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Ruminations is where I share works in progress. Please follow the pointers below to learn more about me and the stories you’ll find on these pages. Thank you for visiting. Please return and tell a friend.
Who is Tom Abate and what does he write about?
Stories and commentary based on research, interviews, and observations.
Satire, fiction, humor, and advice from the Dead Blogger’s Society.
Experiences and events that formed my character and inform my work and beliefs.
This unsuccessful grant pitch might contain the germ of a useful idea.
We can usher in a golden age of journalism by using artificial intelligence and networking technologies to reorganize the gathering and publishing of information to help citizens solve problems democratically. Software engineers and journalists could create civic action bots to scour networks for reliable information and deliver it to people interested in solving specific problems. Journalists would evolve from telling stories to helping citizens tell their own stories, such as mobilizing and sustaining public opinion until local governments replaced lead...Read More
When an overly ambitious scheme flopped, my granddaughters reminded me how kids invent new games. Wanna play?
For the twelve months leading up to California’s March 5th primary I’ve been trying to understand why the state’s behavioral health safety net hasn’t done more to alleviate mental illness, homelessness, and substance abuse. Today, Californians vote on a plan by the governor and legislature to revise the safety net system. If ratified, Proposition 1 would partially change how California’s 58 counties deliver behavioral health services. It would also authorize a bond to build new treatment facilities and housing for...Read More
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