julia pankova

IT’S EASY TO dismiss the importance of sensitivity training. Taking a class in social interaction is little more than superfluous precaution for what is basic social common sens—or is it? A recent social mishap concerning customer-manager relations at the Boston Pizza on Hunt Club Road suggests otherwise. The manager of the pizza joint was asked to leave his position following a confrontation with the family of a boy with Down syndrome. The Boston Pizza employee rudely ordered them to either move to the back of the restaurant or vacate the place altogether. The boy, Tyler Bolduc-Cadieux, was visiting the restaurant with …

Birthdays come but once a year… Or do they? FOR THE FIRST 18 years of my life, I operated under the assumption that I was to celebrate my birthday only once a year. As the big day approached, I quietly went about planning a small party or dinner with close friends. The event would come …