Barry Kibrick, producer and host of the PBS program "Between the Lines" has given me permission to share his weekly newsletter which alerts readers of current and archived programs and delivers a warm salutation. Kibrick interviews authors with unique depth and insight. He not only reads the books first – he analyzes them for wisdom, relevance and integrity.
At present, "Between the Lines" airs in San Francisco; Los Angeles; Las Vegas; Central, Mich.; Ohio-W VA and N. Eastern Kentucky; New Orleans, LA; Chicago; Oceanside, CA; Lawndale, CA; El Segundo, CA.
The program is archived at "On Demand" www.la36.org, find Channel 200 – Arts&Culture. Scroll down the right hand side to the "Between the Lines" episode you'd like to see. Below is an excerpt from this week's issue.
Dear Viewers: After years of doing "Between the Lines" I've come to the conclusion that writings about our current state of economics are harder to understand than physics. In fact, I was reminded recently by Dr. Jack Hokikian, a past guest of the program, that physics may actually be the best way to explain our current economic situation.
Here are some excerpts that Jack writes about on the topic. You can read more by going to his web site www.losfelizpublishing.com or in his book, "The Science of Disorder."
The Laws of Thermodynamics are based on two thermodynamic quantities: energy and entropy. The First Law is about the conservation of energy. It says the amount of energy in the universe is constant. This implies that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can be transformed from one form to another. The expression "You can't get something for nothing" stems from this law.
The Second Law is about entropy. It stipulates that entropy increases in all processes irreversibly. Physicists identify entropy as a measure of the disorder of a thermodynamic system. In economic terms, the Second Law can be regarded as Nature's unyielding tax collector. It exacts a tax from all our activities by increasing the disorder of our thermodynamic system. Through increases in entropy, the Second Law controls and dictates the way all processes proceed in the universe…
Our perspective on the world is very different if we view it as a reversible system subject to our control rather than an irreversible system governed by the Laws of Thermodynamics…
Recent global financial and socioeconomic crises, which are still in progress, are yet another reminder that humanity would not be wise to ignore the Law of Entropy.
In everyday life, we all feel and are affected by the cumulative effects of the physical, social, environmental, economic, and intellectual entropies within us and around us. Thus, it is to our advantage to learn and understand what entropy is all about...
If we learned from the very beginning of childhood that all processes increase the disorder of our environment, and that all our activities contribute to that disorder, we would be more aware of the consequences of our actions throughout our lives.
-- Jack Hokikian, Ph.D –"The Science of Disorder" - www.losfelizpublishing.com
"May we all be more aware of the consequences of our actions. Look closely "between the lines" of all the economic entropy and you will begin to understand and even tackle today's problems. Have a great week, Barry"
Subscribe to the newsletter by sending a request to barrykibrick@aol.com.
Barry Kibrick goes 'Between the Lines' with Jack Hokikian on economics
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