Tea

Makes 8 cups Drink hot or cold. For the cold version, use sparkling water and add a slice of lemon. Make the hot version if you have a cold or "funny tummy," in which case drink as much of this as you can. It cures all. A version of this tea is made in many Asian cultures. 1 piece unpeeled fresh ginger (about 8 inches long) 2 1/2 cups water 3 tablespoons sugar Juice of 2 to 3 lemons 1. Cut the unpeeled ginger into 1-inch pieces.

WASHINGTON - The victory last week of a primary candidate in Indiana backed by the Tea Party movement illustrates how closely Republican hopes for a majority in the Senate are tied to candidates who pledge to infuse that chamber with the deep-seated conservatism that has been the hallmark of the House since the Republicans gained control in 2010. Richard E. Mourdock - who defeated Senator Richard G. Lugar, a six-term incumbent - promises to bring an uncompromising ideology to Capitol Hill if Mourdock prevails in November.

Playwrights - and good pals - Matthew Lombardo (left) and Charles Busch got together for a spot of tea at the Taj while in town to promote their respective shows. (Lombardo's "High," starring Kathleen Turner , is at the Cutler Majestic Dec. 6-11; and SpeakEasy Stage is doing Busch's "The Divine Sister" at the Calderwood Pavilion through Nov. 19.) The two spoke to students at the ART yesterday.

Former Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has become a citizen of Switzerland, a European country with a government philosophy almost nothing like her own. In an interview Tuesday with the Swiss television station Schweizer Fernsehen, Bachmann said her husband, Marcus Bachmann, was born to Swiss immigrants and that her family visits Switzerland often. Marcus Bachmann was granted Swiss citizenship on March 19, and Michele Bachmann, as his spouse, automatically gained the same, according to the station.

CANTERBURY, Conn. - Step back into the 1830s and listen to a conversation between two pioneering women: Prudence Crandall, the teacher who ran the country's first academy for black women, and Sarah Harris, the student whose desire for an education launched a revolution in this small town. In the annual "Tea with Prudence and Sarah" at the Prudence Crandall Museum next Sunday, reenactors in period costume will tell the story in two 45-minute presentations. Donna Dufresne plays Prudence, and Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti is Sarah.

A former teacher in Illinois has joined efforts to get a class-action lawsuit approved against “Three Cups of Tea’’ author Greg Mortenson since reports questioned the book’s accuracy. Deborah Netter of Lake County filed a federal lawsuit this month in Illinois claiming Mortenson, his co-author and his publisher violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Two Montana lawmakers have filed a similar claim there claiming they were duped into buying Mortenson’s best-selling book and donating to his...

OK, so the Three Stooges aren't high art. They would never be confused with Noel Coward ("Nix the nyucks," Letters, April 13). But are they funny? Soitenly!   Anne Leary Lexington

DARJEELING -- This small, dense, lush Himalayan town is most famous for its tea, but it is the region's lesser-known allure that continues to seep into our memories. Narrow switchback roads climb the smog-draped hillsides, and taxis packed with people negotiate the sharp turns. Others of the city's nearly 100,000 residents hike up the long stairways that shortcut the roads. Multistory buildings slung along the 7,000-foot mountains look a bit shabby, but life seems more relaxed here than in many parts of this teeming country.

MONTREAL - If I were rich and single, I know exactly where I would propose marriage to my sweetheart. It would be in Birks Café, the little gourmet hideaway on the mezzanine of the downtown flagship store of Birks, jeweler to the elite of Montreal since 1879. With its French history and contemporary sophistication, it's hard to beat Montreal for romance. There's no more romantic spot than the jewelry store in the lovely Beaux-Arts building in the very heart of town. I even know what time of day I would pop the question.

teany 90 Rivington St., New York www.teany.com 212-475-9190 Ninety-eight blends of tea brewed by the three-cup pot, $3.50-$6.50. Non-tea favorites include coffee ($2), espresso ($2), cappuccino ($2), and latte ($3.50). The Teany bagel -- vegetarian Canadian bacon, melted cheese, and grilled tomato on a whole-wheat bagel -- is $6. The vegan turkey club is $8. The all-vegan desserts include strawberry shortcake, apple crumble pie, chocolate-peanut butter mousse cake (all $5)

U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar has lost to a tea party-backed challenger in Indiana's Republican primary, ending a storied political career that spanned nearly four decades. Tea party-backed state Treasurer Richard Mourdock won the Republican nomination Tuesday. He spent much of the campaign portraying Lugar as too moderate for the conservative state. Mourdock will face Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly in November. The 80-year-old Lugar had never faced a primary challenge in his Senate career and was slow to respond to attacks from conservatives unhappy with his voting record and...

WASHINGTON - Tea Party movement favorites such as Stephen Fincher of Tennessee were swept into Congress on a wave of anger over government-funded bailouts of banks. Now those incumbents are collecting thousands of dollars for reelection campaigns from the same Wall Street firms whose excesses they criticized. They have taken no significant steps to curb them or prevent future taxpayer-financed rescues. Republican freshmen ranks include 10 Tea Party-backed members on the House Financial Services Committee, part of a force that won election in a populist backlash to government spending that...

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a civil lawsuit against author Greg Mortenson, calling claims "flimsy and speculative" that the humanitarian and his publisher lied in his best-selling "Three Cups of Tea" and "Stones Into Schools" books to boost sales. The lawsuit by four people who bought Mortenson's books claimed that they were cheated out of about $15 each because the books were labeled as nonfiction accounts of how Mortenson came to build schools in central Asia. They had asked U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon to order Mortenson and publisher Penguin Group (USA)

Where to stay Hilton Garden Inn 5 Park St., Freeport 207-865-1433 hiltongardeninn.hilton.com. Rack rate for May from $199. Harraseeket Inn 162 Main St. 800-342-6423 www.harraseeketinn.com Weekend rates from $155 in May through the first three weeks of June. Where to eat Azure Café 123 Main St. 207-865-1237 azurecafe.com Serves lunch and dinner. Dinner entrees $12.75-$32. Linda Bean's Maine Kitchen and Topside Tavern 88 Main St. 207-865-9835 lindabeansperfectmaine.com Go for the lobster roll.

Da Kine Stand Up Paddle now offers stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) lessons at Napili Bay, a calm, reef-protected inlet on Maui's west side. Take a lesson for fun or fitness, enjoy a SUP yoga class, or do a hard-core SUP boot-camp program. All classes run two hours. Rates, which include instruction and equipment, are $150 for a private one-on-one lesson, $125 per person for two people, and $100 per person for a group lesson with three or four people. 888-642-5031, dakinesup.net Nantucket on the fast ferry Travel between Nantucket and Hyannis for up to 35 percent less this year on Steamship...

Here in New England, where Maine Governor Paul LePage has the fiery support of the Tea Party, some 100 of New Hampshire's 400 state House members are Tea Partiers, the Web lists multiple Connecticut chapters; and the movement heave-hoed Massachusetts senator Scott Brown into office, the real story behind this big, brash, national upheaval is vitally worth tracking. Pots of Tea Party books are out now. They will bless and blast your biases. "The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism" (Oxford University, 2012)

It's 1937, and British colonialist Henry Moores has a dream. He wants to build a road through the tea- and spice-growing highlands of India's southernmost state, Kerala. The road, chipped and hacked from the forested mountainside by hundreds of villagers, will open a trade route and make Henry a rich man. Sporting his best khakis and flying the Union Jack from his outpost home, family man Henry seems like a nice guy. He treats his educated, English-dressing right-hand local man, T.K. Neelan (Rahul Bose)

Where to stay Hilton Garden Inn 5 Park St., Freeport 207-865-1433 hiltongardeninn.hilton.com. Rack rate for May from $199. Harraseeket Inn 162 Main St. 800-342-6423 www.harraseeketinn.com Weekend rates from $155 in May through the first three weeks of June. Where to eat Azure Café 123 Main St. 207-865-1237 azurecafe.com Serves lunch and dinner. Dinner entrees $12.75-$32. Linda Bean's Maine Kitchen and Topside Tavern 88 Main St. 207-865-9835 lindabeansperfectmaine.com Go for the...

Dunstable Free Public Library will be holding a Spring Tea at 11:30 a.m. May 12 in the fellowship hall at Dunstable Church. The event, cosponsored by the Friends of the Library and the Sunshine Club, will include a variety of teas and a light lunch. Call 978-649-7830 or e-mail stully@mvlc.org to reserve a space. Jennifer Fenn Lefferts

Seats are selling quickly for the three Victorian teas at the Daniel Webster Estate and Heritage Center. Although Sunday's tea is sold out, about 20 seats are still available for the summer tea on June 24, according to Mickey Carr, a board member of the Daniel Webster Preservation Trust. The teas consist of three courses – bread and scones, small sandwiches, and sweets – served in the 1880 mansion on land once owned by Daniel Webster. A third tea will take place Oct. 14. Each runs from 2 to 4 p.m. at the estate, 238 Webster St., Marshfield.