Toys

STORE OPENING ATOMIC POP 3620 Falls Road, Hampden, 410-366-1004 Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Tuesday. When the designer art toy trend threatened to overwhelm their bookstore, Benn Ray and his partner Rachel Whang decided to go with the flow. "It was time to give the toys their own space," Ray says. The result is Atomic Pop, located in Hampden around the corner from their incredibly cool bookstore, Atomic Books (not to be confused with Atomic Comics or any other Atomic anything)

Dear toy manufacturers: I write to you as a parent curious about the robust product-restraint systems employed in your packaging. In particular, I am inquiring about the wires, clips, tapes and molded plastic shells used to keep your articles safe, secure and out of the hands of my children. As I opened the Handsome Groom doll (Barbie's fiance) to put under the Christmas tree for my 5-year-old daughter, I quickly discovered that the young man's arms, legs, torso and throat were tightly bound to the box with eight pairs of meticulously twisted, impossibly thin wires.

LOS ANGELES -- The California attorney general and the Los Angeles city attorney filed a lawsuit yesterday against Mattel Inc., Toys R Us Inc. and 18 other companies, accusing them of making or selling products that contain "unlawful quantities of lead." The move follows major recalls of toys, lunch boxes, children's jewelry and other goods during the past year by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in Washington. The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court under California's Proposition 65 law, would force manufacturers and retailers to adopt procedures for inspecting products to make sure they are safe.

The heat descended on the building about 9 p.m. Thursday, sirens blaring, red and blue lights flashing and creating an almost hypnotic, strobe-light effect. The cops emerged from their cars and entered Mason Memorial Church of God in Christ in the 2600 block of Frederick Ave. "I thought they were raiding the church," observed Wayne Thomas, who was standing nearby. "I've never seen a church get raided before." In a way, Thomas was right: Mason Memorial was being raided. But the cheers, the applause, the whoops of sheer glee and delight from church members as police went into the church should have been the tip-off: these churchgoers loved this kind of raid.

Lynda Siggers figured many of the children at St. Katharine's Child Care Center in West Baltimore would simply have to do without many presents this Christmas.That was until some of the giants of the toy industry got nailed for price-rigging.As part of the settlement of a national antitrust suit against Toys `R' Us Inc., Mattel Inc. and Little Tikes Co., Maryland received toys worth $350,000 this year. Yesterday, the United Way helped distribute the mountain of toys to more than a dozen community groups from around the state.

Jean Sykes, who for 40 years was known as ``Mrs. Santa Claus'' because she repaired thousands of toys for needy children at Christmas, died of lung cancer Thursday at her home in Owings Mills. She was 79.Using paintbrushes, drills and glue, Mrs. Sykes restored dolls, games and athletic equipment donated by local stores and civic organizations so the gifts could be distributed anonymously to families receiving public assistance in Baltimore County.The Sun wrote articles about the ``Toy Lady'' in 1975 and 1993, although Mrs. Skyes was reluctant to be interviewed and disliked having her work publicized, according to family and friends.

THE MOUNT AIRY Middle School staff wishes to thank the pupils and the Mount Airy community for supporting the "Toys for Tots Sock Hop" last month.Even though the disc jockey was a no-show, PTSO President Robin Radoci reports, "The kids were wonderful, and everyone made the best of the situation. In the spirit of giving, when the Marines arrived, over 200 toys were donated."Because of the pupils and staff who helped at the sock hop, Christmas morning was brighter for many children.Indoor yard sale/dinnerAn indoor yard sale and fried chicken dinner will be held at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Warren United Methodist Church, 807 E. Ridgeville Blvd.

The voice on the voice mail was a familiar one, my husband's, and the message was the one he always leaves: Call me when you get a chance. Not: "Have you heard the news, call me!" -- the life-shortening message he left the day the Yankees traded David Wells for Roger Clemens. Just: "Call me when you get a chance."I got a chance."I broke your labyrinth," he said, without preamble. "I'm sorry. I was dusting, and I knocked it over. I don't think it can be fixed.""Oh," I said. And then I didn't say anything for a very long time.

For Haven E. Hoffman, who lived in the small Washington County community of Chewsville, Christmas was a year-round event.For more than 50 years, Mrs. Hoffman, who was known locally as "Mrs. Santa Claus," repaired and painted toys to make sure that needy children had gifts on Christmas morning and their parents had a holiday dinner to serve.Mrs. Hoffman, a deeply religious woman who had hoped to be a missionary and succeeded in becoming one dispensing seasonal joy, died Thursday of congestive heart failure at Washington County Health Systems in Hagerstown.

Jean Sykes, who for 40 years was known as "Mrs. Santa Claus" because she repaired thousands of toys for needy children at Christmas, died of lung cancer Thursday at her home in Owings Mills. She was 79.Using paintbrushes, drills and glue, Mrs. Sykes restored dolls, games and athletic equipment donated by local stores and civic organizations so the gifts could be distributed anonymously to families receiving public assistance in Baltimore County.The Sun wrote articles about the "Toy Lady" in 1975 and 1993, although Mrs. Skyes was reluctant to be interviewed and disliked having her work publicized, according to family and friends.

It was birthday time for Bayley, a 1-year-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, but the birds, dogs and cats were getting all the presents Saturday at the National Aquarium. Bayley has come a long way from the helpless calf with a large head and tiny body born at the Baltimore aquarium last year. Now she's a growing and inquisitive dolphin that has joined the aquarium's popular show ahead of some of her older peers, learning new tricks and trying her best to duplicate her mother's jumps. That's in part because animal care staff keep her busy with what they call enrichment activities, organized play designed to encourage natural behaviors and stimulate development, said Sue Hunter, director of animal programs.

Retailers looking to draw consumers to their stores during the slow economy are trying to get shoppers to think like it is the Christmas season, when stores offer some of the best deals of the year. They're looking to woo people with "Christmas in July" sales that they say are as good as the bargains in November and December. The summer Christmas sale concept isn't a new one, but it has evolved to include more than just holiday merchandise as retailers look for ways to bring in customers during the slow period right before the back-to-school season, retail experts said.

At what had been a Police Athletic League Center on Tuesday and then a recreation center on Wednesday, the kids hustling up and down the basketball court in the gym on Towanda Avenue in Northwest Baltimore barely noticed a change that by design is slow and subtle. Officer Phil Dixon was there, in uniform and wearing his sidearm, running the court with the kids just as he always has for the past two years. "Take your time, take your time, take your time," he yelled at the youngsters before barking, "Shoot!"

Columbia-based Celsion has deal with Japan firm Columbia-based drug maker Celsion Corp. said yesterday that Japanese pharmaceutical firm Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd has agreed to pay up to $20.5 million in licensing fees for the rights to market Celsion's liver cancer treatment, ThermoDox, to the Japanese market. ThermoDox is in a phase 3 clinical trial in the U.S. for liver cancer as well as a phase 2 trial for recurrent chest wall breast cancer. Yakult will pay Celsion $2.5 million, followed by $18 million once ThermoDox gains approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to treat primary liver cancer.

An interesting subplot in the story of Wall Street's troubles is that suddenly everybody's in favor of federal regulation. Conservative advocates of deregulation, who had never met a federal regulation that they didn't think was "intrusive," "harmful to the economy" or a "federal power grab" now stand shoulder-to-shoulder with lifelong advocates of sensible safeguards. It's been almost three decades since knee-jerk opposition to federal regulation became a staple of conservative politics.

2576 Quarry Lake Drive, Pikesville 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday -- Friday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday 410-415-0000; amusetoys.com You won't find Monopoly or Jenga at aMuse Toys, but you will find a slew of other "creative, innovative, engaging and thoughtful toys" for everyone from newborn to adulthood, according to co-owner Claudia Towles. "We don't go with trends," she said. "Everything that's bought is bought with purpose." Claudia and her husband, Tom, opened their new store in Quarry Lake after their shop in Fells Point was flooded last year in April.

BEDIBOO 4321 Harford Road, Lauraville / Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday / 410-444-6060; bediboo.com ....................... A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, GRETCHEN Pike, a mother with a couple of very small children, started an Internet company selling the kind of baby gear you can't find everywhere, like Ergo baby carriers, old-fashioned European and wooden toys, and eco-friendly kids' clothes. Her husband christened it "Bediboo." The business took over their house, Pike says, and their dining room became a storeroom for inventory.

The Senate voted yesterday to strengthen pending restrictions on products that contain lead, matching a bill that has passed the House of Delegates. Sens. Bobby A. Zirkin and Lisa A. Gladden, both Democrats from the Baltimore area, persuaded their colleagues to reject a version of the bill Zirkin said had been weakened in the Finance Committee at the "11th hour" at the urging of toy industry lobbyists. "It's incomprehensible to me at a time of millions of recalls" of lead-containing toys "why we would want to water down this legislation," Zirkin said before the 30-16 vote accepting his amendments.

Health advocates are decrying what they say is an industry-sponsored weakening of legislation that would ban jewelry, toys or other children's products in Maryland containing toxic lead. The House of Delegates approved the ban weeks ago, by a vote of 132-4. But the legislation, which was originally proposed as emergency legislation, has since been amended by the Senate Finance Committee, delaying any action for more than a year, to July 1 next year. The Senate version also says state regulations of lead in consumer products would be superceded by any standards the federal government might adopt, even if they are less stringent than Maryland's.

It's beyond junk mail and magazines, though paper is the chief culprit. It's the stuff you bought, saved, collected, clipped, meant to read, had no place for, never opened but kept who-knows-why, thought would come in handy, considered regifting, hoped would become stylish again and just didn't know what to do with. In the meantime, it's stashed in piles, closets, drawers, basement or attic. The volume overwhelms you. You'd like to move. Or reclaim your space. Maybe you identify with the National Association of Professional Organizers statistic that says Americans spend an average of 55 minutes a day looking for things they own but can't find.