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I always thought the name of Utah’s major newspaper was some sort of weird misspelling of the word “desert.” But no, Deseret is the “land of the honeybee,” according to the Book of Mormon. I guess I should have figured they would have caught a typo in the masthead after 154 years.

A. J. Jacobs

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A. J. Jacobs
Age: 56
Born: 1968
Born: March 20
Journalist
Writer
New York City
New York
AJ Jacobs
Arnold Steven Jacobs
Jr.
Honey K Balani
Honey K. Balani
A.J. Jacobs
A J Jacobs
Arnold Stephen Jacobs
Jr.
Years
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Desert
Would
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Plus, in one of his e-mails, the guy said he didn't like pancakes. What kind of asshole doesn't like pancakes?
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I love to live things, so I wanted to immerse myself and get into the mindset - and sandals - of my forefathers.
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I prefer the earlier birth control techniques, which ranged from the delicious (using honey as a spermicide) to the aerobic (jumping backward seven times after coitus).
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I know that knowledge and intelligence are not the same thing - but they do live in the same neighborhood. I know once again, firsthand, the joy of learning.
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I thought religion would eventually wither away and we'd all be worshiping at the altar of science.
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Med students panic their first year when they learn all the diseases. It's not until the second year that they learn the cures.
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Paintings! They're like TV, but they don't move.
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I find placebos uplifting and exhilarating. It means that taking action--no matter what the action is--might help you feel better.
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The best we can do, to paraphrase Pollan, is to eat whole foods, mostly plants, and not too much.
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How do you gag the voice in your head that says, 'You don't have to [do it] today. There's always tomorrow.'?
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The year showed me beyond a doubt that everyone practices cafeteria religion... But the important lesson was this: there's nothing wrong with choosing. Cafeterias aren't bad per se... the key is in choosing the right dishes. You need to pick the nurturing ones (compassion), the healthy ones (love thy neighbor), not the bitter ones.
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More people die on a per mile basis from drunk walking than from drunk driving.
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Very few people changed the world by sitting on their couch.
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A 2002 Oxford study showed counting sheep actually delays the onset of sleep. It's just too dull to stop us from worrying about jobs and spouses.
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Sometimes miracles occur only when you jump in.
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There's a beauty to forgiveness, especially forgiveness that goes beyond rationality. Unconditional love is an illogical notion, but such a great & powerful one
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I'm addicted to self-improvement. The thing is, there's so damn much about myself to improve.
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My immune system has always been overly welcoming of germs. It's far too polite, the biological equivalent of a southern hostess inviting y'all nice microbes to stay awhile and have some artichoke dip.
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