Whispers of the Heart (Mimi wo sumaseba) [1995]

I watched it again last night during dinner. Oh my! I had forgotten what a wonderful movie that is. I had tears of joy at one point -- not because a scene with conflict and tension had turned out good, but because a lovely scene had turned out so utterly wonderful (the scene where the old musicians joined in).

The animation, like the scenery artwork is simply breathtaking. The story finds beauty in the everyday at each turn and breathes life into the normality of its subjects while making their hopes and dreams soar.

It is not a story without conflict or unhappiness, but it's very close. This really has to be one of the most beautiful stories I've ever seen.

end same sex couple discrimination in Australia

Sign the petition at GetUp's site:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/EqualBeforeTheLaw

GetUp have helped people achieve great things here recently. By simply adding your name to this petition you can help shock complacent politicians into action. GetUp have shown that politicians don't ignore such massive campaigns, and now with an election coming up they can't afford to neglect us.

71% of Australians, and even 63% of Coalition voters believe same sex couples should have the same rights as hetero couples.

days of the week

To the ancient Greeks it would have seemed spooky that the quarters of a lunar month divided neatly into 7-day weeks and that there were exactly 7 known astronomical bodies (the sun, moon, and 5 visible planets), so they gave each day of the week a corresponding name. Those 5 planets were named for some of their gods. It's not important what they were because the Romans changed the names to their own equivalent gods, but keeping basically the same references. Again it isn't really important what they were (except for Saturn) because the Germanic/Norse people changed the names once more to their own gods (Tiu, Woden, Thor, Freya), except for Saturn, which they kept. So this is what we ended up with after this mixed up re-re-rewriting of history:

• Saturn's day
  
• Sun's day
  
• Moon's day
  
• Tiu's day
  
• Wodin's day
  
• Thor's day
  
• Freya's day

Silly, huh?