July 17, 2003
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT THE BOND MARKET MELTDOWN
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amIS the bond market crashing? You may not think you care, but you do. If the price of bonds continues to go down, the already pathetically slow U.S. economy will...
BRACCO IS SET TO RENT HEARST HAMPTONS PAD
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amACTRESS Lorraine Bracco, of "The Sopranos," will be getting a little rest and relaxation in the Hamptons in August. Sources say Bracco, who plays mob boss Tony Soprano's psychiatrist, Dr....
RETAIL'S SAD SAKS - EXEC TURNOVER, WEAK SALES CHALLENGE LUXE GIANT
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amExecutive turnover and lackluster sales at Saks Fifth Avenue are raising eyebrows on Wall Street and Seventh Avenue - adding to concern that the luxury department store chain has lost...
JPM PROFITS GET HARRISON OFF THE HOOK
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amIt took nearly three years, but Bill Harrison's getting the last laugh on his Wall Street detractors. The chief of J.P. Morgan Chase might even win back some of the...
SCANDAL-SCARRED CITI'S WEILL QUITS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amLegendary Wall Street titan Sandy Weill announced he was giving up his title as CEO of Citigroup yesterday, as federal regulators gear up for a new phase of their investigation...
ROSIE, G+J HEADED FOR TRIAL
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amComedian Rosie O'Donnell and Gruner + Jahr, publisher of her now-defunct magazine, will soon be duking out their differences in court. A Manhattan judge denied motions by both the so-called...
CAPTAIN OF FINANCE DEPARTS TAINTED BY ETHICS PROBLEMS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amDespite building the nation's biggest bank and minting legend status on Wall Street, Sandy Weill's record will bear the stain of recent scandals that have besieged his company. Weill's image...
OXFORD AMERICAN SHUTS AGAIN
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amThe Oxford American - a small southern literary magazine that counts bestselling author John Grisham as a part-owner - has suspended publication for a second time in 18 months. At...
AOL FLACK A LEADING CONTENDER AT RIAA
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amJohn Buckley, the head spokesman for AOL Time Warner's America Online division, is a leading contender to become head of the Recording Industry Association of America, according to sources close...
THE NIGHT 'JOE MILLIONAIRE' BROKE DAVID KELLEY'S HEART ( ...WHILE HIS WIFE WATCHED AND LOVED IT)
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amLOS ANGELES - David E. Kelley knew "The Practice" was in trouble when his actress wife Michelle Pfeiffer couldn't resist "Joe Millionaire." Kelley, creator and executive producer of the legal...
STARR REPORT
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amBravo! 'Queer Eye' hits ratings record Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" shattered ratings records for the NBC-owned cable network Tuesday, snaring the biggest audience - of any type...
'BLOOD' BETTER READ - NOVEL DOESN'T WORK AS WELL IN THE 'FLESH'
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amFLESH AND BLOOD At the New York Theatre Workshop, 79 E. Fourth St. Telecharge, (212) 239-6200. ---- HUGE, sprawling novels seldom make good plays - precisely because they're huge and...
REACHING FOR THE STARS' WARDROBES
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amIF you've ever dreamed of owning a frock right off the runway, this weekend, you can. For Sunday's Model Citizens Tag Sale, Amber Valletta, Kirsty Hume and Shalom Harlow, among...
PARTY POLITICS - FUND-RAISER THE NEW FUN-RAISER FOR SINGLES
July 17, 2003 | 4:00am'IT'S nearly presidential primary season!" hardly sounds like a rallying cry for hip young things. But winning the youth vote is high on the agendas of presidential hopefuls, who've been...
MIDSUMMER NIGHT DREAM
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amRATINGS for Tuesday's All-Star Game held steady from last year, as Hank Blalock's pinch-homer highlighted a dramatic, come-from-behind American League victory. The game (8:40-11:15 p.m.) notched a 9.5 rating on...
ASHANTI'S STILL ON TOP
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amWEEK two for "Chapter II," Ashanti's new album, was just as good as week one. The R&B diva's sophomore effort topped the charts again, selling 135,161 copies its second week...
STRIPES WIPE
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amTHE White Stripes have postponed their tour dates through Aug. 10 after Jack White, the band's vocalist and guitarist, fractured his left finger in a car accident last week in...
'LIPS' LISA DECORATES
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amADD lippy Lisa Rinna's name to the ever-growing list of design shows. Rinna, the former "Days of Our Lives" star, will host a new Lifetime series called "Merge," in which...
OH, RAY CAN YOU SEE ME
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amNEW Yorkers are really loving Raymond on Ch. 11. WPIX's syndicated reruns of "Everybody Loves Raymond" at 11:30 p.m. beat all regularly-scheduled prime-time programming in New York - except the...
HOT YEAR FOR GOOD OL'GIRLS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amWHAT does a network do for an encore after a record-break ing reunion special? It gets another foursome from another classic sitcom and puts them together for an evening of...
SAVOR SULLIVAN STEW
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amSullivan Street divides neatly into two parts: The three blocks north of Houston are typical Greenwich Village - a few bars, along with kooky, individual restaurants and stores. But the...
HOUSE BREAKERS - HOW TO DEAL WITH THOSE MADDENING HAMPTONS ROOMIES
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amIT'S inevitable, really. No matter how strictly you screen the shares, now that it's halfway through the summer, the cracks are starting to show in your once-perfect group of Hamptons...
FALLEN NEW YORK HERO GIVEN U.S. CITIZENSHIP
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amHe made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, and yesterday, the United States made Marine Staff Sgt. Riayan Tejeda an American citizen - posthumously. It was the first time in...
HOW MEN CAN 'BEAT' CANCER
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amHere's some news that's going to make a lot of guys smile - scientists say frequent masturbation may help protect men against prostate cancer. They found that men who ejaculate...
WEIRD BUT TRUE
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amAn Idaho woman trying to bail her boyfriend out of jail was promptly arrested herself - after paying his $650 bond with a check stolen from her mother, cops say....
RACE ISSUES HAUNT COP'S SLAY-SUICIDE
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amThe NYPD lieutenant who blew away his longtime lover before fatally shooting himself had for 22 years suffered her father's race-based disapproval - which prevented the couple from marrying, police...
YOUNG GALS NICO-FIENDS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amYoung American women are alarmingly addicted to cigarettes - with 25 percent of those 16 to 24 hooked on smoking, a new study reveals. The findings also show that 65...
WITCH DOCTOR GUILTY
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amA witch doctor who claims to bring "patients" good luck by giving them pet cats and scrubbing their homes with ammonia was led out of court in handcuffs yesterday after...
THE BETTER MAN WON AND THINGS ARE FINALLY LOOKING UP
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amIt was Zero Hour to decide who would design Ground Zero's biggest building. In the end, Daniel Libeskind blinked. And the city - and the nation - will thank him...
NYPD DAILY BLOTTER
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amTHE BRONX * One of two gun-toting bandits was arrested after trying to rob a livery cabby and her passengers and getting chased by cops who opened fire on a...
SLAY-PLOT HUBBY SENTENCED
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amAn Egyptian immigrant was sentenced yesterday to two consecutive five to 15-year jail terms for plotting to kill his wife and father-in-law. Mohammed Kadry, 45, was convicted last month of...
MTA MULLING BOOTH BOOT
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amA controversial plan to shut 62 subway station booths is "under review" by the MTA after an appeals court gave the agency the green light to close them, officials said...
CITY WIPING OUT GRAFFITI: MIKE
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amMayor Bloomberg's Anti-Graffiti Task Force has wiped out more than 16 million square feet of graffiti across the city in the past year, officials said yesterday. "We are making great...
LADY CROOK SLUGS JUROR
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amIf justice is blind, it could be because of a black eye. A Manhattan pickpocket didn't like getting convicted, officials said, so she punched a female juror in the face...
300G WEDDING GOWN 1,100 GEMS ADORN BRIDE'S STUNNER
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amA mystery bride from Brooklyn will walk down the aisle in a diamond-studded wedding gown worth $300,000 - the most expensive ever worn in the United States, the designer says....
KERRY FOLLOWS DEAN'S LEAD
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amCALL him Copycat Kerry. The best proof of how Howard Dean has spooked the other 2004 Democratic presidential candidates could be found yesterday in the shrill tone of Sen. John...
GUERRILLA BATTLE IS LOOMING
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amWASHINGTON - The new U.S. commander in Iraq yesterday acknowledged for the first time that America faces a classic guerrilla war after attackers tried to shoot down a U.S. cargo...
SALSA QUEEN CELIA CRUZ SUCCUMBS TO CANCER
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amCelia Cruz, the legendary queen of Salsa, died yesterday in her New Jersey home surrounded by family and friends listening to her music. The beloved Cuban singer had been battling...
NO FOOD FOR THOUGHT AT SCHOOLS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amSummer school attendance has been atrocious - and here's one possible reason: At some schools, there's no meals for the kids who do show up. Parents are enraged that 44...
B'KLYN DEM JUDGE LIST OUT
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amAmid a district attorney's probe into how judges are nominated in Brooklyn, the county Democratic Party yesterday released its list of potential candidates for eight openings on the state Supreme...
HEY, BIG SPENDERS - PENSIONS PUT $1.4B SPIKE IN CITY BUDGET
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amCity spending has skyrocketed by $1.4 billion in the new budget, despite the severe cash crisis, according to a report released yesterday by the Manhattan Institute. The analysis found that...
POSTAL PILFERERS STAMPED OUT
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amFederal postal investigators put the lick on a stolen stamp racket yesterday, busting eight bodega and newsstand operators who allegedly made thousands of dollars from the scam over the past...
'MATRIX' TEEN'S EVIL MUSINGS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amThe lanky "Matrix" fanatic accused of hatching a plot to gun down other teenagers in a south Jersey rampage left an anti-government screed on his computer vowing to cause havoc...
DAD'S A NIGHT AL - PACINO SEEKS SLEEPOVERS WITH HIS KIDS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amIn the movies, he sent people to sleep with the fishes. Now, Al Pacino wants sleepovers. While it might be hard to picture the actor, legendary for his tough-guy roles...
GETTING THEIR KICKS - HS GIRLS WIN COURT FIGHT OVER SOCCER
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amTwo teen soccer players scored a major goal in federal court - when a judge agreed that the way Westchester high schools schedule girls soccer is sexist. Kate McCormick, of...
PENILE SYSTEM - JUDGE: YOU'LL PAY FOR KILLER'S SEX-CHANGE OP; '$NIPPY' INMATE WANTS YOU TO PAY FOR SEX CHANGE
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amPrison apparently isn't making a man out of thrill killer Mark Brooks. Brooks, serving 50 years to life in prison, is suing New York state to get a sex change...
GOOD SAM NABS SUBWAY SLASH PSYCHO
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amA straphanger in Brooklyn fearlessly nabbed a crazed, homeless man wielding two steak knives who viciously slashed another rider in the face, police said yesterday. "I tackled him on the...
CORPORATE ALLURE BLOCKS CHILDS-LIKE VISION
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amAt the height of his career, architect David Childs is a free spirit trapped in a corporate suit, friends say. On the one hand, the man who will design the...
A TOWER-ING TASK LIES AHEAD - CLASHING IDEAS AND EGOS NOW HAVE TO MESH
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amThe two world-class architects who shook hands yesterday over plans to design the world's tallest building at Ground Zero now have to face the hard part - figuring out a...
KELLY SPANKS 'DO NOTHING' BANKS OVER HEISTS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amPolice Commissioner Ray Kelly slammed the banking industry yesterday for failing to take safety measures against a tripling in the number of bank robberies. "People could get hurt," Kelly said,...
QUEEN OF SALSA CRUZ SUCCUMBS TO CANCER
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amCelia Cruz, the legendary Queen of Salsa, died yesterday in her New Jersey home surrounded by family and friends listening to her music. The beloved Cuban singer had been battling...
'DRANO BOMBS' PLUMB SCARY
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amCops are on the lookout for a new street weapons, dubbed "Drano bombs," that have injured nine people since April. They said youngsters have been shaking plastic bottles filled with...
HAMPTONS DIARY
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amRENE ZELLWEGER has gone from strutting her stuff in "Chicago" to hiding it in the Hamptons. Earlier this year, the Oscar-winning actress bought a quaint, two-story shingled house in East...
SUBWAY DRUMMER'S CRIME WAS VERY PET-TY
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amA Brooklyn drummer, grinning like a Cheshire cat, was reunited last night with his kitten, Gizmo, after the two spent nearly 40 hours in separate lock-ups. Gizmo has the remarkable...
SLAY-PLOT HUBBY GETS 2 JAIL TERMS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amAn Egyptian immigrant was sentenced yesterday to two consecutive 5- to 15-year jail terms for plotting to kill his wife and father-in-law. Mohammed Kadry, 45, was convicted last month of...
BROOKLYN GRANDMOTHER, 85, KILLED IN HIT-RUN
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amAn 85-year-old Brooklyn grandmother remembered by friends and neighbors for her energy and independence was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver yesterday in Sheepshead Bay, police said. Helena Gliksman...
KELLY SPANKS HEIST BANKS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amPolice Commissioner Ray Kelly slammed the banking industry yesterday for failing to take safety measures against the soaring number of bank robberies . "People could get hurt," Kelly said, griping...
PENILE SYSTEM - JUDGE RULES FOR KILLER'S SEX CHANGE; '$NIPPY' INMATE WANTS YOU TO PAY FOR SEX CHANGE
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amPrison apparently isn't making a man out of thrill killer Mark Brooks. Brooks, serving 50 years to life in prison, is suing New York state to get a sex change...
LAMPE HITS NEW STRIDE
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amBOSTON - Maciej Lampe looked like a different player yesterday in his third summer-league outing. The 18-year-old 7-footer finished with 21 points in 31 minutes in yesterday's triple-overtime 103-101 Knick...
WHALEY BIG SHOW AT APPLE CLASSIC
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amThe Sybase Big Apple Classic was supposed to serve as a tune-up for Suzy Whaley, who faces her moment of a lifetime next week when she takes on the men...
RATLIFF MIGHT BE ANSWER TO KNICK PRAYERS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amBOSTON - The Knicks can't use the excuse that the salary cap prevented them from signing Michael Olowokandi yesterday. The 7-foot center yesterday accepted Minnesota's $4.9 million mid-level exception in...
STIRLING'S PLAN FOR ISLES: 'EVERYONE'S GONNA PLAY'
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amSteve Stirling has not been wearing a second set of pants since he was hired as the 11th head coach in Islanders history last month, sitting on what has become...
YANKS NEED RELIEF MORE THAN HITTER
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES Deciding a reliever is a bigger need than a bat, the Yankees have put off pursuing a hitter with the hope that Nick Johnson's return can add production...
YANKS CLOSE DEAL - GEORGE APPROVES SWAP FOR ARMANDO
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amThe new bridge from Yankee starter to Mariano Rivera is a 76-inch span named Armando Benitez. What the toll for the Yankees is remains to be seen after yesterday's deal...
SCOTT'S NETS FUTURE NOT CRYSTAL CLEAR
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amByron Scott will begin next season as the Nets' coach, but beyond that is uncertain. "He is my coach, yes," Nets team president Rod Thorn said yesterday. "I'm not talking...
'LET'S GET IT ON!' - EDGY ELS SAYS IT'S TIME TO TAKE AIM AT TIGER
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amSANDWICH, England - The 132nd British Open is set up like a mouth-watering dessert following a deliriously-delicious dinner. The main course is the 72-hole competition around the demanding and quirky...
FOR METS, IT'S RELIEF AT LAST
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amDealing with the Yankees ultimately means dealing with George Steinbrenner's timetable. And while the Mets thought they had an agreement to trade Armando Benitez to the Yankees late Tuesday, they...
BENITEZ, BOMBERS A REAL ODD COUPLE
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amSLOWLY, over the past two weeks, the faction within the Yankee hierarchy that abhorred obtaining Armando Benitez evolved toward the belief that getting the temperamental closer was the move to...
MOURNING: I WANT TO WIN
July 17, 2003 | 4:00am"I want to be part of a championship." -ALONZO MOURNING --- The memory of three straight stinging playoff defeats to the team on the east side of the Hudson River...
CELTICS COACH: ZO WAS WORTH GAMBLE
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amBOSTON - The Nets beat up the Celtics in the playoffs and now are kicking their butts in the summer with the re-signing of Jason Kidd and the capture of...
DUVAL STILL SEARCHING
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amSANDWICH, England - You might remember him. He's the golfer who wears the stay-the-bleep-away-from-me wrap-around shades and sports the blond soul patch under his lower lip. He's won his share...
MONTY ON MONTY: I HAVE A SHOT
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amOPEN NOTES SANDWICH, England - There was a time when Colin Montgomerie was considered one of the favorites to win the British Open, having won the European Tour Order of...
ZO DOESN'T NEED TO BE 'THE MAN'
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amEITHER the Nets signed Alonzo Mourning, who has a kidney disease that has a strong chance of making transplantation necessary within 10 years, or likely would have lost Jason Kidd....
NYRA MYSTERY VOUCHERS KOD
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amIt hasn't rained, it's poured, when it comes to the skirmishing between various state agencies and the New York Racing Association, which yesterday cancelled the "Mystery Mutuel Voucher" promotion scheduled...
BLADERGROEN GOT NO SLEEP 'TIL B'KLYN
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amAlbuquerque native Ian Bladergroen had visited New York only once before he arrived this year to play for the Cyclones. That earlier visit was part of a road-trip with a...
YANKEES COUNTING ON REHABBING NICK
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amYANKEE NOTES Deciding a reliever is a bigger need than a bat, the Yankees have put off pursuing a hitter with the hope that Nick Johnson's return can add production...
K-MART HAS THE ANSWER FOR BEANTOWN BOOBIRDS
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amBOSTON - As Kenyon Martin took his courtside seat here at U-Mass Boston for last night's Nets' summer-league game, the Beantown fans booed heartily. Martin, in sign language, responded by...
BERGENHEIM SET TO SIGN WITH ISLES
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amFinnish center Sean Bergenheim will sign a three-year deal today with the Islanders, The Post has learned. Bergenheim, 19, was selected in the 2002 draft by the Islanders (No. 22)...
DUQUETTE: ARMANDO WAS READY FOR MOVE
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amWhen Jim Duquette called Armando Benitez last night, the conversation between the Mets' interim general manager and the erstwhile closer was brief. Benitez knew he was about to be officially...
BOMBER OR BUMMER?
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amSLOWLY, over the past four weeks, the faction within the Yankee hierarchy that abhorred obtaining Armando Benitez came to believe getting the temperamental closer was the move to make. It...
BOMBERS FINALLY OVER B'KLYN HUMP
July 17, 2003 | 4:00amThey had failed seven times before and there was no reason to believe last night would be any different. But it was. The Staten Island Yankees beat the Cyclones. Finally....