St. Johns Living Magazine December 2012

St. Johns Living ~ Stjohnsmag.com ~904-687-8538 1

Your Guide to Local Treasures, People, Places & Events in St. Johns & Beyond

The Holidays ST. JOHNS STYLE

St. JohnsLiving

FREE DECEMBER 2012

St. Johns Living ~ Stjohnsmag.com ~904-687-85382

Owner/ PublisherDebbie Gaylord904-687-8538

[email protected]

St. Johns Living - MissionWe seek to connect local businesses to

local consumers by celebrating the people, places and

events in St. Johns

and surrounding areas.

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• Living the Sweet Life with Claude’s Chocolates - pg 5• by Bruce Cline - pg 6 • December Calendar - pg 10-11• A Message from the Vet - by Dr. Veling, DVM pg 12 • Sage Advice of a Founding Father Rings True Today by Darren Rosenbaum pg 13

• The Holidays St. Johns Style Photographed by Cher Brown - pg 14-15

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St. Johns Living december 2012

Cher Brown ~ PhotographerThe Holidays St Johns StyleCher Brown started her professional photography career in 2007. Since then, her work has been shown in galleries, seen in print and is found in private col-lections. She has a keen eye for detail, especially in capturing the subtle nature of her signature botanicals. As a St. Johns County resident, she spends a great deal of her time photographing the St. Johns River, capturing the rich essence of river life. Cher formerly shot freelance photography for the St. Johns Sun and is currently the photo historian for the Friends of Alpine Park preservation group.

Inside Th is Issue

Sage Advice of a Founding Father Rings True TodayDarren Rosenbaum is a local teacher. He holds a Masters Degree in history and has taught government, history and economics for the past fi fteen years. He has traveled extensively in Asia and Europe. He lives in St. Johns with his wife and four children.

Darren S. Rosenbaum

Inside Claude’s Chocolate’s

Wishing You a Happy & Healthy Holiday Season!


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One delectable taste of a bonbon from Claude’s Chocolates and you think you may have dis-

covered the secret to happiness. It is an experience, a truly fi ne chocolate meant to be savored, and lin-gered over with a glass of red wine or a cup of cof-fee. Th e story of Claude’s Chocolates begins with the ro-mantic tale of its owners, Claude and Nicole Franques, who met and fell in love when Nicole’s father, the owner and Chef of famed NYC restaurant Rene Pujol, sponsored the young cooking school graduate from Toulouse, France to come to the United States and apprentice with him. Nicole and Claude fell in love and eventually took over the restaurant, enchanting Manhattan’s theater district patrons with taste, style and elegance for over 20 years. When they were ready for a big change, they chose St. Augustine. With its European ambiance and history, it was

the perfect fi t for their next adven-ture. Th ey began with Bistro Hypoli-ta, serving breakfast and lunch in down-town St. Augustine across from the bay front and quickly made a name for themselves in their new town. But Claude longed

to make another dream a reality. Prior to moving to St. Au-gustine, he had trained with famed chocolatier Jacques Tor-res, or Mr. Chocolate in his business on Houston Street in New York City, and always dreamed of opening a chocolate shop in St. Augustine. Within a few years, they closed the bistro and opened Claude’s Chocolates. Today there are two locations, one in the Casa Monica Hotel building on King Street in historic St. Augustine, and one a few miles north of Palencia off US 1 at the Shoppes of St. Johns Oaks. Claude is a true artisan and a rare fi nd in today’s world. Everything at Claude’s Chocolates is made from scratch with the fi nest Belgian chocolate and fresh premium ingredients. Th e raspberry fi lled ganache chocolates are made with real raspberry, not fl avoring, as is true with the ginger, coconut, and myriad of others. It is not just bonbons, there are options for every craving, including fruit and nut covered chocolates, solid milk and dark chocolate creations, barks and bars, even hot chocolate made in the French style with real chocolate not powder. But the individual ganache bonbons infused with romantic fl avors like espresso, ginger, caramel, Mayan spice and raspberry are truly the best around. When asked which one is their favorite, both Nicole

and Claude respond with star anise. But Nicole says that one of the perks of her job is that she can choose any fl avor de-pending on her mood. With their patrons, the most popular fl avor is fi lled with caramel and sea salt. Yum! Th e art of making choco-late requires precise knowledge of the process but also an infusion of something extra that makes each piece special. Th is may be defi ned as passion, or as the French say “joie de vivre”. Inside Claude’s Chocolate is a brightly lit and immaculate kitchen. Th ere is the stove, a large counter for preparation and unique machinery used for shaping, cutting and coat-ing the chocolate. Claude and Nicole walked me through the process of making their delicious ganache bonbons and truffl es. Ganache is the creamy inside fl avored chocolate and the shell is made of premium Belgian dark or milk chocolate. Making a sheet of bonbons is a 2-3 day process that begins by cooking chocolate with heavy cream to create a ganache, which must be infused with fl avor and the set at the right consistency. For truffl es, ganache is poured into chocolate shells; for bonbons, it is allowed to set, then cut and enrobed in chocolate with a special machine that brings a mouth-wa-tering curtain of chocolate over it. For a fi nishing touch, it is decorated with a beautiful art-deco design that is made of a delicious cocoa butter. When asked why aft er so many years as a chef he chose to devote himself to choc-olate-making Claude says there are many reasons but he likes that it is a cleaner business and he gets to be home by 7pm every night as opposed to 11pm in the restaurant business. Be-yond the practical side he says, “Making chocolate is fun. With Chocolate, you make people happy. It is the sweet life”.

Nicole & Claude Franques

La Douceur de Vivre Living the Sweet Life

with Claude’s ChocolatesBy Debbie Gaylord


ARTISAN-MADE IN THE EUROPEAN TRADITION

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Your Guide to Local Treasures, People, Places & Events

in St. Johns & Beyond

The Holidays ST. JOHNS STYLE

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Even though the outcome of our Christmas photo card is usually a lot like playing Russian roulette, each year I cling to the tradition. I remember one year we decided to get our photo taken the day before Halloween. We spent one grueling hour washing and dressing our eighteen-month old triplets and our four year old son. We brought out all the Christmas fi nery, including tights, black pat and leather shoes, ties and suspenders. I wore a heavy sweater to lend a winter feeling to the photograph. Though my intentions were noble, it was a ninety degree day in Florida and I had already started to sweat. We arrived at the studio exactly thirty minutes early just in case there was an emergency such as a dirty diaper needing to be changed, or a crying fi t to be soothed. But nothing went wrong. The waiting room was airconditioned & blissful. The triplets chugged down their bottles and Josh munched crackers while Nana and I chatted. For a few sacred min-utes we pretended to be a normal family. When the photographer called us in to the tiny photo studio something shifted. Maybe there were just too many of us. But before I could suggest a larger room, I realized Shainna’s hair had some-how gone from being neatly combed to something resembling Einstein. Without a word, I went into action removing my gargantuan backpack, fi nding the combs, brushes, barettes & ribbons I needed to tame Shainna’s wild hair. She swerved her head from side to side and began to cry when I accidentally pulled her hair. We stopped briefl y for hugs and continued. When each hair was in place, she reached up, yanked out the barrette and put it in her mouth. I struggled to remove it until she fi nally spit it out into my hand. As the sweat pooled under my bra, I began to question my resolve. In the meantime hubby was un-packing the rest of the gang from the stroller and plopping them on the podi-um. I took Shainna and placed her next to the others strategically. We were like an army moving our troops quietly and with a purpose. The young photographer told us to fl ank the triplets and have my four-year old son Josh kneel between us. But this is easier said than done. As anyone with a toddler knows, they do not take kindly to instruction of any kind. Darren and I each

held tightly to our squirmers Jake and Shainna while Lexi sat unrestrained on a higher perch in the center of us all. It so happens that she is wore a red dress while the rest of us were in blues and grays so that she appears like the center of a fl ower surrounded by its less stable petals. Positioned and ready we waited for the go ahead but the kids were not smiling. The photographer took out a little device used to get children to laugh. She called it the tickler but most of us know it as a feather duster. “Gitchi gitchi goo!”, she said. The girls laughed with glee while Jake took one look at the off ending tool and was gripped with fear, letting out a wild scream as tears streamed down his desperate little face. She tried hiding behind the curtain and when she disap-peared Jake’s crying subsided. But then there was no one to take the photograph. The whole episode caused the rest of us to unravel ever so slightly. But I knew we could do this, if we just held on a little lon-ger. I could ignore the beads of sweat forming on my husband’s forehead as he sputtered on about my terrible ideas. But what about the rest of us? Shainna was still swooping forward trying to escape from my arms and throwing me off bal-ance. A bored Joshua was sitting on the fl oor. Nana started in with Patty Cake to calm Jake. I felt like I was in a daze, never sure where to look and when, if at all, a picture was being taken. Who was I kid-ding, we were a mess. Throughout it all Lexi watched, waiting for us to get our act together. She smiled when asked. She took her pink teddy and hugged it in the cutest way she knew how. She only once let out an ir-rate squeal when Shainna grabbed her hair ribbon and threw it to the fl oor but she did not budge from her perch. I was thankful for Lexi. Then my hus-band anounced that we had taken up our allotted twenty min-utes and we were leav-ing. Excuse me? I dug in my heals. Did no one understand the monu-mental task required to move out the troops today? It was not enjoy-

able or fun as it may be for a family with two potty-trained children who could dress themselves and talk. It called for stealth determination and sacrifi ce. Oh no, I was not leaving until I had my photo greeting card. I looked around desperately for an ally. The photo girl just shook her head in defeat. Nana avoided eye contact and my usually calm husband looked like his head was about to explode. Just little Lexi in her red Christmas dress gave me an ap-proving nod as if she understood. In the end, we left the studio with the two best photographs. In the fi rst Lexi looks great once again but my husband’s expression looked as if he is saying a few choice words, Jake and Shainna looked stunned, Josh is slouching back, and I am on the verge of tears but I did manage to pull off an only slightly pained smile. In the second, we were caught off guard star-ing unhappily out at the photographer a mix of confusion and apathy. All but one – Jake is smiling brightly. Remember him? The one who was crying all morning? But at least I got what I came for - right? The next day was Halloween and my neighbor snapped a group photo while we were sitting on the fl oor near the front door. We were on our way out trick-or-treating for the night and the kids were dressed up in their costumes. It was a great picture. Everyone smiling and happy. Guess what? This is the card I ended up sending for our Christmas. It read, “Merry Christmas from the three little pigs, spider man and their parents”.

The Mommy Diaries by Debbie Gaylord


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The SceneThe Scene December 2012December 2012 Community ~ Family ~ FunDECEMBER 1

ST AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE LUMINARY NIGHT AT THE LIGHTHOUSE - See the lights of St. Augustine from the top of the tower! Bring the kids, enjoy holiday music, cider, and even take time out to visit Santa!h Museum Hours: 6 to 9 p.m. Admission: Free

904.829.0745

NOVEMBER 30 -DECEMBER 9

Festival of Trees at St. Johns County Conven-tion Center adjacent to the Renaissance Re-sort at World Golf Village (Free and Open to the public) http://www.worldgolfh alloff ame.

org

DECEMBER 4 St. Augustine Christmas Parade, A grand St. Augustine tradition in 56th year. Bands, fl oats, Santa Claus. 904-829-5681 St Augus-tine Grande Illumination Carry a candle and follow the torchlight parade from the Government House to the Plaza to hear the governor’s proclamation, watch the soldiers fi re their muskets and sing Christmas carols

at the plaza. 904-460-9368

DECEMBER 4-6British Encampment Held in conjunction with the St Augustine British Nightwatch. Encampment on the North Green of the fort grounds. Open from 9am to dusk, show-

ing the British Soldiers life in the fi eld and equipment used in the 18th Century. Field demonstrations, musket fi ring, march-ing, mass troop movements, bayonet drills, changing of the guards & cannon fi ring. 904-

829-6506

DECEMBER 5St Augustine 42nd ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TOUR OF HOMES Enjoy Christmas in His-toric St. Augustine, the St. Augustine Gar-den Club’s annual tour that will showcase homes around Maria Sanchez Lake, the bay and South St George Street. Th ese beautiful homes were constructed in 1890, 1905, 1920s and more recent years. Th e Red Train Trol-ley will transport visitors from the Coastal Community Center to the home sites. Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Admission: $15 in advance -

$20 For Info (904) 797-6862

DECEMBER 6149 Cordova Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084

Local Phone: 904-823-9722What to Wear on Your 500th Birthday.A mini-clinic dedicated to the garb and gear fashion of 1513,.From 6 to 9 p.m. at Dow Museum of Historic Houses, 149 Cordova Street, St. Augustine. Suggested donation admission is $10 per person. 904-823-9722

904-501-1253

DECEMBER 5 American Girl Movie and Tea at 3pm. It’s an

early release day! Bring your dolls and join us! Call us at 827-6960 Refreshments are provided by the Friends of the Bartram Trail

Branch Library.

DECEMBER 7Slammin’ Sam Beer Tasting featuring Sam Snead, Jr. 5-7 p.m. Join Sam Snead, Jr. son of Hall of Fame member Sam Snead, for a special evening of storytelling and a tasting of Slammin’ Sam, Th e event will take place in Shell Hall at World Golf Hall of Fame. Ad-mission is free, but registration is required in advance. http://www.worldgolfh alloff -

ame.org

DECEMBER 7First Friday Art Walk, St. Augustine, 5-9pmSan Sebastian Winery, 157 King Street., St.

Augustine, FL 32084 /904-829-0065http://www.artgalleriesofstaugustine.com

On the fi rst Friday of each month, enjoy the latest exhibits, music, entertainment and re-freshments at more than 20 St. Augustine art galleries. Park for free at the San Sebastian Winery, 157 King Street, where sightseeing trains and trolleys off er free round-trips to the heart of the art district – or go on your own self-guided art walk. Galleries are open

DECEMBER 8210 Community Market

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Community ~ Family ~ FunCommunity ~ Family ~ Fun DECEMBER 8

Palm Valley Boat Parade at 6pm. Free and open to the public. Festively decorated boats begin the parade on the ICW just south of the Palm Valley Bridge (SR 210) in Ponte Vedra Beach and head north up to Marsh Landing. Public viewing points and more information can be found at the parade website: http://www.palmvalleylightparade.com/ or call

904-280-2555 for more information.

DECEMBER 85K Santa Run. St. Augustine 350 A1A Beach Blvd, St. Augustine, FL 32080 / 904-669-12075K Santa Run at Pier Park, 350 A1A Beach Blvd in St. Augustine, Saturday starting at 8:00 a.m. All proceeds go to benefi t St. Au-gustine Youth Services. Call 904-669-1207

or 904-461-5556.

DECEMBER 8To Th e Arctic with Santa Santa Claus World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Th eater to enjoy cookies and the thrilling IMAX documen-tary, “To Th e Arctic 3D.” Santa will be avail-able for photos with children. Santa and cookies at 1 p.m., and is followed by a 2 p.m. showing. Th e event is free for children (12 and under) signed up for the IMAX Annual Pass program. Tickets for adult Annual Pass members are $5, and non-member ticket prices are $7 for children and $10 for adults.

http://www.worldgolfh alloff ame.org

DECEMBER 11St Augustine HOLIDAY REGATTA OF LIGHTS Boat Parade -Sailboats, trawlers, shrimp boats and many other vessels aglitter with brilliant lighted displays ranging from patriotic to whimsical. Beginning at 6:00 p.m., the boats will light up Matanzas Bay between the Bridge of Lions and Castillo de San Marcos. Sponsored by the St. Augustine Yacht Club. St. Augustine Bayfront Hours: 6

p.m. Admission: Free - 904-824-9725

BOB HOPE: SHANKS FOR THE MEMORY; A SPECIAL EXHIBIT ON DISPLAY (ONGOING) Featuring the largest collection of Bob Hope memorabilia ever available on public display. Th e exhibit features more than 300 vintage images, 400 artifacts, more than two hours of video, and

a unique audio tour. wwww.ghof.org

DECEMBER 15 2:00PM & 7:30PM

& DECEMBER 16 2:00PMSaint Augustine Ballet presents Th e Nut-cracker. Th is magical musical event, features elegant costumes, custom-designed scenery, local celebrities, including the Mayor of Saint Augustine and three guest artists. Lew-is Auditorium at Flagler College; 14 Granada Street, Saint Augustine Phone: 904-824-1746

http://www.saintaugustineballet.comEvent Pricing: $15, $20, $25, $30

DECEMBER 15Jacksonville Genealogy Society Presents: Th e Trail from You to Your Ancestor. 10:15am -Th e Jacksonville Genealogy Society will be holding a three-session Intermediate Ge-nealogy Class, 10:15 am to 2:15 pm at the Bartram Trail Branch Library, Saturdays: December 1st, 8th, and 15th. Genealogical identifi cation; records & sources - analysis & evaluation; vital record; land records; immi-gration & naturalization; oft en overlooked sources; planning a research trip; publishing your history, and more. Certifi cates of com-pletion will be given to those persons who attend at least two of the three class dates. Th ere is no charge to attend this class and free parking is available at the library. REG-ISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Please register by emailing your name, address and phone

number [email protected]

DECEMBER 19 3 pm /Children’s Art Activity (Grades 3, 4, and 5) If you like art and you’re in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade, come to the Bartram Trail Li-brary. Create your own art project inspired

by the works of this month’s artist!

DECEMBER 21Handel’s Messiah, 8pm Th e Jacksonvilly Symphony Orchestra presents Handel’s Mes-siah in one performance only. Tickets range from $25 to $72. Jacksonville Symphony Or-chestra / 904-354-5547 / Jacoby Symphony Hall, 300 Water Street, Suite 200 /www.jax-

symphony.org

DECEMBER 29 - 30Old Town Art & Craft Show. Francis Field, W. Castillo Dr, Saint Augustine Phone: (904) 794-0084 Th e Old Town Art & Craft Show is a juried art and fi ne craft show being held at Francis Field located in the heart of historic downtown. http://www.OldTownArtShow.

com. Event Pricing: FREE!

DECEMBER 31St Augustine Beach Blast Off - Chili Cook-Off & New Years Eve Fireworks Show will follow in the tradition of a down home Chili cook-off . Professional ice sculptor will be on hand to perform sculpting demonstrations that will amaze spectators.-St. Johns County Fishing Pier and Pavilion, 350 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach. http://www.

beachblastoff .com

January 19, 2013January 19, 2013Get Fit With Friends and Family

One-Mile Arbor Day Fun Run/Walk Alpine Groves Park, Switzerland, Florida/ Download Registration forms at www.mayo-

media.com/ 669-1824 or 540-0610.

Please be sure to call ahead to confi rm dates, times & places for all events listed on our

calendar. We do our best to get these right but “to err is human, to forgive divine’

1515 County Road 210 West, Suite 107, Jacksonville, FL 32259 (1/2 mile east of I-95)

We are an award winning Design Company that decorates model homes for national builders

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Let us help you make your home look like a model home!

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159 Palencia Village DriveSuite 101

(next to Starbucks at Palencia)

Warm, Compassionate, Affordable Care

904-824-1622

Mon, Tues & Thurs 8am-6pm, Wed 8am-12 Noon, Fri 8am-5:30pm, Sat 9am-12Noon

www.palenciapetclinic.com

FREEINITIAL EXAM

(a $50 value)Valid for New Client

or New Pet OnlyValid with coupon only

Not valid with any other offer Exp 11/30

A Message from the Vet

Heartgard Resistant Heartworms in Dogs & Cats

by Dr. Peter Veling, DVM

Pet Pages

Puppies!& Grooming

904-262-4646www.PetWorldPets.com

10400 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville 32257

Great Selection

Full Salon Services Available

At the North American Veterinary Conference in Or-lando on January 16, 2011, the American Heartworm Society, Dr Byron Blagwell of Auburn University discussed fi ndings of heart-worms that are no longer being killed by the active ingredient in Heartgard and Tri-Heart Plus (Ivermectin). Th ere is a huge area where heartworm larvae are no longer killed by Ivermectin that goes from the Texas-Mexico border to Alabama. It is worst in the Mississippi River Valley. Th ere is another resistant heartworm area from the Savannah, Georgia area to north of Charleston, South Carolina. Why should we care here in St Johns County? Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes fl y and pro-duce eggs by the thousands and fl y some more and reproduce. Mosquitoes love swampy areas. Th e Savannah area is less than 170 miles from here. St Johns County is mosquito heaven. Heart-worms infect both dogs and cats. Ivermectin has never been an eff ective killer of adult heartworms. Heartgard has been around since 1985. It was the fi rst every 30 day heartworm preventive. Before Heartgard we were using daily heartworm preventives. Heartgard revolution-ized heartworm prevention. It was so eff ective, at fi rst, that many clients forgot how bad heartworm disease used to be. Its eff ective-ness has made us complacent about this killer. We are very lucky that heartworms don’t complete their life cycle in people. Notice, I did not say that heartworms don’t infect people. Th ere is a very big diff erence. Heartworm larvae do, in fact, infect people at the time of being bitten by a mosquito. Th ey don’t get vital nutrients from humans that dogs do supply. So, they die aft er infecting us. Th e important part of this discussion is that we could have resistant heartworm in mosquitoes here in St Johns County and not know it. If resistant heartworms are not here now, they will be soon. Th e area from Savannah to Charleston was not known two years ago. Why has this happened? It’s easy to explain. If heartworm preventive medications were used every 30 days, like clockwork, this would not have happened. We, pet owners, are not doing our jobs. We are missing months or years. Female heartworms are 13 inches long! Heartworms are a preventable disaster. Heartworms cause the arteries in the lungs to become thickened and twisted. Th ose thick arteries are not fl exible. Th e weaker, right side of the heart has to pump against greater pressure. Because it is weaker

than the left side, it fails as a pump. When it fails the dog breathes hard, coughing and gasping for air. By the time this happens it may be too late to save the dog. Indoor pets get heartworms. Th e solution is preventive care. Th e American Heart-worm Society emphatically asks you to have your dog tested for heartworms once a year and give your dog and cat heartworm pre-vention once every 30 days all year. If we all follow this advice our pets will not have Ivermectin resistant heartworms. It’s coming to your neighborhood.

Dr. Peter Veling, DVM is the owner of Palencia Pet Clinic.


Sage Advice from a Founding FatherRings True Today

Th omas Jeff erson was quoted to have said, “All tyr-anny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” Th ink back to the 2008 Presidential Election. Even with economic ruin headlining every news program, Ameri-cans seemed inspired by our choices. For the fi rst time in de-cades an incumbent wasn’t running and a sitting Vice-Pres-ident didn’t enter the fray. Th e fi eld was wide open. Aft er a brutal primary season, our choice came down to an African-American on one ticket, and a woman on the other. Ana-lysts guaranteed millions of new voters, especially the young, surging to the polls to have their voices heard. With all its en-ergy and excitement, we fi nally appeared to understand Jef-ferson’s adage. Given turnout in past elections, where nearly as many stayed home as went to the polls, we’d reached a turning point and would actually turn. Th e American voter would be silent no more! Fast forward four years and there wasn’t much for Americans of either political leaning to truly get excited about. Aft er what amounted to years of campaigning with the major parties spending billions in an eff ort to eff ect change, the voters fi nally had their say. If you hadn’t noticed, the re-sults were overwhelmingly underwhelming as only 58% of registered voters went to the polls on November 6th. How could this be? For as long as I remember, sitting politicians, candidates for offi ce and pundits from both sides of the aisle have told the American public how ‘exception-al’ we are. We are the shining light on the hill, the standard bearer for democracy, the last best hope for the world. We should’ve gotten the memo but it turns out that nearly half of eligible voters didn’t, and don’t exercise their civic duty. As a result, how do our numbers compare to na-tional elections around the globe? For their last presidential election in May 2012, 80% of registered French voters went to the polls, just one more reason for Americans to ‘dislike’ the French. How about Australia, where voting is compul-sory and ignoring your civic duty results in a fi ne? Th ey’ve polled at over 90% in every election since 1924. And Italy? Despite corruption and endless scandals, they turn out at 81%. What about Japan and Germany, modern democracies we engineered aft er 1945? Respectively just over 69% and 71% turned out for national elections. What about nations we seem to have a love / hate re-lationship with? Putin’s Russian Federation, the former ‘evil empire’ from the Reagan days beat us at 65%? Mexico, our neighbor to the south had 63% vote on election day. We’re statistically less interested in casting a vote than the 59% who

braved civil war to vote in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To top it off , the Islamic Republic of Iran had an 85% turnout rate in 2009! Maybe our low numbers have to do with an endless campaign. In most Parliamentary systems, citizens have a right to a speedy election, and voting takes place within a few months of a general election announcement. Not only do the British restrict political advertising, but 66% of them turned out in 2010 aft er a 4 week campaign to elect a new Parliament and Prime Minister. Maybe it has to do with the archaic practice of voting on a Tuesday. Even though many states now allow for early voting, all elections mentioned above were held on a Saturday or Sunday, a solid argument for weekend voting as a best practice. Sadly, we haven’t hit bottom yet. When it’s reported that Pres. Obama won 51% to 48%, many don’t realize the deception. Th ere are over 200 million registered voters in the United States but only 120 million actually voted. Th is means Obama only received around 29% of votes cast by all registered voters. Apply the same logic to 2008, when more overall votes were cast, and Obama received just over 32% of the vote. Th ese numbers are consistent regardless of which party won as Pres. Bush received around 29% of total votes cast by registered voters in 2004. What does it mean for the future of our democ-racy when so few people choose those who make deci-sions for all of us? Like it or not, we are all stewards of our nation’s future and we need solutions to the very real problems we face. Too few of our citizens vote in Presidential elections, and it’s even worse when you look at the numbers for mid-term Congressional elec-tions. If you were one of the 90 million American’s who didn’t vote this November 6th, here’s another Jeff erso-nian reality check from the early days of the republic; “Th e people of every country are the only safe guardians of their own rights, and are the only instruments which can be used for their destruction.” It’s something to think about.

by Darren S. Rosenbaum

Darren Rosenbaum is a local history teacher.


The Holidays

St. Johns Style

Th e Avenida Menendez at twilight; Th e Sen-tinal at the Bridge of Lions, St. Augustine; Alpine Groves House with handmade fl orid-ian holiday decorations, Switzerland; Plaza de Constitucion, St. Augustine. 2012

Photographs by Cher Brown


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St. Johns Living Magazine December 2012

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