Roses and Raspberries (Dec. 4)

We hereby deliver:

• ROSES to - who else? - The Oregon State University Beavers football team, coach Mike Riley and the entire population of Beaver Nation. Those of us who remember the dark days of the 1983 "Toilet Bowl" Civil War encounter were especially ebullient ever since we realized that this year's Civil War encounter would be the most dramatic since the series began in 1894.

The Beavers played a beautiful game, and although the score was 37-33 at the end in favor of the Ducks, we are proud of our team.

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• ROSES to the lowest fatality total for the 102-hour Thanksgiving travel period in 31 years. That tied the lowest fatality report for the Thanksgiving weekend that begins the Wednesday before and concludes Sunday just before midnight.

The Oregon State Police compiled the statewide report, and said the lone fatality occurred when a 60-year-old Milwaukie woman was struck by a car near Gladstone while trying to cross Highway 99E on foot.

We credit good fortune, considering that most people -86 percent - who traveled elsewhere for the holiday chose to drive. We hope that this trend continues through the end of the holiday season.

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• RASPBERRIES to the near-pathological drive for celebrity - any kind of celebrity - that prompted two people to crash a state dinner that President Obama was hosting for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. We aren't going to repeat their names; that would be giving them what they most want.

However, the second part of this raspberry is to the Secret Service, which contended that the fact that two posers got in to see President Obama did not mean that he was in any danger. Oh, really? A photo of Obama shaking hands with the crashers kind of disproved that statement.

Our confidence in his safety been shaken. We don't even want to think about who might feel emboldened by this incident.

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• ROSES to all of the good that is a by-product of the rivalry between OSU and the UO.

OSU won the annual blood drive, but the real winners were the many patients who will need blood between now and the end of the year, when blood donations are historically low.

The energy drive - which had Ducks and Beavers sweating it out over elliptical machines to produce energy - also was a valuable way to focus attention on the need for alternative energy.

We know that each year, we ding football fans for the many examples of rude behaviors (usually fueled by alcohol). But all in all, regardless of what ends up on the scoreboard, that rivalry produces a lot of good things.

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• ROSE-BERRIES to fighting long odds. The roses go to the Oregon Coast Aquarium and to two sea turtles it is trying to rehabilitate. The Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) is one of the smallest species of sea turtle. It is named for the olive-green color of its heart-shaped shell. The Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a large sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae.

Both of the endangered turtles swam through warmer-than-normal ocean currents into the cold waters off the Pacific Coast instead of their more tropical homelands. The Olive Ridley was found on Agate Beach in Newport; the Green sea turtle on the southern Washington Coast. The two are females.

The Olive Ridley is in relatively good shape, but the Green turtle is still cold and has a front flipper injury. Once they improve, they will be transferred to a larger sea turtle rehabilitation facility possibly at SeaWorld in San Diego. From there, the goal is to release them back into their natural habitat.

Because of the tricky ocean conditions, more sea turtles could be stranded. Anyone who finds one should call the Oregon State Police Wildlife Hotline at 1-800-452-7888 to ensure the turtle gets the proper help.

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• ROSES to Winter's Eve Corvallis. Join us tonight from 5 to 10 p.m. at the annual event that lights up the night with fun for a good cause. Sponsored by the Assistance League of Corvallis and the downtown Corvallis merchants, it's set up in lighted tents on Madison Avenue between Second and Third streets. All proceeds help children and families in Benton County. (Information: www.al corvallis.org.)

This year marks the third annual Corvallis Wassail Bowl Caroling Contest from 6 to 7 p.m. at various downtown locations. The group among the participants that raises the most money by the end of the evening takes home the People's Choice Award. Sponsored by St. Mary's Assembly of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, the donations benefit the Jackson Street Youth Shelter.

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