button
at the bottom of the screen to take a pic. Hold the button to shoot a video. (Videos can only be up to 10 seconds long.) 4. Get creative. Snapchat allows you to add a caption (which appears as a bar), doodle, and emojis to your Snap. You can also use filters to add effects. 5. Create a Story. This is the collection of Snaps you have shot within 24 hours, to give your friends an idea about your day. If you are creative, you can also produce an actual “film” that will tell a story. It can also be viewed only within 24 hours. 6. Use Chat. Once you have added friends on Snapchat, you can send them a Snap privately in either photo or video format. This message will also only be available for 24 hours. Once a Snap self-destructs, it is said to be removed from Snapchat’s servers permanently. The caveat: a viewer can take a screen shot, which in turn can be saved as an image in the viewer’s gadget. Snapchat is a mobile-only application. It can be used on mobile phones and tablets, but not on laptops and desktop computers. As of May 2015, Snapchat has 100 million daily active users. They post or view 700 million Snaps per day. That Snapchat has taken over the social medialoving populace by storm attests to the fact that people crave authenticity. Much like YouTube has created a new breed of stars among YouTubers (ordinary folk who produce and upload their own videos), Snapchat has also created stars among the Snapchatters: those who rise to stardom in the eyes of the people – friends or strangers – who follow them and watch their Stories every day. Are you ready to try Snapchat? Check out these celebrities on the app and get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes at work, or in their personal lives.
Miss World 2013 Megan Young – meganbata
Blogger Tricia Gosingtian – tgosingtian
Actress Lovi Poe – poevirginia
TV personality Mikael Daez – mikaeldaez
Filipino-Canadian actress Shay Mitchell – officialshaym
You Tube sensation Joe Sugg – thatcherjoe
Pentatonix member Scott Hoying – scotthoying
Actress Bella Thorne – bellathornedab