Petra Nemcova

Supermodel Petra Nemcova was injured and her boyfriend, British photographer Simon Atlee, was missing after the pair were caught up in the Asian tsunami disaster. Nemcova and Atlee had been vacationing in the resort of Phuket when the waves swept over them on Sunday. Nemcova, who appeared on the cover of 2003 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, clung to a tree for eight hours as the water swirled around her. She suffered a shattered hip and internal injuries. British authorities have no word on the status of Atlee.

Last night was somewhat interesting in the football pool (note: the pool was interesting - the games continue to be unremittingly dull). After the Iowa State upset of Miami (Ohio), the BiL briefly moved into a first-place tie with the Witch Doctor, and my brother moved ahead of my Mom and I, leaving us tied for last place. However, both my brother and the BiL chose Notre Fucking Dame over Oregon State, the only ones to do so, so they quickly lost their good fortune when the Irish lost 38-21. So the Witch Doctor's still in the lead, with my sister and the BiL behind by one game, and my brother, my mother and I all three back.


Tonight's games are probably only interesting to my Mom. Everyone but her picked Colorado over UTEP, so she might be able to pick up one game there. Next, she and the BiL were the only ones to choose OK State over Ohio State, so if things go their way, Mom could catch up with my sister and the BiL can once again tie the Witch Doctor.

Alternately, Mom might find herself all alone in last place, trailing my brother and I by two games.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A comment Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made during a Christmas Eve address to U.S. troops in Baghdad has sparked new conspiracy theories about the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

In the speech, Rumsfeld made a passing reference to United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to stop al Qaeda hijackers.

But in his remarks, Rumsfeld referred to the "the people who attacked the United States in New York, shot down the plane over Pennsylvania."

A Pentagon spokesman insisted that Rumsfeld simply misspoke, but Internet conspiracy theorists seized on the reference to the plane having been shot down.

Was it a slip of the tongue? Was it an error? Or was it the truth, finally being dropped on the public more than three years after the tragedy?

Some people remain skeptical of U.S. government statements that, despite a presidential authorization, no planes were shot down September 11, and rumors still circulate that a U.S. military plane shot the airliner down over Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

A Pentagon spokesman insists Rumsfeld has not changed his opinion that the plane crashed as the result of an onboard struggle between passengers and terrorists.

The independent panel charged with investigating the terrorist attacks concluded that the hijackers intentionally crashed Flight 93, apparently because they feared the passengers would overwhelm them.