My great grandparents came from Germany in 1872 and settled in Brooklyn. That's as close as I come to Germany, but I am amazed at not only the amount of products that come from Germany but the quality of goods that are "Made in Germany." It seems the American worker spends 8 hours a day at the place they 'work' and the German takes much more pride in the quality of what they produce. I'm as American as they come, but I'd rather buy quality than "American." Just my opinion, Mike > Frankly, I keep wondering how much more I pay for my Birkenstocks (usual > cost $90-$110) and my Haflinger shoes than my German shoe-wearing > counterparts have to pay for theirs. > > I'm an inveterate label reader, and I'm often amazed at how many products I > use that are *Made in Germany.* > > Theola > Mike Mattes El Paso, Texas mmattes200@aol.com Searching for: MATTES, DINAN, DONOUGHUE, TUFFY, KEANLE/KIENLE Germany, Ireland, Wayne Co., PA, Brooklyn and Queens, NY I think my ancestors were born under a bridge and buried in the backyard.