sunsetwriters

Doug Canter, retired lawyer and former educator, is a Maryland-based writer and president of sunsetwriters.

[sunsetwriters @dmcwash]

"Unconscious Bias Is Real: What one old white guy learned teaching teenagers in Baltimore City and the Washington, D.C. suburbs." https://t.co/jiCHrg5sTC

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Read "Government Attacks on Our Right to Free Speech" in Substack. A Rolling Stone journalist who has been following political protests for several years says he sees conservative forces around the country creating a new playbook for criminalizing dissent. Three UN-appointed international law experts on human rights sent a letter to the Trump administration challenging the lawfulness of its recent executive order designating “Antifa” a terrorist organization. Reuters reports that the Trump administration has been challenged in over seventy-five court cases on First Amendment grounds. The federal government has the lawful power to prevent and punish terrorism and other political violence. But history has shown that such power is not unlimited. The number and scope of President Trump’s executive actions during his second term that suppress speech, burden free association, or coerce speakers and institutions are staggering. Check out essay here:
https://t.co/jbm9QN60LS

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"The Creative Process: From Life to Paper": The creative process looks different for everyone, and, quite frankly, it feels different for me each time I write. Exchanging ideas often helps, though. In this essay, I retrace the creation of my most recently published short story to understand why my current work in progress still feels flat and how I might find its emotional core. I’d love to hear about your creative process. https://t.co/rKKLuq8DDY

[sunsetwriters @dmcwash]

"College Bound" essay: As August nears its end, many families prepare to send their children off to college. It’s a long, messy process, this journey to adulthood. There are many useful tips online for college students, including attending class, seeking help early, and establishing a relationship with your professors. But every child's situation is different, and there is no certainty no matter what you say or do. Instead of another list of tips, this essay offers a few personal stories. Read on Substack at https://t.co/NgKHmCdJ8V

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"New York": I’ve become interested in place as a way to develop characters in writing. In addition to devices such as dialogue, thoughts, and a character’s effect on others, the time and place of a story can help flesh out a character. On a recent visit to New York, I observed how portraits reveal shifts in time, perception, and identity, and I began to see similar patterns in writing. In describing that New York trip, I experimented with fragments, some external, some internal, a technique used in two novels I’ve read recently, Jenny Offill’s "Dept. of Speculation" and Renata Adler’s "Speedboat." https://t.co/ESP6bXClPl

[sunsetwriters @dmcwash]

Will America’s Institutions Be Strong Enough? https://t.co/XJ72KrBLyX Will voters judge candidates by political labels—or by their actual policies? The upcoming midterm election is increasingly being framed as a contest between authoritarianism and socialism. History has seen examples of authoritarianism facing off against Social Democrats and broader democratic coalitions. While the winners have varied, the losers often include democracy itself. Will the majority of independent and moderate-leaning voters reject rhetorical labels in the upcoming election and vote for candidates based on their economic and individual rights’ policies? If not, the future of America’s institutions is uncertain.

[sunsetwriters @dmcwash]

AI Effectiveness Reflects the Human User’s Skills https://t.co/cQV0A4fOqn Many people think AI is either just a sophisticated search engine or a machine that agrees with everything they say. My experience has been different. In this essay, I share an actual series of prompts from one of my AI conversations to illustrate how it works best—not by replacing human judgment, but by challenging, refining, and extending it. If you've wondered how professionals can use AI as a serious tool, I hope you'll find this interesting.

[sunsetwriters @dmcwash]

What Our Heroes Reveal About Us? https://t.co/SlpU0HVSUB Our heroes reflect the stories and values we inherit from family, schools, books, communities, and the culture around us. They reveal what and whom we admire. But we do not seem to elevate our national leaders based upon values we identify as heroic. In the divisive world in which we live, it can feel like there are no heroes, but they are all around us and each of us can be a hero.

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HedgeApple2025withfix https://t.co/RS1DlTIo6h My short story "Companion" appears on pages 73-77.

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The Perils of Political Labeling https://t.co/ZhXXV7NX7D Consumerism has sharpened the edges of branding, which merely applies age-old emotional appeals to persuade–to get people to buy, to vote, to hate. Through political branding, politicians can create fear, mask the underlying policy issues, and, sometimes, perpetuate stereotypes that fan the flames of fear and further mask the policy discussion. Why is this happening? Its cause is multifaceted, involving consumerism, political argument, and the biology of human emotion.

[sunsetwriters @dmcwash]

Happy Birthday America https://t.co/iSDg8Zrx1Z The Grand Canyon and other national treasures of the American Southwest revealed a vastness and importance far greater than my fear of heights. Traveling through the beauty and dramatically different landscapes of four national parks, I began to see a parallel between the changing images of the natural world and our day-to-day lives. A journey through the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park became more than a vacation. It became a reminder that, although our perspectives differ, some things endure.

[sunsetwriters @dmcwash]

If AIs Cannot Feel, Why Do We Treat Them As If They Do? https://t.co/kOMYc0aHHV AI is transformative. The way we interact with our chatbots raises interesting questions about consciousness.

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Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self https://t.co/6vpZQABwit

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Who Decides AI's Future? https://t.co/vZXcc0OSaw

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Let Maine Voters Decide https://t.co/2iur44bH4p

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Coal, Mercury, and the Children We Poison https://t.co/Z5d80fI7iJ

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https://t.co/Z5d80fI7iJ

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Supreme Leader Trump threatens 100 percent tariffs on Canadian goods over China deal. That’s not capitalism; that’s not in America’s interest; it’s infantile emotion. Vote ‘no’ with your pocketbooks. https://t.co/ZfJZFzNvLa

[sunsetwriters @dmcwash]

Trump threatens 100 percent tariffs on Canadian goods over China deal https://t.co/ZfJZFzNvLa

[sunsetwriters @dmcwash]

Shutdown deal provision over Jack Smith investigation shows lack of good faith or political malpractice ---https://t.co/NyoysTPp3T