LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Roland
built 634 days ago
The Roland short-range air defence missile system is produced by EADS Euromissile, based in Fontenay-aux-Roses, France. Euromissile, originally set up by Aerospatiale-Matra of France and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace of Germany, is now a subsidiary of the EADS company. The missile is produced by MBDA, formed from the missile system activities of Aerospatiale, Matra BAE Dynamics and Alenia Marconi Systems and jointly owned by EADS, BAE Systems and Finmeccanica.
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Remember that The Song of Roland was written at the dawn of the Crusades. The poem is designed to get Christians riled: the intent is not to praise men like Oliver, but to glorify men like Roland. Roland, because of all of his virtues and faults, is exactly the kind of man needed for the Crusades: a man willing to die, and sacrifice the lives of others as well, for land and glory. A man who rejects any chance of peace. A man without moderation or mercy, but fearless and completely loyal to his king and Church.
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Roland was the first official appointed to direct Frankish policy in Breton affairs, as local Franks under the Merovingian dynasty did not pursue any specific relationship beforehand, more passive-aggressive than anything. What is now divided between Normandy and Brittany, their frontier castle districts (e.g. Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine) south of Mont Saint-Michel, was the source of present-day Gallo language and culture that emerged in the likeness of those such as Roland. Roland's successor in Brittania Nova was Guy of the Breton March, who like Roland, was unable to exert French expansion over Brittany and merely sustained a Breton presence in the Carolingian-era Holy Roman Empire.
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Roland, ready for battle, encourages his men to fight bravely. He readies his sword, Durendal. Archbishop Turin tells the men to ask forgiveness for their sins, for which he will absolve them, and promises that all who die will be rewarded with martyrdom and a place in heaven. Roland reminds them of the spoils they will win. Oliver, protesting one last time, tells the men to fight bravely. The two armies clash.
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It may seem strange for a Japanese company to have a Western name, but Roland was founded with export in mind. Ikutaro Kakehashi heard that the name of his previous company, Ace Electronic Industries Inc., was often mangled in pronunciation, sometimes unpleasantly; so he looked for a good-sounding name that would be pronounced roughly the same in all of his major export markets. He found the name Roland in a telephone directory, browsing for an American-sounding name among the Rs because no other electronic instrument manufacturer's name started with this letter.
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In the case of The Song of Roland, imposing medieval European social organization on the Moslems makes them more accessible, or even sympathetic, as enemies. Feudalism carries with it a system of beliefs and values that would have been immediately recognizable to Europeans. Part of the composer's challenge is to create a struggle between good and evil, with the Saracens unambiguously evil, while maintaining the Saracen's status as a formidable and respectable enemy. Feudal Saracens provides the answer: they may be evil, Apollo-worshipping, dark-skinned devils, but they have a concept of loyalty, tied to the bonds between lords and vassals, that is not so different from values admired by the poem's Christian audience.
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Roland