The Country lost two great patriots in 2018 in John McCain and George H.W. Bush. The 41^st President, the 43^rd Vice President, a congressman, the former head of the CIA, a war hero—George H.W. Bush devoted his life to public service. He was a statesman in every sense of the word, a politician from a seemingly forgotten time.

A time when a difference in opinion or policy did not represent a difference in humanity. You could disagree, but it was rare to disparage. It was a time when Washington, D.C. was built on relationships across the aisle, and do we miss those times right now. His enduring, post-presidency friendship with former rival Bill Clinton is emblematic of the D.C. of old.

Politics can be bitter and ruthless, but you checked your business at the door.

George H.W. Bush had been in poor health for some time, battling Parkinson’s disease for a number of years, his health visibly deteriorating in front of the public. Regardless of life’s accomplishments, age is unfortunately the great equalizer.

Bush passed gently in his Houston home on Sunday at the age of 94, his final words to his son George W. Bush: “I love you, too.”

This week the Country—and world—mourn the loss of another great leader. We need more like George Herbert Walker Bush.

We’re back from Thanksgiving, and we hope you all enjoyed a nice, long, gluttonous break, as well. The holidays are now officially in full swing, which means that it’s list season. Prepare for your Facebook timelines to be jam-packed with “best of’s” and “top ten’s” for the remainder of the year. Some are interesting, most are click-bait, but all are angling for an easy boost in traffic.

One that caught my eye and is certainly relevant to our—and your—interest landed on Forbes this morning. We’ve spoken at length about the proper strategies and techniques of social media marketing, and the landmines and pitfalls that can derail a company’s brand messaging. Forbes contributor Lilach Bullock is out with her list of the biggest social media fails in 2018, and there are some memorable ones on there.

Snapchat making light of domestic violence? Check. The US Air Force glomming on to a viral debate by tying in drone attacks? Yep, that one happened.

Her top social media fails certainly warrants a read, as it demonstrates how even the most established brands can fail to see the message within their own messaging, and the way the public writ-large will interpret it. It’s imperative to be cognizant of what you put out there, even if it seems tongue-in-cheek or light-hearted and fun to those in the marketing department.

If I were to add to this list, it would definitely include the IHOP name change to IHOB, which the company itself admitted was a marketing stunt to promote its burgers. It was clumsily rolled out, confounded consumers, and failed to even elicit the “Oh, I get it” response. Just a poorly devised social media campaign all around.

So what are the big social media fails that stick out in your mind?

Ah, the holiday grind begins! It’s no secret around these parts of the blogosphere that it’s my favorite time of year, and as we’ve been blessed with sub-80 degree temperatures for the better part of the month, I’m already heading into Thursday extra thankful.

But on behalf of Russell, I want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our clients, past and present. You’re the backbone of everything that PR/PR does, and we’ve learned so much from each and every one of you. We’re thankful for the relationships that we’ve built over these 20 years, and the growth we’ve experienced as a company from working with so many talented people.

This Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for you.

We hope you all enjoy this week’s festivities, your friends, family, and food, and we look forward to heading back to the office ten pounds heavier next week.

While my hometown state is giving us 2000 flashbacks with all of this election chaos, let’s focus on a bit of exciting, less frustrating developments: Amazon is heading to NYC and Northern Virginia. For over a year now, there’s been widespread interest and intrigue as to where Amazon would plant its flag for its second U.S. headquarters. Bids were placed, cities were evaluated, PR campaigns undertaken to draw the E-commerce giant.

And in a surprise move, HQ2 will actually be HQ2a and HQ2b.

Jeff Bezos has not formally announced the decision, but the story leaked last night that Amazon’s new HQ would be split between Long Island City and Crystal City in Arlington County, Virginia.

So what does that mean? It means higher visibility for these two locations, and of course, an influx of jobs. The two offices are expected to employ 25,000 people apiece, which can’t be understated in terms of the boon it will provide to the local economy.

The company’s courtship process began with 238 cities placing formal bids to become HQ2’s location, and in January it was pared down to 20.

With an official announcement coming soon, Long Island City and Crystal City will be the beneficiaries of Amazon’s selection process.

Amazon dominates the global economy, and with these two new headquarters expected, they will present a wealth of growth opportunities in New York and Virginia. There’s no slowing Amazon’s rapid expansion, and now we know the first two key locations where it will begin.

Today’s the day: The 2018 midterms have finally arrived. In a large portion of the world, Election Day is considered a national holiday or is held on a Sunday to promote engagement. Here? We get Tuesdays.

There’s no time to lament what’s been a longstanding argument, so if you haven’t already: Go vote today!

Both Uber and Lyft are offering free rides to polling stations, so if you’ve waited until Election Day to officially pull the lever you can cancel out “transportation” on your list of possible excuses. This is poised to be the largest midterm election ever, with over 35 million ballots already cast—15 million more early votes than 2014. Do not allow an excuse to negate your voice; again: Vote!

There’s a lot on the ballot this year, and you can decide the direction that you want your country to head in. Lines, rain, headaches, apathy; zero excuses: Vote!