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May 27th, 2016

5/27/2016

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Happy Memorial Day:
May 30th, 2016:


He did not understand the war --
He understood the blistering injustice of it; the stroke-like fear in the faraway sight of the raped as they blamed him for not being there; the accusing eyes of the children that leered from atop distended bellies even as they starved; the seeping lines of grief lacerated into the faces of fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives who had lost all they loved; the tortured and the maimed becoming in part or in whole separate from who they once were; and the Dali-draped carcasses of the dead…

​The evil of the war bored into his heart, twisted with agony until he learned to ignore it --
Until he could ignore it no longer.   - from The Invisible War aka The Forgotten War, a short story, by Kevin O'Kendley
   
He’d seen a lot of death in his life but it hadn’t inured him to the pain of it, the tragedy, the loss, the suffering.  On the contrary, it had a cumulative effect; on darker days this effect swamped him in a Tsunami of emotion: after all the smaller waves passed a big one threatened.  He would watch it nearing shore with a rising dread…  - from Chandler's Bar, a novel, by Kevin O'Kendley

Please give to: The Paralyzed Veterans of America/ VA Palo Alto Health Care System/
3801 Miranda Avenue/ Palo Alto, California, 94304/ 650-858-3936
And: The Wounded Warrior Project/ National Processing Center/ P.O. Box 75840/ Topeka, Kansas, 66675/ 877-832-6997

added 7/28:   HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONOR.  I LOVE YOU.


May 26th, 2016

John F. Kennedy was born on 5/29/1917:

“… Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
      “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty…” 
“… So let us begin anew -- remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof.  Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. 
       “Let us both side explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.”
“… And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”  - John F. Kennedy   Excerpts: Inaugural Address: delivered 20, January 1961/ americanrhetoric.com


Please give to the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital (at Maine Medical Center)/ 22 Bramhall Street/ Portland, Maine 04101/ 207-662-0111       

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May 17th, 2016

5/17/2016

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updated 10/29: If the young will fight for their lives -- maybe they'll save the rest of us...  

updated: 5/25:  "President Obama honored 13 law enforcement officers with the Public Safety Medal of Valor on Monday (5/16).”*  The officers risked their lives in the line of duty and for others in remarkable and courageous ways.  One police officer lost his life: 
Robert Wilson III was killed saving innocent people during an armed robbery:
After viewing surveillance video of the shootout, former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said, "I've been in policing for 46 years and I have never witnessed an act of bravery like I saw that day -- never."**  - *NPR/ whitehouse.gov/ **WPVI-TV (Philadelphia)
35 police officers died in the line of duty in 2015.  - Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc.


Please support the Police Protective Fund/ P.O. Box 1084/ Schenectady, New York, New York, 72301/ 877-343-2477

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May 14th, 2016

5/14/2016

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U.S. Post Office Banking:
Senator Sanders’s belief in postal banking “is quite sensible.”  -- which just means that post offices run savings accounts, cash checks, and perform other basic financial services” that "is common in most of Asia and Europe.”  “Postal banking is a really good way to reach people who haven’t had access to standard savings accounts.”
“The reason why this would be so useful in the U.S. is that somewhere between 20 and 40 percent of the population has to rely on check-cashing or payday-lending services, which in some places charge usurious rates that send people into spirals of recurring debt.” - The Atlantic, Joe Pinsker
 
The author of How the Other Half Banks, Mehrsa Baradaran, believes using existing U.S. post office infrastructure and personnel for a variety of banking services is a necessary and pragmatic socio-economic idea.    - sources: PBS, The Atlantic

Added 5/16:

Four banks control 51.2% (2014) of all banking assets in the U.S.: JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citibank.  -Real Clear Markets, Martin Neil Baily, Sarah Holmes 
(or) Five banks control 44% (6.8 trillion) of total banking assets (or app. 15 trillion) (2014); the fifth bank being, US Bancorp. -Forbes, Steve Schaeffer
(or) Five banks control 44.61% (2015) of all U.S. bank assets. - CNBC
​
Added 5/19: "One in four local banks has vanished since 2008."  - Banking
  
“The Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the United States.  It was founded by Congress in 1913 to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system." - Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Janet L. Yellen is Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.  - Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System


Please give to the Shriner's Hospitals: 2425 Stockton Boulevard/ Sacramento, California, 95817/ 916-453-2000/ and  3551 North Broad Street/ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140/ 215-430-4000   
  

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May 10th, 2016

5/10/2016

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Picture
Please give to St. Jude's Hospital, Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tennessee, 38105/ 800-822-6344
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May 09th, 2016

5/9/2016

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"Wisdom can be accidental in its success but never in the sweat of its brow…"  -from Joe, Bob, Al: The Three Almost Wise Men, a short story by Kevin O'Kendley

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May 02nd, 2016

5/2/2016

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5/8  Happy Mother's Day:
        Colleen, Lindy, Tina, Tila, Debbie, Michelle, Patty, Shelley, Yvonne, Denise G., Denise H., Anita B., Anita W., Lael, Mickey, Marilyn F., Denise J., Linda, Elizabeth, Rachael, Susan, Cassie, Aunt Ruth, Aunt Beth, Aunt Donna, my cousins, my old friends, and in memory of
Rita, Olive, Betty, Lita...
Picture
Lilith, Adam's first wife, made of the same stuff Adam was and in the image of God.


5/5:  Feliz Cinco de Mayo.



Please give to the March of Dimes: 1755 Creekside Oaks Drive #130/ Sacramento, California, 95833/ 916-922-1913
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May 1st, 2016

5/1/2016

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Happy May Day...

"May  Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures. Dances, singing, and cake are usually part of the celebrations that the day includes."  -Wikipedia
"On May 1, 1886, more than 300,000 workers in 13,000 businesses across the United States walked off their jobs in the first May Day (labor) celebration in history. In Chicago, the epicenter for the 8-hour day agitators, 40,000 went out on strike with the anarchists in the forefront of the public's eye."   - .org/history



Please give to the American Cancer Society: 1552 Shoup Court/ Decatur, Georgia, 30033/ 800-227-2345, 404-327-9200
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    A carbuncle is a roiled mass of skin or a beautiful gem.  The incredible gem is pictured in the logo below and at the bottom of the short story section...

    ​
    Picture
     Kevin O'Kendley is the owner of Carbuncle Moon, and the author of all original material -- cartoons, blogs, shorts, essays, articles -- on the website (there has been a very limited editorial input in some of my work).  Quoted sources are noted.  I am responsible for all posts.  

    ​Kevin O'Kendley: P.O. Box 172, Winterport, Maine, 04496, and 200 P Street, A-32, Sacramento, California, 95814, ksokendley@outlook.com.  


    Technical help is provided by an evolving computer genius, my son, Conor O'Kendley:  A good kid with a great heart who can be reached at P.O. Box 172, Winterport, Maine, 04496.  (Conor is in the Navy now, a swabby)

    Photography provided by a visual artist, my daughter, Caitlin O'Kendley: a young woman with a beautiful soul.  (Caitlin is in college now, a media-journalism student)

    If your nonprofit is advertised on this site and you wish to have it removed please contact me at the above listed snail-mail or email address or use the contact form on the website.

    If you download a blog, cartoon, a short story -- or for any other reason -- and wish to donate $ to this site, its author and technical support personnel, please send donations to above listed addresses payable to Kevin O'Kendley.  My family and I could use the dinero.
    All cartoons, blogs, and short stories are for sale. 

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  • Blogs & Cartoons
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