The Sewing Mom

I’m so excited, our very own Allen marching band made the news today on Fox for their 10 mile march-a-thon! You can see my previous post for more information on that, or just watch this video!

Band Marches in Heat for Fundraiser: MyFoxDFW.com

It seems to me that a tragedy has to occur somewhere in the world other than within the boundaries of the United States for the government of the United States to step up and get into action. We are now in the 56th day of the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico and we keep seeing the exact same images. The beaches that might be in danger and the oil still spilling from the broken pipe deep below the water. What we aren’t being shown are the animals that are suffering and in desperate need of immediate help.

These animals are in peril and many have all ready died.  Why is there not something being done?  Many species, including the Loggerhead Turtle which was all ready listed as threatened before the oil disaster in the Gulf, are washing ashore, dead.  Mr. Obama, I beg you, step up!

I want to thank Christy from Bring Me Up for posting this video.

Click here if you would like to help take action.

Please keep the families and the miners in your prayers today. My own brother-in-law was dispatched to this mine to assist in the rescue operations, this tragedy hits very close to home.

The plan for today is to drill holes down through the earth that will supply oxygen to anyone still trapped underground. Prayers are needed.

This is a sponsored guest post written by a Press Release on behalf of PBM Products. Post powered by Sponzai.

GORDONSVILLE, VA., December 2 , 2009—PBM Products, LLC, a leading infant formula company that supplies store-brand infant formulas to Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers, has received a favorable jury verdict and a $13.5 million damages award in its false advertising lawsuit against Mead Johnson & Co., the operating subsidiary of Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) (“Mead Johnson”), the makers of the national-brand Enfamil® LIPIL® Infant Formula. Mead Johnson is 83 percent-owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

PBM’s lawsuit claimed that Mead Johnson engaged in false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s competing store-brand of infant formulas, suggesting they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands. PBM’s store-brand infant formulas cost up to 50 percent less than Enfamil® LIPIL®. The $13.5 million in damages awarded by the jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of the largest damages awards ever for a false advertising case.

“This decision by a jury of the people confirms that Mead Johnson’s ads have been false in suggesting that there is a nutritional difference between our store-brand formula products and their products, when in fact the only major difference is price,” said PBM CEO Paul B. Manning. “Despite Mead Johnson’s scare tactics, parents are assured that PBM’s formula products are as high quality and nutritious as Mead Johnson’s.”

U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer issued his written rulings yesterday following the November 10^th jury verdict. Judge Spencer’s written rulings permanently enjoined Mead Johnson from making any false statements concerning PBM’s infant formula, including the claims Mead Johnson previously made in Enfamil advertising that “It may be tempting to try a less expensive store brand, but only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development,” and “there are plenty of other ways to save on baby expenses without cutting back on nutrition.”  The Court also ordered Mead Johnson to retrieve from the public domain all advertising or promotional materials containing these or any other false claims about PBM’s store brand infant formula. 

The details of the decision and the complaint are posted online in full at:

· http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/Order_Laches.pdf

· http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/PBM_Complaint_MJ_III_LIPIL.pdf

The nutritional supplements under examination in the case are two fats, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), which Mead Johnson calls “LIPIL®” solely for marketing purposes and touts as promoting infant brain and eye development. PBM’s claim focused on Mead Johnson’s direct mailing to more than 1.6 million parents of an alarming blurry picture of a child’s cartoon duck next to a clear picture of the same image which suggested that anything other than the Enfamil LIPIL® blend of ingredients is inferior and will result in poor eye and brain development. Other parts of the false advertising campaign consist of statements that only Enfamil LIPIL has been proven to confer visual and mental benefits on infants, and store-brand formulas are a “cut-back in nutrition” compared to Enfamil.

PBM successfully argued that these advertisements were false and misleading especially since PBM store- brand infant formulas have the same nutrients at the same levels as Enfamil. PBM infant formulas are formulated to contain DHA and ARA, and are sourced from the same supplier in amounts which equal or exceed the DHA and ARA in Mead Johnson’s Enfamil LIPIL®.

This decision marks the third time PBM Products has sued Mead Johnson for false advertising claims. On the prior occasions Mead Johnson admitted that it made false claims about PBM’s products. It is also the first false advertising case to focus on the issue of DHA and ARA nutritional ingredients in formula, which were introduced into the market in 2003 and have become a staple in recent years by many brands as key components for infant development.

“This jury verdict should send a significant and clear message to Mead Johnson about the way it conducts marketing and advertising for its brands,” said Manning. “This lawsuit also demonstrates our complete commitment to defending our products and the valuable brands of our retail partners.”

“As a parent and supporter of children’s medical research, I take a personal responsibility in assuring our customers that the products we produce are healthy and nutritionally equivalent to brand names like Enfamil® LIPIL®. It is important, especially now, for parents to know that there are lower priced yet highly nutritious store-brand formulas that will provide the same benefit to their children as any national brand name formula product,” Manning added.

The U.S. infant formula market is estimated at $3.4 billion and the global market is estimated at $7.9 billion.

All of PBM’s formulas, and for that matter all of U.S. infant formulas, are subject to the exacting standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pursuant to the Infant Formula Act of 1980. This legislation vested FDA with the authority to ensure that all infant formula products sold in the United States provide the necessary levels of identified nutrients required for the growth of healthy babies. For more information, visit this FDA link.

PBM Products was represented by the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. Partners from the firm’s advertising practice, Harold P. Weinberger and Jonathan M. Wagner in New York, led the team.

About PBM

PBM is privately owned and based in Gordonsville, VA. PBM companies specialize in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing consumer food, nutritional, and pharmaceutical products. For more information, visit www.pbmproducts.com.

Enfamil® LIPIL® are registered trademarks of Mead Johnson & Co.

I apologize for my absence this week, I’ve been busy on the homefront. My daughter was out on Spring Break all week and I also was working extra hours to pick up some of the financial slack we’ve been feeling around here. My husband is still working, but sometimes it feels like it’s a day to day thing. I don’t want to be caught off guard if something should happen to his job (which I’m praying nothing will).

I do know many people who have indeed lost jobs and there are many companies out there that claim to help people in their job search, just be careful. As with any business, some are more reliable than others, so do your research. One company that is leading the way in executive recruiting and individual job searches is Lightship Research. They provide direct access to those who are trying to help you find your perfect job. They even go so far as to provide a FREE resume critique! The following is a testimonial for LIGHTSHIP RESEARCH.

“I lost my job as Vice President of Sales with a national technology firm and signed up for assistance with a career management firm that turned out to be terrible. I gave them $10K and they did nothing, not even return my calls. I called my lawyer and he got most of my money back and said that his neighbor had used a company called Lightship Research http://www.lightshipresearch.com. They charged less than a quarter of what the other company did and were accessible and they’re for me every step of the way. I even felt like the whole team were my friends and went through the same emotional ups and downs as I did through my job search. It took me 9 weeks and now I am the VP of Sales for a fast growing biometrics company. These are highly hard working and ethical people. I recommend them to everyone I talk to.” -M. Olson, PA

If you’re in need of help searching for a job, you may want to give them a try.