Friday, January 23, 2009

Do You Know What Chutzpah Means?

Try this instance of chutzpah:-

...dozens of people fake their deaths each year...

...In New Port Richey, Florida, a woman named Alison Matera told her friends, family, and church choir that she had cancer, and only months to live. She went into hospice, and soon the community was notified of her death. Yet Matera was quite alive; her plan unraveled when she appeared at her own funeral service, claiming to be her own long-lost identical twin sister. She was recognized, and when police were called she admitted to faking both her cancer and death.

People fake their deaths for many reasons. Most often it is done to escape legal or financial troubles, an extreme measure designed to get a fresh start and make a clean break. Other times the "victim" just wants to be alone, to get away from daily hassles, pressures, and obligations. Some people do it for life insurance fraud; others, like Alison Matera, apparently sought posthumous attention and recognition.

No comments: