Linked to numerous terror plots, he is believed to have financed the first World Trade Center bombing, helped set up the courier system that resulted in the infamous Bali bombing, and cut off Danny Pearl's head.

A second was Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the head of al Qaeda operations in the Persian Gulf. He allegedly played a role in the 2000 millennium terror plots and was the mastermind behind the USS Cole attack, which killed 17 Americans.

The third was Abu Zubaydah, said to be Osama bin Laden's top man after Ayman al Zawahri and al Qaeda's chief logistics operative. It is believed that Zubaydah essentially ran al Qaeda's terror camps and recruitment operations.

After he was waterboarded, Zubaydah reportedly offered intelligence officers a treasure trove of critical information.

Blind from birth, Squirrel Hill resident brings tears to guests' eyes ...

Lana Den, left, of Cleveland, laughs with Ceinwen King-Smith, of Squirrel Hill, after Ms. King-Smith sang and played the piano in her living room yesterday for two dozen Chinese visitors. Ms. King-Smith, who is blind, is an accomplished singer and speaks eight languages. .

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Well, That's Done

Perhaps his most marketable trait to us as we look to change the culture around our team is his all-or-nothing attitude once he takes the field. When Rowand takes the field, he will be roaming center field at AT&T Park behind one of the top starting rotations in the National League. This winter our assumptions that Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are two of the top arms in the game today were confirmed by all of the teams which wanted to acquire them. While off-season acquisitions often make headlines, I think our best moves have been the ones we did not make. In holding onto Cain and Lincecum, they combine with Barry Zito and Noah Lowry to be the foundation for a very strong rotation for years to come. While the game starts on the mound, having a solid defense is crucial especially if you have to manufacture runs.

Borgata fined for minor's play

He bought more than $34,000 worth of chips, lost more than $9,000, and rubbed elbows with high rollers at the poker and blackjack tables at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.

His regular patronage earned him in excess of $1,000 worth of complimentary goods and services. And when he first walked through the doors of the youth-oriented casino in 2005, he was just 19 years old - in a state where the legal age for gambling is 21.

"The commission takes underage gambling very seriously," said Dan Heneghan, spokesman for the commission. "This is a case where an individual came into the Borgata on multiple occasions over a period of more than a year and repeatedly played table games.

Snowstorm Pummels Southern Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. -- Nearly a half-foot of snow has fallen in some parts of southern Wisconsin on Wednesday and several inches more are expected as a major winter storm sweeps through the state, WISC-TV reported.

Wild Card -- Weekend

Not for everyone. It's a kid story, after all. And mebbe that's why Wilson's Lewis is so appealing. The guy had so many warts (as I do) and yet he produced the wonderful Narnia series, as well as "Screwtape Letters," "The Great Divorce," "Mere Christianity," etc. Mebbe there's hope for me, yet. Soldier on.