Threads 1.
7 08/28/08
Threads
Contents
Editorial
-A note from my desk
Page One
-The Hoax, in (and out of) the
woods
Page Two
-The Hoax (Continued)
Page Three
-The Human Contradiction
Page Four
-Bath County School Bombing
-Three Poems
-In The News
A NOTE FROM MY DESK:
I n order to improve on Threads, I
have been looking through large
numbers of magazines in order
to gather formatting and story
ideas.
I have always had an appreciation
for general interest type magazines,
and I think I can foresee Threads
going in that direction. I have the
first and last issue of one of my
favorite magazines sitting next to
me; Punk Planet, seeing how much
that magazine changed in fourteen
years gives me hope.
I am having so much fun doing this,
assigning myself stories, giving
myself insane deadlines, working
hours into the night trying to get
things 'just right'. I really owe a
huge THANK YOU to my two (as of
now) 'subscribers' Andy and Krista -
mainly for giving me the courage to
do this. It feels so good to be able
to do something that you've been
dreaming of for so long.
The thing that I can’t figure out
right now is why Microsoft Word
was so cooperative with me with
issue 1.6, but now desires to do
whatever it feels like.
1.7 “We’ve lost the dream we never had”
THE HOAX, in (and out of) the woods
Recently a news conference was
held about a creature that a man Popular Controversies and Hoaxes
caught and put into a box. The
creature was America’s much loved • Jimmy Hoffa’s Burial
mythological monster, Big Foot, his • The Moon Landing
apparent death must have came to • The Death of Elvis
the shock of many who firmly
• Area 51
believe in his existence. ‘There
could have been so much we could • The Loch Ness Monster
UFO’s
have learned from this unknown •
being’ the true believers may have • 9/11 Conspiracies
thought. Thankfully for those
people, this death (like the creature
itself) was a hoax.
Hoaxes or the intentional deception of the public, usually through a
public form of communication such as a newspaper, radio station or
internet have been around since the 1500's. A hoax differs from frauds,
pranks, urban legends and tall tales due to how the hoax gains and
deceives a vast public audience. A hoax targets the vulnerability of the
public; in an essence they reveal the anxieties of the population at large.
A hoax is a barometer of society, measuring the strength and
vulnerabilities of a cultures deeply held convictions. The medium a hoax
uses to do this (as if a hoax itself is a living being) is a form of public
communication.
A hoax is generally perpetrated by a single individual; the intentions can
vary, but typically are done to deceive. The word itself originates from
the Latin phrase "Hoc est corpus meum" which was later turned into the
non-sense phrase "hocus-pocus" by Protestant jesters. Over time the
phrase "hocus-pocus" was contracted to the word "hoax". In the same
way that the word "hoax" originates with the Church, the earliest known
hoaxes can also be traced back to the Church as well.
Forgeries in the medieval church by Monks and Clerics were frequent and
often they were difficult to detect which could result in the belief of the
allegations written by the forger for centuries before they were revealed.
One of the earliest known hoaxes was the Donation of Constantine, a
document supposedly written by Emperor Constantine that would give
the Catholic Church vast territories in the Western Roman Empire. This
donation was apparently written in 756 A.D., it wasn't discovered to be a
forgery until 1440. For many centuries the Church occupied the land in
Italy known as the papal lands using the Donation of Constantine as
justification - never realizing that it was false.
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 Threads 1.7 08/28/08
(Continued from previous page)
The church also had to deal with another scandalous
hoax in 855 A.D. when John Anglicus was elected
Pope after Pope Leo IV died in 853 A.D. The new
Pope ruled for two years before falling ill while
traveling, he had to stop by the side of the road, and
as a surprise to the onlookers, Pope John had a baby.
Pope John was really Pope Joan. It is unknown today
even, whether the story of Pope Joan is true. Some
believe it was a story that has its origins with the
Protestant writers especially during the Reformation.
As time went on, and cultures changed, so did the
hoax. The widespread nature of this form of
deception even earned itself a day, April Fool’s day
in the 1600's. It is still unknown whether some things
are even hoaxes or legitimate. One of the bigger (no
pun intended) controversies is the Cerne Abbas
Giant that can be seen on the side of a hill in
Dorchester, England [see picture]. It is commonly
believed this giant (that
sports a club and an erect
penis) is the work of the
ancients however there
seems to be no mention
of it before 1694.
One thing that many
hoaxes center around are
the sightings of unique
creatures, for instance
the first "sighting" of the
jackalope was in Douglas
Wyoming in 1829, a timid creature similar to a jack
rabbit but has antlers. Around the same period
Scottish settlers in Canada wrote home about their
discoveries in the new land, including the peculiar
animal they encountered, the fur-bearing trout. A
trout that grows hair in the winter to keep it self
warm, then sheds it when the summer months
come.
Around the turn of the century the hoaxes became
more elaborate and more international. Perhaps the
most impressive was the destruction of the Great
Wall of China in 1899 in which Chinese officials were
taking bids from American contractors to tear down
the wall and replace it with a road. This hoax
resurfaced when in 1939 it was reported that the
Chinese learned of this hoax and got angered by it
and fought against Westerners in what was later to
be known as the Boxer Rebellion. The Boxer
Rebellion's ties with the Great Wall hoax have been
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considered fact for many years even though they
have nothing to do with one another.
As Americans started to believe in the strength and
invincibility of their country, in 1938 a young man
named Orson Welles subjected the country to a
frightening possibility - that vengeful aliens would
occupy the planet, specifically the United States and
wonder around vaporizing innocent people as the
country stood defenseless against this invading army
with superior weaponry and defenses. Welles did all
this in the period of one hour on his radio show.
In 1967, one of America's greatest hoaxes literally
walked across our television screens in a grainy
home video. It was the image of a bipedal ape-beast
that enjoyed long walks in the woods [see picture].
Bigfoot was (and has been) the American sensation
as far as hoaxes is concerned. The year was the same
year John Chambers was designing costumes for the
movie Planet of the Apes. Chambers denied any
connection to the film,
but the sensation
surrounding Bigfoot has
not subsided.
Unknown creatures in
the woods, unknown
beings in the sky,
impossible technological
advances in the labs,
hard to believe photos,
the possible loss of all
our advancements at the
stroke of midnight, 'jokes' by large corporations are
the hoaxes that have held Americans spell bound for
the past forty years. The hoax has become deeply
ingrained into the human condition, sometimes it
can be difficult to distinguish what is a hoax and
what is not. Recently the objective of the hoax in
America is to cast blanket of doubt on the countries
advancements.
Even though a hoax can be rather elaborate, the
best way to defend yourself from falling victim to
them is question its source. Find out if the source is
trustworthy, find out how well known the source is,
get as many second and third opinions as one can
gather. In this age of misinformation, the reality is
that many people fall victim to hoaxes and believe
these bits of 'information' without realizing there
questionable origins.
 Threads 1.7 08/28/08

OPINION

THE HUMAN CONTRADICTION that another innate desire humans have is

togetherness.
People tend to agree that they dream of a world full
Typically one would put these behaviors on two
of peace, love and harmony, but due to the nature
opposite ends of a spectrum – one side being “bring
of the human condition, this is perhaps unlikely.
harm to others” and the other “find unity with
Looking out at what makes up the tapestry of our others”, unfortunately these two characteristics
human condition, I see strands of love, hate, cannot be separated in such a way, and more often
aggression, deception, passion, jealousy, frustration, than not work together.
irritation, depression, sadness, guilt and depravity –
The human condition seems to
and I can only wonder what it is
reveal that bringing harm to
that continues to hold us all
others and finding unity with
together. If we could step back
others are almost inseparable.
and look at this mosaic of life,
So many times people When one is not happening, the
what would the bigger picture
look like and reveal to us (and get so preoccupied other is – or, as with some
organizations (i.e. Neo-Nazis)
about us)? trying to get others to
the two activities are occurring
One man planned and carried
look at them they simultaneously. There is a unity
out one of the most devastating neglect to stop and look found when they collectively
acts in American history when he at others. harm others, and their
blew up the school building in collective harming of others is
Bath County. This was an what they have in common
unthinkable tragedy that cut which ties them together. The
short the lives of many. To a lesser degree, reason these two characteristics are so close is
individuals carry out hoaxes with one goal, to because they share the same basic human need:
intentionally deceive as many innocent people as acknowledgement. Everyone wants to be known,
they can, purposely causing distress and mayhem. everyone desires to have their voices heard.
Although there is a huge difference between killing
So many times people get so preoccupied trying to
many and deceiving many, the ultimate goal seems
get others to look at them they neglect to stop and
to be the same – to bring harm to others either
look at others. The mosaic of life from a distance is
physically or mentally. Humans seem to have an
far from aesthetically appealing, and perhaps the
innate desire to cause others to suffer, and
only thing holding this tapestry together is the
sometimes it is difficult to suppress this, much less
platform the strands rest on – but that doesn’t mean
overcome it.
we can’t take our strand and tie it to other
Strangely enough, humanity has another tendency, surrounding strands, that our piece of the mosaic
and that is to come together in solidarity when it is can’t be polished, the edges sanded.
about something we all have in common – whether
If it can take only one man to destroy hundreds of
it be a belief or a passion. Burning Man [story in next
lives, or deceive thousands, it can take also one
issue, 1.8] brings hundreds of like-minded people
person to improve others lives and help them. Our
together to a festival that celebrates creativity, and
passions shouldn’t be the sole thing that is uniting
it is held in a desert of all places. This, and hundreds
us, a person’s genuine love for the well being of
of other different events (including the Olympics)
others should.
makes me also believe (though a bit contradictory)

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 Threads 1.7 08/28/08

Bath County School Bombing after calling the Superintendant over to

In the town of Bath Michigan, on May 18,
1927, Andrew Kehoe carried out one of
the most horrific acts of school violence in
American history. Kehoe, a disgruntled
Bath County school board member packed
the Bath school building and his vehicle with over 1,000
pounds of dynamite, and blew it up while the building was
full of students. The explosion killed 45 students between
the ages of 7 and 12, fortunately 400 pounds of the
dynamite did not explode, saving many
lives in the second wing of the school After
building.
Prior to the bombing, Kehoe killed his
wife then blew up his house. He then
went to the school and detonated the
explosives in the building, Following that,
his vehicle, fired his rifle into the back
seat igniting more dynamite killing
several people who were in the vicinity.
Before
Kehoe had been infuriated at the idea of
increased taxes that were created for the
new school. He also was facing
foreclosure on his farm and wanted to take out revenge.
On May 21st, 2008 a gravestone was erected for one of
the young victims of the tragedy. Money
was raised so that Marjorie Fritz would
finally receive a marker for her final
resting spot. Money is currently being
raised to provide a marker for Emilie
Marian "Amelia" Bromundt's unmarked
grave.

Three Poems
Live in joy All beings tremble before violence
“Look how he abused me and beat me,
How he threw me down and robbed All fear death
In love,
me,” All love life.
Even among those who hate.
Live with such thoughts and you live in
hate. See yourself in others.
Live in Joy, Then whom can you hurt?
In health, What harm can you do?
“Look how he abused me and beat me,
How he threw me down and robbed Even among the afflicted.
me.” He who seeks happiness
Abandon such thoughts, and live in By hurting those who seek happiness
Live in Joy,
Love. Will never find happiness.
In Peace,
Even among the troubled. For your brother is like you,
In this world
Hate never yet dispelled hate. He wants to be happy.
Only love dispels hate. Look within. Never harm him.
This is the law, Be still. And when you leave this life
You too will find happiness.
Ancient and inexhaustible Free from fear and attachment,
Know the sweet joy of the way.
You too shall pass away. -Excerpts from the Dhammapada
Knowing this, how can you quarrel?

In The News:
Suggestions?

Hurricane Gustav Heads Towards Cuba Critiques?

New Orleans Poor Areas Vulnerable to Flooding Submissions?

Internet Explorer 8 Has Flaws

There is an increase in drunk driving with Send them to:
motorcycles

Ohio Mother Put Baby in Microwave C.HELLER.RUN@GMAIL.COM

Iraq and China sign $3 Billion Oil Contract

Workers in Alabama may have to pay a tax for Thank you.
being fat. (All content [excluding pictures] by Chadwick
Heller unless otherwise noted.)

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