Brabec Bulletin Tidbits on Life
June 18, 2025
Milky Way Photographer of the Year
The Amazing “Marble Music” Machine
Startling Statistics From the FBI
Let’s Go To the Circus!
God Saves Your Tears in a Bottle
Award-winning Movie: 7 Brides for 7 Brothers
~ One of its most memorable dance scenes ~
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Milky Way Photographer of the Year
~ 25 Incredible Shots of a Rare Milky Way ~
From the article: “While we can only see a small part of the Milky Way with our own eyes, photography allows us to uncover its hidden beauty—showing details, colors, and patterns in the night sky that usually go unnoticed. But beyond the camera and technique, it’s the photographer’s creativity, patience, and sense of wonder that truly bring these images to life.”
The Amazing “Marble Music” Machine
For a delightful example of digital music, listen to “Marble Plays Famous Songs on Different Instruments.” [link]
In the sidebar on this page, you’ll find several other marble music videos, but before you waste your time on them, listen to the “Wintergatan Marble Machine” that started everything nine years ago. I was fascinated by this machine, which uses 2,000 marbles to make music as they roll around in a unique wooden structure with more parts than anyone could count.
Then, if you have time and are curious to know why nearly three million people are involved in this kind of music, click here for many videos related to the history and development of this kind of music.
P.S. My cat, Liza, has a bed in my office near one of the computer’s small speakers. As I was listening to several videos to mention in this Tidbit, she left her favorite morning bed and exited the room. When I spoke to her, asking where she was going, she turned and gave me a look that clearly said, “I can’t nap with this noisy music playing.” (She prefers my usual easy listening, classical, or soft instrumentals.)
Startling Statistics From the FBI
In a news briefing on March 27 announcing the capture and arrest of one of the top three MS-13 leaders, FBI Director Kash Patel talked about the importance of finding, arresting, and deporting the thousands of illegal drug dealers, rapists, and murderers who gained entry through our unprotected border under the Biden administration. He then shared startling statistics I hadn’t heard before: “We have an American dying every 7 minutes from a drug overdose, a woman or child is being raped every 6-1/2 minutes, and homicides happen twice an hour.”
This was a sharp reminder of the dangerous times in which we’re living and the importance of staying aware when we're out and about.
Let’s Go To the Circus!
If you loved the old-time circuses, don’t miss this fascinating Kovels Antique Trader article, “Step Right Up! Circus Nostalgia Abounds with the Greatest Show on Earth.” It discusses the collectibility of circus posters dating back to the early days of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, called the “Greatest Show on Earth.” Many colorful posters are pictured in the article with notes about their value in auction houses.
Excerpt from the article: “At one time, there were up to 200 traveling circuses active in the United States. But RB&BB, the “Greatest Show on Earth,” reigned supreme. It continued to do so until it closed in 2017, reopening five years later in a format that showcases human performers only.”
Harry and I made several trips to Circus World in Baraboo, WI, which celebrated its Eleventh Annual Circus Parade and Celebration this year on June 14. I especially loved the museum’s colorful display of old-time circus wagons, and Harry bought reprints of circus posters that are still taped to a door in the lower family room area. They have only sentimental value, but looking at them reminds me of the great love we both had for the old-time circus. I treasure the programs for the last two circus performances we saw featuring Gunther Gabel-Williams, who worked a cageful of Bengal tigers and rode around the ring astride his favorite tiger, Bengali, on the back of the elephant named Kongo This video of his most famous act with that tiger and elephant had the audience on the edge of their seats. In checking Gunther’s whereabouts, I was sad to learn that he died in 2001 of a brain tumor at the age of 66.
My article, “A Carson & Barnes Circus Memory,” is the story of one of the most memorable circus performances I ever saw. It includes tigers and an elephant story, photos of Harry playing the drums for a few tunes, and three of the collectible circus programs mentioned above.
God Saves Your Tears in a Bottle
“You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.”
(Psalm 56:8 NLT)
An explanatory note about this verse in The MacArthur Study Bible reads: “David asked God to keep a remembrance of all his sufferings so that God would eventually vindicate him.”
Award-winning Movie: 7 Brides for 7 Brothers
~ One of its most memorable dance scenes
I grew up watching the great musicals of the fifties, and this one from 1954 remains one of my favorites. It won five Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography (color), and Best Film Editing.
A few actors in this movie are now in their 90s. Howard Keel died in 2020, followed by his co-star, Jane Powell, in 2021. I was delighted to learn that my favorite dancer, Russ Tamblyn─the last surviving male dancer in the movie (red hair, blue shirt)─is going strong at 90. In February, he was promoting his memoir, Dancing on the Edge: A Journey of Living, Loving, and Tumbling Through Hollywood. Beginning as a child actor, he has appeared in 85 movies, including such well-known films as West Side Story, Tom Thumb, Hit the Deck, and How the West Was Won.
His book has good reviews on Amazon, and I look forward to reading it..
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