A Calvinist (?)

Johann Calvin, real Name Jean Cauvin, was born in July 10 1509 at Noyon (Picardie in France) and died in May 27 1564 in Geneva. He had worked as Protestant like Luther and Zwingli.
The Author Elke Endrass published the book "Erfolgreich mit Calvin" (Successful with Calvin) at Kreuz-Verlag, Stuttgart, 2009. In the same year she exchanged some E-mails with Physicist Gerhard Backhaus, concerning Calvin:
G.B.: To say it at first: my life was like a roller coaster, when I was down I started again. My remarks about calvinistic life means the following:
Dreaming in the sense of Calvin started for me during my youth in a small town directly after the end of WW II. My Family did not have much money. Reflecting about my life began after the end of College time in 1961. I decided to study Sciences. This was the Risk in a calvinistic sence. And the Action means studying. However, there was no fast success! My grant was 139 DM per month. This was not enough money to survive in an big City like Hamburg. So I had to earn some more money in jobs like taxidriver or worker on a building site for several years. The result was that I failed in Chemistry during the pre diploma exam. After some moments's thougt I started with learning again.
At that time I had to pass 4 exams: Experimental Physics, Theoretical Physics, Mathematic and Chemistry. Since I failed in Chemistry I had to repeat also the other subjects. There was no third chance. So I changed my life for the next 8 months:
I set the alarm clock for 6 o'clock in the morning, took a walk in the City Park till 7 o'clock, had breakfast at 7.30 and started learning till 9 o'clock. Then there was a tea break and after this learning started again till 12 a.m. I took my lunch hour at a nearby Supermarket and another walk till 2 p.m. It followed a time of repeating  and another tea break at 4 p.m. Then I repeated again of what I had learned before till 6.30 p.m. After this time I took my dinner and meditated. I went to bed at 10 o'clock p.m.
When repeating the pre diploma exam I was successful in all subjects wtih a grade of 2.5. Four years later I worked in a similar way for the main diploma exam and achieved with help of my later wife a grade of 1.3 and after this time for the Dr. exam a grade of 0.8 (summa cum laude). So I was very successful and worked several years at the LMU University in Munich as Assistant of the Professor and published several Papers. However, since 1979 I had to earn my money in industrial companies.
And there things go different!
Miss Endrass, do you see a calvinistic character in my former life?
E.E.: After having read your mail I can say that I am respecting you. You are a classic axample for discipline. Calvin would not have done it better. I really admire you that you never gave up. You were studying hard and lived your vocation. Very important also the fact to have a walk two times a day for mind and body. Most people are forgetting this!

Dr.-Thesis

According to the fact that some politicians in Germany lost their graduation, a Dr.-Thesis is presented with best grade "summa cum laude".
Title: Coupling of Particle Streams Concerning Non-Stationary Diffusion in Ion Exchanger
Author: Gerhard Backhaus; Dr.-Father: Prof. Dr. Gerhard Dickel; Co-Expert: Prof. Dr. Gerhard Ertl, Nobel Prizewinner for Chemistry in 2007.
Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy of Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich 1974.
Short-version: This thesis is concerned to describe non-stationary transport of particles in membranes (ion-exchangers). The calculus of variation was used and forces of constraint in membranes were taken into consideration. The  theory describing stationary states was broadened with help of Gaussian Theorem applied to equations of transport. The result are two systems of differential equations describing coupling of particle transport at non-stationary diffusion in ion-exchangers. These differential equations could be solved exactly. Furthermore the Theory of  Biot to solve problems in heat conduction could be used to describe motion of particles in ion-exchangers. This results in Lagrange-equations of first kind.
The experimental part deals with measurements of sorption-isothermes of membranes and ion-exchangers. To facilitate charging of ion-exchanger-pellets a new automatically working gear was invented. So much time was saved and measurements improved.
German version at gaus-universum.

Radiocarbon in Groundwater

The methode to calculate old ages with help of radiocarbon-isotope C-14 is used in Hydrology, that deals with properties, occurrance and houshold of water on earth. According to Münnich's ideas groundwater is seeping away into soil taking with it recente, biogenic carbondioxide from dead organic substances. This calcium aggressive water solutes CaCO3 that is assumed to be fossilized. This results in an equilibrium of the participated substances in groundwater and gives a typical C-14-content in aquifer under consideration. Isotope-exchange with the envirement is possible.
A classical methode to measure the radiocarbon content in a probe is to extract CO2 and transform it for example into methane or acetylene. The number of radiocarbon particles can be registered in a suitable low-level device with a gas proportional counter. From this properties of the aquifer like groundwater velocity or direction and permeability of soil  etc. can be derived.
Lit.: see Gaus-Universum
State of Technology until 1980

Do Aliens exist?

To answer this question, it has to be cleared first if the wellknown laws of science are also valid in far regions of the cosmos. Dark Energy and Dark Matter seem to exist in the universe, their physical nature, however, is unknown. Astrophysicists assume that the same physical laws on earth are also valid in other regions of the cosmos. This means, for example, that all common elements exist also in other parts of the universe. However, unknown molecules may exist. To construct organic life, elements like Hydrogen (H), Carbon (C), Oxygen (O) and Nitrogen (N) are necessary. So, one should look for these elements on strange planets (exo-planets). Best of all it would be to look for the molecule Ozon (O3). This gas originates by interaction between hydrocarbons and molecules of the atmosphere. May be one can detect this gas in the atmosphere of exo-planets. This, however, is not a proof of the existence of extraterrestric life, but makes it possible. If there should be organic life on strange planets, it is not sure, that one has found Aliens, i.e. higher developed species. This question is still without answer!

Important Questions in Science and Theology

There are some important questions for everyone. For example: What happened before Big Bang, does anything exist on the other side of Universe, will it be possible to make voyages through time? There is also the question of the existence of God. In the Bavarian TV "alphacentauri" the famous Astrophysicist Harald Lesch gave a lot of answers to this matter. He said that science can only explain how the world works, but not why it so works as ist does. Some years ago, the Priest Jutta Hoecht-Stoehr from Munich said to me that the question why the world functions as it does, can only be explained by Theology. And what about the Theory of Evolution of Species by Charles Darwin? In this sence one does not need any idea of a creator, as atheists believe. However, the Priest, Teacher an Geologist Theilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) said that God makes things regulate themselves. This is a true statement in my own understanding. And it is also a strict contradiction to the meaning of atheists. This seems to be a bebeficient statement.

What is the meaning of life?

Willigis Jaeger, the famous mysticist and Zen-teacher from School of Contemplation in the german city of Wuerzburg, gave a lecture about "Eternal Wisdom" at the church "Kreuzkirche" in Munich on wednesday, 6/30/10. The question for me personally was, wether or not the way to eternal wisdom leads through contemplation. The latin word contemplari means "looking at s.th.". In a christian context this means sometimes Meditation, i.e. meditating about a subject like a picture, an idea or a word. W.J., however, thinks of a special form of praying. Contemplation in this context does not mean meditation, but a state of experience on the other side of consciousness. In this sense, I can understand his opinion that mankind is a wave in infinite ocean of divinity. From this the sense of life can be derived as part of godness. This is the way I understood his lecture, which presented also a lot of knowledge about modern science like Astrophysics and biological Evolution. What an interesting evening!

A Meeting at Ecumenical Days of Churches (OeKT)

From 5/12 to 5/16/10 the ecumenical days of churches took place in Munich. You could meet Catholics, Protestants, Orthodoxians and others. I as a Protestant am a fan of Margot Kässmann, the former Bishop of Hannover and former President of Protestants in Germany (Ratsvorsitzende der EKD). For some time I have been exchanging emails with her, so now I would like to meet her personally. This came true on wendsday, the first day of OeKT, in the library Hugendubel at Marienplatz. I came in time and was standing in front of the table, where she took seat after arrival. So I could observe how she talked to every visitor and signed several books. At the end of performance I got a dedication in her new book "Das Grosse Du" and had the possibility to exchange a few words with her. Three days later she was talking in a fair hall about the subject "Are Churches a Sign of Hope in the World?" This speech impressed me very much. What a charismatic woman she is!