Israel ain't much of an oil-producing country -- "only a couple thousand barrels of oil a day," according to Slate last year. Which isn't stopping Dallas-based Zion Oil and Gas, HQ'd on Abrams Road, from digging into some Holy Land in hopes of striking it rich. Only, not so much so far: The company, which went public earlier this year, is way behind on filing its financials with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and despite drilling just east of Caesarea, John Brown and Richard Rinberg's company has come up with bupkis.

Still, it makes for an interesting story, as evidenced today with this piece in the Jerusalem Post, which profiles Brown -- a born-again Christian who believes God has led him to Israel to find, precisely, 484 million barrels of oil. Says Brown, "Zion's purpose is not just to discover oil and help Israel with its energy needs, but to contribute, if possible, to the Jews' return to Israel." Uh, I'm good right here, Mr. Brown, but you're welcome to stay over there as long as you like. --Robert Wilonsky

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