Lovefilm.de: The weird European version of Netflix

What have I missed most since moving to Germany? Not the difficulty to get free tap water, not the English language, and not even real milkshakes. No, what I pine for the most is Netflix.

So since I moved to a new apartment, I thought I'd try a test run of Lovefilm, the Europeans' Netflix knock-off. Perhaps most oddly--aside from the third season of "ALF" beginning its first recommendation for me--is the identity verification you have to go through to rent movies rated "FSK 18" (the German equivalent of NC-17). Whereas Netflix lets you click a button to determine what movies you can rent, Lovefilm requires members to print out a form to take to the post office to have them verify that 1) the member is at least 18 and 2) no one under 18 has access to the mailbox. Most movies are rated no higher than "FSK 16" (R), but many are also available in the U.S. in "unrated" versions--this usually means racier jokes and more violence--which in Germany makes the DVD FSK 18.

I suppose I might as well do this...who knows what cool indie flicks have been tagged FSK 18?

Consumer indicators: Egg labels

Every carton of eggs sold in Germany is labeled according to how the chickens were raised:

0. organic (Ökologische Erzeugung)
   
1. free-range (Freilandhaltung)
   
2. ground (Bodenhaltung)
3. cage (Käfighaltung)

There are detailed requirements for each type of production; for example, in addition to being fed organic feed, organic hens are required to have at least eight hours a day with no artificial light, room to build nests, and a place to "sand bathe."

The point is more consumer information, which undoubtedly leads to better (i.e., more humane) choices. The percentage of eggs purchased in Germany from caged hens has dropped in the last few years. Making the hens' living conditions apparent gives meaning to more expensive types of farming and allows consumers to make more informed choices.

It makes me wonder how the eggs I bought in the U.S. were laid.