We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy! As we learned from our article on the fate of Planned Parenthood, women’s health issues spark intensely opinionated debates. While the government’s stance on Planned Parenthood funding is still up in the air, a definitive decision has been made regarding birth control: The Obama administration released new standards last week Read more

Everyone's panicking about the government shutdown, which may happen this Friday at midnight, but what does it really mean for you and me? It isn't as scary as it sounds — the government has shut down several times in the past. The most recent one occurred from Dec. 16, 1995 to Jan. 6, 1996, according to Reuters. The length of the shutdown (if it will happen) is still not clear, but it has Read more

In an effort to curb excessive gaming among its youth, Vietnam has placed a ban on online gaming between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. — for everyone. So even adults won't be able to access any online gaming sites between those hours. The order comes from the Vietnamese government, who has asked Internet service providers to block access during restricted times. They have until March 3 to Read more

There's a huge debate going on with the government about extending unemployment benefits. If you have not been following up on what's happening, here is a quick snapshot: Right now, there's too much squabbling in Congress on whether to reauthorize the unemployment checks and how they should fund it. It's pretty much a waiting game to see how lawmakers will react. If the benefits expire, almost Read more

Do you think it's OK for the government to ban a company product, particularly McDonald's Happy Meals? San Francisco is the first city to rule that restaurants can't serve free toys with meals that contain more than 600 calories, and a certain amount of sugar and fat, reports the Los Angeles Times. Further, the city's board of supervisors ordained that fruit and vegetables should be served with Read more

It's important for people to know how and why our global economy came crashing down in 2008. Inside Job, a documentary by Charles Ferguson, makes the concepts behind the financial meltdown easy to digest. At the same time, it's hard to swallow the fact that several key people in the government worked for the best interests of the banks and not the greater good of the American public. In fact, the Read more

Call me a dork, but I did a little jump for joy when the 2010 census arrived in my mailbox this week. I'm not exactly sure why I am so excited to stand and be counted – maybe it's because it is the first time I can list children in my household – but I immediately tore open the envelope, filled it out, and put it right back in the mail. Since the first census in 1790, children have been Read more