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Sorry, we only accept cash

Nick Buxton is an antiwar protester from London. But somewhere along the line he also developed considerable skill at using a chisel. How so? After being fined $200 for blocking the entrance to a British military base in a rally last January against the impending invasion of Iraq, he decided to pay by check ... carved into a scaled-down tombstone. Oh, it had all the particulars - such as his bank account number and signature - but the reverse side read: "RIP 25,000 dead in Iraq," his estimate of the number of civilians killed in the conflict. In Britain, a check may legally be written on almost any surface. But a payee has the right to refuse it - and the court in this case did.

With 1,100 outlets in 30 states, Chick-fil-A is the nation's third-largest chicken restaurant chain. But its drive-thru service is No. 1 over such fast-food giants as Burger King and Wendy's in a new ranking by trade magazine QSR. McDonald's? It placed 12th out of 25 chains surveyed. Rankings were based on performance in four categories: speed, accuracy, clarity of the attend-ants's voice over the speaker, and menuboard appearance. QSR's top 10 drive-thru chains:

1. Chick-fil-A
2. Taco Bell
3. Wendy's
4. Burger King
5. El Pollo Loco
6. Jack in the Box
7. Taco John's
8. Arby's
9. KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
10. Checkers