Problem with contextual link styles

Hi.

I've just downloaded Cascades; the positional potential looks great; I'm 
looking forward to many happy hours with it.

HOWEVER, I can't get it to do a contextual class-based set of link styles 
-- like for nav-bar vs main-text alternative styles.

I've tried using a preexisting webpage, I've tried just writing the HTML 
out and then linking to an external css file, I've tried building up the 
files within cascades. Either the newly-introduced ".links a:FOO" go 
unrecognized (text-decoration stays underlined instead of "none", for 
example), the ".links" class gets changed into "#links", or, most 
insultingly, no matter what I do, the links in question stay standard 
browser blue instead of the hex #003366 that I want.

I'm probably missing something basic, but I can't figure out 
what.  'Operator error' or bug -- I'd appreciate some help.

Also some guidance on saving internal/external style sheets would be nice 
-- so far it seems a hit or miss proposition.

Thanks.

Don Weightman
...........................
Donald Weightman
202.544.1458
[email protected]