Time: How the Postal Service Became Donald Trump's for the Taking

Time: How the Postal Service Became Donald Trump's for the Taking

By Alana Abramson

    In the light of the election, the controversy over Trump's appointments to the USPS is growing. The USPS is overseen by a Board of Governors, who are appointed by the President, approved by Congress, and serve 7 year terms. It is designed so that it will be nonpartisan. However, terms for all but one of the governors ended during the Obama administration, and Congress repeatedly struck down his appointees. So, President Trump arrived in office with a mostly empty Board, which he promptly filled. The Board now has 4 Republicans and just 2 Democrats.

    Recently, they appointed Louis DeJoy, a Trump supporter, to Postmaster General. He has since been a proponent of massive cuts, much to the dismay of Democrats, who have recently accused him of trying to delay service for mail-in voters. In response, he has delayed all funding cuts until after the election, but that has not yet satisfied the Democrats.

TedEd: What causes insomnia?

A TedEd by Dan Kwartler

Why do you stay awake at night? There might be many quickly resolved reasons, but there is a type of stress that causes continued sleeplessness. Insomnia is stress about not being able to sleep, which seems like an endless loop. There are many common reasons like pain and emotions that may keep you awake, and longer sleeplessness that is caused by jet lag when your circadian clock is off. Usually, fatigue puts us to sleep. But sometimes, underlying conditions can prolong this, and the bedroom becomes associated with the stresses of insomnia. This causes the brain to produce hormones that are normally produced when in danger, causing you to become hyper. In this state, you are constantly looking for threats, so even the slightest thing becomes major to you. So even when you do get some sleep, you do not get good sleep. Usually, your metabolism slows to conserve glucose, which the brain needs. But PET scans show that insomniacs increase metabolism, draining glucose and making them tired. When this lasts months, it becomes chronic insomnia, which may also cause anxiety and depression. Fortunately, there are treatments. You can relieve stress, make sure there are no distractions in your bedroom, and try to make yourself tired with relaxing activities. You should also sleep on schedule to keep your biological circadian rhythm in place. Of course, insomnia-like symptoms can also be caused by genetics. Some people have circadian clocks that last longer than 24 hours, making it seem like they can't sleep, but they can get sleep, too - just on their own schedule.