When life moves too fast, Slashfood Ate (8) beer edition is here to help us keep up on the latest beer news we might have missed. Let's see what the bullet points find noteworthy in the beer world this week:

• On Tuesday, the Abita Brewery exploded. Don't worry: Beer terrorism isn't to blame -- a tank accidentally became over-pressurized. More amazing: Though production was halted for the day, supposedly no beer was harmed in the incident. More proof that God loves beer!
• With the auto industry down the tubes, maybe beer can save the Michigan economy: Bell's Brewery is undergoing a $5.2 million expansion.
• The Baltimore Sun's Rob Kasper tried to get a discussion going on "the best beers of the NFL's Final Four." What do you guys think are the best beers in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Phoenix and Philadelphia?
  

Well, it seems that they don't have enough material for disputes, arguments and accusations in the Middle East. Now we have the fight for the falafel--and the tabbouleh and the hummus too. Fadi Aboud, president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association is preparing to file an international lawsuit against Israel for manufacturing foods that he claims originated in Lebanon. "If we can prove that this is a Lebanese product, using Lebanese recipes," he explains, "the name of the food will belong to Lebanon. They won't be able to use that name."

This case actually does have a precedent: a 2002 EU ruling in favor of Greece upholding that nation's claim to be the "originator" of feta cheese. However, shouldn't recipes that are centuries--if not millennia old--fall under public domain? Does this mean China will sue Italy for the rights to spaghetti? Then Italy can pursue action against America for posession of fried chicken, but America will be busy trying to wrest control of French fries from France... after all, these international incicents do have a way of spreading.

Even though I don't know very much about Kosher law, I do know that one who keeps Kosher can only eat certain animal proteins. Now you can add giraffe to that list.

Recently at the Safari Park, Israel's largest zoo, vets took some milk from a female giraffe and sent it to some Rabbis to see if it was Kosher. Turns out it is. The Rabbis said that the milk formed curds correctly, and since giraffes "belong to the family of grazing animals that have cloven hooves and chew the cud" they should be considered Kosher.

What I don't get is why, if the vets were treating the female for something, did they send its milk to Rabbis for Kosher consideration? That point wasn't really addressed in the Telegraph Online article. Oh well, I guess there's now one more option for those who keep Kosher!

Olives are such a Mediterranean product that it's hard to think of them as being grown, in mass quantities anywhere else. That could soon be the case, however. Israel is sending a million trees to Rajasthan, in northern India. It's a deal that the leaders of India hope will spark a new era in agricultural production, as well as bring some much needed revenue, in the country.

Diplomats are finalizing a three year deal now, and it is hoped that India could start exporting olive oil by 2011. While it is a good thing for India, Israel isn't just in this for the warm fuzzies. Israeli companies will benefit from the deal, both in farming and in designing an irrigation system that will allow the farming to happen in the first place, as northern India is a desert. Overall a win win for both countries, at least it seems that way. What do you think about India olive oil?

Hey, we don't doubt that you are the consummate host or hostess at your party - greeting guests at the door with a cocktail, cooking, serving, clearing plates, chatting, and all done with utter grace. However, there might be times when you want to kick back for one second (just one, mind you), and let someone else do the work. Or some thing, that is.

These Rolling Serving Dishes from Fines' Makers (out of Israel) might help for that one second you have to retreat to the powder room. Sure, they don't serve themselves, but they sure will keep your guests entertained as they "take on and pass ti on." Besides, they're so adorably sleek and chic.

No, it's not just eating lots of chocolate to make yourself feel better. Two psychologists in Ra'anana, Israel, have developed a program where those recovering from traumatic brain injuries use chocolate making and sculpting as a form of therapy. The craft seems to serve as both a creative outlet and a medium for those in therapy to connect with others around them. Some patients sculpt the chocolate to externalize their feelings, others interact with fellow patients by helping them sculpt. Obviously, it's a far more rewarding medium than, say, clay. After working with chocolate, patients then participate in more traditional talking therapy.  Israel21c.org has a detailed piece about the two psychologists and their research.

[Photo: Israel21c.org]

There are 120 McDonalds restaurants in Israel and all of them purchase only kosher ingredients. Only 19 of the restaurants are entirely kosher, or kashrut. This means that they do not sell any dairy products whatsoever, making them no-risk restaurant destinations for those diners who keep kosher. There was concern from some rabbis that diners might be confused at the difference between the two types of McDonalds, thinking that none of them serve dairy products. To alleviate fears, McDonalds has offered a redesigned logo for the 19 restaurants. The famous red and gold will be replaced by blue and white, and the McDonalds logo will be printed only in Hebrew, with the word "kosher" appearing in English on the menu.