Diane Yanch (she/her)

Supporter of Arts, Culture, and Recreation. Opinions are my own.

[Mark Cherrington @MarkCherrington]

It is rather disgusting how this @YourAlberta continues to slash supports for persons with disabilities. I had a mother, crying, feeling hopeless and lost, as benefits for her 12-year-old daughter were declined, even though she is severely disabled. Mom got a form letter. Our most vulnerable are taking these cuts, so the middle and upper classes get a tax cut. #abpoli

[Dr. Kristopher Wells @KristopherWells]

Poilievre wants to bring Trump's Project 2025 to Canada.

If you don't keep the politicians out of research, we will end up with RFKjr.

[Mark Cherrington @MarkCherrington]

When @ABChildServices and Minister @SearleTurton respond to this drastic and hurtful cut as "affecting ONLY 650 children" you can pretty well figure out how much empathy they have for individual vulnerable families and children #abpoli

[Mark Cherrington @MarkCherrington]

Tonight, I am on @GlobalEdmonton making my point clear. This cut is the most backward and dangerous cut to vulnerable children by a @ABChildServices Minister Ive seen since 1989. Having worked with over 9000 children. Our Minister @SearleTurton owns this!. Pimps, gangbangers, slum employers are wringing their hands in delight knowing many more children will be on our streets, and vulnerable as supports eliminated. Prevention doesn't exist with this government in my opinion. I have no other explanation than ideological zeolots who ignore best practices. #abpoli

[Auschwitz Memorial @AuschwitzMuseum]

28 March 1939 | Dutch Jewish girl, Yvonne Suskind, was born in Bergen op Zoom.

In September 1944 she was imprisoned in #Theresienstadt ghetto and on 23 October 1944 she was deported to #Auschwitz. She was murdered in a gas chamber after arrival selection.

[Courtney Theriault @cspotweet]

Here's the audio excerpt (Q&A) with Premier Danielle Smith on Breitbart confirming she asked the U.S. adminstration to "put things on pause" to help Pierre Poilevre get elected as PM as she believes he aligns with Trump on many issues and the "new direction of America."

[Team Servicerottie🇨🇦🐕‍🦺🦽 @servicerotties]

This is going to make some people angry and might cost me a few followers, but it needs to be said.

I've seen many, many people on this and other platforms, including those who are supposed to be leaders, using the terms retard and moron to insult people who's actions or beliefs they don't agree with. I am especially seeing it in relation to politics. So it's time for a little history lesson.

These terms were once used by the medical community to classify individuals with intellectual disabilities. This was back when really offensive racial terms were commonly used as well. Society has gotten a bit better with racial slurs, but we've made next to no progress with disability slurs. This is because often people with disabilities aren't in a position to advocate for themselves, and they don't have the numbers to effectively demand better.

When someone does something you dislike, that you consider reckless, cruel, selfish, etc, and you use one of these terms to describe them, you're essentially saying their actions or beliefs are how someone with an intellectual or developmental disability would act. You're literally insulting members of the disability community instead of that individual or group you have a problem with.

Have you ever actually spent enough time around someone with an intellectual disability to even get to know them? If you did, you'd know that these are often very kind people who don't have the intention to be cruel. They are friendly and caring. If anything, most people could learn a thing or two about kindness and loyalty from them. When you're using those slurs, you're saying that people with intellectual disabilities are cruel, lazy, selfish, and immoral. They aren't.

Having a higher intellectual capacity does not make you a better person. In fact, many of the most heinous criminals have extremely high IQs. If you have to resort to slurs about disabilities to prove your point, then it says you either have a limited vocabulary, you aren't able to control your impulsive reactions, you believe that people with disabilities don't deserve basic respect, or you're unaware of the history and meaning of these words.

In many cases, these words are really ingrained into a person's speech, and it's a habit. It takes conscientious thought to change that, but if you're trying to be a good person, make the effort to do better. Maybe try using words that are actually appropriate. If someone does something reckless, use that term instead of ableist slurs. Or if you really feel the need to spew insults, I suggest being creative. "Shriveled up used dishcloth" is an excellent simile. You might slip up and still use these terms, but everyone makes mistakes. At least you're trying, and that's what being a good person is about.

[Auschwitz Exhibition @auschwitzxhibit]

"Remember, it didn’t start with gas chambers. It started with politicians dividing the people with ‘us vs. them.’ It started with intolerance and hate speech, and when people stopped caring, became desensitized, and turned a blind eye, it became a slippery slope to genocide".

[Sarah Ryan @SarahRyanYEG]

Missing woman from #ymm: Andrea Crank (48 y/o) was reported missing Dec. 18, but was last seen July 31, 2024. RCMP say she is known to also frequent #Leduc and #yeg. She has brown hair, hazel eyes, is 5'7, 124bs and has tropical flowers tattooed on her right shoulder. RT?

[Lindsay Morey @LindsayDMorey]

Today is the big delivery day for @Str_XmasBureau! About 130 driver volunteers helping to deliver the spirit of Christmas to 633 @StrathcoCounty families 🎁🎅🎄
#shpk #strathco

[Sarah Ryan @SarahRyanYEG]

How has this amazing dog still not found a home? I've had my foster Katniss for 2 months & I can't understand why. She's pure joy. Brings you a toy when you get home, smiles at you when you wake up and comes searching for cuddles. Loves other dogs. RT? @BarcsRescue #yeg #yyc

[Lindsay Morey @LindsayDMorey]

.@CPKCrail Holiday Train brings holiday cheer and $7,000 donation to @StrathconaFB during Josephburg stop 🎄🎅🎁 #shpk #strathco

[Sarah Ryan @SarahRyanYEG]

Missing woman & dog from #Morinville, AB: Andrea Wagner (61 y/o) was last seen Nov. 26 in Forest Lawn area of #StAlbert. RCMP say she may be in #yeg. Was last seen with her dog, Shiloh. Wagner is 5'6, 128 lbs, has blonde hair and brown eyes. Was wearing grey/blue winter coat RT

[Lindsay Morey @LindsayDMorey]

.@Str_XmasBureau will serve a record-breaking number of people for the 2024 campaign: 633 families, which is more than 2,000 @StrathcoCounty residents.
Donations are needed now. Give if you can.
Delivery Day is set for Dec. 14. #shpk #strathco
https://t.co/7iR6ticmcO

[Strathcona County @StrathcoCounty]

❗️Smoke is blowing into #Ardrossan from a fire at the Tempo gas station on Highway 16.
❗️Please avoid the area and give our crews room to work safely.
👉If smoke is heavy in your area, remain inside and reduce outdoor physical activity.
#strathco #shpk (1/2)

[Diane Yanch (she/her) @DianeYanch]

What an amazing show! @shell

[Auschwitz Memorial @AuschwitzMuseum]

With great sadness, we received the news about the passing of Auschwitz Survivor Denise Holstein.

Denise Holstein (6 February 1927 – 16 November 2024) dedicated her life to sharing her testimony and educating future generations about the atrocities she endured. She wrote two books about her experiences and participated in a documentary, recounting her story with unwavering courage.

Denise was born into a Jewish family in Rouen, France.

During the war, her father, Bernard, was briefly interned at the Drancy camp in 1942 but was released after three months. By 1943, however, the Holstein family’s fate took a darker turn. On January 15, Denise and her parents were arrested during a mass roundup of Jews in Rouen. While her parents were deported to Auschwitz later that year, Denise, sick with diphtheria and mumps, was initially spared and placed under the care of the Union Générale des Israélites de France (UGIF), living in homes for Jewish children whose parents had been deported.

By 1944, at just 17 years old, Denise was acting as a caretaker for younger children in the UGIF home in Louveciennes. Despite her young age, she took on the role of mentor and protector for a group of children, trying to shield them from the horrors surrounding them. However, on July 22, 1944, the home was raided on the orders of German officer Alois Brunner, and Denise, along with the children, was taken to Drancy.

On July 31, 1944, Denise was deported to Auschwitz with 34 children from Louveciennes. Denise did her best to comfort the children, singing to them and offering whatever solace she could.

Upon arrival at Auschwitz, Denise narrowly escaped death. A French deportee advised her not to take the hand of a crying child, a decision that could have led to her immediate execution in the gas chambers. While this advice saved her life, the children she cared for were all sent directly to the gas chambers upon arrival.

In Auschwitz, Denise worked long hours transporting heavy stones and endured brutal roll calls. At one point, she fell seriously ill with scarlet fever and was sent to the camp infirmary, where she encountered Josef Mengele.

In late 1944, Denise was transferred to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. She was liberated there on April 15, 1945, by British forces. Emaciated and suffering from typhus, she required immediate medical care but began the slow process of recovery and reintegration into life after the war.

[Sherwood Park News @ShPk_News]

"We’re planning for an increase of up to 60 per cent... We’re planning for 700 families." — @Str_XmasBureau
Strathcona Christmas Bureau ups its 2024 fundraising campaign goal to $140,000 to address demand.
Today's top story:
#shpk #strathco
https://t.co/VL0OcZDGo8

[Vinny Mac @vinnybigmac]

Hawaii footballs different! What an entrance

[Strathcona County @StrathcoCounty]

“When we feel that isolation, I hope those supports are there for us, whether it's formal or informal.” Connection and belonging are an important aspect of a thriving community. Learn more about Community Safety and Well-being: https://t.co/cVQfm8AXOj #strathco #shpk