I am currently writing this from my remote-office, also known as my parents’ kitchen table. Russell is making pit-stops at every In-N-Out Burger in Palm Springs, California, Lindsay is enjoying presumably winter-weather in Georgia, and Amanda is probably up to her eyeballs in wrapping paper and wedding planning materials. It’s Christmas Eve at PR/PR!

We hope you all have a great and safe Christmas, give eggnog the appreciation it deserves, spend plenty of time with family and friends, and we will see you after the holiday!

Among the living, breathing beings populating SeaWorld for its annual Bands, Brew and BBQ concert series, it’s looking like one of them won’t be a captive audience. On Monday afternoon, .38 Special announced they were cancelling their appearance, becoming the eighth scheduled artist to drop-out of the event amid the public backlash surrounding the Blackfish documentary.

Since it was broadcast to a national audience on CNN in October, there has been a substantial outcry for the theme park to abandon its practice of keeping orcas in captivity for performance purposes. SeaWorld has maintained a generally neutral approach to the controversy – possibly to avoid attracting further scrutiny – but with musicians continuing to abandon their bookings and a constant deluge of negative press, it’s apparent that the issue is not just going to go away.

Documentaries, for all their claim of journalistic impartiality, are created with an agenda. Whether it’s to merely heighten awareness of a specific matter or deliver a persuasive argument, documentarians have a desired objective in mind when they begin their projects. But I’ve never witnessed a public so-galvanized by a film then what’s occurring with Blackfish, and I’m fairly certain even the filmmakers are astonished at the level of reaction that’s led to the Bands, Brew and BBQ quagmire. One thing is certain: SeaWorld has a massive, massive PR problem on its hands, one that threatens to undermine its projected image of a park based on nature education, rescue and conservation.

So what, if any, recourse does SeaWorld have? Short of phasing out its Shamu shows and focusing on wildlife awareness and traditional theme park attractions, I’m not entirely sure. As scientific research has revealed the adverse effects captivity has on animals, the tides of opinion have begun to turn (that’s the only other pun, I promise) against for-profit zoos and aquariums; and if Bands, Brew and BBQ is any indication, it spells potential disaster for SeaWorld’s future marketability in its current incarnation.

In two days I will attempt to consume over five pounds of turkey (smoked and roasted), assorted holiday sides and desserts and enough pinot noir to make the Raiders game entertaining. This is a monumental break from my established diet, which consists of mainly Hot Pockets and meat-lovers Tombstone pizzas. To say I am excited for Thanksgiving is a massive understatement. It’s the one holiday where uninhibited gluttony is celebrated, and mixing your food together in a veritable fat and cholesterol casserole like a five-year-old is accepted.

But it’s also the time to surround yourself with friends and family, and give thanks for the monolithic pile of food in front of you, and the aspects of your life that you’ve been blessed enough to receive. We want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and we hope you have a safe holiday weekend.

We will return to the office five-pounds heavier on Monday (that is if I survive the amount of treats I’m going to attempt to consume).

Every year around this time I find myself revisiting the greatest miniseries ever: Band of Brothers. I’m not really certain what it is about this time of year; maybe it’s the subtle change in the temperature at night that awakens some kind of deep-seated nostalgia I carry regarding this masterpiece (I believe I first watched it in the winter), but for whatever reason I end up throwing on the first DVD in my box-set and watching the series in its entirety right around Veterans Day.

If you’ve never seen Band of Brothers I highly recommend you stop what you’re currently doing and track down a way to watch it. Based on the book by historian Stephen Ambrose, the miniseries follows a group of elite paratroopers, from their green beginnings at boot camp through their march across Europe as battle-hardened warriors. The series details the inherent bravery present in the heart of the soldier: an individual willing to jump into occupied territory amidst anti-aircraft fire, knowing full-well they may not make it out alive, all for the sake of their country.

Band of Brothers made celebrities out of soldiers, and even generated widespread support for a Medal of Honor commendation for the miniseries’ main ‘protagonist’ Major Richard Winters. While the television event illuminated the monumental accomplishments of the men of Easy Company, there are millions of others in the military that will never receive the national appreciation they deserve. The men and women of our nation that volunteer for such a thankless job all deserve a miniseries for their selfless commitment in defense of our freedom.

With that said: grab a copy of Band of Brothers, and remember that it does not need to be a national holiday to thank a Vet for their service.

-Carter Breazeale

Bullying amongst America’s schoolchildren and the ways and means to prevent and manage it has been a hot-button issue for many years now. Heartbreakingly, it seems almost weekly a story breaks nationally about the tragic end of a teenager who felt pushed to the brink at the hands of merciless peers; but the story that emerged last week about bullying in the NFL – well, this is uncharted territory.

Richie Incognito’s named turned into an unfortunate pun over the weekend as the details of his bullying – and borderline extortion – of rookie teammate Jonathan Martin broke, and focused the national spotlight intensely on the Miami Dolphins organization and the culture of locker room hazing that exists in the NFL.

Rookie hazing has long-existed in professional sports. From unsightly haircuts to carrying veterans’ equipment after practice, rookies are expected to deal with a healthy amount of razzing from their superiors as an initiation to the team – but the anguish endured by Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin far exceeds the typical light-hearted nature of rookie hazing, and delves into a darker underbelly that pervades professional teams’ treatment of young players.

Martin was verbally harassed by Incognito and other members of the Miami Dolphins – which included racially-charged and threatening text messages –, and on one occasion was forced to foot the bill of a $15,000 trip under the threat of violence. That is not good-natured ribbing: that’s extortion, and extortion is a felony. Martin understandably left the team after suffering through what we can all agree is more than enough for one person to take, even a player in the National Football League, and now the Dolphins are experiencing organizational scrutiny as to how this level of abuse was allowed to occur.

The Dolphins are now forced into internal investigation and reputation management mode, which usually leads to multiple individuals falling on swords for their action (or inaction), and serves to cast the entire organization in a negative light for allowing this level of bullying to take place. These are the types of distractions that no PR team is prepared for, and can threaten to undermine a team’s entire season. When players are expending energy focusing on internal disarray, they cannot be entirely devoted to their play on the field.

All PR nightmares aside, Richie Incognito’s behavior was indefensible, and as a nation that is moving to thwart bullying, should be condemned from every angle. Jonathan Martin was right to speak up in his situation, and should be commended, not ostracized, from his team and fellow players around the league.

-Carter Breazeale