Snort alert verification v0.9.5.1 has been released, which updates the preferred Nessus libraries to v2.0.10 and addresses an RPM build error reported in v0.9.5. The patch and source archive can be downloaded here.

Apparently some proponents of the movement to dump Cheney for the 2004 presidential election have settled on a replacement, none other than Condoleezza Rice. Bush would stand to gain from such a move from several standpoints, I suppose. It would probably allow him to grab more minority and female votes, attacking blocs that Democrats have traditionally considered as part of their support base, besides the benefits of removing the specter of Cheney hanging over him.



With Cheney beginning a PR blitz in an effort to save his job, it will be interesting to see how far this movement goes.

It's finally official: it is now the Year of the Monkey, a portentious time for all, to be sure. To celebrate the New Year, Xinhua, China's state-controlled media, released an article on Chinese simian-related festivities including reports on "hooligan monkeys" hitting on the ladies, enforcing a policy of "politeness, humility, no harassment, and no scuffling" on said monkeys, and the dyeing of monkey coats. On the coats: Thank you, Xinhua.