April 2, 2002

GREENSPAN, FED BAILED OUT MARTS IN SEPTEMBER

WITH the economy looking extraordinarily weak back in January and Alan Greenspan just about out of room to cut interest rates, the Federal Reserve considered a variety of "unconventional" emergency...

GOLUB JOINS VENTURE FUND

Harvey Golub, who retired as CEO of American Express in 2000, is adding another board membership to his already-crowded roster. Golub will become chairman of the $1.1 billion T.H. Lee...

BUSHWARES' 'PLENTY HOT'

Watch what you say, Dubya, because you may see your words on the people you're talking to. A new company, BushWares, is using the president's notable phrases on a collection...

ROTH REBUILDING 640 FIFTH

LEAVE it to press-shy Vornado chief Steve Roth to keep his company's own Web site in the dark about plans for one of its prime Midtown properties. Check out the...

ASPREY WILL EXPAND AT TRUMP SITE

The southern corner of Trump Tower will be getting a façade makeover by architect Sir Norman Foster, now that British luxury goods retailer Asprey is tripling the size of its...

XEROX TO ANTE UP $10M, RESTATE PROFIT

After two years and two federal probes of its books, Xerox has cut a $10 million deal to put its major problems to rest. The world's largest copier company agreed...

ANDERSEN FACING ARIZONA CHARGES

New criminal indictments are being prepared against embattled Arthur Andersen accountants - but not for its role in Enron. That's yet to come. Instead, Andersen is facing another angry prosecutor,...

LAGERFELD'S LATEST LINE'S IN THE FRIDGE

TALK about a designer diet. Karl Lagerfeld is coming out with a line of calorie-conscious frozen foods. The white-ponytailed fashion icon plans to launch Karl's Kuisine this fall and sell...

'FANG' MAKES ITS MARK

JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION "Plastic Fang" ½ Matador Records After a decade of albums that never came close to capturing the arrogance and confidence the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion projected...

SOUND OF SILENCE ; NORTHERN MINNESOTA IN APRIL IS ABOUT AS QUIET AS IT GETS

EARLY spring in northern Minnesota? Even the locals wanted to know why. I arrive at Gunflint Lodge on a crisp, clear April afternoon. In the main building, the cheerful check-in...

STARR REPORT

'Ananda' is going, going . . . It's looking like King World's "Ananda Lewis Show" is a goner. King World hasn't made anything official yet, but "the chances are very...

HOLY MOSES! HE GETS RATINGS 10

'THE Ten Commandments" parted the competition on Sunday night - once again. ABC's 22nd telecast of the Cecile B. DeMille classic, starring Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as...

OUT OF ANIMAL HOUSE ; FLICK CASHES IN ON LAMPOON LABEL

'NATIONAL Lampoon's Van Wilder," a gross-out comedy opening Friday, may make some moviegoers long for the days when John Belushi's exploding human zit gag in "Animal House" looked like innocent...

OZZY RULES MTV RATINGS

RATINGS for "The Osbournes" have been so good, the show's turned MTV into a virtual Ozzfest. The show's March 8 debut attracted about 3.2 million viewers, making it the highest...

SILLS BOWS OUT AS LINCOLN CENTER HONCHO

BUBBLES has finally popped.After years of threatening - or promising - to do so, Beverly Sills, Lincoln Center's indefatigable, unpaid chairwoman for the last eight years, is stepping down. The...

THE 'OSBOURNES' KID YOU'VE NEVER SEEN: EVEN HER MOM SAYS AIMEE'S JUST TOO NORMAL FOR TV'S CRAZIEST FAMILY SERIES

HARMONIOUS as they might seem on MTV, members of Ozzy Osbourne's family were divided on the idea of having their lives filmed for a TV show. As a result, Ozzy's...

NEWS CREWS FEEL HEAT IN MIDEAST

THE Israeli-occupied West Bank is getting to be nearly as dangerous for TV reporters covering the action there as the Palestinians. A CBS News crew was expelled from Ramallah yesterday...

KING OF COMEDY IS BURIED ON JOKE DAY

CULVER CITY, Calif. - More than 400 friends, loved ones and admirers yesterday honored legend Milton Berle, hailing the TV pioneer for the vision that shaped the modern era of...

TRAVELER'S UPDATE

Rail on BC In a place as plush with scenery as British Columbia, you'll be happy to let someone else take the wheel. Thankfully, a three-day luxury trip on BC...

KIDS 'TAPPED' IN WATER CAMPAIGN

Mayor Bloomberg can count on the kids to help enforce his new drought restrictions. Queens District 28 Superintendent Neil Kreinik has created a Junior Water Conservation Corps, which includes students...

BATTLE-TESTED WTC FLAG FLIES ABOVE CITY HALL

The American flag hoisted above the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center - a worldwide symbol of the city's determination in the face of terrorism - is flying at...

BAD NEWS FOR LIZZIE: NO DEAL

A smiling Lizzie Grubman appeared in a Long Island courtroom yesterday - but departed without striking a deal with the prosecution. "No plea was offered, no plea was accepted," said...

A CASE FOR KILLING

IT'S about who dies. Therein lies the most profound difference between Palestinian terror and the Israeli response. The masters of terror employ unstable young Palestinians as human bombs to slaughter...

'HOLD FIRE' IS FATAL

RETIRED cop Tom Kennedy recalled the police lore: "I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by six." Simply put, as a cop, you shoot a homicidal perp, you...

BIN LADEN BIG MUST TALK OR ELSE

WASHINGTON - Osama bin Laden's top operational commander, who was captured four days ago in Pakistan, will face trial before a U.S. military tribunal unless he cooperates with investigators, The...

TV COMPANY CHANGES OWN GROUND RULES

A TALE of two Cablevision cities: Yesterday, the Yankees' Opening Day game in Baltimore could not be seen in 3 million New York-area homes because Cablevision insists that the Bombers'...

OUR LATEST TRAITOR MUST LIVE WITH HIS VILE CHOICE

LIKE a bad dream, he appeared from nowhere. Live from Ramallah - Adam Shapiro! I was on the air with Bob Grant on WOR, 710 AM, yesterday. All of a...

MODERN-DAY KIDS ARE CAUGHT IN A RADIO DAZE

Patty Murphy and her 9-year-old son, Tommy, are among the many diehard - and angry - Yankee fans on Long Island who must now listen to games on their radio...

FIZZ-BIZ BUZZ: COKE DEVELOPING VANILLA POP

The bean-counters at Coca-Cola are thinking vanilla - and trying to keep it a secret. For months, the soft-drink industry has been bubbling with rumors that the Atlanta-based beverage giant...

COP PROBED FOR KILLING VAN THIEF

A city cop who fatally shot a suspected car thief on the Lower East Side over the weekend will face a grand jury probe into the case. "It is our...

DETECTIVE IS BACK ON JOB AFTER RAP FOR DEADLY DWI

EXCLUSIVE A veteran police detective convicted in an unusual drunken-driving accident that killed a Queens motorist is back on the force after Police Commissioner Ray Kelly slapped him with a...

CONFUSED YANKEE FANS AND CABLEVISION

Confused Yankee fans looking for the Bronx Bombers' Opening Day game on the MSG channel on the Cablevision system yesterday were greeted instead by the Mets. After losing the Yanks'...

GOV GETS APRIL-RULE POKE FOR LATE BUDGET

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki yesterday came under attack from his Democratic rivals for the state's failure to again deliver a state budget on time. Yesterday marked the 18th consecutive year,...

IT'S FUND AND GAME AT SHEA

The largest Opening Day crowd in Mets history saw the Amazin's breeze to an easy 6-2 victory during an afternoon marked by American pride and the appearance of Flight 93...

SANITMEN JOIN UNIONS BACKING GOV

Gov. Pataki made further inroads with traditionally Democratic organized labor yesterday, picking up the endorsement of the city sanitation workers union at a Manhattan rally. At an event with about...

'89 VIDEO BARES 'WRONG BRO' LIE

A Brooklyn judge has a tangled web to unravel as he weighs whether to order a new trial for Lamont Branch - a man jailed for the past 13 years...

CITY BLEEDS BOMBER BLUE - YANKS OUTPOLL METS BY 56-42 IN FAN SURVEY

The Yankees may be upsetting fans with their cable-TV war, but they're still the city's most popular baseball team. A new poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that 56 percent...

COMPLAINING FANS GET RUNAROUND THE BASES

If you're looking for someone to complain to about the Bomber blackout, good luck. With irate fans searching for an outlet for their frustration, The Post did an unscientific scouting...

A GIFT FROM AMERICA ; NEW YORK GETS GOVERNORS IS. IN TEACHER-TRAINING DEAL

WASHINGTON - President Bush announced yesterday he'll give Governors Island to New York for use as a residential teaching college, ending years of squabbling over the fate of the historic...

PLAYGIRL LOOKING FOR FEW GOOD ENRON MEN

Playgirl wants to give the guys equal coverage - make that un-coverage. A week after Playboy invited Enron's female employees - past and present - to pose nude or semi-nude...

BUSH WON'T GIVE UP ON PEACE

WASHINGTON - President Bush hasn't ruled out meeting face-to-face with Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat to bring about a deal for peace, his spokesman said yesterday. On a day when...

'SAMMY MEATBALLS' COPS A PLEA

Two powerful wiseguys joined the torrent of reputed Genovese members who have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges recently in Brooklyn federal court. Yesterday, reputed acting captain Salvatore "Sammy Meatballs" Aparo,...

'TONY' MUSCLES IN - 'SOPRANO' STAR WRITES JUDGE TO AID ILER DEFENSE

It sounds like a "Sopranos" plot: Tony leans on a judge to fuhgeddaboudit after his sulky son, A.J., gets busted for allegedly muscling two teens out of $30. Only this...

CABLEVISION TO FANS: YOU'RE OUT - 3 MILLION MISS OUT ON YANK OPENER

The cable-TV battle over the Yankees struck out nearly 3 million New York-area subscribers yesterday when they were barred from watching the Bombers on Opening Day. And execs from Cablevision...

FLIGHT SNAFU LETS COP-SLAY SUSPECT STAY ON THE LAM

The fugitive suspect in an Easter Sunday cop slay narrowly slipped through authorities' fingers hours after the murder - apparently all because of a canceled airline flight. Police had traced...

MINISTER CONVICTED OF INSURANCE SCAM

A Manhattan jury has convicted the roving minister for a chain of city churches of an elaborate scheme to con Prudential Insurance out of a half-million dollars. Bamidele Ajayi, 37,...

PIC SHOWS LINDH IN U.S. TALI-BONDAGE

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - John Walker Lindh's lawyers yesterday entered into evidence a photo of the American Taliban all tied up to back claims of mistreatment - but prosecutors said he...

MURDERS PUT SPIKE IN FALLING APPLE CRIME RATE

Despite a continuing decline in serious crime, the number of shootings and rapes in the Big Apple has jumped sharply this year, new police statistics show. And the increase in...

KIDS SLASHED IN 'P. DIDDY' CLUB: COPS

Two minors - including a 14-year-old who suffered serious damage to his eye - were slashed inside the same Times Square nightclub where Sean "P. Diddy" Combs was embroiled in...

PRIEST BUSTED IN RAPE

A Queens Catholic priest who once told kids there is no Santa Claus was arrested yesterday on charges he raped a boy in Massachusetts more than two decades ago. The...

JAILHOUSE RUNAWAY IS SEIZED WITH KIN'S HELP

A trigger-happy double-murder suspect who bolted from a Brooklyn station house 10 days ago was captured yesterday afternoon - after one of his relatives helped cops find him, investigators said....

VILLAGE KNIFEMAN NABBED ; STABBED PASTOR DAD, STEPMOM IN EASTER DISPUTE: COPS

A 27-year-old Maryland man surrendered to police yesterday on charges he stabbed his pastor father and his stepmother during an Easter dispute in the couple's East Village home. Police said...

LESBIAN FILES LANDMARK 'JOB' APPEAL

ALBANY - A lesbian who quit her job to move out of state with her partner is fighting for New York unemployment benefits normally afforded to married couples in the...

LACK OF SHUT-EYE LEAVING US SLEEPY, GRUMPY AND DUMPY

Millions of Americans are in a bad mood and likely to pig out because they don't get enough sleep, a new poll says. And the National Sleep Foundation also found...

ISRAELIS WIDEN W. BANK SWEEP

JERUSALEM - Israeli tanks and troops swept into two more West Bank towns last night, and police said they had averted a major suicide bombing in Jerusalem. Authorities said the...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A Washington man has registered his cellular phone caller ID under the name of Osama bin Laden. The owner, identified only as "Bob" from Spokane, told authorities he did it...

SCIENTISTS CLOSER TO SAVING YOUR SKIN

Scientists say they're one step closer to creating a new "fountain of youth" treatment to keep the skin young. They found how mutations in a gene led to the development...

KIDS SLASHED IN FAMED 'P. DIDDY' CLUB: COPS

Two minors - including a 14-year-old who suffered serious damage to his eye - were slashed inside the same Times Square nightclub where Sean "P. Diddy" Combs became embroiled in...

CAROLYN WAS IN HUFF OVER 'PUFF': JFK JR. BIO

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs has been dissed as a "thug" by a voice from beyond the grave - that of doomed Kennedy wife Carolyn Bessette. The blond bride of John...

JAILHOUSE RUNAWAY IS SEIZED WITH MOM'S HELP

A trigger-happy double-murder suspect who bolted from a Brooklyn station house 10 days ago was captured yesterday afternoon - after his own mother told cops where to find him, investigators...

ISRAELI TROOPS MOVE IN TO MORE W. BANK TOWNS

JERUSALEM - Israeli tanks and troops swept into two more West Bank towns last night, and police said they had averted a major suicide bombing in Jerusalem. Authorities said the...

RANGERS FIGHT ON

Rangers 6 Lightning 4 TAMPA -On a night when they could have easily let the Lightning steal a golden point from them, the Rangers trailed most of the night and...

TAURASI SHOWS THERE'S MAGIC IN WOMEN'S GAME

SAN ANTONIO - You can tell how far women's basketball has come by how Connecticut ultimately got to where it had to go Sunday night. What had been a 15-point...

GILES GOES DOWN SWINGING ALREADY

As a well-respected clubhouse prankster, Brian Giles knows a great joke when he sees one. So when the Pirates slugger was asked how he hurt himself before yesterday's game, he...

NETS WELCOME BEASTS TO THE SWAMP

Home never looked so good to the Nets. Wait - on second thought, it has looked better. The Nets, whose dismal late season road performance (4-11 since the All-Star break,...

MORGAN SEEKS THREE-PEAT

There's something about the Instinet Classic at Jasna Polana in Princeton that turns Gil Morgan into a Senior Tour champion. Morgan will be shooting for his third consecutive Instinet title...

SO FAR, SEEMS A LOT LIKE SAME OLD METS

SO, for just how long will Jay Payton have to carry this team, anyway? The Mets rolled their shiny new roadster out of the garage yesterday, the one with the...

A WELCOME BACK FOR FONZ

Next time Edgardo Alfonzo comes to bat, look at his face. The tension is gone. This is why the swing is back. "He has a real relaxed look on his...

IT WASN'T BOO-TIFUL, BUT BENITEZ WILL TAKE SHEA DEBUT

Armando Benitez refused to lie like so many athletes have done before. Yes, he was listening. He wanted to hear how the Shea crowd would react to him. So with...

RAMS EYEING JUREVICIUS

Even though the Giants would like to re-sign receiver Joe Jurevicius, and even though Jurevicius wants to stay with the team that drafted him in 1998, a parting of the...

NEW CZECH RUCINSKY ALREADY PAYING BILLS

TAMPA - The newest flavor of the week on the Rangers' top line is Martin Rucinsky. Gone are the days of the FLY line of Theo Fleury, Eric Lindros and...

BOMBERS A REAL APRIL FOOL'S JOKE: OPENER'SA DISASTER;ROG MAYBE INJURED

Orioles 10 Yankees 3 BALTIMORE - Jason Giambi wasn't good, Roger Clemens was terrible - and possibly got injured - and the Yankees were horrendous hitting in the clutch. Do...

LEITER, PAYTON PACE METS PAST PIRATES IN OPENER

The race is on. On a lush, new, million-dollar field during a brisk, sunny April afternoon, the Mets took the first step in their 162-game super-marathon. They didn't put their...

THIS WASN'T WORTH WATCHING, ANYWAY

BALTIMORE - This was the opposite of YES. In an opening performance unworthy of cable access, the Yankees hit like 2001, pitched too much like the 2002 Pedro Martinez and...

GET YOUR LOTTERY TICKETS

It could become official tonight: The Knicks may be making reservations at the Secaucus dais for the May 19 lottery for the first time in 15 years. With the tragic...

KEEPING WATCH ON THE WEST

IT'S a good thing there's no such animal as the Wester Bunny, or the Easter hopping guy would have developed an inferiority complex by now. As we advance into April,...

SOME KIND OF ONE-DERFUL: BUT UGLY ACT IS GOING TO GET OLD SOON

Mets 6Pirates 2IT was sort of like watching Tonya Harding beat an overmatched Paula Jones. Yes, the Mets won, and a win is a win is a win, but they...

DOUBLEDAY'S JUST HOPING FRANCO'S GOT SOMETHING LEFT

MET NOTES First and foremost, Mets co-owner Nelson Doubleday considers himself a fan. And like any fan, Doubleday worries about the health of John Franco. With Franco yesterday missing his...

YES CLOSE TO DISH DEAL

The Dish Network, a home satellite provider that competes with DirecTV, which carries YES, is close to signing a deal to carry the Yankees' new network. According to sources, Dish...

VILLONE DOES PART FOR BUCS

The Pirates managed just four hits, dropped to 0-1 and may very well be on their way to "worst team in the league" status. But don't blame that on Ron...

BOMBERS A REAL APRIL FOOL'S JOKE: OPENER'S A DISASTER; CLEMENS' HAND HIT

Orioles 10 Yankees 3 BALTIMORE - Jason Giambi was just one of many Yankees who didn't deliver in the clutch yesterday. Roger Clemens took a smash off his right hand...

BOMBERS A REAL APRIL FOOL'S JOKE: THIS WASN'T WORTH WATCHING, ANYWAY

BALTIMORE - This was the opposite of YES. In an opening performance unworthy of cable access, the Yankees hit like 2001, pitched like the 2002 Pedro Martinez and ran into...

NEW YANKS' DEBUTS ARE BRONX BOMBS

BALTIMORE - As debuts, they stunk. Jason Giambi wasn't the only Yankee newcomer to struggle yesterday in a foul 10-3 Opening Day loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards. Robin...

A HUGE STEP FORWARD ; RALLY BRINGS ISLES CLOSER TO FIRST BERTH SINCE '94

Isles 4Devils 2 High-stakes hockey in the spring is about seizing the moment, which is exactly what the Islanders did last night. And so this morning they awaken haven taken...

GOMEZ FEARS HE HAS BROKEN HAND

The beating the Devils took on the ice created the one they took on the scoreboard and to the one that will last even longer - the almost certain loss...

FRASER STILL MULLS FUTURE

Jason Fraser still feels the need to prove himself. Sure, he's the best player in New York, led his Amityville team to the Class B finals in the Federation Tournament...

MIGHTY MARYLAND'S ON TERP OF THE WORLD: HOLDS OFF HOOSIERS TO GRAB 1ST TITLE

Maryland 64Indiana 52 ATLANTA - No more nightmares. No more comparisons to Duke. No more doubts if high-school players who aren't superstars can win a national championship. The Maryland Terrapins,...

WILLIAMS DELIVERS

ATLANTA - Byron Mouton learned early how insanely intense Maryland coach Gary Williams is during a game. It was the first game of his redshirt transfer season of 1999-2000. Mouton...

MIGHTY MARYLAND'S ON TERP OF THE WORLD: IN DEFEAT, DAVIS IS A WINNER

ATLANTA - Even after Indiana's 64-52 loss to Maryland in last night's NCAA championship, few could doubt the courage of the Hoosiers or the coaching of Mike Davis. Some will...

THIS CLASS WINS MOST FOR MARYLAND

NCAA FINAL FOUR NOTEBOOK ATLANTA - Maryland's senior class finished with a four-year record of 110-31, the winningest class in school history. Juan Dixon played in all 110 wins. Lonny...

BAXTER FINDS HIS GAME AT KEY TIME

ATLANTA - After he had helped Maryland to a 64-52 win over Indiana in the NCAA championship game, Terp senior Lonny Baxter scaled a ladder and cut down part of...

INDIANA BANKING ON COVERDALE

NCAA FINAL FOUR NOTEBOOK ATLANTA - Indiana's Tom Coverdale started at point guard in his team's 73-64 win over Oklahoma in Saturday night's semifinal, but he was on the bench...

HOLD OFF HOOSIERS TO GRAB 1ST TITLE

Maryland 64 Indiana 52 ATLANTA - No more nightmares. No more comparisons to Duke. No more doubts if another ACC school could break the dominance of the Carolina schools. The...

FINALISTS: SEASONING ON BRINK

ATLANTA - In an era when playing four years of college basketball is considered an archaic notion and going one-and-done has become en vogue, Maryland and Indiana are the exceptions...

WILLIAMS' FIERY STYLE IS WORKING WONDERS

ATLANTA - Byron Mouton learned early how insanely intense Maryland coach Gary Williams is during a game. It was the first game of his redshirt transfer season of 1999-2000. Mouton...

TWO DEVS DON'T KNOW THE SCORE

They laugh about it since scoring isn't their job, but the Devils' two greybeard defensemen don't like their goal goose-eggs one bit. Ken Daneyko was trying to avoid setting an...

VAN AMPED TO BE AN ISLE : FORMER PANTHER PUMPED UP TO BE BACK IN THE HUNT

Just two weeks ago Darren Van Impe was a Panther counting down the days until the end of a year in which he had bounced from Boston to Manhattan to...

WHITE'S DAY COULDN'T START EARLY ENOUGH

YANKEE NOTES BALTIMORE - Twenty minutes before the Yankees' first bus departed the team hotel for Camden Yards, Rondell White had enough of waiting in his room. "Couldn't take it...