Learning Skills

Article of the day for February 11, 2019 is Characters of Final Fantasy VIII . The characters of Final Fantasy VIII include an elite group of mercenaries called SeeD, as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various nations and cities. Thirteen weeks after the 1999 North American release of Final Fantasy VIII, a role-playing video game by Square, it had earned more than $50 million in sales, making it the fastest selling Final Fantasy title at the time. The game's characters, created by Tetsuya Nomura under the direction of Yoshinori Kitase (pictured), are the first in the series to be realistically proportioned in all aspects of the game. This graphical shift, as well as the cast itself, have received generally positive reviews from gaming magazines and websites. The six main playable characters are the loner Squall Leonhart, the passionate Rinoa Heartilly, the instructor Quistis Trepe, the martial artist Zell Dincht, the cheerful pilot Selphie Tilmitt, and the mark...

With a high of 51F and a low of 38F.

By JOHN WILLIAMS from NYT Books https://nyti.ms/2Bo2yl9

Article of the day for February 10, 2019 is Damageplan . Damageplan was an American heavy metal supergroup from Dallas, Texas, formed in 2003. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul started a new band with bassist Bob Kakaha and vocalist Patrick Lachman, a guitarist formerly with Diesel Machine and Halford. They released their only studio album, New Found Power, in the United States on February 10, 2004; it debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200. Later that year Damageplan was promoting the album at a concert at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, when a man climbed on stage, killed Darrell and three others, and wounded another seven before being fatally shot by a police officer. Some witnesses said that the assailant blamed the brothers for Pantera's breakup and believed that they had stolen his lyrics. Paul and Kakaha later joined the band Hellyeah (pictured). Damageplan has been inactive since the incident.

With a high of 54F and a low of 33F.

By MARIA RUSSO from NYT Books https://nyti.ms/2SC8dxM

Article of the day for February 9, 2019 is Radcliffe, Greater Manchester . Radcliffe is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the Irwell Valley 2.5 miles (4 km) south-west of Bury and 6.5 miles (10 km) north-northwest of Manchester. The disused Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal bisects the town. Historically a part of Lancashire, the town and its surroundings show evidence of Mesolithic, Roman and Norman activity. A Roman road passes along the border between Radcliffe and Bury. In the High Middle Ages, the town was recorded in an entry of the Domesday Book as "Radeclive"; it formed a small parish and township centred on the Church of St Mary (current church pictured) and the manorial Radcliffe Tower, both of which are Grade I listed buildings. Coal was mined nearby during the Industrial Revolution, providing fuel for the cotton-spinning and papermaking industries. By the mid-19th century, Radcliffe was an important mill tow...