Countless active duty military and veterans are suffering from severe and permanent hearing damage after using standard-issue military earplugs while in combat. The earplug manufacturer 3M has now agreed to pay a settlement for the many who suffered because the company failed to divulge information about certain product defects that hindered the earplugs’ hearing protection ability. As a result, those who served during foreign conflicts between 2003 and 2015 were not notified or properly instructed on how to adequately insert these products. Thanks to a whistleblower who stepped forward about 3M’s lack of transparency and gross negligence in distributing these defective products, the company has discontinued its dual-ended Combat Arms Version 2 (“CAEv.2”) earplugs. It also paid a $9.1 million settlement to the U.S. Department of Justice for falsifying test results and knowingly putting thousands of soldiers at risk. How Do These Products Cause Harm? 3M’s dual-ended earplugs were not standardized to adequately fit military personnel because the design was symmetrical, meaning the earplugs would loosen and ultimately cause painful and debilitating symptoms such as tinnitus or hearing loss. WHAT YOU NEED T The 3M Military Earplug Settlement
Most owners will tell you their cats act like ancient deities. Majestic, scrupulous, and utterly unpredictable, these fascinating creatures have long captured our imaginations. Even before cat videos took the internet by storm, humans have been idolizing felines, placing them alongside some of their most important mythological figures. Bastet — Egypt Of course, a list of mythical cats has to start with Egypt. While many people know the pharaohs and their followers thought cats were sacred, you may be surprised by how deep the connection goes. The earliest depiction of Bastet, the feline deity of protection, is a lion-headed woman in battle. But, over the course of 2,000 years, Bastet evolved to resemble the domesticated, pointy-eared cats we know and love today. 招き猫 (Maneki-Neko) — Japan Legend has it that in the 17th century, a monk living in a small temple in Edo (now Tokyo) was struggling to survive, but he still split his meals with his cat, Tama. One day, Lord Nakaota li got caught in a rainstorm while hunting and took shelter under a tree near the temple. Nakaota spotted Tama near the temple, and the cat raised its leg, beckoning the noble to come toward him. Curious, Nakaota complied, stepping out from beneath the tree just before a bolt of lightning struck it down. The lord’s life was saved, and to this day, the Maneki-Neko (the beckoning cat) is a symbol of wealth and good fortune. Freya’s Skogkatts — Norway In Norse folklore, the goddess Freya had a unique means of travel: a chariot pulled by two cats. These were skogkatts, or Norwegian Forest cats, that were only a little larger than your average house cat. Still, these small felines towed Freya around battlefields as she gathered warriors to send to Valhalla. On top of being the goddess of war, love affairs, and magic, Freya may well have been Midgard’s first cat lady.
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