SEAN TINER

Instead of standing on the sidelines, Paris Hilton is writing humor across the political ballot. Earlier this week , I critiqued McCain's criticism of Obama's popularity and recently Paris posted her own response. Paris' ability to laugh at herself illustrates a fundamental rule of going viral: add humor. It sounds basic, but when you combine a current topic and simple laugh with a celebrity the possibilities are endless. In three days, Paris' response has already accumulated over 5 million views. The movie moves her back into the spotlight without controversy. Now, what brand or candidate would not want that marketing reach? Think you have a better sense of humor? You2gov.com is offering a monetary prize for the most creative 30 second commercial that supports either candidate.

"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation." -Robert Kennedy Last week, John McCain attacked Barack Obama's rock star popularity with two politically charged advertisements. The first implicitly compared Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, while suggesting he will increase taxes and foreign oil dependency. The second used religious references to indirectly suggest Obama is the second coming of Christ and questioned his leadership ability. Both neglected to offer what McCain brings to the table and simply pointed a finger at Obama. Is this the right marketing direction for McCain? Why does he need to criticize the competition in hope of positively promoting his brand? Is Obama, 47, going to point a finger back at McCain, 71, for being too old to lead? McCain was born 1936. The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, th...

(The Future American President, stylized portrait by Tiner). Just how "cool" is John McCain? Well, lets take a look. He has over 55 thousand Myspace friends. Yes, that's kinda cool ...but Obama has over 390 thousand. Okay, so this is not a popularity contest. Well, lets take a look at his website. Today, McCain is offering a Father's Day Golf Pack , if you donate $50 dollars. ...First of all, I thought Father's Day was yesterday? And, I'm sure Dad would really "impress" his friends with a shiny new set of golf balls. How many people that McCain is promising to "help," actually golf? ...If he is promising to help Americans with lower gas prices, I'm sure these same people really enjoying driving to golf course and using their disposable income to play. Wouldn't you rather give your Dad a cool piece of art ? Thanks Obama. It must be cool, since it's sold out. Okay, so McCain joined the Go Green bandwagon and is offering 20 ec...

(America: reflection of the times, by Tiner ) A reflection of contemporary American political issues.

(Ruth Simmons (C) Tiner) Approximately 6 years ago, I remember being a nervous 18 year-old eagerly waiting to depart for Brown University and begin my undergraduate studies. Before I left, I watched a 60 Minutes program on Ruth Simmons, who recently started her tenure as president at Brown University. I remember its significance, because she was the first “black woman” Ivy League President. ( Sean Tiner & Ruth Simmons enjoying Brown Football win the 2006 Ivy League Championship) Over the next 4 years, as I developed a friendship with Ruth, I remember how the media no longer focused on her race or gender and concentrated on her accomplishments. Ruth momentously secured a $100 million dollar donation from the late Sydney Frank and started a revitalization of Brown’s academics and facilities while I was there. These significant accomplishments far transcend the labels of race and gender. Similarly the media is spending a great amount of energy on the race and gender of thi...