All I want for Christmas... Santa's list complicated by fads, gadgets and toy recalls.
Byline: Linda Bock Tracy L. Leavitt, Uxbridge mother of two, remembers opening presents on Christmas morning for "forever" when she was a child, but for her sons, it's a different story. "When there's nothing on the lists less than $30, opening presents goes really fast,"...

Toxic toys: U.S. companies recall millions of dangerous toys made in China.
Watch out for Elmo, Barbie, and Batman! Those characters may not seem dangerous, but toys modeled after them could be hazardous, or unsafe, to your health. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The U.S. toy industry recently recalled millions of toys made with poisonous lead paint. When a company...

A play for safer toys.
Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard Like a lot of parents, Jill Weiss was shocked to learn that many of the toys in her house could be contaminated with lead, which can cause brain damage. "I had no idea it was this bad," Weiss said, reflecting...

POINT OF ORIGIN.
Mattel's recall of 18.2 million products, including Barbie playsets, Polly Pocket, Dora the Explorer, Fisher Price and Sesame Street toys (and just this week -- Sponge Bob Square Pants toys) is just the tip of the iceberg. Mattel takes pride in its position as the world's most...

Family shares benefit of bear hugs.
Byline: Eric Florip The Register-Guard Sometimes, all a family needs is a good teddy bear - especially when that bear symbolizes the family's own difficult experience. Julia and David Ozab know this all too well, after they waited more than three hours in a hospital...

Marines change course, will take Jesus dolls.
A 12-inch talking Jesus doll may find its way to needy children this Christmas after the U.S. Marines' Toys for Tots Christmas toy drive reversed course in mid-November and decided to accept the dolls. The Toys for Tots Foundation had initially declined a donation of 4,000 Jesus...

Oregon toy company stays ahead of the game with catalog sales.
Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard Perhaps you've seen it. You may have even ordered something out of it without realizing it's right here in Oregon. For 10 years, the Museum Tour catalog has been offering page after colorful page of brain teasers, science experiments, books,...

Not just a pretty face; dolls and human figurines in Alaska native cultures, 2d ed.
9781889963853 Not just a pretty face; dolls and human figurines in Alaska native cultures, 2d ed. Ed. by Molly C. Lee. U. of Alaska Press 2006 71 pages $24.95 Paperback E99 ...

BRIEFLY.
Byline: The Register-Guard Deputies, aircraft search for lost driver DRAIN - Douglas County deputies continue to search for a Reedsport woman who became lost while driving to Eugene early Saturday morning, police said. At 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Melody Loyd, 57, left...

Scientists warn on fast depletion of ground water; Australian urges use of rainwater as water source.
Byline: FRED ROXAS CLARK ZONE, Pampanga In an effort to prevent the depletion of ground water and ground shrinking, an Australian investor in Clark Special Economic Zone suggested the use of rainwater as an alternate source of clean, potable water. In a recent Water Summit...