International Conference on Cartography and Geoinformation Science (ICCGIS), Montreal, Canada, May 16-17, 2016

7702740572_201c5cc923_mThe 18th annual International Conference on Cartography and Geoinformation Science (ICCGIS) will be held from the 16th to the 17th of May 2016 in Montreal, Canada.

For this cross-disciplinary event, researchers interested in place names are invited to submit an abstract for possible presentation. Suggested topics of interest include toponyms on maps and GeoDB as well as the general and derivate aspects of cartography and toponymy. The deadline for paper submission is the 16th of November 2015. For more on the event, use the following link: https://www.waset.org/conference/2016/05/montreal/ICCGIS/call-for-papers

Squaw Island officially renamed Unity Island

3313178222_3e6a04bde9_mIn a historic decision that many Native American and women’s activists are calling long overdue, New York lawmakers have voted to finally put an end to the place name “Squaw Island.”

Originally called “Divided Island” or “Deyowenoguhdoh” by the indigenous nation of the Senecas in homage to a creek that transects the land, the island was re-named by French explorers in the 17th century. In place of the now pejorative moniker, the Island will now be called “Unity Island” of Ga’nigo:i:yoh, a name which government officials and tribal leaders agree reflects the spirit of mutual respect that now typifies the modern community’s shared core values.

For more information, see this article and this article.

eBay hosts moth-naming auction

11552628565_22d22839ba_mWhat do you call a grey-green moth that weighs less than on ounce, measures approximately an inch in length, and frequents the White Sands National Park in New Mexico? That was the question which entomologist, Eric Metzler, asked the general public this past October.

In a novel attempt to raise funds for the Western National Parks Association (WNPA), Metzler generously auctioned off the right to name his newly discovered species to the highest eBay bidder and donated the proceeds to the WNPA. According to eBay, the auction ended on the 23rd of October with the winning bid reaching an astounding $12,600.

We don’t know the name yet. It can take as long as year for the Latinized name to be officially registered by the Commission of Zoological Nomenclature. Stay tuned.

For more information, see this article and this article.

PARSEME General Meeting, Struga, Macedonia, April 7-8, 2016

filed under Call for Papers, Conferences

1467019878_0d4be6b0fb_mPARSEME is the acronym given to a scholarly network of scientists dedicated to the investigation of parsing and multi-word expressions.

From the 7th to the 8th of April 2016, this organization will be holding its 6th General Meeting in Struga, Macedonia. Lexicography researchers and language technology experts from 30 member countries are invited to submit poster proposals by the 30th of November 2015.… Read More

Conference on Hebrew and Yiddish in Contemporary Education and Culture, Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 27-30 2016

filed under Call for Papers, Conferences

8516082292_dc3045a3d4_mFrom the 27th to the 30th of June 2016, the Department of Jewish Culture at Saint Petersburg University in Russia will be holding a conference on Hebrew and Yiddish in Contemporary Education and Culture. The aim of this 2nd international conference is to provide researchers specializing in Yiddish or Hebrew Studies a forum for sharing their findings and experience.… Read More

More Entrepreneurs Going for Invented Names

com-659090_640A recently Clutch study found that new companies are increasingly inventing new names. This is fueled in part by the want for a dot-com domain name. Additionally, an invented name isn’t restricted by the meaning of existing words. This can allow more freedom to create a memorable brand.