NYPD releases stop-frisk numbers: Most used in Brooklyn & Queens, nearly all stopped are black or Hispanic

The NYPD for the first time publicly released a report last night on its controversial stop-and-frisk procedure that breaks down by city precinct — and by race — those targeted.

The figures, all from 2011, show that the precinct with the most stops by sheer numbers was Brooklyn’s 75th, which includes East New York and Cypress Hills.

More than 31,000 people were stopped, 97 percent of them either black or Hispanic.

The 73 Precinct, covering Brownsville in Brooklyn, was the next highest with 25,167 stops. About 98 percent involved minorities.

In Queens, the 115th Precinct — which includes East Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson Heights — ranked third with 18,156 stops. Nearly 93 percent of those involved minorities, the figures show.

The 40th Precinct in The Bronx, which covers Mott Haven and Melrose, racked up the next highest number — 17,690 — with 98.5 percent of them involving minorities.

And at No. 5 was the 90th Precinct in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where there were 17,566 stops, with 88.6 percent involving minorities.

The New York Civil Liberties Union had fought for release of the stats last year.

After getting them, the civil-rights group published the figures on their Web site in May, saying they show a pattern of racial profiling — a charge that the NYPD denies.

The Police Department said it had no comment on why it was releasing the figures itself now.

As has been reported, the statistics show that overall, nearly 90 percent of those targeted by NYPD stop-and-frisks in the city in 2011 were either black or Hispanic.

Meanwhile, blacks and Hispanics together make up less than 53 percent of the population.

A total 685,724 people — 8.6 percent of the city’s population — were detained by cops for “reasonable suspicion.”

That was the highest number since the NYPD started recording stop-and-frisk figures in 2002.

Of that number, 9 percent also were white, and 4 percent were Asian, the figures showed.

The No. 1 reason for stop-and-frisks that year was possible weapons possession, the report said.

The statistics did not say how many of those stops resulted in arrests.

natasha.velez@nypost.com

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Skyscanner.com opening Miami office

One of Kayak and Expedia’s international rivals in the online-travel business is opening up a Miami office in a bid to capture a larger share of the North American market.

Skyscanner, the No. 1 travel site in Europe, picked Miami to open its first U.S. office, according to a company press release. A spokesman said the company plans to put 10 executives in the Miami office, and that the hunt is on for a specific location.

While big in Europe and Asia, Skyscanner.com has a low profile in the Americas. Skyscanner said it selected Miami as its first U.S. location given the city’s ties to South America.

DOUGLAS HANKS

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Super Bowl party turns violent; one dead in Miami Gardens drive-by shooting

One man was killed and two others wounded Sunday night when gunfire erupted outside a Super Bowl party in Miami Gardens.

Witnesses told police up to 30 shots rang out when suspects drove by the home on the 2300 block of Northwest 204th Street and opened fire on the victims, who were standing outside home, NBC6 reported.

Scores of football fans had gathered at the neighborhood party to watch the Baltimore Ravens battle the San Francisco 49ers.

The victim was identified as a 25-year-old father of two. Two others were also wounded, the station said.

Police said the men hit appeared to have been targeted by the drive-by shooters.

This article will be updated as more details become available.

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Warm Bodies Tops Weekend Box Office

Audiences embraced Warm Bodies for its debut, making it the weekend's highest grosser at the box office.

RELATED: New on Blu-ray & DVD

The zombie rom-com (starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer and John Malkovich) dug up $20 million, beating out Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, which placed second with $9.4 million.

Academy Award Best Picture nominee Silver Linings Playbook trailed close behind with $8.1 million despite entering its 12th week in theaters. Fellow Best Picture nominees Zero Dark Thirty ($5.3 million), Django Unchained ($3 million), Les Miserables ($2.44 million) and Lincoln ($2.41 million) also made the top 10.

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The good, the ads & the ugly

Some of the biggest scores and worst fumbles made during last night’s Super Bowl were made by advertisers.

At a record $3.8 million for each 30-second spot, companies strived for buzz and attention.

Mercedes-Benz wound up on both the winning and losing sides last night, experts said.

In the winner, the carmaker tapped Willem Dafoe as the devil offering to give a man a car in return for his soul — only to be rejected when the guy learned he could buy it for $30,000.

The company’s losing ad teased viewers by implying it would show supermodel Kate Upton getting sudsy while washing a Mercedes — but ended with highschool football players doing the job.

Old folks can party hard — and down late-night tacos — like anyone else! The funny, raucous spot showed seniors out on the town, dancing, getting tattoos, getting freaky in a bathroom and eating at Taco Bell.

Taco Bell found the marketing end zone with senior citizens going crazy.

Perennial Super Bowl ad star GoDaddy.com grossed out experts with stunner Bar Refaeli giving a very wet kiss to a nerd.

Budweiser and Jeep both scored emotional points, using a baby Clydesdale and military families, respectively.

The Post’s panel of experts included Richard Kirshenbaum, CEO of NSG/SWAT; George Belch, chairman of the marketing department at San Diego State University; Timothy Calkins, marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management; and Barbara Lippert, Mediapost.com editorat-large.

—Additional reporting by Claire Atkinson

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Bright spots in Latin America despite global economic uncertainty

There are bright spots as Latin American and Caribbean economies begin the year but the uncertain health of the U.S. economy, the lingering financial crisis in Europe and more sluggish growth in China are casting shadows over the region.

A decade ago, dim prospects in those major markets would have delivered a knock-out punch in the region, but this year Latin American and Caribbean economies are expected to grow by 3.5 percent and average 3.9 percent growth in 2014 and 2015, according to a World Bank forecast. The United Nations’ Economic Commission has a slightly more sanguine forecast of 3.8 percent growth in 2013.

Both are better than the 2.4 percent growth the World Bank is forecasting for the global economy and the mere 1.3 percent increase it is predicting for high-income countries.

The U.S. economy grew by 2.2 percent in 2012. But the economy shrank 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter and the first quarter of 2013 also could be sluggish..

“That creates a soggy start for 2013 in Latin America,’’ said David Malpass, president of Encima Global, a New York economic consulting and research firm.

With a recession in Japan, even slower growth expected in Europe than in the United States, and questions about whether the dip in the Chinese economy has bottomed out and whether the United States will be making sharp cuts in defense spending and other federal programs come March 1, Latin American and Caribbean nations can’t really depend on the industrialized world to spur growth.

The region must look inward and undertake structural reforms that will allow growth from domestic factors, said Malpass, who was in Miami in January for an event organized by the University of Miami’s Center for Hemispheric Policy.

Panama’s $5.25 billion investment in expansion of the Panama Canal is an example of the inward focus that will pay off down the road, said Malpass. By 2015, Panama plans to have completed two new sets of locks on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the canal and the deepening and widening of existing channels to accommodate the so-called Post-Panamax ships too big to traverse the current locks.

“It’s a difficult period but a period where developing countries are growing solidly but not as quickly as they might otherwise want to,’’ said Andrew Burns, the lead author of the World Bank’s annual Global Economic Trends report.

That means they should focus on investment in infrastructure and healthcare, structural policies, regulatory reforms and improvements in governance that will pay future dividends down the road, Burns said.

Such economic reforms, plus high commodity prices enjoyed by countries with fertile fields and mineral wealth, helped the region move beyond the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 far more quickly than it did when it was so dependent on economic cycles in the rest of the world.

Economic growth slowed in Latin America and the Caribbean from 4.3 percent in 2011 to an estimated 3 percent but that was still better than the 1.3 percent growth high-income countries managed in 2012, according to The World Bank.

China will continue to play a major role in Latin America and the Caribbean this year but whether the slowdown in China has reached its low point is subject to debate. But it’s relative. Slow growth in China would be brisk growth elsewhere. China says its gross domestic product grew 7.8 percent in 2012, the most tepid growth in 13 years and a comedown from 9.3 percent growth in 2011.

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Plenty of opinions on fixing the nation’s broken immigration system

Most agree that the nation’s immigration system is broken, but there’s no agreement on fixing it.

This week, the debate over immigration reform emerged once again. President Barack Obama outlined his plan on a visit to Nevada on Tuesday. On Monday, a bipartisan group of eight senators, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, outlined their plan. Both similar, but one key difference is the time it takes for the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants to become legal U.S. residents and, eventually, U.S. citizens.

Obama’s plan would allow undocumented immigrants to receive work permits and, presumably, quickly begin the process of applying for permanent legal U.S. residency — more commonly known as a green card. The Senate proposal would put undocumented immigrants in line with everyone else trying to get into country, a process that could take decades to complete.

There is no specific bill on the table, but Obama and top Senate leaders from both sides of the aisle say they want to a bill passed by summer’s end.

The Miami Herald sought the opinions of members of HeraldSource by asking whether undocumented immigrants should be allowed to get on a path to citizenship and what requirements would have to be met to qualify.

The group is part of the popular Public Insight Network and helps The Herald explore timely issues in the news. Here’s a sampling of the comments:

Kirsten Llama, of Miami:

“Yes. As long as they do not commit crimes and make an effort to learn English. They are here. We need them. They take jobs many natives will not take. They will pay their fair share of taxes as citizens. If they serve in the military or work in humanitarian jobs, such as medical and education, they should be given a faster path [to citizenship]. Insist they go home for half a year before they reapply to return. If they do not fulfill their jobs, they should be sent home.

Ed Wujciak, of Hollywood:

Yes. The presence of “second-class residents,” which is what undocumented immigrants are, creates great strains in our society. These people are vulnerable, afraid, and powerless to participate in the society they live in. They are here because the U.S. government has had a “see no evil” attitude toward them. They were allowed to come and stay because they work cheap and boost corporate profits, but they are powerless to improve their situation. In other words, they’re perfect employees. Plus, their presence in such great numbers puts great downward pressure on the wages and working conditions of everyone else. Our policy toward these people has been dishonest and exploitative. Our policies acted as an unspoken invitation and we owe them the dignity of legal status.

Fred San Millan, of Miami:

No. It will open a floodgate and more people will invade the United States, creating a real social calamity that will definitely affect this country forever on all fronts, social and economic. I would keep the same rules of a balanced quota for each country, and register the illegal in this country without persecuting them, however. [I suggest] a nationwide referendum for this immigration problem.

Ed Gugliotta, of Miami Beach:

No. Not before all the others that are legally in line waiting for their chance, such as family members, professional workers [H1B or O visas, investors E1, L1] visas, who have been in the country for many years, abiding by the law, paying taxes, investing and waiting patiently their so slow process to obtain at least a green card. Ease the process of obtaining the Green Card for family members and workers that have shown good faith and honest intention on becoming valuable and productive residents, Undocumented immigrants can then follow the legal path to citizenship. Secure the borders so no more illegals can access the American soil, and undocumented already here (although they are technically felons) must learn the language, have a local resident or citizen as sponsor, no criminal background, and some kind of skill useful for the nation. Then they could obtain some kind of parole permit that would allow them to stay, have a job, get a driver’s license, pay taxes and a two-year test period before accessing a special, say, blue card that would allow them to stay for 5 years, and subsequently, if accepted, request the green card.

Sergio R. Bustos is The Miami Herald’s politics and state government editor. He can be reached at sbustos@MiamiHerald.com. Public Insight Journalism Analyst Stefania Ferro can be reached at sferro@ MiamiHerald.com. Sign up for the Public Insight Network by going to MiamiHerald.com/Insight.

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Buzzmakers: SAG Winners Pics and Nicole Kidman Explains Jimmy Kimmel Lap Dance

What had ET readers buzzing this week?

1. PICS: SAG Winners with their Statues!

Some of Hollywood's biggest stars gathered Sunday night to honor acting achievements at the 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Anne Hathaway -- winner of the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for Les Misérables -- kicks off our gallery of the stars accepting their handsome statuettes!

Click here for all the pics!

2. Nicole Kidman on Her Lap Dance for Jimmy Kimmel

Nicole Kidman raised eyebrows during Matt Damon's Jimmy Kimmel Live! takeover when she greeted Kimmel -- who was strapped to a chair -- with a lap dance. On the SAG Awards red carpet, the Oscar winner explained the move to Nancy O'Dell.

Kidman described the dance as "impromptu," saying that she was just following the lead of another one of the night's guests.

"Robin Williams had done it before, so I thought, 'Well, why not?'" Kidman explained.

For years Kimmel has had a running joke where he ends every episode by apologizing to Matt Damon for running out of time for him. On last week's special episode of the late-night show -- nine years in the making -- Damon recruited some friends (which included Andy Garcia, Sheryl Crow, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Robert DeNiro, Sarah Silverman, Demi Moore and Oprah Winfrey.

3. Top-Earning 'American Idol' Alums

American Idol is in the business of making music stars, and in turn, has made lots of money for some of their contestants. Forbes released their list of the top-earning Idol alums of 2012 a few names on this list are sure to surprise you.

Click here for the entire list!

4. Jennifer Lawrence Suffers Wardrobe Malfunction

It seemed like disaster for Jennifer Lawrence when her dress came apart just as she was called up to accept the award for Best Actress during the 2013 SAG Awards.

The Silver Linings Playbook star's apparent wardrobe malfunction caught the eye of both Marion Cotillard and Nicole Kidman, whose reaction to the getup coming apart at the seams was caught on camera. No disaster, here, though -- it turns out the dress was designed that way! A source close to designer Dior told ET that the dress did not rip -- that it was made with different layers of tulle and satin.

This minor outfit hitch comes after it was announced that Lawrence, 22, has walking pneumonia, making this one of the best and worst weeks for the award-winning actress.

5. Kris Jenner Lands Talk Show

Are you ready for a daily dose of Kris Jenner?

The TV personality will test the talk show waters this summer when Fox premieres a preview episode of Kris, a one-hour entertainment talk show. "This is something I have wanted to do all my life so it's definitely a dream come true," Jenner said in a statement! "I can't wait for this new adventure to begin and look forward to working alongside Twentieth Television and the Fox Television Stations."

Kris will be rolled out in a similar fashion to how Bethenny Frankel's talk show was last summer, with the network testing the waters to see if there's an audience appetite for more of this famous family. According to a press release, the show will "offer daytime viewers a daily jolt of celebrity guests, fashion & beauty trends; plus a mix of lifestyle topics -- all through the distinctive and unpredictable perspective of Kris Jenner. Filmed in Los Angeles, CA, the pop culture driven talk show will bring a cool blast of fun and high energy to summer television."

The trial run of Kris will launch this summer, with the program available on select Fox-owned stations in markets, including New York and Los Angeles.

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Deadly deserts

Ralph Peters

Violence in Allah’s name in northern Africa won’t end in my lifetime — and probably not in yours. The core question is: To what extent can the savagery be contained?

From the Atlantic coastline to the Suez Canal, struggling governments, impoverished populations and frankly backward societies struggle to find paths to modernization and to compete in a ruthless global economy. Religious fanatics for whom progress is a betrayal of faith hope to block development.

Still, if the only conflict was between Islamist terrorists and those who want civilized lives, the situation could be managed over time. But that struggle forms only one level in a layer cake of clashing visions and outright civil wars bedeviling a vast region. Much larger than Europe, the zone of contention encompasses the Maghreb, the countries touching the Mediterranean, and the Sahel, the bitterly poor states stretching down across desert wastes to the African savannah.

AFP/Getty Images

Figthers of the Islamic group Ansar Dine

The Sahel is the front line not only between the world of Islam and Christian-animist cultures in Africa’s heart, but between Arabs and light-skinned tribes in the north, and blacks to the south. No area in the world so explicitly illustrates the late, great Samuel Huntington’s concept of “the clash of civilizations.”

If racial and religious differences were not challenge enough, in the Maghreb the factions and interest groups are still more complicated. We view Egypt as locked in a contest between Islamists and “our guys,” Egyptians seeking new freedoms. But Egypt’s identity struggle is far more complex, involving social liberals, moderate Muslims, stern conservative Muslims (such as the Muslim Brotherhood) and outright fanatics. The military forms another constituency, while the business community defends its selfish interests. Then there are the supporters of the old Mubarak regime, the masses of educated-but-unemployed youth and the bitterly poor peasants.

Atop all that there’s the question of whether the values cherished by Arab societies can adapt to a globalized world.

The path to Egypt’s future will not be smooth — yet Egypt’s chances are better than those of many of its neighbors. Consider a few key countries in the region:

Mali

Viva la France! (Never thought I’d write that in The Post.) Contrary to a lot of media nonsense, the effective French intervention in Mali demonstrates that not every military response to Islamist terror has to become another Afghanistan: The French are welcome.

As extremists invariably do, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its allies rapidly alienated their fellow Muslims — after hijacking a local uprising. The local version of Islam is far more humane and tolerant than the Wahhabi cult imposed by Islamist fanatics. To the foreign extremists, the Malian love of Sufi mysticism, ancient shrines and their own centuries of religious scholarship are all hateful — as is the Malian genius for music that’s pleased listeners around the world.

Have a comment on this PostOpinion column? Send it in to LETTERS@NYPOST.COM!

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Hollywood cardiologist’s ties with St. Jude sales rep raises red flags

Mark Sabbota, a Hollywood cardiologist, regularly implants $5,000 pacemakers in patients at Memorial hospitals in South Broward — generating, last year alone, more than a half-million dollars in sales for a manufacturer called St. Jude Medical.

Sabbota, public records show, also happens to be partners with a St. Jude sales rep in two corporations that run frozen yogurt shops.

What’s yogurt got to do with healthcare?

Perhaps nothing. Perhaps a lot. The question is connected to an on-going lobbying battle in Washington over a pending disclosure policy intended to more clearly reveal financial ties between physicians and the healthcare industry — often-murky relationships that have produced a long history of whistle-blower lawsuits, federal investigations and fines.

Sabbota, in a brief interview, adamantly denied any conflict of interest. “There has been no wrongdoing at all,” he said.

Memorial spokeswoman Kerting Baldwin also said the hospital saw no problem with the yogurt arrangement. As a “community” doctor, not a staff employee, Baldwin said Sabbota can select from a list of pacemakers approved by the hospital but has no say over what companies made the list.

“As for why he prefers to use St. Jude, I won’t speak for him,’’ she said. “You’d have to ask him that.”

But several medical ethics experts said such relationships fall in a gray area. They raise what Kenneth Goodman, bioethics director at the University of Miami, called “red flags” about whether the doctor’s motivation in choosing a device “is something other than the best interests of the patient.”

“Maybe it’s just a good business arrangement that has nothing to do with the devices he chooses,” said Charles D. Rosen, a California physician who is co-founder of the Association for Medical Ethics. “But the issue is public disclosure and transparency. You as a patient should have the right to know about a doctor’s financial relationships with companies.”

Concerns about the relationship between doctors and healthcare companies have been simmering for years. Americans are so suspicious of doctors’ connections that, in a 2008 Pew Charitable Trusts survey, 86 percent of patients said doctors should not be allowed to get free dinners from drug makers and 70 percent said doctors shouldn’t even be allowed to get free notepads and pens.

The 2010 Affordable Care Act includes a provision intended to address some aspects of these often-cozy relationships. Starting Jan. 1, healthcare companies were supposed to publicly post how much they were paying doctors. But that provision has been held up in the White House by intense lobbying.

“I don’t know why the hold-up, except the intense opposition of the industry,” Rosen said. His group, including members of the Harvard Medical School and Cleveland Clinic, wrote a letter to the Obama administration last month protesting the delay.

The group complains that the healthcare industry is trying to soften the rules so that foreign subsidiaries and doctors engaged in clinical trials wouldn’t have to reveal payments. But even if the disclosure rules are implemented, a side deal like Sabbota’s yogurt company would not have to be revealed under the new law, Rosen said.

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