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Threads 2.

2 10/16/08

Threads 2.2 “This place is so empty, my thoughts are so tempting”

Contents
Editorial
-A Note From My Desk Why Tuesday?
Page One
- Why Tuesday?
A campaign to change the Election Day
Page Two
-Why Tuesday Cont’d By Chad Heller
Page Three Every four years, one day is set
-Guest Column ;Forgiveness aside for every eligible American
-Addendum; Forgiveness
voter to go to the polls and cast
Page Four
-Addendum Continued
their ballot in deciding who they'd
-Three Quick Meals like to elect to be the next
Page Five President of the United States.
-On Democracy This year that day is November 4,
Page Six a Tuesday - and one group is
-In debt to the U.S.A asking, "why?".
-Mexico’s Drug Wars
Page Seven
Why Tuesday? is a nonprofit
organization founded in 2005 by
-Shrinking Brain & Brain 2.0
William B. Wachtel, Andrew Young
Page Eight
and Norman Ornstein in the
-In The News
attempt to change the voting day
A NOTE FROM MY DESK:
to a date that is more convenient
to the current times. The

M
y apartment has th
The Act of the 28 congress
furniture finally, which organization is non partisan and is
establishing Election Day
I’m happy to report. I seeking help from both
haven’t been able to use it Republicans and Democrats to initiate this change.
though because I’ve been
working so hard on this issue of
Threads.
The United States ranks 139th out of 172 countries in voter
turnout with only an average of 54% of eligible voters casting a
This issue is beginning to look ballot in the last four decades of Presidential elections. Although
like it will be the longest issue this lack of voter turnout has been attributed to different reasons
I’ve done, and it will have some
such as voter apathy, unfamiliarity with the voting system and a
“firsts”. This issue of Threads
has its first guest “submission” lack of trust of the political system, the number one reason people
written by Krista McNeil. This don't vote, given by people in a survey taken by the California
issue is also looking like it will Voter Foundation is that they are "too busy."
exceed four pages for the first
time.
As early columnist, Bill Vaughan (1915 - 1977) observed "America
I’ve been thinking a lot about is a land where a citizen will cross the ocean to fight for democracy
dramatically changing Threads - and won't cross the street to vote in a national election." The
format, so look forward to that issue of Americans not voting on Election Day is not a new
in issues to come. But, as always,
this is for you, I hope you enjoy.

CALIFORNIA KARM@~
development, but what he fails to address is what is
hindering these potential voters. Why the first Tuesday after the first
Monday? Lawmakers wanted to prevent
The United States is one of the few countries that Election Day from falling on the first of
hold elections on a weekday, a majority of European November for two reasons. First, November
countries hold their elections on weekends or some 1st is All Saints Day, a Holy Day of
countries even declare Election Day as a national Obligation for Roman Catholics. Second,
holiday in the attempt to free voters from other most merchants were in the habit of doing
obligations such as work. their books from the preceding month on
the 1st. Apparently, Congress was worried
A misnomer exists in this country that that the economic success or failure of the
"inconvenience" is not a good rational for not voting, previous month might prove an undue
but this runs contrary to the reasoning why the first influence on the vote!"
Tuesday after the first Monday in November was
designated as Election Day originally. Congress in Why Tuesday? feels that this original reasoning is no
1845 knew full well that "inconvenience" is a good longer suitable for the 21st century and that the only
rational as to why citizens don't vote and therefore real reason the United States continues to vote on
picked the date. the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
is largely due to tradition, and this tradition is
Voting on Tuesdays began in 1845 by a proclamation harming voter turnout.
of President John Tyler. Before this, each individual
state decided on a date best suitable for voting, "Today, we are an urban society, and we all know
1848 was the first year that all Americans voted on how hard it is to commute to our jobs, take care of
the same day. The decision was made in order to the children, and get our work done, let alone stand
convenience the agrarian society of the time, as in lines to vote. Indeed, Census data over the last
explained by the Federal Election Committee; decade clearly indicates that the inconvenience of
voting is the primary reason Americans are not
participating in our elections," states the Why
". . . For much of our history, America was a Tuesday? Website.
predominantly agrarian society. Law makers
therefore took into account that November The Why Tuesday? organization asked all the
was perhaps the most convenient month candidates their views on the current election date
for farmers and rural workers to be able to and there was a unanimous agreement about the
travel to the polls. The fall harvest was over, proposal that the group was putting forth. "I think
(remember that spring was planting time we have to make it easier for people to vote,"
and summer was taken up with working the responded Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama.
fields and tending the crops) but in the
majority of the nation the weather was still This act of the twenty-eighth congress is not written
mild enough to permit travel over in stone as some people believe, the Constitution
unimproved roads. itself declares in Article I, Section 4: "The Times,
Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators
Why Tuesday? Since most residents of rural and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each
America had to travel a significant distance State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress
to the county seat in order may at any time by Law make or
to vote, Monday was not alter such regulations."
considered reasonable
since many people would Although there is no way to know
need to begin travel on if a change of the Election Day will
Sunday. This would, of guarantee an increase in voter
course, have conflicted turnout, the general consensus
with Church services and tend to agree that it will help.
[Visit whytuesday.org for more info.]
Sunday worship.

~
AN ADDENDUM By Krista McNeil:
GUEST COLUMN
"It's really very hard to forgive someone you love ,
Forgiveness is the hurdle of acceptance like a friend or family member for hurting you,
because it means you have to accept all the
Learning how to acknowledge your friends imperfections imperfections of that person."

(As published in The Montage in 2000) I do not claim to be any


less naïve today than I
By Krista McNeil was eight years ago when
I penned this sentence
Flowers. Candles, love poems, all the tangible and the accompanying
manifestations of love. They can easily trick a person into ones which together
thinking that love is never complicated. Ideas that love is composed as an editorial,
just about material objects and shallow feelings towards but I do claim to have a
someone suddenly fill my mind when surrounded by these little more experience.
things. Yet these images of love our society puts before us And the sum total of this
fail to mention just how difficult love can make some experience says that the
aspects of live, like forgiveness. above line is the only part
of the editorial worth
My Bible tells me that love holds no record of wrongs ( 1 preserving.
Corinthians 12:13). In other words, love is always forgiving.
It's really very hard to forgive someone you love, like a Perhaps I feel this way now because of deciding to
friend or family member for hurting you, because it means temporarily end a friendship—the first time I have ever
you have to accept all the imperfections of that person. decided to do such a thing. Prior to this I always believed
Looking at imperfections is something no one wants to do; that I'd be able to forgive, that I merely had to will it
we'd rather walk around under this illusion that everything enough and it would happen. This, much to my dismay, is
is fine and dandy. simply not the way forgiveness works.

Then again, every day people are always talking about how What I dislike so much about my previous writing is that it
one of their friends messed up and hurt them. Perhaps if removes responsibility from the transgressor to the
so much time were not spent focusing on how the self was transgressed. While I still maintain that the transgressed
hurt by our friends, more attention and compassion could must try to understand why the transgressor would act in
be focused on why someone hurt us in the first place. such a way, I now also realize that there comes a point
Maybe we could try to help that person with his or her where we have to simply say, "grow up," to the
problems. transgressor. Just because a person had a rough
childhood, or battles despondency, or has isolation or
Going back to accepting imperfections for a moment, it's abandonment issues—these should never be used as an
rather obvious that everyone has some sort of "blemish". excuse to mistreat others. My earlier editorial washed the
When they're our own faults to deal with we can find ways transgressor clean of responsibility in light of such
of overlooking it, but when it is the defect of someone we hardships.
love it pervades all feelings we hold towards that person.
Sometimes it means admitting that the person may not be This change in my perspective I know is a byproduct of two
as complete as we originally expected her to be. intense years of seminary education. I have become more
staunchly religious than I was in high school (albeit, a
On occasion it means allowing yourself to be hurt, letting gentler person). The newfound religious part of me deeply
someone else drastically affect your feelings. In the end values the act of confession now, not just in confiding in
though, by letting someone becomes so important in our someone our shortcomings or sins, but in fully accepting
lives, it makes us stronger. Love is worth all the tribulation responsibility for them. Very, very rarely do people truly
it may cause in life, though. The happier moments love accept responsibility for the asinine statements they make
makes definitely outweigh the complex, confusing and and actions they take. Sometimes the transgressed
difficult times it creates. doesn't even need an explanation of why the transgressor
hurt them, but simply the confession and full claiming of
responsibility. In doing so, the transgressor is at the very
least able to maintain his or her integrity as a person.

~
ADDENDUM CONTINUED: least until you have found a new way to let go of what was
done to you. The transgressor must understand that
Another aspect that I dislike about my previous column is forgiveness cannot be willed, that the transgressed cannot
its sickeningly sweet "peaches and cream" undertone. My simply stop being "sore" and frustrated, and cannot simply
younger self, it seems, fell into the sticky trap of "if, then" forget.
statements—if we are only understanding enough, then all
will be well—this will not suffice. My younger self knew This is where that quote from my first article comes
nothing of the sorrow that puddles in the void where into play—and this is fundamentally the "key" which
friendship once overflowed. I see myself grasping at this I did not "get" as a teenager—it is impossible to
point, but it hangs just beyond reach, simply from return to the same kind of love you had for your
inexperience. Unfortunately, I now know full well what
friend once they have transgressed you, because
this is like, and no amount of if, then statements will make
it better. I cannot understand enough, because I have they are inherently no longer the person with whom
already expended every ounce of understanding. I cannot you fell in love, and by virtue of being the
make excuses for the one who has transgressed me. And transgressed, you are no longer the same person you
most painful of all, I cannot figure out how to fill up the once were. The transgressed now holds the
afternoons that once belonged solely to that person, or my imperfections of the transgressor in their hands.
empty text message inbox… This is unfortunately where Paul failed us by not
leaving an extensive footnote on 1 Corinthians
What I am moving towards here is the capacity to hate
12:13. Love holds no records of wrong, but the way
within love. My younger self is tugging at my heart and
begging me to undo this last statement, but I cannot.
in which we love one another is different because
Eight years later I realize the necessity of honest feelings, we are different. We cannot strive to simply stop
however unpleasant they may be. Transgressed people being sore, to simply understand enough because it
sometimes need to hate in order to return to a place of isn't about returning to the love felt in a moment of
love. This might mean rehashing the transgressions to a time now long past, it is about learning to love the
point of lingering on them, it might mean not letting go of person anew and in spite of their imperfections
what was done to you for a long time, it might mean not staining your hands and heart.
being friends with the one who hurt you for a while, at

Pasta and Ham Meal Pizza Croissants


Three Quick and Easy Meals
Ingredients: Ingredients:
Individual No-Bake
Strawberry Cheesecake 2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta Canned croissants
2 cups frozen broccoli florets Pizza or pasta sauce
Ingredients 10 oz. container refrigerated four Pre cooked sausage (or pepperoni)
cheese pasta sauce Mozzarella string cheese
12 strawberries 2 cups cubed cooked ham
12 ounces softened cream cheese, 8 thin slices french bread Preparation:
1 1/2 (8-ounce) bricks Preheat oven to 350F.
2/3 cup sour cream Preparation:
1 cup confectioners' sugar Heat water in pot and cook pasta Unroll the croissant dough and
1 teaspoon vanilla extract according to package directions to place the individual dough's on a
6 individual gram cracker crusts, al dente. Add broccoli during last greased cookie sheet. Spread a
available on baking aisle three minutes of cooking time. tablespoon of pizza sauce on each
Drain and leave in colander. one of them. Place a sausage and
Directions Open pasta sauce and spread a half a string cheese at the long top
small amount of the sauce (about 2 part. Cut off the excess cheese that
Coarsely chop 6 berries and place in tsp.) on each slice of french bread. will hang out the sides. Roll them
food processor. Add cream cheese, Spoon remaining pasta sauce into up and bake for 15 minutes or until
sour cream, confectioners' sugar, saucepan. Add cooked and drained heated the whole way through.
vanilla extract and process until pasta, broccoli, and ham. Heat over Don't let the cheese melt too much
smooth. Using a rubber spatula, fill medium-low heat, stirring though or it will go everywhere
pie tins. Garnish cheesecakes with occasionally. Toast bread in toaster
slices of remaining berries. oven until brown and bubbly. Serve Bon Appétit!
bread with pasta.

~
OPINION There is no justification for those arrests; they were a
flagrant disregard of Habeas Corpus. Officers of the law
are ruled by the same laws that they enforce. Using fear
On Democracy to get people to do what you want them to do is
overwhelmingly Orwellian, and as citizens of this country
we haven't done our part to tell our government 'no more
By Chad Heller of this'. When our government stops listening to us, our
duty is to silence them by relieving them of their position.
"Surely the [Writers War] Board knows what democracy is. This is democracy.
It is the line that forms on the right. It is the don't in don't
shove. It is the hole in the stuffed shirt through which the Further proof of the stifling of democracy is the complete
sawdust slowly trickles, it is the dent in the high hat. lack of "freedom of the press". The news we get is the
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half product of just a hand full of corporations (Time Warner,
of the people are right more than half the time. It is the Disney, Murdoch's News Corporation, Bertelsmann of
feeling of privacy in the voting booths, the feeling of Germany, Viacom and General Electric's NBC). News is not
communion in the libraries, the feeling of vitality what it used to be. Information should not be dictated by
everywhere. Democracy is a letter to the editor. ratings. What happened in Minnesota should have been
Democracy is the score at the beginning of the ninth. It is on the cover of EVERY paper in America, what
an idea which hasn't been disproved yet, a song the words Representative Brad Sherman said on C-SPAN should have
of which have not gone bad. It’s the mustard on the hot been the lead story on every news station.
dog and cream in the rationed coffee. Democracy is a
request from the War Board, in the middle of a morning in The people DESERVE to know when our government is up
the middle of a war, wanting to know what democracy is." to no good. Our government should fear the press, not be
friends with it. There is too much misinformation being
-E. B. White (the New Yorker, July 3, 1943) distributed in our monopolized media. It used to be that all
television news stations had to give both sides of an issue,
I used to believe that I knew what now we're lucky if we get a part of
democracy was. I thought it entitled any issue.
every American citizen the freedom
of speech, to assemble and to dissent As I write this my mind keeps going
and demand change when the back to E. B. Whites words.
elected government begins to "[Democracy] is the feeling of
overstep its bounds. At this point it is privacy in the voting booths, the
beginning to look like democracy is feeling of communion in the
systematically being stifled by the libraries, the feeling of vitality
very people who are supposed to everywhere," and I can only ask
protect it. "when did this all change?"

There are numerous things happening in this country as Many people have forgotten what democracy means,
we get closer to the elections that most people would they've forgotten what rights they have, they've forgotten
expect to only read about in a science fiction novel. For that giving the President the middle finger and saying "no,
instance, in St. Paul Minnesota on September 4, 2008 you can't do that" is patriotic and is democracy. Dissent is
looked like it had fallen into democracy.
Totalarianism as a group of
200 innocent people were I have one request for all my
surrounded by cops and readers - get yourself a
National Guardsmen in gas printed copy of the
masks and were arrested in a Constitution, bill of rights, the
public park. On C-SPAN declaration of Independence
Representative Brad and read through Eleanor
Sherman announced that Roosevelt's Universal
congress was threatened Declaration of Human Rights,
that if the bailout bill did not [which is a supplement with
pass there would be Marshal Law in the United States. On this issue of Threads]. We
top of that a rumor circulated around the Internet that if must remind our government that "the will of the people
Obama wins the election, Bush would initiate an attack on shall be the basis of the authority of the government."
Iran. Know your rights before they try to redefine them.

~
In Debt to the United States Drugs to be decriminalized in Mexico
Three thousand, five hundred people were killed this year
On October 9, 2008 Times Square's National Debt Clock, a
in relation to the War on Drugs that finds its battle
clock that has been adding up the money owed by the U.S.
grounds drawn through the country of Mexico. The
government since 1989 is in the process of getting a face-
murdered include almost 500 soldiers, cops, judges and
lift. Creators of the clock are designing a new display that
politicians and their family members who are rivals of the
will be able to show a debt of a quadrillion dollars. The
drug trade. An increasing number of innocent bystanders
United States is not there yet, but the federal deficit did
have also fallen victim in the cross fire of this war on
hit a new record this week of $455 billion, while the
drugs.
national debt continues to grow, right now it sits at $10.3
trillion (or $10,310,706,810,327.37).
Both seizures of drugs have increases in Mexico and
murders relating to the drug trade. A majority of the drug
Every year congress is allocated a certain sum of money
violence occurs at the United States and Mexican border
for each year’s projected expenses, and when they surpass
city of Tijuana. Forty people were murdered in the last
that limit, the federal government accumulates a deficit.
week of September alone.
This deficit rolls over each year, and has been for the past
200 years. When there is a surplus, it shaves away at this
Drug trafficking in Mexico is very profitable and numerous
deficit, but there are more deficits than surpluses. When
members of law enforcement are involved in it. The
you add up the federal deficits for all those years
average income for a police officer in Mexico is $5,000 a
(subtracting the surpluses) you get the National Debt.
year, the drug trade can bring in multiple times that
amount.
There are two main reasons for the record federal deficit
this year, the nation’s economic troubles and the
economic stimulus package that was given out this past
year. The federal deficit is likely to be larger next year.

The previous deficit record was held in 2004 when the


federal deficit hit $413 billion. Last year’s deficit however
was a lower $162 billion. These huge numbers increase the
national debt. On average, the national debt increases
$3.40 billion each day. Congress did however lift the
national debt ceiling from $10.6 trillion to $11.3 trillion.

The deficit and the national debt will be issues that the Drugs seized in Tijuana Mexico
next president will have to deal with, along with the other
economic issues. In a move to refocus resources on the true problem in
Mexico, President Felipe Calderon proposed legislation on
"The reality is that the next president will be inheriting a October 2 to decriminalize drug possession of marijuana,
fiscal and economic mess of historic proportions - the cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.
legacy of President Bush's failed policies," said Senator
Kent Conrad, "It will take years to dig our way out." "This isn't legalization," said National Action Party senator,
Alejandro Gonzalez, "we're going to go much harder
The national debt on January 1st, 1791 was only $75 against drug dealers."
million; today however, the debt goes up that amount
each hour. It would require that every citizen in the The purpose of this bill is to focus more attention on the
United States to pay $33,815.22 in order to eliminate the source: drug dealers. The number of drug addicts in
national debt, which is also known as the public debt. Mexico has doubled in six years to 307,000 people; the
problem is the overwhelming availability of drugs. The
If a citizen would like to pay their part to help relieve the bill's intention is to move away from spending time on
public debt, the US treasury department offers an address small quantities of drugs that can be concealed on a
on their website to send checks to. They instruct to write person and focus on getting rid of the large quantities of
"Gift to reduce Debt held by Public" in the memo portion. drugs that require trucks to move and warehouses to
store.
Attn Dept G
Bureau of the Public Debt Previous President Vincente Fox attempted to pass a
P.O. Box 2188 similar bill a year ago, but it was vetoed largely due to
Parkersburg, W.V. 26106-2188 pressure from Washington DC and that the permissible
quantities of drugs listed in the bill were too large.

~
The Amazing Shrinking Brain "We always knew that alcohol at higher dosages
results in shrinking of the brain and cognitive
It’s been known that large amounts of alcohol will deficit," say Dr. Petros Levouris, MD director of the
have adverse effects on the human body, including Addiction Institute of New York at St. Lukes -
the brain, but as a new study reveals, even small Roosevelt Hospital Center, who was not involved in
quantities of alcohol has an effect. the study. "What is new with this article is that it
shows brain shrinking at lower doses of alcohol."
In the October edition of the Archives of Neurology a
study of 1,839 subjects from the Framingham Alcohol is known to dehydrate tissues and constant
Offspring Study shows that alcohol, even in dehydration will have negative effects on sensitive
moderate amounts cause the brain to shrink. The tissues. The study however could not draw a causal
study took place over the course of three years, from link between alcohol consumption and a decline in
1999 to 2001. The participants were between the brain volume. The study also did not show that
ages of 34 and 88 and they all underwent magnetic smaller brain volume impaired memory or mental
resonance imaging (MRI) of their brains for that function.
study. The average age of the group was 61.
The Brain 2.0, Internet keeps brain moving
All the participants were classified as to what type of
drinkers they were, non-drinkers, former drinkers, Although the Internet has had its fair share of
low drinkers (one to seven drinks a week); moderate criticism, especially from older adults, a new study
drinkers (eight to 14 drinks a week); and heavy conducted by UCLA scientists finds that web
drinkers (more than 14 drinks). Men in the group searches and Internet activity may help stimulate
were more likely than the women to be moderate or and possibly improve brain function. The study is the
heavy drinkers. first of its kind and will be published in an upcoming
issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
The intent of the study was to see if alcohol had the
same positive effects on the brain that it did on the "The study results are encouraging, that emerging
heart and the rest of the cardiovascular system. The computerized technologies may have physiological
results showed that alcohol had a negative effect on effects and potential benefits for middle aged and
the brain. older adults," said Principal Investigator Dr. Gary
Small, a professor at the Semel Institute for
"A small amount of alcohol is beneficial for the Neuroscience and Human Behavior as UCLA.
heart, but there is a continuous negative correlation "Internet searching engages complicated brain
between alcohol consumption and total brain activity which may help exercise and improve brain
volume. It seems that there is not a beneficial effect function."
of even small amounts of alcohol on brain volume."
says lead researcher of the study Carol Ann Paul. The study used 24 volunteers between the ages of
55 and 76. Half of the group had experienced
The more alcohol consumed by a participant, the Internet searches, the other half had not. Age,
smaller the individuals brain volume was. Although educational level and gender were similar between
loss of brain volume is a bad thing and usually the two groups who participated.
associated with Alzheimer's and dementia, the loss
of brain volume that the study found was only 1.5%, During the study, the volunteers engaged in book
in Alzheimer and dementia cases brain volume loss is reading tasks and web searches while undergoing
often between 10 and 20%. functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans.
These scans recorded the subtle brain - circuitry
Brain shrinkage does occur naturally with age, and changes that happened during these activities, to
the study did take this into account with their show what parts of the brain were active during
findings. Other variables like gender, education, each activity for comparison later.
height, body mass index and medical history were
also taken into account. The participants showed significant brain activity
during the book reading task. Book reading showed
to use the regions of the brain that control language,
~
BRAIN 2.0 Continued
reading, memory and visual abilities. These functions
In The News
take place in the temporal, parietal and occipital • Dow continues going down.
parts of the brain. • Ugandans ban female circumcision
• Malaria cure now has cherry flavor for
The fMRI scans for the second group showed major
differences in brain usage, although they had the
children
same activities recorded in the book reading group, • Antibodies in shark blood could fight
the scans revealed activity in the frontal, temporal cancer
and cingulate areas of the brain. These parts control • Canada Prime Minister releases new
decision making and complex reasoning.
financial plan
Pursuing activities such as Internet searches keep • Netherlands launch investigation of
the mind engaged and may help preserve brain ethnic cleansing
health and cognitive ability. Habits like crossword • Apple releases new MacBook
puzzles also do this. • eBay has a sharp decline in spending
Along with the findings, it was shown that among users
participants who've had previous experience doing • JPMorgan to use first $25 Billion
Internet searches had four times the increase in government injection to extend credit
brain activity than participants who were to clients
experiencing a web search for the first time. Brain
• Madonna to divorce… again
activity on the fMRI is measured in "voxels", people
with prior Internet search experience sparked • Tropical storm Omar turns into major
21,782 voxels while those who were doing it for the hurricane
first time only sparked 8,646 voxels. • US infant mortality rate ranks lower
than other developed countries
Compared to books, the Internet requires the person
to make different choices such as what link they'd • Bottled water no more pure than
like to look into, and what information they would water from tap study finds, just more
like to pursue. expensive
o Wal-Marts Sam’s Choice
"A simple, everyday task like searching the Web
bottled water shown to have
appears to enhance brain circuitry in older adults,
demonstrating that our brains are sensitive and can chemicals that are known to
continue to learn as we grow older," said Small. cause cancer and
reproductive problems
The lower voxels with the part of the group who • Global Stocks fall sharply
were using the Internet for the first time is normal
for people who are learning any task for the first
time. With more experience, the amount of brain
use will increase as the person becomes more Suggestions?
familiar with the new task. Critiques?
Submissions?

Send them to:

C.HELLER.RUN@GMAIL.COM

Thank you.

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