Pink

LE PETIT COCHON 1030 S. Charles St., Federal Hill / 410-528-6001 / Open Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. If you're looking for that perfect gift with a distinctive European flair, there's no need to hop on a plane. Instead, head to Federal Hill's latest au courant gift shop, the lovely and lively Le Petit Cochon. "I love pigs and wanted something with whimsy," says owner Liz Perkins about the name, which means "the little pig" in French. But don't expect to find a store full of merchandise peppered with pigs (although there was an adorable pink pig pillbox)

Spirea `Pink Parasols' (Spirea fritschiana) This improved spirea has more to offer than its extra-large pink "umbrellas" of flowers in early summer. At only 2 to 3 feet in height and a generous 4 to 5 feet wide, it can be grouped for a tall groundcover or used singly as a specimen plant. Its neat blue-green foliage turns vivid orange and red in fall. Put this plant in just about any soil type, give it full sun, and it will reward you with a low-maintenance shrub that is also deer-resistant.

WISH LIST 98 Village Square, Village of Cross Keys / / Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday / / 410-323-9101, bbbag.com ........................ THE BRIGHT LIME-GREEN SIGNS on the front doors of Wish List are a pretty good indicator of what you'll find inside; preppy and whimsical gift items in perky colors line the walls of the cozy store, which is the exclusive seller of Bosom Buddy Bags, a line of handbags created by owners Karin Chriss and Andrea Stieff. The retail is fairly eclectic--from initialed pink and green polka-dotted beer cozies to leather slides and one-of-a-kind suede bags adorned with antique handles.

On the Orioles keeping Brian Roberts because of his popularity with female fans If that was the only reason the O's kept players, they would've re-signed Javy Lopez. I've seen all kinds of pink No. 18 shirts at Camden Yards the past three years. As for the ladies in the pink T-shirts, they are as fickle as any faux fans male or female, and most of them have moved on to Nick Markakis by now anyway, as he is the current flavor of the month. For [Peter Angelos], it's all about the money.

The Ward Center at St. Paul's School was in the pink for the American Cancer Society's "With One Voice" celebration to fight breast cancer. There were bunches of pink balloons, pink tablecloths, pink centerpieces and pink roses on the lapels of breast-cancer survivors.Some 125 people gathered for a buffet dinner, including Barbara Little and Jeanne Tsakalos, event committee members; Sam Miller, ACS Mid-Atlantic board president; Dr. Mark J. Brenner and Jacqueline Chambers, board members; Harriet Legum, 1998 One Voice honoree; Charlie Leiss, chief operating officer of ACS Mid-Atlantic division; Dr. William Dooley, director of the Johns Hopkins Breast Center; Ellen McCallum, breast-cancer survivor; and A. Michael Jackson, partner in Greenspring Ventures.

Maryland gardeners have always grown some tropical and subtropical plants during warm weather, then brought them inside for the winter or left them outside to be blitzed by the first hard frost. Gardenias, tropical hibiscus, dahlias, begonias and caladiums belong in this category of familiar and reliable tropical plants. Now we're introducing more new plants from the Torrid Zone into the garden or at least onto the patio. And plant breeders are producing strains of traditionally tropical plants that are hardy in colder zones such as ours (zone 7)

A federal jury found yesterday that a group of guards violated the civil rights of a former inmate at Maryland's Supermax prison when they placed him in special leg and hand irons in the prison's now-closed "pink room" isolation cell for disruptive prisoners.Jurors awarded Quentin L. Jackson $9,501 in compensatory and punitive damages from five correctional officers.After a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, the jury found that the guards acted improperly when they placed Jackson in shackles in the isolation cell.

The waves of summerAir-dried and wavy is the sexiest way to wear your hair these days. To get the look with long hair, Natercia Jackson of Indulgence (6245 Falls Road) recommends applying a styling gel or mousse after showering. Using your hands, scrunch all over and don't touch after that. The summer heat will do the rest. For those who don't want to leave home with damp tresses, attach a diffuser to your blow- dryer and scrunch while drying.If your hair is short, comb it into place and let it dry naturally.

A federal jury found yesterday that a group of guards violated the civil rights of a former inmate at Maryland's Supermax prison when they placed him in special leg and hand irons in the prison's now-closed "pink room" isolation cell for disruptive prisoners.Jurors awarded Quentin L. Jackson $9,501 in compensatory and punitive damages from five correctional officers.After a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, the jury found that the guards acted improperly when they placed Jackson in shackles in the isolation cell.

When a survey of buying habits revealed that its customers were busy people with little time to shop for furniture and decorative objects, Bassett Furniture Industries developed Bassett Furniture Direct, a straight-from-the-factory retail store that offers one-stop shopping for everything from sofas and chairs to bedspreads and draperies, mattresses, lighting, lamps, rugs and accessories. This month, Bassett Furniture Direct opened at 1125 Cromwell Bridge Road in Towson, on the former Luskin's Hill.

Kim Wright can dial her friends on a pink phone, dressed in a pink outfit, perhaps embellished with a pink button or two or three. And when she surfs the Internet, most likely searching for more you-know-what, she's doing it on a carnation-colored laptop. When Wright, a breast cancer survivor from Reisterstown, tried to persuade her husband to buy a TV in her signature shade, she perhaps should have worn her sparkly, alluring rose gold necklace with the charm looped into the shape of an advocacy ribbon.

I like it when restaurateurs take chances. The Blue Hill Tavern, which opened this summer, is one of the best recent examples I can think of, at a time when many owners are throwing in the towel or turning their places into sports bars. The location is surprising, in an area that hasn't been gentrified yet. Yet here is the Blue Hill Tavern, a soaring building with open, contemporary spaces, lots of glass and wood, two bars on two levels, multiple dining areas and decorative details like a waterfall behind the bar. It may not be so appealing in the winter - there's so little fabric it will seem bare - but right now it's airy and spacious (and noisy, of course)

To take the word of the runway, or the fashion glossies, this fall we'll all be wearing explosions of high-voltage neon, shoulder pads big enough to give Talking Heads-era David Byrne a run for his money and enough hard-core leather to earn approving looks from Hells Angels. Really? Not so much. The racks at the area's more fashion-forward boutiques will certainly be full of '80s-inspired looks, but somewhere on the route between New York and Baltimore, things softened and became more reasonable, with most trends hinting at, but stopping short of, a full-blown John Hughes movie wardrobe.

2008 Chateau d'Aqueria From: Tavel, Rhone Valley, France Price: $19 Serve with: Ham, spicy fried chicken Summer is the time when fine pink wines come into their own. The best are bone-dry, crisp and complex, and that description fits this well-known wine from the Tavel region, which is known for fine rose. It's a more deeply colored wine than most roses, but don't let the prettiness fool you. It offers a fine combination of cherry, strawberry, rosehip and mineral flavors and is fuller bodied than your typical pink drink.

Raising money for the Hampden Family Center is no day at the beach, but it comes close. More than a hundred folks in chic summery togs gathered at the Clipper Mill Pool Pavilion for the Center's 2009 Flamingo Fling. A bit of South Beach infused the air. A DJ on a platform above the pool set the mood. Pink, yellow and orange was everywhere, including the inflatable balls floating in the pool. And guests sipped pink cocktails from martini glasses that featured flamingos as their stems. Event committee member Pam Malester pointed to the tiki torches poolside.

Phillip Garrett remembers the day he spotted her walking down the street - her pink nightgown caked with blood, her body covered in bruises. He recalls watching as investigators descended on the 8-year-old's house in Calvert County on Sept. 26, where they found the remains of her two sisters in a freezer. Garrett organized an auction to help the child. The "Our Project Charity Benefit" will be today from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Solomons. Authorities found the bodies of two girls, who would have been 9 and 11, in Renee Bowman's basement freezer.

Some things should never make a comeback: the Yugo, Celebrity Boxing with Tonya Harding and Danny Bonaduce, the lime-green pantsuit Hillary Clinton wore on her first campaign swing through Iowa. I put Spam on the no-comeback list, too. Yet now comes word that Spam - the pink slab of pork and ham that comes in a can from Hormel, not the junk mail in your inbox - has become wildly popular again in this staggering economy. At a little over two bucks a can, it's a cheap way to eat something that looks like meat's illegimate cousin, but is, in fact, actual meat.

OK, so you walk into your office this morning and there's a black cat perched on your keyboard. Mildly alarming, right? But there's also a neon-pink alligator sitting in your chair, and he's salivating. Which is of greater concern? When you look at the Orioles' problems this offseason, shortstop is the black cat. Last year's options brought plenty of poor fortune, and the team probably won't be a winner unless they're removed. But it shouldn't be all that hard to push them aside and find a competent professional.

Pink [LaFace Records/Zomba Label Group] *** cds Among the wailing pop tarts to achieve superstardom earlier in the decade, Pink is perhaps the most daring. She started her career with 2000's multiplatinum Can't Take Me Home, which bristled with 'hood-rat R&B affectations. A year later, Pink stepped away from that image and sound to embrace bright, no-nonsense pop-rock on M!ssundaztood, which sold 11 million copies worldwide. The approach was a better fit. Although two subsequent efforts (Try This and I'm Not Dead)

Bermuda is a classic cruise spot for travelers looking to soak up those last rays of sun before winter arrives. With its pink-sand beaches and sparkling blue water, it's no wonder that Bermuda repeatedly ranks high on travelers' "must see" lists. Ships dock at ports in Hamilton, King's Wharf or St. George's. Here are five things to do in and around Bermuda: 1 Boogie on the beach : The 13th annual Bermuda Music Festival is a four-night outdoor concert series, beginning Wednesday. The four-night outdoor concert series features performances by such big-name artists as Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Aaron Neville, The Whispers and UB40.