Chris Young talks with Yankees about return to Bronx: sources

Chris Young could end up staying in The Bronx.

The outfielder, who signed with the Yankees in August after a disastrous stint with the Mets that led to his release, has talked with the Yankees about a new deal, sources confirmed.

The right-handed hitting Young provided some depth in a lefty-heavy outfield that figures to feature Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and the switch-hitting Carlos Beltran next season — if Beltran stays healthy enough to play the field.

Not much went right for Young after he signed a one-year, $7.25 million contract with the Mets last offseason, and he was cut loose in August and picked up by the Yankees, with whom he salvaged part of his season.

He got back to the majors in September and helped prolong the Yankees' spot in the playoff race with several key hits.

After ending with a .630 OPS with the Mets, Young had an .876 OPS, albeit in just 79 plate appearances, in pinstripes.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teachers at 2 of city’s worst high schools will have to reapply for jobs

Teachers at two of the city's worst performing schools will have to reapply for their jobs in a deal between city and state education officials and the teachers union.

School officials, principals and union officials will review staff at Boys and Girls HS and Automotive HS starting in January 2015 to determine if they will remain at the school beyond next year.

Mayor de Blasio said the city would work to give each school their "best shot at success."

Union leaders said the agreement was not unprecedented — teachers at two dozen failing schools had to reapply for their positions in a 2012 deal with the state.

The schools are among 94 failing institutions that the mayor pledged to improve over the next three years.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nets’ Johnson happy Arkansas pal Fisher is coaching Knicks

Joe Johnson might have been happy to beat Derek Fisher on Friday night, but he also is happy about his fellow Arkansan's new job with the Knicks.

"You got two country boys from Little Rock, Ark., who are from the big city and enjoying life," Johnson said after the Nets' 110-99 win over the Knicks at Barclays Center. "I wish no ill will on him, man. That's my guy."

Johnson, who scored 18 points, said he first noticed Fisher when he was drafted by the Lakers in 1996.

"I was still in high school and he used to come back and used to play in this league back home," Johnson said. "I used to play in it, even though I was a young cat. It was him, Corliss Williamson, Scotty Thurman, all those guys on the same team. …"I just had fun going up there and watching them play. I had a chance to meet [those guys] and It was a dream come true for me."

Johnson, like Williamson and Thurman, went on to star at Arkansas before being drafted 10th overall by the Celtics in 2001.

---

Deron Williams spent time playing with — and against — Fisher during his long and successful NBA career, and always thought he would wind up doing exactly what he is now.

"When he was playing, when I played with him, he was a coach on the floor," Williams said. "I always thought that Fisher would make for a great coach if he decided to go that route."I'm excited for him, and I'm happy for him."

Fisher spent the whole 2006-07 season with the Jazz, helping Williams lead Utah to the Western Conference Finals, before going back to the Lakers for another four seasons and two more championships.

Now, Fisher is trying to install the triangle offense — something Williams got used to during his days with the Jazz and his many run-ins with the Lakers — with the Knicks.

Williams admitted he hasn't seen much of the Knicks so far this season, but he does think that they have the perfect player to install the system around in Carmelo Anthony.

"The triangle is the triangle, no matter how you do it," Williams said. "I'm sure there's going to be a lot of similarities, a lot of stuff is going to be done on the elbows, and they have some big men that can pass themselves.

"I think it's having a system and having the right players in that system, because everybody can't run every system. When you have the triangle, you need a player like Carmelo Anthony, a guy people can play off of and play around and get around the elbow area, kind of like Kobe Bryant. So when you have a scorer like that, that's the main part of the triangle offense and you play off of him."

---

Kevin Garnett passed Walt Bellamy for ninth in NBA history in rebounds. Garnett, who had four points and five rebounds in 13 minutes, now has 14,243 career rebounds. … Rookies Cory Jefferson and Markel Brown were inactive for a third straight game.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rapper shocked his song dragged into legal battle on LI

A hip-hop pioneer was stunned to learn that his 1984 song "Roxanne, Roxanne" was at the center of an explosive legal war between a pair of Long Island library staffers.

"Before, we had to worry about mediating hip-hop beefs in the streets," Kangol Kid told The Post. "Now, we have to worry about them in libraries. That's crazy."

Riverhead Free Library director Joy Rankin allegedly told underlings to only hire black and Latino job applicants to right historical wrongs committed against them, according to a lawsuit.

When business manager Diana Woodcheke objected, Rankin branded her as the haughty "Roxanne" from the UTFO tune.

Kangol, saddened by the role his song played in the dispute, offered to trek out to the small East End branch to hash out a peace treaty between Rankin and Woodcheke.

"Hopefully, we could work something out," he said.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Why return to Seattle brings back bad memory for Giants’ McAdoo

SEATTLE — If someone can smile and cringe simultaneously, that's what Ben McAdoo did when the Giants' first-year offensive coordinator was reminded Sunday's game will be his first time back for a game in Seattle since …

"Mayhem,'' McAdoo recalled.

The last time McAdoo was in CenturyLink Field was Sept. 24, 2012, when, as the quarterbacks coach, his Packers lost to the Seahawks 14-12 in what will forever be referred to as the Fail Mary game. With the NFL referees' lockout ongoing and replacement officials working the game, the Packers led 12-7 when Russell Wilson, from the Green Bay 24-yard line, rolled to his left and, with eight seconds remaining, lobbed a desperation pass into the end zone, where five defensive backs and two Packers receivers were all jammed together.

Safety M.D. Jennings and receiver Golden Tate leaped for the ball, both got their hands firmly on it and both crashed down in the end zone as time expired. Lance Easley, the replacement side judge, immediately signaled touchdown, ruling the two players had dual possession. Derrick Rhone-Dunn, the replacement back judge, waved his arms over his head, signaling to stop the clock. The call went to replay and the touchdown was upheld, setting of a wild celebration by the Seahawks and dazed and confused anger by the Packers.

The NFL later defended the touchdown call, but said Tate should have been called for offensive pass interference for blatantly shoving cornerback Sam Shields to the ground.

"You know what I remember about that game, the Packers organization did such a great job keeping composure, 'cause there was some very fiery personalities and some things at the end of the game.'' McAdoo told The Post. "You learned a lot going through that," McAdoo told The Post. "It tests you.''

Up in the press box, as Wilson's pass floated in the air, McAdoo took off his headset to begin heading down to enter what he figured would be a happy Packers locker room.

"Boy, words can't describe what you're going through at that point in time, but we were shocked,'' he said. "We thought at some point they were going to go back and wipe it off and say 'No, Packers win the game.' But it didn't quite happen that way.We felt like we certainly didn't want to leave it in the hands of the officials and that's how we got by it. It fueled us for a little while and we ended up playing well after that. Boy, but that was a challenge.''

McAdoo said he recalled the name of the replacement official who made the call but "I'm not gonna say his name, though.'' Two days later, the NFL reached a settlement with the real officials.

Through it all, McAdoo said he kept reasonably calm.

"I was composed,'' he said. "Do I look like a guy on the sideline who is not composed?''

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Human Rights chief fired after Letitia James demands new head

In an unusual move, Mayor de Blasio is replacing the head of the city's Commission on Human Rights — one day after getting a strongly worded letter from Public Advocate Letitia James attacking her and demanding she be fired.

James charged in a letter dated Wednesday that Patricia Gatling was overseeing a "moribund" operation that hasn't been aggressive in rooting out discrimination.

Just 24 hours later, the mayor's office pronounced Gatling a goner.

"This administration is unequivocally committed to fighting discrimination in any form and safeguarding the dignity of every New Yorker," a mayoral spokesman said Thursday when asked for a response to James' letter.

"CCHR plays an essential role in enforcing the city's Human Rights Law, and we will name a new commissioner in the near future."

Gatling, a former assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, has kept a relatively low profile since being named human-rights chief by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2002, and has never been called out before for her performance.

While in office, Bloomberg dismissed demands that he fire a commissioner — his child-welfare chief, John Mattingly.

"You can rest assured he'll be around for the next 1,121 days," Bloomberg had declared in December 2010.

In her letter to de Blasio, James described the human-rights agency as a disaster — a stinging charge against an administration that has positioned itself as a defender of minorities and the poor.

"By failing to act on the complaints it receives and aggressively pursue its own investigations, the New York City Commission on Human Rights is hurting the most vulnerable among us," she wrote.

"We respectfully request that you act immediately to appoint a new commissioner with an aggressive vision."

The letter, first reported by the New York Observer, was co-signed by eight groups, including the Legal Aid Society, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and Bronx Defenders.

James accused Gatling of being ineffective, saying that of the 4,763 inquiries the Commission on Human Rights received in 2013, probable cause for discrimination was found in only 428 cases.

James also said that despite its power to levy fines of up to $250,000, it assessed total fines of only $193,500 in the entire year.

Betsy Herzog, a spokeswoman for the commission, insisted Gatling had been planning to go long before James demanded her head.

"She was notified a little over a month ago," Herzog said. "She's continued to serve faithfully."

The letter came as de Blasio was facing criticism from black elected officials and law-enforcement leaders over the abrupt resignation of Chief of Department Philip Banks III, who was the force's highest-ranking black official.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Librarian fired after refusing to discriminate against whites: suit

An old-school rap battle broke out at a Long Island library, when the director used lyrics from a classic track to diss an underling who refused to discriminate against white people, according to a new lawsuit.

Diane Woodcheke, 46, says her boss, Joy Rankin, at the Riverhead Free Library pointedly quoted the 1984 rap track "Roxanne, Roxanne" by UTFO after Woodcheke protested her edict to hire minorities.

Woodcheke, who is white, said she suspected the words were a taunt because the library atmosphere had grown tense when she told Rankin discrimination was illegal.

Woodcheke — who is not a fan of old-school rap music — first thought Rankin was quoting Sting.

"She kept repeating it, calling me 'Roxanne, Roxanne,' " Woodcheke, 46, said. "At first I thought she was talking about the Police song ["Roxanne"] and was calling me a prostitute or something.

"But I Googled it and found out it was this UTFO group and that she was basically calling me a bitch!"

With "Roxanne, Roxanne," the Brooklyn group rapped about a "stuck up" woman who rebuffed their advances.

"Roxanne, Roxanne, I want to be your man," goes the chorus of the song, which caused several rap response songs from various artists in what became known as the "Roxanne Wars."

Joy Rankin

Woodcheke says this latest battle in the war led to her firing after she balked at Rankin's demand that only minorities be hired.

Woodcheke said Rankin — who is African-American — gave the order because "my people have been kept down," according to the an administrative lawsuit filed with the New York State Division of Human Rights that seeks unspecified damages.

In addition to the rap taunts, Rankin started reducing Woodcheke's responsibilities and eventually fired her for losing passwords to library accounts, according to the suit.

Rankin did not return a request for comment.

"Discounting people simply because of their race is the very definition of racism," said Woodcheke's attorney, Vesselin Mitev.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Was Azealia Banks new album worth the wait?

Azealia Banks first announced her debut album would be called "Broke With Expensive Taste" in early 2012. In the time since, Apple have released five different iPhones, Egypt has had four different heads of state, even the world's most famous bachelor George Clooney got married. But still, Banks and her album were nowhere to be seen.

The Harlem girl definitely took her time but after finally releasing the "Broke With Expensive Taste" without warning on iTunes on Thursday afternoon, she has finally revealed just what she's been doing for all this time. The answer is, a hell of a lot, and most of it has been worth waiting for.

Her debut is not just an album by the latest hip-hop wannabe, it's a stylistically schizophrenic collection by an artist who is tuned into almost every genre of music you can imagine. It's no wonder Banks' record deal with Interscope (who were originally meant to release the album) fell through, because there's no telling what she's likely to do next.

Over the course of 16 tracks, the 23-year old touches on UK garage beats during "Desperado," glitchy electro with "Idle Delilah," Southern trap on "Bbd" and even brings in a dissonant, techno-punk spirit to "Heavy Metal And Reflective" which captures her rapping like a hip-hop cyborg. There's even a cover of psychedelic pop-pervert Ariel Pink on the '60s, girl-group tribute "Nude Beach A Go-Go." It's one of the album's few throwaway moments, but nevertheless underlines how excitingly fearless Banks is.

Lyrically, Banks has retained the amusingly bitchy and often downright filthy lip that made the world take notice (especially on the breakthrough single "212" featuring Lazy Jay which is included on the album). The shade she throws on "Wallace" is not for the easily-offended but will leave the rest of us sniggering like teenagers, while the Latin rhythms of "Gimme A Chance" is where Banks reveals that she's almost as confident when rapping in Spanish as she is in English.

There's never any time to get comfortable on "Broke With Expensive Taste"; Banks seems to know that we've been waiting and now, she's repaid our patience with a white-knuckle ride inside the mind of an ambitious and over-stimulated young lady. Maybe kids these days don't have attention spans, but listening to this, you'll start to wonder if that's actually a bad thing.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Disney stock falls 2.5%

Walt Disney stock fell 2.5 percent in after-market trading Thursday as investors missed the magic that normally accompanies quarterly reports from the Mouse House.

For its fiscal fourth quarter, Disney's $0.86 earning per share fell two cents short of the consensus — enough to send the stock down to $89.75 per share after ending the day's trading session at $92.

Revenue nonetheless managed to beat expectations — $12.4 billion reported versus $12.37 billion anticipated — in a quarter driven by Disney's studio entertainment segment, which posted an 18 percent increase, to $1.8 billion, over the year-earlier quarter.

Chairman and CEO Bob Iger appeared so pleased with the performance of Disney's studios he announced plans to increase the number of big-budget "tentpoles" to 21 over the next three years.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

SEC hits Detroit suburb with fraud charges over studio plans

Lights, camera, SEC action!

So ends a Hollywood Dream that was supposed to shore up the sagging economy of a Detroit suburb — and turn Motown into a motion-picture mecca capable of taking on Tinsel town.

But instead of attracting fanfare and film fests, two former civic leaders of Allen Park, Mich., were hit Thursday with civil fraud charges.

The two — the first municipal officers ever hit with such charges — led a $31 million muni bond offering that gave investors bogus information about the chance of the project's success and misstated the city's financial condition, the Securities and Exchange Commission said.

The SEC announced the fraud charges as it settled the suit against former Mayor Gary Burtka and former City Administrator Eric Waidelich, who together dreamed up
$146 million facility with eight sound stages and an ambitious retraining program.

The move project once seemed ideal for laid-off auto workers who wanted to re-invent themselves as grips, best boys and gaffers.

Those were just some of the 3,000 skilled and non-skilled union jobs that Allen Park's Unity Studios was to add to an area with a 15.9 percent unemployment rate in the wake of Chrysler's and General Motors' bankruptcies.

More than 80 full-time managerial jobs were promised, too.

Unity Studios began as a Public Private Partnership (PPP), consisting of Allen Park, the Hollywood producer Jimmy Lifton and a private real-estate developer.

The plan, announced in April 2009, called for Allen Park to use bond proceeds to buy land it would donate to the PPP.

The developer would then commit $20 million to begin construction on the 104-acre site, while producer Lifton managed the project and rounded up additional investors.

The plan started unraveling the next month, however, when Allen Park faced a $2 million deficit in its fiscal budget for 2010.

Lifton offered to cover the deficit — only in his mind the $2 million was to be a "capital repayment," whereas the city administrator saw it as a "financial gift," according to the SEC.

It scarcely mattered, initially, because it was legally determined the city's bond proceeds could not be used to purchase land it would then turn around and donate to the PPP.

This effectively collapsed the PPP, as the city no longer met requirements for its membership.

It also freed the developer from his $20 million obligation to the project.

Lifton got out his commitment, too, which left Allen Park with the same $2 million deficit the Hollywood producer was supposed to make disappear.

By August 2009, the SEC said, Allen Park's plans for Unity Studios were reduced to having Lifton lease a mere 100,000 square feet on the site to run a vocational school.

According the SEC, none of these setbacks appeared in November 2009 documents aimed at selling bonds to finance Allen Park's studio.

Lifton, who currently runs a post-production studio in Burbank, did not return requests for comment.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nets’ Hollins interviewed with Timberwolves in offseason

When Jason Kidd flew the coop this summer to coach the Bucks, Nets general manager Billy King quickly responded by hiring Lionel Hollins to replace him as the team's head coach two days later.

But, in an alternate universe, Hollins already could have been working elsewhere , had the Timberwolves — one of several teams, including the Lakers, that spoke to Hollins this offseason — worked out a deal with him.

That didn't happen, though, and part-owner and team president of basketball operations Flip Saunders returned to the sidelines to coach the team instead, a decision Saunders said he made because of the uncertainty at the time surrounding the status of superstar forward Kevin Love.

"We talked a lot about it," Saunders said before his Timberwolves beat the Nets 98-91 in Brooklyn. "I think Lionel is a great coach. … But that whole thing was because of the Love situation. There was too much of the unknowns. Lionel, he's a team who took a team to a conference finals, I thought that he was going to go to a veteran type team, and I couldn't guarantee him that would be this type of team.

"I wanted to hire a coach that knew what we had, and since we didn't know what we had, we went in a different direction, but he was one of the two or three guys that we talked to and seriously considered."

Hollins didn't seem too interested in discussing the situation.

"We did the interview," he said. "They hired somebody else. That's where it went."

Though Saunders was glad to be back on the sidelines with the Timberwolves, he said he was happy that Hollins wound up in a good situation with the Nets with the Nets.

"Things happen for a reason, and Lionel's in a great situation here," Saunders said. "He's got great ownership, Billy King is a great president of basketball operations, this is a great city. … Who wouldn't want to coach in Brooklyn or New York City? This turned out to be a great situation for him."

---

Garnett's 25 minutes against the Timberwolves pushed him past 49,000 for his career. Garnett, playing his 20th season, is fifth all-time in minutes played in NBA history, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Jason Kidd and Elvin Hayes.

When asked before the game if his former star pupil could become a coach in the future, Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders didn't hesitate with his response.

"No," Saunders said with a smile. "What he could be is he could be a good consultant, short-term stuff.

"He's got great knowledge, and he'd be great working with players. But his frustration … he gets frustrated pretty easy. That would be pretty tough on a coach.

"He might be a short-term guy, but it's not because of lack of knowledge. His personality, his DNA, he'd get too frustrated.

---

Before the game, the NBA's Trainers Association honored longtime Nets trainer Tim Walsh with the Joe O'Toole Athletic Trainer of the Year award. The award is given annually for exemplary achievement or for outstanding service to the organization.

Walsh, in his 15th season with the Nets, previously earned the honor for the 2003-04 season. He was presented with the award by Gregg Farnam, the Timberwolves' trainer and the president of the NBATA.

"We are pleased to honor Tim with this award," Farnam said in a statement. "His service and dedication as athletic trainer for the Nets exemplifies the goals and standards of the NBATA."

Walsh also has spent three seasons with the Magic and 13 seasons as an assistant trainer with the Knicks.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prigioni exits with sprained right ankle, says it’s ‘not too bad’

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Say it ain't so, Pablo.

Knicks backup point guard Pablo Prigioni suffered a sprained right ankle late in the second quarter of the Knicks' 98-95 loss Wednesday to the Pistons after stepping on the foot of Brandon Jennings and his availability for the back-to-back against Brooklyn and Atlanta on Friday and Saturday is very much in doubt.

Prigioni crumpled to the court and stayed down for more than a minute. He limped badly off the court, to the locker room, helped by trainer Roger Hinds. X-rays were negative, but

Prigioni didn't return.

"Not too bad,'' Prigioni said as he limped to the bus after the game. "Let's see tomorrow.''

Prigioni said he wouldn't rule out playing against Brooklyn, but it seemed highly unlikely. The Knicks can't afford to lose Prigioni for any length as starting point guard Jose Calderon is already out another couple of weeks with a calf strain, leaving inexperienced Shane Larkin as their lone healthy point guard. Larkin committed a key turnover with 38 seconds left to mute the Knicks' comeback.

Nevertheless, the Knicks committed just nine turnovers and notched 25 assists, leaving Derek Fisher hopeful. Because the triangle uses a two-guard set, Fisher said he thinks the Knicks can survive having only one true point guard on the roster. Iman Shumpert was forced into a lot of point guard duty.

"I've played point guard my whole life,'' Shumpert said.

---

Amar'e Stoudemire was back on the bench to start, giving Jason Smith his first start at the revolving power-forward position, alongside Samuel Dalembert. Smith scored 17 points — all in the first half, as his mid-range jumper was on fire. He finished 7-of-11.

Fisher was matching up with Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy's decision to put his big frontcourt together for the first time in Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe and Josh Smith, who defended Carmelo Anthony and was a pitiful 2-of-17 himself.

The Anthony-Smith-Dalembert frontline was expected to be the starting frontcourt entering the season opener. The Knicks have now used three different starting power forwards in five games.

But Fisher is more concerned with having Stoudemire (15 points after a slow start) back with the second unit.

Fisher used Quincy Acy for 13:42 after he chose to rest him in the Wizards' loss. Acy is battling a strained wrist, but his inflammation went down.

---

Van Gundy said Tim Hardaway Sr. has been helpful in scouting the Knicks with his son on the club. But Tim Hardaway Jr. erupted for a season-high 20 points (4-of-7 from 3-point land) in 26:43.

"It is interesting,'' Van Gundy said. "You certainly don't see it very often. I talked to Doc Rivers coaching against his son, Austin. I'm sure it will induce some emotions. He knows the players on that team, but they're doing stuff totally different. But it was his scout [game] and he's done a good job.''

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mom picking kids up at school hit by stray bullet

A Brooklyn woman on her way to pick up her kids at school Wednesday afternoon was hit by a stray bullet, cops said.

Safia Bibi, 35, was walking to PS 253 in Brighton Beach at about 2:30 p.m. when someone at nearby William E. Grady HS started firing in a dispute, police sources said.

Bibi, struck on the arm, was treated at Lutheran Hospital.

"How do high-school students at Grady have a gun?" Bibi said ­afterward. "Does school staff not know what the students are carrying in their bags."

Apparently, no one else was hit, and no arrests had been made.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

NY breaks lowest voter turnout record in governors race

New York voters shattered a record in Tuesday's elections — but no one's going to be bragging about it.

This record is for the lowest turnout in a New York gubernatorial election in the modern era.

Only 3.7 million people bothered to go to the polls — the fewest since the state Board of Elections began keeping precise tallies in the 1970s.

That means only about one-third of the state's 10.8 million active voters filled out ballots to re-elect Gov. Cuomo.

"That's unbelievably low, extremely low," said political consultant Bruce Gyory. It's the first time the vote has dipped below 4 million, said board spokesman John Conklin.

The previous low point came in 1990, when 4.2 million people elected Mario Cuomo — the current governor's dad — to a third term over little-known Republican Pierre Rinfret and Conservative Party rival Herb London.

Tuesday's turnout was particularly dreadful in New York City — accounting for 27 percent of the total state share, down from 30 percent in 2010, according Gyory's analysis.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Daily Blotter

Bronx

He stole brews, they got bruised.

A man who boosted three beers from a Parkchester bodega joined his pals in beating up and robbing two men who tried to stop him, cops said.

The suds swiper grabbed a bottled beer from a case in the Hathash Deli on White Plains Road near Guerlain Street at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, and walked out without paying, authorities said.

The 26-year-old clerk and his 21-year-old friend gave chase. But the suspect and three of his buddies jumped the victims in front of the store, police said.

During the scuffle, one suspect slashed the victims' faces with a razor before the thugs fled with the victims' cellphones, according to cops. Both victims refused medical attention.

---

The man who allegedly gunned down a rival at a birthday party in University Heights was arrested Tuesday for a possible act of vengeance, sources say.

The alleged killer, 19-year-old Carlos Ramirez, and victim Jordany Correa, also 19, were at the birthday bash on Loring Place North near West Fordham Road late Saturday night when Ramirez abruptly left the party, sources said.

Just after midnight, Ramirez returned to the apartment, rang the doorbell and, when Correa answered, opened fired, cops said.

Correa was shot several times in the chest at close range and died at St. Barnabas Hospital.

Ramirez may have had a beef with Correa over the beating of Ramirez's cousin, who was seriously hurt in the same apartment the night before the shooting, sources said.

Ramirez was charged with murder and possession of a criminal weapon, authorities said.

---

A man returning to his Clermont home from a corner store was shot in both legs by an assailant, authorities said.

The 22-year-old victim was walking along East 173rd Street near Clay Avenue at 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 11 when the gunman approached and opened fire, police said.

The victim was struck twice in the right leg and once in the left leg.

He was treated and released from St. Barnabus Hospital.

The suspect is about 20 years old and 5-foot-9, police said.

Brooklyn

This guy started Halloween early.

A thief in a ski mask stuck his hand into a man's pocket and fled with cash and a cellphone at about 4 a.m. Oct. 31, sources said.

The 36-year-old victim told police he was outside his apartment on Hewes Street near South Fourth Street in Williamsburg when the crook walked up to him and reached for his valuables, the sources said.

The victim tried to get away but the thief whipped out a blade and slashed his target's leather jacket, police said.

The mugger fled with the cellphone and a wallet, which contained $40 and a few credit cards.

Manhattan

A fashion-loving felon used a wine bottle to break the front display window of the Louis Vuitton in Soho and ran off with a pricy handbag, sources say.

The suspect smashed the glass storefront and grabbed the $5,150 purse from the display shelf of the Greene Street shop at around 1:45 a.m. Sunday.

A suspect description was not immediately available.

A thief ran off with a 2015 high-powered Italian motorcycle after its owner parked it in Hudson Square over the weekend, sources say.

The 29-year-old owner left the 1400 Ducati on Charlton Street near Hudson Street at around 6 p.m., Thursday.

He returned at around 7 p.m. Sunday to discover that his black motorcycle had been stolen.

No arrests had been made as of Wednesday.

---

A thief took more than $1,300 worth of scarves from a Burberry store in Soho.

The suspect took the scarves from a shelf and put them in her purse at around 5 p.m. Saturday at the Spring Street shop, sources said.

No arrests had been made as of Wednesday.

Staten Island

A ski-masked crook tried to rob a Clifton gas station at gunpoint, then pistol-whipped the attendant when he refused to give up his cash, authorities said.

The bandit walked over to the 60-year-old employee at the Gulf gas station on Vanderbilt Avenue near Targee Street at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 19, flashed a gun, and demanded money, according to cops.

When the gutsy worker refused, the thug beat him with his weapon before running, off police said.

The victim suffered pain and swelling but escaped major injury.

The suspect is about 6 feet tall with a thin build.

He was wearing a black-and-white striped hoodie.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Church’s closure could be the end of its treasured murals

A Midtown church slated to close as part of a massive shakeup by the Archdiocese of New York is a veritable art museum filled with dozens of stunning murals painted by a world-renowned artist — and parishioners fear the treasured works could be lost forever.

Our Lady of the Scapular and St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church in Kips Bay is adorned with 45 works by Constantino Brumidi, who spent years working to capture the essence of Christ in the more-than-150-year-old church.

"They are absolutely wonderful," said the church's pastor, the Rev. Robert Robbins. "It's really sad."

The Italian-born painter is most famed for his murals painted in the dome of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.

St. Stephen's collection includes the largest Brumidi painting in the world, said Robbins — a towering mural above the altar that depicts Christ's crucifixion.

And Christ's final hours are depicted in in the Stations of the Cross a series of detailed Brumidi paintings that surround worshippers along the church's walls.

The Archdiocese of New York — which spans three boroughs and several upstate counties — announced this week that it will restructure 112 of its 368 parishes by merging many together and closing down 31 churches completely.

Robbins said he will be taking over three parishes that will merge into a nearby church next year after St. Stephen's closes along with 30 others throughout the archdiocese, which spans three boroughs and several upstate counties.

"The history of that church goes back to 1848," he said, adding the church had the largest parish in the United States just before the turn of the 20th century.

But like so many other Catholic churches in New York, attendance has been dwindling, and the Church has been financing seven years' worth of structural repairs to St. Stephen's to the tune of $2 million.

"On a Sunday, there would be 20,000 people at the church," he said, referring to the church's glory days. "To go from 20,000 down to a couple of hundred breaks your heart."

Robbins said archdiocese leader Timothy Cardinal Dolan has promised that all religious artworks at the 31 churches set to close next year will be saved.

"They have to decide what to do with the building before you can take anything out of it," Robbins said.

"They will not be put out in the garbage."

But parishioners are worried the massive collection of frescos will be split up or sold off when the church closes down next year.

"They're just so angelic and so colorful and so beautiful," said Joseph Sullivan, a parishioner of almost 25 years. "They reek of history and spirituality."

"I'm afraid of what will happen to all that treasured art."

The Archdiocese of New York announced this week it intends to restructure 112 out of its 368 parishes by merging many together and closing others down completely.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Just call Chirlane the city’s co-mayor

In politics, the color of one's skin is not nearly as important as its thickness. Chirlane McCray's can be measured in microns.

Also her husband's, Mayor de Blasio — who last week likened running City Hall to that time when he managed his now-teenage son's Little League baseball team.

"It was a real leadership and management lesson that I still think about," he said. "Trying to get a bunch of 8-year-olds to do something is an amazing challenge."

Indeed. Sort of like getting his senior managers all on the same page regarding the NYPD — an agency that will be a long time living down the ridiculousness of this past weekend.

Here's a recap:

Last week, Police Commissioner William Bratton offered the job of first deputy commissioner, a largely ceremonial position, to then-Chief of Department Philip Banks III — who accepted, but only on the condition that Bratton vest the gig with real power.

Bratton agreed, but then reneged, and Banks — an African-American but, too bad for Team de Blasio, nobody's token — quit Friday morning. Good for him. Integrity matters.

But the reaction at City Hall was volcanic.

As The Post reported over the weekend, de Blasio read Bratton out like a rookie cop. Then McCray dressed her husband down for "trusting" Bratton in the first place.

Whereupon all hands went into deep disavowal — with McCray taking to her public blog to deny having said any such thing, and Bratton and de Blasio meeting the press to present themselves as tighter than Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Only the credulous bought a word of it.

Certainl,y McCray, an African-American with a short temper, and a strong Banks partisan, was angry about the resignation. Of course, she was going to say so.

And if de Blasio isn't running out of patience with Bratton, he should be. The commissioner's top management team should have been in place months ago.

Only amateurs get themselves into these kinds of jams, of course — which gets to the crux of the problem: What could be more amateurish than the conceit that Bill de Blasio and Chirlane McCray will govern Gotham in a de facto co-mayoralty?

The mayor has never denied that his wife has outsized influence in his life — especially when it comes to politics and policy. "We are obviously not like any couple that has been there before," de Blasio once said.

And, says McCray, not for her is the role of the deferential spouse: "It's not who I am . . . who Bill and I have been as a couple . . . We've always been partners."

There is, of course, no basis for a co-mayoralty in law, custom or common sense. And while it may seem a little churlish to bring this up right now, it remains that Chirlane McCray has demonstrated none of the competencies citizens expect in a mayor — nor, more to the point, has she ever been elected to anything.

But things are what they are. Let's assume that there has been what amounts to a coup — and that McCray is, in fact, co-mayor.

Then let's start taking what she says precisely at face value — exactly as if her husband has spoken.

And then let's place McCray's aides and assistants under the same microscope used for all other high-ranking mayoral appointments.

In that light, when she writes — as she did Sunday — that she "intends to do everything [she] can to support the crucial [NYPD] reforms" being pursued by the de Blasio/McCray administration, two words come to mind: Rachel Noerdlinger.

That's Co-Mayor McCray's chief lingering indiscretion, a "chief of staff" who couldn't tell the truth on official background forms — probably because she was living with a cop-hating convicted killer and one-time crack dealer, and presumably wanted that to remain a secret.

To each her own, of course.

But while Noerdlinger would be merely an embarrassment for a traditional first lady, she's an intolerable indulgence for any city official who's making serious policy.

And that goes double for co-mayors who are heavily involved in "reforming" the finest urban police department in America.

There is, again, a lot of Little League in the de Blasio-McCray administration. Certainly, if the co-mayors are going to run with the big dogs, they need to be prepared for a little bark-back.

And if they intend to be taken seriously on police reform, the first thing that needs to happen is Noerdlinger's departure. That wouldn't be the end of it, but it would be a down payment on the credibility necessary to get reform done.

Today wouldn't be a moment too soon.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Scott Stringer fired cops for being late to pick him up at home

City Comptroller Scott Stringer dumped two cops from his NYPD security detail because they were late picking him up in the morning and then didn't notice him and left an event that night and walked back home, The Post has learned.

Stringer also booted two of their colleagues who questioned the way he treated the detectives, sources said.

The trouble began early last week, when the cops were tardy picking up Stringer at his Upper West Side home to drive him to work.

"Good morning," one of the detectives said to Stringer, but the comptroller — known for always wanting to be early — ignored the cop because he was upset, the sources said.

"When someone says 'good morning,' you are supposed to say 'good morning' back," the other detective chimed in.

Stringer, still seething, didn't say anything.

When Stringer left a function later that day, he grew even angrier when he noticed that the duo wasn't paying attention.

The comptroller walked back to his home, which was nearby, before they realized he had left, the sources said.

The next morning, two other detectives from his detail showed up — and asked Stringer why he ditched the other cops, sources said.

The comptroller wouldn't speak to those detectives, either — and then had all four cops tossed from his detail, returning them to the NYPD's Intelligence Division, sources said.

Only two of the original six detectives on his rotating security detail were allowed to stay.

Unlike the infamously tardy Mayor de Blasio, Stringer is known for showing up at meetings and events well ahead of time — sometimes before he can even go inside.

He doesn't mind if a pal is late and keeps him waiting — he just dreads being late himself, sources said.

In defense of the comptroller, a source noted, "In protection details, the detectives must keep their eyes and ears open and mouths shut. That is the standard."

The comptroller's office said in a statement, "As a matter of protocol, we do not respond to inquiries regarding security matters."

Additional reporting by Rebecca Harshbarger

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Despite indictment, even Grimm is a favorite

Voters mobbed Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm on Monday, ignoring his federal criminal indictment as he heads into a race where he's suddenly the favorite.

The latest Siena College poll shows the Republican with a startling 19-point lead over his fading Democratic challenger, ex-City Councilman Domenic Recchia.

Even GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino felt it was safe to be seen campaigning with Grimm at a supermarket on Hylan Boulevard in Midland Beach.

"We're together as a team," Astorino said when asked about appearing with the tarnished incumbent.

Staten Island voters were more effusive in their praise, and belittled the indictment charging Grimm with tax evasion and perjury.

"It's baloney! He's a good man. This is the political baloney that happens before every election. He's going to win by a landslide," crowed Denise Cappomagie, 57, a lifelong Staten Islander who gave Grimm a hug.

"It's bulls–t," barked burley retired firefighter Jim Toshach, 55.

"He's served and I respect that."

A defiant Grimm practically gave a victory speech a day before the polls open.

"They don't know me. They underestimated my worth ethic. They underestimated the common sense of Staten Islanders and Brooklynites," Grimm said of Democrats and federal prosecutors.

who had a bead on him. "They attempted to fool [voters]. The legal problem is a big issue, but the people are rejecting the tactics of the government. The people have rallied behind me." Recchia was also campaigning on Staten Island Monday, assisted by local fellow Democrats.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

‘They stole my son': Mom sues over adoption ‘trick’

A struggling single mom thought she was giving her young son a chance at a better life by entering into an open adoption with a wealthy Manhattan couple.

But Nina Yusupov, of Brooklyn, never imagined she would have to cut off all ties with the boy — and now she's suing for the right to see him again.

"I feel like I'm lost," the Borough Park woman told The Post Monday through tears.

"I imagine he's thinking, 'Why is my mother not coming to see me? She used to come see me before. What happened?'"

Yusupov, 32, met the couple, David and Jennifer Bergenfeld, through a big brother/big sister program in 2008, say Manhattan Surrogate's Court papers.

She says in her suit that she had just gotten a divorce and was broke and depressed at the time.

The Bergenfelds live in a luxury Upper East Side co-op.

David, 42, is an associate at the financial law firm D'Amato & Lynch. Jennifer, 45, is senior legal counsel for Global Bank.

Yusupov needed help raising then-6-year-old Eliyahu, and the Bergenfelds started taking the boy on weekends, the suit says.

Then they offered to adopt him, allowing her to remain in his life, which Yusupov agreed to after signing a document with the couple that guaranteed bi-monthly visitation, regular phone calls, photos and letters, according to court records.

Nina Yusupov's children, Moshe and EliPhoto: Stefan Jeremiah

But Yusopov says the Bergenfelds never filed the agreement with the court and cut off the visits three years ago.

"The Bergenfelds convinced me with false promises, making me believe that they were my family and my friends at a most vulnerable time in my life," Yusupov says in court papers.

Her lawyer, Steven Feinman, says in filings that his client is "not educated, nor financially self-sufficient," while the Bergenfelds are professionals who suggested and paid for Yusupov's lawyer in the adoption.

Court records show the Bergenfelds, who declined to comment for this article, won an order of protection in 2010 that barred Yusupov from seeing Eliyahu after she allegedly tried to kidnap him.

Another attorney for Yusupov, David Bellon, called the kidnapping allegation false.

The adoptive parents allege that "the biological mother and her boyfriend had gone to [their] home to forcibly take back the child" after claiming that he had been abused, Manhattan Family Court Judge Gloria Sosa-Lintner wrote in 2013 that Yusupov's visits were canceled because of her "aggressive behavior."

Yusupov fears the Bergenfelds have alienated the boy from her, his grandma and his 8-year-old brother. She is suing to enforce the open-adoption agreement.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Book reveals reason for rift betwen ex-chancellor and education honcho

A well-connected city education honcho suddenly turned on then-Schools Chancellor Joel Klein because he passed over her girlfriend for a top job, Klein suggests in his new book.

The now-infamous rift that developed between Klein and education powerhouse Diane Ravitch — the former wife of ex-Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch — occurred after he declined to hire her longtime partner, Mary Butz, to head the new Leadership Academy to train principals, Klein notes in his memoir.

"What caused this complete turnaround? Only Ravitch can know for sure. But, at least as I see it, one possible source might have been a personnel decision we made," Klein says in his new book "Lessons of Hope: How to Fix Our Schools" (HarperCollins).

Klein, who served as chancellor under then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg, met with Ravitch in August 2002, shortly after his appointment, to discuss the school system.

Klein said Ravitch — an influential professor and education researcher — "urged me to talk with Mary Butz, who, she told me, was her longtime partner." Butz ran an existing principal-training program for the city school system at the time.

But after consulting with his top advisers, Klein concluded that Butz wasn't the right fit for the job. Klein considered the decision so sensitive that he ran it by Bloomberg, who backed him.

"We concluded that her approach didn't emphasize the kind of transformative leadership that we thought was necessary," said Klein, now a News Corp executive and CEO of its educational technology firm, Amplify. News Corp also owns The Post.

Klein said Ravitch reacted angrily. "I was shocked to learn that Mary Butz was told to leave,'' Ravitch, 76, told Klein in an e-mail. "If you don't have room on your team for a person as knowledgeable, as committed, as experienced and as energetic as she, I despair for your initiatives.''

Klein says soon after, Ravitch became a critic of the Bloomberg-Klein education policies — including the authorization of more charter schools, replacing failing schools and imposing stricter accountability — issues Ravitch had championed.

Ravitch Sunday night rebutted Klein's account.

"What he writes is untrue. I did not ask him to hire her, promote her or give her money," Ravitch said, adding that her conversion from supporter to opponent had nothing to with Butz's employment.

"I became persuaded by the evidence that the things I had advocated for and believed in were not working and would never work," she said.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brad and Carrie team up again for 48th CMAs

"MasterChef Junior"

Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Fox

The pint-sized version of Gordon Ramsay's umpteenth cooking competition show is back for Season Two with 16 new junior home cooks (ranging in age from 8 to 13). In the premiere, Season One winner Alexander Weiss, 14, returns to present the mystery box challenge.

"The 48th Annual CMA Awards"

Wednesday at 8 p.m. on ABC

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will again host the CMA Awards this year.Photo: Getty Images

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood return as hosts of country music's annual kudoscast for the seventh consecutive year from Nashville, featuring performances by Blake Shelton, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry and others.

"The Newsroom"

Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO

Aaron Sorkin's cable news drama returns for its third and final six-episode season, which finds Will (Jeff Daniels), Mac (Emily Mortimer) and the staff of "News Night" facing the possibility of a hostile takeover of the network and leaked classified government documents threatening to topple their professional careers.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Comedians test their punchlines before Comedy Festival

So much funny, so little time. That's our motto for trying to catch the many great shows coming to town this week as part of the New York Comedy Festival, which kicks off Wednesday. As a preview, here are our favorite jokes from some of the performers.

For tickets, go to nycomedyfestival.com.

Maria Bamford

Maria BamfordPhoto: Getty Images

"If you're ever thinking, 'Oh, but I'm a waste of space, and I'm a burden,' remember — that also describes the Grand Canyon."

Performing Saturday at Town Hall

Tig Notaro

Tig NotaroPhoto: Getty Images

"I was diagnosed w/ bilateral breast cancer, and I ended up getting a double mastectomy. And before [that], I was already pretty flat-chested. And I made so many jokes over the years about how small my chest was that I started to think that maybe my boobs overheard me, and were just like, 'You know what? We're sick of this. Let's kill her.'"

Performing Thursday at Town Hall

Marc Maron

Marc MaronPhoto: Getty Images

"Rode in an elevator with Sting. He exuded the need to be recognized. I acted like [I] didn't. Stung."

Performing Friday at NYU Skirball Center

Kyle Kinane

Kyle Kinane (left) and Kevin PollakPhoto: Getty Images

"Briefly thought about becoming a father today while laying atop my disposable income during the free time I have in between chasing dreams."

Performing Wednesday at Union Hall in Park Slope

Eric André

Eric AndrePhoto: WireImage

"I'm writing a screenplay called 'Oscar Bait.' It's about a dying, gay, British aristocrat sold into slavery."

Performing Saturday at Gramercy Theatre

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Elderly man struck and critically injured by car

A man was struck by a car and critically injured on the Upper East Side Sunday, authorities and witnesses said.

The 58-year-old victim was crossing East 79th Street near York Avenue at 10 p.m. when he was hit.

"Blood was just spilling from his head," said a witness Percy Ennab, 50.

"I said, 'Oh, my God, part of his scalp was missing,' and he responded, 'That doesn't sound good.' "

The driver remained on the scene and police don't believe there was any criminality.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Key function of crashed spaceship deployed early: investigators

An investigation into the deadly crash of a Virgin Galactic spaceship has found that a function to help the craft descend into the atmosphere was deployed early, a federal safety official said on Sunday, adding pilot error could not be ruled out.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into what caused the spacecraft to crash in California's Mojave Desert during a test flight on Friday, killing one pilot and badly injuring the other.

SpaceShipTwo's rotating tail boom, a key safety feature for re-entering the atmosphere, rotated early, Christopher Hart, acting chairman of the NTSB, said late on Sunday, though he said it was too early to say whether this had caused the crash.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gansevoort Hotel tangled in $5M stiletto-stab suit

What a heel!

Amanda Keisoglu went to a Manhattan hot spot for fun and ended up the victim of a stabbing — by a stiletto.

Keisoglu, 26, was out on the town for her cousin's bachelorette party in August when the group of 12 friends and relatives hit the Ganse­voort Hotel's rooftop bar, Plunge.

They'd paid extra for a private ­table and were having a blast, Keisoglu says, despite the allegedly drunken, violent antics of a woman nearby.

"I didn't know her whatsoever," Keisoglu told The Post.

When the woman, Marie Thys of Belgium, got into a fight with someone next to her, Keisoglu tried to distance herself — but Thys had other ideas.

"I felt my wrist get pulled, and it forced me to turn around," Keisoglu recalled. "Then she kicked my inner thigh."

Thys struck with her stiletto heel just so, puncturing Keisoglu's leg, leaving the shoe stuck in the wound until someone pulled the drunken woman away, Keisoglu said.

The bloody fashion attack left the New Jersey woman stunned.

"I felt hot liquid," she said. "I sat down and plugged [the wound] with my finger."

Bleeding heavily, a friend helped her to the restroom, and eventually the dental assistant was rushed to a hospital for intravenous antibiotics, but the wound was too deep for stitches.

Keisoglu, who was laid up for three or four days and still undergoes physical therapy, has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Thys and the Gansevoort for failing to prevent the attack.

"I thought I'd be safe there," she said. "I feel like this could have been prevented."

Thys, who was in New York on vacation, was arrested and charged with assault in the incident. The case is pending.

The Belgian woman "was visibly intoxicated for several hours prior to the attack" but the bar continued to serve her, failing to give her the boot even though she was "belligerent and violent against other ­patrons for some time prior to the attack," according to the Manhattan Supreme Court papers.

"They completely failed at keeping me and the other girls safe," Keisoglu said.

The Gansevoort did not return a call for comment.

A lawyer for Thys declined to comment on the lawsuit.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stalwarts push to revive cursive in city schools

If your kid can't sign his or her name, here's why: Most city public schools stopped teaching cursive handwriting years ago.

The focus on high-stakes testing and rigorous Common Core math and reading standards has reduced handwriting to a "lost art." The city Department of Education leaves the decision to teach it up to each school.

But some school officials want to bring cursive back.

Marlon Hosang, principal of PS 64 in Alphabet City, plans to launch a cursive curriculum this spring, saying it will boost learning — and students love it.

"We should use technology, but not at the expense of being able to write your thoughts on paper," he told The Post.

The act of handwriting is "soothing," and research shows it stimulates a different part of the brain, Hosang said.

"It helps kids get smarter," he said.

His fifth-grade teacher, Amanda Roccanova, used to teach in city Catholic schools, where handwriting is still taught in second grade.

She has already taught her PS 64 class the basics: the slant, downcurve, undercurve, overcurve and loop.

Every Friday, she demonstrates a letter or two and sends kids home with practice sheets for homework.

"The hardest thing for them is holding the pencil correctly," Roccanova said. "A lot of them still hold it in a fist."

Hosang visits classes and writes kids' names to pique their interest.

The students seem eager to learn the "grown-up" skill.

"I like script because it's more curly than the straight lines," said fourth-grader Kasidee, 9, whose grandma has bought her handwriting manuals.

"It's a fancy way to write," said 9-year-old classmate Eric.

"It's like you're drawing, but you're making a word," chimed in Eliana, 8.

Fourth-grade teacher Meghan McElligott wants her students to eventually be able to read the script on the original Declaration of Independence and US Constitution, as well as sign their John Hancock.

Handwriting develops fine motor skills, she added.

In most city schools, students learn only to print or tap laptops.

"It's time-consuming to teach cursive writing," said Sheila Durant, principal of PS 69 in The Bronx. "We prefer to use that writing time to focus on the content rather than what it looks like."

But Hosang and other principals where handwriting is still taught say cursive benefits kids through their academic years and beyond.

"Writing in cursive is a necessity when they transition into high school. They need to write on exams — all the way to the SAT," said Angelo Sacco, assistant principal of PS/IS 180, the Seeall Academy in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

Seeall students learn cursive in second grade and use it in writing assignments through eighth grade, Sacco said.

This year, Seeall's Daniel Chi, now in fourth-grade, won a cursive award in a national handwriting contest sponsored by publisher Zaner-Bloser.

At least 10 states recently passed laws or added standards requiring the teaching of cursive, but no such move is afoot in New York.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

School hires monitor for girls’ ‘exposed collarbones and calves’

The morality police aren't just patrolling Iran or the Islamic State — they're standing watch at a school in Brooklyn.

Female students at ­Yeshiva of Flatbush are outraged that two monitors were hired this school year to patrol hallways for exposed collarbones and calves.

The modesty crackdown comes as the school enforces a new, stricter dress code, including longer skirts.

"We're walking in and we're being scrutinized every morning," said 16-year-old senior Melissa Duchan. "We can't just walk in the halls because everyone's looking at us and judging us every second for our clothing. Obviously, it's degrading."

"They're overly harsh," agreed senior classmate Jaclyn Klein, 17. "They scream at you. They bring down your confidence. One time, I got pushed into a corner by this one lady who stood in the front . . . and she said, 'You better go change your skirt right now.' "

Two mothers called the inspections by the modern Orthodox day school "horrible."

We can't just walk in the halls because everyone's looking at us and judging us every second for our clothing. Obviously, it's degrading. - senior Melissa Duchan

Duchan wrote a desperate letter to her school in September, published on the Jewish news site JTA, begging administrators to "stop the madness" and describing the skirt-chasers as "predatory" who make female students "feel hunted."

Three days after her plea went viral, officials met with her. "They couldn't really discipline me because I didn't do anything that was against school rules," Duchan told The Post. "They just talked to me, and nothing's really changed."

Aside from the long skirts, the school mandates that girls have no more than one earring per lobe, wear loose-fitting and conservatively colored clothing, cover their collarbones, wear shoes that have backs, and not wear tight shirts, or V-necks and "cap" sleeves.

The only time the girls can ditch their long skirts is when they're away from the boys, in separate gym classes. But they're required to put on a wraparound skirt to use the bathroom, because it's across the hall and they might encounter boys in the hallway.

Boys are far less limited: They must wear yarmulkes, traditional tzizit (strings hanging from the waist), shoes and socks, conservatively colored pants, collared shirts and be clean-shaven.

Students in violation of the dress code are usually sent home to change, or forced to wear a school-supplied outfit. Either way, they must use one of six annual "sign-outs," where students are permitted to miss school for sickness or appointments.

Duchan said that in her private meeting with school officials, she was told the two female fashion cops are not Jews. "They want to make it not like a Jewish thing," she said. "They just want you to follow the rules of the school, so they specifically hired non-Jewish people."

Last May, the school officials tried to drum up the dress code enforcement themselves but were met with hostility, recalled Duchan, who was insulted by a scolding. "[The administrator] said . . . 'You're a smart girl, why do you dress like that?'

"They put a stop to that because parents complained. They were acting like it reflects on your self-worth — what length skirt you wear!"

"It's terrible," fumed a mother who wouldn't give her name in fear of yeshiva backlash. "We're spending this money to send them to the schools … the rules are just wrong."

Seth Linfield, the executive director of the 2,100-student school on Avenue J in Midwood, where tuition is upwards of $34,000 a year, refused to comment.

Yeshiva of Flatbush dress code for girls:

• Must wear dresses or skirts and blouses

• Skirts are mid-calf or longer

• Shirts and tops have a neckline that covers the collarbone

• Tops are long enough to cover the middle of the body, even when leaning over or raising one's hand

• No tight, sleeveless, "cap"-sleeved, tank and sheer tops

• Only conservatively colored T-shirts and sweatshirts allowed; no shirts with inappropriate prints or lettering

• Only one earring per earlobe

• Leggings to the ankle are permitted

• No beaded, cornrowed or unusually colored hair

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two girls’ 10-hour-long sorority hazing hell

Two Medgar Evers College freshmen have blown the whistle on a CUNY ­sorority's secret hazing.

Wooed by Gamma Beta Delta, Shawntee Caton, 17, and Gabby Jones, 18, had planned to join the impressive-seeming sisterhood when things turned ugly. They were blindfolded, interrogated about sex acts, humiliated and asked if they could be tied to a tree naked, the girls told The Post.

Their 10-hour ordeal began Sept. 21 when suddenly strict sorority sisters took the girls' bags and cellphones, ushering them and six other pledges into a stifling, dark basement with a radio blaring static.

They got questionnaires asking whether they were sexually active, how many sex partners they had, whether they were gay or bisexual, whether they had engaged in a threesome or were willing to, and whether they had ever gone to an orgy.

Each was blindfolded and led separately upstairs to a room and surrounded by 20 to 30 women, they said. The tone got "nasty."

Both girls were chided for not following instructions — they came together after being told not to tell anyone and wore black sweaters with white designs after being told to wear all black.

When Jones questioned the criticism, a sister said, "We got a smart ass, don't we?"

"Where are you from?" one asked Caton. "You weren't taught to take off your shoes in people's houses?"

Shawntee Caton and Gabby JonesPhoto: J.C. Rice

Scariest, each was told the other recruits had been tied to a tree outside, naked.

"Can we tie you up?" a member asked.

With a cloth tied over their eyes, each was then separately led into a room of 25 to 30 women, where they were grilled, insulted and mocked.

After the repulsive ritual, members told the shaken girls to "lighten up."

"We all had to go through this," one said.

But Caton was rattled.

"I've never been in a situation like that before, with everybody attacking me and I couldn't do anything at all," she recalled.

Both girls left sobbing.

The sorority, founded in 1988 at Brooklyn College, has a second chapter that recruits at other CUNY colleges, including Medgar Evers, where it is not sanctioned.

The colleges claim "zero tolerance" for hazing but have not yet responded to a complaint by Caton's mom.

"I'm mad as hell," said Alicia Gabriel, who had gone with Caton to the sorority's information session at Brooklyn College in September. "My daughter I thank God my daughter's situation wasn't worse. doesn't need to be a part of any group that belittles or tarnishes her self-esteem."

The girls were first approached by sorority members at a Medgar Evers club fair. It sounded like a way to meet pals and mentors, they said.

I've never been in a situation like that before, with everybody attacking me and I couldn't do anything at all. - Shawntee Caton

Caton plans on law school. Jones seeks a degree in social work.

They attended a friendly "Taco Night" and "Game Night" with other recruits and members. Then each got an invitation — printed with an image of white roses and the sorority motto, "Friendship. Sisterhood. Loyalty." — to the initiation at a member's house in Brooklyn.

It said to bring a $100 "non-refundable initiation fee" for pledge "materials."

The students didn't have $100, but were told they could pay in installments later.

Upon arrival, members took their bags and cell phones, saying they didn't want the girls to check the time.

New York psychologist Susan Lipkins called the tactic "Hazing 101." said such groups typically pull a "bait and switch" by acting nice to draw recruits, then play mind games with them, she said.

New York psychologist Susan Lipkins called it a typical "bait and switch," in which groups lure recruits with kindness only to play mind games with them later.

"The main goal is you make you feel as badly about yourself as possible. They break you down, so they can build you back up and develop a group identity," Lipkins said.

She predicted the hazing would have worsened — and possibly gotten dangerous — had the girls not quit.

A spokeswoman for Gamma Beta Delta said it is "vehemently against any type of hazing" but refused to answer questions.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police find nunchucks in South African man’s luggage

No nunchucks for you!

A South African man passing through JFK Airport found himself thrown in the slammer after police found nunchucks in his checked luggage, according to a lawsuit.

Karate brown-belt Jef d'Engle, 59, and his wife, Barbra, checked their bags, which held the nunchucks — also known as nunchaku, a traditional Japanese weapon consisting of two sticks connected at one end by a short chain or rope —, upon leaving Belgium. They didn't expect to see them again until they reached their final stop in Kingston, Jamaica.

But when they landed at JFK for a connecting flight, American Airlines handed back their bags and told them to go through security again, the d'Engles claim in a Manhattan federal court lawsuit against the city, the NYPD and the airline.

Nunchucks have been banned in the city since 1974, but the d'Engles never intended to set foot outside JFK during their October 2011 trip.

"We were supposed to be in the airport for two hours. It was an absolute nightmare," Jef d'Engle said.

Travelers can include nunchucks in checked baggage, according to the Transportation Security Administration — but an airport security officer confiscated them anyway.

As the couple left to catch their next flight, Jef d'Engle said, the security officer chased after them and suggested they might be able to get the forbidden items back.

"It was a ruse to get me back to that area," d'Engle says.

They were met by an NYPD officer who allegedly handcuffed d'Engle and dragged him out of the airport.

Then, while being detained in a filthy Queens jail cell, the vegan was offered a choice of meat or cheese sandwiches and denied access to his asthma inhaler, he says.

"This was like being in a horror movie," the father of seven recalled.

Terrified, he stood throughout the night, his asthma only worsening as an officer burned incense to try to relieve the smell from the dirty cell.

He was released the next morning after pleading guilty to disturbing the peace and paying a $270 fine.

"I was just so scared, I just wanted to get out of there," he said. "South Africa is a rough country, it's really bad — but I feel safer [there]."

The city said it will review the lawsuit. American Airlines declined comment.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Walmart pulls offensive Halloween costume from shelves

Halloween was another diplomatic disaster for Walmart.

The retail giant got blasted Friday for selling a costume called the "Pashtun Papa" (right) — a mock-up of traditional Afghan robes and turban, coupled with a big, fake silver beard.

"Whether you're making a serious political statement or staging a polical [sic] parody, this authentic-looking outfit is sure to fit the bill!" the outfit's description on the store's Web site read.

"Nothing is sacred this Halloween," the blurb continued. "Shock your friends with this Islamic costume."

Walmart removed the offensive outfit later in the day after it sparked an uproar online. The retailer said it was sold by a third-party vendor.

"We are deeply sorry that this costume is on our Web site, and we are pulling it down as soon as possible," a Walmart spokeswoman said. "We are calling on all of the other retailers to pull it down as well."

Earlier this week, Walmart sparked an outcry when Halloween merchandise on its site included a section of "Fat Girl Costumes."

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Starbucks introducing delivery service to NYC

Hot coffee delivered right to the office — that's what Starbucks is promising with the launch of a coffee-delivery service where customers will be able to place ­orders from a mobile app.

"Imagine the ability to create a standing order of Starbucks delivered hot to your desk daily . . . That's our version of e-commerce on steroids," Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz told CNBC.

The coffee giant is planning to expand beyond brick-and-mortar shops following a recent slump in sales — due in part to competition from coffee-hawking fast-food joints.

The company has not determined the cities where it will roll out the pilot program — but New York City is on its short list, a rep for Starbucks told The Post.

"Delivery is an in-demand market in New York — so it's something that we're looking at," she said.

A launch date for the delivery program is scheduled for the second half of 2015.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Forbes sells directory that catalogs Old Money families

The Forbes family has quietly sold off The Social Register — the 128-year-old biannual directory that has cataloged the country's old money families, particularly of the WASP elite.

"The ownership of the Social Register Association, previously owned by a subsidiary of Forbes Family Holdings, was transferred for the first time in nearly 40 years to Christopher R. Wolf, noted financier and longtime listed member," a Forbes spokesperson confirmed Friday.

Terms were not disclosed. Wolf did not return e-mails for comment.

In some ways, TSR was a forerunner of the numerous wealth lists — including the Forbes 400 — that have proliferated in recent years.

While it is seen as anachronistic to some, the 25,000 names still carry clout among those to the manor born.

Mimi Alford, in her 2010 memoir, "Once Upon a Secret," about her affair with President John F. Kennedy when she was a White House college intern, noted, "He just could not resist a girl with a little Social Register in her background."

The listings have their own shorthand. "P" after the name meant "Princeton" while "BtP" meant the person belonged to the Bath and Tennis Club of Palm Beach.

Wealth and fame have never been the sole criteria for admittance to the black book. Donald Trump, for instance, is not a member, nor is Kim Kardashian. Being Jewish or Black is no longer a bar to membership — as President Obama is in.

The Forbes family acquired TSR in 1976, but it was held most recently as part of the Forbes Family Holdings — which has been shedding its real estate holdings.

It was not part of Forbes Media, which includes the flagship magazine that finalized its sale to Asian investors in September.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Taylor Swift’s label eyes over $200M in sales

Big Machine, the record label of Taylor Swift, Rascal Flats and Tim McGraw, is on the block, The Post has learned.

Owner Scott Borchetta, who started the label in 2005, is looking for a price in excess of $200 million, sources said.

While Borchetta has been building out the label of late — he just signed a new joint venture with Reba McEntire and Cumulus Group — the sale process is being clouded by a number of factors, including the fact that Swift is nearing the end of her contract with the label.

The 24-year-old singer has just one album left on her current contract.

Plus, Swift's family owns a piece of the label.

Without Swift, the label's value is likely worth a lot less.

Swift, the centerpiece of the Nashville, Tenn., label, has stunned the record industry yet again with first week sales of her latest album, "1989," forecast to hit 1.2 million units.

If those forecasts prove correct, "1989" will be the first platinum album of the year.

Sales of the new offering may even top first week sales of her prior album, "Red," which hit 1.2 million.

One of the hottest acts in the music business, Taylor could be the first artist in history to have three albums sell more than 1 million units in their first week.

A tireless promoter, Swift appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" and staged a live concert for Yahoo! and iHeartMedia this week to promote the album.

The lanky artist does not stream her new music and drew some criticism from Spotify users for its absence this week.

With music labels suffering from a drastic decline in iTunes downloads year-to-date, Swift's performance is dominating music industry headlines as a rare piece of good news.

The young singer, who recently moved to an apartment in Tribeca and is fronting a "Welcome to New York" marketing campaign, has moved away from her country roots and could opt to take her business in-house.

To keep her, Big Machine may have to pony up an advance of between $10 million and $20 million, some music executives said.

Only with Swift back under a long-term contract will Borchetta get his high sale price, the executives said.

Big Machine is also nearing the end of its distribution partnership with Universal Music Group.

Lucian Grainge's UMG, naturally, could be a likely buyer of Big Machine, sources said.

The two companies also have a joint venture label called Republic Nashville and jointly began a sister label called "Dot Records" earlier this year.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More

Apple investors feel ‘gay’

One day after Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed he was gay, any fear — no matter how remote — that investors would punish the stock disappeared.

Apple shares closed Friday at an all-time high, rising 1 percent to $108.

Cook on Thursday became the most powerful business leader to reveal he is gay when he opened up about his sexuality in an essay in Bloomberg Businessweek.

"While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven't publicly acknowledged it either, until now," Cook, 53, said in the essay. "So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me."

Cook, who took over the CEO role from Steve Jobs in 2011, is the first Fortune 500 company CEO to openly proclaim he is gay.

Apple shares, fueled by solid sales of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus — and from Cook-initiated stock buybacks — have soared 35 percent this year.

Cook has also felt pressure from activist shareholder Carl Icahn to return some of Apple's cash to its investors.

17.08 | 0 komentar | Read More