December 7, 2005

MOUNT SINAI ROLLS OUT MEDICAL SMART CARDS

Visiting the hospital won't be as dangerous with a new high-tech smart card that protects you from medical bungling. The card, which carries your medical records, allergies and reasons for...

STERN MAKES ROUNDS

Shock jock Howard Stern's new gig on satellite radio hasn't even begun and he's already talking retirement. "I might stop the radio in five years, but I don't think I'll...

'GOTTI' HAVE 'EM ; WARNER MAY NAB ACQUITTED MURDER INC. LABEL

Cleared by a court of money-laundering charges, the Murder Inc. brothers are likely to bring their hit-making operation to Warner Music, The Post has learned. Irv "Gotti" Lorenzo and his...

FIFTH AVE. PAIR TO FETCH $80M

THE former Scribner's bookstore building is on the market. The seller, clothier Benetton, previously moved to 601 Fifth Ave., which it is keeping. But it is also selling the 12,000-square-foot...

COOKE BEATS FAST RETREAT ; BRAVO TAB DOCU IN DOUBT

THE sudden departure of Daily News Editor-in-Chief Michael "Cookie Monster" Cooke could toss a wrench into the works of the TV show "Tabloid Wars" that Bravo channel had been working...

CONFIDENCE GAP ; 'DEAD MAN WALKING' PRESSLER UNDER PRESSURE

For Paul Pressler, the chief executive of Gap Inc., this holiday season is shaping up to be anything but a Merry Christmas. Despite assurances from Gap founder and Chairman Emeritus...

NYSE MERGER OK'D; FEB. IPO SEEN

New York Stock Exchange members closed a 213-year chapter in the Big Board's history yesterday, voting overwhelmingly to accept a landmark merger with electronic exchange Archipelago. NYSE Chief Executive John...

LAZARD HAS AN ICAHN PROBLEM

Investment bank Lazard Ltd. is already feeling some repercussions from its decision to advise billionaire corporate raider Carl Icahn in his bid to force change at Time Warner Inc. Former...

TIMES SWEATS 2006

Times could become harder than expected for The New York Times. The newspaper's parent yesterday updated its guidance for 2005 but declined to venture any forecast for next year because...

THE SOURCE TOSSED FROM CRIB

The Source, the embattled hip-hop magazine, is apparently now a magazine without an office after it was forced out of its latest digs on West 23rd Street. The Source is...

COOKE BEATS FAST RETREAT - BRAVO TAB DOCU IN DOUBT

THE sudden departure of Daily News Editor in Chief Michael "Cookie Monster" Cooke could toss a wrench into the works of the TV show "Tabloid Wars" that Bravo channel had...

MOTORCYCLE TALE HITS ON ALL CYLINDERS

THE WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN*** (three stars) Fast-paced fun.Running time: 126 minutes. Rated PG- 13 (mild profanity, tame drug and sexual references). At the Sunshine and the Cinema 1. ANTHONY Hopkins...

OPRAH RAH! RAH! WINFREY PUTS 'PURPLE' ON MAP

THE critics have put Oprah's much-touted media power to the test, and so far it seems to be holding up. "The Color Purple" - or, as the ads and marquee...

STARR REPORT

What about Bob? With all eyes focused on Katie Couric (will she or won't she jump to CBS?) and ABC's revamped "World News Tonight," the "CBS Evening News with Bob...

RAG TIME - THIGH-HIGH DRAMA BACK ON 'RUNWAY'

"Project Runway: 2nd Season" Tonight at 10 on Bravo * * * * (four stars) ONE of the most addictive reality shows that doesn't in volve snakes is baaack again...

'LAW & ORDER' LEAVES THE NEST

WHATEVER it is, don't call "Conviction" a "Law & Order" spin-off. That's the message from sources close to the new series - even though the show features a former main...

'TODAY' WON'T DIE IF I LEAVE - KATIE DOESN'T LOOK BACK IF SHE JUMPS TO CBS JOB

KATIE Couric says "Today" can go on without her if she makes the leap to CBS. "I have no doubt that if I did make a decision not to stay,...

LINDSAY NO SHOW AT 9:05

GLAMOROUS Lindsay Lohan, shown here in Manhattan at Monday night's "King Kong" after-party, wasn't feeling so chipper yesterday - when she canceled her scheduled appearance on "Live with Regis &...

KONG VS THE KING - MASTERFUL 'MUNICH' LEADS HUNT FOR THE GOLD

LOOKS like "King Kong" will be crashing Steven Spielberg's Oscar party. Earlier this week, I spent nearly six hours in the dark riveted by back-to-back screenings of Spielberg's gripping, morally...

OFFERS WE CAN REFUSE - ITALIAN RESTAURANTS TOOK HITS THIS YEAR

MARIO Batali, who launches his largest restaurant yet this month, is braving the Italian Jinx of 2005. In a town with an unlimited appetito, three new, ambitious biggies from other...

WOLF'S NEW CLOTHES

SHELLEY Fireman is about to expand his West Side dining empire. Sources say the restaurateur, whose stable of six eateries includes the Brooklyn Diner, Shelly's New York, Redeye Grill and...

STAND-UP GUY - NUYORICAN FUNNYMAN TACKES SPANGLISH IN A RIOTOUS ONE-MAN SHOW

In his twenties, Bill Santiago had a thriving journalism career - he worked fulltime at the San Juan Star and freelanced for papers like the Miami Herald and the Washington...

FULANI ADVISER QUITS CHARITY

Independence Party honcho Lenora Fulani's closest adviser yesterday quit The All Stars Project, a charity group that is being investigated by state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Fred Newman, a self-proclaimed...

CITY WANTS PAY PHONES' $5M

The city is being cheated out of millions of dollars a year in ad revenue generated by street pay phones, Comptroller William Thompson charged yesterday. Thompson's auditors determined that 15...

MA'S NIGHTMARE AS QNS. BLAZE KILLS 3 KIDS

Two terrified young brothers and their baby sister were killed in a fire in their Queens apartment last night after their hysterical mom tried in vain to save them, authorities...

FEDS RAP CABRINI DETOX 'FRAUD'

Cabrini Medical Center paid for hundreds of illegal referrals to its drug-and-alcohol detox program and fraudulently billed Medicaid for services that the hospital was not licensed to provide, federal prosecutors...

PROSECUTOR MAY NOT GO OVER EASY ON EGG-TOSS TEENS

The Nassau County district attorney may seek heavier felony charges against the four teens charged with the Halloween drive-by egging that left a 13-year-old blind in one eye. During a...

ISRAEL BUSTS BOMBER'S DAD, BROS

JERUSALEM - Israeli forces arrested 15 suspected Palestinian militants yesterday - including the father and three brothers of a man who blew himself up at a Netanya mall Monday. Palestinian...

NYPD DAILY BLOTTER

THE BRONX *** A ski-masked gunman made off with $200 in a Melrose sandwich-shop stickup, police sources said yesterday. The unidentified suspect, wearing all black and wielding a firearm, walked...

JACK HAMMER; JFK ITEMS WILL GO UNDER GAVEL

Ask what it can do for your mantelpiece. The largest private collection of President John F. Kennedy memorabilia - including the watch he wore during his 1961 inauguration, the fountain...

DEADLY PRANK DRIVER SUED

A woman left debilitated by a drunken prankster who got behind the wheel of a double-parked box truck and killed her friend's 3-year-old son has filed suit against him, saying...

TROOPERS SHOT; INTREPID DUO FIRE BACK AND KILL BX. DRUG THUG

The alleged head of a major drug operation was shot and killed yesterday in a furious exchange of bullets with state troopers busting into his Bronx home to serve a...

SENSELESS DEATH LEFT A HOLE IN OUR HEARTS

WHEN a street mutt and a Glock handgun bring 20,000 cops and citizens together on the streets of East Flatbush, you know Iraq is not the only war. Dillon Hugh...

POL DINGS $5M PHONE AD 'CHEATERS'

The city is getting cheated out of millions of dollars a year in ad revenue generated from street pay phones, Comptroller William Thompson charged yesterday. Thompson's auditors determined that 15...

KING SUES CHAMPION

Don King has taken a $4 million swing at heavyweight champion Chris Byrd, filing a federal lawsuit that marks the latest round in a nasty contract dispute between the boxing...

FLAGGING SUPPORT FOR HILLARY'S 'BAN'

WASHINGTON - The American Legion is torching Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's support of a new measure that outlaws flag-trashing without addressing the issue of a Constitutional amendment to ban it....

TRAGEDY OF SELFLESS SNOW MAN

A Brooklyn man was killed by a Sanitation Department vehicle early yesterday morning as he helped road crews on Staten Island prepare for the anticipated snowfall. Police said Joseph Sordi,...

GIRL TOLD ME OF DAD'S SEX ABUSE: TEACHER

An elementary-school teacher broke down in tears yesterday as she told jurors how a simple lesson prompted one of her third-graders to claim that her father was sexually abusing her....

DANCER'S EX GAVE ; HER HELL ; ON CELL ; DOZENS OF CALLS A DAY 'HARASSED' SLAIN GAL PAL

The prime suspect in the brutal murder of stripper Catherine Woods phoned her obsessively when they were dating - demanding to know the beautiful brunette's whereabouts and what she was...

KID-BUS EYE IN THE SKY; SCHOOL SAFETY PLAN

Yellow school buses are tough to miss on the street, but the city Department of Education wants to keep an eye on them from outer space, The Post has learned....

MAYOR HONORS GIANTS' TISCH

Late New York Giant co-owner Preston "Bob" Tisch was honored posthumously with the city's highest civilian award last night for his tireless efforts to revitalize athletic fields. Mayor Bloomberg presented...

HE'S HOWARD THE COWARD; WEASEL DEAN: WE'LL LOSE WAR

WASHINGTON - Democratic Party chief Howard Dean has sparked a firestorm by claiming America can't win the Iraq war - taking flak from families of fallen soldiers, the White House,...

L.I. COUPLE IN SLAY-SUICIDE

A devoted husband shot his wife and dog to death in the couple's Long Island home - then put the gun to his own head, cops said yesterday. Health concerns...

FRENCH KISS-OFF FOR LE CHUMP

Howard Dean sounded like a big French surrender monkey when he said America can't win the war in Iraq. So The Post raced into action yesterday to show the Democratic...

FOXY FIRES HER GABBY ATT'Y; REVEALED TOO MUCH ABOUT HER 'DEAF' JAM

Now hear this: You're fired! That's what raunchy rapper Foxy Brown told her attorney after the mouthpiece blabbed to the media about her sudden hearing loss, an associate close to...

TRANSIT UNION: WE'RE UNITED ON STRIKE VOTE

The upcoming vote to authorize a transit strike should be near unanimous, union leaders said yesterday. "The whole place is going to erupt in cheers, and I don't think anybody...

CITY ADOPTING NEW KID POLICY

The city has been putting more resources into finding adoptive parents for children, rather then put them in foster care homes - and it's been paying off. An audit shows...

HEIDI STOLE OUR TV SHOW: SUIT

A New York designer and a fashion merchandiser ripped into Heidi Klum in a federal lawsuit yesterday - dressing-down the supermodel for allegedly stealing the idea that spawned the Emmy-nominated...

KNICK STAR LOSES SECOND BROTHER TO GUNFIRE

A New York Knicks guard who wears the initials of a brother lost to gunfire tattooed on his back suffered tragedy again this week when another brother was shot dead...

TB SCARE AT BROOKLYN HS

City health officials plan to test students, their parents and staff at South Shore HS in Brooklyn for tuberculosis after two students contracted the disease, officials said yesterday. "Everybody and...

LENORA 'SEX DOC' PAL QUITS CHARITY AMID ELIOT STRESS

Independence Party honcho Lenora Fulani's closest adviser yesterday quit The All Stars Project, a charity group that is being investigated by state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Fred Newman, a self-proclaimed...

TWU: '100%' STRIKE VOTE

The upcoming vote to authorize a transit strike should be near unanimous, union leaders said yesterday. "The whole place is going to erupt in cheers, and I don't think anybody...

SLAIN MOBSTER BURIED

Relatives and friends yesterday laid to rest mobster Lawrence Ricci (below), whose body was found last week in the trunk of a car in New Jersey. Ricci, 60, disappeared Oct....

'HERO TO NYC & GIFT TO ALL' ; THOUSANDS BID FAREWELL TO MURDERED B'KLYN COP

Dillon Stewart "wanted to make a difference" - and he did, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told the tens of thousands of mourners who turned out yesterday for the heroic Brooklyn...

PIRRO BOOST FOR AG; EYED BY INDY PARTY

ALBANY - Independence Party operatives have quietly been putting out feelers among party leaders about backing Jeanine Pirro for attorney general, The Post has learned. Albany County Independence Party Chairman...

KONG-$IZE LOTTERY WIN

A lucky Long Islander was walking around $55 million richer yesterday - but keeping very quiet about it. State lottery officials revealed that the first-place ticket in the special King...

TRAGIC CON ED TWIST FOR HARLEM CANDLE GIRL ; DIES IN FIRE ON DAY DAD PAID TO GET POWER

A Harlem dad whose family's electricity had been cut off because of outstanding bills finally paid half the money Monday afternoon - but it wasn't quick enough to save his...

MOM'S 'NIGHTMARE' AS QNS. BLAZE KILLS 3 KIDS

Two terrified young brothers and their baby sister were killed in a fire in their Queens apartment last night after their hysterical mom tried in vain to save them, authorities...

BILL SETS STAGE FOR HILL'S RUN

Bill Clinton may have fired the opening salvo in his wife's 2008 presidential campaign last night when he answered a supporter's shouted question about whether Hillary would run for president...

LENNON'S FINAL DAYS - HAPPIEST AS A DAD, ONO SAYS

He was a millionaire rock star who once boasted that his band "was more popular than Jesus" - but all John Lennon really wanted later in life was to stroll...

CANDLE KILLED GIRL, 7 - BLAZE AFTER POWER CUT

A horrific flash fire that killed a 7-year-old girl was caused by a candle placed in her bedroom after electricity had been cut off in the family's Harlem apartment earlier...

FULANI PARTY BOOSTS PIRRO FOR ATT'Y GEN.

ALBANY - Independence Party operatives have quietly been putting out feelers among party leaders about backing Jeanine Pirro for attorney general, The Post has learned. Albany County Independence Party Chairman...

'KONG' DIRECTOR A DIET KING - MAMMOTH FITNESS REGIMEN LEAVES HIM 80 LBS. LIGHTER

Peter Jackson has gone from a giant gorilla to a hunky monkey. The "King Kong" director shed nearly 80 pounds while shooting the monster movie remake by eating a strict...

SPARTANS SHOW GRIT - IZZO'S TROOPSBATTLE PAST BC

Mich. St. 77BC 70 Michigan State coach Tom Izzo labeled his team 'wimpy' earlier this week. The man from Iron Mountain, Mich., said he wasn't getting anything from the power...

SEAWOLVES TO STORM IN

It took all of one meeting for first-year coach Steve Pikiell to win over his Stony Brook players. "His actions stood out," said senior guard and Bronx native Bobby Santiago....

LINCOLN HAS NEW LANCE

Lincoln 113 N. Utrecht 38 Lance Stephenson used to sit in the stands in the gym at Lincoln and watch Sebastian Telfair run the point for the Railsplitters, envisioning himself...

NCAA GRID LEGENDS ARE BACKING BUSH

Southern California star Reggie Bush has dominated college football all season - even on a Tuesday morning from across the country. The buzz in the Waldorf-Astoria wasn't just about the...

SEE WEEKES WITHIN DAYS

With wins in seven of the last eight games keeping the Rangers in first place in the Atlantic Division, Kevin Weekes hasn't been missed all that much. But the goalie...

TOO SOON TO PANIC, GM SAYS

NET NOTES CHARLOTTE - To some, this is the time of year to start panicking so as to avoid the last-minute Christmas rush. The Nets insist, though, that it's just...

HERE'S TO THE WINNERS - ONE MAN'S GRID AWARDS

COLLEGE GRID NOTEBOOK The envelopes, please ... HEISMAN TROPHY: Reggie Bush, USC. Living in Chelsea, you pass hundreds of beautiful women every day. One has to be extraordinary to elicit...

RJ WARNS MATES STOP BEING WIMPS

CHARLOTTE - The Nets have been kicked around thanks to a defense as rugged as down pillows. They frequently resemble a group of guys getting together for a weekend beer-league...

MARBURY LOOKS LIKE A BACKUP

KNICK NOTES SEATTLE - Larry Brown's obsession with starting players in their hometowns continued with a flourish yesterday and it was expected to affect Stephon Marbury last night against the...

TALE OF 2 COACHES - IZZO & SKINNER RECRUIT THEIR OWN WAYS

Boston College coach Al Skinner and his Michigan State counterpart, Tom Izzo, haven't engaged in any of the recruiting skirmishes that so frequently pop up on the college basketball landscape....

HILL COULD BE HURT

St. John's star guard Daryll Hill has a bone spur in his left knee that is likely to be problematic all season and will probably require arthroscopic surgery at some...

MARBURY KEEPS ON STARTING

KNICK NOTES SEATTLE - Jamal Crawford put the kibosh on Larry Brown's starting-lineup plans that did not include Stephon Marbury. Brown said he planned on starting Crawford and Nate Robinson...

MICH. ST. & BC: A TALE OF TWO COACHES

Boston College coach Al Skinner and his Michigan State counterpart, Tom Izzo, haven't engaged in any of the recruiting skirmishes that so frequently pop up on the college basketball landscape....

LOUIS-ING PROPOSITION ; DEVILS DEFEATED AGAIN IN DETROIT

Red Wings 5Devils 2 DETROIT - The Joe Louis Jinx kayoed the Devils again. Their solace is they don't come back next season. There wasn't enough magic in John MacLean...

ISLANDERS SHOW NO MERCY VS. BLUES

Islanders 6Blues 3 ST. LOUIS - The Islanders did what they were supposed to do, played the part of the schoolyard bullies, and squeezed the life out of an inferior...

ST. JOE'S GETS SWEET REVENGE VS. KANSAS - HAWKS TOPPLE KANSAS

St. Joe's 70Kansas 67 When St. Joseph's played Kansas last season, the Jayhawks applied a 40-point whipping to the Hawks. And the way last night's Jimmy V Classic matchup started,...

CRAWFORD PUTS TORCH TO SEATTLE ; CRAWFORD PUTS TORCH TO SEATTLE

Knicks 104Sonics 101 SEATTLE - Yesterday afternoon, Seattle's Rainier Beach High named its basketball gym "Crawford Court" in honor of Jamal Crawford. Last night, he made Key Arena his court,...

BROWN: SIGNING QYNTEL WORTH THE RISK

SEATTLE - The Knicks yesterday signed a reeling reclamation project. Qyntel Woods, the 6-foot-8 athletic small forward who comes with a litany of past transgressions, claimed to be a changed...

ARMS DEALERS - BENSON, TRACHSEL, ZAMBRANO ON BLOCK

DALLAS - Met GM Omar Minaya yesterday talked with Kris Benson about the trade rumors involving the pitcher. Minaya tried to explain that this is just how the industry works...

CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT ON BERNIE DECISION

MLB NOTES Bernie Williams' future with the Yankees will be clearer by midnight, when the only club the popular switch-hitter has played for must offer him arbitration or lose him....

NO SIMPLE PLAN - CHAD'S HEALTH, SALARY CAP CLOUD JETS' FUTURE

A VOICE of NFL front office experience and reason resonated over the phone yesterday, and when the topic of the Jets was broached, he didn't sound very optimistic. "As long...

EAST OR FAMINE - DIVISION IMPROVES AS YANKS STAND PAT

DALLAS - Is the AL East passing the Yankees by? Based on how active the Red Sox and Blue Jays have been compared to the Yankees signing Kyle Farnsworth, Yankee...

PHIL-ING STRONG - JINTS ENTER EAGLE TILT AS RARE ROAD FAVORITES

IN THE past four years there was no more intimidating phrase in the NFL then when players studied their schedule and saw staring back at them "at Philadelphia." An afternoon...

ISLANDERS' ROAD LEADING TO VICTORIES

ST. LOUIS - When the Islanders first unveiled the Lighthouse Project to renovate Nassau Coliseum last year, GM Mike Milbury jokingly said the team could play an entire season on...

JOHN'S ON THE SPOT - MACLEAN ADAPTS AS DEVILS COACH

DETROIT - The $195 million team was entrusted for a second game to a man who never had been head coach of anyone over the age of 12. "Not even...

WEIRD BUT TRUE

Foiled by his fast-food fix! An escaped prisoner was caught trying to get back into Roane County Jail in Tennessee - carrying a bag containing four McDonald's hamburgers. You suppose...