Lapsed!

Looking back over this week's comic (God-Man, in "Lapsed!"), I realized that it could be a miniature, comic strip version of the Coen brothers' "A Serious Man."

THIS WEEK'S COMIC

GOD-MAN in "Lapsed!"

Canadians would never steal trays from a cafeteria.

The KC Free Press lists some ways to make the Winter Olympics even better, and includes Tom the Dancing Bug's suggestions from the previous games in Salt Lake City.  This only serves to remind me:  It's been four years!  Where's Team Snowball Fighting, Olympic Committee?

It's neither "free" nor a "market." Discuss.

When Obama compared bankers' bonuses to baseball player salaries, defending them both on the grounds that they are inflated, but a result of the free market, I couldn't resist bringing Hollingsworth Hound back into the fray.

This week's comic:  Hollingsworth Hound, in "Squeeze Plays"

Tim Russert, we hardly knew ye

I read that editorial cartoonists are calling out NBC's Meet The Press and its host David Gregory for referring to their cartoons, but failing to mention the cartoonist's name.

Years ago on Meet The Press, in one of the highlights of my career, Tim Russert held then-Majority Leader Senator Tom Daschle to account by reading to him a Tom the Dancing Bug comic strip poking fun of him.  Russert very nicely stated the name of the comic strip, which he called, after a thoughtful pause, "interesting."

This week's comic

CUTE SAYINGS!

$4,674 RAISED IN TOM THE DANCING BUG HAITIAN RELIEF CHALLENGE

Wow, Tom the Dancing Bug readers were always known for their enthusiasm for ghost stories involving 1970s-era actors, their questionable use of grammar and punctuation in Facebook comments, and of course their dubious taste in comic strips.  But I have to thank you now for your generosity.

I said I would create special Tom the Dancing Bug drawings for the top two donors, but there was a tie for second place, so I'll create three drawings -- which I'm happy to do, given the amount raised for the Save the Children Haiti Earthquake Emergency Fund, $4,674!

The winners of the Tom the Dancing Bug Haitian Relief Challenge are:

1. J.L. from Richmond, Va.

2. Philip Apps

2. Bruce L., from Cambridge (UK)

Thank you to the winners, and to everyone who participated and is now an official Friend of Tom the Dancing Bug.

And thanks to all those who helped spread the word about the Challenge, including the ones I know of:  bloggers/humanitarians John Glynn, Tom Spurgeon, Alan Gardner, and Mike Rhode.

The Challenge is over, but of course you can still donate through the Tom the Dancing Bug donation page.

TOM THE DANCING BUG HAITIAN RELIEF CHALLENGE

Less than six hours left!  There's currently a tie for second place, so if someone donates just a bit more, it might push him/her over the edge.

And, of course, thanks!

THE TOM THE DANCING BUG HAITIAN RELIEF CHALLENGE...

...ends on Saturday, February 6, at 11:59 pm.  Click here for info.  And THANK YOU to those who have contributed so far.

I originally said that everyone who donates becomes an Official Friend of Tom the Dancing Bug, "with all the benefits and responsibilities that accrue with that title," but I discreetly changed the wording of that phrase when an alert donor pointed out that a "friend" with "benefits" may have unintended implications.

This week's comic

America's Shame of the 21st Century.