October 28, 2003

OLD TOYS WILL GET 2ND ACT

Toys that were popular two decades ago - including My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake - are using new technology and styling to make a big comeback this holiday season,...

A CRACK AT WINDOWS - GATES SEES WATERSHED IN RELEASE OF NEXT UPGRADE

Microsoft Corp. opened the Windows on its new operating system yesterday, promising improved search functions, greater integration with the Internet and enhanced video and graphic capabilities. Speaking at a technology...

BED BATH & BEYOND SET FOR W. 65TH

Upper West Siders are in line for Manhattan's third Bed Bath & Beyond. The home accessories chain signed a deal for a 53,000-square-foot store at 1930 Broadway at 65th Street,...

GOOGLING A BANKER - GOLDMAN, MORGAN STANLEY LEAD IPO DEAL RACE

Morgan Stanley & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group are ahead of the pack in the hunt to land the coveted "book-runner" slots for the eagerly anticipated initial public offering of...

IMMIGRANTS SET SALES OF NEW HOMES ON FIRE

Rising numbers of immigrant families seeking the American dream have helped boost housing sales here and around the East Coast to all-time highs. Urban flight from the Northeast has reversed...

LIBERTY BONDS KEY TO RATNER; LIBERTY BONDS ARE KEY

IF Bruce Ratner succeeds in getting Liberty Bond approval from the city for the stalled New York Times headquarterstower, he's "pretty confident" that the rest of the project's financing will...

TRIAL DELAY FOR ROSIE, PUBLISHER

The bitter showdown between Rosie O'Donnell and her former publishing partner has been delayed for at least a day while Judge Ira Gammerman clears his docket. But that has not...

CBOE BETS HOUSE - TARGETS AMEX WITH PLAN TO GRAB OPTIONS TRADES

The Chicago Board Options Exchange will unveil a plan tomorrow to lure some major trading firms to abandon other exchange floors, a move that could deal a serious blow to...

REED'S REDO: DOUBLE BOARDS FOR NYSE

John Reed is lifting the curtain on his big idea for reforming the New York Stock Exchange board: model it after defense giant Boeing. Reed outlined his makeover in private...

LIONS GATE WINS ARTISAN

After stalking its prey for nearly two years, Lions Gate has finally captured the studio behind "The Blair Witch Project." As expected, Toronto-based filmmaker Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. said yesterday...

TIMES STEPS UP TO BACK RAATNER

BRUCE Ratner hasn't given up hope of winning city approval for Liberty Bond financing for his New York Times Co. headquarters tower. Although the Economic Development Corp. cold-shouldered Ratner's request...

FAUX BOY - HOW SEXY HAYDEN BECAME A NERDY FRAUDSTER FOR 'GLASS

THIS isn't Hayden Christensen's first trip to the dark side. But before he finally morphs from Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader in "Star Wars: Episode III" (out in 2005), he...

DIFFERENT STROKES

* THE STROKES "Room on Fire" [] RCA When you're one of the most promising, written-about bands around, everything from your next single to the way your lead singer combs...

SWISS, NO MISS

IT'S hard to stay neutral on this one: With the six nights and a round-trip flight to Switzerland from Go Today, you can take to the nearby slopes of Interlaken...

PERFECT LITTLE PACKAGE

MEET TV's best actor. His name is Michael J. Anderson and he's the undisputed star of "Carnivale," HBO's fascinating, dream-like series about a carnival roaming the dust bowl country of...

YANKS-MARLINS WORLD SERIES BESTS '00, '02

RATINGS for the Yanks-Marlins World Series were up nearly 10 percent over last year, but still drew the third-smallest TV audience ever for baseball's "Fall Classic" - ahead of only...

WHILE IN 'ROME,' HBO TEAMS UP WITH BBC

HBO is going on a Roman holiday, splitting the bank-busting costs of an epic series about ancient Rome with the BBC. The 12-episode miniseries called "Rome" is expected to cost...

TRIPLE PLAY COUNTDOWN: '24'S' 3RD SEASON STARTS TONIGHT

"24" Tonight at 9 on Ch. 5 ½ (three and one half stars) PROBABLY this season's best returning series, "24," is back with more! more! more! trouble for CTU's Jack...

SUNDAY'S BEST FOR NEW FNC ANCHOR WALLACE

SELF-professed "political junkie" Chris Wallace says it's "no bull" - his new job anchoring "Fox News Sunday" is the dream job for him. "After 15 years of working on news...

PAM CRIES 'FOWL!'

IT'S not turkey that Pam Anderson wants wants to chat about with the Colonel. The former "Baywatch" babe, whose 'toon "Stripperella" airs on Spike TV, says she wants to talk...

J. PETERMAN GETS 'SEINFELD' NOD

REAL-life catalogue tycoon J. Peterman has joined forces with the actor who played him on "Seinfeld." John O'Hurley, who portrayed the bombastic catalog boss on the NBC sitcom, is John...

STARR REPORT

Chuck's take on CBS Chuck Norris, who'll make the occasional "Walker, Texas Ranger" TV movie, will be back on CBS to guest- star, as himself, on "Yes, Dear." In the...

KEAN MUTINY - 9/11 PROBE'S POWER GRAB WILL DEEPEN OUR DIVISIONS

THE horrors in Baghdad over the past few days have reminded us of the inhuman nature of our militant Islamic foes - and how their mission now as ever is...

ST. JOHN'S JURY HUNG

After six days of deliberations, a Queens jury said yesterday it is deadlocked on whether Christopher Prince shot St. John's football star Cory Mitchell and two others. "We cannot unanimously...

DEMS RIP NONPARTISAN 'PLOT'

ALBANY - Top Democrats yesterday seized on Gov. Pataki's backing of Mayor Bloomberg's plan for nonpartisan city elections as proof the effort is part of a Republican conspiracy. Pataki's decision,...

LOOKS LIKE THE WORK OF AL QAEDA

WASHINGTON - A Syrian car bomber was arrested during yesterday's wave of terrorist attacks in Iraq, raising strong suspicions that "foreign fighters" linked to al Qaeda were behind the latest...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A Colorado blood drive is tempting squeamish volunteers to give a pint of blood - by offering them a pint of beer. Four local breweries are supporting the promotion by...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

BROOKLYN * A woman was raped at knifepoint in an East New York apartment building, police said yesterday. Brandishing a knife, Anthony Cullum, 39, accosted the 40-year-old woman, with whom...

STUY TOWN SNIPER GETS FIVE YEARS

A former cop pleaded guilty yesterday to going on a shooting rampage from the window of his Stuyvesant Town apartment. Brian Berrigan, 34, will be sentenced to five years in...

BUSH: THUGS 'JUST WANT TO KILL'

WASHINGTON - President Bush said yesterday that Iraqi terrorists are getting more desperate because U.S. forces are making progress in rooting them out. "The more successful we are on the...

POWER PLAYERS - TIGER, JORDAN NAMED MOST VALUABLE PEDDLERS

Tiger Woods makes the big bucks, but retired hoop legend Michael Jordan still packs the most punch with consumers, according to a new survey. While Woods made $70 million last...

'TORNADO' WINDS WALLOP STATEN ISLAND

Heavy winds hammered Staten Island's Bulls Head neighborhood yesterday, and a National Weather Service is trying to determine if it was a tornado. The winds and rain hit at around...

BUSH BALKS AT GIVING PAPERS TO 9/11 PANEL

WASHINGTON - President Bush said yesterday the commission investigating the 9/11 attacks is demanding "very sensitive documents" - and refused to promise to turn them over. Bush was asked about...

RED CROSS MAY ABANDON IRAQ - BLOODY HOMICIDE BLAST DEVASTATES AID GROUP

WASHINGTON - The International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday was re-evaluating its presence in Iraq following the devastating Ramadan car bombings that rocked Baghdad. Shaken by the homicide attack...

CELLULAR DEAD-ZONE HUNT

Can you hear me now? That's what Mayor Bloomberg wants to know. The mayor is asking New Yorkers to call 311, the city's non-emergency hot line, to report areas with...

CANAL-DEAL PROBERS TO SEIZE DEVELOPER'S FILES

ALBANY - An investigation into the state Canal Corp. heated up yesterday as subpoenas were served on a private developer who secured a potentially lucrative contract for a paltry sum....

NEW HS PRINCIPAL A 'HEALER'

A new leader yesterday took the reins at a Queens high school that had been thrown into chaos by a racially charged battle involving the white former principal and a...

BLOOMIE BAITER TO TAKE SHOW ON ROAD

An artist who faced a year in jail for protesting a firehouse closing with a painting of Mayor Bloomberg shooting a man beat the rap yesterday and vowed to keep...

ANOTHER SUBWAY FARE HIKE LOOMS

Enjoy the new higher subway and bus fares while you can - they could soon go up even more. Seven months after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority hit straphangers with a...

MIKE FIGHTS CANADA RX IMPORT BAN

Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday he is pressing the Food and Drug Administration to allow New Yorkers to buy prescription drugs from Canada. "I've always been in favor of allowing the...

TAXI DRIVERS COOKING UP THANKSGIVING STRIKE

Irate taxi drivers warned yesterday that a "strike is very much possible" if the Bloomberg administration continues to delay a fare hike. About 50 drivers turned out for another rally...

SLAUGHTERED FOR $3 - UTILITY BILL TRIGGERED SLAYS OF WOMAN, GIRL

An argument over $3 in a shared electricity bill spurred a Brooklyn man to slit the throats of a woman and her young daughter - crimes which have him facing...

FIRST FERRY SUITS PACK A $600M WALLOP

Seventeen passengers injured in the Staten Island Ferry disaster have filed legal papers as of yesterday, saying they intend to sue the city for a total of $600 million. And...

MANAGER SLAIN IN QNS. LAUNDRY

The friendly, hard-working night manager of a Queens laundermat was found shot to death at the rear of the 24-hour business early yesterday. A co-worker discovered the body of Robert...

TOWER TURNAROUND - LIBESKIND OFFERS PLAN B FOR WTC

Daniel Libeskind's striking vision for a "Freedom Tower" at Ground Zero has morphed into a more conventional glass-and-steel office building attached to an angular spire, as shown by one of...

COPS SAVE TWO FROM HOUSE FIRE

Two cops on routine patrol helped rescue a 72-year-old woman and her 46-year-old daughter from a burning Queens home early yesterday morning, police said. The cops, Kevin Kramer and Kenneth...

2 GET RICH QUICK (IN 60 SECS.)

Two Western Union customers had a dream come true yesterday - a chance to get inside the money transfer company's vaults and carry off as much cash as they could...

CHARTER-SCHOOL PUSH - CITY'S $50M PLAN WOULD TRIPLE NUMBER

The Bloomberg administration is looking at tripling the number of charter schools in the city in order to dramatically increase the choices available to parents and kids, The Post has...

STALL LANDLORD TAX: GIFF

City Council Speaker Gifford Miller said yesterday he wants to delay a new tax on absentee landlords until March, amid massive confusion over the hike and calls from Mayor Bloomberg...

KINKY KOZ STINK - JUDGE PUTS A FIG LEAF ON TYCO MOGUL'S SEXY BASH

A Manhattan judge tossed a legal loincloth over the Tyco embezzlement trial yesterday - barring jurors from kinky details about an X-rated party thrown with $1 million in company funds....

MARSHAL 'MURDER' EYED AS SUICIDE

A deputy U.S. marshal on his way to meet his partner was found shot to death in Harlem early yesterday and police believe he took his own life after he...

ONE DEAD IN DWI CRASH ON BQE

A motorist was arrested after he killed one passenger and injured another when he crashed into a guardrail while drunk behind the wheel, law-enforcement officials said. Albert Blasiak, 31, of...

HEADMASTER SCHOOLED 'NET 'TEENS' ON SEX: DA

The headmaster of a prestigious Manhattan school was charged yesterday with engaging in perverted sex talks with what he thought were underage teenage girls and sending them X-rated photos over...

SPOREY DETAILS: 120 SQ. FEET OF MOLD IN BIANCA'S ROOM

Paint it blech. City inspectors found that the mold condition in Bianca Jagger's Park Avenue apartment is "immediately hazardous" to human health, and that there's a ton of it -...

BUTLER FACES PRINCE 'SHAMING'

Prince William has arranged to meet his mother's former butler to try to shame him into silence now that his tell-all memoir has embarrassed the royal family and dragged Princess...

L.I. TEENS BRAWL OVER GRID 'HAZING'

A victim in the sodomy hazing on a Long Island high-school football team picked a fight with a schoolmate he believed was belittling him, The Post has learned. Nassau County...

9 FIRED AMID STARVE ORDEAL CASEWORKER FACES CRIMINAL RAP

Furious New Jersey officials yesterday booted nine child-welfare staffers in the wake of the horrific starving of four adopted boys - as Gov. McGreevey threatened to push for criminal charges...

EATERY STAFFERS PARADING THEIR GRIEVANCES

Restaurant workers take their food fight to the streets today, marching to some of the city's top eateries to protest what they say are owners' plans to roll back benefits...

JETER RUES 'LOST' YEAR

Derek Jeter doesn't care that the Yankees went further this year than last year. They didn't win it all, and as a result, the season was a failure. "We lost....

CUNY BOSS IS GRANTED 100G RAISE

The City University Board of Trustees gave Chancellor Matthew Goldstein a $100,000 raise last night - to $350,000 - after crediting him with improving academic performance Goldstein, who hadn't had...

CABBIES COOKING UP TURKEY DAY STRIKE

Irate taxi drivers warned yesterday that a "strike is very much possible" if the Bloomberg administration continues to delay a fare hike. About 50 drivers turned out for another rally...

SAFE AT HOME - APPLE CRIME DROPS AS IT GOES UP IN U.S.

Crime was up almost everywhere in America in 2002 - except New York, where the number of reported crimes continued their 15-year downward trend, new government data says. FBI data...

9 FIRED AMID STARVE ORDEAL; CASEWORKER FACES CRIMINAL RAP

Furious New Jersey officials yesterday booted nine child-welfare staffers in the wake of the horrific starving of four adopted boys - as Gov. McGreevey threatened to push for criminal charges...

WEAVER: BRING ON 2004

The best thing about 2003 for Jeff Weaver is that it's over. This was about as difficult a season as the righthander could have expected. After auspiciously beginning his campaign...

FIRST FERRY SUITS TOTAL $600M

Seventeen passengers injured in the Staten Island Ferry disaster have filed legal papers as of yesterday, saying they intend to sue the city for a total of $600 million. And...

LETHAL ROAD RAGE IN QUEENS

A Queens handyman celebrating his 50th birthday yesterday was bludgeoned to death by an angry motorist in a road-rage incident. Linwood Purdie was standing in the street at 99th Street...

QNS. LAUNDRY WORKER SLAIN

The friendly, hard-working night manager of a Queens coin laundry was found shot to death at the rear of the 24-hour store early yesterday. A co-worker discovered the body of...

MAN DIES IN QUEENS CRASH

A man was killed and his wife seriously injured yesterday when their car skidded on a rain-slicked road and smashed into a tree in Flushing, police said. Shijia Liu, 21,...

WILLS IN BID TO SHUSH BUTLER

Prince William has arranged to meet his mother's former butler to try to shame him into silence, now that the ex-palace worker's tell-all memoir has embarrassed the royal family and...

NO ROOM AT THE INN FOR GATORS

Five young performers who came to town for a live TV appearance learned firsthand yesterday that it's not easy being green. The day got off to a real bad start...

CLASSROOM EXTRA - LIFE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB

ABSTRACT: It's hard to believe that the Internet has been around for more than 30 years. Read a brief history of this indispensable resource. Web surfing. we all do it...

NEW QUEENS HS LEADER A 'HEALER'

A new leader yesterday took the reins at a high school in the Rockaways that had been thrown into chaos by a racially charged battle involving the white former principal...

TOO MANY MISTAKES

Jets Report CardQUARTERBACKS: C+ Vinny Testaverde (7-11, 112 yards, 1 TD, 127.8 rating) was in a good rhythm when he was replaced by Chad Pennington (14-24, 154, 1 INT, 60.1...

GIANTS REPORT CARD: IT'S A MINNY REVIVAL

QUARTERBACKSThe big play was back for Kerry Collins (23 of 39, 375 yards), who throws a beautiful deep ball. Horrible decision on INT in end zone, but rebounded nicely from...

NO TIME TO CELEBRATE ; FASSEL KEEPS JINTS HUMBLE

"We're 3-4. I'm pleased with 'em, but not that pleased."JIM FASSEL For the first time this season, the Vikings yesterday reported to work on a Monday. After all six victories,...

JETS' BECHT: WE'RE KILLING OURSELVES

One by one, Jets players emerged from their individual position meetings yesterday afternoon, having watched film of their 24-17 loss Sunday to the Eagles, and they entered the locker room,...

FEISTY WALKER'S BIG 'PLAYMAKER'

GIANT NOTES Nobody laughed when rookie cornerback Frank Walker instigated a training-camp fight with Amani Toomer, but there were chuckles when Walker started screaming "I came here to play ball!"...

PENNINGTON, SHORT TO MEET AGAIN

JET NOTES Sunday marks the reunion of Chad Pennington and Giants linebacker Brandon Short, who cost Pennington the first six games of the regular season with his sack attempt in...

NETS EXERCISE ALL THEIR OPTIONS ON SEASON'S EVE

With the regular-season opening tonight - and their own campaign kicking off tomorrow in Toronto - the Nets wrapped up loose ends, extending the contracts of two players, declining the...

EX-YANK AIDE HELPED BECKETT

World Series MVP Josh Beckett had help from a former Yankee employee when he beat them in Game 6 Saturday night, clinching the Series for the Marlins with a five-hit...

TAMPA SURPRISE ; GEORGE SUMMONS TORRE TO SIT IN ON FLORIDA POW-WOW

The annual Yankees October organizational meetings has a new and important face in Joe Torre and that is a strong signal that George Steinbrenner wants to hear from every voice...

WAITZ WILL GET RACE OFF TO GRAND START

The photographer asked nicely, so Grete Waitz turned and jogged once more past the Tavern on the Green in Central Park. The spot doubles as her favorite finish line, the...

JASPERS LAND RICE'S DUBOIS

Arturo Dubois attended Midnight Madness at Manhattan over the weekend. Evidently, it made quite an impression. "I already liked everything about the school, the team, the coaches," the Rice senior...

CAREY HEADED TO FAIRFIELD

John Carey has sent many of his players from All Hallows to college. Now he's going back there himself. The longtime Gaels' head coach took an assistant coaching position at...

YANKEES' BEST PLAY: BIG PITCH FOR A-ROD

THEY haven't won the World Series in three straight years, which in Steinbrenner Years, is 21 seasons. As the rain poured down on Yankee Stadium yesterday and Derek Jeter &...

DEKE'S SEEING STARS

"Why not?" That was Dikembe Mutombo's response when asked if he can return to All-Star form. Mutombo has played in eight All-Star Games -the last in 2002 - and believes...

WEAVER YEARNING TO SHAKE OFF 2003

The best thing about 2003 for Jeff Weaver is that it's over. This was about as difficult a season as the righthander could have expected. After auspiciously beginning his campaign...

BOOMER SET TO FILE FOR FREE AGENCY

YANKEE NOTES Without hearing from the Yankees since the end of the World Series, David Wells will file for free agency today or tomorrow. "We haven't heard a word yet,"...

MCDYESS RETURN IS NOT CLOSE

KNICK NOTES Don Chaney warned that Antonio McDyess, who was officially placed on the injured list yesterday, may not come off IR any time soon and will miss more than...

DUQUETTE GETS NOD AS METS GM

At noon today at Shea Stadium, Jim Duquette officially will be named the Mets' next general manager. His work there has already begun in earnest, and the pressure to succeed...

LOST YEAR HAS JETER KEYED UP

Derek Jeter doesn't care that the Yankees went further this year than last year. They didn't win it all, and as a result, the season was a failure. "We lost....

JETS REPORT CARD: TOO MANY MISTAKES

QUARTERBACKS Vinny Testaverde (7-11, 112 yards, 1 TD, 127.8 rating) was in a good rhythm when he was replaced by Chad Pen nington (14-24, 154, 1 INT, 60.1 rating). Pen...

S.D. BETTOR SNAGS BC'S $2.6M PICK 6

Trainer Richard Mandella has nothing on Graham Stone of Rapid City, South Dakota. Sure, Mandella trained the winner of four Breeders' Cup races this past Saturday at Santa Anita, but...

THIS GAME COULD BE TOUGH WATCH

This is the kind of game you may want to guzzle some coffee right before watching. Because the Islanders have dedicated themselves to imitating everything the Devils do, when the...

KNEE SPRAIN HAS KOVALEV DAY-TO-DAY

Alexei Kovalev knows well the pain that goes along with a serious knee injury. Seven years ago, a torn ACL in his right knee cost him much of the season....

IT'S SHOWTIME! HEAR YE, HEAR YE: NBA COURT IS IN SESSION

Welcome to our beloved NBA, where indictments tend to outweigh inductions. Disorder in the court, the 2003-2004 season is now in session, the lean and lenient David Stern presiding. Despite...

SORE KNEE HAS KOVALEV DAY TO DAY

Alexei Kovalev knows well the pain that goes along with a serious knee injury. Seven years ago, a torn ACL in his right knee cost him much of the season....

HUNT FOR NEXT OCTOBER

There was rain yesterday, but no reign. There was no Canyon of Heroes trip, so the Yankee high command instead was ordered for an excursion to Tampa to meet face-to-face...