As part of Dick Cheney's secret program to conduct political assassinations, the CIA hired Blackwater, the shady group of Christian vigilantes for hire whose founder was recently implicated in a murder, to assist in the operation. [New York Times]

Silicon Valley startup Robotex, which has won the endorsement of Pentagon mercenary suppplier Blackwater, already manufacturers robots with guns. How long until they or anybody else building an army gets their hands on the creepy robocritter featured in the clip embedded below? Watch as a modular robot made by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania reassembles itself when kicked apart.

A photo editor of the New York Post wrote a desperate plea last night: "I am on URGENT hunt for images of the (now dead) NY times Bureau dog Hentish and two other dogs that are also in the NY times Bureau, Itchy and Scratchy. (See Reuters story below) I need something today- Dec 18th. Might any of you have any images of them from years past or... know any freelancers shooting in Iraq right now that you can recommend me to email right now. Perhaps one of them might have some images." WHO WILL KEEP NEW YORK TIMES DOGS ITCHY AND SCRATCHY SAFE FROM MURDEROUS BLACKWATER NOW? By the way, we want puppy pics too—and we don't pay that standard photo rate! We pay nothing!

Private security firm and deadly, answerable-to-no-one mercenary army Blackwater was involved in yet another shocking display of deadly gunplay in Iraq. Just months after Blackwater guards shot 17 civilians in cold blood on the streets of Baghdad, they SHOT THE NEW YORK TIMES'S DOG. Which, wow. The New York Times had a dog? And Blackwater just... shot it? "State Department investigators have made two follow-up visits to the Times compound to investigate the shooting of Hentish [the lovable, and no doubt absolutely adorable dog belonging to the Times]," according to Reuters.

New York Times in Iraq: "Blackwater shot our dog" [Reuters]