April 13, 2004

ANTI-SEMITIC GOOGLE LINKS IRK SCHUMER

Google has come under more criticism for listing an anti-Semitic conspiracy-theory Web site prominently in its search results, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D.-N.Y.) sending the company a letter asking them...

WASHINGTON NEEDS TO ACT ON THE URGENCY FOR HYBRID CARS

YOU don't have to look any further than the Javits Center's International Auto Show to understand one of America's biggest economic problems. This isn't going to be a harangue about...

DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN RISING FROM THE ASHES

FOR a financial district whose days were supposedly numbered after 9/11, downtown is some kind of resilient animal. Everyone knew after 9/11 that the area's long-term future could not be...

EISNER'S TEX MESS - FALL OF $100M 'THE ALAMO' IS LATEST DIS-ASTER

Michael Eisner would probably rather forget "The Alamo." The $100 million Disney movie bombed at the box office this past weekend, causing a stir among many on Wall Street who...

MICROSOFTER: TECH FIRM MAKING NICE WITH RIVALS

Microsoft watchers were scratching their heads as the software giant settled yet another lawsuit yesterday. The question: Who are you and what have you done with Bill Gates? In the...

CALPERS: TAKE SANDY OFF CITI BOARD

Citigroup Chairman Sandy Weill has played such a big role in some of Wall Street's recent scandals that he shouldn't even be allowed to serve on his own board of...

KARMAZIN STYMIED OVER COMMERCIAL-FREE MASTERS

Mel Karmazin's got a CBS sports hit on his hands, but can't make a dime selling advertising for the show - it doesn't carry commercials. Karmazin, president of CBS parent...

LABRANCHE BOSS TOOK 83% PAY CUT LAST YEAR

LaBranche & Co. chief Michael LaBranche took an 83 percent pay cut in 2003 after his company suffered steep losses. LaBranche, who runs the biggest specialist firm on the New...

COCA-COLA FIZZLES AS TOP LAWYER IS CANNED

Coca-Cola is choking on a string of public relations disasters and executive ousters - the latest being its high-profile general counsel, Deval Patrick. Patrick, 46, the former civil rights chief...

'BEAUTY' AND THE FILM FEST

'STAGE Beauty," starring Billy Crudup as an actor specializing in female roles in 1660s London, will be the closing-night attraction at this year's Tribeca Film Festival on May 8. Claire...

FLY BOYS

* AUTOPILOT OFF "Make a Sound" [] (three stars) Island Records When you hear Autopilot Off's twist on punk pop, it's no surprise the group's an Orange County outfit. But...

VALENTINE'S REPUTATION MASSACRE

EX-Mets manager Bobby Valentine is lashing out at unnamed players who joined the team after Valentine was fired two years ago. Valentine, appearing tonight on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant...

OMAROSA VISIT STILL HAUNTS OPRAH

OPRAH Winfrey's fans continue to swamp the TV queen's Web site - outraged that snarky "Apprentice" castoff Omarosa (above) shared the stage with Winfrey on last Thursday's "Oprah." "Oprah" fans...

BIG DEBUT FOR ADU

SOCCER phenom Freddy Adu's debut in Major League Soccer scored ratings that were at least 64 percent better than last year. Adu, 14, played 29 minutes for D.C. United but...

STARR REPORT

In the Nick of time Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey gave ABC a much- needed shot-in-the- arm Sunday night. The duo's "Nick and Jessica Variety Hour," patterned after the old...

BLUE ANGEL - A **** PEEK AT WEIRD WORLD OF 'SHOWBIZ' KIDS

"Showbiz Moms and Dads" [****] (four stars) Tonight at 9 ---- THE only thing wrong with Bravo's new series "Showbiz Moms and Dads" is that each episode is only one...

KILL BOB! - 'SOPRANOS' FANS WANT TO WHACK THE RAT WHO DITCHED CARMELA

'YOU better watch your step." Those were a jilted Carmela Soprano's parting words to her would-be Romeo Sunday night - and if Tony doesn't whack the creep, fans will. We're...

MISSION POSSIBLE - SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, YOU CAN DO THE UNTHINKABLE: SCORE A DREAM TRIP FOR UNDER $950

LOOK up "garbled" in the dictionary. These days, the definition will likely have something to do with the messages being put out by the travel industry. Everyone's going mad predicting...

FIT FOR A KING - POST MUSIC CRITIC MARY HUHN TAKES A WILD MUSICAL RIDE THROUGH MEMPHIS, THE HOME OF ROCK 'N' ROLL

MEMPHIS has the right idea: peg the 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll to July 1954, when Elvis Presley recorded his first single, "That's All Right," at Sam Phillips' Sun...

CLASH OF THE BRITONS

ROCK fans have been arguing about the Cure vs. the Smiths since the '80s, and with new albums due from the Cure and Morrissey, the debate isn't going to end...

GREEN-CARD SEX-HARASS SUIT

A Queens woman is suing the federal government, charging that an immigration officer considering her husband's green-card application took her into an empty hallway, called her "sexy" and made lewd...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

It was "The Passion of the Christ" - live in an Albany parking lot. Someone dressed as Jesus Christ - drenched in "blood" and being flogged by another man -...

DEBT TAKES A HOLIDAY AS 'CLOCK' IS REMOVED

Midtown is missing one of its landmarks. The world-famous National Debt Clock that hung on the side of a three-story building at 43rd Street and Sixth Avenue has been torn...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

MANHATTAN * This is the thief (above) cops say stuck up a two Manhattan banks in five minutes last week. The man held up an HSBC branch at 950 Third...

-WHO CAN HACK IT AUCTION BEGINS (M)-TAXI MEDALLION AUCTION BEGINS (S, LCF)

The city started accepting bids yesterday from anyone interested in owning a cab. The Taxi and Limousine Commission is taking offers from drivers who want to buy a "mini-fleet" -...

VICTORIA'S TAKES IT OFF TV

Victoria's Secret has been yanked from prime-time TV, but don't get your panties in a twist - its super-sexy fashion show will be back, top execs at the famed lingerie...

FERRY BOOZERS TO WALK PLANK

The city has adopted a zero-tolerance policy that calls for Staten Island Ferry workers who test positive for alcohol or illegal drugs to be fired automatically, officials said yesterday. The...

STATE BODIES OWE $115B

ALBANY - New York's public authorities have accumulated $115 billion in outstanding debt, a first-ever review by the state comptroller's office has found. "The public authorities system in New York...

KID HIT IN SCHOOL HITS $CHOOL BACK

The family of a 10-year-old boy whose jaw was broken in a cafeteria brawl is suing the Department of Education for $2.5 million, claiming the kids were not adequately supervised....

ASPIRIN IS A HEARTENING RX

An ambitious new study has concluded, once and for all, that aspirin does prevent heart attacks. "The evidence is clear: The benefits of aspirin clearly outweigh the risks when used...

DUBYA WILL 'PRESS' HIS CASE ON TV

WASHINGTON - President Bush tonight holds his first full-scale news conference of the year to talk about U.S. plans in Iraq and to defend his pre-9/11 terror policy. The prime-time...

IMMIGRANT COPS PLEA IN JEALOUSY SLAY

An illegal Colombian immigrant admitted yesterday he stabbed his "wife's" lover to death outside the family's Queens home after he saw the two sitting together in a parked car. Luis...

BAND OF 'BROTHERS' - JOYRIDING L.I. TEENS ARE BURIED TOGETHER

A close-knit Muslim community on Long Island grieved the loss of three teens who died during a weekend retreat to the Poconos when the SUV they were joyriding in slammed...

$128M HOUSE RAISES THE CEILING WITH RECORD SALE

A steel tycoon swimming in money has shelled out a world-record $128 million for a London mansion that comes with some fabulous fixtures, including a gem-encrusted basement pool. India-born billionaire...

PELOSI RAPS DA ON 'ALIBI'

Danny Pelosi's lawyer is protesting a prosecution demand that his client reveal his alibi for a 34-hour period on the weekend of millionaire Ted Ammon's 2001 murder - claiming authorities...

WHY OWNERS PUT LIVES ON LINE

Can't live without your cellphone - literally? These days people are so in love with their cellphones they're risking life and limb to keep hold of their little hand-held friends...

ARIEL: WE'LL KEEP W. BANK PRESENCE

JERUSALEM - Israel will keep its largest West Bank settlements even after it withdraws from the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced yesterday before departing for Washington to see...

'CELL' SURVIVOR NEARLY LOST LEG

The defiant Polish immigrant who was shot in the arm and leg for not handing over his $50 cellphone to a robber is lucky he didn't lose a limb, his...

COUNCIL TACKLING SEX CRIMES

The City Council is about to tackle the issue of sexual assault - with at least seven committees set to hold hearings on the problem, The Post has learned. The...

JAYSON RULING IS DUE TODAY

A New Jersey judge will rule today whether manslaughter and coverup charges against ex-NBA star Jayson Williams should be tossed permanently because prosecutors failed to turn over evidence about his...

FIRST KIDS GIVE HOSP GIS TWIN TREAT

In a rare public appearance, First Daughters Jenna and Barbara Bush skittered around puddles and dodged raindrops during a holiday visit to wounded troops at Fort Hood, Texas, with their...

'ASSASSIN' COP NAILED IN MALL SLAY

New York State troopers busted an upstate cop for "assassinating" an Old Navy store manager in a Wallkill mall parking lot, authorities said yesterday. Crawford cop Kevin Griffin was brought...

DONNA'S NUT CASE - DWI-FLAP JURIST FACES '89 PSYCHO

Fresh from her drinking-and-driving acquittal, a Manhattan judge is turning her attention to matters of eating - the latest bid for freedom by a killer lunatic who 15 years ago...

BUSH EYES BRIT-STYLE SPY OVERHAUL AMID 9/11 FLUBS

WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday opened the door to a historic overhaul of U.S. intelligence-gathering, as a hearing today prepares to shine a spotlight on America's pre-9/11 spy failures. Bush,...

CON GUILTY IN MUTILATE BID

A Queens man admitted yesterday he plotted to sexually mutilate his girlfriend's ex-husband and later ordered a hit on the "rat" inmate who told cops about his plan. In 2002,...

HOOK'S NEW LOOK - PLAN AIMS TO UNSEAT IKEA BID

This ain't your grandfather's Red Hook. The waterfront neighborhood of moody industrial streets could become a village of shops, apartments, restaurants and parks under a developer's proposal put forward as...

DIET DRUG BANNED - COURT RULES AGAINST EPHEDRA

Ephedra - the "miracle" diet supplement that helped millions lose weight, but also caused scores of deaths - was officially banned across the nation yesterday. The move came after a...

TISCH KIN EYES RACE FOR COUNCIL

A member of the city's powerful Tisch family is seriously considering running for elective office, The Post has learned. Merryl Tisch, who has served on the state Board of Regents...

PROBERS BLAST 'SEX-HARASS' POL

A secret report on embattled Councilman Allan Jennings - who is facing allegations he sexually harassed workers - has determined he created a "hostile work environment" and improperly fired at...

WIFE-SLAYER HAD HISTORY OF ABUSE

A Brooklyn husband who suffocated his wife with a plastic bag and then hanged himself on Easter Sunday had a court date on domestic-abuse charges scheduled for yesterday. Jeffrey Johnson,...

THE $MART CAR - TINY TWO-SEATER DELIVERS 60 MPG

Size matters - especially to New Yorkers. In a town where double-length buses race yuppie-piloted SUVs through traffic lights the big attraction this week was a tiny vehicle that can...

SHAME - MIKE: BOOZY BRAVEST DISGRACE 9/11 BRETHREN; FUMING BLOOMBERG ROASTS 'DWI' BRAVEST

Furious about the weekend arrest of two firefighters on DWI charges, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday demanded that the city's Bravest clean up their act - and not dishonor their heroic brothers...

EASY FIX FOR BABY STROLLERS: MAKER

Baby-care company Maclaren defended its decision not to recall hundreds of defective strollers yesterday, saying a flaw in a plastic part near the wheel doesn't pose a hazards to infants...

CORRUPT COP TO CONFESS

A disgraced NYPD detective who was caught ripping off a drug courier - and has fingered other cops in connection with a sweeping corruption probe - is poised to plead...

VIXEN 'DOPE' RIDE - COKE DEALER HID STASH ON BUS: DA

A busty rapper wannabe's luxury tour bus wound up being the wheels of fortune for a massive drug ring run by her manager, who stashed up to $10 million of...

ED. BIG SAYS NEW FOCUS IS HISTORY

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein's new instructional adviser said yesterday she wants to boost the teaching of social studies and history in the city's elementary schools. "I want to bring social...

PELOSI TEAM STEAMED OVER ALIBI REQUEST

Danny Pelosi's lawyer is protesting a prosecution demand that his client reveal his alibi for a 34-hour period on the weekend of millionaire Ted Ammon's 2001 murder - claiming authorities...

CRIME OF PASSION - MAN ADMITS KILLING GAL PAL'S LOVER

An illegal Colombian immigrant admitted yesterday he stabbed his girlfriend's lover to death after he saw the two sitting together in a parked car in Queens. Luis Freddie Castro, 50,...

DIRTY COP TO PLEAD GUILTY

A disgraced NYPD detective who was caught ripping off a drug courier - and has fingered other cops in connection with a sweeping corruption probe - is poised to plead...

EPHEDRA BANNED AFTER COURT RULING

Ephedra - the "miracle" diet supplement that helped millions lose weight, but also caused scores of deaths - was officially banned across the nation yesterday. The move came after a...

VEGAS CASINO BLACKED OUT

Oh, craps! An abrupt power outage pulled the plug on thousands of gamblers' dreams of riches at the posh Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas Sunday, leaving guests and employees in...

THUGS GRAB 2 GIS IN IRAQ - KIDNAPPED WITH 7 U.S. CIVILIANS

WASHINGTON - A wave of new terror kidnappings swept Iraq yesterday as eight Russian energy workers were grabbed in Baghdad after a fierce shootout between their kidnappers and their security...

FERRY BOOZERS, DRUG USERS TO WALK PLANK

The city has adopted a zero-tolerance policy that calls for Staten Island Ferry workers who test positive for alcohol or illegal drugs to be fired automatically, officials said yesterday. The...

THUGS SEIZE 8 MORE CIVILIANS - RUSSIANS TAKEN AFTER SHOOTOUT

WASHINGTON - A wave of new terror kidnappings swept Iraq yesterday as eight Russian energy workers were grabbed in Baghdad after a fierce shootout between their kidnappers and their security...

$3.2M FOR NEW TV TITAN - DONALD DOUBLES HIS 'APPRENTICE' SALARY

Dealmeister Donald Trump has negotiated a new agreement with NBC that will double his salary for starring on "The Apprentice," sources said yesterday The show has been renewed next season...

ED BIG SAYS NEW FOCUS IS HISTORY DIST

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein's new instructional adviser said yesterday she wants to boost the teaching of social studies and history in the city's elementary schools. "I want to bring social...

KID GOALIES STANDING TALL IN POSTSEASON NETS

NO kidding, the Islanders' Rick DiPietro came into Game 3 at Nassau Coliseum looking 30 years old and absolutely as good as it is to be young and in an...

ST. JOHN'S CHOOSES ROBERTS

In a bold and potentially brilliant move, St. John's is expected to name Kansas assistant Norm Roberts as its next coach, as soon as today, The Post has learned. Many...

ISLES TURN UP THE FIRE - WEBB LEADS RETURN TO NASSAU

The Eastern quarterfinals came to Nassau Coliseum last night, and not only the location of the best-of-seven series was expected to shift. In addition, the intensity, physicality and emotion of...

HAMPTON: LET 'EM BOO

Mike Hampton has nothing against Mets fans. "If they didn't cheer for their team or boo the other team, that would worry me," Hamtpon said. "This doesn't bother me. They're...

IT ALL WORKS FOR TRACHSEL

Steve Trachsel coughed up a 6-0 lead in his disastrous first outing of the season. He was determined not to do that again. "This was like night and day," Trachsel...

STEVENS' SHADOW HOVERS OVER SERIES

SO Pat Burns was absent from yesterday's morning skate at the Meadowlands. Of course he was, for the coach was instead at his team's West Orange practice rink with Scott...

USA WILL ADD BRAND NAME TO DREAM TEAM

ELTON Brand will soon be added to America's fluctuating Athens Olympics' 12-man Dream Team, according to a USA Basketball Committee member. The Clippers' forward was a supplementary pickup for last...

HOLE LOTTA HEAT ON DEVS - BRODEUR DINGED BY PRACTICE PUCK

It was a morning of mystery with the Devils, who were hoping they wouldn't be three-quarters of the way to an inquest by the time last night was done. First,...

SIMPLY AMAZIN' - MATSUI-MANIA GRIPS FANS AT SOGGY SHEA OPENER

AS the Mets peeled off the field yesterday at the end of batting practice, one player stopped to sign autographs at the corner of the dugout, where two rows of...

BARON: STEPH SUPER - SAYS MARBURY'S BETTER THAN KIDD

NEW ORLEANS - Baron Davis, one of league's elite point guards, said he expects Stephon Marbury to give Jason Kidd all he can handle in their potential first-round series, calling...

MASTERS FINISH A DAY TO CHERISH

FINAL-round Sundays at Augusta National are, quite simply, as electric as they are unique to anything you'll ever experience if you're fortunate enough to be there to witness the Masters...

LITTLE-USED BAKER BELIEVES HIS TIME WILL COME

KNICK NOTES NEW ORLEANS - Vin Baker's hearing against the Celtics was originally scheduled for yesterday in New York. Only $35 million hangs in the balance. Two weeks ago, Baker...

CAMERON PURE GOLD ON, OFF FIELD

Instead of climbing down the dugout stairs following batting practice yesterday, Mike Cameron climbed onto the dugout roof. And he stayed there a good 15 minutes to sign autographs and...

NEWS OF BUBBA FLATTERS DYKSTRA

YANKEE NOTES The pain in Lenny Dykstra's back subsided a bit yesterday after The Post informed the former Mets and Phillies All Star center fielder that Sunday's Yankee hero, Bubba...

SUPER DISPLAY OF BALANCE - METS SHAKE OFF INJURIES TO ROCK HAMPTON, BRAVES

Mets 10 - Braves 6 They didn't worry about it. Not with this team. Not with this balance. When Steve Trachsel threw the first pitch of the Mets' home opener...

SHEA DISCOVERS REASON TO CHEER

THEY came streaming in from the elevated subway platforms, wearing their Piazza jerseys, cloaked in their blue windbreaker jackets. They poured in from the parking lots, orange stocking caps protecting...

BRIGHT FORECAST FROM SICK BAY

MET NOTES You figure the Mets were due for some good news on the injury front. Yesterday, they got it. First, an examination revealed that Mike Piazza has nothing more...

YANKS THANKFUL BROWN IN TOWN

Yankee fans can wring their hands until the skin falls off the bones over the slow beginning of The Best Lineup Ever Assembled. And it will be a waste of...

NETS' FINAL GAMES A FORMALITY

ATLANTA - The Knicks were in New Orleans last night, still hoping to overtake the Hornets and maybe even catch Miami, if everything broke the right way. Out West, Utah...

A FINISH TO CHERISH

THE MASTERSFINAL-round Sundays at Augusta National are, quite simply, as electric as they are unique to anything you'll ever experience if you're fortunate enough to be there to witness the...

DEVS FIND THE POWER - BURNS' MOVE GIVES EXTRA EDGE

GAME 3: Devils 4 - Flyers 2 The coach's belated switch almost came too late. Still, Pat Burns made it, Brian Gionta made it work, and now the Devils can...

HOME GROAN FOR ISLES - BOLTS TAKE 2-1 SERIES LEAD

GAME 3: Lightning 3 - Islanders 0 As expected, the atmosphere at the Coliseum last night was electric, rowdy and at its regular playoff loony level. But the home-ice advantage...

BARON: I'LL TAKE STEPH OVER KIDD

KNICK NOTES NEW ORLEANS - Baron Davis, one of the NBA's elite point guards, said he expects Stephon Marbury to give Jason Kidd all he can handle in their potential...

ELIAS TO RESCUE IN BIG-GAME SPOT

THERE are freedoms to be sacrificed and liberties to be surrendered in order to play for and succeed on the Devils. Some of the more individualistic rage against the system...

CAREFREE NETS ARE DEFENSELESS

Hawks 129 - Nets 107 ATLANTA - A Nets-Knicks first round playoff series remained on hold through the importance of the outcome in New Orleans. Out West, three teams still...

NOT TOO LATE FOR RICK TO MAKE PLAYOFF STAND

A HEADHUNTING by the headless Jason Blake leading to a power-play redirection, then a one-timer off a quick passout. Bang-bang, the Islanders were a twice-shot balloon flying around their own...

KNICKS SENSE SIXTH - STING HORNETS, EYEING PISTONS

Knicks 101 - Hornets 97 NEW ORLEANS - The much-anticipated Lincoln Tunnel Series may be off - diverted instead to Motown. With a stirring fourth-quarter rally, with Stephon Marbury fastened...

RIGHT GUY AT EXACTLY RIGHT TIME

ST. JOHN'S got it right. At the end of a coaching search that seemed to drive so many of the program's followers to the brink of their wits, wondering if...