My World of Religion, Politics, Entertainment and Social Issues

Dear Blog Visitors: I thought I would share with you a preview of my documentary-in-progress, entitled 'The Red Danube.' If you have followed my recent blog posts, you are aware that I have been tracing the footsteps of my ancestors. Concerning my father's side of the family, there is a long lineage of Eastern European Jews, most notably from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, which would separate into separate countries following World War I. My research tells me that prior to World War II, there were approximately 700,000 Jews living in Hungary. The Nazis managed to exterminate approximately 600,000 of them, and many who remained moved elsewhere, reducing the Jewish population to a mere few hundred. As I continue to work on my documentary, I hope to heighten the awareness of what occurred along the banks of the Danube in 1944. Peace to all, Ray

Dear Blog Visitors: In 1944, my late paternal grandfather, Henry Grosswirth (1879-1975), retired after 34 years with Eastman Kodak. (He worked for the company from 1910-1944.) His career and life were so fascinating that Kodak’s newspaper, ‘The Kodakery,’ decided to publish a feature story on Henry upon his retirement. I have already written a lengthy family history of my grandfather and his extended family in Europe and the United States. This history can be accessed on-line at the following link: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~grosswirth/ancestry.htm For members of his family who stayed in Hungary, the fates of most of them were tragic. A cruel series of events placed family members under three brutal regimes: first, the Austro-Hungarian Empire; second, Nazi-occupied Hungary; third, Hungary under Communist rule and Soviet occupation. (82 persons with the Grosswirth name perished during World War II; some died in concentration camps, and a few others ...

Dear Blog Visitors: Yesterday was sad for anyone tied in any way, past or present, to Eastman Kodak. Although not unexpected, the shock factor was still felt around the world when Kodak announced it had filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy papers. For my family, Eastman Kodak played a very large role. My late paternal grandfather, Henry Grosswirth, settled in Rochester after arriving in America from Hungary. He then spent most of his working life at Kodak. My late father, Sidney Grosswirth, spent 35 years of his working life at Kodak. I had a summer job there during my college years, whereby my father had hoped I would continue in the family tradition by finding a career at Kodak. However, my life ambitions took me in other directions. It is difficult to say at this point whether or not reorganization of Kodak, as part of the Chapter 11 arrangement, will be successful. I am hoping for a positive outcome, whether it be via the sale of multiple patents, or a primary focus on Kodak...

Dear Blog Visitors: Pope Benedict XVI managed to create headlines yesterday by verbally attacking the gay community. This is not the first time he has done so, which amounts to a throwback to Nazi Germany, when gays were singled out for discrimination and arrest. In yesterday's worldwide speech, Benedict equated gay marriage with a downfall of humanity itself. The pontiff would like for us to believe that there are no gay priests, despite the fact that it is well known that approximately 30% of priests are gay, and the vast majority of them are true ministers of the Gospel. So, for Benedict to attack the gay community is nothing more than a smokescreen. I truly believe it is time for Benedict XVI to resign, and this has nothing to do with his age. My top-five reasons he should consider a resignation are as follows: 1.) He refuses to see the wisdom of an inclusive priesthood (celibate, married, women); 2.) He continues to discriminate against the gay community; 3.) He blo...