Murmurs

* While fans of Anne Hughes Coffee House were saddened to hear that this longtime java dealer inside Powell's Books was getting the boot, ground hounds may be heartened to find out the local bean boys at World Cup Coffee are set to take its place. World Cup owner Dan Welch tells Murmurs his operation is set to take over as of May 1 and he promises high-quality, locally roasted beans as well as sandwiches and savory tarts. World Cup beat out other local joes Fresh Pot and Pearl Bakery.

* Readers of last week's edition of WW might still be scratching their heads about where Gov. Ted Kulongoski stands on the war (see Q&A, March 19, 2003), but the Eastside Democratic Club thinks it knows. At its March meeting last week, according to President Sy Kornbrodt, the club made its first order of business an agreement to write a letter to Gov. Kulongoski "protesting his support for George W. Bush and the war against Iraq."

* Speaking of the guv, Kulongoski, who recently nixed a casino-backed baseball stadium in Portland, isn't the only public figure willing to just say no to gambling. After a couple of would-be wagerers walked into Republican Senate headquarters waving ten-spots last week, GOP higher-ups snuffed out--yes, an NCAA pool! Turns out that a hoops-lovin' aide to Sen. Ken Messerle (R-Coos Bay) broadcast plans for a pool using a state email address. The very idea that the state would have anything to do with gambling saddens and shocks Murmurs no end.

* Not everyone is snubbing the United Nations: Christopher Swain, Oregon's favorite eco-flipper, climbed out of the Columbia River long enough to pick up an International Earth Day Award, during the Children's Peace Bell Ceremony held at the United Nations in New York City on March 20. Swain, who's swimming the length of the Columbia to raise awareness about pollution, didn't stay dry long. Before receiving his award, Swain swam across a section of the East River to publicize the international importance of protecting local waterways.

* The most compelling reaction to Wednesday's late-night strike on Iraq might have been at the male strip joint Three Sisters Tavern. In a scene reminiscent of Independence Day, a handful of men spent the night tossing cash at the exposed groins of gyrating, sweating boys while the images of Dubya dropping his own bombs all over Baghdad played out on television screens behind the bar.

* Quotes of the Week

"Presbyterian. Is that Christian?"

--KOIN-TV anchor Dave Erickson, pressed into reporting duty, preparing for a March 20 interview with the pastor of the first Presbyterian Church in downtown Portland.

"They're called Sunni and Shiite?"

--KOIN-TV anchor Dave Erickson, preparing for a report from Portland Rizwan Mosque.

"No, it's always this way on 'Taco Salad Thursday.'"

--Chef Christa Collins of the Center Cafe, asked whether a hunger for war coverage spiked a surge in lunch business at the downtown lunchroom last Thursday.

WWeek 2015