The following story appeared in today's New York Daily News. I used to bowl at this bowling alley with my friends all the time. Reading this article, I'm totally shocked by at least one piece of information. In fact, I am outraged!!!

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Maybe they should have named it Bowling for Palestine.

Bowlmor Lanes, a fixture in Greenwich Village for decades, was secretly bankrolled in part by the late Yasser Arafat, newly released documents reveal.

Using a holding company, Arafat quietly sank about $1.3 million of Palestinian Authority funds into the hipster hangout in 2002, two years before his death.

It apparently also came as a surprise to Bowlmor's owners, a company called Strike Holdings. The firm said it was "shocked" to learn Arafat was behind the investment - and planned to return the money and sever any ties to the Palestinians.

The stake looks like a gutter ball for the Palestinian Authority, since Strike has not paid any dividends on the investment.

Nevertheless, with its disco atmosphere, $9 games and prime location, Bowlmor has become the top-grossing alley in the city - a popular spot for office parties and young singletons.

Its Web site also advertises it as a hot spot for bar mitzvahs, complete with a kosher caterer and a special room for candlelighting ceremonies.

Sam Rubin, 30, an Israeli-born NYU student walking into Bowlmor yesterday, said the Arafat link would not stop him from tossing a couple of games.

"I'm glad Arafat's dead, but I like to separate ... politics and bowling," he said.

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As I said, I am completely outraged:

You're telling me it costs $9 (360 baht) to bowl one game in New York City?

who said fact is stranger than fiction ???? u can say many things about arafat but he never struck me as the hipster bowling type of dude !! and never mind 360 baht for a game of bowls in NYC it cost me 260 baht for a JW black and coke at Ana's on saturday night

No, but he did have balls.

You mean he used the Nobel Peace Prize money to buy a bowling alley?

From what I've heard, Arafat, King Hussein and Hafez al-Assad used to bowl there regularly once a month, relax, and brainstorm. The money from the Palestinian Authority was mainly to book the whole place to themselves, for privacy and security reasons. In fact, Assad had a heart attack back in Syria not long after a 10-pin ball dropped from a height of two metres directly onto his left foot.

Ling, I told you stop smoking that stuff!!!!