Free Republic

Having lost her appeal, 15 year-old student Andrea Hernandez is leaving John Jay High School after school officials denied her request to allow her to continue her "education uninterrupted" by permitting her to use her old (chipless) ID badge which "does not signify participation in a program which I believe conflicts with my religious beliefs." In her handwritten letter, Hernandez writes: "I do not wish to wear the new badge, even without the RFID chip, because it signifies participation in the program." Hernandez, who has been threatened with expulsion for refusing to wear a chipless RFID tracking badge, had her...

London, UK (BANG) - Britain's Prince Charles wants grey squirrels exterminated. The future king - a keen environmentalist - has claimed it is essential to eliminate the animal, introduced from North America in the 19th century, because of the threat they pose to native red squirrels. In a letter to the Country Land and Business Association, Charles - patron of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust said: "In order to be able to save the red squirrels and ensure their future in this country, it is absolutely crucial to eliminate the greys which, as you know, are an alien species to...

Susan Asher isn't someone you want to rile. The freelance PR specialist and writer recently went to war with Wal-Mart over 27 cents and didn't stop her assault until the corporate giant waved the proverbial white flag and offered an apology. Susan Asher was denied a back-to-school tax exemption. The war began when Asher whent to buy a four-pack of headbands in late July during the state's annual back-to-school tax-free holiday. A cashier and a store manager at the Wal-Mart in Roswell said the headbands were not on the state's tax-exempt list. Asher left the store fuming — and without...