reason number 42 to bike commute:

"Biofuels Raise Beer Prices." OK, this headline from ProBrewer.com, is perhaps a little exaggerated, but it nonetheless adds to the growing evidence that the otherwise reasonable push toward alternative fuels--alternative to coal and petroleum--carries its own social and environmental side effects. In this case, it seems European farmers have planted significantly less barley this year as they chase the lucrative subsidies their governments are offering to grow rapeseed (canola) and other raw materials for making biodiesel. With less barley planted, less will be harvested and prices for maltsters and brewers are already on the rise. Besides the economic implications for beer producers and consumers such as myself, there is mounting evidence that the rush to grow other biofuel crops such as maize and, especially, palm oil is having a variety of environmental consequences, with accelerating tropical deforestation topping the list. While I think biofuels nonetheless offer a lot of potential, let's not forget there is an even better alternative to petroleum-guzzling engines: the human body. We can walk and, of course, bicycle in far more energy-efficient a manner than we can drive, with absolutely no worrisome side effects to deal with--other than helping fight obesity, stress, etc., and living happier, healthier lives as a result. Why is it we so often search for new technologies and techniques to fix our current problems, when sometimes the simplest ideas, such as conservation, provide the most elegant solutions of all.

reason number 97 to bike commute ...

... (at least in L.A.): serendipitous celebrity sightings. Yesterday, on my ride home through Playa del Rey, I did my usual scan for hazards while crossing through the intersection of Pershing and Manchester and spotted the unmistakable figure of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, waiting, on foot, to cross Manchester to apparently drop off some dry cleaning. Who said, "Nobody walks in L.A.?" Freakin' Kareem does! This sighting comes only about a month after seeing former U.S. soccer star and current L.A. Galaxy General Manager Alexi Lalas walking his dog early one morning just a few blocks south of the same spot. But for me the biggest highlight came earlier this year when I saw none other than Larry David holding court with about a dozen hangers-on outside Chaya restaurant on Main Street in Venice/Ocean Park. Since I saw filming-location signs for "CYE" just down the street a few days later, they must have been in the neighborhood scoping things out for the next season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I briefly thought about yelling something stupid like, "Hey, Larry, You're the Man!," as I rode past. But besides thinking I'm too cool to do something like that--but apparently not too cool to blog about it--I was quite legitimately afraid of what he might have yelled back! None of this really matters, except to point out how much more attuned to the surrounding landscape one is when passing through on bike, rather than tucked away in the cocoon of an automobile. And with the Culver City model-train store now closed, perhaps bike commuting is the new best place to catch your favorite celebrity on the westside.