You don't stand alone friend, but you're letting your frustrations get the better of you.

Just to prove my point - tell me where in the docs is .Threshold being discussed? Certainly not in Log::Log4perl, nor in Log::Log4perl::Config (the only two places where a seasoned CPAN user would look). The only place I found this modifier (after your hint) was in the FAQ, and even then - it was in sections completely unrelated to my problem.
http://search.cpan.org/grep?cpanid=MSCHILLI&release=Log-Log4perl-1.16&string=Threshold&i=1&n=1&C=0
http://search.cpan.org/~mschilli/Log-Log4perl-1.16/lib/Log/Log4perl.pm#Modify_appender_thresholds
http://search.cpan.org/~mschilli/Log-Log4perl-1.16/lib/Log/Log4perl.pm##System-wide_log_levels

System-wide log levels

As a fairly drastic measure to decrease (or increase) the logging level all over the system with one single configuration option, use the threshold keyword in the Log4perl configuration file:

    log4perl.threshold = ERROR

sets the system-wide (or hierarchy-wide according to the log4j documentation) to ERROR and therefore deprives every logger in the system of the right to log lower-prio messages.

I would start at the beginning, makes the learning curve less steep.