Post Script

Turning Sin City into Zen City

Last year, Milwaukee's own Rishi Tea garnered an impressive 11 first place awards at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas. This year, they're taking their teapots back to Nevada and will host some very special Japanese tea ceremonies.

An e-mail from Rishi this morning gave us some background on the ceremonies, and was easily the most calming and educational missive that has dropped into the inbox so far today:

"Rishi Tea invites you to a very special Japanese tea ceremony, known as Sencha-do, taking place June 11 through June 13 at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas. 

Sencha-do or 'the way of Sencha,' became widespread in Japan during the 19th century. Sencha-do became a non-political and less formal means for Japanese intelligentsia to rebel against the hierarchy and politics surrounding the 'Cha No Yu' powdered tea ceremony of the era. Sencha-do is inspired by the reclusive ancient Chinese tea sages and intellectuals that used tea as a social and more spiritual way to enjoy loose leaf tea to get away from the daily grind and enjoy life."

Leave it to Rishi to turn Sin City into Zen City. Good luck with the awards, guys!

Photo by Liz Setterfield

On yer bike!

Spring has sprung. No really, it has! It may be 30 degrees outside, but it IS officially spring. And that means it's time to get your bike out (unless you're a hard core winter cyclist, and if you are, then hats off to you!)

We spent the past 10 minutes drooling over these urban bikes, hand-picked by the pedal-commuting editorial team at Mother Nature Network.

Milwaukee not alone in dreams of light rail

It's no secret that the idea of high speed light rail between Milwaukee and its neighboring cities is a long-held dream of many residents, officials and urban planners. We're not alone, people. Now it looks like the United Kingdom is inching closer to fulfilling that dream.

Via Inhabitat.

One for the (long) weekend

Many of us (the lucky ones) have three days off to look forward to starting tomorrow, and with fall just around the corner, we're betting the luckiest of us will spend as much time outdoors as possible. One last hurrah before the chill creeps in!

So here's a slideshow to inspire you or get you in the mood. A nod to the great outdoors. Via Treehugger.

Group pushes regional high speed rail

The Milwaukee Business Journal reports today on On Board Midwest, a coalition that launched a web site and marketing campaign to promote the development of a regional high speed rail line.

As part of a 3,000-mile regional network, a 400-mile St Paul-to-Chicago line would pass through La Crosse, Madison and Milwaukee.

The group - formed by individuals, businesses, elected officials and organizations - says that the government's stimulus package set aside $8 billion for transportation, fueling tough competition for federal dollars. They want to energize the region on this issue and seek those funds.

Benefits of the line, they say, include job creation, an energized regional economy, reduction of environmental impacts, reduced travel times between metropolitan hubs and more efficient freight transportation.

For residents of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the benefit can be boiled down to this: a convenient, fast and greener way to travel between these vibrant cities. On Board Midwest points out that passenger rail travel is three to six times more fuel-efficient than cars or planes.

A map of the proposed line can be seen on their web site.