Regardless of your political views, we all have to agree that Iraq is currently an unsafe place for a long list of things. That list now includes Coke and Pepsi.

Ayatollah Sheikh Qasim Attayi issued a fatwa calling for all Muslims to cease consuming, selling or importing the cooler case staples.

Despite what it might look like, this isn’t a new strain of anti-Americanism. Though Pepsi and Coke are fantastic symbols of U.S. consumerism, Attayi called for the Fatwa after a study allegedly confirmed that Pepsin – a key ingredient in both drinks – is extracted from pig intestines.

While the idea of pig-intestine extract in our beverage might make most of us queasy, it’s downright forbidden for Muslims to consume pig products. Hence, fatwa.

This is fantastic. Courtesy of WTAE TV in Pittsburgh. Remember — shelf space is one thing, but a broken nose is another.

INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. — Pepsi or Coke? The battle continues.State police in Indiana, Pa., are investigation after a Pepsi employee allegedly assaulted a Coca-Cola employee while making a delivery at a Wal-Mart in White Township on Oct. 1.According to police, Robert Koscho, 48, of Ebensburg, and the Pepsi employee, who has not been identified, were bickering back and forth while making their deliveries at the Oakland Avenue store.

As Koscho left the store, police said, the Pepsi employee called him over and punched him three times in the face, breaking Koscho’s nose and giving him a black eye. A Coca-Cola representative told WTAE Channel 4 Action News that the fight started over shelf space in the aisles of the store. Shelf position is very important to companies that sell their products at Wal-Mart, according to a former store manager who spoke with Channel 4 Action News.At this time, police continue to investigate the incident.

Word from British tech bloggers is that Coke is developing a bottling and vending machine technology for Sprite bottles — and eventually Coke, Diet Coke, etc. — that will freeze some of the liquid into cubes inside the bottle when the cap opens.

Initial attention is focused on the fact that the drinks won’t be diluted by water. Forget that! Attention should be focused on the fact that doing that would be really, really, really neat. Why give it to the Brits first, though? Isn’t the right to be really neat what we fought the American Revolution for?

While assembling our 2007 Bottled Water Buyer’s Guide, we received many new brands of bottled water products that are (or will be) available in the US market.  Of course, there were lots of standard spring waters as well as countless new functional and vitamin enhanced products.  However, what I found most interesting about this year’s batch were the packaging styles.

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