Goats

It all started with an unlikely pairing of two unknowns. Back in the '80s, a couple of struggling actors named Grant Heslov and George Clooney were in Milton Katselas' famed acting class. Clooney asked Heslov, then a student at USC, if he wanted to do a scene from Neil Simon's Depression-era play "Brighton Beach Memoirs." Heslov agreed, playing the younger nerdy Eugene to Clooney's older sibling Stanley. Their chemistry worked, and shortly after, when Clooney was invited to audition for ABC, he brought Heslov along to repeat the scene.

PETALUMA, Calif. - As you drive north of San Francisco into Marin and Sonoma counties, the countryside begins to unfold before you. Green pastures, oak and chaparral-covered hillsides and small canyons of redwood trees reveal themselves. Red-tailed hawks and osprey fly overhead, deer graze in the hills and at sunset, bobcats survey the terrain. A setting so lovely that you can't help but think cheese Wait - not wine? Perhaps that too, but we're talking here about the Sonoma Marin Cheese Trail that winds through the countryside, connecting family farms and food artisans that create batches of distinctive cheeses from local grass-fed cows, goats and sheep.

Do I believe George Clooney can move things just by staring at them? Of course, don't you? So we'll start with casting, one of many good decisions director Grant Heslov made on this delightfully wacky, mostly true tale of a psychic unit of soldiers trying to mind read, move through walls and, in general, use brain rather than brawn to overwhelm the enemy. For the troops -- chief among them Clooney and Jeff Bridges -- it's war under the radar and on LSD, or whatever drugs help achieve altered states.

Pepsi has pulled a Mountain Dew ad being called history-making for its racism. The ad features a battered woman on crutches, a lineup of "thugs" and a goat with a serious temper and addiction to Mountain Dew. Dr. Boyce Watkins on the site YourBlackWorld.net called the ad "arguably the most racist commercial in history. " The ad was part of a three-segment commercial created by Tyler, the Creator, leader of the Odd Future hip-hop group, reported MTV News. In the first commercial, Felicia the Goat attacks a waitress who does not bring the goat enough Mountain Dew. In the second commercial, Felicia gets away from police at a traffic stop.

Killing 2,000 goats on Santa Catalina is a very logical act. The balance of nature is necessary for the survival of all things. When an "unbalanced" situation occurs--too many goats--how divine of mankind to step in and set it straight. Using this same logic, we will notice the other "unbalanced" situation that is going on--too many people--and thus proceed in the same fashion. (Pity that the goats can't pull the trigger.) By reducing world population by 50%, I am certain that the "native grasses, shrubs and animals--such as fox--will be able to thrive."

In the April 5 photo, "Weed Eaters and Friends of Nature," we see San Francisco goats working at San Francisco International Airport, displacing humans--eating overgrowth for the weed abatement program. God knows we need more animals around in this overdeveloped world today. And it beats giving the jobs to machines. Great idea these Bay Area people have! Do the four-leggeds eat condos too? Now you're talking. Conservatives and liberals alike have a mantra that education is the answer to all of America's problems.

If you've ever agonized over an insect or rodent problem, this photo should make you feel better. Imagine your garden being overrun with tree-climbing goats. By my count, there are nine in this flimsy tree, not counting the goat nibbling on leaves from the ground. Times reader Jack Brunning captured this scene while vacationing in Morocco . Tree-climbing goats aren't as unusual as you might think. In western Morocco, Tamri goats are known to scale argan trees to feed on their leaves and nuts.

We've heard about "The Men Who Stare at Goats" but what about the men who wrangle goats? The goats that had to bear the brunt of George Clooney's psychic assaults were provided by animal coordinator Sled Reynolds and his company, Gentle Jungle. "I only keep about four or five goats," Reynolds said. "We use them in nativity scenes. But we found a rancher near the set in New Mexico who let us use the 80 goats the film required." Just like their costars, when they weren't filming, they hung out in a trailer -- but with fewer amenities.

A nanny and her two kids were among 81 wild goats captured over the weekend on San Clemente Island by the Fund for Animals to save them from slaughter by the Navy. The goats were found in an area used by warships for target practice. It was the first time the group was allowed to trap in that area.

All of the patrons at Al Johnson's Swedish restaurant in Sister, Bay, Wis., will be surprised to learn that they have been served Swiss meals with lingonberries and goats grazing on the roof. Frank Riley (Oct. 6), like Homer, sometimes nods. GEORGE JOHNSON Santa Barbara

Bryn Renner takes his role as North Carolina's quarterback seriously. Perhaps he has a soft spot in his heart for fainting goats. Or maybe he just thought the whole thing was stupid. For whatever reason, Renner didn't seem to appreciate it one day in practice last fall when every player on the field, except him, fell to the ground and rolled over as soon as the ball was snapped. Renner reacted by slamming the ball to the ground and running downfield. On his way back, he batted the ball away with his helmet and refused to take high-fives from his teammates.

  50 minutes, plus relaxing time for the dough. Serves 6 1 1/2 cups flour 2 eggs, plus more if needed 12 ounces fresh goat cheese 5 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 egg yolk 6 tablespoons minced chives 3 tablespoons chopped parsley Salt to taste 1 beaten egg white 1. In a food processor, mix the flour and 2 eggs until it just comes together to form a rough dough. If that doesn't happen, add a little more beaten egg, a teaspoon or so at a time.

  2 hours. Serves 6 2 cups chicken broth 2 cups water 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1 1/2 to 2 ounces rinds from Parmigiano-Reggiano Herb trimmings Salt 2 dozen asparagus tips 1/2 pound sugar snap peas Goat cheese ravioli or fresh pasta squares 2 tablespoons chopped chives 1 ounce freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano 1. In a soup pot, simmer the chicken broth, water, garlic, Parmesan rinds and herb...

It was a strange day at Wrigley Field on Wednesday. An unidentified man driving a white van pulled up to a security entrance, parked, got out and wordlessly dropped off a package addressed to Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts before leaving. Security personnel opened the box and discovered a goat's severed head. Cubs personnel called the police, who are seeking the man who left the package. "Obviously, it's just an unfortunate fan doing something pretty stupid," Cubs Manager Dale Sveum said.

  20 minutes. Serves 4 to 6 2 blood oranges 1 (1-pound) bunch dandelion greens, trimmed and torn 1 cup toasted pecan halves 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 2/3 cup raisins 1/4 cup sherry vinegar 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fruity olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled 1. Supreme the oranges: Slice off the top and bottom of the whole fruit, then cut off the rest of...

  Total time: 30 minutes Servings: 4 1/3 cup hazelnuts 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar Salt 2 teaspoons minced shallots 3 tablespoons hazelnut oil 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 pound tangerines, peeled, broken into segments and stripped of any pithy strings 1 head butter lettuce, cored and torn into bite-sized pieces (about 4 cups) 3 ounces crumbled goat cheese 1. Toast the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet in a 400-degree oven until they smell toasty, about 10 minutes.

Re "Laguna Beach Stuck on Horns of Dilemma," (May 22): The Laguna Beach 1993 firestorm consumed 14,000 acres and 440 homes. The goats eat a firebreak at an annual cost of 20% of what human crews would cost. Biologist Elisabeth Brown states, "They're eating stuff over here and [leaving] it over there. Everything's getting moved around. . . . It's not good. And it looks like hell to boot." Ecology instructor Allan Schoenherr states, "Basically we're trading one kind of problem for another."

Ah, Paris. The wine, the food, the fashion, the pigs. You may know the first three, but the last? They're part of the  Salon Internationale de l'Agriculture in Paris, the largest agricultural show in France. The show,  which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, will run Feb. 23-March 3 and will play host to more than  680,000 visitors. It's where town and country meet: cows, pigs, goats, sheep, 200 varieties of chickens, horses, dogs, plus a chance to sample food and wine from all over the country.

On Monday, the ladies of “The Bachelor” mansion embarked on “a worldwide journey to find love with Sean” -- one that began in … Montana. Yeah, the remaining 11 women didn't seem overjoyed when Chris Harrison told them their first stop on this little love tour would be Big Sky Country. But hey, they've been trapped in Agoura Hills for two weeks without TV or Internet, so they should take what they can get. “It's so exciting to smell the fresh air,” Selma said upon arrival at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, hundreds of miles away from the lovely perfume-spray tan aroma of the famous mansh.

Ah, Paris. The wine, the food, the fashion, the pigs. You may know the first three, but the last? They're part of the  Salon Internationale de l'Agriculture in Paris, the largest agricultural show in France. The show,  which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, will run Feb. 23-March 3 and will play host to more than  680,000 visitors. It's where town and country meet: cows, pigs, goats, sheep, 200 varieties of chickens, horses, dogs, plus a chance to sample food and wine from all over the country.