# Yassir Arafat is Dead? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 9, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880 "2004-11-09T19:20:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/1 "2004-11-09T19:20:45Z")
Saw a sudden blurb on CourtTV. “The end of an era.” Is it confirmed? ---
**Author:** ![noname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/2 "2004-11-09T19:23:49Z")
Latest reports on BBC say that he is in a coma. His condition just became serious. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/3 "2004-11-09T19:27:12Z")
CNN, Fox, and MSNBC all say he’s still in a coma, but is not expected to survive much longer. NPR doesn’t say anything. Methinks it’s a false start. Robin ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/4 "2004-11-09T19:51:38Z")
A brain hemorrhage is the last I heard. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/5 "2004-11-09T19:57:26Z")
Francisco Franco is still dead, though. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/6 "2004-11-09T20:16:34Z")
Jeez, Arafat has died about four times in the past two weeks. Talk about being indecisive! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/7 "2004-11-09T20:21:33Z")
Estimated number of Palestinians that will within eight hours of Arafat’s death be rushed to the hospital with wounds suffered from _anguish bullets_ fired into the air: 4 ---
**Author:** ![noname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/8 "2004-11-09T20:54:19Z")
Yasser lives courtsey his wife Suha. Otherwise they would have buried him [alive](http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=24&art_id=vn20041109020107557C686541). ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/9 "2004-11-09T21:01:21Z")
A trip to [fark.com](http://fark.com) reveals…well, not much. Three headlines in the order they appeared today: > [@fark](#): > > Arafat – who was deathly ill, not deathly ill, in a coma, not in a coma, dead, not dead, brain dead, not brain dead, awake and communicating, now reportedly dead again > [@fark](#): > > Yasser Arafat is finally dead, say Palestinian sources. Should be alive again by this afternoon > [@fark](#): > > French medical services insist Arafat is still alive and playing Halo 2 ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/10 "2004-11-09T21:34:54Z")
He’s just pining for the fjords. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/11 "2004-11-09T22:50:23Z")
Alive or dead – expected to make a full recovery either way. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/12 "2004-11-10T03:23:03Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > _anguish bullets_ fired into the air: 4 It’s done to celebrate; it’s also done in anguish? What the hell do they do when they are bored? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/13 "2004-11-10T03:29:30Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > It’s done to celebrate; it’s also done in anguish? What the hell do they do when they are bored? Fire bullets into their enemies. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/14 "2004-11-10T03:38:13Z")
They don’t know if he’s dead or in a coma. And you thought your HMO was bad. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/15 "2004-11-10T06:24:57Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > They don’t know if he’s dead or in a coma. And you thought your HMO was bad. IANAD, but…doesn’t it generally go: heartbeat = alive, no heartbeat = dead? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/16 "2004-11-10T06:49:56Z")
I hear he’s feeling happy! He’s feeling… _bonk_ ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/17 "2004-11-10T07:28:00Z")
Relax, people. He’ll live. Just. To. Piss. Us. Off. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/18 "2004-11-10T13:37:21Z")
Geeze. The old murderer keeps dying and then getting better. It’s like the Grim Reaper has him on a yo-yo. Can’t somebody just hold a pillow over his face or something? “Paging Doctor Kevorkian. Dr. Kevorkian, pick up international line 2…” ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/19 "2004-11-10T15:19:00Z")
Lessee, **Scuba\_Ben** did the parrot sketch, so… ``` "I'm not dead!" ``` “What?” ``` "Nothing. Here's your ninepence." ``` “I’m not dead!” ``` "He says he's not dead!" "Yes, he is." "I'm not!" "He isn't?" "Well, he will be soon. He's very ill." "I'm getting better!" "No, you're not. You'll be stone dead in a moment." ``` ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880/20 "2004-11-10T16:53:12Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > IANAD, but…doesn’t it generally go: heartbeat = alive, no heartbeat = dead? IANAD either My sister is an RN. She worked in cardiac ICU. As part of her training, I helped her play a game we called (morbidly) “dead or not dead.” With a pacemaker, your heart will keep beating until the battery dies. However, looking at the output graph, you can tell if there are “organic” irregularities or if it is just the mechanistic beat of the pacemaker. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yassir-arafat-is-dead/273880.md?page=2)