The Leaning Tower of Suurhusen

It is less than half the height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and lacks its ornate and flamboyant beauty.  Yet this leaning tower, located in the tiny North German hamlet of Suurhusen is in the Guinness Book of Records.  It is officially the building with the biggest unintentional lean in the world. Image Credit Flickr User homo_sapiens

Image Credit Flickr User optikorakel

The church was originally built in the middle ages and the land then was very swampy.  To ensure that the church tower stayed erect it was built on a foundation of oak tree logs which ensured it stayed upright for a number of centuries.  Unfortunately the land around the church was drained in the eighteenth century and the tower began its inexorable lean towards the ground.

War is Over! Oscar Winner for Best Animated Short Film 2024

Inspired by and features the anti-war anthem Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon & Yoko Ono, the film below won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2024.  Set in a World War I scenario (perhaps an alternative reality!) the film shows two soldiers on opposing sides who somehow manage to train a pigeon to carry their chess moves across the battlefield so that they can compete against each other. Of course, the true reality of war inevitably sinks in.

This beautiful and profound animated short was written by Sean Ono Lennon and Dave Mullins.  If you saw the 2024 Oscars then you will no doubt remember Sean Ono Lennon’s emotional shout out to his mother, Yoko, when he accepted the award.  Ono Lennon is also using the animated short to help raise funds for the charity War Child.

One of the YouTube commenters (@philipparks6811) said "This production is a remarkable blend of precision, collaboration, and emotional brilliance, capturing the essence of humanity with a message that is both simple and deeply moving. Congratulations on the well-deserved Oscar for creating what is arguably a timeless masterpiece that beautifully unites the enduring spirit of John and Yoko’s iconic tour de force with the true power of film. Bravo!"  Indeed.  Couldn't have put it better myself.

Watch War is Over! below.

All I Want for Christmas is… Silence!

It’s the 1^st of December – and if you haven’t already had All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey inflicted on you, then you are one of the lucky few.  It’s inevitable really, the annual invasion of our ears by Ms Carey’s tones (dulcet or demonic - that is purely a matter of opinion).  Here, mashup king Fabrice Mathieu brings together a number of Hollywood films, (listed below the video), showing the world’s TV screens suddenly taken over by that song and the resulting (and varying) reactions it gets.  This is quite possibly the best visual metaphor for the annual agony we have to endure as we try to go about our daily lives in the run-up to Christmas.  Well done Fabrice!

One of the commentators has said of this video: “Having worked in retail for many years, I absolutely dread hearing this song every festive season. Over, and over, and over, and over again. You managed to capture my living horror perfectly.”   That says it all, really – apart from, perhaps this from another commenter – “The most dastardly thing about this video is that you got me to listen to the entire song.”

Watch the video below (at least if you can retain your sanity while doing so).

Clips in this mashup are from: Back to the Future 2, The Big Lebowski, Brazil, The Burbs, The Cable Guy, Captain America Civil War, Clockwork Orange, The Conjuring 2, The Core, Dark Shadows, Fargo, Forrest Gump, The Game Greenland, Grumpy Old Men, Iron Man, Joker, Kamikaze, The King of Comedy, Knowing Logan, Mars Attacks!, Matilda, Nightcrawler, The Nutty Professor, Ocean 13, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Poltergeist, Raising Arizona, Requiem for a Dream, The Ring, Scary Movie 3, The Shining, Signs, Spaceballs, Taxi Driver, V for Vendetta, Videodrome, The Wall.

Dogs on Ice

Dogs like nothing better than when something a little out of the ordinary happens. So, when the world has turned white one morning and the water has gone hard and slippery, you can’t blame a dog for getting a little excited, can you? After all, when the going gets cold, the dog gets going. Our sibling site, the Ark in Space has a great collection of dogs on ice pictures for you today…

Image Credit linuskenstam

Kawai Yuto: Japanese Boy Singing Sensation and the Song That Made Him Globally Famous

Recently, a young Japanese boy has been popping up in my various feeds, singing his little heart out on what looks like a TV talent show. His voice is crystal clear – almost perfect – and the judges are soon brought to tears (with, perhaps, a little over-acting on their part) by the beauty of his voice.  The song seems wistful, almost melancholic – its sheer gentle clarity won me over immediately, despite the fact I did not having the first clue what he was singing about.  The song itself seemed vaguely familiar – I wondered if I had heard it before, maybe in my occasional foray into Studio Ghibli movies. So, who is he? And what, lyrically, does the song convey?

From my own cultural perspective (Welsh), what hit me immediately about the song (without having a translation) was the overwhelming sense of hiraeth it created in me.  A sloppy translation would call it homesickness but it runs deeper than that.  It’s more of a longing – one for a place, a time, a person (all three together, even) that cannot be returned to – it is gone.  I wanted to discover a little more about the singer and, of course, whether or not the lyrics matched the feelings the music provoked.  I did this with a little trepidation – some people are so talented that, if they so wish, they could transform you into a weepy blob on the carpet simply by singing their shopping list.

First, though, watch the boy perform and make your own mind up.

So, question time: who is the Japanese boy singer?  His name is 川合結人 - Kawai Yuto -  and he comes from the Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.  He will be 14 in December, so I guess we have to enjoy the voice while the going is good.  One can only hope his voice may well mature into something equally as extraordinary.

Very little is known about Kawai – his parents are very protective of his privacy.  He is apparently enjoying middle-school and tries to balance a “normal” life with his TV and singing commitments. He has an older brother – there is a 13 year gap between the two of them. Kawai has yet to record his debut album (surely that must be imminent?).

Young Kawai is not a new sensation – at least not in Japan (and also Korea, where he has received a lot of recent exposure on the 日韓 Top Ten Show).  In his home country of Japan, his earliest public appearances were on local talent shows and smaller singing contests in 2021.   He then gained wider recognition on 現役歌王 (Current Singer-King JAPAN), which started broadcasting in 2023, where he was introduced as the “少年歌唱王” (boy singing king).

The clip above is from July of this year (2025).  The show in which Kawai sang this particular song was a “Special project commemorating the 60th anniversary of Japan–South Korea diplomatic relations” and as we will see, perhaps the song was well chosen for an event such as this.  This special show as called Japan–Korea Singer King Battle. Ultimately, Park Seo‑jin defeated Takenaka Yudai (Japan’s “No. 1”) in the final showdown, giving the Korean side the overall win.  Oh well - at least Kawai has many more years to enter competitions and come out the winner.

As for the song, my first suspicion turned out to be correct.  It is indeed from a Studio Ghibli film, Kiki’s Delivery Service which I had seen at the cinema around 1990.  The song is called Meguru Kisetsu (めぐる季節) which translates as “The Turning Seasons” or “Seasons That Go Around”.  Although we can’t reproduce them here for copyright reasons – the lyrics reflect growth, change, and the passage of time.  It is sung by the protagonist Kiki, a young witch in-training and echoes her journey from childhood into independence.  Yes, of course, I have had to watch the movie once again.  It’s still lovely.

Here's the original version from the film.  You can even read the lyrics and try and sing along with it (if that takes your fancy - I tried and failed fairly miserably).

As part of her witch training - a rite of passage for young witches in the Studio Ghibli universe - Kiki is sent to live independently for a year in a new town. There, she launches a delivery service, flying on her broom to transport goods and make a living. The story follows her journey of personal growth, self-confidence, and resilience as she faces the challenges of living alone and discovers her own identity. This emotional arc is beautifully underscored by songs like Meguru Kisetsu, whose gentle, wistful melody mirrors Kiki’s nostalgia, quiet determination, and the bittersweet passage of time.  It ends on an optimistic note – that she will “ cross over to the dreams that are coming into view".

As such, it was quite fitting that a TV show dedicated to 60 years of diplomacy between two countries which have history, included a song that expresses such hope for the future. 

So, final question.  Was the song meant to engender a feeling close to hiraeth? Yes  but no. The wistful melody of Meguru Kisetsu evokes a feeling remarkably close to that deep, bittersweet longing for the past or for a home that may no longer exist that the Welsh know as hiraeth.  Certainly, in the context of Kiki’s Delivery Service, the song mirrors Kiki’s own nostalgia and quiet yearning as she leaves her familiar village to live alone in a new town. Yet while hiraeth often carries a sense of irrecoverable loss, Meguru Kisetsu balances this melancholy with gentle hope, reflecting Kiki’s growth and her gradual acceptance of change. The result is a musical expression that resonates with longing, memory, and the tender courage required to move forward. It beautifully captures the emotional complexity of both the character and the passing seasons.

Just as Kiki set out on her journey of self-discovery and we all got to watch it, that is equally true of Kawai Yuto.  I can only hope that like Kiki in the movie, young Kawai continues to grow in hope, independence and resilience until he gets to his own happy ending. Who knows – it certainly looks like this remarkable young man has already begun that journey.

Postcript

Kawai Yuto teamed up with Yada Keiki, a Japanese singer known for his powerful and emotive performances, again on Current Singer-King JAPAN to perform the emotional classic “Love is Over.” If you already have the hankies out, don't put them away just yet...

Become a Tongits Plus Strategist: Outsmart, Outplay, and Outthink Every Opponent

Card games in the Philippines are not just games — they are social glue. Families bond over them, friends compete through them, and generations pass down both rules and superstitions surrounding gameplay. Tongits, in particular, holds a special place in Filipino culture — a game of tension, psychology, and skill.

But as time has evolved, so has the game. Tongits Plus represents a new chapter — familiar yet renewed, nostalgic yet modern, and casual yet deeply challenging for strategic minds. This version of Tongits encourages quicker thinking, more adaptive play styles, and smarter tactical decisions.

Understanding Tongits Plus — A Faster, Sharper Evolution of the Classic

Tongits Plus keeps the core of the original game:

• Build valid sets

• Create sequential runs

• Aim for a low total card value

• Monitor opponent moves

Yet the enhanced gameplay adds exciting elements:

• Real-time digital speed

• Automated assistance to prevent score errors

• Enhanced fairness with anti-exploit mechanisms

• Intuitive controls that streamline actions

• Multiple modes catering to different personalities

• A more energetic rhythm that keeps players alert

Tongits Plus compresses reaction time — where the slow thinkers adapt or lag, and quick decision-making becomes crucial. You’re playing not just with cards, but with memory, instincts, and psychological prowess.

Why Builders Trust Structures That Look Like They Shouldn’t Stand

You’re walking around, letting your thoughts wander, when, all of a sudden, you stumble upon a structure that makes you think you’re dreaming. 

It looks like it shouldn’t exist, like a tower that leans so far it seems like a strong gust of wind could finish it. Or maybe it’s one of those bridges with the glass bottoms that make your brain scream “Nope!” even though you know it’s engineered within an inch of its life. 

Your eyes fight with your logic, and logic usually loses first. No matter how many times you step back and tilt your head, that thing still looks like the worst idea ever. But wait, things can get even weirder because once you learn about how structures like this work, you see that they’re backed by the smartest engineering on the planet. 

Meanwhile, the square little houses you walk past every day without thinking twice are riddled with issues. 

This is where things get interesting. 

The Science Behind Structures That Look Unstable

Some structures look like they’re one bad day away from collapsing, and they were designed that way intentionally. 

Every time you see a structure that looks weird, remember that what you’re reacting to is the shape, not the science. And builders don’t really rely on vibes (luckily!), they rely on predictable load paths, supports that are hidden, and weight that’s balanced in ways your eyes can’t figure out. 

And that’s exactly the point. 

For example, a cantilever might look like it’s magic, but it’s really just physics doing its job. Fallingwater is another excellent example of this because it looks like it’s resting above the waterfall, but the house is actually locked into place with reinforced concrete arms and anchored stone. 

Robert Bruno’s steel house in Texas takes this even further. It hangs over a canyon in a way that freaks most people out when, in fact, the steel frame and deep anchoring move the weight into the slope. 

The Balancing Barn in the UK stretches halfway into empty space, but the steel spine inside it acts as a counterweight and keeps the whole thing steady. 

These shapes exist because of computer models, wind tunnel tests, and seismic simulations that let engineers test every possible stress before the concrete is even mixed, let alone poured. 

This is why builders are totally fine with designs that seem ridiculous when you first look at them; they have data at their disposal that shows exactly how the forces move through the structure, no matter how unsafe it looks to you. 

You’d think that structures like these are the reason for all those scaffolding accident claims in Chicago, equipment malfunction incidents in New York, or wherever there’s construction, but that’s not necessarily the case.

The real story is always in the engineering you can’t see, and even if you were to ask attorneys, like Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, they’d tell you that the structure itself (and how strange it seems) doesn’t have to be the reason for incidents, during or after construction. 

Why Your Eyes Get It Wrong

Your brain wants clear supports and straight lines because that’s the only thing that makes sense to it, so it freaks out when it sees structures that ‘float’, ‘hang’, etc. 

But actually, the thing that looks wrong to you is just your perception not being able to interpret shapes it wasn’t designed to comprehend.

Optical Illusions Created by Angles and Perspective

The angle you’re looking from is what causes a lot of the uneasiness. 

Even a tiny tilt or curve can make a building look like it’s about to give out. Look at the Crooked House in Sopot, with the warped façade that makes it look like it’s going to collapse. It’s just the angle because the building itself is structurally pretty basic. 

Structural Elements You Can’t See

You can’t see the parts that hold these structures together. 

Marina Bay Sands looks like it’s balancing a giant surfboard on three pillars, but there are deep steel trusses hidden inside the towers that support the SkyPark. 

The CCTV Headquarters in Beijing looks like it breaks every rule of gravity, and yet, its load moves through a continuous looped frame. 

Materials That Look Weak (but Aren’t)

Engineers know there are different types of damage (e.g., tensile forces, compressive forces, heat, impact, flexibility, corrosion, shear, fatigue, etc.) and each material resists damage in a different way.

For example, you’d expect glass to be weak because of how easily it shatters. Glass is actually VERY strong in compression, but once it sustains microcracks from an impact, the damage spreads quickly, causing sudden failure. But if you laminate the glass or temper it, it’ll resist impact forces better.

Concrete, you’d probably think, is extremely strong, but it’s only strong in compression (how well it handles load). But when it comes to tension strength (e.g., when you pull it from both sides), concrete is VERY weak. That’s why concrete is reinforced with steel to make up for its natural weakness.

Wood has great flexural strength, but it is weak in shear. Aluminum resists corrosion much better than steel, but it can develop cracks from fatigue much faster than steel can. 

Conclusion

These weird structures actually aren’t weird at all; they look strange. 

They’re playing a game your eyes are terrible at, and that’s it. The architects and engineers know exactly what they’re doing, and they won’t design something just because of the wow factor, because, if they do, the only wow factor they’ll get is from how shocked everyone will be when the project collapses on itself. Modern architecture likes to surprise you, so enjoy the weirdness, don’t try to figure it out. 

And if you’re afraid of heights, maybe don’t step on the glass bridge. It’s not worth the heart attack.