Since the beginning of 2013, and as of August 6, 2013, restrictive voting bills have been introduced in more than half the states: At least 82 restrictive bills were introduced in 31 states. Of those, 7 restrictive bills are still pending in 4 states. Eight states have already passed nine restrictive bills this session. Just recently, North Carolina passed a law that mandates a Photo ID is required to vote, eliminates same-day registration, eliminates pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-old citizens, and reduces the early voting period.

58% of all teens have downloaded apps to their cell phone or tablet computer. 26% of teen apps users have uninstalled an app because it was collecting personal information that they didn’t wish to share. 46% of teen apps users have turned off location tracking features because they were worried about the privacy of their information. Girls are considerably more likely than boys to say they have disabled location tracking features. 70% of them have sought advice from someone else about how to manage their privacy online.

Joan L. Cannon writes: Often to this day, I wish artists were called on to do what illustrators did in those long-gone days: make a picture for a reader who might not ever have seen anything like what she was reading about. Historical fiction especially could benefit from more than a dust jacket depiction. Oh, I understand how foolish a thought that is from the economic point of view. Books are almost too expensive now.

Fewer women are getting married and they’re waiting longer to tie the knot when they do decide to walk down the aisle. That’s according to a new Family Profile from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research (NCFMR) at Bowling Green State Univ…

Volunteering may have signaled to prospective employers that the applicant possessed desirable qualities such as motivation, creativity and reliability. Thus, volunteering could be particularly useful for job applicants with little prior experience such as recent college graduates or persons attempting to re-enter the labor market after a period of joblessness.

I know that everyone needs to eat and I don’t mind sharing but I would like some produce for myself, too. Next year I will plan differently, perhaps setting aside a small plot for the local scavengers; this year I will just enjoy what I can and at least take pleasure in knowing that my tomatoes are making a party for many mouths.

Fraught with danger and intrigue, Ms. Mantel gives us a view into the complex, brilliant mind of Thomas Cromwell, and deftly enables us to follow his reasoning and machinations as he strives to do his master’s work, that of Henry VIII. If you have not read Ms. Mantel’s earlier book, Wolf Hall, you will benefit greatly from tackling it before moving on to Bring up the Bodies. When J. K. Rowling delivers the mystery series in the future based on The Cuckoo's Calling characters, it will provide readers with some very satisfying hours — or, as a friend says about her love of crime fiction, some delectable "comfort food of the mind." So, after selling more than half a billion volumes of Harry Potter, does Rowling deserve our attention in her new literary adventure? No question about it, she does.

Brand-name makers — led by the pharmaceutical giants Amgen and Genentech — have been unable to convince state legislatures to require pharmacists to notify doctors (and sometimes patients) when they substitute generics for brand-name biologic drugs. Notification measures died in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas and Washington. Oregon, Utah and Virginia adopted notification requirements, but with sunsetting provisions that will take effect before any of the knock-offs reach the market.