Tom England, the owner of dancing Bear Toys and Gifts of 12 N. Market St., e-mailed me earlier today, sending along a information he's sent to his customers.

"Every day at Dancing Bear Toys, I get phone calls, emails, and visits from customers who are increasingly concerned about where their toys come from and how they can shop with confidence," England wrote. "I am doing the best I can to educate consumers on safety standards in the U.S. and in Europe so customers can make informed buying decisions."

So here, in full and unedited, is what he sent out:

Given all the recent turmoil in the toy industry, we wanted to share this information with you...

As soon as the lead paint/magnet crisis started to take shape, we contacted our vendors who manufacture in China. They reassured us that our products meet—and in most cases exceed—the United States ASTM and/or European Norm EN-71 child safety standards. We were relieved to hear that none of the products we carry were produced by Hong Le Da or Lee Der Industrial, the contractors responsible for lead paint in the recalled toys.

The media coverage on this issue has caused concern among parents, and rightly so. Many of you have called or stopped by to ask questions. We hope you will continue to do so! We share your concerns and are doing our best to learn as much as we can about this issue.

Several of you have expressed a hesitancy to buy anything that is made in China. This may prove challenging since roughly 80% of the toys sold in the U.S. come from China. We can, however, offer you some wonderful alternatives. As a specialty retailer, we are in a better position than the big box stores to deal with smaller, high-end toymakers—many of whom will not to sell to Wal-Mart or Toys R Us.

Many of our toys and games for children age 3 and under are produced in the U.S., Europe, or Thailand. Dancing Bear staff can help you identify these products, including those manufactured by Challenge & Fun, Channel Craft, Chelona, Haba, Keva, Lauri, Maple Landmark, Mary's Softdough, Near Nature, Plan Toys, Slinky, Uncle Goose, and Yackle Ball. In October, we'll be introducing the first-ever line of bio-plastic toys that are made from corn!

We hope this information helps to address any of your concerns about products at Dancing Bear. Please feel free to stop by, email (tom@dbeartoys.com), or call 301-631-9300 to talk more about this issue. We promise to keep you posted as more information becomes available.

Thanks as always for supporting our business -- and for wanting the very best for the children in your life.

	To register, call 301-662-4164 or visit www.frederickchamber.org . For more information, contact Jessica Hibbard, Program & Event Coordinator, at 301-662-0745 or jhibbard@frederickchamber.org.

Sept 6
Lunch Exchange
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Location: Brewer's Alley, 124 N. Market St., Frederick
Cost: $20 Chamber members, $30 non-members
Registration deadline: Thursday, August 30th
To register, please call 301.662.4164 or visit www.frederickchamber.org
This popular monthly event provides an opportunity for business professionals to gather at a Chamber member location to enjoy great food, atmosphere, and "speed networking." Join us for a fabulous lunch, door prizes, and business connections at one of downtown Frederick's finest establishments!

Sept. 11
EXPO 2007 - The ULTIMATE Connection
Holiday Inn Holidome & Conference Center, Frederick
Exhibits are free & Open to the public
8:00 a.m. - Continental Breakfast & 7-7-7 Seminar
9:30 a.m. - Ribbon Cutting & Exhibits Open
10:00 a.m. - Morning Makeovers
1:00 p.m. - Taste of the EXPO
ALL DAY - EXPO Bingo, Prizes, and NETWORKING!
To add a booth reservation to our waiting list, or order tickets for the breakfast & seminar, download the registration form.
For details, call Jessica Hibbard at 301.662.0745.

Sept. 19
Business Card Exchange
4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Location: Ston'Art Galleria, 7140 English Muffin Way, Frederick
Cost: FREE
Registration deadline: Friday, September 14th
To register, please call 301.662.4164 or visit www.frederickchamber.org
Bring lots of business cards to this after-hours networking event. Each month, 125-175 area professional gather to make business connections. As you might imagine, the door prizes for this month's business card exchange are fabulous: Ston'Art Galleria plans to give away granite countertops for vanities and hand-carved marble decorative items. Don't miss out -- Join us for one of our most popular monthly events!

Sept. 28
Business Outlook Seminar
8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Location: Holiday Inn Ft. Detrick, 999 W. Patrick St., Frederick
Cost: FREE
Registration deadline: Tuesday, September 25th
To register, please call 301.662.4164 or visit www.frederickchamber.org
The Chamber is honored to have Secretary Thomas Perez, of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation. Following Secretary Perez's presentation, there will be a brief question and answer period and time for networking. A continental breakfast will be provided by the Holiday Inn.

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John Beck of KCH Business Solutions will discuss a four-step process for getting more business referrals.

Some of the questions he'll help attendees consider:

AMERIQUEST CLAIM INFORMATION: More than 481,000 borrowers are eligible, customers of Ameriquest Mortgage Co., Town and Country Credit Corp., and AMC Mortgage Services Inc (formerly known as Bedford Home Loans) from Jan. 1, 1999, to Dec. 31, 2005. Detailed information about the settlement can be found at the Settlement Administrator's website, or by calling 800-420-5875 (866-494-8274 for the hearing impaired).

According to my trusty calculator, that's about $629 a customer, if every affected Ameriquest consumer in the state seeks a chunk.

According to a press release from the Maryland Attorney General's Office, the settlement resolves allegations that Ameriquest and affiliates misrepresented and inadequately disclosed the terms of home loans.

"We believe Ameriquest's predatory lending practices seriously harmed consumers and made it more difficult for them to pay for their homes," Attorney General Doug Gansler said. "This restitution will help compensate the victims of these harmful practices in Maryland."

As part of the agreement, Ameriquest will strengthen its standards, policies and procedures. This is what Ameriquest's chief executive officer Aseem Mital had to say in a Jan. 23 press release on the company's website:

“Doing the right thing for the people we serve has always been one of our core values. We regret those occasions when our associates have not met this ideal to our customers’ expectations. This agreement is good for consumers and fair to the company. It provides a framework for new lending policies that improve and enhance our ability to serve our customers and are a model for the industry.”

Letters and claims forms went out to eligible Marylanders this week from the Attorney General's Office and the Maryland Commissioner of Financial Regulation. The forms, which will indicate a minimum payment consumers can expect, need to be returned by Sept. 10.

The exact payment could be larger, depending on how many people choose to claim. Those who opt for the claim give up the right to sue Ameriquest related to the loans the settlement covers.

See the box to the right for claim information.
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Consumer

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