Disease and Distress in Toronto

Every year in November the Toronto branch of OGS puts on a workshop on some specialized aspect of family history. Last year the topic was London, England. This year it's on how our ancestors handled adversity.

Although the workshop isn't until Saturday, November 28, 2009, the workshops sell out early and you need to register well in advance to ensure a space. You can look at the program at www.torontofamilyhistory.org/doom.html.

One of the presentations, Murder, Mayhem and Town Tragedy, will be given by Lisa A. Alzo remotely from her home in Ithaca, New York. You will hear Lisa’s voice, see her PowerPoint slides, and be able to ask questions. Will it catch on? I've heard of some disasters when people have tried this, but the technology does seem to be improving. Both the speaker and the audience benefit from losing the stress of travel, with the trade-off being missing out on the human interaction we all value.