GET UPDATED WITH NYPOST.COM: THE SOURCE FOR NEWS Good morning, nelayan!
Regional News: http://web1.nypost.com/news/news.htm FEWER COPS SLAIN IN '04: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37312.htm The number of police officers killed while on duty this year is less than the decade-long average. CROOK WITH A HEART: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37325.htm By JAMIE SCHRAM, MARK BULLIETT and CYNTHIA R. FAGEN A gun-toting Brooklyn mugger apparently had a soft spot for a hard-luck story when he broke down and let his pleading victim keep two sentimental rings � then gave him $20 for cab fare to get home. LAUTENBERG MAKES BID TO SACK STADIUM: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37315.htm By STEFAN C. FRIEDMAN The federal government has for the first time been asked to jump into the debate over the proposed West Side stadium, as New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg yesterday raised questions about the project in letters sent to two agencies. BABY FACTORY: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37317.htm By STEPHANIE GASKELL Oh, baby! Maimonides Medical Center has delivered the most babies of any hospital in the city, according to newly released figures from the Department of Health. JB STATION REBUILDS GET ON TRACK NEXT MONTH: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37314.htm By CLEMENTE LISI Plans to rehab two transit hubs in lower Manhattan are rolling forward with construction slated to start next month on the Fulton Street Transit Center and the new South Ferry Terminal, officials said. NEW SHOCKER IN VELELLA RELEASE: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37326.htm By DAVID SEIFMAN He's back behind bars now, but Guy Velella got the sweetest deal of any felon freed from Rikers Island by the little-known Local Conditional Release Commission. MIA MIKE RETURNING TO WORK: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37311.htm After being absent from public view for nearly four days � possibly in the Bahamas for at least part of the time � Mayor Bloomberg returns to action today. GUARD'S KIN FACE FUNERAL STRIFE: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37327.htm By ERIN CALABRESE and DAN MANGAN The family of a Queens security guard who was burned to death on Christmas Day is struggling to pay for the father-of-four's funeral. MAN, 41, DIES IN S.I. CRASH: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37332.htm A 41-year-old man was killed in a car crash near the Snug Harbor Cultural Center in Staten Island last night, cops said. LIZA CANS SHOWS AFTER SOUSED SPILL: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37342.htm By DAREH GREGORIAN Liza Minnelli's fall from bed has proven to be a real show-stopper. Injuries from what a police source said was a drunken fall in her Upper East Side apartment on Monday have forced the troubled singer to cancel her big-bucks New Year's Eve show in Miami. AUTHOR SONTAG DIES: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37321.htm By GERSH KUNTZMAN Susan Sontag, whose essays on everything from photography to genocide to politics made her a leading leftist intellectual of the 20th century, died yesterday of leukemia. She was 71. INVADERS STAB, ROB B'KLYN REV.: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37324.htm A Brooklyn clergyman was stabbed and critically wounded by three or four men who attacked him in the Flatbush home from which he runs his church. GOTTI JAIL BREAK: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37320.htm By DAREH GREGORIAN Peter Gotti is going back to the hoods. The goodfella who's had a very bad year finally got a break yesterday when a judge sprung him from solitary confinement and ordered him to go back into the general prison population. B'KLYN MAN KILLS BOOZE BUDDY: COPS: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37331.htm By ZACH HABERMAN A few drinks among friends turned deadly when a 38-year-old man was viciously stabbed inside his Brooklyn apartment yesterday by a neighbor who admitted to his family that he did "something bad," police sources said. BIRD FLAP OVER WTC: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37334.htm Animal lovers are worried that the Freedom Tower will turn out to be a giant death trap for birds. GOV. RELL SET TO LEAVE HOSP: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37346.htm Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell was resting comfortably yesterday, a day after breast-cancer surgery. JUDGE OKS CON DEATH DECISION: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37340.htm NEW LONDON, Conn. � Convicted serial killer Michael Ross is mentally competent to make the decision to die, a Superior Court judge ruled yesterday. BX. MOM HOLIDAY HORROR: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37344.htm By NICK SOMMERLAD and DAN MANGAN A pregnant Bronx nurse died with her young son and four others when their crowded car plunged 75 feet off a cliff into a reservoir during a holiday trip in her native Jamaica, authorities said. MA SLAIN AS GIRL CRIES, 'MOMMY, WAKE UP': http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37345.htm By HEIDI SINGER and ZACH HABERMAN A Queens woman was shot and killed in front of her horrified child in her apartment, and police want to question a 19-year-old with whom she had an ongoing dispute, authorities said. CLUB SHOOT TWIST: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37343.htm By MURRAY WEISS A Queens man whose notorious brother was implicated in a massive rap-industry murder and drug probe was one of two ex-cons shot outside a Manhattan nightclub after a party for hip-hop megastar Ja Rule, sources say. LIGHTS GO OUT ON VERRAZANO: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37347.htm A malfunctioning feeder cable last night caused a power outage on Staten Island that knocked out the lights on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, officials said. TIMES SQ. SET TO SPARKLE: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37349.htm By IKIMULISA LIVINGSTON One hundred years in the making, Friday's New Year's Eve bash in Times Square will include Olympic athletes, comedy, poetry, jukebox tunes and a live MTV performance. L.I. TEEN CHARGED IN PLOT TO KILL STEPDAD: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37341.htm By SELIM ALGAR A Long Island teenager whose boyfriend is charged with killing her abusive stepfather last year turned herself in to cops yesterday as they prepared to arrest her for her alleged role in the gruesome crime. National News: http://web1.nypost.com/news/news.htm FEDS IN SLAP AT DRUGMAKER: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/37333.htm WASHINGTON � Regulators have criticized drugmaker Novartis over the company's alleged failure to provide timely reports on experimental medication. POP.-UP NATION: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/37339.htm By ALY SUJO Boom! Boosted by immigration and a new American being born every eight seconds, the nation's population grew by nearly 3 million in 2004, the Census Bureau said yesterday. HOMELAND DEPT. FUNDS 'WASTED': http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/37309.htm WASHINGTON � Homeland Security Department money doled out to shore up the nation's ports has been flushed away on low-priority problems, the agency's departing watchdog says in a new report. WOMAN, 55, BEARS TRIPLET GRANDKIDS: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/37316.htm RICHMOND, Va. � A 55-year-old woman, acting as a surrogate for her daughter, gave birth to triplets yesterday. FEDS OK 'SNAIL VENOM' FOR PAIN RELIEF: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/37322.htm WASHINGTON � A synthetic form of a sea-snail venom was approved yesterday by the Food and Drug Administration as a novel approach to treating severe, chronic pain. 'WOMB-RIPPER' WANTS PUBLIC DEFENDER: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/37318.htm KANSAS CITY, Mo. � A woman accused of killing an expectant mother and cutting the baby from her womb asked for a public defender yesterday during a court appearance. NASA: WE'VE FIXED FATAL SHUTTLE FLAWS: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/37335.htm WASHINGTON � In a major step toward resuming launches of the space shuttle, NASA officials said yesterday they have completed improvements that will prevent the falling-debris problem that destroyed the space shuttle Columbia and killed seven astronauts. World News: http://web1.nypost.com/news/news.htm APOCALYPSE GETS WORSE AS EPIDEMIC MAY DOUBLE DEATH COUNT: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37329.htm By ANDY GELLER Thousands of additional bodies were found in Indonesia yesterday, raising the death toll from the killer Asian tsunamis to about 68,000, as health officials warned that an equal number could perish from diseases like cholera and malaria. MIRACLE OF THE LITTLE BOY LOST & FOUND: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37328.htm By LEONARD GREENE AMID the destruction that has rav aged Southeast Asia, miracles have given weary victims hope. QUAKE LIKE A MILLION A-BOMBS: EXPERTS: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37319.htm By RICH CALDER and BRADEN KEIL The gargantuan earthquake that unleashed deadly tsunami waves in Asia was so powerful that it was nearly equal to the force of 1 million atomic bombs, scientists estimate. MODEL CAN'T STOP CRYING FOR BEAU: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37323.htm By JENNIFER FERMINO Jet-setting supermodel Petra Nemcova "can't be consoled" about boyfriend Simon Atlee, who was swept away when the tsunami struck their Thailand bungalow. RELIEF AND GRIEF FOR N.Y.-AREA FAMILIES: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37330.htm By TATIANA DELIGIANNAKIS, SELIM ALGAR & MARSHA KRANES The tsunami was "worse than anything you see on the news." That's how Brian Kennedy, a 59-year-old survivor from Connecticut, described the huge tidal wave to his family and friends in e-mails from Thailand. 'STINGY' FUROR: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37310.htm By MARSHA KRANES An irate Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday fired back at a U.N. official who called the United States "stingy" when it comes to providing humanitarian aid to countries in need. FAMED ACTOR'S GRANDKID IS KILLED: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37313.htm British actor and film director Richard Attenborough's 14-year-old granddaughter died in the tsunami disaster and his daughter and her mother-in-law are missing, a family friend said yesterday. QAEDA 'FATWA' ON SHIITE BIG: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37337.htm DUBAI � A group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said yesterday it had targeted Iraqi Shiite leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim in a car bombing that killed 13 and warned of more attempts on his life. 54 KILLED IN LATEST IRAQ TERROR: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37348.htm BAGHDAD, Iraq � A powerful blast killed at least 29 people � including seven cops who were raiding a suspected terrorist safehouse in western Baghad, authorities said today. All Horoscopes: http://web1.nypost.com/cgi-bin/horoscope.pl ARIES You don't have to do anything out of the ordinary to get yourself noticed - you just have to be yourself. More than most signs, you have that indefinable something that marks you as someone special - a leader, a creator, a unique personality. If you want to move up in the world, keep doing what you're doing, only better than ever. 1-900-990-7810* TAURUS If you have not yet started planning your next vacation, now would be a good time to begin. The sun in the travel sector of your chart will broaden your horizons and point you in directions you might not have considered before. Generally speaking, the further you are prepared to go, the more you will enjoy yourself when you get there. 1-900-990-7811* GEMINI Just because you do not get along with someone on a personal level does not mean you cannot work with him on a professional level. In fact, because you have such different personalities, you may make a very good team - each of you can cover ground the other wants nothing to do with. Opposites sometimes go well together. 1-900-990-7812* CANCER There is no point trying to do everything yourself, not when there are so many people you can call on for assistance. You have worked extremely hard in recent weeks, but you cannot keep up this pace forever, so reach out to those you can trust and spread the load a bit. The best thing you can do today is learn to delegate. 1-900-990-7813* LEO If you must do something energetic today, at least make it something you enjoy. You have done enough good deeds for other people, now do a good deed for yourself. Planetary activity in the most dynamic and creative area of your chart urges you to devote yourself to the pursuit of pleasure, at least for the next 48 hours. 1-900-990-7814* VIRGO If you have been thinking about making changes in your domestic situation, now is the time to move on to the next stage and actually start making them. Mercury, your ruler, in the family sector of your chart, will help you to persuade partners and loved ones that it's time for a new approach. You're going to need their support and assistance. 1-900-990-7815* LIBRA Even if you are the kind of Libran who prides yourself on not getting angry, you will have a hard time controlling your temper today. The simple fact is, someone deserves to be bawled out, and if you don't do it, he will get the impression hey can get away with this kind of behavior at will. Go on, raise your voice. 1-900-990-7816* SCORPIO According to your solar chart, others are deliberately making things look worse than they are. Why they would want to do that is anyone's guess, but the important thing is that you do not allow yourself to be influenced by them. Life is what you make of it, and as the new year approaches, you should be making plans and looking forward, not back. 1-900-990-7817* SAGITTARIUS If you rush things today, you will make mistakes, so slow down, watch where you are going and make sure you get the little things right. That might sound boring, but if the alternative is having to go back and do it all again at a later date, then boring is what it must be. You're a Sagittarius - you'll make up for it later. 1-900-990-7818* CAPRICORN Life is too short to waste it on things you don't like and on people whose personalities rub you the wrong way. According to the planets, the only reason you are still in your present location is because you have a misplaced sense of obligation to certain individuals, but you have done your bit and paid your dues, so pack your bag and leave. 1-900-990-7819* AQUARIUS You don't have to be the life and soul of the party every day of the week, and at some stage today you will want to disappear for a while. You don't have to ask anyone's permission: Just get up and go some place where you can switch off your brain and get back in touch with that part of your nature that lives deep inside. 1-900-990-7808* PISCES There is no point arguing with people who obviously do not want to listen and learn. You have offered them the benefit of your experience and they have thrown it back in your face, so now they are on their own. There are people out there who value your friendship and they are the people you need to be with today. 1-900-990-7809* Sports News: http://web1.nypost.com/sports/sports.shtml THINK BIG: http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/37382.htm By JOEL SHERMAN A new year is near, with the Yankees in an old position � again on the brink of obtaining Randy Johnson. In a series of intensified phone calls, Yankee President Randy Levine and Arizona incoming chief executive Jeff Moorad yesterday cherry-picked pieces of the three-team trade that Los Angeles doomed last week at the 11th hour, infuriating the Yankees. MAYBE AMAZIN'S CAN SWIPE CARLOS FROM BOSS' GRASP: http://www.nypost.com/sports/mets/37379.htm GEORGE Steinbrenner loves Randy Johnson. He likes Carlos Beltran. Is there a big enough gulf between that fixation and fondness for the Mets to exploit it and steal Beltran? PLAYOFFS - OR ELSE - FOR JETS: http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/37376.htm THE JETS like to remind us of the small progresses they make, the way the culture in Hempstead is so much better than it used to be. They seem proud as hell to win 10 games. They seem delighted at the prospect of making the playoffs for a third time in four years. HACKETT'S TRYING TO AVOID AX: http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/37375.htm THE TIME has finally come for Paul Hackett's last stand. After nearly four seasons of frustration, curiosity and angst associated with the Jets' often confounding offense, it's going to take the Jets going deep into the playoffs with a dramatic improvement on offense along the way for Hackett to save his job for another year. ANCHORS STAND OUT AT ARMORY: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37381.htm By JOSEPH BARRACATO With over 5,000 athletes from more than 150 tri-state-area high schools participating in the Marine Corps Holiday Classic at the Armory Track and Field Center, it's pretty hard to stand out. But that's exactly what Kevin Tschirhart of Northport (L.I.) and Ciara Blue of Woodrow Wilson (Camden, N.J.) did yesterday as anchors of their respective and victorious relay teams. ROBERTS LIVING THE DREAM: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37384.htm By LENN ROBBINS In the days leading up April 13, when he was hired as St. John's coach, Norm Roberts found himself musing about living out one of his professional fantasies. LIONS ROAR BEFORE FALLING TO WOLFPACK: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37383.htm By DAN MARTIN Julius Hodge returned to New York last night believing that he and North Carolina State would be able to overwhelm Columbia. CAP CONTROL: http://www.nypost.com/sports/giants/37371.htm By PAUL SCHWARTZ With no first-hand evidence, with only the grim results on the field and the unyielding reality of the tape machine, Tom Coughlin a year ago marched in and saw fit to reconfigure the Giants roster. SEND 'EM PACKING?: http://www.nypost.com/sports/giants/37386.htm With one game remaining in another lost Giants season, it's not too early to speculate on who stays and who goes. Here's a look at a selection of veterans who make the most money, with their 2005 salary and the 2005 salary cap cost of cutting them: SPREE'S FINISHED 'DOLAN' OUT TRASH: http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/37378.htm By MARC BERMAN Latrell Sprewell plans to be on his best behavior tonight. A-hem. A-hem. Sprewell is downplaying tonight's Timberwolves game at the Garden. He's ready to beat the Knicks again and get out of Dodge as quietly as possible. NO LONGER DOUBTIN' THOMAS: http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/37377.htm By MARC BERMAN KNICK NOTES Under-appreciated Kurt Thomas is quietly having an excellent season, perhaps becoming the most consistent Knick and taking himself off the trading block. NETS RUN BY BULLS: http://www.nypost.com/sports/nets/37385.htm By FRED KERBER CHICAGO � It doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to be artistic. It just has to be effective and successful. KIDD RIPS SKILES AS 'BACKSTABBER': http://www.nypost.com/sports/nets/37380.htm By FRED KERBER NET NOTES CHICAGO � Time heals all wounds. Yeah, right. Net All-Star Jason Kidd last night blasted his former coach Scott Skiles, whom he still blames for having him traded from Phoenix. Kidd recently referred to Skiles as a "backstabber." With Skiles now coaching the Bulls, Kidd was asked by the Chicago media to explain his comment. He did so with a gallon of venom. Gossip: http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/gossip.htm : http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/pagesix.htm IVANA BOOTS BEAU FROM ROOM By Richard Johnson THE tranquility of Aspen's exclusive Little Nell hotel was shattered by a late-night screaming match between Ivana Trump and her boyfriend, Rosano Rubicondi. : http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/cindy.htm TRAGEDY HITS HOME By Cindy Adams MY past days have been spent trying to track blond, deliciously beautiful 21-year-old Anna Fitzgerald. Smack in the path of that horrific tsunami, she and her sister Katie, 19, were vacationing on tiny Phi Phi island off Phuket. They're daughters of my friends Steve and Nicky Fitzgerald who run C.C. Africa in six countries, which constitutes Africa's largest safari operation. : http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/liz.htm IT IS CHRIST'S DAY By Liz Smith 'MERRY CHRISTMAS" � I know those Christian-sounding words ought to feel odd coming from my lips � I'm a third-generation atheist of Jewish ancestry and I'm almost evangelical in my lack of faith. But they feel fine. 'Merry Christmas!' " Weather: http://weather.nypost.com NEW YORK , NY Get the extended forcast here from the New York Post.: http://weather.nypost.com Traffic: http://traffic.nypost.com/ metrocommute HeadlineExpect delays at La Guardia, JFK & Newark airportsExpect delays on airline service in La Guardia, JFK and Newark Airports due to extra volume of Holiday travel and new security measures. Please arrive 2 hours early and call your airline carrier for more information on schedules and delays. metrocommute DelayNassau County Under 20 mph on SSP-EB: 16 to 19Under 20 mph on Southern State Parkway eastbound Exit 16N to Exit 19S/N Nassau County Under 20 mph on SSP-EB: 21 to 26Under 20 mph on Southern State Parkway eastbound Exit 21S/N to Exit 26 Nassau County Under 20 mph on SSP-EB: 27 to 28Under 20 mph on Southern State Parkway eastbound Exit 27S/N to Exit 28S/N Nassau County Under 20 mph on SSP-WB: 32 to 31Under 20 mph on Southern State Parkway westbound Exit 32 to Exit 31 Nassau County Under 20 mph on SSP-WB: 23 to 22Under 20 mph on Southern State Parkway westbound Exit 23 to Exit 22S/N Nassau County Under 20 mph on SSP-WB: 20 to 18Under 20 mph on Southern State Parkway westbound Exit 20S/N to Exit 18 metrocommute Special EventNew Jersey Disney On Ice @ Continental Airlines Arena; Jan 25 - Jan 30Disney On Ice Presents "Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey" at the Continental Airlines Arena from Jan. 25 to Jan. 29. Audiences will be transported straight from their seats into the magical worlds of Disney's Lilo & Stich, The Little Mermaid, 101 Dalmations and Peter Pan. Expect delays on the Garden State Parkway, Route 34, 35, 36 and 520. Before and after the event. Doors will open around 2 hours before show. Please arrive early due to new security checks. Manhattan Knicks @ Madison Square Garden thru November & DecemberThe Knicks host at the Madison Square Garden in the months of November & December. Expect some extra traffic on 7th Ave., 8th Ave., and in the west 30s, 2 hours before the game, after the game.*Please arrive early due to new security checks*Opponents, dates and times of games are:Atlanta Hawks, Nov. 23, 7:30 PMToronto Raptors, Nov. 27, 1:00 PMMemphis Grizzlies, Dec. 01, 7:30 PMOrlando Magic, Dec. 03, 7:30 PMDenver Nuggets, Dec. 12, 12:00 PMDetroit Pistons, Dec. 15, 8PMUtah Jazz, Dec. 19, 3PMDallas Mavericks, Dec. 21, 7:30PMCharlotte Bobcats, Dec. 26, 1PM Manhattan Radio City Christmas Spectacular @ Radio City Music Hall; November 23 thru January 2The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the world-famous Rockettes, returns to Radio City Music Hall, November 23, 2004 thru January 2, 2005 Be a part of this American tradition and enjoy such show-stopping scenes as the "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers", and the majestic "Living Nativity." Also, witness Santa's return to the Music Hall through an exciting 3-D sleigh ride. Expect delays on 5th, 6th and 7th Avenue between 48th Street and 51st Street and on Broadway starting around 2 hours before and after the show. Please arrive early due to new security measures and for parking. Visit thegarden.com site for information on showtimes.: http://www.thegarden.com New Jersey New Jersey Nets @ Continental Airlines Arena in JanuaryThe New Jersey Nets play at the Continental Airlines Arena in the month of November. Expect some extra traffic on the NJ Turnpike, Route 3, Route 17, and Route 120, starting about 2 hours before, and again after the game.*Please try to arrive early due to new security checks. Opponents, dates and times of games are:Indiana Pacers, Dec. 30, 7PMGolden State Warriors, Jan. 7, 7:30PMDetroit Pistons, Jan.11, 7:30PMMilwaukee Bucks, Jan 18, 7PMBoston Celtics, Jan.21, 7:30PM Manhattan All Access Tour @ Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden�s� All Access Tour allows fans to get an insider�s view of the inner-workings of The World�s Most Famous Arena�, providing them with little-known information and rarely seen viewpoints on the legendary showplace. Visitors taking part in the �All Access� one hour tour become a part of one of the busiest and most exciting sports and entertainment facilities in the world and are treated to a host of unique experiences. Visit the Knicks, Rangers and Liberty locker rooms; tour backstage of the Theater at Madison Square Garden; go inside the Star dressing rooms; learn how a basketball court becomes a sheet of ice; witness all the seldom seen build-up to a live event � players practicing, performers in production, casts in rehearsal or crews staging events! You�ll never know what you�ll see on the All Access Tour. Expect some extra traffic on 7th Ave., 8th Ave., and in the west 30s Business News: http://web1.nypost.com/business/business.htm : http://www.nypost.com/business/37274.htm RENTAL BLOCK BULLY'S BLOCK By PAUL THARP Blockbuster is getting mad. The leading video rental chain vowed yesterday to streamroll over all its rivals with a hostile $1 billion bid in about two weeks to acquire the No. 2 video chain, Hollywood Entertainment. OIL TYCOON SLAMS PUTIN FROM SLAMMER: http://www.nypost.com/business/37282.htm A tale of oil billions, a politically-charged power struggle and a jailed tycoon is turning into a modern-day "The Count of Monte Cristo" � Russian-style. VINCE FEVER HITS KNICKS COUNTRY IN HUGE NIKE AD: http://www.nypost.com/business/37263.htm By HOLLY M. SANDERS Vince Carter has landed � in New York. With just one game under his belt after being traded to the New Jersey Nets, the NBA superstar will loom large in a Nike bulletin board to be unveiled this week in Herald Square � a block away from Madison Square Garden, home of the rival Knicks. TW NEARS MOUSE AT BOX OFFICE: http://www.nypost.com/business/37264.htm Time Warner Inc. may reclaim the No. 1 U.S. ranking in movie box-office receipts from Walt Disney Co. this year, bolstered by the December release of "Ocean's 12." COURT OKS LIONEL LOANS: http://www.nypost.com/business/37273.htm Lionel LLC, a model train maker since 1900, can continue to use loans from PNC Financial Services Group Inc. and General Electric Co. through Jan. 31 while it seeks new financing, a U.S. judge ruled. The $36 million in loans from PNC Bank and General Electric's Business Capital unit were to expire Dec. 31. ADELPHIA OFFERS $300M TO SEC: http://www.nypost.com/business/37283.htm By HOLLY M. SANDERS Bankrupt Adelphia Communications has offered $300 million to settle long-running federal investigations, and it indicated that potential proceeds from a lawsuit against its founding family would fund a chunk of that cost. OIL PRICES RISE AGAIN: http://www.nypost.com/business/37285.htm Crude futures rebounded slightly yesterday, following a 6 percent drop the day before on forecasts calling for warmer weather in the United States, which eased worries about tight supplies of winter fuel. CITIGROUP SEEKS OK TO SUE TWO PARMALAT UNITS: http://www.nypost.com/business/37265.htm Citigroup has asked a Manhattan judge for permission to sue the Ecuador and Paraguay units of insolvent Italian food company Parmalat Finanziaria SpA to recover money it says it is owed. NO BULL ABOUT THIS BLDG.: http://www.nypost.com/business/37277.htm By LOIS WEISS ARTIST Arturo Di Modica sculpted the Wall Street Bull, which he is now trying to sell for over $5 million with the provision it remain in Battery Park, where it has become a tourist attraction. SAY BUY, BUY: http://www.nypost.com/business/37284.htm By SUZANNE KAPNER Consumer confidence soared in December to its highest level in six months, amid signs of an economic recovery, including an improved labor market. RETAILER TO SHUTTER 150 STORES, CUT 2,000 JOBS: http://www.nypost.com/business/37286.htm Wet Seal said yesterday that it would close 150 stores, about one-third of its total, and eliminate 2,000 jobs, in a sweeping restructuring designed to keep the troubled retailer afloat. SHOPPERS BOOST MARTS: http://www.nypost.com/business/37288.htm Happy shoppers help marts rally, dollar dip Stocks rose after a measure of consumer confidence climbed to the highest since July, boosting retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The dollar fell to a record against the euro, and Treasuries were little changed. EX-BANK TO PAY OWNERS $30M: http://www.nypost.com/business/37262.htm CHICAGO � The Pritzker family, which co-owned a suburban Chicago bank that failed three years ago, appears set to receive tens of millions of dollars in a settlement involving the bank's collapse. TASER EXPECTS SALES TO RISE: http://www.nypost.com/business/37266.htm Taser International Inc., the biggest maker of stun guns, expects demand from consumers and foreign buyers to boost sales, President Thomas Smith said yesterday. FEDS OUT TO SEIZE EX-RIGGS VP'S $$: http://www.nypost.com/business/37289.htm WASHINGTON � Federal lawyers are seeking to seize nearly $1 million and property owned by Simon Kareri � a one-time senior vice president at Riggs who managed the bank's African and Caribbean embassy clients � arguing that the assets are tied to money laundering. US AIR: WORK FOR NOTHING: http://www.nypost.com/business/37287.htm By PAUL THARP Hoping to avoid more wrecked holiday travel, US Airways is urging its workers to come to work for free on their days off this New Year's weekend. Real Estate: http://web1.nypost.com/realestate/index.htm TUNNEL VISION ON WEST ST.: http://www.nypost.com/realestate/37299.htm By STEVE CUOZZO TEMPERATURES are rising Downtown over Gov. Pataki's proposal to build an $840 million West Street tunnel that would sink the six-lane highway under a landscaped median. Entertainment: http://web1.nypost.com/entertainment/entertainment.htm EXIT THE STAGE: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37308.htm By MICHAEL RIEDEL THE theater lost some pretty major figures this year. To commemorate these lives, I rifled through The Post's archives in search of reviews and profiles that were published at the beginning or at key moments in their careers. NEW YEAR'S BABIES: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37304.htm By DON KAPLAN CALL it the new broad casting battle of New Year's Eve. With perennial ABC holiday host Dick Clark on the mend from a stroke, a new generation of broadcasters � including Ryan Seacrest on Fox, Anderson Cooper on CNN and Carson Daly on NBC � will take a shot at becoming the new face of New Year's Eve, with no less than six networks boasting live coverage originating from Times Square. 'O'REILLY FACTOR' RULES CABLE NEWS: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37305.htm By DON KAPLAN FOX News Channel dom inated the cable news ratings in 2004. Of the most-watched cable news shows of the year, CNN's only entry to crack the top 10 was "Larry King Live" � once the most popular cable news show on TV. 'EVERYBODY LOVES' POKER: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37307.htm RAY and Robert are going for the flop. Ray Romano and Brad Garrett, who play brothers on the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," have been tapped for Bravo's "Celebrity Poker." CAROL LEAVES SOAP IN TEARS: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37303.htm By MICHAEL GILTZ CAROL Burnett would go to the ends of the earth for "All My Children," her favorite soap pretty much since the day it debuted in 1970. 'IDOL MAGAZINE' TO LAUNCH BEFORE SHOW: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37306.htm MOVE over Tiger Beat � "American Idol" the magazine is slated to launch next month. PRAY FOR A SHORTER VERSION: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37271.htm By LINDA STASI There's something about documentary filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond that causes people to come out of the closet. Maybe the cameras make the participants want to do something - anything - to show that the mundane lives they lead aren't really as excruciatingly boring as they seem. Movie Reviews: http://web1.nypost.com/movies/movies.htm WITH 'GOOD' GRACE: http://www.nypost.com/movies/37276.htm By LOU LUMENICK IN GOOD COMPANY A star is born in "In Good Company," which showcases Topher Grace in a consistently funny comedy about business ethics that cuts fairly deep for a mainstream Hollywood comedy. NIXON FICTION: http://www.nypost.com/movies/37281.htm By V.A. MUSETTO THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXONDECADES before Sept. 11 � during the final days of the Nixon administration, to be exact � a distraught American man tried to hijack a jetliner and crash it into the White House. TOO MANY VERSES IN 'LOVE SONG': http://www.nypost.com/movies/37275.htm By LOU LUMENICK A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONGYOU know it's Oscar sea son when stars like John Travolta go gray, sport a potbelly and start playing disheveled characters who drink their breakfast out of a bottle. NEW CONTEXT, SAME IFFY PLOT: http://www.nypost.com/movies/37280.htm By LOU LUMENICK THE MERCHANT OF VENICENOT even a compelling performance by Al Pacino as Shylock can make "The Merchant of Venice" work in its first major big-screen adaptation. Lifestyle: http://web1.nypost.com/living/living.htm SNOW PROBLEM: http://www.nypost.com/living/37128.htm By JULIA SZABO Pretty soon, snowy weather will transform sidewalks into crunchy carpets of ice-melting rock salt. DR. MICHAEL FOX: http://www.nypost.com/living/37130.htm DEAR DR. FOX: As a regular reader of your column, I often see your advice that yearly vaccinations of our pets into old age is ill-advised. However, I have yet to see mention of that other medication vets routinely prescribe for dogs � monthly heartworm preventative. Some of these are geared strictly toward parasites such as hookworm, and whipworm. The newest targets these parasites as well as fleas and deer ticks. I do not want to put my two small dogs at risk, but I don't want to ply them with unnecessary drugs. What is your recommendation on monthly heartworm medications? I live in an area with mosquitoes, and my dogs are out with me for walks and play for an hour a day. � Lottery Results: http://web1.nypost.com/lottery/lottery.htm NEW YORK Midday Numbers Mon.: 676 Midday Win-4 Mon.: 7163 Evening Numbers Mon.: 099 Evening Win-4 Mon.: 4040 Pick-10 Mon.: 4, 7, 11, 16, 23, 24, 29, 30, 39, 41, 42, 49, 57, 61, 62, 64, 66, 74, 78, 79 Take-5 Mon: 4, 8, 18, 32, 35 OAS_AD('Middle'); //--> NEW JERSEY Pick-3 Mon.: 370 Pick-4 Mon.: 9391 Cash-5 Mon.: 10, 13, 30, 34, 37 Pick-6 Mon.: 1, 2, 23, 33, 34, 42 CONNECTICUT Play-3 Mon.: 022 Play-4 Mon.: 2486 Cash-5 Mon.: 9, 10, 18, 22, 26 Opinion: http://web1.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/opedcolumnists.htm OSAMA'S NIGHTMARE: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/37261.htm By RALPH PETERS MONDAY'S message from Osama bin Laden told us what he fears: a vote. Condemning any Iraqi who goes to the polls as an infidel, the terror master hopes to derail the elections. He knows that every ballot cast is a defeat. SHOOTING BLANKS: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/37260.htm By JOHN R. LOTT JR. THIS month the National Academy of Sciences issued a 328-page report on gun-control laws. The big news is that the academy's panel couldn't identify any benefits of decades-long effort to reduce crime and injury by restricting gun ownership. The only conclusion it could draw was: Let's study the question some more (presumably, until we find the results we want). Celebrity Photos: http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/celebp/index.htm : http://www.nypost.com/gossip/celebp/12232004/photo01.htm December 23: 'The Aviator', 'Fat Pig' premieres:Liz Hurley, Leonardo Dicaprio, Cate Blanchett, Gisele Bundchen, Kate Beckinsale, Keri Russell, Josie Maran, Nicky Hilton, Famke Jansen...: http://www.nypost.com/gossip/celebp/12232004/photo01.htm Movie News: http://web1.nypost.com/entertainment/movies/news/news.htm Box Office Analysis, Dec. 27: ''Fockers'' Meets With Huge Success Kit Bowen -- Hollywood.com Staff Christmas was good to the Fockers. The comedy sequel Meet the Fockers opened huge at the box office this Christmas weekend, raking in a hefty $44.7 million, while Fat Albert, a film adaptation of the popular '70s cartoon show, debuted in second with $12.7 million. 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