Alisha came to my door yesterday asking me to sign a petition to promote the use of alternative fuels in California. I declined because most alternative fuel schemes only prolong the damage inflicted by our fundamentally unsustainable transportation system.

Yes, I’m a participant of that system, and any change will be very painful for everybody, even those who are car-free.

And now I read the news that there may be real, honest to God food shortages in the United States this year. Analysts say that corn may be rationed in 2008 because of insufficient supply and increased demand. In part this is a backlash from overplanting in 2007, which caused corn prices to fall and bean prices to rise. U.S. farmers are expected to plan 8% less corn from 2007 while demand for ethanol production remains high.

I’m not against all forms of motorized transportation: they certainly make life easy and convenient, and I’m for ease and convenience. But we’re now at the point of choosing between food and fuel, and I’d much rather eat than drive.

Here’s another petition, except I support this one. Via.

Pro MTB racer Abbie Durkee and her sister Moriah have started My Alibi to inspire more women to get on bicycles. Their perspective is that if more women felt beautiful on a bike, they would be happier, and healthier. The vision is that as communities become more localized and gas prices rise the practicality of bicycles will be more evident in America just as they are in much of Europe.

Their first product are the My Alibi Bloomers. These cycling under crackers are made in Italy using top of the line Lycra with a Pro quality gel pad for maximum booty protection. With no binding elastic and a low cut waist they virtually disappear under your favorite skirt, Capri, or shorts according to My Alibi. Leaving you feeling light and pretty, they are your little secret while cruising around comfortably on your bike.

With spring arriving now is a perfect time for My Alibi’s Bloomers to get some use! As a Pro level MTB racer, Abbie Durkee, has spent many hours in the saddle and has listened to the testimonies of all types female riders. The common tune is a desire to feel feminine while on a bike. This has inspired her to create the Bloomers an essential base layer to wearing fashionable feminine clothing on a bike.

Currently the Bloomers are the only innovative product My Alibi has on the market but these sisters are working hard to release an entire line of coordinating fashionable styles.

Michael is a 10 year bike commuting veteran in Ashland, Oregon, where he’s current a grad student in an online program for Environmental Management and is interested in the concept of environmental behavior change. Michael and his friends believe more people should try biking to work, and he’s researched the best ways to use the Internet to promote biking to work. Michael has surveyed bike commuters and used focus groups to discuss what motivates bike commuters and what barriers need to be overcome to encourage commuting by bike. He started the website velocommuter to provide knowledge and inspiration for the average person to try commuting by bike. “Some may hate it,” says Michael, “but lots of people will probably love it and think that it is a simple way to reduce consumption of oil while getting a great workout.”

Michael also really wants to push the Velocommute Pledge Page — pledge to commit to biking to work once per week, and the site will tell you how much you save in CO2 emissions.

Tim is a cyclist in Buffalo, NY. He started Bike Wire, a free website for cyclists featuring social networking, stat tracking & graphing, honor code leaderboard, blogging, photo, and meatworld networking. The idea is that John Doe fro Orlando, FL should be able to sign up for BikeWire and have instant access to his area’s ride maps, clubs, teams, group rides, and more that have been posted by Orlando’s users.

This one isn’t cycling related but it may be of interest to some of you: TransitRant is a forum to rant about your public transportation.

Personal note: I went to a birthday party this afternoon with some Filipino friends and was introduced to one of their delicacies — balut. Google for images of this treat, if you dare. I literally lost a portion of my lunch.