Bird

“Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol” gallops into theaters almost exactly on schedule - its predecessors came out in 1996, 2000 and 2006 - and (more importantly) just in time to rescue Tom Cruise's flagging box-office numbers. Outside of his funny, if bizarre, guest spot in “Tropic Thunder,” his films since the last entry (“Lions for Lambs,” “Valkyrie” and the underrated “Knight and Day”) have all underperformed. The utterly enjoyable “M:I - GP” should fix all that.

Descanso Gardens is offering a class for the birds. Karen Johnson, former president of the San Fernando Audubon Society, will lead a class on bird identification from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday. The course will teach how to identify birds through sound, sight and behavior. After an introductory lecture, Johnson will lead students in viewing birds at Descanso. The curriculum covers tools, and techniques of bird identification and selection of optics and field guides.

Gary Moskowitz Sandy Wise puts a scarecrow out in her frontyard every autumn, but this year she decided to do something different. Wise, who grew up in Burbank and now lives in Glendale, said she dressed her scarecrow to look like Uncle Sam because it seemed timely. The 6-foot scarecrow wears a waistcoat decorated with blue and white stripes, a red shirt and top hat. A sunflower is pinned to the scarecrow's lapel and a fake bird is perched on his wrist.

Burbank Mayor Jef Vander Borght and Rep. Adam Schiff took to the skies Monday afternoon in a flyover of the 1,100 acres burned in a brush fire in the Verdugo Mountains, which fire officials expected to fully contain by this morning. Riding aboard a Burbank Police helicopter, Schiff, whose district includes Burbank, and Vander Borght spent about a half hour surveying the damage done over four days. The ride gave Vander Borght his first chance to see the damage caused by the fire that broke out Thursday afternoon.

Rosemont Middle School students giggled and made “eww” noises in their seventh-grade science class as they looked at photos of sexually transmitted diseases Thursday during sex education. Teacher Erin Lynch told students that she made sure to pick out the least graphic pictures and showed unidentifiable body parts with sexually transmitted diseases, which can often originate on a person’s genital area. A photo of a microscopic-sized crab, or pediculosis pubis, appeared on the classroom’s erase board.

There is a scene in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds," near the start of the movie, where Tippy Hedren is speeding her sports car through the rolling green countryside. Suddenly the camera pulls back to show a bay and seaside village that are so pristine and picturesque they would do justice to any fine painting. The movie then proceeds to allow thousands of birds to terrorize this idyllic little place and run Tippy and boyfriend Rod Taylor completely out of town. Fortunately, it was all just a movie and we're happy to report that the movie's little village - Bodega Bay - has survived to become an even more popular getaway than it was before Hitchcock chose it for his movie.

Amber Willard NORTHWEST GLENDALE -- Glendale Police are investigating the theft of several exotic birds and money from Pets R Us. The thefts were reported early Sunday, after a burglar alarm was activated at the store at 1418 W. Glenoaks Blvd., police said. The front window to the store had been smashed, which probably set off the alarm shortly after 1 a.m., according to police reports. Nine exotic birds, worth thousands of dollars, were taken from their cages, along with an undisclosed amount from the store's cash register, police said.

Most of the people who read this column do so because they enjoy learning about grammar, usage and style. Like me, they actually find the stuff interesting and useful. But now that I think about it: Why should they have all the fun? I mean, aren't I just discriminating against all of you out there who despise learning about grammar? When will it be your turn? Well today's your lucky day, all you disgruntled high-school students and Yale-educated leaders of the free world. Because today I offer you the best ammo ever in your battles to prove that English is nothing but a colossal pain in the fanny.

The La Crescenta Library is once again offering its summer reading program to the community. This year's theme is "Paws, Claws, Scales & Tales!" Keep your youngsters' minds active, with the added incentive of earning prizes, by participating in the Reading Game. In addition, the library will offer programs for preschool and school-age children on Fridays and families on Saturdays. Scheduled events in July include "The Magic of Tony Daniels," "Animal Babble Songs and Tales," "Last Days of the Dinosaurs" and "Alligator Al and His Reptile Pals."

When it comes to bird flu, Ebola fever, "mad cow" disease, SARS or any number of emerging health threats, it?s easy to get caught up in the furor and fear. But at the end of the day, a group of special scientists say, what?s really needed is common sense. So is the threat real? "Whether the bird flu virus becomes a pandemic in humans is unpredictable at this time," says Corrie Brown, diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) and a University of Georgia professor of veterinary medicine.