Author: Ruben Bolling

Folks, the Challenge expires February 6, just four days away!  There is still a great opportunity to get specially created artwork at a great price!  And help some kids in great need!

Now, I noticed that George Clooney did rather well in his telethon by having his pals work the phonelines, giving donors a chance to talk to a celebrity when they make their donations.  So I now make the following announcement:

Anyone who donates $30 or more through this Challenge, from now until it closes February 6, will receive a phone call from me!  Yes, after you donate, I'll give you an opportunity to email me your phone number, and I, Ruben Bolling, will call you!

Now, as many of my friends can tell you, this is not necessarily very thrilling.  I'll probably talk passionately about some obscure point about the Mets, perhaps a free agent utility player they should have signed.  Then I'll probably throw in a quote from some movie ("Can I have ten thousand marbles, please?").  Then right after I ask you how you're doing, I'll say I've got to run, my frozen burrito is done.

Actually, if you decide to screen my call and let voice mail take it, I'll totally understand.

But maybe you have a question about Tom the Dancing Bug.  Like, what's up with The Ghost of James Caan?  Or, what are the geopolitical implications of the psychosexual subtext in Doug the Cartoon Character?

In any case, please do donate!  It's fun, easy, feels good, and instructions are here.

A great post by Matt Taibbi taking down David Brooks's attempt to paint those who attack bankers for helping to cause the financial meltdown as divisive, ungrateful class warriors, taking on the same tactics as racists.

An alert reader (from the great state of Alaska) notes that a guest on today's Morning Edition on NPR was the president of the National Workrights Institute… Lewis Maltby.

Louis does some quick thinking!

And if you like Louis, you must like kids, so you'll want to donate to Haitian relief (and possibly win original Tom the Dancing Bug art, specially drawn for you!).  Act Now!

This week's Tom the Dancing Bug included a feature on How to Draw Doug.  But DID YOU KNOW ™ there are other methods?  A previous installment of How to Draw Doug:

And don't forget the Tom the Dancing Bug Haitian Relief Challenge!  Because you're better than that! ™

This would be a great event to go to.

TENACIOUS D and Friends STAND WITH HAITI at The Wiltern.
February 2.

I see that George Clooney took my idea and set up his own little fundraising operation which apparently raised a few bucks.  That's cool; all's fair in the humanitarian relief game.  But in case you've recently decided to give, why not give through this Challenge?

All donors become official Friends of Tom the Dancing Bug, and you get a chance at winning original Tom the Dancing Bug artwork, created specially for you (the donation level is high, but it's made up of smaller donations, so right now the leading levels of donation are quite affordable).

And even if you don't make a donation, you can still help mightily by publicizing this Challenge on your blog, social networking page, twitter account, or bowling league newsletter.  This small gesture could raise a lot of funds for Haiti by bringing this Challenge to the attention of someone might be willing to make a donation.

Most of all, THANKS to all the Friends of Tom the Dancing Bug who have already participated, and to those who helped publicize participation!

Many, many thanks to those who have given and participated — you are now officially Friends of Tom the Dancing Bug.

And if you're thinking of participating, this looks like it might be a good chance to get a VERY, VERY good deal on original, specially created art!  It would not take much, and think how impressed your friends would be.

Let's do this!

In case you were skeptical that Timothy Geithner is really an avatar spy for Big Banking in the Obama administration, along comes this:  "Tim Geithner is a sore loser:  The Treasury secretary has 'reservations' about Obama's bank reform plan"

Hey, everybody.  I'm sure most of you have either given to a charity to help the Haiti earthquake victims, or are intending to (or are intending to give again).  I thought I'd do my small part to encourage donations.

If you make your donation to Save the Children (a four-star charity that is one of the leaders in providing relief to Haiti) through a donation page I set up, http://www.firstgiving.com/tomthedancingbugg (the extra "g" is for extra giving), you could win an original drawing that I will create just for you.

I will contact the people who made the top two donations on this page by February 6 (just over two weeks from today, so ACT NOW), and I will create an illustration of their choice and send it to them.  It will be pen and ink, and can feature Tom the Dancing Bug character(s), or scene(s), or anything at all, on bristol board paper, which makes for great kindling.

A few caveats and rules:
– I may reject your request for an illustration if I feel it inappropriate in any way in my sole discretion (you do NOT want me to draw a caricature, trust me).  In that case, I'll draw something else that you choose.
– Check this blog after February 6 to see if you won, in case there's some problem with my contacting you directly — I may announce the winners here by initials (I won't identify you publicly until you've been contacted and given consent).
– firstgiving.com does take a tiny cut of your donation, but I will make up the difference in a separate donation, so all of your donation will be effective.

Everyone who makes any donation becomes an official Friend of Tom the Dancing Bug, with all the privileges (and responsibilities) that accrue with that title.

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION AND PARTICIPATE IN THE TOM THE DANCING BUG HAITIAN RELIEF CHALLENGE.