Magic: The Gathering is a collectible and digital collectible card game created by Richard Garfield. Released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, Magic was the first trading card game and has twenty million players as of 2015, over twenty billion Magic cards produced in the period from 2008 to 2016, during which time it grew in popularity; each game of Magic represents a battle between wizards known as planeswalkers who cast spells, use artifacts, summon creatures as depicted on individual cards in order to defeat their opponents but not always, by draining them of their 20 starting life points in the standard format. Although the original concept of the game drew from the motifs of traditional fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, the gameplay bears little similarity to pencil-and-paper adventure games, while having more cards and more complex rules than many other card games. Magic can be played by two or more players, either in person with printed cards or on a computer, smartphone or tablet with virtual cards through the Internet-based software Magic: The Gathering Online or other video games such as Magic: The Gathering Arena.
It can be played in various rule formats, which fall into two categories: limited. Limited formats involve players building a deck spontaneously out of a pool of random cards with a minimum deck size of 40 cards. New cards are released on a regular basis through expansion sets. An organized tournament system played at the international level and a worldwide community of professional Magic players has developed, as well as a substantial resale market for Magic cards. Certain cards can be monetarily valuable due to their rarity in production and utility in gameplay, with prices ranging from a few cents to thousands of dollars. A game of Magic involves two or more players who are engaged in a battle acting as powerful wizards called planeswalkers; each player has their own deck, either one constructed or made from a limited pool of cards for the event. A player starts the game with twenty "life points" and loses the game when their life total is reduced to zero. A player can lose if they must draw from an empty deck.
In addition, some cards specify other ways to lose the game. Garfield has stated that two major influences in his creation of Magic: the Gathering were the games Cosmic Encounter, which first used the concept that normal rules could sometimes be overridden, Dungeons & Dragons; the "Golden Rule of Magic" states that "Whenever a card's text directly contradicts the rules, the card takes precedence." The Comprehensive Rules, a detailed rulebook, exists to clarify conflicts. Cards in Magic: The Gathering fall into two classes: lands and spells. Lands provide mana, or magical energy, used as magical fuel when the player attempts to cast spells, with most land providing a specific color of mana. Players may only play one land per turn. Spells consume mana with at least one or more mana of a specific color. More powerful spells cost more mana, so as the game progresses, more land will be in play, more mana will be available, the quantity and relative power of the spells played tends to increase. Spells come in several varieties: "sorceries" and "instants" have a single, one-time effect before they go to the "graveyard".
The set Lorwyn introduced the new "planeswalker" card type, which represents powerful allies who fight with their own magic abilities. Additionally, cards are printed and available within certain rarities, known as Common, Uncommon and Mythic rare, with more powerful cards having higher rarities. Players begin the game by shuffling their decks and drawing seven cards. On each player's turn, following a set phase order, they draw a card, "tap" their lands and other permanents to gain mana as to cast spells, engage their creatures in a single attack round against their opponent who may use their own creatures to block the attack, complete other actions with any remaining mana. Tapped resources remain tapped until the start of the player's next turn, which may leave them without land to draw for mana to cast spells in reaction to their opponent, or without creatures to block attacks, so the player must plan ahead for their opponent's turn. Most actions that a player can perform enter the "Stack", a concept similar to the stack in computer programming, as either player can react to these actions with other actions, such as counter-spells.
Deck building requires strategy as players must choose among thousands of cards which they want to play. This requires players to evaluate the power of their cards, as well as the possible synergies between them, their possible interactions with the cards they expect to play against; the choice of cards is narrowed by the player deciding which colors they want to include in the deck. This decision is a key part of creating a deck. In general, reducing the number of colors used increases the consistency of play and the probability of drawing the lands needed to cast one's spells, at the expense of restricting the range of tactics available to the player. Part of the Magic product line has
In the Dust of the Stars is a 1976 East German science fiction film, co-produced with Romania and directed by Gottfried Kolditz. Some of the film's props were part of a 2009 exhibit entitled "Retrospektive in die Zukunft" and Twitch Film screened the film as part of their Attack The Bloc screening series; the spaceship Cynro has received a distress call from the planet TEM 4. The crew ends up crash landing on the planet as a result of radio waves. Emerging from the ship, the crew is brought to the planet's leader Ronk, who tells the Cynro crew that there was never any accident and that the distress call was all a mistake; as an apology he invites the crew to a party, much to the misgivings of the ship's navigator. Sensing that there is more to Ronk's claims, Suko refuses the invitation, his concerns end up being well-founded after Ronk uses the party to remove any memories of the fake distress call and Suko discovers a subterranean mine where Ronk forces captives to work as slaves. The Cynro crew is unable to decide whether they should return to their ship and escape or stay and help the slaves gain freedom.
This choice is made for them when the slaves revolt and the ensuing battle forces the crew to leave the planet, leaving behind their commander and Suko, dying. The film ends with the natives burying Suko. Jana Brejchová: Akala Alfred Struwe: Suko Ekkehard Schall: Chief Milan Beli: Ronk Silvia Popovici: Illik Violeta Andrei: Rall Leon Niemczyk: Thob Regine Heintze: Miu Mihai Mereuță: Kte Ștefan Mihăilescu-Brăila: Xik The original, uncut version of the film was rereleased by the DEFA Film Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2005. DVD Verdict gave the film a positive review, calling it a "guilty pleasure" and a "fun, cheesy movie". DVD Talk praised the film and wrote "Though it's easy to mock its very'70s art direction, costume design and general sensibility, In the Dust of the Stars exhibits much imagination throughout." Berghahn, Hollywood Behind the Wall: The Cinema of East Germany, Manchester University Press, p. 41, ISBN 0719061717 Brockmann, Stephen, A Critical History of German Film, Camden Press, p. 230, ISBN 978-1571134684 Hake, German National Cinema, Routledge, p. 137, ISBN 978-0415420983 Scalzi, The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies, Rough Guides, p. 257, ISBN 1843535203 In the Dust of the Stars on IMDb
Iris virginica, with the common name Virginia iris, is a perennial species of flowering plant, native to eastern North America. It is common along the coastal plain from Florida to Georgia in the Southeastern United States, it is one of the three Iris species in the Iris flower data set outlined by Ronald Fisher in his 1936 paper "The use of multiple measurements in taxonomic problems" as an example of linear discriminant analysis. Iris virginica is a perennial plant; the plant has 2 to 4 erect or arching, bright green, lance-shaped leaves that are flattened into one plane at the base. Leaves are sometimes longer than the flower stalk; the fleshy roots are rhizomes. Pale brown, variably shaped seeds are born in three-part fruit capsules; the fragrant flowers consist of 3 horizontal sepals, or "falls", 3 erect petals. The petals and sepals can vary in color from dark-violet to pinkish-white; the sepals have a splash of yellow to yellow-orange at the crest. Each plant has 2 to 6 flowers that bloom from April to May upon a single, erect, 30–90 cm tall stalk.
The stalk has a slight zigzag appearance. The Cherokee use this medicinal plant for traditional medicinal uses; the root is pounded into a paste, used as a salve for the skin. An infusion made from the root is used to treat ailments of the liver, a decoction of the root is used to treat "yellowish urine", it may be one of the Iris species used by the Seminole to treat "shock following alligator-bite". Kemper Center for Home Gardening.org: Iris virginica
Matthew James Bodkin is an English footballer, who plays as a winger. Bodkin began his career as a trainee with Nottingham Forest, turning professional in May 2003, he failed to make the first team with Forest and was released in May 2004. In August 2004, Bodkin joined Gillingham, making his debut in the 1–0 FA Cup defeat away to Portsmouth on 8 January 2005, his league debut came the following week when he replaced Andy Hessenthaler as a second-half substitute in the 1–0 win at home to Plymouth Argyle. He made one further appearance, away to Leicester City on 22 January before being released by Gillingham at the end of the season, joining Welling United in August 2005, his form for Welling was impressive enough to earn an invitation to join pre-season training with Gillingham in 2006, but a move back to The Football League did not materialise. Bodkin left Welling to join Grays Athletic in December 2006, attracted by a return to full-time football. In February 2007, he was allowed to join Conference South side Thurrock on loan.
On 21 August 2007, Bodkin was sent on loan to Dartford, dropping down three leagues to the Isthmian League Division One North. A month he rejoined Thurrock on loan until the end of the season, he made a further two appearances for Grays Athletic at the start of the 2008–09 season, before being sent out on loan to Eastleigh until January 2009. On 3 February 2009, Bodkin joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Dover Athletic on a free transfer until the end of the season, he made his debut in a 3–0 victory over Hendon and scored his first goal in a 6–0 victory over Sutton United. Despite being a regular first-team player in the run-in to Dover's championship winning season, he was not offered a new contract and was subsequently released. Shortly afterwards he signed a one-year contract with former loan club Thurrock. Bodkin signed a one-year deal with Margate of the Isthmian League Premier Division on 16 July 2011. Four days he accepted an offer to extend his contract by a further year. Bodkin signed with Maidstone United of the Isthmian League Premier Division on 8 May 2014.
On 25 May 2016, Bodkin was released by Maidstone. Matt Bodkin at Soccerbase Dover Athletic profile
Aura im Sinngrund is a community in the Main-Spessart district in the Regierungsbezirk of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany and a member of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Burgsinn. The community lies some 20 km northwest of Gemünden am Main in the valley of the Aura river in the Spessart Nature Park; the community's northern limit forms Bavaria's boundary with Hesse. In 1059, Aura had its first documentary mention in a document conferring rights in the royal hunting forest on the Fulda Abbey. In 1803 most of the former Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg Amt was made part of Prince Primate von Dalberg's newly formed Principality of Aschaffenburg. In 1808 it became a condominium of the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Electorate of Hesse-Kassel, falling to Bavaria in 1814. In the course of administrative reform in Bavaria, the current community came into being with the Gemeindeedikt of 1818; the current population is around 1,000. Municipal taxes in 1999 amounted to €407,000, of which net business taxes amounted to €13,000.
Since March 2008 Wolfgang Blum (SPD/UAB has been the mayor. He replaced Walter Sachs; the community's arms might be described thus: Quartered, first dancetty of three gules and argent, second barry of eight Or and of the first, third bendy of five of the first and third, fourth of the second a fess of the third paly wavy of three of the first. Four historic coats of arms are marshalled on this escutcheon, each one representing a former overlord; the arms once borne by the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg appear on the dexter side in chief. Next to this are the arms of the Counts of Rieneck. On the dexter side in base are those once borne by the Barons of Hutten, beside this those borne by the Barons of Thüngen; the community's appearance is dominated by the Catholic Kuratienkirche zu den Sieben Schmerzen Mariens. The former castle nowadays houses Aura's primary school; the former parish church St. Erasmus now serves as cemetery chapel. See also: list of protected monuments in Aura Historisches Gemeindeverzeichnis für Hessen.
Heft 2: Gebietsänderungen der hessischen Gemeinden und Kreise 1834 bis 1967, publisher: Hessian State Statistical Office, Wiesbaden, o. J. p. 56, 95. Karl Richter: Gemünden = Historischer Atlas von Bayern, Teil Franken 1,11, Munich 1963, UB: 50/2001, 1,11, p. 204f. Winkopps Zeitschrift: Der Rheinische Bund, Heft 2/4, p. 389-394. Community’s official webpage Aura im Sinngrund as part of the Verwaltungsgemeinschaft of Burgsinn
Borqs Technologies Inc. founded in 2007, Borqs marked its debut as a public company on August 18, 2017, changing its name to Borqs Technologies, Inc. Listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market, under the trading symbol, BRQS. With research and development centers in China and India—and presence in the USA, Japan and Korea—Borqs Technologies Inc. designs and deploys products and turnkey solutions. In addition to developing the first commercial-grade software to support video telephony for Android, Borqs was selected by Qualcomm in 2016 to partner in developing the world’s first 4G Android wearable, which includes smartwatches for children and adults, as well as watches designed for fitness. 2007-2008 Establish R&D centers in Beijing and Bengaluru, India 2007 Partnered with Google Open Handset Alliance 2008 China Mobile, Softbank and Borqs set the formation of Joint Innovation Laboratory 2011 Established strategic partnership with Intel 2011 Cooperated with WAC to realize full compatibility with the Web Runtime 1.0 in the Google Android platform 2013 Joined Linux Foundation 2013 Established strategic partnership with Qualcomm 2014 Established joint venture with Positivo in Brazil 2010-2014 Established Android mobile services with China Mobile and SingTel Group 2014 In cooperation with Sonim, Borqs delivered AT&T Push-To-Talk Android phone 2015 Provided Android enhancement and product realization for Sprint’s tablet 2015 In cooperation with ElaCarte, Borqs developed ruggedized restaurant ordering tablets 2011-2015 Developed 50+ Android devices, 10M+ commercial shipments in 15+ countries 2015-2016 Supported Vizio for Smart TV remote control 2015-2016 Provided the In-vehicle Infotainment s/w and solutions for Geely 2016 Supported Reliance for the world's first 4.75G phone 2016 Launched Anda’s Symbol-based Communication Wearable for Children at COMPUTEX 2016 2016 Partnered with Qualcomm in developing the world’s first 4G Android wearable device 2017 Marked debut as a public company on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the trading symbol, BRQS.
2017 Exhibited the world’s first NB-IoT tracker based on Qualcomm’s wear platform during China Mobile Global Partners Conference 2018 Signed letter of intent to acquire electric vehicle control company Shanghai KADI Machinery Technology Co. Ltd 2018 Signed agreement to acquire a major Chinese EMS – Shenzhen Crave Communication GSR Ventures Intel Capital Keystone Capital Norwest Venture Partners Qualcomm Ventures Pacific Securities Co. Ltd; the SBI & TH Venture Capital SK Telecom China Fund I L. P. OPhoneBorqs has been a member of the Open Handset Alliance since 2008 and is a member of the Symbian Foundation. Borqs is notable as the developer of Open Mobile System, for China Mobile; the OPhone is a Linux-kernel-based open source software platform, used in conjunction with China Mobile's proprietary TD-SCDMA 3G network. Version 2.0 of the Ophone software has 50,000 registered developers and was launched in late 2009. China Mobile has signed up more than 20 handset vendors to develop phones for the Ophone OS.
OPhone accounted for 38% of the TD-SCDMA smartphone market at the end of 2011. It has been speculated in the Chinese media that, in time, the OPhone may break away from Android and establish itself as a independent operating system. Borqs has brought its OPhone software to the US under the name Android+. Borqs provided software under the Android+ branding for Dell's line-up of smartphones in the US