Helsinki Conference Research Articles

Om integrationen af videnskabelige og kunstneriske metoder

The paper relects upon the integration of academic-scientiic methods and artistic strategies for art and technology projects that address user participation in a socially deined domain. he paper proposes Luhmann’s relative diference between medium (loosely coupled elements) and form (tightly coupled constituents) as a theoretical and heuristic tool for productive interferences between artistic and scientiic methods. The paper elaborates upon and exemplifies the proposed heuristic through various art and technology projects. (A first (English) version of this paper has been presented at the Art of Research conference in Helsinki 2012 and can be downloaded from the conference website).

Preface

Associated research Centers for the Urban Underground Space (ACUUS) is an international, non-governmental organisation, promoting the sustainable use of the underground space.The ACUUS 2020 Virtual Conference took place in Helsinki, Finland on 3-4 February 2021 and was organized by the International organisation ACUUS, Finnish Tunnelling Association (MTR-FTA), Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) and Finnish Association of Civil Engineers (RIL). The original dates for this conference were in September 2020. Due to covid-19 travel restrictions, the conference was postponed and it was arranged only virtually. Most of the scientific papers were received before summer holidays 2020 and it would have been unpleasant to postpone publishing these papers any longer.The conference included 96 presentations altogether. There were three categories of presentations: eight keynote speeches, 68 live presentations and 20 on demand video presentations. The keynotes represented current topics from the underground architecture to the latest developments in using underground space as well as the impact of the covid-19 Pandemic. The live presenters had 12 minutes time for presentation and then three minutes for Q/A.Moreover, 1400 chat messages were sent between participants during the conference.This publication consists of 51 accepted scientific papers under the following themes:ArchitectureUrban planningCity developmentUnderground infrastructuresDesignReuse of underground spaceSustainability and environmentGeothermal energySafety and human factorsPerspectivesTechnical approaches and innovationsThe ACUUS 2020 conference had 195 participants from 24 countries. The participants in order of magnitude were from Finland, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Sweden, United States, Greece, Russia, United Kingdom, Singapore, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Albania, Austria, Belgium, France, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Serbia and Spain. The ACUUS 2020 conference was broadcasted in two parallel streams by ProspectumLIVE system. The papers were evaluated and reviewed by Ex-Ordo’s management system. The conference was considered very successful based on the participants’ feedback giving mean score of 4.3 (1 poor…5 excellent) for the overall conference experience and the overall technical quality mean score of 4.4.The ACUUS 2020 conference in Helsinki was the 17th in its history. The next conference will be held in Singapore in 2023.We want to take the opportunity to thank the authors of the published articles, the Scientific Committee members for their improving comments to the submitted papers in the review process and all active conference participants for interesting discussions during the sessions and breaks that contributed to the ACUUS 2020 Helsinki success.EditorsIlkka VähäahoChair of the ACUUS 2020 Scientific CommitteeErik JohanssonCo-chair of the ACUUS 2020 Scientific Committee

Russia – Ireland: the Hard Path to Mutual Understanding

In 2023, it will be 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia (then the USSR) and the Republic of Ireland. The article deals with the complicated relationships between Russia (the USSR) and the Republic of Ireland on the path to establish the diplomatic relations. Ireland and the Soviet Russia tried to make the first contacts in 1919, but they failed to establish the trade and diplomatic relations at that time. At the end of the 1920th – beginning of the 1930th the countries undertook new attempts of rapprochement, but the negotiations were interrupted because of unfavourable international situation. Hostile perceptions and anti-Soviet position of Irish governments backed by the Catholic Church prevented the normalization of the Soviet-Irish relations. The special attention is devoted to the activity of the Ireland – USSR Society established in 1945 with the aim to develop friendship and mutual understanding between the people and to establish the trade and diplomatic relations between these two countries. The same activity in the Soviet Union was carried out by the the All-Union Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, which became the Union of Soviet Societies for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries in 1957. At the beginning of the 1970s in the connection with the forthcoming Helsinki conference on security in Europe the negotiations started about the establishment the diplomatic missions in Moscow and Dublin. They were successfully culminated in September 1973.

NORDIC DEVELOPMENT STUDIES: LESSONS, PITFALLS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

1. Introduction In November 2015, the Third Joint Nordic Conference on Development Research was organised by the School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg (Sweden). Development research has a long (and rather strong) history in the Nordic (1) countries. In fact, Nordic development studies have been able to respond continuously (and to some extent jointly) to the challenges over the last 50 years by producing thought-provoking research--as evidenced by a range of new approaches, new methodologies, new theories, extending both mono- and cross/ interdisciplinary areas of study and innovative development policies. Between the 1970s and 1990s, there was a fairly strong sense of 'Nordic-ness' among both researchers and policymakers. However, the so-called 'crisis of development studies' in the 1980s and 1990s impacted negatively on Nordic cooperation and both research and policy became more varied and fragmented. In the early 2000s, attempts were made by leading Nordic development researchers to revitalise cooperation, which resulted in the First Joint Nordic Conference on Development Research in Copenhagen in 2011. The general purpose of the joint conferences is to bring together researchers and practitioners from the Nordic countries (and beyond) to debate and rethink contemporary issues in development research and policy. The inaugural conference of this 'new era of Nordic cooperation', held in Copenhagen in 2011, focused on the contribution of the Nordic perspectives and approaches to development/development studies visa-vis global and other approaches to development. Subsequent bi annual conferences have continued to explore the Nordic approach to development policy and research while at the same time addressing other critical issues in development research. The second Joint Nordic Conference in Helsinki in 2013 focused on the role of knowledge production in and for development while the third held in Gothenburg in 2015 continued and deepened the discussions from previous conferences through the theme A Changing Global Development Agenda?. It aimed, in particular, to address the development implications of global recovery, emerging powers, new patterns of vulnerability, as well as of economic crisis, environmental crises, urbanisation, and humanitarian and governance crises. The conference also reflected on the significance, content, and possible implications for the post-2015 global development agenda and the future of sustainable development. Attracting more than 200 participants from 18 countries, the conference in Gothenburg was organised around 17 working groups that involved more than 100 paper presentations, four thematic roundtables, and two keynote speeches by Professor Inge Kaul and Professor Adebayo Olukoshi. The purpose of this report is to reflect on the status of Nordic development studies in light of the experience of the last conference in Gothenburg. To that end, we reflect on two themes that we consider as essential to the field of study but which causes both friction and fragmentation: (i) the many meanings of development; and (ii) Africa as a continued 'object' of Nordic development studies. The report concludes with a reflection about how we think different standpoints on these issues can be productively balanced. 2. The many meanings of 'development': frictions or creative pluralism? Everybody interested in 'development' knows that is an essentially contested concept, implying that there is no consensus about its meaning and how should be defined. As Sumner and Tribe (2008: 10) rightly point out, it would be an understatement to say that the definition of 'development' has been controversial and unstable over time. There is, as with most 'fields of study', no consensus on an absolute and final definition, only suggestions as to what development may mean in different contexts (Hettne 1995, 2005, 2009). Similar to previous gatherings, development was a contested concept at the recent conference. …

Workshop: Better prison health for better public health

Abstract According to the latest data, in 2018 about 590,000 people were held in prison on any given day in the EU, and more than double in the entire region. People in prison face multiple and complex health care issues, including a higher prevalence of communicable diseases than the general population. These are likely to be the result of a combination of overlapping, and sometimes interlinked, risk factors for infection, ill-health, and incarceration, such as problem drug use. Incarceration may facilitate the offer of quality health care services to people who are otherwise hard to reach and provide an occasion to target socially deprived groups who often have low level of healthcare access when in the community. Delivering health protection and harm reduction programmes in prisons not only benefits the prison population but also has the potential to reduce the risk of transmission of some infectious diseases in the community, intervening earlier in the natural history of disease. They are also likely also to have a knock-on effect in supporting individuals’ reintegration into community life and future health - providing a ‘community dividend’ to health interventions in prisons. Yet, such health gains may be diminished by suboptimal integration with community services. Continuity of care, or throughcare, between prison and community services is a mainstay of any health care interventions delivered in detention, especially when tackling chronic conditions (e.g. HIV, mental illnesses) or problem drug use. The World Health Organization (WHO) has long supported the concept of prison health as an inseparable component of public health. This view is enshrined by the principle of Equivalence of Care between prison and community, endorsed by the United Nations in the Nelson Mandela Rules. During the 2019 WHO Prison Health Conference in Helsinki, it was acknowledged that prisons contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through improving health, reducing health inequalities and provide a fairer and safer society for all. However, a number of challenges hampers the successful implementation of such a concept, including the need for evidence-based decision making, inter-sectoral partnerships and adequate monitoring systems. This workshop will provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of prison health and the relevance of a multi-sectorial public health approach to frame and address it. The workshop will be structured around three main topics: governance of prison health and current models in Europe; health issues and disease burden in the prison population; current and future perspectives for evidence-based approaches to prison health. The discussion of two case studies, problem drug use and HCV micro-elimination, will create the context for an in-depth analysis of key challenges for prison health implementation, reflecting on aspects such as health needs, equity, multidisciplinarity, continuity of care, monitoring and community dividend. Key messages Provide a comprehensive picture of the main challenges of prison health in Europe, the public health issues affecting the prison population and how these relate to community public health systems. Reflect on how public health systems need to incorporate prison health into their strategies for reducing inequalities and improving health outcomes of vulnerable and socially deprived populations.

Preface

Sustainable Built Environment conference ‘SBE19 Helsinki’ debated emerging concepts for a clean planet, happy people and shared prosperity. It was organized by the Finnish Association of Civil Engineers RIL and Sustainability Laboratory Oy SLAB 22-24 May 2019 in Helsinki. It is part of SBE conference series that were held during 2018-2019. These events organized in different regions in our planet are expected to bring their highlights to the World Sustainable Built Environment conference that will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden in June 2020.SBE19 Helsinki conference brought together 120 experts from 23 countries to share latest knowledge in sustainable built environments. The objective was to introduce also novel approaches to climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience, circular procurement, social license to operate and nature-based solutions for healthy indoor and outdoor environments in exciting and inclusive cities.SBE19 Helsinki proceedings contains 50 scientific papers structured under the conference topics and sub-topics as follows• Emerging concepts• Shared prosperity• Positive stimulation and well-being• Clean planet• Climate change mitigation• Material life cycles and circularity• Adaptation and resilience to climate change• Happy people• Healthy and comfortable indoor and outdoor spaces.The organizers want to take the opportunity to thank the authors of the published articles, the Scientific Committee members for their improving comments to the submitted papers in the review process and all active conference participants for interesting discussions during the sessions and breaks that contributed to the SBE19 Helsinki success.Pekka HuovilaScientific Committee Chair

The International Law Association Helsinki Rules

AbstractAlthough the International Law Association (ILA) was established in 1873, it only turned its attention to the internationally shared water resources in 1954, when its study of the applicable principles and rules of international law thereon began. The first ILA committee assigned to this task was the Rivers Committee, which, after a decade of intensive study and through several resolutions and statements, arrived unanimously at a set of articles reflecting customary international law, known as The Helsinki Rules on the Uses of the Waters of International Rivers.The Helsinki Rules approved at the ILA Helsinki Conference in 1966 were soon widely accepted across the globe as a non-binding authoritative source of international water law. This monograph traces the work of ILA leading to the approval of the Helsinki Rules, analyses the Rules, and identifies their influence on, and contribution to the evolution of international water law.

Azərbaycan-Yunanıstan parlamentlərarası münasibətlərində Ermənistan-Azərbaycan Dağlıq Qarabağ münaqişəsi

This article deals with the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is one of the main topics of discussion during the meetings on the development of inter-parliamentary relations between Azerbaijan and Greece. An Azerbaijani-Greek working group on inter-parliamentary relations operates in the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and a Greek-Azerbaijani friendship group on inter-parliamentary relations functions in the Greek legislative body. In the framework of regular meetings of interparliamentary groups, among other issues, one of the main areas of discussion is the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The main goal of the study is to summarize the opinions voiced in the inter-parliamentary diplomatic meetings regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, put them in a chronological framework and identify some factors that undermine Azerbaijani-Greek inter-parliamentary relations. The unanimous opinion of Greek parliamentarians is that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved in accordance with international law. Greece is committed to the principles outlined in the Final Act of August 1, 1975 of the Helsinki Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. In addition, the principles of territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, which are the basic principles of international law, are the priority in Greek foreign policy. However, Armenia and Greece have very close relations, and Greece is a state that officially recognizes the "Armenian genocide". Therefore, studying the GreekAzerbaijani relations at the academic level is very important for Azerbaijani political science.

Democracy as Othering Within Finnish Education

The word democracy is frequently uttered by academics, politicians, and, generally within society. Phrases such as ‘democratic education', ‘democracy education' and ‘(student) participation' are often referred to within national curricula, policy briefings, and, teacher education/training and resources. Little critical attention has been given to the word within the context of Finnish education. In recent years the educational system of Finland has been described as a ‘miracle' and commentators have noted its ‘successes.' This article offers a deeper gaze within Finnish education by looking at the ways democracy discourses are uttered by practitioners. For the purposes of this article the author analyses two in-depth conversation extracts, one was from a youth participation conference in Helsinki in 2015, the other is a conversation from a conference held in February 2016. This article focuses on the uses and functions of discourse to uncover cultural stereotyping and othering in terms of how democracy is discussed and expressed within the context of Finland.

Team Learning: New Insights Through a Temporal Lens.

Team learning is a complex social phenomenon that develops and changes over time. Hence, to promote understanding of the fine-grained dynamics of team learning, research should account for the temporal patterns of team learning behavior. Taking important steps in this direction, this special issue offers novel insights into the dynamics of team learning by advocating a temporal perspective. Based on a symposium presented at the 2016 Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research (INGRoup) Conference in Helsinki, the four empirical articles in this special issue showcase four different and innovative approaches to implementing a temporal perspective in team learning research. Specifically, the contributions highlight team learning dynamics in student teams, self-managing teams, teacher teams, and command and control teams. The articles cover a broad range of methods and designs, including both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and longitudinal as well as micro-temporal approaches. The contributors represent four countries and five different disciplines in group research.

Technical Guidelines to Extract and Analyze VGI from Different Platforms

An increasing number of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) and social media platforms have been continuously growing in size, which have provided massive georeferenced data in many forms including textual information, photographs, and geoinformation. These georeferenced data have either been actively contributed (e.g., adding data to OpenStreetMap (OSM) or Mapillary) or collected in a more passive fashion by enabling geolocation whilst using an online platform (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, or Flickr). The benefit of scraping and streaming these data in stand-alone applications is evident, however, it is difficult for many users to script and scrape the diverse types of these data. On 14 June 2016, a pre-conference workshop at the AGILE 2016 conference in Helsinki, Finland was held. The workshop was called “LINK-VGI: LINKing and analyzing VGI across different platforms”. The workshop provided an opportunity for interested researchers to share ideas and findings on cross-platform data contributions. One portion of the workshop was dedicated to a hands-on session. In this session, the basics of spatial data access through selected Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and the extraction of summary statistics of the results were illustrated. This paper presents the content of the hands-on session including the scripts and guidelines for extracting VGI data. Researchers, planners, and interested end-users can benefit from this paper for developing their own application for any region of the world.

XVModern Literature

This chapter has 8 sections 1. General. 2 Pre-1945 Fiction; 3. Post-1945 Fiction; 4. Pre-1950 Drama; 5. Post-1950 Drama; 6. British Poetry pre-1950; 7. British Poetry post-1950; 8. Irish Poetry. Section 1 is by Matthew Levay; 2(a) is by Andrew Radford; Section 2(b) is by Michael Shallcross; Section 2(c) is by Chrissie Van Mierlo; Section 2(d) is by Luke Ferretter; Section 1(e) is by Clara Jones; Section 3(a) is by Hannah Tweed; Section 3(b) is by Nick Bentley; Section 4 is by Rebecca D'Monte; Section 5 is by Graham Saunders; Section 6(a) is by Neil Miles Section 6(b) is by Matthew Creasy; Section 7 is by Matthew Sperling; Section 8 is by Adam Hanna. In 2013 and 2014 modernist studies continued to grapple with questions of periodicity, literary form, media and mass culture, materiality, and the economics of cultural production—in short, some of most vibrant subjects of the past decade. And yet, despite their familiarity, these questions were posed in remarkably original ways, affirming the health of the field overall and suggestive of multiple avenues for future research. Such vitality largely arises from a palpable restlessness in contemporary modernist criticism, animated by a desire to push against established notions of what modernism was (or is), as well as an increasing willingness to acknowledge and explore the tensions inherent within a literary period defined by multiplicity. Inspired by the expansiveness of the new modernist studies—not only its receptivity to the idea of plural modernisms, but also its interest in the modes of production, institutional patrons, national literary cultures, and individual readers that shaped the terms by which a concept like ‘modernism’ was codified—while remaining appropriately wary of modernism’s potential ballooning into something that no longer signifies, scholars today have initiated a thoughtful and thought-provoking conversation regarding these tensions. On the conference circuit, such oppositions took centre stage: the Modernist Studies Association hosted meetings dedicated to ‘Everydayness and the Event’ in Sussex during 2013 and ‘Confluence and Division’ in Pittsburgh during 2014, underlining the organization’s engagement with the paradoxes at the heart of modernist literature and culture. Other associations, meanwhile, shirked modernist binaries in favour of larger, messier critical concepts: the European Network for Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies hosted its 2014 conference in Helsinki on the theme of ‘Utopia’, arguably one of the most fraught and divisive notions to carry with it the promise of unity, while the second biannual conference of the Australian Modernist Studies Network, held in Sydney in 2014, explored the well-established but still vital concept of ‘Transnational Modernisms’, a phrase in which the precise definition of the adjective is only slightly more stable than that of its plural noun. Thus, the major conferences in modernist studies continued to trouble easy accounts of modernism and modernity by thinking through the contradictions and capaciousness that give those concepts their substance.

Finnish education system

‘Unfortunately – a Finnish classroom is like entering an airplane. Welcome on board, please switch off all digital devices.’ The Finnish Minister of Education and Science Krista Kiuru made this comparison at the EMINENT 2013 conference (European Schoolnet) in Helsinki. In her opening speech Kiuru also underlined that we have to let pupils play learning games to learn in schools. Content of teaching, pedagogy and school practices should be reviewed and renewed in relation to the changes in the operating environment and skills.

Advocacy for youth mental health in Europe: a policy analysis

Background: According to both the WHO Europe and the European Commission, youth mental health is a key area of concern in Europe. Fifty-two European countries signed a declaration and action plan for mental health at the Helsinki Conference in January 2005, with youth mental health a top priority. Methods: This paper reviews the theory, research, and practice on the topic in the WHO European Region and presents important implications for policy, research, and practice. It states problems related to youth mental health and then discusses different ways of solving them with policy. Results: Mental illness, especially emotional and conduct problems, as well as learning disabilities, is growing among European children and adolescents. However, stigma continues to be a significant barrier to effective promotion of youth mental health. Stigma can be related to others' perceptions of youth with mental distress, perceptions of mental health workers, perceptions of mental health treatment, and perceptions of mental health/illness itself. Conclusion: Advocacy to reduce stigma in health service settings, schools, and policy arenas can be an effective means by which to effect cultural change regarding mental health issues.

Introduction to the special issue: papers from the IX INEM Conference in Helsinki

Following an established tradition, the current special issue collects five articles that originate from papers presented at the IX Conference of the International Network for Economic Method. The ...

Stolica Apostolska i główne problemy Narodów Zjednoczonych w okresie pontyfikatu Jana Pawła II

The Holy See and the main problems of the United Nations during the course of John Paul II’s pontificate 
 The subject of the Holy See and the problems of the United Nations during the course of John Paul II’s pontificate is quite broad. It involves the period of twenty years which were rich in many events and political and social changes around the whole world. In this period the Holy See maintained its presence in the international community with the status of an observer at the forum of the UN. The diplomatic representation of the Holy See in the UN is based on the social teaching of the Church. John Paul II conceived of this teaching as a great system of concentric circles: a system whose first element is the human person and the final one – the globalized world. Due to this fact, the Catholic social teaching elaborated the concept of the principle of auxiliarity as an antidote for the period of dictatorships and regimes. The other foundation of human safety is the principle of solidarity. This principle was a peculiar feature of John Paul II who lived thirty years of his life in a country ruled by a communist regime. He was chosen as the pope in an extraordinary moment of history when international security was a much-discussed subject. The UN and the international community saw the foundations of this security in the principle of collaboration and non-interference, and John Paul II contributed to the elaboration of this concept by emphasizing the security of the individual and of the society. In 1969 the Vatican accepted an invitation from the countries of the Warsaw Pact to take part in the Helsinki Conference. The main concept of this conference was straightforward – security consists in the balance of power. The Holy See had a different concept of security, one that emphasized instead the common good of the community, the community to which the usage of force always brings destruction. These activities later influenced humanitarian actions, vigorously supported by the Vatican. John Paul II’s contribution to the contemplation of human rights is immense. He was true to his belief about the existence of such values and rules that are not negotiable. Their range and applicability cannot depend upon the will of the majority or pressure groups. The Holy See maintains clear and precise concept of the human person who may never be divorced from transcendence – from God. According to John Paul II and the Vatican the human person was and continues to be the point of reference expressed in views and actions, visible in diplomacy. The clear concept of man is maintained in order to facilitate an answer to the question where we come from and where we are headed.

Can an archaeologist be a public intellectual?

In the contributions that follow seven archaeologists, of different backgrounds and working in different ways and places, attempt to answer the question ‘Can an archaeologist be a public intellectual?’ This discussion follows a special forum, sponsored by this journal, held at the European Archaeologists’ Association annual conference in Helsinki in 2012. The participants in that forum were Åsa Larsson, Layla Renshaw, Ghattas Sajey, Audrey Horning and Thomas Meier, who was unfortunately unable to offer his contribution for publication. The published discussion is supplemented by contributions from Cornelius Holtorf, Fredrik Svanberg, Nathan Schlanger and Jaime Almansa Sánchez. We hope that this special section captures some of the spirit of lively debate that characterized the forum.

Les cavaleurs by Fernand J. Hould

on se tourne pour l’épanouissement du couple. [...] Tous les couples sont donc mixtes, mais il y en a qui le sont plus que d’autres” (116). Pourtant, par son rythme lent, ses narrations détaillées, cette histoire parfois décousue a du mal à décoller. Malgré les sujets riches et en dépit d’une écriture limpide et classique qui ne manque pas d’élégance en reprenant certains aspects de l’oralité africaine, on a du mal à s’attacher aux personnages; “l’Africaine” nous laisse sur notre faim; les quelques dialogues sont un peu artificiels; le lecteur se trouve pris dans les détours d’histoires différentes ne formant pas nécessairement un tout cohérent. Mais peut-être est-ce justement ce qu’Ébodé a voulu nous faire ressentir: comment rendre compte de la désunion? Le propre d’une histoire de séparation, de surcroît narrée par un fils, serait de prolonger, digresser, avancer des explications, revenir en arrière, pour finalement souligner les limites de la compréhension. Davidson College (NC) Catherine Slawy-Sutton HOULD, FERNAND J. Les cavaleurs. Montréal: Lévesque, 2012. ISBN 978-2-923844-92-3. Pp. 108. $20 Can. What is the price of pleasure? In this work of fiction written by an eightyfour -year old author, six womanizers have adventures that lead to both pleasure and pain. When Alexis, a forty-year-old serious and solitary character, is invited to a conference in Helsinki, he meets Annika. Neither understands the words of the other, but their gestures speak volumes. However, his glorious night of ecstasy lands him in prison: “Le désir [...] souvent, c’est la recherche de petits bonheurs, la simple envie de vivre quelque chose de fort avec quelqu’un d’autre” (18). Christophe, an actor and teacher at the Conservatory who lives in Quebec becomes smitten with the mysterious and timid Parisian Delphine. His fling with her leads them to New York City, but Delphine is not easy to conquer. When she returns to Paris and Christophe visits, she makes him examine his motives for pursuing her. As in the case of Alexis, Christophe’s wanderings leave him with a bitter taste: “L’amour, l’amour, qu’est-ce vraiment? Est-ce qu’on ne le confond pas trop souvent avec le désir?” (47). This is Romain, a specialist at Quebec’s University Hospital, yet another good soul in search of happiness and wishing to define love, an elusive notion which has escaped his grasp since adolescence. His adventure with Bérangère is an epistolary relationship, although they meet on and off through the years, but it is unfulfilled physically. Hould quotes Voltaire, Proust, Bracq, Wilde, and more. His mature male characters are not sure what they are seeking in the women they meet; they cannot hold on to their conquests. The women in Hould’s world seem like chimera, they have secrets that the “cavaleurs” are unable or unwilling to fathom. Hould, however, is quite able to detail their trysts at dance clubs or their dinners in fancy venues or small getaways. The protagonists are educated, clean-living, and connected for the most part with some form of academia or the arts; the women are often somewhat younger, shrouded in aura and enigma. “On dit qu’il y a dans le regard d’une femme plus jeune que soi cette lueur qui apporte un goût renouvelé à la vie” (65). Christian, the male of Hould’s fourth short story, is no exception to the author’s rule. He is fifty, works for the Canadian government in Montreal, and meets Christine, an attractive, frank, natural, and married woman. Pleasure Reviews 1289 always brings its pain, this time physical suffering, as Christian’s long-anticipated sexual encounter ends in near cardiac arrest for him. Théodore, music critic in Quebec, meets Judith, a married Jewish Parisian violinist. He will follow her back to Paris; in this instance, Judith’s husband’s intervention prevents Théodore’s plan from coming to fruition. Sébastien, the final “cavaleur” holds a position in the external affairs ministry, and is sent from Ottawa to the...

Online collaboration tools enabling efficient conference marketing and smooth teamworking

METHODS: Marketing of EAHIL 2008 Helsinki Conference was organized by the marketing team (i.e. four persons within EAHIL 2008 Helsinki Local Organizing Committee). The marketing team’s tasks consisted of planning, organizing and implementing the marketing efforts for the conference, for example writing articles, sending e-mail alerts, writing conference blog, designing and subcontracting printing products and directing the publication of the conference homepages with our professional conference organizer.

The relationship of materialism to debt and financial well-being: The case of Iceland’s perceived prosperity

In Iceland, levels of debt had risen to an unprecedented extreme in the years prior to the country’s economic collapse in October 2008. This rise occurred in the context of a consumer culture highlighting supposed psychological benefits of consumer goods. This paper reports findings from two studies, conducted during an economic boom in Iceland, examining the association of materialism and indicators of financial well-being: amount of debt, financial worries, spending tendency, money-management skills and compulsive buying. Study 11Study 2 was originally presented at the Thjodarspegill Conference at the University of Iceland, October, 2009. Study 1 was part of the first author’s doctoral thesis work, originally presented at the Nordic Consumer Conference in Helsinki 2007.1 (N=271) showed that people who endorse materialistic values have more financial worries, worse money-management skills and greater tendency towards compulsive buying and spending. Study 2 (N=191) replicates the findings of Study 1 and further shows that amount of debt, including mortgage, can be directly linked to materialism, controlling for income and money-management skills. The research contributes to the psychology of materialism and overspending and provides an evidence-based foundation for designing interventions encouraging individuals to improve their financial well-being.