December 8th marked 29th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. As I walked to BART Tuesday night, I put on my headphones and listened to one of my favorite of his songs, God. Lennon goes through a list that covers all the bases, from religion to new age spirituality to rock and roll, and proclaims that he doesn’t believe in any of it.

Belief is big this time of year, and it creates something of a conundrum for non-believers. How do atheists address the challenge of holiday advertising? An article in the New York Times last week covered a campaign from the American Humanist Organization, which addresses the problem with kitschy holiday cheer:

One reader wrote a letter to the editor in response to the article, criticizing the ads for focusing on what sets humanists apart from religious folks. “One item of the humanist worldview,” the reader wrote, “is emphasizing the many positive positions we hold in common with a wide range of religious believers.”

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Check out this new video about cap & trade from Annie Leonard, the woman who brought is “Story of Stuff.”

There are about as many takes on cap and trade as there are environmental groups, which isn’t surprising given the system’s complexity and multiple permutations. The big take home message in this one is that the simplicity and promise of cap and trade evaporate when we try to enact it in the real world.

Wherever you stand on cap and trade, it’s hard not to be delighted by Free Range Studio’s spunk and style. And I’m always charmed when cartoons commingle with real life. Annie Leonard is happy to hop into cartoon land to talk about cap and trade, but it’s clear that she wants it to stay on that side of the divide.