Free Republic

Barack Obama says that John McCain tried to "smear" him and was "losing his bearings" for suggesting that Hamas preferred Obama for president. The Democratic presidential candidate told CNN that it's "offensive" and "disappointing" especially since McCain has said he's "not going to run that kind of politics." McCain has raised questions about a Hamas adviser saying in an interview: "We like Obama and hope that he will win the election." The United States has labeled the Palestinian organization a terrorist group. McCain said yesterday on "The Daily Show with John Stewart" that it shows how some enemies view America....

A gun that spits out ball bearings after spinning them to extreme speeds is being developed by a US inventor. The novel design has already caught the imagination of some defence industry experts. The weapon, called DREAD, was invented by Charles St George, a veteran of the US firearms industry who founded the company Leader Propulsion Systems to promote the idea. He claims a major US defence company has shown an interested in developing it further and has produced a promotional video showing a prototype in action, which can be seen here (Quicktime). He says a new prototype will be...

Manufacturer cites overseas competition NSK Corp. announced Tuesday that it would begin a phased closure of its ball bearing factory in Pittsfield Township, a move that will eliminate 280 jobs over the next year and a half. Jerry Hope, NSK's vice president of human resources, said manufacturing would be shifted to other NSK factories. "We recognized the need to consolidate our operations," Hope said, explaining that NSK faces increasing competition from overseas producers. He said that NSK is one of the few remaining domestic producers of bearings like those manufactured in Ann Arbor.

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.GREENSBURG, Ind. - New Technology Network-BCA Corp. has informed employees it will close its plant in Greensburg next year as part of a corporate restructuring. Company officials posted a notice Wednesday informing the plant's 280 employees that layoffs will begin Jan. 2. "Operations will continue through the end of the year. How long after that, I'm really uncertain," said Dennis Fogle, who works in the plant's human resources department. NTN-BCA said it would consolidate its manufacturing operations at its plant in Lititz, Pa., and eliminate the product line at the plant about...