For centuries the Bedouin people have married close relatives. The genetic fallout is terrible - people born with no eyes, with no skin on their skulls, with twisted limbs, mental retardation. There is now a big effort going on in Israel to identify and reach out to families affected, to provide testing and counselling. I found this bit especially interesting:
Muslim religious leaders have been drafted to help educate the members of the group about genetic problems, speaking out about the dangers of marrying relatives and increasing awareness of genetic testing and counseling. The imams also let families know that under Islam a woman can abort a fetus up to four months for health reasons. - nytimes.com
Did you know that about Islam? (Or that interpretation of it, anyway). Compare and contrast with Catholics and American Fundamentalists...
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An Iraqi insurance company has started offering the world's first off-the-shelf terrorism insurance. For about $90, you can purchase a policy that pays your survivors about $3,500 if you get blown up by bombs, soldiers or weapons of war.
$3,500 isn't that much, even in Iraq - about a year's salary for a policeman. But since Iraq doesn't have any government-type infrastructure, you can see why it's an attractive option for people.
Amazingly, the company offering the insurance has yet to pay out on a single claim!