Feedback: DJJD Nixes Queen, Princesses; Starbucks Opening; CherryBerry Coming

This is a weekly feature called "Feedback Friday" where we let you know what your neighbors have been saying on our Facebook page, to us on Twitter and in the Northfield Patch comment section about the stories from the past week.

Betsy Gasior: 
I think it is a good move to change the title, because yes, I think the perception is that Queen/Princess competitions are beauty pageants full of airheaded girls. As the mother of two young men, however, I wish that the Ambassadors could also be boys. This kind of opportunity can also give a young man confidence, poise and polish. As a young lady, I never thought that boys needed anything just for them. As I've gotten older, and now as a mother of boys, I realize that they have those same needs. Especially in today's world with more and more boys being raised with no male role model, or with one that isn't worthy of modeling oneself after. I'm lucky in that my boys have a strong male role model in their father at home and actively involved in their lives, but many young men do not. We need strong women and strong men...why not help both groups out?

Steve: 
Ah, politically correct, gender neutral terms with a dash of "everyone's equal"; and, as a bonus, we conform to what many other cities are doing. How Progressive of DJJD, but how unfortunate that we eschew tradition in such a manner simply. What's next, Ambassador Kay of the Milky Way?

Roberta Rankin: 
I think this is a marvelous decision.And yes, I think the titles of queen and princess can be negative unless you are the chosen few. Thank you to all the ambassadors who honor us with their service.

Rob Hardy:
Ironically, "ambassador" isn't really "gender neutral," since in Latin the "-or" suffix (at the end of "ambassador") is masculine. (If others can be politically-correct, I claim the right to be pedantic.)

Penny Hillemann: 
I assumed when I first heard about the title change that it meant it was no longer a program exclusively for girls. I'm surprised to learn that it doesn't mean that.

Hayes Scriven:
Penny and Betsy: I am on the board of DJJD. I do not have a lot to do with the Ambassador program, however, I wanted to clarify one thing. The program is open to both boys and girls. The requirements are here: http://www.djjd.org/royalty-requirements/ Here is also the mission statement for the program. Mission Statement The Defeat of Jesse James Days Ambassador Scholarship Program is designed to promote growth and educational experiences to young adults through the promotion of the Defeat of Jesse James Days celebration. The Defeat of Jesse James Days is dedicated to volunteerism and developing leaders who will serve as positive role models. The Defeat of Jesse James Days Ambassador Scholarship Program accomplishes this by enabling young adults 1) to learn more about the Defeat of Jesse James Days history and celebration 2) to participate in the promotion of the Defeat of Jesse James Days while educating the public as our ambassadors and 3) to create lifelong memories and associations. Finally, here is a link to the programs webpage on djjd.org. http://www.djjd.org/royalty-scholarship-program/

Jami Scott Shull: 
I was just saying this is what we needed on Sunday! Yay!!!

Claudia Lunder: 
Seems like it is a difficult location to get to and parking may be a problem

Melanie Glass Feldhake: 
Corey, I haven't been to one yet but I have many friends up in the Twin Cities who rave about it. We definitely need this - a healthy treat just in time for summer! I love seeing businesses and restaurants expand to Northfield, giving us many options for establishments to patronize

Heather Schultz:
Wow, that's great news... And people wonder why obesity is on the rise. Seriously!

Christopher Tassava: 
Starbucks is fine in a pinch, but honestly most of their drinks aren't "coffee." Far better to get a cup at one of the local shops - Blue Monday, either James Gang, Bittersweet.

Rob Hardy: 
I only go to Starbucks if I'm in a foreign city and desperately need a toilet. It annoys me that you have to learn a third language to order a coffee at Starbucks, where "tall" means "small." It's Orwellian.

Michael Garlitz:
Yeah, Rob, the tall/small thing is quite annoying. Honestly, I don't see Starbucks affecting the locals that much, considering that Target does not open until 8 a.m. I need my coffee way before then.

Karine Ravetto: 
What a bunch of whiners and complainers - poor me, I need to know a couple words of another language. At one point in time, intelligence was revered and something to be proud of. In most countries the majority of people speak, at a minimum, two languages. It ordering a cup of coffee is so confusing, it boggles the mind how some of you can make it through the day and deal with life in general.

Clifford Martin: 
Here's an idea: A Northfield Coffee Mug. To reduce waste of paper products and to promote the locally owned and non corporate coffee shops. Or all the coffee shops in general. Different places can have different prices for filling the mug but it represents an overall discount for reducing waste and supporting the community.

Rob Hardy: 
Here's another good idea. Why don't some people get a sense of humor? I have a Ph.D. in classical languages (Latin and Ancient Greek), and have studied Spanish, French, and German. I'm an editor for a company that produces language dictionaries. In none of these languages, however, does "tall" mean "small."

Philip Spensley: 
yes, Rob, and let me add to your list, Russian and Portuguese, and yes, never was small and tall synonymous. Obviously, for Starbucks, tall/small is marketing language. Paneras also has unconventional nomenclature for the size of their drinks. I find them silly, but once one accepts the convention, one readily adjusts, if only momentarily. Such an "Orwellian" approach (War is Peace), as you term it, is indeed irritating to those for whom agreed upon definitions are vital if we are to achieve better communication and common understanding, and we certainly need more of both of them rather than less, so these sort of "creative" ploys do undermine those goals. I shall not go purposefully to get a coffee at this new coffee spot (perhaps, if I am in Target sometime and am in immediate need of (or suddenly crave) a hot drink, I may shell out some "pfennig", but the likelihood of the first is small (not tall) and the second is smaller (not taller). I agree with the comment though that "le nouveau petit coin" is more appealing than what was (rather depressingly) there previously. I imagine this cafe will attract some shoppers more than the other cafe did (I hardly ever saw anyone in it when I went there), but does one go to Target expressly to get a coffee or does one go there for something else and does one really want to linger? It's an interesting decision by both parties to link up this way and it will be interesting to see how things work out for them.

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