Tea

In an age of long commutes, late sports practices, endless workdays and 24/7 television programming, the image of Mom hanging up her dish towel at 7 p.m. and declaring "the kitchen is closed" seems a quaint relic of an earlier era. It also harks back to a thinner America. And that may be no coincidence. A new study, conducted on mice, hints at an unexpected contributor to the nation's epidemic of obesity - and, if later human studies bear it out, a possible way to have our cake and eat it too, with less risk of weight gain and the diseases that come with it. Just eat your cake - or better yet, an apple - earlier.

Re "Alternative presidential bid falters," May 16 It always seemed quixotic to launch a grass-roots movement from the top. In the unlikely scenario that a candidate was elected president, what sort of clout would she or he have in a Congress that lacked even a single supporter? By contrast, consider the "tea party. " Whether or not you agree with its agenda, it is undeniable that the dozens of representatives it helped elect have made their presence felt. Americans Elect should endorse candidates already running for Congress - whether Democratic or Republican - who meet its criteria, and put up candidates of its own in districts where none do. H.A. Drake Santa Barbara ALSO: Letters: Eugenics in America's past Letters: The media and Mitt Romney Letters: California courts feel the cuts

Teas from across the globe are becoming more and more popular in the U.S. One relative newcomer, yerba mate, is attracting fans for its allegedly jitter-free caffeine boost and high antioxidant content. Lab research suggests some potential health benefits from drinking yerba mate, but studies of lifelong yerba mate drinkers in the tea's native South America suggest the brew increases the risk of some cancers -- a fact most marketing campaigns omit.

WASHINGTON - Upstart state Sen. Deb Fischer triumphed in Nebraska's bitterly contested Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday night, winning the right to face Democrat Bob Kerrey in November. The race had become a high-profile showdown among tea party leaders, who split their support among three candidates. The seat being vacated by Democrat Ben Nelson is considered the GOP's best opportunity for a Senate pickup this fall. Former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin had endorsed Fischer last week, giving the little-known rancher from the Sandhills region a boost.

For most of his 76 years, the 14th Dalai Lama has been the spiritual light for followers of Tibetan Buddhism, his every word parsed for guidance to living a better, more fulfilling life. Awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama has been an outspoken advocate for compassion, meditation and religious tolerance. Now, as he steps down as leader of Tibet, the perpetually smiling monk in saffron and burgundy robes makes in "Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World" what some may regard as a heretical pronouncement: You don't need religion to lead a happy and ethical life.

What do you get when you cross a Renaissance fair with a Las Vegas spectacle and a few hundred Roman gladiators, swashbuckling musketeers and marauding Vikings? The one-of-a-kind Puy du Fou historical theme park in the French countryside. PHOTOS: Puy du Fou historical theme park in France After three decades of entertaining audiences with live-action chariot races, sword fights and epic battles, France's Puy du Fou will be recognized on March 17 as a "classic" theme park by the Themed Entertainment Assn . during an awards ceremony at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

SEATTLE -- Greg Mortenson's “Three Cups of Tea” purports to describe the Montana philanthropist's harrowing adventures in Pakistan that led him to launch a charity for building schools in the impoverished region. But did it really happen the way he said it did? And if not, are readers entitled to their money back? That was the subject of a federal court hearing Wednesday in Great Falls, Mont., where Mortenson and his publishers are seeking dismissal of a lawsuit that aims to obtain class-action relief for book-buyers allegedly defrauded by purported fabrications in the book and its sequel, “Stones into Schools.” The Montana attorney general already has completed an investigation into charges that Mortenson and the Bozeman-based Central Asia Institute he co-founded mishandled money donated to the popular charity, substantiating many of the financial allegations.

It's a real team effort over at Fox News. You'd expect conservative commentators like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity to be hyping today's wave of anti-tax "tea parties." But Fox personalities labeled "news" anchors are right there with their blessings too -- one telling us the protests will focus on "how much of our hard-earned money is going to the federal government," another assuring us the tea parties themselves are sparking economic activity.

Tea-smoked game hens Total time: 1 hour, plus overnight marinating time for the hens Servings: 4 Note: There will be considerable smoke at the end of the recipe when the lid is removed; open a kitchen window or turn on the exhaust fan. This recipe calls for a lidded wok; a commercial smoker or roasting pan can also be used, provided it can be used over high heat. Five-spice powder is available in the Asian section of well-stocked supermarkets. Lapsang souchong and Earl Grey teas are generally available at well-stocked and Asian markets.

Polly Browder's letter (Jan. 12) regarding the proper preparation of tea is correct in most respects but with some important omissions. She overlooked mentioning the first step before pouring boiling water over the tea, and that is that the empty teapot must first be rinsed with boiling water. Tea is added, one teaspoon for each cup and one more for the pot. The pot (I prefer a crockery pot to the finest silver one) is covered with a cozy and allowed to steep. The first cup (I also like to rinse the empty teacup with boiling water)

After more than 35 years in the Senate, Richard G. Lugarof Indiana was ousted Tuesday by a tea party challenger in a Republican primary that showed how hard it is for a veteran lawmaker known for his ability to compromise to win reelection in the current political environment. The 80-year-old senator, a leading voice for his party on foreign policy, was pummeled for weeks by Republican rival Richard Mourdock for his breaches with conservative orthodoxy. Among them: Lugar's support of citizenship for some illegal immigrants and his votes to confirm President Obama's Supreme Court nominees, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Richard Mourdock has defeated longtime Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar in the Republican primary, according to an Associated Press projection, ending the career of one of the Senate's most pragmatic politicians and casting a cloud over GOP  efforts to win control of the chamber. Mourdock, who is currently serving as Indiana state treasurer, campaigned as a conservative alternative to Lugar. He became a darling of the tea party movement after he launched a legal challenge to the terms of the Obama administration's bailout of Chrysler.

WASHINGTON -- As longtime Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar fights for his political life, he is warning Hoosiers that if his "tea party"-backed opponent wins this week's primary, it would hand the longtime Republican-held seat to Democrats this fall -- and dampen GOP chances to gain majority control of the Senate. In an email push, "Forewarn Family & Friends," before Tuesday's election, the Lugar camp told supporters -- without naming his opponent, Richard Mourdock -- that a loss would sacrifice the seat.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The tea party upstart who is trying to dislodge one of the U.S. Senate's most respected Republicans is about to cry. Minutes into his stump speech at the annual Lincoln Day Dinner here, as hundreds of Republicans poke at chicken and mini-potatoes, Richard Mourdock chokes up, his voice cracking over the sound system, all the way to the bar at the back of the room. "Honestly, as I look at our nation's capital, I feel more frustrated with Republicans than Democrats," says Mourdock, the Indiana state treasurer.

Bar Noir, the intimate bar inside the smoothly retro Beverly Hills boutique hotel Maison 140, is featuring a special list of Prohibition-era cocktails on a "Spring Back in Time" menu throughout the month of April. Our favorite creation is exclusive to Bar Noir and a homage to actress Lillian Gish and other artsy ladies of New York's Upper East Side where tea was covertly spiked with something a bit stronger. The drink, which is a tony mixture of rye, Earl Grey tea and tart lemon juice, is called 8 East 83rd — a shout-out to mixologist Nicholas Horton's former address in the Big Apple.

SEATTLE -- Greg Mortenson's “Three Cups of Tea” purports to describe the Montana philanthropist's harrowing adventures in Pakistan that led him to launch a charity for building schools in the impoverished region. But did it really happen the way he said it did? And if not, are readers entitled to their money back? That was the subject of a federal court hearing Wednesday in Great Falls, Mont., where Mortenson and his publishers are seeking dismissal of a lawsuit that aims to obtain class-action relief for book-buyers allegedly defrauded by purported fabrications in the book and its sequel, “Stones into Schools.” The Montana attorney general already has completed an investigation into charges that Mortenson and the Bozeman-based Central Asia Institute he co-founded mishandled money donated to the popular charity, substantiating many of the financial allegations.

Regarding reader Jonathan Korejko's letter ("Time for Tea," Feb. 2) in reaction to your Lincoln, England, article [in which he urged Americans to drink tea while there], I'd bet that if you shook him awake in the middle of the night back in Lincoln and asked him what he drank while in the Los Angeles area for a family reunion, he'd answer "tea"--not our American coffee. So much for leaving your tea dependency at home, English duplicity and "when in Rome . . ." theories. BILL POWELL Toluca Lake

I was at a tea stall near my hotel here in Srinagar, along a strip of houseboats and slowly decaying hotels known as the Boulevard, when the police patrol pulled up Wednesday morning and ordered the tea-wallahs to close down for curfew. As the workers scrambled to comply, the lead officer, identified on his lapel as Mussafar Shah, and a subordinate started striking them on their backs and legs with four-foot wooden sticks known as lathis . I took out my cellphone — in reality, the camera wasn't switched on, but I hoped its presence would stem the beatings — identified myself as press and showed my Indian media card.

Gloria Cox may be a grandmother, but she's grinning like a little kid as she slips into a shady nook formed by twining juniper branches in the Japanese Garden at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens. Cox, a veteran Huntington docent, says she has missed visiting "my favorite spot" - which she discovered with her grandsons - and the rest of the garden, which closed for renovation last April and is reopening Wednesday in time for its centennial. The Japanese Garden is welcoming back old friends like Cox and hoping to attract new ones with $6.8 million in improvements that include the installation of a ceremonial teahouse and tea garden and restoration of the late 19th century-style Japanese House.