ROSE (roz) n. One of the most beautiful of all flowers, a symbol of fragrance and loveliness. Often given as a sign of appreciation.

RASPBERRY (raz'ber'e) n. A sharp, scornful comment, criticism or rebuke; a derisive, splatting noise, often called the Bronx cheer.

We hereby deliver:

• ROSES to Steve Besse and to all of the other survivors of D-Day - the massive military effort that turned the tide of World War II at great cost in life and courage

Saturday marks the 65th anniversary of the day during World War II when allied forces, lead by the United States, stormed the beaches at Normandy in France to turn back the military forces of the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler.

Besse is one of the few who is an eyewitness to that historic event. To most of us, we will see it only as graphically recounted in the first 22 minutes of the movie "Saving Private Ryan," which Besse said was "right on the button."

As a 24-year-old executive officer in the Navy, Besse made 12 trips in his landing craft to Omaha Beach, carrying 200 soldiers each time. The troops he helped to land had sailed across the English Channel in a transport ship from Plymouth, England.

What was that day like?

Besse said it smelled and sounded like a fireworks show. Except add in the smell of grease and the sound of men wounded and dying. He said the soldiers were kept below-decks on the ship between trips in the landing craft for their own safety.

"My major asked me if it was raining outside," Besse said, indicating a sound like rapid rainfall. "I said no; that's shrapnel."

Besse told his story a few years ago for an Oregon Public Broadcasting documentary called "Oregon at War." Of course, now there are fewer shipmates. Only three of his shipmates attended a D-Day survivors get-

together in Portland this week.

So we salute the ones who remain - and the 10,000 who were killed, wounded, missing or captured at the end of the operation later that month.

• ROSES to a resource we sometimes take for granted, but that garners plenty of praise from near and far: Our Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.

At the City Council meeting on Monday, the library had high praise from a consultant from the Virginia-based market consultants, The Ivy Group.

Nancy Davis, who oversaw surveys and an evaluation of the library, said "their production numbers are absolutely amazing," the collection is extraordinary and "By all (professional) standards, this is a library that has a stellar performance." They also got very good client feedback for their customer service.

• RASPBERRIES to a case of too much ego; not enough intellect.

According to the Oregon State Police office at Oregon State University, a stolen parking pass recently was spotted one morning in the Memorial Union parking lot.

The 19-year-old owner of the vehicle, a member of the OSU football team, when asked where he got that stolen parking pass, replied that "he just got his vehicle to campus at spring break and didn't want to buy a parking pass."

He said he mentioned this to a classmate, who - as the story goes - allegedly went beyond the usual Beaver Believer loyalty and offered him the pass. The generous gesture apparently didn't impress the football player much because he told investigators that he couldn't remember who gave him the pass, saying "I thought he just wanted to be friends with a football player."

Unimpressed by the self-styled gridiron celeb, the OSP handled the matter as a stolen parking pass.

• ROSE-BERRIES to a unique Father's Day promotion that only sounds fishy:

The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport plans to invite dads and those who love them (or are just trying to make a subtle point) to breakfast June 20 and 21 to breakfast in front of the private viewing window of the sharks in the Passages of the Deep exhibit.

For $25 for nonmembers or $20 for members (which includes admission) dad can have a hearty breakfast prepared by a gourmet chef - while toothy denizens of the deep swim very close by on the other side of the glass, also eating their breakfast.

(We are sooo hoping that music from Jaws is piped in at the same time.)

Seriously, we love the inventiveness and nature aspect of this treat, which means the dads are invited in when it's quiet, and the sharks really are lovely to see. And so misunderstood. Menacing? A hint, maybe? Of course not! Interested persons who want more details can call 541-867-3474 ext. 2313.

• RASPBERRIES to a lethal lack of respect for wildlife. A Lincoln County jury on Tuesday found Karen Jean Noyes of Yachats guilty of harassing wildlife.

Noyes fed black bears from August 2006 to August 2008, despite warnings from ODFW that doing so often creates nuisance bears that must then be destroyed - as were four that she got so used to people they gathered in crowds to feed, endangering her neighbors.

That's not love of wildlife; it's just unwise.