The tagline for John Carpenters latest film, “Ghost of Mars” declares: You don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance. I assume that’s directed toward the audience, but it really should be a message to the filmmakers. Comment

In the world of tennis, the Vinson sisters may not be as famous as the Williams sisters, but Lateaka, 16, and Starr, 11, still got to hit a few balls at the U.S. Open. Comment

I wanted to take this opportunity while the best tennis players in the world camp out in Queens for two weeks or so to try and send them a message, a little advice if you will, about how to make their sport great once again. Comment

Twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan each played against former U.S. Open champions at Arthur Ashe Stadium, or the “big house,” as Bob Bryan called it Monday. Comment

Andre Agassi, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams all played at the colossal Arthur Ashe Stadium on opening day of the U.S. Open at the National Tennis Center Monday. Comment

Billy Finegan came just one point shy of taking home a gold medal from the sixth annual karate World Games, held Aug. 18 and 19 in Akita, Japan. The Little Neck native settled for the silver medal in the Karate/Sparring -80kg men’s division, losing to Salvatore Loria of Italy in the finals, 6-5. Comment

The father and adviser of Queens heavyweight boxer Richie Melito Jr. vehemently denied that he or his son were aware that any of the fighter’s 26 professional fights were “fixed” after two men were indicted last week for allegedly throwing a bout in August 2000. Comments (1)

It has been quite a while since a National Football League scout has been seen at DaSilva Memorial Field on the campus of St. John’s University. While guys like Anthony Zito and Christian Soto received tryouts after their Red Storm careers, it has been more than a decade since a scout has come to the Jamaica campus. Comment

St. John’s junior golfer Andrew Svoboda solidified his place as one of the top collegiate golfers in the country, after losing in the third round of the 101st Annual United States Amateur Golf Association Championship at the East Lake Golf Club and the Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga. last week. Comment

For the St. John’s men’s soccer team, it sounds like the same old song. Once again the team has high hopes, as proof of its No. 11 preseason ranking. And once again, its head coach Dave Masur has assembled a brutal schedule, featuring some of the top teams in the country like Indiana, Duke and defending NCAA champions Connecticut. Comment

With back-to-back ECAC tournament bids under their belts, postseason soccer is no longer just a hope for the St. John’s women’s soccer team, it’s an expectation. And with a strong group of returning players and a highly regarded recruiting class, the Red Storm are deeper then ever and are ready to make the next step up the playoff ladder. Comment

The Bayside Little League 8-year-old baseball travel team has had to play all of its games on the road this summer with the new construction taking place at Crocheron Park. The team got off to a slow start, but has been coming on lately just in time for the playoffs. Bayside advanced to a showdown with DAC this week in the semifinal round of the Seplowe Tournament with a rousing 8-7 extra-inning win at Forest Hills last Saturday. Comment

Paul Mwangi captured the sixth annual Eamonn Coghlan 3.1 mile road race that stayed on the grounds of Belmont Park in 14:53.9. The race, part of the New York Irish Festival, was put on with the cooperation of the New York Racing Association and the College Point Road Runners Track Club this past weekend. Comment

The 18th of August in Hempstead was one of those rare, unforgettable summer nights — Ray Charles, the man once described as a “testifying rock ’n’ roll preacher,” did that and more on stage at the Hofstra Arena, along with his internationally renowned 17-piece orchestra and the beautiful and rhythmic back up singers, the 5 Raeletts. Comment

The DAC 13- and 14-year-old team had to come from behind to defeat a tough Whitestone Renegades squad, 8-7, in the playoff opener. Comment

The Glen Oaks 9- and 10-year-old team ‘A’ team keeps showing why it was tops in the in-house tournament. By far one of the best teams to come out of the Glen Oaks Little League in recent years, the team won its third game in a row and seventh overall Friday Aug. 24, beating the Bayside ‘B’ team, 18-6. Comment

When teachers return to the city's public schools next week, for the first time they will have the authority to suspend unruly students for as long as four days. They were given this new power under the Safe Schools Against Violence Act, which Gov. Pataki signed in July. We fear that administrators, teachers and parents will find this new power is at best a mixed blessing. Comment

September, which “hath” 30 days (as well as April, June, and November) is the ninth month of the year. In Roman times, when March began the year, September was the seventh month (the name September coming from the Latin word septem, which means seven). Comment

In an ideal real estate market, homeowners who decide to sell their house and buy another one, would find their new dream home, find a buyer for their present home, and be able to close both transactions about the same time. Comments (2)

From time to time I like to take a few minutes to check out the multiple meanings of words in the English language. Today, “restore” was word I chose. Comment

This year brings another development plan for Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and the civic associations are again organizing to prevent developers from building another commercial money-making project. Comment

Welcome to the Point. The Point being College Point. Comment

In an age when speed and convenience in business often win out over quality service, Steve Lastihenos and his family have been fostering a thriving shoe-repair shop in Bayside for years with the old-fashioned notion of personalized customer care. Comment

Two armed men robbed a Chase Manhattan Bank Monday morning in Little Neck, making off with some $170,000 in cash before fleeing the scene southbound on Little Neck Parkway, police and law enforcement sources said. Comments (1)

In one of their final chances to face off before the primary, four candidates vying for City Councilman Tom Ognibene's (D-Middle Village) seat outlined their plans for Council District 30 at a debate held at the Catalpa YMCA in Ridgewood Monday evening. Comment

In a cartoon recently completed by Richmond Hill resident Carlos Vargas, his batman-like creation, the Ricanphantom, saves a victim of domestic violence from an attack in a Puerto Rican hotel room. Comment

The coaches of the Rosedale Jets have aspirations for their young players that go much further than success on the football field. Comment

A Yale University student from Far Rockaway who was missing in South Africa for several weeks flew into Kennedy Airport Sunday and was greeted by her relieved parents and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans). Comment

Construction of a new $500 million stadium for the New York Mets that would evoke memories of Ebbets Field and cover the parking lot next to Shea Stadium could begin as early as December, the city Parks Department said last week. Comment

For the better part of a decade it had been Dave Masur’s dream. As the head coach of a nationally ranked soccer team, the St. John’s coach has wanted an equally elite soccer stadium. And thanks to a $6 million donation by Jerome and Maxine Belson, Masur’s dream is soon to become a reality. Comment

In a pronouncement that brought rejoicing from transit activists, a judge ruled Monday the Metropolitan Transportation Authority must hold public hearings before shutting down or reducing hours at subway station token booths. Comment

In the ideal world, every student would stay in school until he or she has earned a high school diploma. Without this piece of paper, it is difficult, nearly impossible, to find full-time work that pays more than the minimum wage. Comment

Associated Press writer and special correspondent Hugh Mulligan of Astoria will receive the 2001 Irish Bard Award at The Great Irish Fair Sept. 8 and Sept. 9 at Dreier Offerman Park in Coney Island. Comment

JetBlue Airways Chief Executive Officer David Neeleman presided Tuesday at a history-making inaugural flight — the first ever non-stop run between New York and Long Beach, Calif. — and said business on his low-cost carrier was good. Comment

With the exception of floating pollen and the distant crack of a softball bat, the tree-covered lawn of Queensbridge Park had every element of an intimate downtown jazz club Friday night. Comment

A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Queens Borough President Claire Shulman and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani against the U.S. Department of Transportation in an attempt to block hundreds of flights that left LaGuardia Airport the nation’s leader in air delays. Comment

With the Democratic primary just two weeks away one of John Liu’s competitors accused the prominent Flushing city council candidate Tuesday of ethics violations during his tenure at Community Board 7. Comment

While mayoral hopeful Alan Hevesi recently grabbed headlines by sparring with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer embarked on a more conventional path by hitting the campaign trail with a new supporter, the Rev. Al Sharpton. Comment

A Clearview Expressway pedestrian bridge where a Bayside boy was accidentally killed in August 2000 was officially named after the young victim last week when Gov. George Pataki signed legislation designating the overpass “Christopher’s Crossing.” Comment

Democratic District Leader Laura Sanders officially opened the new Queens Community Democratic Club in St. Albans Saturday with the support of numerous state and local Democratic politicians. Comment

For more than a year a large white sign with red letters loomed over a pair of vacant lots near 194th Street on Northern Boulevard in Auburndale, promising retail development “coming soon.” Comment

In the aftermath of a scathing audit by the state comptroller’s office that accuses the New York Power Authority of severe mismanagement, state Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) is calling on the agency to withdraw its plans to expand the Poletti power plant in upper Astoria. Comment

A Queens native took the helm of the 104th Precinct this week, promising to continue his predecessor’s record of crime reduction while addressing neighborhood quality-of-life concerns and improving communication lines with community leaders. Comment

Howard Beach residents and others who live near Kennedy International Airport protested Saturday the planned return of the Concorde to New York, a supersonic plane they contend has destroyed their neighborhoods with unbearable noise and pollution. Comment

Hundreds of Bay Terrace residents packed the Bay Terrace Jewish Center Tuesday night as an impressive list of political candidates seeking posts from the mayorship to the 19th Council District seat courted the favor of the traditionally dedicated voters in the final stretch before the primary. Comment

‘Tis the season for political endorsements. With the city’s primary just over a week away, this is the time of year when the Queens Democratic machine, unions and newspapers throw their support behind the candidates they deem to be the best. Comment

A state senate committee has complained that Amtrak has spent millions on such projects as high-speed trains while delaying repairs on deteriorated Penn Station tunnels serving trains carrying thousands of Queens commuters. Comment

A man suspected of stealing cash and cigarettes from a series of bodegas and delis in southeast Queens and Brooklyn shot himself in the leg while struggling with an off-duty officer early Saturday morning after he allegedly robbed a Brooklyn store, police said. Comment

The oldest, largest and one of the city’s most influential good government organizations last week issued a list of the Queens politicians it favors in the upcoming Sept. 11 primary. Comment

In an election year charged with the energy of political newcomers, the prominence of Asian candidates in Queens city council races has put unprecedented focus on ethnicity as an issue stirring up several campaigns. Comment

Laura Bergquist had always wanted to experience the U.S. Open. And when she and her husband Joe just happened to be in New York on business this week, the Wichita, Kan., native got her opportunity Monday on opening day of the 2001 U.S. Open at the National Tennis Center in Flushing. Comment

A Forest Hills lawyer was arrested last week and charged with filing hundreds of fraudulent immigrant visa lottery applications. Comment

Pesticide spraying in northeast Queens went as planned last week after the city Health Department announced the first human case of the West Nile virus in Queens Aug. 22. Comment

The hydrangea thieves who have clipped bushes in Bellerose have expanded their coverage area into Little Neck. Comment

A mother and her teenage son who were critically hurt in a Flushing fire Aug. 17 died of their injuries three days after the early morning blaze that destroyed the family’s longtime 64th Avenue home, the woman’s father said this week. Comment

After living for 15 years in Flushing, Taiwanese immigrant Fred Fu decided the area’s vast collection of cultures deserved an opportunity to celebrate their diversity. Comment

FLUSHING — The Queens robbery squad and the 109th Precinct arrested a suspect Tuesday in a series of Queens robberies, many of which occurred when the culprit snatched female victims’ handbags, police said. Comment

150-24 Northern Blvd., Flushing Comment

150-24 Northern Blvd., Flushing Comment

The Great Neck Choral Society invites singers to audition for the upcoming seasons under the direction of our wonderful conductor, Dr. Virginia Davidson. Auditions for all voices will be held privately on Wednesdays , Sept., 5, 12 and 19, 8 p.m., in the choral room at Great Neck South Middle School, one traffic light south of the LIE off Lakeville Road. This group of 65 strong consists of and welcomes singers from a wide area. The Fall program, scheduled to be performed on Sun., Dec. 16 in Great Neck, will betwo very exciting works, Comment

The Great Neck Choral Society invites singers to audition for the upcoming seasons under the direction of our wonderful conductor, Dr. Virginia Davidson. Auditions for all voices will be held privately on Wednesdays , Sept., 5, 12 and 19, 8 p.m., in the choral room at Great Neck South Middle School, one traffic light south of the LIE off Lakeville Road. This group of 65 strong consists of and welcomes singers from a wide area. The Fall program, scheduled to be performed on Sun., Dec. 16 in Great Neck, will betwo very exciting works, Comment

Imagine if Alice in Wonderland had been just a bit urban. Comment

Even though the Cold War ended years ago, Cuba, the Communist island nation just 90 miles from Florida, remains under trade embargoes with the U.S. and is still a mystery location to most Americans. Comment