Author: Gemma Alexander

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Gemma Alexander is a Seattle-based freelance writer specializing in technical topics for general readers. She holds a degree in Horticulture and has worked in a genetics lab and at a landfill. See other things she has written here.

How to help a teen get emancipated

If your own child actually has a serious case against you, you are likely doing something very wrong as a parent. However, you may know other teens in trouble, and being aware of the specifics of emancipation may help someone in danger who doesn’t think they have a way out.

The right to protest our national anthem

From Black Panthers at the 1968 Olympics to the latest round of professional athletes—sparked initially by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick—athletes in particular have drawn a lot of fire for their refusal to stand and lip sync like the rest of us. Why is the national anthem so important? Just what does it mean to sit out the anthem?

What police need to learn about mental illness

Any time the police become involved in a family matter, the situation is serious. But things are even more complicated when mental or developmental issues are a factor. Families can’t always be sure that calling for assistance will be helpful—or even safe. Do police have the training to protect people who are a danger to themselves? And if not, what can families do?

Do immigrants really have an easy time getting into the US?

You may have heard, in this seemingly endless election year, statements about immigration that made it sound like it’s dangerously easy to get into this country. But it turns out that boring facts fail to support political rhetoric. In reality, the accident of birth is the only easy method of becoming a U.S. citizen. Getting into America legally is tougher than you might think—and becoming a citizen is tougher still.

What’s so bad about a “starter marriage”?

While the prevalence of starter marriages does seem to be inflated in the popular imagination, that doesn’t mean the starter marriage is an entirely imagined phenomenon. For the four percent of Millennials who have already experienced divorce, the end of a short-lived marriage may have wreaked real financial and emotional havoc. After all, no one actually gets married with the intention to upgrade in in a couple years. Or do they?

‘Pokémon’ and the fine art of suing your own users

Some Poké players are now hacking the game to create unique interfaces and automate play, a fact that has the company behind the game threatening to sue their own users. Is this an example of a big corporation abusing fans of its products, or are these hackers actually doing something malicious?

Is the tide turning against voter ID laws?

Election law experts have long held that the biggest voter registration fraud was the push for laws that make it harder for African-Americans and the poor to vote. Civil rights groups have filed lawsuits challenging voter registration restrictions in Arizona, Georgia, Texas, and Ohio. Now it appears the tide is turning with favorable rulings in North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Don’t feed the trolls—how to stop online harassment

Despite the saying about “sticks and stones”, the effects of cyberbullying are not limited to virtual spaces. Cyberbullying has been connected to increased rates of depression, anxiety, and even suicide in teens and adults. A U.N. report found that 73 percent of women have experienced cyberviolence, which often carries the same real-life repercussions as physical violence.

3 strategies for shared parenting

For decades it was assumed that “suitcase children,” who moved between separated parents’ homes each week, fared worse than their counterparts who lived with a single parent (usually the mother). However, recent research overwhelmingly supports joint custody, indicating that the benefits of maintaining close relationships with both parents outweigh any additional stresses from a mobile or complex living situation.