Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Prayer In School

Prayer in Public Schools? With the state that the nation is currently in, prayer in today’s schools has once again become a controversial topic. Many believe that schools exist to educate. While children in public schools remain a captive audience, some perceive prayer to be coercive and invasive. While religion is considered private and schools public some argue that it is not appropriate that the two should mix. Some would also argue that prayer and religion are a necessary part of human life, which often helps fulfill the â€Å"total† human experience. Is it detrimental to strip these parts of life from the schools? I pose the question, â€Å"How can prayer be harmful?† I agree that mandating a special time for prayer may offend some. Does it have to be designated as prayer time? Does prayer have to be specific to any one religion? Or would it just be better if schools adopted a â€Å"quiet time† at the beginning of each day? Each student could decide if they choose to use that time for prayer. This was a suggestion made by Secretary of State Colin Powell. His opinion is that a moment of silence would allow students with different religious beliefs to participate. Some would pray, while others would reflect on the upcoming day. A moment of silence could contribute to acceptance of diversity within the student body. It goes without saying that public schools are responsible for the academic education of its students. I do believe the moral and spiritual education of the students must be addressed as well. I understand that public schools cannot promote religion, because of the division of church and state. However, many students have taken this issue into their own hands. Contrary to the belief of what many would like to think, prayer is widely practiced in many U.S. public schools. Students have been known to pray at athletic events, in school busses, at the flagpole and during student religious clubs. In 1962,... Free Essays on Prayer In School Free Essays on Prayer In School Prayer in Public Schools? With the state that the nation is currently in, prayer in today’s schools has once again become a controversial topic. Many believe that schools exist to educate. While children in public schools remain a captive audience, some perceive prayer to be coercive and invasive. While religion is considered private and schools public some argue that it is not appropriate that the two should mix. Some would also argue that prayer and religion are a necessary part of human life, which often helps fulfill the â€Å"total† human experience. Is it detrimental to strip these parts of life from the schools? I pose the question, â€Å"How can prayer be harmful?† I agree that mandating a special time for prayer may offend some. Does it have to be designated as prayer time? Does prayer have to be specific to any one religion? Or would it just be better if schools adopted a â€Å"quiet time† at the beginning of each day? Each student could decide if they choose to use that time for prayer. This was a suggestion made by Secretary of State Colin Powell. His opinion is that a moment of silence would allow students with different religious beliefs to participate. Some would pray, while others would reflect on the upcoming day. A moment of silence could contribute to acceptance of diversity within the student body. It goes without saying that public schools are responsible for the academic education of its students. I do believe the moral and spiritual education of the students must be addressed as well. I understand that public schools cannot promote religion, because of the division of church and state. However, many students have taken this issue into their own hands. Contrary to the belief of what many would like to think, prayer is widely practiced in many U.S. public schools. Students have been known to pray at athletic events, in school busses, at the flagpole and during student religious clubs. In 1962,...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Simple Déjeuner French Verb Conjugations

Simple Dà ©jeuner French Verb Conjugations A single French verb,  dà ©jeuner,  is used to say to have lunch. Its a very specific word and identical to the noun for lunch,  le dà ©jeuner.  Learning how to transform, or conjugate, the verb into the past, present, or future tense is rather simple as this quick lesson will demonstrate. Conjugating the French Verb  Dà ©jeuner In English, we use -ed and -ing endings to conjugate verbs. Things  are a little more complex in French because we need to use a new ending for every subject pronoun within each tense. That means you have more than just a few words to memorize. Dont worry, though,  dà ©jeuner  is a  regular -ER verb  and that makes conjugating it just a little easier. This is particularly true if youve already memorized similar verbs such as  cuisiner (to cook)  and  demander (to ask).   To conjugate  dà ©jeuner, pair the subject pronoun with the appropriate tense. For example, I am having lunch is je dà ©jeune and we will have lunch is nous dà ©jeunerons. Practice these in context and youll be one step closer to memorizing all the forms. Subject Present Future Imperfect je djeune djeunerai djeunais tu djeunes djeuneras djeunais il djeune djeunera djeunait nous djeunons djeunerons djeunions vous djeunez djeunerez djeuniez ils djeunent djeuneront djeunaient The Present Participle of  Dà ©jeuner The  present participle  of dà ©jeuner  is  dà ©jeunant. Its as simple as adding -ant  to the verb stem. Beyond its use as a verb, it can also become an adjective, gerund, or noun when needed. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà ©Ã‚   The  passà © composà ©Ã‚  is a common way to express the past tense had lunch in French and its an alternative to the imperfect. To construct this, conjugate the  auxiliary verb  avoir  to fit the subject pronoun, then add the  past participle  dà ©jeunà ©. For example, I had lunch is jai dà ©jeunà © while we had lunch is nous avons dà ©jeunà ©. More Simple  Dà ©jeuner  Conjugations You may also find one of the following forms of  dà ©jeuner  useful as your fluency progresses. The subjunctive verb mood implies some sort of uncertainty to the action. Similarly, the conditional form says that the action will only take place  if  something else does. In literature and formal writing, the passà © simple or the imperfect subjunctive may be found. You might not use these yourself, but knowing of them will help your French reading comprehension. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je djeune djeunerais djeunai djeunasse tu djeunes djeunerais djeunas djeunasses il djeune djeunerait djeuna djeunt nous djeunions djeunerions djeunmes djeunassions vous djeuniez djeuneriez djeuntes djeunassiez ils djeunent djeuneraient djeunrent djeunassent The imperative verb form is extremely easy and its used with just three subject pronouns. However, you do not have to include the pronoun itself: use dà ©jeune alone rather than tu dà ©jeune. Imperative (tu) djeune (nous) djeunons (vous) djeunez

Thursday, November 21, 2019

This I believe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

This I believe - Essay Example It was at this juncture that the girl entered his life. In his eagerness to make her feel the best, he gave up everything he had----devoted himself completely to her and took care of her even if it meant going completely out of his way. He couldn't strike a balance between his reluagr life and his personal one. He spent very little time with his family anf friends, and spent every possible minute with her. Today, he was alone. She had betrayed his trust and his utmost devotion, for no reason at all. How he wished he could erase this part of his life. Yes, he would. He was going to breathe his last tonight. Suicide, they say, was an act of a coward. But Mike thought otherwise. He simply couldn't think of a life without her. He ahd given her all he had and much more. Why did she do this to him He strained to blank his mind out and listened to the radio, to keep those frightful thoughts at bay. The radio was his companion these days, sicne he could no longer remained his extroverted self. He hated facing everyone.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

WILD BUSHFIRE MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

WILD BUSHFIRE MANAGEMENT - Essay Example Alternative Actions towards Reducing the Impact of Bushfires in the Blue Mountain 14 4.1 Regulated Patrolling of the High Fire Risk Areas 15 4.2 Building Enhancement 15 4.3 Wildlife Protection 16 4.4 Accurate Weather Forecast and Warning System 16 4.5 Integration of Indigenous Knowledge and Experience 17 4.6 Increasing Public Awareness 17 4.7 Adaptive Management Process 17 5. Conclusion 18 References 20 1. Introduction Bush-land and rangelands, within the region of New South Wales, Australia comprises a wide range of landscapes that has long been experiencing severe destructions owing to the ignition of natural fire. The bushfire regimes, thus imposed within the region, have also been recognised to significantly influence on the recent structure along with the composition of the overall ecosystem of the area (NSW Government, 2012). Apparently, the frequent incidents of bushfires are considered as one of the major threats for the human life, causing degradation of natural and cultural values of the national parks and reserves that are protected by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) (NSW Government, n.d.). It is however worth mentioning that bushfire is a natural incidence, which acts as a cyclical process of bio-diversity as it is able to fertilize lands and increase mineral density in the soil to cultivate better afforestation. Corresponding to the fact, its benefits to the environment are often observed to be limited to its efficient management, aimed at ensuring that the fire remains in its low-intensity scale. To be noted, bushfire extending from its defined intensity scale is categorised as a natural disaster and may cause immense loss to human kind and livestock in the region. This in turn necessitates better and efficient management of bushfire (Geoscience Australia, 2007). Emphasising the long-standing threats from the bushfires in the New South Wales region of Australia, the report tends to critically analyse the major problems associat ed with bushfire and the corresponding steps taken by the NPWS to effectively deal with the persisting issues within the region. In order to provide adequate support to the bushfire, the management processes implemented by the NPWS along with their currently practiced advanced fire management regimes have been critically analysed in this report. Thus, the report would focus not only on the initiatives of NPWS along with critically assess the performance of Rural Fire Service (RFS) to protect lands from bushfire in the respective region. Moreover, the report also encompasses the major influencing factors leading to the frequent incidence of bushfire. The report also analyses the bushfire management planning and measures developed by the agencies towards protecting the natural heritage of Blue Mountains and proposes alternatives. 2. Problems 2.1 Goals The goals of management plans for preventing bushfires in the Blue Mountains region are highly focused on ensuring adequate compliance with the responsibilities of protecting and conserving natural and cultural values of the national parks and reserves. Moreover, the fire management plans of NPWS also encompass towards protecting human life and national properties including buildings, homes and lands (NSW Government, 2012). In relation to the present scenario, regarding the measures taken by NPWS, it has been recognised that the numbers of actions performed by the councils and other public organisations principally aim to prevent the damage from the frequent bushfires. In this regards, ‘hazard management programs’, ‘Record achievement for hazard reduction in national

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Occupation is the major determinant of both social class and status in industrial societies Essay Example for Free

Occupation is the major determinant of both social class and status in industrial societies Essay In our society today, it is argued if occupation is the major determinant of both social class and status in industrial societies. Occupation is defined as an individual’s regular work or profession, job or regular activity performed for payment that occupies one’s time. Occupation has been viewed both negatively and positively as the major determinant of both social class and status. Industrial societies are those driven by the use of technology to enable mass production, supporting a large population with a high capacity for division of labour. Status and class are both supported by factors that influence occupation such as race, education, community size, family status, income of workers and measured intelligence. It is greatly supported that occupation is the major determinant of both social class and status in industrial societies, for example, if an individual is brought up either in a rich or poor family and becomes educated to an extent of achieving a higher national degree such as a P.H.D or a M.D. such an individual is bound to earn a higher status and class in a society. For instance, a neurosurgeon can achieve a higher status and class as they may be earning a higher income as compared to a general doctor at a local clinic situated in a local town. Another example may be that of a lecturer at a university and a teacher at a school, because a lecturer earns a higher salary as compared to a teacher his/her status is higher. Their level of education is also considered as the lecturer is usually more educated than a teacher, thus he/she earns higher prestige in an industrial society. Family status may also be another factor out of many which influences one’s status or class. Taking for example, if an individual was to be born into a wealthy and influential family, they would have attained an ascribed status which could turn out to be a great advantage in the industrial societies. The individual has a privilege of learning at a well facilitated expensive school and also attaining a high rank as a managing director or even the C.E.O in the family’s company or due to membership influence in another major company. This may result in one earning a higher status and class in the society. Occupation however, is sometimes not viewed as the major determinant of either social class or status as there are other factors like that of race amongst others. Race has always been a major factor of discrimination and segregation in societies, for example in Zimbabwe, during the liberation struggle black people were considered of being lower class, they occupied the lower class jobs, housings and many other underrated facilities as they were made to work for the white people who were their lords and only means of employment. This kind of unfair treatment brought the social class and status of black people down in the industrial societies, which therefore provides supporting evidence to Karl Marx’s conflict theory. Another example of racial discrimination still evident in most parts of the globe is that of employment opportunities, given a black man and a white man who just graduated from university with equal achievements and applied for a job vacancy at a major company. Th e white man is usually the first preference to the black man due to beliefs that whites are more superior, this kind of treatment surely lowers the status and class of blacks whilst raising that of the whites. Community size is another factor influencing one’s status and class. The greater the community size, the greater the prestige it holds. For example, a professional accountant working at a small bank at a growth point like Murombedzi growth point is bound to achieve a lower status and social class as compared to an equally qualified professional accountant working at a big company like Econet or NMB bank in a huge city. In this case it can be reasoned that the social class and status were not determined by occupation but by location and community size. With the above information, one can conclude that occupation is in fact the major determinant of both social class and status in an industrial society. However, despite the seemingly convincing contributions of occupation in determining the class and status, it must not be left out that there are also some factors other than occupation like community size and race which also determine an individual’s social class and status in industrial societies.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Huck Finn Essay -- essays research papers

Two people taking a trip down a river, is rarely thought of as anything more than just an adventure. Mark Twain, however, uses his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, to explore and makes fun of many problems facing American society. Huck, the main character, is considered a boy who is under pressure to conform to the aspects of society. Jim, who comes along with Huck, is a runaway slave seeking freedom from the world that has been denied it to him for so long. Throughout the entire novel Twain uses satire to show problems with society. Early in the novel, Huck scampers away with his good friend Tom and his other buddies. The boys form a gang and then decide one of their tasks in the gang will be to kidnap people and, hold them for ransom. The problem with their plan to kidnap people and hold them for ransom is their misunderstanding of the word â€Å"ransomâ€Å". Tom has a relative idea what the word means, "But per'aps if we keep them till they're ransomed, it means that we keep them till they're dead."(12) All of the boys go along with Tom‘s meaning because he is the leader. In this part of the novel, Twain uses satire to show that even though something may be truly wrong, if society adopts it to be true, then it is known to be true. Throughout the book Twain‘s issue is with slavery, in this instance of satire. During the time period in which The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written, religion was as much an integral part of civilization, as was an educati...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Capacity utilization Essay

?Detailed in the Indalex Ltd. case analysis, current production is stretched to the limit, creating a capacity constraint to meet future forecasted demand; hindering the firms objective of a real growth rate of ten percent annually. The issue of deciding on a capacity expansion plan, given uncertainty about near term economic projections was presented. Indalex concentrates on a competitive priority of service quality, where flexibility and quality are more of a priority than price. This is described in the case study where past and current success of Indalex is attributed to their competitive strategy being strictly based on three words: service, service, service. Indalex set out with the objective of offering a seven-day service, along with offering highly qualified assistance in designing selection for their customers. Valuing service quality, Indalex manages a close working relationship with their customers, such as responding to needs even under short notice, demonstrating how Indalex understands their factories are an integral part of their customers’ factories. I feel that maintaining reputation along with meeting the growing demand of their existing customers is crucial to the service quality strategy of Indalex. In making a decision for the capacity expansion plan, an emphasis on insuring customer satisfaction and retention is of top priority. Given the options of either increasing capacity of their extrusion process, increasing anodizing capacity, building a recycling plant to reprocess scrap aluminum, or increase capacity of both the extrusion and anodizing process; a decision had to be made on which of the options should be done first, in order for the new piece of equipment to be available by the beginning of 1979. In regards to flexibility and quality, the option to either increase capacity of the extrusion, increase capacity of anodizing, or increasing capacity of both operations together; offers machine flexibility. Having excess capacity would allow Indalex to better manage complex orders, ultimately providing an advantage towards their focused service strategy. With the option of building a recycling plant, it would enable more process flexibility and better inventory management. However, this option would generate higher inventory holding costs, creating excess inventory of over a million dollars. Along with requiring new employees with specialized skillsets, the options of adding a recycling plant won’t solve the problem of increasing demand of customer. Anodizing requires the plant to run at full capacity in order to be efficient, along with costly pollution control measures that would have to be taken. When looking into customer satisfaction and retention, customers will only be retained if Indalex increases capacity. When looking into capacity constraints, the extrusion process is the first area that I feel capacity constraints should be removed. With anodizing, the case details that much of the demand is a result from construction related work. If there were a decrease in this area, anodizing operations would be effected. Unlike the extrusion process that allows Indalex to â€Å"buy demand† by offering a low bid for high volume orders if needed, anodizing operations are much more limited in sourcing a demand. Therefore, I would chose the option of increasing capacity of the extrusion plant; which is the best option to align Indalex with their ten percent growth objective, along with offering feasibility of meeting an increase in demand, with flexibility and quality of their service. This expansion will require more employees to be hired, which will also reduce the amount of overtime that is currently required. The risk associated with increasing capacity of the extrusion plant is the idea of the U. K. ’s economy not growing as rapid as predicted, leaving the question of what Indalex would do with the new press if it couldn’t be filled naturally with demand.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Cell Phone Use in Schools

Cell Phone Use in Schools. With all the innovation in the last decade, cell phones have become apart of daily life for people all over the world between using cell phones to contacts family and friends to playing a little game of bejeweled. But what many schools are considering, is allowing the use of cell phones in schools. Cell phones can offer as a learning tool to students. Also, cell phone use in class brings some harm to the classroom. In addition, Policies about cellular devices have altered in schools across the U.S. A critical issue affecting many is allowing or banning cell phone use among students. Cell phones offer as an easy, accessible learning tool that most students already have. Besides a convenient tool for students, cell phones make it easier on teachers. Teachers can create a class blog for students to communicate or debate on issues from class (Rogers). This class blog gives them the ability to constantly have access to talk to their classmates via web from home, the classroom, and potentially anywhere (Rogers).The teacher can monitor the class blog at her convenience as well, not just in a classroom setting (Rogers). Also, way a cell phone may be used in a classroom setting as a research tool. Students can search for background information on subjects. Rather than looking for words in a dictionary or spending time in the library looking for that book, all the information a student could possibly need is at the tip of his/her fingertips. Lastly, teachers and administrators can set up polls using websites like wiffiti. om or polleverywhere. com enable students to answer polls anytime, anywhere (Engel and Green).Teachers and administrators can set up polls for a class, a certain grade, or something that involves the entire school. Now it’s easier for students to be involved with issues on campus and have on say about the decisions or changes being made about their school (Engel and Green). Overall, the endless benefits of cell phone us e for students will provides unlimited learning tools. Throughout the U. S. many schools have cell phone policies specific to their high school but many schools are changing the policies. Many schools across the board have become more lenient in allowing cell phone for students in the classroom or on campus. At Dickison High School, like many other high schools, their policy has been lifted and allows students to use phones during lunch (Wishmayer). Lifting the policy was intended to give the high schoolers enough freedom so less texting and calling would take place during class (Wishmayer).Although cell phones include disadvantages such as being a distraction to students or being used to cheat on assignments, with the help of schoolteachers and administrators, strategies of preventing abuse of cell phones can be enforced among students. One solution to cell phones abuse is making the phones visible to the teachers (Ferriter). Most teachers and professors worry about sneaky students texting answers to other students. William Ferriter says his solution is, â€Å"†¦require students to place their cell phones on the top right-hand corner of their desks when they come into class.That way you will know if someone is texting or calling a friend when they're supposed to be learning. † Secondly, teachers should holds kids accountable and force them to act responsible (Ferriter). Talking about responsibility and accountability will not get to the rebel sitting in the back corner or kid that attends class once every two weeks but some of the kids will be understanding and aware of the choices they are making. Using threats of banning cell phones is not the right approach and will probably be ignored anyways.Lastly, unless school policies state otherwise, if a student is not using his or her cell phone appropriately, the teacher may confiscate the phone until the end of the class period or even day. For violating dress code, students receive punishments of so me sort. If breaking the rules of dress code has a punishment, cell phone policies should be able to have punishments for cell phone abuse. With all the advanced in the last few years, cell phones have become a major apart of every day life for people across the United States.Firstly, cell phones may provide as a learning tool with the endless resources. On the other hand, cellular telephones can distract students and could be used as a way of cheating. In addition, policies about cellular devices have altered in schools across the U. S. Lastly, there’s ways to prevent abuse of cell phones with help and support of faculty. In order to make a decision in being for or against cell phones, schools must weigh the benefits and harms of cell use of students and find a solution with the best interest of the school.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

germ line gene therapy essays

germ line gene therapy essays Whether it is referred to by its scientific term "syngamy" or by the general term "conception", the moment a sperm cell unites with an egg cell stirs, both in the scientist and the layperson, much awe and reverence. It is the point at which a new and unique genome is created. To some it is the instant a new person comes into existence. Such a union has been repeated for billions of years since its advent in the first, simple organisms. It is a means by which evolution can exert its influence. When the genetic material of two individuals combine in sexual reproduction, any variations between the two inherited sets of genes may result in offspring that are more or less suited to its environment. Human beings have come to a point in this process where we can now, to an extent, shape the environment to suit our needs. The evolution of intelligence in our specie is the characteristic that has had the most profound impact on our planet and on us. This intelligence, among other things, allows us to understand and combat some genetic diseases. Inventions such as spectacles to correct our vision or drugs that fight heart disease and cancer have extended and improved the lives of individuals who, in a more Darwinian world, would have otherwise been eliminated by natural selection. Cheating this process, however, has allowed a multitude of genetic diseases such as Tay Sachs and hemophilia to propagate in our gene pool. But researchers are taking the field of medicine to a new frontier that promises to eliminate genetic diseases. New technology is being developed that will allow scientists to alter or replace defective genes in germ-line cells (egg and sperm cells). In a literal sense it will allow us to control the evolution of our specie as these alterations may be passed on from generation t o generation. The implications are profound for the individual and for society. Above it all the specter of eugenics, the process of se...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Russias Populists

Russias Populists Populist/Populism is a name retroactively given to the Russian intelligentsia who opposed the Tsarist regime and industrialization in the 1860s, ​70s, and 80s. Although the term is loose and covers a lot of different groups, overall the Populists wanted a better form of government for Russia than the existing Tsarist autocracy. They also feared the dehumanizing effects of the ​industrialization which was occurring in Western Europe, but which had so far largely left Russia alone. Russian Populism The Populists were essentially pre-Marxist socialists and believed that revolution and reform in the Russian empire must come through the peasants, who comprised 80% of the population. The Populists idealized peasants and the ‘Mir’, the Russian agricultural village, and believed that the peasant commune was the perfect basis for a socialist society, allowing Russia to skip Marx’s bourgeois and urban stage. Populists believed that industrialization would destroy the Mir, which in fact offered the best route to socialism, by forcing peasants into crowded cities. Peasants were generally illiterate, uneducated and living just above subsistence level, while the Populists were generally educated members of the upper and middle classes. You may be able to see a potential fault line between these two groups, but many Populists didnt, and it led to some nasty problems when they started Going to the People. Going to the People The Populists thus believed that it was their task to educate the peasants about revolution, and it was as patronizing as that sounds. Consequently, and inspired by an almost religious desire and belief in their powers of conversion, thousands of populists traveled to peasant villages to educate and inform them, as well as sometimes learn their ‘simple’ ways, in 1873-74. This practice became known as ‘Going to the People’, but it had no overall leadership and varied massively by location. Perhaps predictably, the peasants generally responded with suspicion, viewing the Populists as soft, interfering dreamers with no concept of real villages (accusations which werent exactly unfair, indeed, repeatedly proven), and the movement made no inroads. Indeed, in some locales, the Populists were arrested by the peasants and given to the police to be taken as far away as possible from the rural villages as possible. Terrorism Unfortunately, some Populists reacted to this disappointment by radicalizing and turning to terrorism to try and promote revolution. This had no overall effect on Russia, but terrorism thus increased in the 1870s, reaching a nadir in 1881 when a small Populist group called ‘The People’s Will’ – the ‘people’ in question numbered around 400 in total – succeeded in assassinating Tsar Alexander II. As he had shown an interest in reform, the result was a massive blow to the Populist’s morale and power and led to a Tsarist regime which became more repressive and reactionary in revenge. After this, the Populists faded away and transformed into other revolutionary groups, such as the Social Revolutionaries who would take part in the revolutions of 1917 (and be defeated by the Marxist socialists). However, some revolutionaries in Russia looked at the Populist’s terrorism with renewed interest and would adopt these methods themselves .

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Lute Player and Le Mezzetin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Lute Player and Le Mezzetin - Essay Example The essay "The Lute Player and Le Mezzetin" compares two paintings, â€Å"The Lute Player† and â€Å"Le Mezzetin†. Caravaggio painted The Lute Player for the Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte as part of family collection for the Del Monte estate. The madrigal text visible to the spectator is written in Franco-Flemish language, which must have been influenced by the preference of the patron. For a time, many experts were confounded about the authenticity of this painting after several copies surfaced. It was found that there were three Lute Player paintings, the one that came from the Del Monte Collection, the Hermitage and Badminton House versions. These painting all depicted a boy playing a lute as he sings a madrigal, a Baroque song, about love. Some details differ according to versions. For instance, the last two versions have flowers and fruits in them and the text in the madrigals are visible. The number of authentic copies is attributed to Caravaggio’s sty le of copying his own work, polishing or simply copying a replica. Often this results in better executed imagery in latter copies as the paintings have new elements added. The historical background of Le Mezzetin, on the other hand, is quite simple and brief. It was just one of Watteau’s paintings commissioned by his friend and patron, Jean de Jullienne. Hence, the painting or any artistic intentions and motivations must have been confined or intended for this fact. As some historical account revealed, Jullienne was an important part of Watteau’s life.