From the Not Dead Yet department

Recently Angelenos were treated to something of a cemetery smackdown. It arrived via snail mail, unsolicited. In one corner, Forest Lawn's Advance Planning Services: "You may not want to think about what happens after you go, but don't leave your loved ones in a tough spot." Followed just days later by Rose Hills' Free Legacy Planner: "If you don't face your decisions toegther...one of you will face them alone! 131 Decisions in 72 hours!"

Rose Hills sure corners the market on fear. Is fear a better motivator than pictures of grandma on the beach to get people to pick their plot? If you can scare people into planning a funeral way in advance, Rose Hills wins.

But the scariest part of all this direct pre-death marketing was that both brochures apologize "if this has reached you during a time of sorrow." Is there something our doctors aren't telling us?