Arafat was poisoned with Thallium

[Nordic]

Found here: http://alethonews.wordpress.com/

http://www.almanar.com.lb/newsSite/News ... anguage=en

UK Investigation: Israel Poisoned Arafat with Thallium

11/01/2011 A new investigation into the death of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has revealed that he had been poisoned by a lethal dose of thallium in his food or drinking water.

Former special advisor to Arafat, Bassam Abu Shareef, said the investigation conducted by British forensic experts had revealed that the late Palestinian leader was poisoned by thallium, IRNA reported on Tuesday.

Thallium is highly toxic. Cases of poisoning by the substance more commonly occur after oral ingestion.

Abu Shareef said he will soon present more information to an investigation committee probing into Arafat's assassination. He has, however, refused to reveal the name of the investigative team, which conducted the research.

Arafat's advisor accused Israel of poisoning his leader through the food or drinking water that he received when he was under siege in his headquarters in Ramallah.

Arafat died of a mysterious disease in a French hospital on November 11, 2004.

[The Consul]

Arafat's removal was essential to splitting the Palestinians. Many suspected as much when it happened. The HIV in his blood story rolled out loud and hard to counter the victim as dirty old toad.
It was a miserable death.
All future leaders will come from the ranks of well healed assasins, or cute bimbos with guns.

[hava1]

COnsul, i am interested if you can elaborate on last comment (re future leaders) and how it connects to the OP.

I have also had this fleeting sense of breeding that you describe, but this is a choice of society, not a fate. Apparently, social engeeners conclude that bimbos and assassins fare better chances for survival. Also, what is 'well healed" and if so, is that really negative (if the assassin healed, he might have recovered and wisened).

Just curious...

As for the issue here, it was quite clear that he was assassined "medically". My heretic thoughts are always with the dozens (if not more) victims of the experiments to make this operational.

[Joe Hillshoist]

As for the issue here, it was quite clear that he was assassined "medically". My heretic thoughts are always with the dozens (if not more) victims of the experiments to make this operational.

I've noticed that.

Nice one.

[hava1]

thanks joe, hope you are not soaking wet over there in Australia. Was just contemplating relocating there, but I am not a great swimmer, so maybe next year . I think its the eclipse. so it should be over soon.

[Joe Hillshoist]

Cheers Hava. Seems to be over for now, but there's a cyclone brewing the coral sea as I type, this time next week might be worse.

Swimming is a bit of a national pass time here, one of our national sports. Its a matter of great national pride when the Aussie swim team out medals the US swim team at any international meet.

I think this last week let our secret out of the bag.

[hava1]

Fear can make you fly, or swim fast

I just read something of a history, apparently about 120 years ago, my hometown settlers here in Israel had a feud which split the little town apart. The losing half immigrated to australia "en bloc" and made a "mirror" settlement there, dont know where. (one of the more known ones was called Harlap or Charlap).
Well, over time they were integrated of course, but it always makes me a have a soft spot for australia (that, and the glowing eyes of the old ladies here in Israel when they remember the Australian soldiers in ww1 and same later in ww2...i guess they had a way with women).
this is in Hebrew but has some real photographs of your countrymen in Palestine way way back
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cac ... fRuEJFnxSA

[Joe Hillshoist]

Cheers. My wife's grandad was there for a while in ww2, (and possibly my Nans brother in ww1.)

I wonder if he's (wifes pop) in any photos.

He was a Rat of Tobruk. Dunno if anyone has heard of them or not. I have seen some of his photos from Tobruk during the seige. My parents in law have a big box of them. Madness.

[blanc]

The desert rats?

[Joe Hillshoist]

The desert rats?

If you mean the movie from the 50s then yeah. Thats what some German guy said, called them trapped like desert rats or something. And they went one further and called themselves the Rats of Tobruk.

Some of those photos are amazing. These guys standing round in rags and slouch hats in a bombed out war zone, and you can just tell by the look in their eyes... they won't be beaten. they went from there via Palestine to New Guinea where they ended up fighting the Japs at Kokoda which was some pretty hellish jungle warfare.

Seriously tho, in some of those Tobruk photos these guys are having the time of their lives. If those photos had got out they would have destroyed German morale in minutes. they really would have. It struck me at the time I saw them. They must have been tough as nails. Makes sense if you ever met my wife or her dad (Who works on sister city exchange programs with japan, the people his dad fought in some of the fiercest jungle warfare ever).

When I saw those photos for the first time I was struck by how amazing they were.

[Kate]

Hi, just jumping in here quickly in the event that Hava comes back to this thread.

Hava, you asked this --

what is 'well healed" and if so, is that really negative (if the assassin healed, he might have recovered and wisened).

Just curious...

The expression is actually "well-heeled" (with the hyphen), and from the googling I did, it's origin appears to be 19th century American slang. It's so easy to screw up homonyms (words that sound alike, but are spelled differently and mean different things) when typing quickly on a forum like this.

"Well-heeled" means having lots of money -- enough money to always wear very nice shoes or boots with the heels in very good condition. Or maybe having thousands of pairs of shoes like Imelda Marcos, or to go shoe-shopping like Condi Rice did for a single pair of shoes that cost thousands of dollars.

It was true then (in the 19th century), and had been true for a very long time, that the poor could barely afford shoes, and when their cherished pair of shoes or boots became worn on the heels, they often didn't have the money to have the cobbler repair them. So if you had very good-looking "heels" you had some money to spend. And then the slang came to refer to having lots of money, and most everybody tends to forget its original reference to footwear.

Hope that helps. (And I hope this doesn't come across too pedantically -- in former "incarnations" I taught writing and languages, did proofreading and copy-writing and editing, etc. I love words, but try never to be a "grammar cop" unless someone asks a question, like you did.)

[Kate]

See? I myself made a stupid homonym mistake because of typing quickly and being distracted by my dog.

I wrote "it's origin" when I meant "its origin."

I bow low in humble recognition of my own fallibility -- why it's a good idea to use the "preview" option before hitting submit.

[hava1]

hey kate, thanks a LOT. I often feel like an idiot, given my poor english, and miss a lot of whats going on. this is very very considerate. it now makes sense.

[Kate]

Hava --

No problem! For years I've been lurking here, only taking the registation plunge recently, but I want to mention that I have always found your posts to be of great interest, and your viewpoint of great value, as one of the posters here not from the more or less dominant "North American/UK" cultural perspective.

It's easy for me to know what you experience with English!!! Once upon a time I studied in Europe at German-language universities, avoiding English speakers like they had the plague (to become fluent in German), refusing to listen to English-language radio or TV. Initially, I would have terrible headaches every evening from concentrating so HARD, not just in uni seminars, but when shopping or asking the dialect-speaking bus driver for directions.

And I made an ass of myself regularly! One time I walked into a tobacco store to ask for a package of "HB's," a German brand of cigarettes, and instead asked for "eine Schachtel (pkg) 'BH's, bitte!" The shopkeeper stared at me quizzically, then started laughing so hard he couldn't speak for several minutes. "B.H." is the usual abbreviated slang form of the word, "Brüstenhalter, which means "brassiere," so I had just asked for a package of women's bras. Oh, well. Speaking a foreign language fluently (as an adult learner) means being willing to become child-like again, asking lots of questions; being willing to look like an idiot for a very, very long time - in other words, a sense of humility; being willing to temporarily lose your own sense of humor, too! ("How do I crack jokes in this 'other' system of words and meanings?!?") Etc. etc.

[p.s. I realize I'm getting off topic badly. Is it better to send private messages or go to the place labelled "Lounge" where I have not yet worked up the courage to make an appearance?]

edited for a typo

[Joe Hillshoist]

[p.s. I realize I'm getting off topic badly. Is it better to send private messages or go to the place labelled "Lounge" where I have not yet worked up the courage to make an appearance?]

We always go OT here, but the Lounge is definitely a friendlier place.

BTW Hi kate, nice to see you posting.