Friday, March 23, 2018

Music Friday: Taylor Swift Wants to Wear His Initial on a Chain in 2017's 'Call It What You Want'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you the hottest songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Taylor Swift wants to wear her new boyfriend's initial on a chain around her neck in the introspective 2017 hit, "Call It What You Want."

Written by Swift and collaborator Jack Antonoff, this deeply personal tune recounts how falling in love again helped her recover from a very dark time when her "castle crumbled overnight."

She sings, "I want to wear his initial / On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck / Not because he owns me / But 'cause he really knows me."

Her new boyfriend is British actor and model Joe Alwyn, and Swift has been spotted wearing a script initial "J" engraved on silver charm pendant.

Following her split from Tom Hiddleston and an emotionally draining public feud with Kanye West, Swift stepped out of the spotlight to make new music and hit the reset button. What resulted was the 15-track Reputation, an album that topped the charts in 14 countries and sold more than 2 million copies in its first week.

"Call It What You Want" is the penultimate song on an album that takes the listener of an emotional journey from rebellion and anger to true love. The single topped out at #27 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #24 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.

Swift fans will notice similarities between the lyrics of "Call It What You Want" and her 2008 hit, "Love Story." In both songs, the heroine wants to run away with her boyfriend...

In "Love Story"... "Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone / I'll be waiting, all that's left to do is run / You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess / It's a love story, baby just say yes."

In "Call It What You Want"... "I recall late November, holdin' my breath / Slowly I said, 'You don't need to save me / But would you run away with me?' / Yes."

Born in Wyomissing, Pa., Swift was not an average schoolgirl. By the time she was 11, Swift was already performing regularly at karaoke contests, festivals and fairs near her home in Berks County. When she was 14, her parents moved the family to Nashville, where Swift would be better positioned to pursue a career in country music. At the age of 17, Swift was topping the country charts. Swift is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums and 130 million single downloads. She has won 10 Grammy Awards, one Emmy, 21 Billboard Music Awards and 12 Country Music Association Awards.

Please check out the official lyric video of "Call It What You Want." You can also follow along, below...

"Call It What You Want"
Written by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff. Performed by Taylor Swift.

My castle crumbled overnight
I brought a knife to a gunfight
They took the crown, but it's alright
All the liars are calling me one
Nobody's heard from me for months
I'm doing better than I ever was, 'cause

My baby's fit like a daydream
Walking with his head down
I'm the one he's walking to
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
My baby's fly like a jet stream
High above the whole scene
Loves me like I'm brand new
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to

All my flowers grew back as thorns
Windows boarded up after the storm
He built a fire just to keep me warm
All the drama queens taking swings
All the jokers dressin' up as kings
They fade to nothing when I look at him
And I know I make the same mistakes every time
Bridges burn, I never learn, at least I did one thing right
I did one thing right
I'm laughing with my lover, making forts under covers
Trust him like a brother, yeah, you know I did one thing right
Starry eyes sparkin' up my darkest night

My baby's fit like a daydream
Walking with his head down
I'm the one he's walking to
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
My baby's fly like a jet stream
High above the whole scene
Loves me like I'm brand new
(Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it)
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to

I want to wear his initial
On a chain round my neck, chain round my neck
Not because he owns me
But 'cause he really knows me
Which is more than they can say, I
I recall late November, holdin' my breath
Slowly I said, "You don't need to save me
But would you run away with me?"
Yes (would you run away?)

My baby's fit like a daydream
Walking with his head down
I'm the one he's walking to
(Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it)
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to
My baby's fly like a jet stream
High above the whole scene
Loves me like I'm brand new
(Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it)
So call it what you want, yeah, call it what you want to

Call it what you want, yeah
Call it what you want
To

Credit: Image via YouTube.com.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Never-Before-Seen Deep-Earth Mineral Is Found Trapped Inside a Diamond

A tiny diamond found at South Africa's Cullinan mine is credited with preserving and ferrying an unstable, never-before-seen deep-Earth mineral 400 miles to the surface.

Scientists at the University of Alberta's Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences discovered a minuscule sample of the elusive mineral "calcium silicate perovskite" trapped within the rough diamond that measured only .031 millimeters in diameter. It was polished to give researchers a clearer view of the inclusion trapped inside.

Calcium silicate perovskite is believed to be the fourth-most-abundant mineral on Earth and makes up as much as 93% of Earth's lower mantle. Despite being so plentiful, scientists could only hypothesize its existence. Nobody could actually see it because the mineral's crystal lattice deforms as it moves toward the surface.

“Nobody has ever managed to keep this mineral stable at Earth’s surface,” lead researcher Graham Pearson, a geochemist at the University of Alberta, said in a press release. “The only possible way of preserving this mineral at Earth’s surface is when it’s trapped in an unyielding container like a diamond.”

While most diamonds are formed under intense pressure at a depth of 93 to 124 miles, the diamond encasing the calcium silicate perovskite was likely formed 400-plus miles below the surface. The pressure at that depth is equivalent to 240,000 times the pressure at sea level.

Diamonds can be blasted to the surface during volcanic eruptions. The vertical superhighways that take the diamonds on their journey are called kimberlite pipes.

"Diamonds are really unique ways of seeing what's in the Earth," Pearson said.

The mineral's composition was confirmed by X-ray and spectroscopic analysis. Future research will focus on the age and origin of the material.

The scientists also noted that chemical clues found in the diamond reveal that it formed out of the remains of oceanic crust, supporting the theory that the Earth undergoes a recycling process that brings crust material into the deep mantle.

Researchers at the University of Alberta published their findings in the journal Nature.

Credit: Image courtesy of Nester Korolev, University of British Columbia.

Monday, March 19, 2018

Gold, Platinum and Diamonds Pelt Siberia's Coldest City After Plane Spills Its Cargo

Gold, platinum and diamonds literally rained from the sky over the frigid city of Yakutsk in eastern Siberia last Thursday.

The wild display of flying treasure — worth 21 billion rubles or $368 million — was attributed to the failed cargo hatch of a Cold War-era transport plane called the Antonov An-12. The aircraft was carrying gold bars, platinum bars and loose diamonds on behalf of Chukota Mining and Geological Company. About 99% of all Russian diamonds are mined in Yakutia, where winter temperatures routinely hit -35C (-31F).

According to The Siberian Times, the plane had been loaded with 10 tons of precious metals and gemstones when it lifted from Yakutsk airport.

Shortly after takeoff, the heavy cargo shifted, ripping through the cargo door and damaging a portion of the fuselage. Nearly 200 gold bars fell from the plane, littering the runway with gold and platinum bars. The damaged plane continued to fly for 16 kilometers (10 miles) — dropping more treasure along with way — before landing at the nearby Magan airport.

Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported that technicians who had prepared the plane for takeoff may have failed to properly secure the cargo.

Police immediately sealed off the runway and began the task of retrieving about 3.4 tons of precious metal ingots. A typical gold bar weighs 12.4 kilograms or 27.3 pounds, so it is fortunate that nobody was hurt by the plummeting precious metal.

Yakutsk, which is the capital of Yakutia or the Sasha Republic, is frequently cited as the coldest major city in the world.

The Siberian Times had a little fun with that fact, tweeting, "It's -21C in Yakutia, sunny, we expect showers of diamond, platinum and gold... Plane loses its $368 million cargo; gems and precious metals rain over Russia’s coldest region as police and secret services stage emergency search."

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com/The Siberian Times. Map by Google Maps.