Smart People Live Longer and more

[Around The World]
An environmental terrorist group has been brought to justice, Iran's President wants Israel "wiped off the map", and more. David Scherrey writes. 
Want to sound like the smartest person around the water cooler today? Then you've come to the right place. Around the World takes a look at what's happening - from Toronto to Tokyo. From business, to politics, to culture, and beyond, we like to keep an eye on the world around us.

Smart People Live Longer

According to a surprising new study, children who score higher on IQ tests may enjoy significantly longer lives than their peers who score average or below.

The study, one of the first of its kind to measure the link between kids' intelligence and health, was conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Researchers used data from more than 800 subjects, both male and female, whose IQ scores and health status were monitored from childhood over the course of six decades. Based on the results, researchers concluded that individuals who score higher on IQ tests as children experience a pronouncedly lower risk of premature death.

The health benefits of a high IQ appear to work independently of other factors, including socioeconomic status. Researchers found that high-IQ children from lower-income families tend to experience greater longevity and fewer health problems, than children with low IQ scores from higher-income families.

The authors of the current study suggest that a higher IQ score may indicate a better ability to manage complex life decisions, to seek out information about better health and to navigate the health-care system to better advantage.

Environmental Extremists Brought To Justice

Yesterday, a grand jury in the District of Oregon returned an indictment charging 11 members of a Portland-based cell of animal rights and environmental extremists for their roles in a pattern of domestic terrorism activities, according to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.

The 65-count indictment includes numerous charges of arson, attempted arson, conspiracy to commit arson, use and possession of a destructive device, and destruction of an energy facility.

The indictment tells a story of four-and-a-half years of arson, vandalism, violence, and destruction claimed to have been executed on behalf of the Animal Liberation Front or Earth Liberation Front, extremist movements known to support acts of domestic terrorism.

Specifically, the indictment alleges that a group of defendants who referred to themselves as “the family” worked together with extensive planning to influence the conduct of government and private businesses through the use of coordinated force, violence, sabotage, intimidation, and coercion.

On a number of occasions, they constructed incendiary devices made from milk jugs or plastic buckets, petroleum products, and delayed timers and then used them to destroy buildings, vehicles and other targets. The overall goal was to harm the government, disrupt the public, and strike at the economic well-being everyone.

So what exactly have they done? How about this: They committed arson at U.S. Forest Service Ranger Stations, animal holding facilities, lumber companies, the Vail Ski Resort, and many other locations.

In many cases, the group publicized the incidents with graffiti, press releases, and communiqués attributing the actions and the stated reasons for those actions to the Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front terrorist movements.

In all, their trail of destruction across the Pacific Northwest and beyond resulted in millions of dollars of property damage. Today's indictment is a significant step in bringing these terrorists to justice.
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