Flashmobs are the latest craze in Europe this summer
Published:
18 August 2003 y., Monday
Flashmobs are the latest craze in Europe this summer. It’s another scorching day in Berlin, and on the Alexanderplatz in the city’s center, people are sitting on the edge of a fountain, hoping to catch some relief from the heat. A few are standing around in curious expectation. An Internet site had said a flashmob would take place at 5:00 p.m. But at 4:59 there was no trace of anything out of the ordinary.
Then at five on the dot, a circle of some 10 people suddenly convened around the fountain from out of nowhere. They were all young men in their 20s. Each took off his left show and passed it to his neighbor. Within about 15 seconds, the shoes had made a full circle and were back with their owners. The men gave themselves a high-five and dispersed without a trace. All that was left after their departure were amused and slightly confused onlookers, wondering what they just say.
Flashmobs, or spontaneous gatherings of people engaged in somewhat pointless activities, are the most recent U.S. import. In June of this year, the first such event took place in a Macy’s department store in New York. Since then, the concept has spread quickly across the United States, and leapfrogged over to Australia, Singapore and, as of the end of July, made its way to Europe.
In Germany, flashmobs have become very popular among a mostly young, computer-savvy group. More than 150 towns and cities have been the sites for the blitz-like gatherings, and in Berlin, at least two or three of the brief nonsensical events are announced every day on various Web sites, e-mail lists and mobile phone messages.
Šaltinis:
dw-world.de
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
51-year-old mother of eight, sits beside her sick husband, Tuy Muy, 52, in Battambang Provincial Referral Hospital. He is lying on a bed with a stomach problem, battling nausea and vomiting.
more »
The length of maternity and paternity leave are at the heart of a crucial vote in the plenary sitting of March 24-25.
more »
The perception women have of the EU, the way the economic and financial crisis is affecting women and the lessons to be learnt ahead of the 2014 elections are among the issues to be tackled during a colloquium being held at the European Parliament on Tuesday.
more »
To achieve quicker de facto gender equality, Commission and Member States should adopt and implement specific gender equality policies, Parliament said in a resolution adopted on Thursday.
more »
Are you thinking about setting up your own business or are you already a successful entrepreneur? The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs exchange scheme offers an excellent opportunity for new entrepreneurs to acquire relevant skills for managing a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).
more »
The pain of divorce and separation is all too often accompanied by financial and emotional hardship when one parent lives abroad and refuses to provide financial help.
more »
Most Europeans still do not know they can call 112 anywhere in the EU to contact the police, fire brigade or an ambulance.
more »
Helping to meet Haiti's humanitarian, reconstruction and nation-building needs must be the EU's priority in tackling the earthquake's aftermath, says Parliament in a resolution approved on Wednesday.
more »
Further work is needed to continue improving access to safe drinking-water at home, sewerage systems and safe bathing water throughout the European Region.
more »
Poor housing remains a blight across Europe and Tuesday evening MEPs will debate a plan to extend EU funding to help renovate and repair housing stock for the poorest people on the continent.
more »