Toronto, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Canada is pushing for a national child care program to ensure the country’s future economic prosperity.

The YWCA pointed out more women should be freed from child care duties as the Canadian workforce increasing relies on female workers who are educated and skilled.

The proposal is an alternative to men beginning to be more active in raising children, according to the YWCA report released Monday prior to the global celebration of International Women’s Day.

While many Canadian couples want to have both husband and wife working, the presence of young children forces women to either stay at home or seek only part-time employment. One alternative is to bring the children to child care facilities, which charge up to $60 a day and often have long waiting lists.

Despite the establishment of a national daycare program being one of the vital recommendations of the 1970 Royal Commission on the Status of Women, regulated child care in Canada is available for only 20 percent of children under 5 years old.

However, even with that limitation, employment of women with babies and toddlers grew to 64.4 percent in 2009 from 27.6 percent in 1976. For women with children with the ages 6 to 15, employment reached 79 percent.

Last year, Ontario introduced the full-day kindergarten with schools offering the service expected to reach 1,700 in 2012. YWCA Chief Executive Officer Paulette Senior welcomed the launch of the full-day kindergarten because it will permit the women to participate fully in the economic, social, cultural and political life of their communities.

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At least one mental health initiative will not be cut back, even after the Gov. Pat Quinn predicted looming budget cuts across the Illinois Department of Human Services.

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A kidney was transplanted into the wrong patient at a Los Angeles hospital, an organ-donation network said Thursday…

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ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–President Richard M. Nixon formally opened China for the Western world in 1972. Will McNally Smith College of Music officially open up Hip-Hop for Chinese music students in 2011?!

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Mexico City, Federal District, Mexico (AHN) – Venezuela is offering free eye care to Mexican peasants in a program that appears to double as a means of political indoctrination, according to the latest Wikileaks releases.

The program, called Operation Miracle, concerns both Mexican and U.S. diplomats.

The Wikileaks document dated October 2008 describes a meeting between diplomats during which they discussed the possibility that low-income Mexicans might return from their medical care in Venezuela to participate in political protests and other disruptions.

Operation Miracle, which started in 2005, was investigated by the Mexican government.

The investigation revealed that Mexican peasants receive medical care from Cuban doctors, but they also must sit through political propaganda sessions.

An estimated half-million people from various countries have received the treatments.

Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador also allow their citizens to be treated through Operation Miracle.

Much of the propaganda criticizes the United States as being oppressive.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is a harsh critic of U.S. foreign policy.

The risk from Operation Miracle is that it might create “pro-Chavez” sentiments at a time the Venezuelan president is being accused of spreading socialist activism throughout Latin America, according to the Wikileaks documents.

Wikileaks is a Web site that leaks secret government documents.

The meeting described in document 08MEXICO3178 is one of more than 250,000 secret State Department communications, called cables, that Wikileaks published in recent weeks.

The Mexican government was represented at the 2008 diplomatic meeting by Foreign Secretary Rafael Bernal Cuevas, the documents say.

Bernal told the U.S. diplomats he was concerned about the “ideological component” of Operation Miracle.

Bernal reportedly said the peasants were “more likely to participate in marches or demonstrations in Mexico,” according to the State Department documents.

The National Intelligence Center of Mexico has identified about 500 socialist activists – called bolivarians – in Mexico who are associated with the Venezuelan and Cuban governments.

In addition, the conservative Mexican news media has reported speculation that the Venezuelan government might be trying to fund campaigns of its preferred political candidates in Mexico, but the reports never have been verified.

Mexican intelligence sources have linked Chavez with Mexican dissident groups such as the Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) and the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD).

Bernal said the Mexican government was limited in its ability to stop indoctrination of the medical patients and their possible protests because “Mexico had to offer freedom of expression.”

He also said Mexico was trying to improve relations with Venezuela after political tensions arose from the election of Chavez in 2000.

Chavez also has criticized the Mexican government in his speeches.

Bernal said the Mexican government was trying to manage Operation Miracle through “bilateral channels” rather than independently halting the program.

The liberal media has criticized efforts by the Mexican government to clamp down on Operation Miracle.

Mexican newspaper columnist Jose Pertierra wrote recently that Operation Miracle had benefited hundreds of thousands of people “without charging a penny.”

The free eye care treatments also prompted Mexican President Felipe Calderon to begin a cataract surgery program for low-income people that Pertierra called “a bad copy of Operation Miracle.”

He said Calderon and other government officials “acted in bad faith and embarked on something very similar to sabotage of the humanitarian plan.”

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Patients do better with aerobics plus weight lifting

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NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fitch Ratings affirms all the private student loan asset-backed bonds of State of New York Higher Education Finance Authority New York Higher Education Loan Program (NYHELPs) education loan revenue bonds 2009 series A. The Rating Outlook remains stable for the 2009 series A bonds. Fitch’s Global Structured Finance and U.S. Private SL ABS Rating Criteria were used to review the transaction. The rating actions are detailed at the end of the press release. The affirmation

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In the current economic climate, education has become increasingly important for individuals across the nation, and people are rushing to earn as many diplomas as possible, be they bachelors, masters, or doctorate degrees. A person who wishes to be called well educated must look for the top courses that are taught in universities across the country. These days, the undergraduate degree seems to not be enough, and more and more students are enrolling in masters degree programs, in order to try and stay one step ahead of their peers.

While it’s true that many different degrees can help you land the job you’ve been searching for, there are five degrees that are currently at the top of the heap, including the following masters degree programs: Arts, Science, Business Administration, Nursing, and Sports Management.

First, the Master of Arts is considered to be one of the best degree programs, as this program teaches you skills that are highly valued across practically any industry. The most common specializations in this program are Communications and Liberal Studies. By obtaining this degree, you can potentially become a web designer, graphic designer, digital animator, video producer, and more, allowing you to help companies enhance their online presence.

The second masters degree program that is considered to be among the best is the Masters of Science degree. This exciting program can open many doors to new opportunities in the ever-growing fields of technology, biology, ecology, chemistry, and more. Within each field, you can acquire highly paid positions in consultancy, research, and engineering.

The third top masters degree program in the U.S. is the Masters of Business Administration (MBA), which is the most sought-after degree of them all. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, corporate employee, manager, or partner at a larger firm, the MBA can help you open up new doors in the job market. An MBA degree is one of the best ways to achieve the senior position you’ve been hoping for, boost your credibility, or start new career path.

As well, you can also pursue a Masters in Nursing, a degree that is very lucrative in the multi-million dollar medical industry. Like most masters programs today, you can also achieve your Masters in Nursing online, without having to quit your full-time career. Lastly, the Masters in Sports Management is an excellent degree to help you build you career in the vast sports industry, which offers the following positions: trainers, coaches, athletic directors, and more.

Nursing careers are for those who enjoy interacting and working with people, especially when medical help is needed. Saving lives is the basic fundamental of nursing besides helping doctors and managing staff. The medical field can be very exciting with the challenges and a lot of hard work. As a profession it has very good prospects as nursing is very much in demand all over the world.

Associate degree courses helps students with the basic skills and gives an insight to nursing practices. They provide especial educational programs that enable you to choose from different nursing job opportunities. Various online courses are also available where the quality of the program may vary and it is better for you to choose one which is well established. These courses can help you get an associate degree based on your previous life experiences and without having to attend classes or go for admission tests.

You could then choose from a full time nursing course or just a part time one depending on your future requirement. Precaution must be taken while enrolling to ensure that these nursing programs are government recognized, to be valid. These associate degrees help you in becoming a certified nurse without holding a bachelor’s degree. This can help you in adding to your educational qualification, which will help you further your career.

There are numerous colleges that offer various courses in nursing to suit your requirement. An associate degree gives you that added knowledge and qualification to move on to a specialized area in nursing. In order to be a registered nurse you need to finish these courses successfully from a recognized nursing school. Associate nursing program was evolved when Milred Montag did a research program, which brought about this course. The basic need for this was the fact that conventional nursing degrees took a very long time which was then cut short and reduced by the associate nursing degree. If you do not have the time for the regular 4 years that is required to get the degree then an associate program is best suited for you. You have a choice of either go in for a campus course or an on line nursing degree.

The campus courses will include practical and laboratory training as well, where you will be assigned to a clinic for 5-8 hours a day. Besides this you are educated on the basics of nursing and patient care along with the knowledge of commonly used medicines etc. You should be prepared for the stress levels usually associated with nursing jobs Morale boosting and solving staff problems are within the scope of any nurse’s work. It is a combination of medical knowledge with the touch of compassion which makes it a great profession. Nursing is a career to be proud of, where you can contribute to the society and help people being a health professional.

Armed with the general education and an associate nursing degree you are ready for a career in nursing.

Nursing is regarded as a noble profession and many people wish to make a career in it. This at times is prompted with the desire to serve humanity and the growing healthcare business, which provides a lot of opportunities.

Education At Your Doorstep

Online nursing schools will help you gain education from within the comfort of your own home and not having to follow any grueling study schedules or running around to attend regular classes. This way an online nursing degree program leaves you with a lot of time at your hands for your personal commitments and individual study as well. A flexible study schedule allows you to study at any point during the day and at your chosen pace without the pressure of competition.

Online nursing degree doesn’t ignore the importance and requirement of clinical experience in a nursing degree and therefore they arrange for the clinical experience period at medical facilities easily approachable to their students. For stay at home moms and would-be moms gaining education becomes easy with an online nursing degree program. Once you have opted for online nursing continuing education your course material will be available to you at any point that you so desire.

An online nursing degree allows you to contact your teachers via email and you can speak to them online too. The library is provided to you so that you don’t have to go on book hunts. Online nursing schools generally offer RN-to-BSN and MSN degrees but there are a very limited number of colleges who provide higher degree as well. If completed with dedication one can complete the online nursing degree program in shorter time duration as compared to the regular one.

An online nursing degree program will generally cost you less than the regular degree as the cost of online tutoring is at times sponsored by the universities. You will also save a lot of money that you would have spent on commuting to college daily. What more energy and time would be saved too and you will gain what you had wanted to and that is education.

The education world is flooded by universities offering an online nursing degree program but you need to be on the look out for the one that has the right combination of things that you need and is accredited as well to make your efforts worthwhile.