GET UPDATED WITH NYPOST.COM: THE SOURCE FOR NEWS Good morning, nelayan!
Regional News: http://web1.nypost.com/news/news.htm PATAKI GIVES BIG STEP UP TO GOP'S BIG LOSER: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37422.htm By FREDRIC U. DICKER ALBANY � Gov. Pataki proved again yesterday that failure is no bar to advancement in state Republican politics. BLOOMY PLAYS SNUBYA WITH BUSH INAUGURAL: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37428.htm By STEFAN C. FRIEDMAN Claiming his schedule is just too jampacked to let him get away for a day, Mayor Bloomberg yesterday said that he would skip President Bush's inauguration next month. CELEBS IN HIGH RESOLUTION: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37461.htm By DAN KADISON Happy New Year's ... resolution! It's that time again when folks ponder personal change and whip up a pledge or two, hoping to stick with their special oaths to make their lives better and fuller. In keeping with an annual tradition, The Post has asked some notables for their own resolutions: MULCH ADO ABOUT YOUR XMAS TREES: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37423.htm MulchFest � the Christmas tree and wreath recycling jamboree that is fast becoming a citywide tradition � will take place on Jan. 8 and 9. RIKERS BUSTS VISITORS FOR CON-JOB SMUGGLES: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37435.htm By DAVID SEIFMAN Talk about nerve! More than 300 visitors who thought they could beat the rigorous security system on Rikers Island have been arrested this year for trying to sneak in illegal items to inmates. CIVIL WAR BATTLE BREWS IN B'KLYN: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37433.htm Owners of a Civil War-era Brooklyn building started demolition without proper permits to clear the Red Hook plot for an Ikea furniture store parking lot, lawmakers and preservation groups charged yesterday. COPS BUST QNS. TEEN IN MALL MURDER: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37434.htm By ERIKA MARTINEZ, JEREMY OLSHAN and DAN MANGAN Police yesterday busted a teen in the robbery-turned-murder of 31-year-old Walter Rodriguez in a Queens shopping-mall bathroom. HOW THE NEST WAS WON: HAWKS ARE BACK: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37427.htm By HEIDI SINGER Hawk-huggers are chirping with joy now that the city's best-loved bird has started rebuilding his old nest on the ledge he occupied for more than a decade until he was evicted. B'KLYN MOM KILLS 'FIEND': http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37437.htm By JOHN DOYLE, MURRAY WEISS and JAMIE SCHRAM A Brooklyn woman was back home with her family yesterday after surviving an ordeal in which she was forced to fight for her life and the lives of her children in her own home. GRANNY 'SMACK' DOWN: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37439.htm By SELIM ALGAR A Long Island granny was busted for selling heroin from her car in the parking lot of a deli � as her 19-year-old granddaughter sat in the passenger seat. LASER AIMS AT N.J PLANE: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37446.htm WASHINGTON � The FBI, concerned that terrorists may use lasers as weapons, is investigating why laser beams were directed into the cockpits of planes � including at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey � over the last four days. 'HIT-RUN' DRIVER IN FLEE FALL: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37421.htm By BRIAN HAMACHER and ZACH HABERMAN An elderly woman was struck by a hit-and-run driver who, in a weird twist, wound up near death himself when he fell scaling a Chelsea building as he tried to avoid capture, police said. G.I.'S RELIEF ACE: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37431.htm By JENNIFER FERMINO Yankees owner George Steinbrenner signed another big check � not to an All-Star player, but to a soldier who got caught up in bureaucratic bungling after being wounded in Iraq. GOV LOSES CANAL ROUND: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37444.htm ALBANY � A state judge ruled yesterday the Legislature has the power to uncover internal memos from the executive branch � and rejected Gov. Pataki's argument that he deserves the same executive privilege employed by President Nixon during Watergate. BUS STRIKE LOOMS IN B'KLYN, QUEENS: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37447.htm Some Brooklyn and Queens commuters could start the New Year without their bus ride to work. COUSINS HELD IN ARSON SLAY: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37454.htm Two 13-year-old cousins yesterday were ordered held without bail on murder and a slew of other charges in the arson death of a Queens security guard who died in an elevator trying to get rid of a garbage fire on Christmas. KERIK FOE RIPS 'LYING' ATTORNEY: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37448.htm The former city Correction Department official who said Bernie Kerik ran a "Department of Corruption" as head of the jail system has filed a complaint against Kerik's lawyer. DRIVER'S NIGHTMARE ON THE DEEGAN: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37452.htm A man in his 30s miraculously survived this Bronx highway wreck with only a hip injury, despite his car being crushed by a tractor-trailer. 'BUM RAP' SUIT: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37453.htm By DENISE BUFFA A man who spent 20 years behind bars for murder, only to have his conviction overturned, has sued the city, saying he was wrongly busted and jailed. TIMES SQ. ALL SET FOR BRASH BASH: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37458.htm By ALY SUJO Regis is tanned and rested, the barricades are up, and the electronic sensors are scanning the air for biochemical nastiness. OPEN & SHUT: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/37459.htm Tomorrow is New Year's Day, and all city, state and federal government offices and courts will be closed. National News: http://web1.nypost.com/news/news.htm BIG BAND LEGEND ARTIE SHAW DIES AT 94: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/37440.htm THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. � Artie Shaw, clarinetist and bandleader whose recording of "Begin the Beguine" epitomized the Big Band era, died yesterday at the age of 94, the manager of his orchestra said. ANNA NICOLE OUT $89M: http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/37445.htm By GERSH KUNTZMAN Former Playboy centerfold and diet-pill spokesmodel Anna Nicole Smith lost a lot of weight � from her wallet � yesterday when a federal appeals court blocked her from getting nearly $90 million from her late oil-tycoon husband's estate. World News: http://web1.nypost.com/news/news.htm HALF A MILLION COULD BE DEAD: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37451.htm By ANDY GELLER The death toll from the Asian tsunami disaster soared to 125,000 yesterday as Indonesia discovered still more bodies on the ravaged island of Sumatra. MY WALK AMID ROWS OF DEAD: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37432.htm By DUNCAN LARCOMBE PHUKET, Thailand � In a makeshift warehouse in the heart of one of the world's most luxurious holiday resorts, the endless rows of bodies lie side by side. CHAUFFEUR IN QUEENS FEARS FOR KIN IN ASIA: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37450.htm By DOUGLAS MONTERO, JENNIFER FERMINO and CYNTHIA R. FAGEN A Queens mosque was reeling today from the terrible news that some 70 relatives of three of its members are missing or dead in the killer tsunami that hit Indonesia. WORLD CAN'T GIVE ENOUGH: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37441.htm By MARSHA KRANES Finland, a nation of only five million people, has raised an unbelievable $4 million so far. The British public has been donating a staggering $2 million an hour. HERE ONE DAY - AND GONE THE NEXT: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37449.htm By ANDY GELLER At least half the city is gone. As these dramatic photos show, the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh is a fraction of its size before Sunday's 9.0 earthquake. FRANTIC WEB SEARCH: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37442.htm By JEANE MacINTOSH Relatives desperate to find loved ones missing in the tsunami horror have turned to the Internet � posting heart-rending pleas for information and even consulting online morgues. AUSSIE MOM, SON REUNITED AFTER TSUNAMI: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37443.htm Australian Jillian Searle had to choose between her two children when she was caught in a tsunami at a Thai resort. KILLER BOOSTS ABBAS: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37430.htm By URI DAN JERUSALEM � A wanted Palestinian terrorist yesterday carried Mahmoud Abbas, the odds-on favorite to succeed Yasser Arafat, through a campaign stop in the West Bank. 149 PERISH IN ARGENTINA FIRE: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37455.htm BUENOS AIRES � A blaze in a crowded nightclub in Buenos Aires killed at least 149 people and injured another 360, police said. SAUDIS SLAY 3 TOP QAEDAS: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37425.htm RIYADH, Saudi Arabia � Saudi security forces killed three senior suspected al Qaeda members among a group of 10 militants slain in raids and shootouts this week, the Interior Ministry said yesterday. VISIONS OF IRAQ'S HELL: http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/37438.htm By NEIL GRAVES Although world-renowned cartoonist Ranan Lurie has seen plenty of battle as a participant in three of Israel's wars, none of his military experiences prepared him for the "city of corpses" � Fallujah. All Horoscopes: http://web1.nypost.com/cgi-bin/horoscope.pl ARIES The year comes to an end with your ruler, Mars, in feisty mood, so 2005 should start on an upbeat and encouraging note. However, as Mars is at right angles to Uranus, planet of surprises, you should resist the urge to make things happen because they won't turn out the way you expected. React to events as they occur. 1-900-990-7810* TAURUS Your cash-flow problems are not nearly as bad as you think they are, so resist the urge to do something drastic because it really isn't necessary. Just leave things as they are and early in the new year a solution will become available, and it won't require you to make the kind of sacrifices you are currently thinking of. 1-900-990-7811* GEMINI You may be tempted to end the year with a bang by doing something completely unexpected, either in your personal life or at work, but your solar chart warns that may not be such a good idea. The last thing you want is to start 2005 with a backlog of problems, so leave the fireworks for the Fourth of July. 1-900-990-7812* CANCER You must not let someone get away with slandering your name today. Make it your New Year's resolution to always stand up for yourself, to always fight back when others try to take advantage of your sensitive nature. It does not matter how powerful your opponent might be. You have right on your side, and that means you have nothing to fear. 1-900-990-7813* LEO You will be in a decisive mood as 2004 comes to an end, but that might not be the best thing to be. Today's Mars-Uranus aspect warns that if you act without thinking, the consequences could be disastrous, especially if there is money involved. It may not be your money, but it will be you who gets the blame, and the bill, if things go wrong. 1-900-990-7814* VIRGO A positive attitude is a must today, no matter how many regrets you may have. Every year has its highlights and its low lights, and 2004 was no better and no worse than most other years, so put your bad memories behind you and set your sights on a glorious new year. The only thing that matters is the future. Don't let the past hold you back. 1-900-990-7815* LIBRA A social occasion will be a lot of fun, but remember you have obligations this weekend, so don't indulge in too much New Year's cheer. The most important thing as 2005 gets under way is that you make a good impression on the work front, so stay fresh so you can take advantage of new opportunities, the first of which will be arriving very soon. 1-900-990-7816* SCORPIO Don't let your money situation cast a cloud over your new year celebrations. Yes, you have made a few rash financial decisions, but it's all part and parcel of the game of life, so try not to be so serious about it. Start 2005 the way you mean to go on: determined to succeed, but aware that success and failure are, ultimately, both illusions. 1-900-990-7817* SAGITTARIUS The years may change, but you stay much the same, and if people qare expecting you to mellow, they are going to be disappointed. Mars in your birth sign at the turn of the year means you will be every bit as assertive and ambitious in 2005 as you were in 2004. Just be careful you don't lose sight of your limits and injure yourself. You're not invincible. 1-900-990-7818* CAPRICORN Do you trust what other people tell you or do you go with your instincts? It might be tempting to follow the experts, but you don't need their input because deep down you already know what is the best course of action. It is only your own lack of self-confidence that is holding you back. It's time you got over that. 1-900-990-7819* AQUARIUS An abrasive-looking aspect from Mars, planet of anger, to your ruling planet Uranus warns that if you let your emotions get the best of you, the new year could start on the wrong note. Whatever your differences with certain people, this is not the time to make an issue of them. Save the fights and feuds for later. Now is the time to have fun. 1-900-990-7808* PISCES A Mars-Uranus aspect will make your New Year's party go with a bang, but it could also lead to some serious ill feeling if you forget to invite someone who was expecting to be the star guest. You are going to need this person's assistance over the coming 12 months, so don't get on his bad side before the year has even begun. 1-900-990-7809* Sports News: http://web1.nypost.com/sports/sports.shtml FINALLY! BIG: http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/37488.htm BY JOEL SHERMAN Finally. After more than a decade of pursuing Randy Johnson and particularly a past few weeks in which the 6-foot-10 lefty ace was in their grasp and then wasn't, the Yankees at last secured the top-of-the-rotation pitcher they desired. The Yanks agreed in principle to send Javier Vazquez, $9 million, Brad Halsey and Dioner Navarro to Arizona for Johnson. Arizona fancied Eric Duncan, but would have received only around $5 million had they accepted the Yanks' top prospect. UNIT A YANK: http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/37489.htm We never get to look at these trades through the innocent prism of baseball any longer. Whenever the Yankees seek to make a personnel move of any magnitude, the first thing you see is ceaseless hand-wringing. The first thing you hear is outrage. GROUND-UP RAMS ON JET MENU: http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/37477.htm LOST in the hysteria and angst over whether Chad Pennington can remember how to be Chad Pennington in time to save the season comes this heartening development out of Weeb Ewbank: NUGGETS GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR SCURRILOUS GEORGE: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37479.htm IMAGINE if George Karl had as much of an in with Nuggets' owner E. Stanley Kroenke as widespread reports seem to indicate. THESE ARE DESPERATE TIMES: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37468.htm POSTSCRIPT is prelude, dude. For example, in January ABC interrupted live PGA coverage for Terry Gannon's just-following-orders green-side interview with a hot number from ABC's "Bachelorette" show. By November, ABC's "Monday Night Football" opened with that desperate "Desperate Housewives" cross-promotion. THE BOATS ARE BACK: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37478.htm THE New York National Boat Show, which kicks off tomorrow at the Jacob Javits Center, has reached a major milestone: this will be the 100th time that the show has put boats on display for New Yorkers. TWO FOR THE SHOW: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37493.htm BY MIKE FORDE Poor college football. For the second straight year, the Bowl Championship Series messed up what should have been a glorious time for the game. STORM SHOCK 'EM: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37495.htm By LENN ROBBINS Call it what it is, the most shocking upset of the college basketball season. Down to eight scholarship players, having already lost at home to St. Francis of Brooklyn and been blown out at Niagara, St. John's stunned the college hoops world last night by upsetting 18th-ranked N.C. State, 63-45 at the Garden in the championship game of the Holiday Festival. COURT OK WITH O'NEAL ON COURT: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37494.htm By LAURA ITALIANO Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal received good news from a Manhattan federal judge yesterday � he won't have to sit on the bench for any more games for punching a fan during the November Pacers-Pistons brawl. JERMAINE DRAWS ON GOOD DEEDS: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37496.htm By DAN MARTIN Jermaine O'Neal received the news he wanted yesterday when he learned he would be able to stay on the court, his suspension stemming from the November brawl in Detroit ended at 15 games. CBS PUTS KIBOSH ON SIRIUS RADIO DEAL: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37490.htm By MIKE FORDE The Billy Packer-Sirius Satellite Radio deal that would have given Packer his own college-basketball talk show is dead. A deal was in place, and all that was needed was a blessing from CBS, Packer's primary employer. FORDE'S MATCHUP OF THE WEEK DONOVAN MCNABB VS. PEYTON MANNING: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37492.htm Donovan McNabb's Chunky Soup portfolio is getting thicker than the product he peddles. There have been a few highlights to his commercials. Our favorite has to be when his mom's reading to wide-eyed Eagles about John Elway's 98-yard drive in the 1986 AFC championship. 5 QUESTIONS FOR MARK SCHLERETH: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37491.htm This week, NYP TV Sports' Mike Forde caught up with ESPN NFL Live's Mark Schlereth. Schlereth, now an NFL analyst, also was an offensive lineman for the Broncos and Redskins during a 12-year NFL career. PIGSKIN PROFIT: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37472.htm BY LENN ROBBINS USC vs. OKLAHOMA Ch. 7 MS. CHARLEEN: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37470.htm Her goal is to finish with a winning record, but, after last week's 6-9-1 thumping by the spread, Ms. Charleen finds herself three games below the .500 mark and one game out of the cellar, with one week to go. She attempts to salvage the season with: MINNY REASONS TO PICK 'SKINS: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37467.htm Over the past nine years, The Wildcat's published pigskin forecasts have made a deep impression on the sporting world. Including the1997-2003 seasons in The Post, Cat's record in print for the period stands at 259-199 (56.6 percent) against the spread. THE ODD COUPLE: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37471.htm OK, so they finally had a losing week � but barely � as The Odd Couple (Dick Klayman & Peter Tocco) went 7-8-1 against the cursed spread. But it still gave them a six-week run of 55-37-4 and left them all alone in second place. O/U RICO!: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37469.htm Rico went 11-5 (2-2 on Best Bets) for the second week in a row on the over/unders to bring the season record to 123-115-2 (24-28). The selections for Week 17: THE FAN'S CORNER: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37466.htm By MIKE FORDE Nobody loves poor Dan Brodsky. Don't fret just yet, Dan, win a thousand bucks, you'll make a few friends. NEW YEAR'S PLAY: http://www.nypost.com/sports/37473.htm BY DAVE BLEZOW THE Jets will make the playoffs for the third time in four years, an accomplishment no matter what is to follow. The Rams can't stop the run, so Paul Hackett won't have to get creative to put up the points. He can pound Curtis Martin and LaMont Jordan, then get some passes downfield off play-action. This is one game in which the Jets actually have a coaching edge � although goofy Mike Martz somehow is 9-0 in December home games. STANTON'S THRILLED WITH NEW TEAMMATES: http://www.nypost.com/sports/yankees/37481.htm By MIKE FORDE Mike Stanton remembers the drill. Two years in a Mets uniform won't make you forget that new players are always fitted for Pinstripes this time of year. HORSESHOES WON'T BRING ELI ANY LUCK: http://www.nypost.com/sports/giants/37475.htm By PAUL SCHWARTZ Eli Manning is not going to the playoffs. Not with the Giants, of course, and not even to see big brother Peyton continue his magical season with the Colts. COUGHLIN: WORDS WILL NEVER HARM ME: http://www.nypost.com/sports/giants/37474.htm By PAUL SCHWARTZ Tom Coughlin briefly eased away from his Mount Rushmore demeanor yesterday when asked if the recent comments bashing his coaching style bothered him personally. BACKS AGAINST IT: http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/37480.htm By MARK CANNIZZARO An offense nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf" because of its prolific speed and quick-strike ability is what stands in the way of the Jets and their third playoff berth in four seasons. BECHT ADMIRES BULGER'S MOXIE: http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/37482.htm By MARK CANNIZZARO There was a time when Anthony Becht was a prolific pass catching tight end. That, however, was when the passes were being thrown by the quarterback Becht's Jets will face Sunday in St. Louis, Rams starter Marc Bulger. STEPH'S NO KIDD ANYMORE: http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/37476.htm BY MARC BERMAN IT WILL HAVE a big-game feel, a rock-'em, sock'em Saturday night at a sold-out Garden. BALLOTS BRING BAD NEWS: http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/37483.htm By MARC BERMAN The Knicks got shafted in the latest All-Star ballot returns, released yesterday, but none more so than emerging starting center Nazr Mohammed. VINCE KNOWS THE ROAD TO KIDD'S HEART: http://www.nypost.com/sports/nets/37498.htm By FRED KERBER To keep Kidd? Win. Win lots. That's Vince Carter's simple formula to insure that Jason Kidd wants to stay a Net. CARTER COUNTRY: http://www.nypost.com/sports/nets/37497.htm By FRED KERBER There were scalpers in the parking lot � which at the Meadowlands rates with the frequency of UFO landings this season. Yes, there were people at a Nets game � 20,174, more than had ever witnessed a Nets home game. Gossip: http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/gossip.htm : http://web1.nypost.com/gossip/pagesix.htm DIANA SPURNS MAKEUP MAKER By Richard Johnson DIANA Ross, already known as a diva-with-a-capital-D, is doing nothing to dispel her reputation with her recent behavior with M.A.C. Cosmetics. : 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 HeadlineManhattan Times Square New Year�s Eve CelebrationTimes Square New Year�s Eve Celebration will be taking place at 42nd Street.Time: December 31, 2004, 5:00 PM to January 1, 2005, 3:00 AMLocation: 42nd Street - Time Square AreaClosures:34th Street to 59th Street between Seventh Avenue & Broadway and all cross streets will start to close at 5:00 PM, December 31, 2004All areas will be closed from 7:30 PM, December 31, 2004 to 2:00 AM, January 1, 2005Times Square area will remain closed until approximately 3:00 AM, January 1, 2005.Sixth Avenue & Eighth Avenue will close as needed. Expect 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 30 mph on SSP-EB: 19 to 20Under 30 mph on Southern State Parkway eastbound Exit 19S/N to Exit 20S/N Nassau County Under 30 mph on SSP-EB: 23 to 24Under 30 mph on Southern State Parkway eastbound Exit 23 to Exit 24S/N Nassau County Under 30 mph on SSP-EB: 25A to 27Under 30 mph on Southern State Parkway eastbound Exit 25A to Exit 27S/N Nassau County Under 20 mph on SSP-WB: 26 to 25AUnder 20 mph on Southern State Parkway westbound Exit 26 to Exit 25A Nassau County Under 20 mph on SSP-WB: 22 to 21Under 20 mph on Southern State Parkway westbound Exit 22S/N to Exit 21S/N 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/37407.htm BUFFETT PROBED By HOLLY M. SANDERS The widening insurance-industry scandal has reached legendary investor Warren Buffett, long-regarded as an icon of integrity in corporate America. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway empire revealed yesterday that securities regulators have requested information from its General Re unit about insurance policies that might be used to smooth out earnings volatility. TECH BUZZ: APPLE PLANNING INEXPENSIVE PC: http://www.nypost.com/business/37404.htm By SUZANNE KAPNER The tech world is abuzz with reports that Apple is preparing to introduce an inexpensive personal computer, with a price tag below $600, at its trade show later this month. LAME DUCKS & YOUNG TURKS: http://www.nypost.com/business/37414.htm Big names got in big trouble in 2004. Martha Stewart began her jail term, Michael Eisner lost the chairman's job at Disney, and John Mack was sent packing by Credit Suisse First Boston. JOBLESS RATE FELL LAST WEEK: http://www.nypost.com/business/37413.htm The number of Americans filing initial unemployment claims unexpectedly fell last week, signaling the U.S. job market may be strengthening heading into the new year. HEALTHSOUTH TO PAY $325M: http://www.nypost.com/business/37416.htm HealthSouth Corp., the largest U.S. operator of rehabilitation hospitals, agreed to pay $325 million to settle charges it overbilled Medicare, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement. Real Estate: http://web1.nypost.com/realestate/index.htm HOME SELLS FOR $45 MIL.: http://www.nypost.com/realestate/37300.htm By BRADEN KEIL EXCLUSIVE An estate in the Hamptons has sold for $45 million - the highest price ever paid for a residence in New York state. Entertainment: http://web1.nypost.com/entertainment/entertainment.htm THANK HANK: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37462.htm By MARY HUHN STILL haven't made plans for tonight? Here are some last- minute indie music options to keep you out of Times Square. ORBACH LAID TO REST TODAY: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37463.htm 'LAW & Order" star Jerry Orbach will be laid to rest today following a private funeral service in New York open only to close friends and family members. IT'S LIKE NO OTHER STORY: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37464.htm By DON KAPLAN LIKE a slow-motion car acci dent, news of the tsunami is attracting more and more people to TV as the grim reality of the death and destruction sinks in. THE WORST IDEAS OF THE YEAR: http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/37465.htm Bad ideas are one of the most endearing things about watching TV. Sitting at home wondering what in heaven's name were they thinking when some network trust-fund baby said: "You know who would be great on 'Saturday Night Live'? Ashlee Simpson - that girl's a trooper." 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 WHY BE A PURIST? GIVE YOUR NEW YEAR'S TOAST A FRESH TWIST: http://www.nypost.com/living/37428.htm By SARA STEWART CHAMPAGNE doesn't have to go naked anymore. Sure, traditionalists will argue the only way to toast the New Year is with a simple, elegant flute of the bubbly stuff. A BASH FOR NOT A LOTTA CASH: http://www.nypost.com/living/37429.htm By CYNTHIA KILIAN WHEN 2004 collides with 2005 Saturday morning, you can bet there'll be lots of horn-blowing ushering in the new year. But if blowing lots of moolah to revel in festivities at a club or restaurant is a tradition you'd sooner pass on this holiday, maybe it's time to throw a bash of your own. Lottery Results: http://web1.nypost.com/lottery/lottery.htm NEW YORK Midday Numbers Thu.: 215 Midday Win-4 Thu.: 9679 Evening Numbers Thu.: 612 Evening Win-4 Thu.: 3228 Pick-10 Thu.: 4, 7, 11, 16, 18, 19, 21, 24, 29, 37, 38, 40, 41, 49, 50, 51, 66, 69, 72, 78 Take-5 Thu.: 3, 14, 15, 21, 31 NEW JERSEY Pick-3 Thu.: 374; Pick-4 Thu.: 6066 OAS_AD('Middle'); //--> Cash-5 Thu.: 11, 20, 23, 26, 29 Pick-6 Thu.: 7, 11, 18, 30, 33, 38 CONNECTICUT Play-3 Thu.: 435; Play-4 Thu.: 7531 Cash-5 Thu.: 17, 19, 28, 32, 33 Opinion: http://web1.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/opedcolumnists.htm RUSSIA'S RUSH TO DESTRUCTION: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/37405.htm By LINDA SEEBACH AS Ukraine celebrates, Russia sinks further into darkness and de spair. FORGET POLITICS � SAVE LIVES: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/37406.htm By MICHAEL A. FUMENTO YOU'VE seen the horrific images of walls of water rushing up beaches, sweep ing away everything � and everyone � in its path. You've seen the dead piled up like cordwood, wounded survivors and persons collapsing upon hearing their entire family has vanished. Alas, you may not have seen the worst. DREAMS FOR THE POOR: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/37408.htm By GEORGE F. WILL ANGELA Jobe, 38, is a grand mother who has lived most of her adult life at ground zero of the struggle to "end welfare as we know it." At about the time candidate Bill Clinton was promising to do that � in autumn 1991 � she boarded a bus in Chicago, heading for Milwaukee, lured by Wisconsin's larger benefits and lower rents. Unmarried, uneducated and unemployed, she already had three children and eight years on welfare. 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 Oscar Ballots in the Mail Kit Bowen -- Hollywood.com Staff Nomination ballots for the 77th Academy Awards were mailed over the past week to the 5,808 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the AMPAS announced Monday. Completed ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m. on Jan. 15, 2005. Style: http://web1.nypost.com/style/style.htm To modify your account settings go to: http://www.nypost.com/useradmin/useradmin.htm To unsubscribe, go to: http://www.nypost.com/newsletter/unsubscribe.htm
