Photo Credit: Georgine Benvenuto

TGI Friday’s much-hyped “Mobile Mistletoe” drones drew first blood in their New York City debut on Dec. 4 at the chain’s beloved Sheepshead Bay location when one of them hit our intrepid photographer right in the face.

The two remote-controlled helicopters dangling sprigs of mistletoe were intended to spread holiday romance, but one of them flew out of control and clipped Courier photographer Georgine Benvenuto in the nose with one of its spinning, uncovered blades.

“It literally chipped off a tip of my nose,” said Benvenuto, using tissues to stanch the blood. “It took off part of my nose and cut me here, right under my chin.”

Benvenuto said she’s just thankful she wasn’t blinded in the name of love.

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Photo Credit: Copyright Regents of the University of Colorado

The electrons, which travel at near light-speed, are capable of damaging space electronics and can put astronauts in danger.

The shield, which forms a barrier to particle motion, was found in the Van Allen radiation belts, according to Distinguished Professor Daniel Baker, director of CU-Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, who led the study. The radiation belts, which are held in place by Earth’s magnetic field, are two doughnut-shaped rings that are packed with high-energy electrons and protons.

“It’s almost like these electrons are running into a glass wall in space,” said Baker, in a statement. “Somewhat like the shields created by force fields on Star Trek that were used to repel alien weapons, we are seeing an invisible shield blocking these electrons. It’s an extremely puzzling phenomenon.”

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The American Family Association has released its “Naughty-or-Nice 2014 Retailer List,” an annual report that offers Christian consumers information about how companies market their products during the holiday season.

The conservative group rates brands on a color-coded scale, with the highest marks going to “5-star rated” businesses that both “promote and celebrate Christmas on an exceptional basis.” This year, some of the companies that fall under that category are Lowe’s, Sears, Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart.

On the lower end are companies that the American Family Association claims “use ‘Christmas’ sparingly in a single or unique product description” and that, overall, purportedly do not adequately recognize the holiday in newspaper advertisements and TV and radio spots.

Some of these so-called “naughty” companies are: Barnes & Noble, Family Dollar, Foot Locker, Limited Brands, Office Depot, Office Max, Pet Smart, Staples, Victoria’s Secret and Maurice’s, according to a list published on the organization’s website…

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Photo Credit: Standard Compliant

Acting Secret Service director Joseph Clancy on Wednesday testified before the House Judiciary Committee, where several lawmakers asked questions about a security breach in September that led to a jumper making his way into the White House.

Rep. Steven Cohen (D-Tenn.), after several questions about the security lapse, had a creative recommendation.

“Would a…moat—” Cohen began.

“Moat?” Clancy interrupted

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Representative Louie Gohmert Suggests Removing the White House’s Fence

In a congressional hearing yesterday, Rep. Gohmert suggested that the White House should consider removing its fence altogether. Here’s the exchange between the congressman and the acting director of the Secret Service, Joseph Clancy:

Rep. Gohmert: “Has there been any thought to just eliminating the fence around the White House, has Secretary Napolitano ever talked about that, maybe having a virtual fence, or electronic fences, has that been discussed at all?”

Mr. Clancy: “Sir, I’m not aware of any discussions in that regard.”

Rep. Gohmert: “Would you be in favor of removing the fence around the White House and having a virtual or electronic fence around it?”

Mr. Clancy: “Sir, my knee-jerk reaction that would be, ‘no sir,’ partly because of the number of tourists that come on Pennsylvania Avenue and come right up to that area and, you know, take pictures and whatnot. . .”

Rep. Gohmert: “Well you know the secretary has said, Secretary Napolitano, the fence was worthless: ‘You put a 10 foot fence up, somebody’s going to build a 12 foot ladder.’ So I would think if the administration is going to be consistent, it’s now time to remove the fence from around the White House, ’cause if it isn’t good enough for our border, it should not be good enough for the White House. So I would ask you to consider that consistency and also consider the fact that maybe there really is some real virtue in having a fence that slows people down. . .”