Bill W

A problem with getting old, I sometimes forget things. My bad.

In our conversation about using the names of metal in currency, I overlooked the obvious. In US money there was the silver dollar and the twenty dollar Double Eagle gold piece.

Copper etymologoy: In the Roman era, copper was mined principally on Cyprus, the origin of the name of the metal, from aes cyprium (metal of Cyprus), later corrupted to cuprum (Latin). Old English copor (related to Dutch koper and German Kupfer ), and the later spelling, copper, was first used around 1530. Copper is a unique metal with a distinctive reddish color, excellent electrical conductivity, and is completely recyclable, meaning it can be recycled repeatedly without losing its quality; its symbol "Cu" comes from its Latin name "cuprum" and it is considered one of the first metals used by ancient people due to its natural occurrence in its native form. Copper is often referred to as “man's eternal metal”. Key facts about copper: Naturally occurring: Copper is found naturally in the environment and is one of the most abundant metals on Earth. High conductivity: Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity and heat, making it ideal for wiring and electrical applications. Antibacterial properties: Copper has natural antibacterial properties, which can help kill bacteria on surfaces. Recyclable: Copper is 100% recyclable and can be reused without losing its properties. Distinctive color: Copper has a unique reddish-orange color that sets it apart from other metals. Symbol and origin: The chemical symbol for copper is "Cu," derived from its Latin name "cuprum". Ancient usage: Copper was one of the first metals used by ancient civilizations due to its availability in its native form. Alloying: Mixing copper with zinc creates brass. Essential nutrient: Copper is an essential element for living organisms, playing a role in various bodily functions. High demand: Due to its properties, copper demand is rapidly increasing, especially in the renewable energy sector.

Thanks for the kind words, @Summerabbacat, and I'm glad you enjoyed this story - at least I think you did through those tears.

Yes, family history is always something to take into account, but it doesn't necessarily mean that's what it is.

Thank you for the compliment. You haven't reached the end of the story yet, so Shannon may find herself out in the cold if she keeps on talking like that about Jordan, since Tony told him to give Shannon the benefit of the doubt for now, but if she continued then he should dump her. That means you might not have to deal with Shannon much longer either.

A pound coin originally weighed one troy pound of sterling silver, giving the currency the name "pound sterling". "Sterling silver" means mixed metal that has 92.5% or more real silver. One pound sterling was originally divided by 240 sterling pence. This was because there are 240 pennyweights in a troy pound. It then carried over to the paper equivalent. What I was getting at was that the pound sterling (silver) was once a coin, so named because of its content of sterling silver. The name was later carried over to the paper equivalent, before the Brits went on a decimal currency based on 100, instead of 240.

Tony does have some good qualities, even though he had a lapse at one time when it concerned Jordan.

Actually, pennies were often referred to as coppers (slang), and a nickel got its name due to the due to the fact that was made from a copper and nickel alloy, rather than silver, so the name nickel stuck. The dime got its name from the Latin word decimus, meaning one-tenth. The French used the word disme in the 1500s when when they came up with the idea of money divided into ten parts, and in American the spelling changed from disme to dime. The quarter was named because the coin was worth a quarter of a dollar, or 25 cents.

Abundance: While not as prevalent in the Earth's crust, nickel is the fifth most abundant element overall, with the majority residing in the core. Name origin: The name "nickel" comes from the German term "Kupfernickel" which translates to "devil's copper" - miners believed the ore containing nickel was a type of copper. Properties: Nickel is a hard, ductile, and malleable metal with good magnetic properties, making it useful in various applications. Corrosion resistance: One of nickel's key features is its high resistance to corrosion, which is why it's often used as a coating on other metals. Alloys: Nickel is primarily used in alloys, most notably stainless steel, where it enhances the material's durability and corrosion resistance. Meteorites: Nickel is commonly found in metallic meteorites, which are primarily composed of iron and nickel. Allergic reactions: Nickel is a known allergen, causing skin reactions in some individuals.

Nickel's name comes from the Saxon term 'Kupfernickel' or Devils' Copper. 15th century miners in Germany found a brown-red ore which they believed to contain copper. They called it Kupfernickel or Devils' Copper because they couldn't recover copper from it. Coins in the USA first used nickel alloyed with copper in 1857. The “nickel” was not made from pure nickel but in 1881, pure nickel was used for coins in Switzerland. Stainless steels were discovered early in the 20th century and nickel was found to have a very beneficial role in many of the common grades, which continues to this day. Alloys based on nickel were found to have excellent corrosion resistance and could withstand high temperatures, which made them suitable for chemical plants and also allowed the practical realisation of the jet engine. As a result of these developments, nickel has enjoyed a very strong growth of demand over the past century. This continues today because of the essential role nickel plays in many technologies.

Yes, but in a 'me' oriented society some people, especially young teens, believe that their 'wants' are more important to any rules or what his parents or those older than him may claim what's best or allowed. In time, most learn the difference, but some don't, so we'll see where Justin ends up along that scale. Thanks for the feedback, @Summerabbacat.

Mr. K and Tony's parents are friends, so maybe he will be able to influence how they react to Tony and Jordan's relationship. Only time will tell. Yes, Justin wants to do some exploring of his own, so you'll have to wait and see how far he wants to go.

The word cobalt comes to English in the late 17th century: from German Kobalt ‘imp, demon’ (because the presence of cobalt-bearing ore made it more difficult to extract silver, and miners believed that it was harmful to the silver ore with which it occurred). Cobalt is used in many applications, including: Cancer treatment: Cobalt is used as a tracer and for radiotherapy. Batteries: Cobalt is used in the cathodes of lithium ion batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, and nickel-metal hydride batteries. Alloys: Cobalt is used in superalloys for jet engines and in alloys for prosthetic hip and knee replacements. Cutting tools: Cobalt is used in tungsten carbide for cutting tools. Petroleum industry: Cobalt is used in catalysis to produce clean fuel. Food Cobalt is found in healthy foods like fish, nuts, green leafy vegetables, and cereals. Natural abundance Cobalt makes up 0.0029% of the Earth's crust. It's not found on the Earth's surface because it reacts with oxygen in the atmosphere. Toxicity Cobalt can be toxic to humans in large quantities.

An interesting read, but it left me wanting more. I love the descriptions of the performers, as well as how you described Elliot and Danny, and I could understand why Matthew would want to burn down the Pink Flamingo if he equated his father's love of the club to his loss of attention and love from his father. I would have just liked you to explore the father-son dynamic in more detail though. Was the club the only distraction that interfered with their relationship or was there something else. Did his father not want to be a father, possibly didn't believe he was the father, or were there issues between the father and his father that were the root of his problem relating to his son? Or was there something with Matthew that the father didn't relate to and made him feel uncomfortable? I just wish you'd answered some of those types of questions for me, but I enjoyed the story, even though I was hoping for more.

An enjoyable and well written piece. I'm nearly in the same age group as your fictional John Renkin, so I could not only identify with the references to communists, since we weren't far removed from the McCarthy era, and I could picture the '62 Chevy Impala as well, along with his guilt at being a homosexual. I know this was only meant to be a short story, but I want you to fill in the gap between when John met Gorgio and the old man we started out with. You left us believing there was a romantic tale in between, so I hope you plan to share that with us in future installments. Great job and I'm looking forward to you reveling more.

The word “iron” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “iren”. It may have originated from earlier words that meant “holy metal” because iron was used to make swords for the Crusades. Some linguists also speculate that the word “iron” comes from the Etruscan word aisar, which means “gods”. The symbol “Fe” for iron comes from the Latin word ferrum, which also means “iron”. The word “ferrous” also comes from the Latin word ferrum. The word “iron” was first recorded before 900. It was used as both a noun and an adjective in Old English. Iron is abundant: Iron is the second most abundant metal on Earth, making up about 80% of the planet's inner and outer core. Iron is magnetic: Iron is the most naturally magnetic element on the periodic table. Iron is in the human body: About 70% of iron in the human body is in red blood cells' hemoglobin. Iron and oxygen in the blood interact to give blood its red color. Iron is in Mars: The surface of Mars is red due to iron oxide, or rust, which is made from iron and oxygen. Iron is in steel: Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, sometimes with other metals to prevent corrosion. Iron is in meteorites: Iron is the main component of meteorites. Iron is in minerals: Iron is found in minerals like hematite, magnetite, and taconite. Iron is a transition metal: Iron is a transition metal because it has an incompletely filled d-subshell. Iron is important for health: Iron is essential for many bodily functions, including oxygen transport and energy metabolism. Iron deficiency can cause brain fog and anemia. Iron's name comes from Latin: The symbol for iron, "Fe", comes from the Latin word ferrum, which means "iron" or "holy metal". Iron's use in history: The Iron Age began around 1200 BCE, when iron tools and weapons became widespread.

You didn't show us what prompt you were responding to, so I had no idea what to expect. This isn't exactly Dante's version of hell, but it was creative and fun. I was wondering what Theo's reaction was going to be when he figured out that he was actually working in Hell for Lucifer, and it wasn't what I expected, but it fit the story well. Thank you for this unusual view of what many of us have been threatened with, from Sunday school to fire and brimstone sermons, for many years, and of all people, it was Theo Godley that turned it all around.

When I first read the prompt, I was thinking "celebrating special occasions" was referring to personal things such as birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, or something along that line- but no, you took a completely different and hilarious view of that phrase. Since John and Rick had been there for 35 years and had worked their way up from the bottom, I'm sure they had received the unicorn treatment many times before, so what's one more time for retirement. Thank you, @kbois, for this unusual, warped, and comical story.

A werewolf with a psychiatric degree? Interesting, since the werewolf/naked man seemed to do more for Frankie than his therapist had - and in a much shorter and a cheaper sessions as well. Thank you, Aaron, because it was a fun interpretation of a prompt that could have taken a Stephen King turn, rather than become a Rod Serling encounter.

This story reminded me of a couple I was good friends with. They lost their middle child, a son, when he fell asleep driving home after work one night. Less than a year later, they lost their oldest child, also a son, and the cause of his death was probably due to drugs, although they wouldn't confirm it. Even though they still had their youngest child, a daughter, they stopped celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas as a family, which was hard on their teenage daughter. Eventually, the parents separated and then divorced, because of their difficulty dealing with the deaths of their sons. Your words in this story touched me deeply and elicited these sad memories as Dalit and Eudora dealt with the death of their son. We all deal with life experiences in different ways, but rather than leaning on one another over their shared loss, they took a different path. I wonder if their son hadn't looked like his father would have changed things. Was she looking away because of that, or was it that she had grown out of love and their son had been the only thing keeping them together. Anyway, good job, Ben. Your story evoked all these feelings and memories, as well as making me question the 'what ifs' and other alternatives to their separating/divorcing.

A prank gone wrong, yet with a happy ending. I loved it.

A fascinating short story with more twists and turns that a roller coaster. If you're into romantic stories, you'll find this one well worth the read.

I believe Walter Scott said it best: "O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceivef!" I find it hard to believe that Gavin/Calvin didn't know about the friendship between Kei and Lilah, but he eventually got caught. I'm glad that Kei didn't lose his friendship with Lilah over that fiasco, and I'm happy that both of them found someone else to replace the two-timing creep. Good job, and even though I'm not into fashion, I found the description of the wedding gown and Kei's suit fascinating, as well as enjoying the story, the relationships, and the romance.