Happy Release Day To Bedroom! Today is the digital release of his new (debut) full length entitled VIVID. Stay tuned for details regarding its physical release, but as for now… go grab the album from the link above! Here are a few words from Noah:
Hi.
So I worked really hard on this album. I’m overall really happy with how it turned out. I made the album I wanted to make in the ways I wanted to make it. I tried a lot of new things on this album, and I had so much fun making it. I’m saying all of this to let you know how much this means to me, not just the album but this music shit in general. It’s all I really care about and it makes me really happy to know there are people all around the world downloading and listening to my music. I love you guys and hope you enjoy this album.
What people call “Obamacare” is actually the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. However, people were calling it “Obamacare” before everyone even hammered out what it would be. It’s a term mostly used by people who don’t like the PPaACA, and it’s become popularized in part because PPaACA is a really long and awkward name, even when you turn it into an acronym like that.
Anyway, the PPaACA made a bunch of new rules regarding health care, with the purpose of making health care more affordable for everyone. Opponents of the PPaACA, on the other hand, feel that the rules it makes take away too many freedoms and force people (both individuals and businesses) to do things they shouldn’t have to.
So what does it do? Well, here is everything, in the order of when it goes into effect (because some of it happens later than other parts of it):
Already in effect:
It allows the Food and Drug Administration to approve more generic drugs (making for more competition in the market to drive down prices)
It increases the rebates on drugs people get through Medicare (so drugs cost less)
It establishes a non-profit group, that the government doesn’t directly control, to study different kinds of treatments to see what works better and is the best use of money.
It makes chain restaurants like McDonalds display how many calories are in all of their foods, so people can have an easier time making choices to eat healthy.
It makes a “high-risk pool” for people with pre-existing conditions. Basically, this is a way to slowly ease into getting rid of “pre-existing conditions” altogether. For now, people who already have health issues that would be considered “pre-existing conditions” can still get insurance, but at different rates than people without them.
It renews some old policies, and calls for the appointment of various positions.
It creates a new 10% tax on indoor tanning booths.
It says that health insurance companies can no longer tell customers that they won’t get any more coverage because they have hit a “lifetime limit”. Basically, if someone has paid for life insurance, that company can’t tell that person that he’s used that insurance too much throughout his life so they won’t cover him any more. They can’t do this for lifetime spending, and they’re limited in how much they can do this for yearly spending.
Kids can continue to be covered by their parents’ health insurance until they’re 26.
No more “pre-existing conditions” for kids under the age of 19.
Insurers have less ability to change the amount customers have to pay for their plans.
People in a “Medicare Gap” get a rebate to make up for the extra money they would otherwise have to spend.
Insurers can’t just drop customers once they get sick.
Insurers have to tell customers what they’re spending money on. (Instead of just “administrative fee”, they have to be more specific).
Insurers need to have an appeals process for when they turn down a claim, so customers have some manner of recourse other than a lawsuit when they’re turned down.
New ways to stop fraud are created.
Medicare extends to smaller hospitals.
Medicare patients with chronic illnesses must be monitored more thoroughly.
Reduces the costs for some companies that handle benefits for the elderly.
A new website is made to give people insurance and health information.
A credit program is made that will make it easier for business to invest in new ways to treat illness.
A limit is placed on just how much of a percentage of the money an insurer makes can be profit, to make sure they’re not price-gouging customers.
A limit is placed on what type of insurance accounts can be used to pay for over-the-counter drugs without a prescription. Basically, your insurer isn’t paying for the Aspirin you bought for that hangover.
Employers need to list the benefits they provided to employees on their tax forms.
8/1/2012
Any health plans sold after this date must provide preventative care (mammograms, colonoscopies, etc.) without requiring any sort of co-pay or charge.
1/1/2013
If you make over $200,000 a year, your taxes go up a tiny bit (0.9%)
1/1/2014 – This is when a lot of the really big changes happen.
No more “pre-existing conditions”. At all. People will be charged the same regardless of their medical history.
If you can afford insurance but do not get it, you will be charged a fee. This is the “mandate” that people are talking about. Basically, it’s a trade-off for the “pre-existing conditions” bit, saying that since insurers now have to cover you regardless of what you have, you can’t just wait to buy insurance until you get sick. Otherwise no one would buy insurance until they needed it. You can opt not to get insurance, but you’ll have to pay the fee instead, unless of course you’re not buying insurance because you just can’t afford it.
Insurer’s now can’t do annual spending caps. Their customers can get as much health care in a given year as they need.
Make it so more poor people can get Medicare by making the low-income cut-off higher.
Small businesses get some tax credits for two years.
Businesses with over 50 employees must offer health insurance to full-time employees, or pay a penalty.
Limits how high of an annual deductible insurers can charge customers.
Cut some Medicare spending
Place a $2500 limit on tax-free spending on FSAs (accounts for medical spending). Basically, people using these accounts now have to pay taxes on any money over $2500 they put into them.
Establish health insurance exchanges and rebates for the lower-class, basically making it so poor people can get some medical coverage.
Congress and Congressional staff will only be offered the same insurance offered to people in the insurance exchanges, rather than Federal Insurance. Basically, we won’t be footing their health care bills any more than any other American citizen.
A new tax on pharmaceutical companies.
A new tax on the purchase of medical devices.
A new tax on insurance companies based on their market share. Basically, the more of the market they control, the more they’ll get taxed.
The amount you can deduct from your taxes for medical expenses increases.
1/1/2015
Doctors’ pay will be determined by the quality of their care, not how many people they treat.
1/1/2017
If any state can come up with their own plan, one which gives citizens the same level of care at the same price as the PPaACA, they can ask the Secretary of Health and Human Resources for permission to do their plan instead of the PPaACA. So if they can get the same results without, say, the mandate, they can be allowed to do so. Vermont, for example, has expressed a desire to just go straight to single-payer (in simple terms, everyone is covered, and medical expenses are paid by taxpayers).
2018
All health care plans must now cover preventative care (not just the new ones).
A new tax on “Cadillac” health care plans (more expensive plans for rich people who want fancier coverage).
2020
The elimination of the “Medicare gap”
Aaaaand that’s it right there.
The biggest thing opponents of the bill have against it is the mandate. They claim that it forces people to buy insurance, and forcing people to buy something in unconstitutional. Personally, I take the opposite view, as it’s not telling people to buy a specific thing, just to have a specific type of thing, just like a part of the money we pay in taxes pays for the police and firemen who protect us, this would have us paying to ensure doctors can treat us for illness and injury.
Plus, as previously mentioned, it’s necessary if you’re doing away with “pre-existing conditions” because otherwise no one would get insurance until they needed to use it, which defeats the purpose of insurance.
One year ago on the 20th of June Capucine Gros, Kelsey Ann Lesko and myself (Ryan McCardle) all embarked on the Voyage of Three Hungry Passengers: Saga 22. The adventure lasted a month and two days. It was magnificent.
[Click above to view the archive of posts from the adventure]
The idea for the Charity series was hatched in 2010 when I lost a great amount of my stock in a flood. Many amazing folks donated loot to get me out of that hole & I was so inspired that I asked some musicians I know to contribute to this idea. 2 years later and we’re ready to go. So the idea is simple: amazing bands, awesome music that’s exclusive to each release, fun colored vinyl, & most importantly, a large chunk of the profits hitting charities of each artists choosing.
The Charity Subscription Series will be available 3 different ways. You can buy the ‘full monty’, which just so happens to be the only item for sale right now. The full monty gets you 12 7”s & 3 10”s. You receive the rarest color/color combination only available to subscribers of the full monty, a discount for getting them all up front, a custom 45 adaptor exclusive to the full monty, a tote bag to hold all of your charity releases & each release will be hand-numbered - also something exclusive to the full monty. This option is limited to 250 subscribers. You’ll receive 3 a month & below you can read when those shipments will hit & what releases they’ll be.
Well it’s shaping up to be a Man Eating Sloth Friday! More kind words about the Schitzengigz EP, this time from the Vancouver (and all over) based blog, Hearing Gold:
1. Man Eating Slothwas introduced to me by my good friend Noah Kittinger, whose solo projectBedroomis on the same label as Man Eating Sloth. His song “Summer Morning Skytoucher,” off his new Schitzengigz EP, is so simple in its execution but so good. With an almost child-like sound to it and the captivating sounds of a flute carrying you along for the whole ride, it’s impossible not to get lost in this soothing soundscape.
The ever so great Bandcamp Hunter just featured Man Eating Sloth’s newest EP Schitzengigz on their website and had just wonderful things to say about it and us. Here’s what they had to say:
Whoever it was that alerted me to this label Furious Hooves recently - thank you. Some great music on their Bandcamp page and they have a fine slogan : “Independent Music + 1990s Basketball”. Digging the Man Eating Sloth sound - chilled electronic explorations that remind me of Cluster at times. Plus they’ve got a song called “Smacked By Monkeys”. 10s all ‘round.
Check out the brand spankin’ new video from Without A Fight for “Trout Mouth” that you can snag from Furious Hooves here. Check out all the amazing faces being made in this video!
Maine / Berlin based artist Ethan Hayes-Chute builds cabins (shacks?) out of salvaged wood and other found materials. Find some other examples of junkitecture here.
Pictured: “(Tree)House of Hyères,” a 2010 collaboration with Jean-Paul Lespagnard.
