A Poem by Siegrfried Sassoon for Memorial Day

Burying the dead at Somme (public domain)

World War I reminds us how quickly nationalism, alliances, propaganda, and political miscalculation can pull nations into catastrophe. Leaders expected a short war; instead it became industrialized slaughter. The conflict also showed how media narratives and public emotion can overpower caution, creating momentum toward war before societies fully understand the consequences.

The war produced many writers and poets of significance. Siegfried Sassoon was one of these, one of the more powerful poetic voices to emerge from the "War to End All Wars." Sassoon rejected the patriotic romanticism common in wartime verse, writing with brutal honesty about trench warfare, exposing its fear, suffering, and senseless waste. His poems often attacked the blindness of political and military leaders while expressing deep compassion for ordinary soldiers trapped in the nightmare of war.

To put Sassoon's writing in perspective, he was a Lieutenant at the Battle of Somme who witnessed this horror firsthand. On the first day of the Battle of the Somme (July 1, 1916), 19,240 British soldiers were killed. This remains the bloodiest single day in the history of the British Army. The total British casualties that day—including those who were wounded, captured, or went missing—reached 57,470.

During the Battle of the Somme (July–November 1916), the British and Imperial forces suffered approximately 420,000 casualties, of which historians estimate around 125,000 to 150,000 were fatalities. This is two to three times the number of Americans who died over a span of ten years in Vietnam.

Here is Siegfried Sassoon's poem Attack.

Attack

At dawn the ridge emerges massed and dun 

In the wild purple of the glow'ring sun, 

Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud 

The menacing scarred slope; and, one by one, 

Tanks creep and topple forward to the wire. 

The barrage roars and lifts. Then, clumsily bowed 

With bombs and guns and shovels and battle-gear, 

Men jostle and climb to meet the bristling fire. 

Lines of grey, muttering faces, masked with fear, 

They leave their trenches, going over the top, 

While time ticks blank and busy on their wrists, 

And hope, with furtive eyes and grappling fists, 

Flounders in mud. O Jesu, make it stop!

Copyright Credit: Siegfried Sassoon, “Attack” from Counter-attack: And Other Poems. New York: E.P. Dutton & Company, 1918. Public domain.

Source: Counter-attack: And Other Poems (E.P. Dutton & Company, 1918)

Dylan Fans Celebrate Dylan's 85th Birthday with a Week of Festivities in Duluth

Here are a few photos that capture many of the high points of Duluth Dylan Fest 2026, which culminates today with a Front Porch Birthday Party 11-1 and a sold out concert at the Alhambra, featuring Paul Metsa and sideman Sonny Earl.

Welcome to Duluth Dylan Fest 2026

Acoustic Jam @ Ursa Minor

The Songbook

Greg Tiburzi and Friends @ Sir Ben's

Electric Jam @ The Tavern in Superior

The Stars

The Judges

A young up-and-comer

Winner Doyle Turner

Singer Songwriter Contest Winners
L to R: Lydia Boyum (3rd), Doyle Turner (1st), Emma Lea Heart (2nd)

Masters of Ceremony Amy Grillo and Pat Eliason

Dan Israel Saturday Night @ Sacred Heart

Aaron Brown, John Bushey Memorial Lecture '26

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB

MAY YOU STAY FOREVER YOUNG

Kate Aisling introduces Mayor Roger Reinert
Photo credit: last four photos by the author.

Related Links

Photos courtesy of Michael Anderson. See more of Michael A's work here with contact information:

https://singingcanoe.smugmug.com

You can learn more about Michael Anderson's career and motivations here:
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2018/12/michael-anderson-unassuming-gift-to.html

Why DNA Points to a Mind Behind the Universe

Why were so many intellectuals enthralled by Darwin's theory of evolution as put forth in The Origin of Species?

Could it partially be driven by a desire to  not be held accountable to a higher power other than themselves? Or to ethical values they don't want to be restrained by? Why has the State gone to such great lengths to purge not only Christianity from the schools but even a view of science that might suggest that there is a God that created the spectacular beauty and design that is revealed in nature, including the miraculous origins life itself?

I get it, that the Founding Fathers had good reasons for the separation of Church and State. But for decades we have been dictated to "trust the science" while simultaneously not permitting many scientists speak out about what they are seeing as evidence of a mind behind the creation. And why are these legitimate findings are absolutely abolished in the schools.

This naturally dovetails with one of my repeated themes: He who controls the narrative controls the people. Why are people so afraid of open discussion about the implications of contemporary findings unveiled by earnest scientific inquiry?  

One of the things I have been reminded of recently is that the attitude of a scientist is very different from that of a mathematician. For mathematicians, 2 + 2 = 4. Always. 

True scientists propose theories. They say, "This is what we know, for now." It takes great humility to say, "I am not certain, but this is what appears to be what the facts are saying." Darwin was a scientit. He did not state that what he believed about the origin of species, or life itself, was a certainty. It was a theory that he was proposing. He assumed, incorrectly, that as science advanced and archeology advanced, and the fossil records were unearthed, that his theory would be proven.

Instead, archeology and science have failed to find the evidence for life form transitions of new species on a scale required to demonsrate that our ancestors were monkeys, or snails or protozoa. 

The purpose of this blog post is to introduce you to Stephen C. Meyer, a leading voice in the repudiation of the New Atheism movement. Today I briefly wrote on my substack a few thoughts on Meyer's talk Why DNA Points to a Mind Behind the Universe. 

About Stephen C. Meyer
He earned an M.Phil. (1987) and Ph.D. (1991) in the philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge. His doctoral thesis focused on the methodology of origin-of-life research. Meyer is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Science and Culture (CSC) at the Discovery Institute in Seattle, a think tank he helped found. The CSC is the primary organization promoting the intelligent design movement. 

His major books include:

• Signature in the Cell (2009): Argues for intelligent design based on the information in DNA; named a Book of the Year by the Times Literary Supplement.
• Darwin’s Doubt (2013): A New York Times bestseller examining the Cambrian explosion and the case for ID.
• Return of the God Hypothesis (2021): Integrates evidence from physics, cosmology, and biology to argue for a theistic explanation of the universe.

Are you committed to to Lifelong Learning? 
Here are some wonderful things to explore.

Friday Miscellaneous: Books, Science and Other Things I've Been Thinking About

Today it's Friday. Here in the Northland we've been celebrating our annual Duluth Dylan Fest all week, which kicked off in Hibbing at the home young Robert Zimmerman grew up in there. Music by Geno, Amy and Pat was followed by a tour of the Hibbing High School where Bob first began to make a name for himself.

This was followed by a string of events here in Duluth throughout the week, culminating in the annual Front Porch Birthday Party at the house where Dylan spent the first six years of his life. We'll be gathering there from 11:00 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Bob's birthday, with music by Greg Tiburzi. If you missed Wednesday's performance at Sir Ben's, you really missed a stupendous rendition of Dylan's Desire album. Big shout out to Greg, Erin Aldridge and Sonja Bjordal. Thank you.

Last night Cowboy Angel Blue performed in the Depot Train Museum and tonight will be the traditional Singer/Songwriter Contest at Sacred Heart. Full schedule here.

* * * 
One of the exciting things in my life right now has been a renewed interest in math and science. As followers of my Substack know I have been sharing the Math Circles of James D. Nickel. (Example: The Wonders of the Fibonacci Sequence). This exploration lead to the discovery of new thinking about the world we live in from a physics perspective. 

There are so many things that have been discovered about the nature of reality and the universe that are downright astonishing. It's my hope to share some of these things. The implications of Watson and Crick's discovery of the genetic code will blow your mind. How did the Hubble telescope expand our understanding of the size of the cosmos? What does "trust the science" really mean? 

My interest in history has never abated. Niall Ferguson's The Pity of War is now in my pile, revisiting the Great War and how it was a mistake for Britain to get involved. How ironic that the war to end all war proved to be the springboard to a century of wars in every corner of the world. 

That whole period of history was startling when you see the emergence of Social Darwinism, the birth of the Eugenics movement and the arrogance of Western intellectuals. 

On a more positive side  I've recently been inspired by some new writers I've been introduced to including David Berlinski and Stephen C. Meyer. 

As we wind down into Memorial Day weekend, more than a few Northlanders wonder when summer will start to show its face. What are some things you're jazzed about right now? There's so much still to be discovered. Don't just drift. Get a PhD in Lifelong Learning.

Nine More Applications of Price's Law

I just learned about Price's Law a few days ago and it intrigued me. Because I've been thinking about city issues like safety and law & order, I wondered how Price's Law might apply to crime, which I wrote about yesterday. But after sleeping on it and considering its implications, I explored additional ways to apply Price's Law.

Derek J. de Solla Price came up with what's now called “Price’s Law” after noticing that half of all published research is produced by the square root of the total number of authors working in that domain It's deceptively simple idea that seems to pop up everywhere once you start looking for it. 

In its classic form, it says that the square root of the participants in a domain produce roughly half the output. So in a company of 100 people, about 10 people do half the meaningful work. In a city of 1 million, about 1,000 people may generate much of the innovation or influence. Or in a city the size of Duluth (86,000) 293 generate half the innovation or influence. In short, game-changing leadership is not a crowded field.

The really fascinating part is how universal the pattern feels. The more you think about it, the more applications there seem to be.

Churches and Volunteerism
In many churches, the square root of the congregation often handles most of the ministry, fundraising, cleanup, and organizing. A congregation of 400 may function largely because 20 people quietly carry the institution on their backs.

Family Dynamics

In extended families, one or two individuals often become the “memory keepers,” organizers, peacemakers, and caretakers for dozens of relatives. The entire emotional architecture of a clan may rest on surprisingly few shoulders.

Civilization Itself

One could argue that a tiny fraction of humans created the majority of the ideas that shaped civilization—Newton, Maxwell, Gutenberg, Shakespeare, Plato, Edison, etc. Most people inherit culture; very few materially alter it.

Internet Comment Sections

A tiny number of users generate most online discourse. One percent of users may produce half the posts, arguments, outrage, and memes that define a platform’s “culture.” My guess is that most people simply "lurk" to see what everyone's talking about..

Conspiracy Theories
Price’s Law may explain why a handful of highly motivated activists or ideologues can disproportionately shape public narratives. Most people are passive consumers; a small energetic minority drives movements.

Entropy in Organizations
As organizations grow, the productive core does not scale linearly. Bureaucracy expands faster than contribution. This may partially explain why large institutions often become sluggish despite employing thousands. 

Marriage and Friendships

In many social networks, a few people initiate most gatherings, phone calls, and emotional labor. Remove them, and entire friend groups dissolve. I've seen this happen

Historical Turning Points

Many revolutions, reformations, and renaissances may have hinged on an astonishingly small number of determined individuals operating at precisely the right moment. In the American Civil War, the Battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg turned the tide of the war, with a devastating outcome for the South. (Both happened the same week.)

Decay of Institutions

A frightening inverse version of Price’s Law: when the most competent square root burns out, retires, or disengages, the whole structure can suddenly wobble. The institution looked massive and stable, but its true load-bearing beams were few.

Price's Law as Applied to Crime and Safety

Price's Law (also known as Price's Square Root Law) is a principle in productivity and scientometrics that describes extreme inequality in output within groups. (Keep reading and you'll understand how that plays out.)

The concept was proposed by a British physicist and historian of science named Derek J. de Solla Price in the 1960s, who originally observed patterns in scientific publishing. It states that in any given field, approximately half of all published research is produced by the square root of the total number of authors working in that domain.

For example, if a scientific field has 100 researchers, then √100 = 10 researchers will account for roughly 50% of all papers published. In a company of 10,000 employees, about 100 people (√10,000) will produce half the total output or value.

This makes Price's Law more extreme than the better-known Pareto Principle (commonly referred to as the 80/20 rule). As group size grows, the proportion of top producers shrinks dramatically relative to the whole.

Why It Matters

Price's Law shows how productivity follows a power-law distribution rather than a normal one. A small elite drives the majority of results in research, sales teams, creative fields, companies, and even open-source projects. While controversial and not universally precise, it explains why superstar performers, top scientists, or key employees often contribute disproportionately.

Understanding Price's Law encourages organizations to identify, nurture, and retain high-impact talent — and individuals to strive to be among that critical square-root group.

New Applications

Stumbling across Price's Law got me thinking about an application I'd not considered before: fighting crime. Is it possible that if there a x number of violent criminals in a city, that the square root of that number is committing half the violent crimes? If this were the case, an overtaxed police force could make a big impact by narrowing their focus on these "most productive" criminals. Are there 100 such violent felons in your medium-sized city? This would suggest that ten are doing half of the violent crime, and your city could become much safer by placing them behind bars. And maybe there are only 25. This would suggest five are the really bad dudes that should be behind bars.

Corollary: The square root of all criminals does half of all crime.

I haven't tested this theory yet, but I've an inkling that there's something to it.

What do you think?

How Big Is One Trillion Dollars?

A trillion dollars... Wow!

I remember when the media was near apoplectic when the national debt reached one trillion dollars during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Today, it seems we're numb to the enormity of our national debt and especially the speed at which it keeps growing.  

We say it so casually now—federal deficits, national debt, 25 trillion, 30 trillion, 35 trillion... And a request from the White House for another 1.5 trillion for the Pentagon. I know what two marbles is, or five oranges. But when you say one trillion its no longer anything but an abstraction. Or a talking point.

So let's put this in perspective. What does one trillion dollars s look like? Here's one way to get a sense of it:

If you stacked one trillion dollars in $100 bills, the tower would rise approximately 631 or 680 miles into the sky, depending on which AI you ask. (Google says 63o-678 miles.) That's more than two and a half times higher than the orbit of the International Space Station. We're talking about Yertle the Turtle on mega-steroids.The stack would dwarf the Empire State Building as though it were a decorative lawn ornament. The Statue of Liberty would disappear into insignificance at its base.

Let's attack this from a different angle. I asked Grok, "How high would a billion dollar stack of hundred dollar bills be?" Here's how to calculate it. $1,000,000,000 ÷ $100 = 10 million bills. Each bill is 0.0043 inches thick, which when stacked would be 43,000 inches. 43,000 x 12 equals 3583 feet, which is 3 times the height of the Eiffel Tower.

A trillion dollars, if you can stack that high, would reach up into the sky 630 to 680 miles. It's one thousand billions.  If you spent one million dollars every single day, it would take nearly 2,740 years to spend a trillion dollars.

When politicians discuss adding “just another trillion” to a budget, or when economists speak of trillion-dollar deficits as though they are routine, we ought to pause long enough to picture this tower of money stretching into the edge of outer space.  

As of May 2026, the U.S. national debt is approaching $39 trillion. The Joint Economic Committee reported it at roughly $38.9 trillion in early May. 

What's scary to me is interest payments on our debt are now approaching or exceeding $1 trillion per year, which means the federal government spends more on interest than many entire nations produce economically.

I keep asking myself how things can go on like this. At what point does the whole shebang collapse like a house of cards? 

What I don't understand is how we keep electing people who don't understand basic economics. If you spend more money than you take in, you're going to keep going deeper into debt. Sooner or later you're going be is a very bad place.