German Anorexia

Without sharing Al Fin blog's apocalyptic tone, its writer's talent should be aknowledged. They coined "German anorexia" to describe Germany's selfinflicted energy scarcity (by relying on renovable sources). Their compulsion is infecting everything. Egg prices doubled when the 1999 directives for hen confort became law, requiring producers to switch to "enriched" cages offering chickens more space, bedding and perches. Foods made with eggs are dearer: Even non-anorectic Germans are giving up afternoon coffee with Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.

Germans are so affected by self-starvation that they are saving water to the point that today, Berlin's sewage flows are insufficient to wash away their excrements. Sewage pipes are designed to ensure the "self-cleaning flow velocity" and today's flow is not enough. Consequences are twofold: excrement accumulates and clogs underground pipes, and the smell above ground level is unsufferable. But resourceful Berlin waterworks are solving the problem: They are injecting perfume into the pipes, and each morning they pump 500,000 cubic meters of clean drinking water to wash away the solids.