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 The Oregon State University Beavers. No pressure, right? Not much. If the Beavers were made of coal, they would have turned into diamonds by now.

The Civil War is a big deal any year. No matter how the teams played against the rest of the Pac-10, when the Ducks take the field against the Beavers, it's on, and there's no certainty about who is going to come out ahead.

That's why, with the Beavers' first trip to the Rose Bowl in 44 years on the line, there's a whole lot of mixed emotions on all sides, especially among Ducks fans who have some Beaver alums in their family (and who doesn't? That's why it's the Civil War).

But that all said, now is the perfect time to let the Beavers know that we're incredibly proud of them and of coach Mike Riley.

Of course, if the scoreboard means we'll get to be talking more about the Beavers into 2009, well -. we hope our many Ducks fans understand we'd like that outcome just a teensy bit more.

(Oh, and if you're a Beaver fan and you aren't wearing orange-and-black today, there's probably still time to change -. we think there's a city ordinance or something that says it's OK.)

And speaking of attire:

• RASPBERRIES to those awful black, angel-wing-shouldered outfits that the Ducks' football team has been wearing lately. Those unis are two skates shy of Ice Capades attire.

Really, the players and their fans deserve better. We have been wondering in the past few years when the University of Oregon changed its school colors from green and yellow. Yeah, they're a little lemon-lime soda, so we didn't mind when the supposedly "dark green" uniforms showed up looking a whole lot like more like dark black, especially on TV.

But at least one of our readers thinks it would be different if the Ducks take the field wearing those black unis in our house: "The Ducks will NEVER wear black in Reser!" he noted.

Let's hope not; not if they're shrewd, anyway. It would just be bad strategy.

• ROSES to The Oregon State Police for reportedly citing two people caught in the act of junking two couches on the southwest side of West International Hall at OSU. The 28-year-old and 23-year-old, both of Corvallis, were cited for offensive littering and illegally dumping a couch rather than pay for disposal services.

Studies abound documenting the "broken window syndrome." That means when a community starts tolerating trash, broken windows, graffiti, junked appliances and the like, not only do property values plummet, but the perception of decay encourages even more such littering and vandalism.

• ROSES to bittersweet occasions, such as the sweet sendoff that Hoover Elementary School students gave music teacher Ann Clarke, who is returning with her husband to her home in Australia after two years inspiring students to make their own music.

Her tuneful and imaginative students altered the lyrics to popular songs to suit the occasion. (Example: "We lost our music teacher; what'll we do?" to the tune of "Skip to My Lou.")

We wish Ann and her husband, who just finished his post-doctoral work in oceanography, all the very best. And we hope that when the rains finally return to that parched land, they will always think fondly of Oregon.

• RASPBERRIES to the color scheme for the new main library building in Albany at 2450 14th St. S.E.

Maybe it is just that we are so happy with our gorgeous red-brick main library at 645 N.W. Monroe Ave., but we feel bad that the cocoa-brown and lime green combo is so -. unlovable.

The person who anonymously donated $8 million so Albany could relocate its library into the former insurance building doesn't like the colors. The Portland architectural firm that ordered the paint job said it represent the soil and agriculture; you know; symbols for growth.

Well, we hate to quibble, but so do vine maples and spring bulbs and b enches for outdoor garden spots. All are better-looking ways to remind library patrons that their library is a place for growth than that bilious green.

• ROSES to a reminder that Saturday's Civil War game is a good time to show what Beaver fans are made of. We look forward each year to the stories of good sportsmanship and friendly rivalry that this event is supposed to represent.

We welcome Beaver fans back to Corvallis who are coming from afar. One of our readers, who is a Beaver fan and who attended the last home game, posted this comment to fellow fans on our online forum at www.gazettetimes.com:

"Next time, please take pride in our campus and pick up your garbage. When I went to pick up my ticket this morning, I was disgusted by the amount of trash left behind by those who camped in front of Reser."

'Nuff said.