Réunion

Réunion (French: La Réunion, IPA: [la ʁeynjɔ̃]; previously Île Bourbon) is an insular region of France located in the Indian Ocean. It is situated east of Madagascar and about 175 kilometres (109 mi) southwest of Mauritius, the nearest island. As of 2014, its population numbered 844,994 inhabitants.

The island has been inhabited since the 17th century, when people from Europe (mostly France), Madagascar and Africa settled there. Slavery was abolished on 20 December 1848 (a date celebrated yearly on the island), after which indentured workers were brought from South India, among other places. The island became an overseas department of France in 1946.

The local language, spoken by the majority of the population, is Réunion Creole. The official language is French.

Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France. Like the other four overseas departments, it is also one of the 18 regions of France, with the modified status of overseas regions, and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland. Réunion is an outermost region of the European Union and, as an overseas department of France, a part of the Eurozone.

La Réunion (Dallas)

La Réunion was a utopian socialist community formed in 1855 by French, Belgian, and Swiss colonists near the forks of the Trinity River in the U.S. state of Texas. The Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas is about three miles east of the colony site. The founders of the community were inspired by the utopian thought of the French philosopher François Marie Charles Fourier. Followers of Fourier established 29 similar colonies in various parts of the United States during the 19th century. In 1860 the declining colony was incorporated into the expanding city of Dallas.

Brief history

The founders of La Réunion intended it to become a socialist utopian colony; they were inspired by the writings of the French philosopher Charles Fourier, who advocated communal production and distribution for communal profit. Unlike other early communist systems, both men and women could vote and individuals could own private property.

Founder of La Réunion

La Réunion was founded in Texas by Victor Prosper Considerant, a member of the Fourier movement in Lyon, France. He had been forced into exile after staging protests against Napoléon III's military expedition to Rome. After personally inspecting an area near the three forks of the Trinity River in Texas, he returned to Europe where he formed a group of future settlers. (The site of the community was in the present-day Reunion District of Dallas, about three miles west of the Reunion Tower.)

Réunion (card game)

Réunion is a historical German 10-card point-trick game for three players using a 32-card French-suited piquet pack. Players who cannot follow suit must trump. Otherwise the game can be described as a simplified version of Skat, but is also reminiscent of Euchre.

Rules

Aces are high. The Jack of trumps is elevated to the highest rank and known as the right bower. The Jack of the other suit that is the same colour as the trump suit is also considered a member of the trump suit. It is the second highest trump and known as the left bower. The right and left bower are worth 12 card-points each. The two Jacks of the opposite colour stay in their normal suit and retain their normal ranks and card-point values. The last trick is worth another 10 points, resulting in a total 150 points in the deal.

After shuffling and cutting, the dealer turns up the bottom card to determine the trump suit. Each player receives 10 cards in batches of 3–4–3. The dealer also takes up the remaining two cards including the turn-up card, then discards two cards face-down. The dealer must not discard any aces or the left or right bower.