Cotton

A 14-year-old black girl from tiny Paris, Texas, was sent to a youth prison for up to seven years for shoving a hall monitor at her high school. The same judge sentenced a 14-year-old white girl to probation for burning down her family's house. Bigger offense, lighter sentence, lighter skin: the ingredients of injustice. That's how it sounded to my friend and colleague Howard Witt, the Chicago Tribune's Houston-based Southwest bureau chief. He heard about the girl from Gary Bledsoe, an Austin, Texas, attorney who is president of the Texas branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Saturday evening, I sat on the porch of a little shotgun house on Seventh Street in Columbus, Ga., and breathed sweet and spicy air of magnolia and camellia and honeysuckle, the whole orchestra of Southern fragrance out and about, comforting the afflicted, and I thought of words I'd never ordinarily use, such as "suffused" and "redolent," and listened to Georgia friends talk about ancestors and their recipes, and I said to myself, "Well, maybe I should...

As the Ravens conclude their second full minicamp today, marking the last stop before their fourth training camp begins on July 28, they are still staring at some glaring question marks.Other than Jermaine Lewis, the only receiver who showed dependable hands throughout the week was Brandon Stokley, a fourth-round draft pick who has yet to play a down in the NFL. Their tight ends form possibly the most unproven group in the league. Ditto for the defensive secondary.On the plus side, the foundation of coach Brian Billick's offense has been installed, and the Ravens even got into a spirited no-huddle segment yesterday.

DAMASCUS -- Damascus did something no other team had done this season when it routed visiting South Carroll, 42-25, in a battle of unbeatens in the semifinals of the Class 3A-4A state dual-meet championships yesterday afternoon.Arundel defeated Calvert in the other semifinal, 31-26, and last night, Damascus won the championship by defeating Arundel, 31-24.Damascus won the dual-meet title in 1995 and state titles in 1994 and 1996.Damascus and South Carroll entered their match with 16-0 records, but three successive pins at 135, 140 and 145 pounds enabled the Hornets to improve their lead to 33-7, and all but clinch the match.

We spend one-third of our lives in bed, and more of us are choosing to spend it on beautiful, luxurious, soft bed linens. That means sheets of the finest cotton, highest thread counts and most elaborate designs."

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Ephraigm Smith is a bear of a man, with big, meaty hands worn rough, dirt on them that no amount of soap will remove.The farmer's hands are his tools, and they show their use.He comes from a long line of men and women who drew their living from the land. His ancestors have been in Pitt County since the mid-1700s, first tapping vast tracts of pine trees for their valuable turpentine, then cultivating row crops such as cotton and corn and soybeans on the many acres in the Chicod community.

Second-ranked Archbishop Spalding (10-2) lost a 64-61 heartbreaker to USA Today's No. 13 team, White County High (12-1) of Sparta, Tenn., in the final of the prestigious King Cotton Classic in Pine Bluff, Ark., late Wednesday night.Going for their third straight win in the 12-team tournament that boasted three teams ranked in Street & Smith's preseason Top 20, the Cavaliers had a potential game-tying, three-point attempt hit the rim at the buzzer."It was a winnable game, but we missed a couple free throws late in the game and then had the last shot hit the rim," said Spalding coach Tony Martin, who in three years has built a powerhouse at the Severn school.

Whether you're looking for that perfect lamp for an end table, or whether you've got an empty new house that needs complete decorating, there's a new spot in Ellicott City that might have just the thing. The Purple Door features relaxed and updated traditional looks in lamps, picture frames, upholstered and occasional furniture, sconces and prints, along with complete decorating services.Owner Kathleen Jeschke, who's been in the decorating business for 20 years, calls the array "a nice mix to show people how things can live together and be comfortable."

Israel Myers, the garment manufacturer who perfected the London Fog raincoat and golf jacket, died Sunday at North Oaks Retirement Community. He was 93 and had lived in Pikesville.His son, Jonathan Myers of Owings Mills, said his father died of old age and had been in declining health for a number of years.Israel Myers is given credit for changing the 1950s men's outerwear industry when he perfected a cotton-and-synthetic blend into a cloth that he tailored as a men's all-season topcoat. The first ads for the London Fog coat appeared in Look magazine in the mid-1950s.

The latest computer peripheral is - the iron.No, it hasn't gone digital. But an iron - teamed with a personal computer, an inkjet printer and the right software - lets you decorate T-shirts with drawings, photos and words. You can go beyond T-shirts to almost any fabric surface, such as golf shirts, sweatshirts, visors, aprons, tote bags, boxer shorts and mousepads.It works like this: You install the software. Then you run it and choose a basic design - with some sample images and words already in place that you can alter - or you start a new design from scratch.

Young professional Morgan Bukszar describes her style as "classy, but comfortable." The 25-year-old Catonsville resident likes to look her best, whether she's out around town - like when we "Glimpsed" her at Believe In Tomorrow Children's Foundation's Benefit and Auction at M&T Bank Stadium - or working as continuing education coordinator for the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. The look: Lipstick-red faux wrap cotton jersey top. Black and white cotton blend knit Trulli pencil skirt.

Casey Baynes isn't just known for being the founder/executive director of the Casey Cares Foundation, which helps families with critically ill children. Around the office, the 32-year-old Ellicott City resident is also known for her fun sense of style. "I'm always willing to try something new. Sometimes the look sticks, and sometimes I go, 'Oh, that didn't work so well.' " When we "Glimpsed" Baynes at her foundation's annual "Rock 'N' Roll Bash" at Rams Head Live! we found her in rocker chic.

Macon Hardy enjoys fashion, but don't call this business development representative for ETI Professionals Inc. trendy. "Having timeless pieces and looking put-together is important to me. I don't like clothes that will be out of style next season. If you think you're going to look silly in it next year, then don't buy it," says the 23-year-old Federal Hill resident. When we "glimpsed" Hardy at Cinghiale in Inner Harbor East, she looked every one of her "5 feet 9 inches and some change" in her "conservative and classy" style.

In the Maryland Art Place gallery, filled with folks for the "Out of Order" auction, artist Terry Plater was a standout in a personal style he calls "a mixture of '50s Harlem renaissance old school mixed with a modern-day skateboarder." The 24-year-old Loch Raven resident uses mixed-media not just when he paints. He loves to build an outfit with layering components. "Being an artist, [my look] is pretty important. It's always important for me to be different and that includes how I dress."

Several Baltimore-area employers have notified the state of numerous layoffs, as Maryland faces rising unemployment amid a deepening recession. Columbia-based Barton-Cotton Inc., which designs direct-marketing campaigns for nonprofit groups, told state officials that 200 employees would lose their jobs if the company cannot find a buyer. The company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy this week. Mark Friedman, the bankruptcy trustee for Barton-Cotton, said yesterday that the parties are trying to arrange for interim business operations to continue and complete work for clients.

theater 'The Seafarer': Irish playwright Conor McPherson is the king of bleak humor. A slate of the area's finest actors (Edward Gero, Floyd King and Billy Meleady) combine forces for The Seafarer, a tale of four friends - one blind and the rest blind drunk - who play a climactic game of poker with the devil. Through Feb. 22 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St. N.W., Washington. Showtimes vary. Tickets are $34-$61. Call 202-332-3300 or go to studiotheatre.org. Mary Carole McCauley art 'So Many Organs': Photographer Liz Donadio, painter Ryan Syrell and multimedia artist Dina Kelberman present their work in So Many Organs, an exhibit that opens tomorrow and runs through Feb. 13 at Current Gallery, 30 S. Calvert St. There's a reception with the artists 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Jan. 30. Go to currentspace.

Cotton Bowl 2 p.m. [chs. 45, 5] Even if the Mississippi-Texas Tech matchup doesn't grab you - and the Red Raiders' passing combination of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree is certainly worth a look - Pat Summerall (right) will be calling play-by-play on the Fox telecast. It's a venerable voice that you'll be hearing do a football game just once this year.

To "Paper or plastic?" and "Obama or McCain?" add yet another wrenching personal choice: "White napkin or black?" Forget square plates. Small plates. Sauce-drizzled plates. Plate as a verb. The newest craze in fine dining is not on the table but on your lap: the color-coordinated serviette. The idea is to keep lint from marring the dining experience. At the Capital Grille in downtown Baltimore and at the chain's other locations, the staff scopes out what diners are wearing and swaps out napkins accordingly.

Meade quarterback Raymond Cotton wears No. 17, and so does the Washington Redskins' Jason Campbell. Cotton is set to go to Auburn, and Campbell had an illustrious career at the Southeastern Conference powerhouse. Both guys are 6 feet 4 - big, athletic quarterbacks with strong arms. The similarities are obvious, so I asked Cotton whether Campbell was the quarterback he most looked up to. He said: "No, he's a real good quarterback and everything, but 17 was just the number one of my coaches gave me."

It was Raymond Cotton's first day at Meade, and the senior transfer from Mobile, Ala., had gotten lost on his way to his first class. Eventually, fellow students helped him find his way to Room D423. His teacher was understanding, making a point of introducing the new student who had arrived 10 minutes after the bell. On the football field, however, no introduction was necessary. Word had spread quickly around Fort Meade during the summer that an Auburn University-bound star quarterback was transferring to Meade.