Friday, June 28, 2013

Why Google Won't Hire You

JUNE 28, 2013, 4:19 PM
Google
School’s out! Here is an end-of-the-school-year post in three strands positing that much of what we do in school is a monumental waste of time, creativity and intellect.
Strand one: recruitment insights from Google
In a recent interview in the New York Times, Laszlo Bock, a senior vice president at Google, reported on the evolution of his company’s hiring strategies. One comment caught my eye:
One of the things we’ve seen from all our data crunching is thatG.P.A.’s are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and test scores are worthless—no correlation at all except for brand-new college grads, where there’s a slight correlation. Google famously used to ask everyone for a transcript and G.P.A.’s and test scores, but we don’t anymore, unless you’re just a few years out of school. We found that they don’t predict anything.
Let’s get this straight. All the attention everyone pays for all those years to students’ grades and test scores—everybody from parents to administrators to college admissions officers and school evaluators—is basically pointless in the long run. It’s unlikely this is just a Google thing. Students with great grades may make lousy employees, and underachievers in school might be invaluable assets when they’re in the work world. Laszlo explains why:
[Y]our ability to perform at Google is completely unrelated to how you performed when you were in school, because the skills you required in college are very different.
Different how?
I think academic environments are artificial environments. People who succeed there are sort of finely trained, they’re conditioned to succeed in that environment. One of my own frustrations when I was in college and grad school is that you knew the professor was looking for a specific answer. You could figure that out, but it’s much more interesting to solve problems where there isn’t an obvious answer. You want people who like figuring out stuff where there is no obvious answer.
Strand two: grading Regents Exams in New York City
For the last two weeks of the school year, I found myself in an unchartered circle of Hell in which I was tasked with sitting at a computer all day long, ascertaining whether New York City high school students were able to provide obvious answers to terrible questions. The U.S. History Regents Exam (find your own path to Hades here) is one of several that teenage New Yorkers must pass to get a high school diploma.
I can’t speak for every Regents Exam, but the U.S. history assessment is one of the worst anyone could imagine. Fifty multiple choice questions that get recycled with slight variation from year to year (the Elastic Clausegets a query nearly every time); a dozen or so “document-based questions” that turn regurgitation into the cardinal educational virtue; and two flaccid essay questions. Don’t think an essay question can be flaccid? Try this one on for size, from the January 2013 exam:
Throughout United States history, Congress has passed legislation to address important political, social, or economic issues. These laws have often had a significant impact on American society. Select two laws passed by the United States Congress and for each, discuss the historical circumstances that led to the passage of the law and discuss the impacts of the law on American society.
Imagine having to take this exam. Now imagine being asked to grade untold hundreds of them in a nightmarish fiasco that, for the first time, was computerized and put on the web by the surprisingly incompetent educational publisher McGraw-Hill.
Sitting there at my computer terminal buzzing through essays and document-based questions, eyes glazing over and soul withering into the ether, I wondered how things might be different. How could students be challenged and excited by American history, rather than stultified by it? How can we assess students in ways that promote real thinking and complex analysis? How can we sharpen their critical faculties rather than dull their spirits and their intellects?
Strand three: the final email of the year from my daughter’s pre-kindergarten teacher
I’ve lauded my five-year-old’s pre-K class in this space as a year of inquiry and journey. Her final email to the parents urged us to take to heart this quotation from Albert Einstein:
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
It’s new-agey to a fault to read this as an indictment of the pursuit of knowledge or a plea for removing the study of facts from a history class. History isn’t about what kids idly dream up, and Einstein was no fact-o-phobe. The point of this sentiment is to remember that human curiosity is not ignited by schools that just give answers. It is cultivated by teachers who ask good, hard questions and who help develop students’ abilities to tackle them.
My colleagues in the social studies department were motivated by just this desire when they redesigned the final exam for 9th graders, making it a challenging exercise in practices they had been working on all year rather than a call for students to spit back pre-packaged answers. The exam armed students with a laptop and a dictionary and asked them to conduct online research on the spot. After being given a topic, each student posed an inquiry question, developed search terms, located good secondary sources and speculated on primary sources that a fuller research project might yield. This is light years away from “name some laws that had some effect on American history.” But for schools that teach to the Regents Exam, such an assessment is simply out of whack. It has neither a closed set of correct answers nor an embedded lesson in conformity. 
The Common Core curriculum is on its way in most of the 50 states, including New York. Eventually Regents Exams will give way to new assessments that are matched to the more rigorous requirements of the Common Core. There is reason to be hopeful that things will improve. If they don't, it's not just Google that will suffer.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Carbon-Capture System Upgrades Existing Power Plants

Many researchers around the world are seeking ways to “scrub” carbon dioxide from the emissions of fossil-fuel power plants, as a way of curbing the gas that is considered most responsible for global climate change. Most such systems, however, rely on complex plumbing to divert the steam used to drive the turbines that generate power in these plants, and such systems are not practical as retrofits to existing plants.
Now, researchers at MIT have come up with a scrubbing system that requires no steam connection, operates at lower temperatures, and essentially acts a “plug-and-play” option that could be added relatively easily to any existing power plant.
The system is a variation on a well-studied technology that uses chemical compounds called amines, which bind with CO2 in the plant’s emission stream and can then release the gas when heated in a separate chamber. The conventional process, however, requires that almost half of the power plant’s low-pressure steam be diverted to provide the heat needed to force the amines to release the gas. That massive diversion would require such extensive changes to existing power plants that it is not considered economically feasible as a retrofit.

In the new system, an electrochemical process replaces the steam-based separation of amines and CO2. This system only requires electricity, so it can easily be added to an existing plant.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

A woman and a child, wearing face masks, ride a motorbike through haze in Pekanbaru, the capital city of Riau province on June 20, 2013. A senior Indonesian minister has hit out at Singapore on the haze, saying: "Singapore shouldn't be like children, in such a tizzy." -- FILE PHOTO: REUTERS

JAKARTA - A senior Indonesian minister has hit out at Singapore on the haze, saying: "Singapore shouldn't be like children, in such a tizzy."
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono, who is coordinating his country's relief and response efforts, told a press conference on Thursday: "Indonesian citizens also need to be looked after, there are hundreds."
"It's not what Indonesians want, it's nature," he added.
Earlier, he told reporters that Singapore said nothing when there was fresh air, but complained about the occasional haze.
Mr Agung also rebutted criticisms that Indonesia had yet to ratify an Asean agreement on transboundary haze pollution.
"Singapore is like that. The border issue hasn't been settled, neither has extradition, corruption."
Asked about offers of assistance, he said: "If it's just half a million (dollars), better we use our own budget."
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Agung led a meeting with Indonesia's foreign, forestry and environment ministers for an update on the haze, which has blanketed many parts of Riau province.
Singapore's National Environment Agency CEO Andrew Tan is also in Jakarta for a meeting with Indonesian officials on Thursday.
Mr Agung said cloud seeding to induce rain would be carried out as soon as feasible. The salt is ready, the planes are in place, but there must be clouds, he added.
"The burning is not always above ground," he said. "Much of it is below the surface."
Some 850ha of land has been ablaze in recent days, and officials have put out fires in some 650ha, he added.
The government was also investigating which companies are responsible, he added.
"If there are, some are owned by Indonesians, Malaysians, Singaporeans," he said. "We will take action if they are found responsible. But there must be a process."
On Wednesday, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa noted that Indonesia had yet to ratify an Asean agreement on combating transboundary haze, but said in reality, "we have been in full compliance with what is required and expected."
"Let's focus on putting the fires out, and ensuring those responsible are held accountable," he added.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Top 10 Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses

#1 Be able to describe what you do/what you are in one clear sentence. Donald Trump is correct, that elevator speech is really important. Ask a friend or colleague to give you an honest evaluation of your description. Does it give the listener a basic understanding of what you do? If not, make it a priority to work on it. Before someone can decide if they may need your product or service they must first understand what you’re saying.

#2 Be UNIQUE in ALL that you do. Don’t just give it lip service. If you’ve decided to adopt a unique approach to make your business memorable (tagline, business signature, giveaway, mascot, illustration, photo, color scheme, etc) be sure to use it consistently in your marketing efforts. It should become part of your brand.

#3 Use your mission statement as a filter for all that you do. Once you’ve clearly decided what your marketing goals, strategies, targets and tactics ARE, it should be easy to identify those things that DON’T fit. For example, if you have identified the best marketing vehicles to reach your customer then it’s very easy to say “no” to those salespeople offering you marketing opportunities that don’t fit your plan.

#4 Don’t jump-process….Discover your target market and your points of difference before you start marketing. Your printed collateral materials, Web site, and advertising will be much more effective and less expensive to produce if you have your marketing strategy established first. Then you’re simply following your plan in all that you do. Avoid the “shotgun” approach or “reactive” marketing.

#5 Give back to the community…strategically. There are so many great causes and organizations out there and you can’t do everything. So, pick the ones that will best position you with your target market.

#6 Network efficiently and effectively. If you don’t feel that you are a competent networker, now is the time to learn how to be or hire someone that is. Enough said.

#7 Remember that inconsistent advertising is wasted money. A prospective customer must be exposed to the same message in the same way numerous times before they are ready to entertain a buying decision. Pick an advertising vehicle where you can afford to have an ongoing and consistent presence.

#8 If you do trade shows, have a plan and work the plan. Companies participate in trade shows for a variety of reasons. Unless you have a success plan, you won’t know if it worked.

#9 Look for ways to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Speaking engagements, publication articles and volunteer leadership roles can all help label you as an expert in your field.

#10 Keep all marketing communications clear, brief and focused…Did I mention brief? Enough said.

Check our site: http://bit.ly/10R1boE for other proven business marketing strategies.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

14 Dates health benefits and fruit nutrition facts

    By  on December 24, 2012
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1
Health benefits of date fruits
Dates are classified as the fruit of the date palm. These are darkish reddish brown, oblong, and approximately 1 1/2 inches lengthy. Date skin is old and wrinkly as well as covered together with a sticky, wax-like film.
Dates mature within groups underneath the fronds on the date palm tree. An individual group holds 600 to 1,700 dates. Date palms can easily develop as tall as 100 ft and remain in production for more than Sixty years. The fronds of the date palm are usually featherlike as well as Ten to twenty feet lengthy. A complete developed date palm or even Phoenix dactylifera could achieve 82 feet (25 meters) tall, having a distributing crown of greenish leaves.
The date fruit develops in large groupings hanging underneath the leaves, and they are generally yellow during the early maturing stage, or even kimri, the Arabic term for unripe. Several customers take pleasure in date fruit within the next phase, khalal, which means full-sized yet crispy, although some look forward to dates to achieve rutab, ripe as well as soft. As soon as the date fruit is permitted to sun dry about the tree, it really is regarded as being within the last tamr phase of maturing.
Dates are generally gathered within February as well as March in Arizona along with California the location where the U.S. crop is cultivated. In case you have never had a newly collected date, they’re worth trying to find for their huge fairly sweet, caramel-like flavor as well as gentle structure. Producers markets in Southern California as well as Arizona might have fresh new dates in season; also, they are accessible mail order from several farmers and may even be discovered in Middle Eastern marketplaces.
It’s got various titles in accordance with the various nations on the earth just like:
  • In French, it really is dattier
  • In German, it can be dattel
  • In Italian, datteri or even dattero
  • In Spanish, datil
  • In Dutch, dadel
  • The Portuguese term is tamara.
Health benefits of Dates
A dry fruit date each day does miracles to body of a human: beside various other health advantages, dates provide power as well as control food cravings. Dates are generally fairly sweet dry fruit, as well as grow on palm tree referred to as phoenix dactylifera and provide darkish brown drupes, oblong clusters in dimensions. A single group has about 600-1700 clusters on a single. The fruit includes a wax-like as well as tacky cover and it has dry as well as old and wrinkly overall look.
Dates are essential component of Middle Eastern as well as Mediterranean cooking: dates are generally sliced up and therefore are adornment on cakes or even pudding or perhaps combined with milk, butter or even yogurt. The fruit has got numerous dietary valuations, are usually packed with all-natural fibers, vitamins and minerals: also really lower with calories with no cholesterol in any way. Frequent consumption of dates curbs stomach cancer.
The main nutrition just like sculpture, magnesium, potassium, iron, fiber, calcium, manganese, copper, amino acids, phosphorous as well as fats, vitamins A1, B1, B2, B3, B5, along with dietary fiber encourages various health improvements.
Health benefits of eating dtes
1. Cures Constipation:
Bowel problems is often times understood to be having a bowel motion a lot less than Three times each week. It always is associated to hard stools or even trouble passing stools. You might have discomfort whilst passing stools or even might be not able to have a bowel motion right after pushing or even pressing in excess of Ten minutes.
Date is referred to as to become a healthy laxative food items. This is why that dates are very therapeutic for individuals struggling with constipation. To get the laxative impact through dates, you have to dip dates for just one complete night in water. You need to eat these soaked dates each and every morning just like syrup to obtain their genuine benefits.

2. Prevents from Intestinal Disorders:
“In anatomy, the intestine is definitely the section of the alimentary tube stretching through the stomach towards the anus as well as, in humans along with other mammals, includes two sections, the small intestine as well as the large intestine. In human beings, the small intestine is additional divided in the duodenum, jejunum as well as ileum whilst the large intestine is divided into the cecum as well as colon. The problem within this intestine may cause various illness which usually damages extremely terribly to the overall health.
If you suffer from any kind of intestinal problem then making dates a significant part of the meals are one of several actions that you could decide to try deal with this kind of difficulty. The nicotinic content which is contained in the dates is considered to be very therapeutic for treating just about any forms of intestinal problems. Constant consumption of dates helps you to sustain a check on the development of the pathological microorganisms and therefore, helps with the increase of helpful bacteria within the intestinal tract.
3. Weight Gain:
4. For Healthy Heart:
The heart is really a hollowed out muscle which pumps blood through the entire blood vessels simply by repetitive, stroking contractions. It really is present in just about all animals with a circulatory system (which includes all vertebrates.
The word cardiac (as in cardiology) indicates “related to the heart” as well as originates from the Greek ?a?d??, kardia, for “heart”.
The vertebrate heart is primarily made up of cardiac muscle mass as well as connective tissue. Cardiac muscle is surely an unconscious striated muscle tissue discovered just within this organ as well as accountable for the capability of the heart to pump blood.
The typical human heart, beating at 72 beats per minute, will beat roughly 2.5 billion occasions throughout an typical 66 year life expectancy. They weigh around 250 to 300 grams (9 to 11 oz) in women as well as 300 to 350 grams (11 to 12 oz) in men.
Dates are very useful when you are preserving your heart within a healthy and balanced situation. Whenever drenched for the night time as well as smashed the next day as well as ingested, they turn out to be really beneficial for vulnerable hearts. They assist in building up the heart, if consumed two times in one week. Manage your usage of dates to align with one of these heart-healthy diet suggestions: saturated fats, 16 g to 22 g daily; trans-fat, as much as 2 g daily; calories from sugar, Five percent to fifteen percent of the everyday total, as well as fructose, 50 g to 100 g each day. Dates consist of virtually no fat, but some varieties contain high amounts of fruit sugar. Among dates, deglet noor varieties make a better choice than medjool dates.
5. Prevents from Diarrhea:
Diarrhea is really a situation which involves the regular passing of loose or even watery stools – it will be the complete opposite of bowel problems and may have numerous reasons, which might be contagious or even non-infectious.
Ripe dates consist of potassium. Potassium is helpful for managing looseness of the bowels. They may be very easily digestible, which will help to deal up with the difficulties of diarrhea. Potassium can also be required to sustain a healthy and balanced central nervous system.
6. Cures Intoxication:
Intoxication is definitely the severe state of bodily as well as intellectual disability brought on by alcohol consumption or just being confronted with a psychoactive medication. Intoxication usually possesses both mental and physical side effects, which may consist of problems with managing motion, mood changes, disability of cognitive skills, impaired common sense, impaired impulse control, as well as alterations in interpretation your surroundings or even the actions of other individuals.
Even though the phrase “intoxication” is most often utilized to make reference to the serious (instant or even short-term) negative effects of alcoholic beverages, intoxication could also be used to consult the effects of various other drugs, which includes amphetamines, caffeine, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, opioids, phencyclidine, sedatives, hypnotics as well as anxiolytics.
Dates are referred to as an outstanding treatment for alcoholic intoxication. Dates offer fast comfort when it comes to alcoholic intoxication. They must be rubbed as well as drenched over night to get a lot more nourishing valuations from them.
7. Boost Energy:
The high content of sugars just like glucose, sucrose as well as fructose causes it to be a power house providing instantaneous energy. Dates usually are power filled with 29 grams of natural sugars, 3 grams of soluble fiber as well as 31 grams of carbohydrates. As a result, the small date fruit could be effectively referred to as an energy improving dry fruit.
8. Maintain a healthy Nervous System:
The central nervous system is really a complicated network of nerves as well as cells which carry messages back and forth from the brain as well as spinal-cord to numerous areas of the body.
The nervous system consists of both the Central nervous system as well as Peripheral nervous system. The Central nervous system comprises of the brain as well as spinal cord as well as The Peripheral nervous system consists of the Somatic as well as the Autonomic nervous systems.
Dates usually are abundant with potassium content, that happen to be important for a proper nervous system. Potassium in dates is a vital element of cells and the body fluids which help control heart rate as well as blood pressure level, therefore offering safety against coronary heart disease as well as heart stroke. Study discloses that greater potassium consumption of about 400 mg can help to eliminate the potential risk of heart strokes simply by 40%.
9. Treat Anemia:
Anemia is described as an unusually lower quantity of red blood cells within the circulating blood. It often affects sufferers along with cancer. In reality, in lots of cancer healthcare determinations just like multiple myeloma as well as serious leukemia, the existence of anemia might be what initially encourages a doctor to suspect an actual tumor (neoplasm). Whether or not anemia grows depends upon the kind of cancer discovered, the treatment used, as well as the existence or even deficiency of various other underlying medical problems.
Dates have got higher iron content within them, which will make them excellent natural home remedies for decreasing a deficiency of iron. Anemia patients are encouraged to consume numerous dates on a regular basis to boost their amount of iron within the blood.
10. Strengthen Tooth Enamel:
Tooth enamel is definitely the tough external surface coating of the teeth which acts to safeguard from dental cairies. In reality, tooth enamel is regarded as the toughest mineral substance within your body, even more powerful as compared to bone. Inspite of its power, everyday acids which develop from particular foods as well as beverages, especially those which are sweet or even include starch, can easily place your enamel at an increased risk. Acids can easily attack as well as soften the tooth surface area. Plaque bacteria produce acids that may deteriorate as well as ruin the enamel. And when your enamel is finished, it may be gone for good.
Dates may also help avoid tooth decay due to its fluorine content, an important chemical element which slackens the growth of tooth decay simply by shutting out plaque as well as making the tooth enamel powerful.
Fluorine is known to keep plaque away simply by conditioning the tooth enamel. However, so many people are of the misunderstanding that tooth enamel can easily amazingly change tooth decay. This is simply not true. Tooth enamel is made up of hydroxyapatites, that when they are introduced contact with fluorine forms hydroxy fluoroapatites, which can be resistant against decay. This obviously implies that fluorine helps in avoiding even more tooth decay, yet are not able to turn back decay procedure.
11. For Pregnant Women:
Pregnancy is really a time period whenever a lady suffers from excessive bloatedness, bowel problems along with other intestinal tract difficulties. Dates are generally an outstanding treatment for these kinds of intestinal disruptions. In addition, being abundant with iron, dates avoid anemia in mother as well as child. Dates assist improve the uterus muscles, allowing it to enlarge in the smooth manner in the course of delivery. Dates in addition improve the mother’s milk by giving it along with nutrition very therapeutic for the newborn’s overall health. Dates in addition avoid hemorrhage soon after childbirth.
Additionally it is considered to provide excellent memory as well as intelligence to the unborn child. Dates is additionally seen to enhance strengthen the uterine muscles as well as allows for childbirth.
12. Stops Night Blindness:
The American Cancer Society declares that usage of one date on a daily basis assists in maintaining healthy eyes for one’s life time. One date each day can prevent eyes blindness. 20-35 grams of soluble fiber every day is sufficient.
13. Abdominal Cancer:
Abdominal cancer will come in numerous types, all relating to the irregular, uncontrolled development of cells within a specific portion of the entire body. Kinds of this cancer consist of stomach cancer, liver cancer, renal cancer, pancreatic cancer, bowel or even colorectal cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancer. There are numerous of signs and symptoms of abdominal cancer. These include, but aren’t restricted to, exhaustion, fat reduction, appetite loss, nausea and vomiting, night sweating, itchy skin, a fever, jaundice, difficult or even painful ingesting, lack of sex drive or even trouble carrying out sexually, anemia, shortness of breath, bowel problems, looseness of the bowels, extended or even heavy periods, pale skin, stomach pain, as well as lumps, masses or even swelling within the abdomen.
Dates are very therapeutic for treating stomach cancer. They act as beneficial tonic for all those age groups. They act as better as the medications, and therefore are all-natural and don’t bear any kind of negative effects within the body. They may be effortlessly ingested as well as utilized for offering additional as well as required energy.
14. Sexual Weakness:
A sexual weakness may be covered up along with dates, simply because the fruit increases sexual endurance. A secret potion for sexual endurance will be a hand of drenched dates combined with goat’s milk throughout the night, with a few cardamom powder as well as honey.
Dates are also very therapeutic for raising sexual stamina within your body. A number of dates, whenever soaked within fresh goat’s milk for the night and after that grinded within the very same milk together with the combination of cardamom powder as well as honey, turns into a very beneficial tonic to increase sex endurance as well as sterility brought on because of functional problems.
How to store Dates
Store dates at room temperature within an air-tight pot for a number of months or even refrigerate for as much as 1 year.
Disadvantage of Dates
Dates are definitely the fruit of date palms. You are able to consume them fresh new or even dried as snacks or perhaps in recipes just like cakes or even stews. Dates are usually nutrient-dense plus they count toward your everyday suggested portions of fruit, yet a lot of dates may cause negative effects. Consume them moderately as an element of a well-balanced all round diet.
1. Weight gain:
Dates have got 415 calories in the cup, which can be just 147 g, or even about 5 1/4 oz. You will gain weight if you consume a lot more calories as compared to you expend, or even burn, as well as weight problems raises your chance for long-term illnesses just like heart disease as well as diabetes. It is possible to consume a lot of calories from calorie-dense foods for instance dates. Fresh fruits usually are lower-calorie options. A tiny apple, pear or even cup of blackberries or perhaps raspberries offers no greater than 80 calories, in accordance with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
2. Diabetes:
A lot of dates can easily improve your chance for type 2 diabetes simply because they have a great glycemic index, in accordance with the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. The glycemic index signifies a food’s potential impact on your blood sugar levels. High-glycemic foods just like dates may cause sharp raises within your blood sugar levels. By consuming a high-glycemic diet and therefore are constantly causing your blood sugar levels to increase, you might ultimately develop type 2 diabetes.
3. Intolerance:
In case you have fructose intolerance, date fruit can easily result in a response simply because every cup offers 29 g fructose. Fructose intolerance, or even fructose mal absorption, implies that the body is not able to effectively absorb fructose, and you might experience gas, bloating as well as diarrhea, in accordance with the Mayo Clinic. If you possess the condition, prevent fruits, fruit drinks, sugars, honey as well as sweetened products just like soft drinks as well as condensed milk.
4. Tooth decay:
The teeth may rot when you eat dates simply because every cup offers a lot more than 100 g carbohydrate. Whenever bacteria within your mouth ferment, your teeth can easily rot due to the acid. Any kind of food along with carbohydrates can result in tooth decay in case the food stays in your teeth for too much time. To decrease your danger for cavities, wash the mouth along with water as well as brush the teeth following a meal, and don’t drink sugary drinks in between meals.
History of Dates
The date palm is considered to possess originated from the lands round the Persian Gulf as well as in medieval times was particularly plentiful between the Nile as well as Euphrates rivers. Alphonse de Candolle stated that this ranged in the prehistoric era from Senegal to the basin of the Indus River within northern India, particularly in between latitudes 15 as well as 30. There is certainly ancient proof of farming in eastern Arabia within 4,000 B.C. It absolutely was much adored as well as thought to be symbolic of fertility, as well as shown in bas relief as well as on coins. Literature dedicated to its historical background and romance is spacious. Nomads planted the date at oases within the deserts as well as Arabs introduced it into Spain. It’s got long been cultivated for the French Riviera, in southern Italy, Sicily as well as Greece, although the fruit doesn’t reach excellence within these locations. Probably it costs better within the Cape Verde Islands, for a program of date improvement was introduced there within the later 1950′s. Iraq has usually led the entire world in date manufacturing. At present, there are actually 22 million date palms in that nation providing just about 600,000 tons of dates on a yearly basis. The Basra area is acknowledged for its cultivars of remarkable quality. The dates have been typically a staple food items in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, the Sudan, Arabia as well as Iran. Blatter quotes the writer, Vogel, as declaring: “When Abdel-Gelil besieged Suckna in 1824, he reduce no less than 43,000 trees, to force the city to give up; even so, you will still find a minimum of 70,000 still left.”
In 1980, creation in Saudi Arabia was delivered to almost a half-million tons through 11 million palms due to government subsidies, enhanced technology, along with a regal decree which dates be contained in foods in government as well as civic institutions and that hygienically-packed dates be frequently obtainable in the marketplaces. Growers obtain financial rewards for every offshoot of the high-quality date planted in a recommended spacing. The Ministry of Agriculture has generated training programs through the entire nation to show modern day agricultural techniques, which includes mechanization of all probable procedures in date culture, as well as acknowledgement and also particular roles of the numerous nearby cultivars. In West Africa, close to the Sahara, just dry, sugary types could be developed.
Bonavia launched seeds of 26 types of dates through the Near East into northern India and Pakistan in 1869; and, in 1909, D. Milne, the Economic Botanist for the Punjab, launched offshoots as well as established the date like a grown crop in Pakistan. The fruits mature effectively within northwestern India and also at the Fruit Research Center in Saharanpur. In southern India, the weather is undesirable for date creation. Several trees around Bohol within the Philippines have been demonstrated to deal with a good amount of fresh fruits of excellent quality. The date palm has become presented into Australia, as well as into northeastern Argentina as well as Brazil exactly where it might thrive in dry zones. Several dates are usually offering fruits for the market on the little island of Margarita off the coast through northern Venezuela. Seed-propagated dates are located in several tropical as well as sub-tropical regions exactly where they’re appreciated as ornamentals yet the location where the weather conditions are unacceptable for fruit manufacturing.
In November 1899, 75 plants were delivered from Algiers to Jamaica. These were saved in a nursery till February 1901 and after that 69 were grown at Hope Gardens. The feminine palms eventually carried huge bunches of fresh fruits however they were ready to fully developed in October throughout the rainy period as well as, appropriately, the fruits rotted as well as fell. Very rarely have date palms carried normal fruits within the Bahamas as well as South Florida.
Spanish visitors introduced the date into Mexico, about Sonora as well as Sinaloa, and Baja California. The palms were just seedlings. Still, the fruits had excellent attractiveness as well as appeared to be released from Baja California in 1837. The very first date palms within California were seeds grown by Franciscan as well as Jesuit missionaries within 1769. Potted offshoots from Egypt arrived at California within 1890 and various other introductions have already been converted to that state as well as in the drier regions of southern Arizona about Tempe as well as Phoenix. In 1912, Paul as well as Wilson Popenoe bought a total of 16,000 offshoots of chosen cultivars within Algeria, eastern Arabia and Iraq and also transferred these to California for distribution by their father, F.O. Popenoe who was simply an innovator in motivating date culture in California. It had been a lucrative crop, especially in the Coachella Valley. Nowadays there are about a quarter of the million bearing trees in California as well as Arizona.
Types of Dates
It might be not practical to manage in depth together with date cultivars here. Paul Popenoe outlined 1,500 as well as supplied explanations of the fruit as well as palm, along with the background and importance, of the most basic, country simply by nation, in 90 pages of his book, The Date Palm, developed in 1924 yet released in 1973 as well as easily available. In Iraq, there are actually at present 450 female cultivars, the most crucial of which are usually: ‘Zahdi’ (43% of the crop; lower in price); ‘Sayer’ 23% of the crop as well as high-priced); ‘Halawi’ (13% of the crop as well as high-priced); ‘Khadrawi (6% of the crop as well as high-priced); additionally ‘Khastawi, ‘Brem’, as well as ‘Chipchap’. Sawaya and colleagues (1983) have documented on the sugars, tannins as well as vitamins in 55 main date cultivars of Saudi Arabia.
The following, together with short remarks, are definitely the dates most often cultivated:
‘Barhi’- released into California within 1913 from Basra, Iraq; almost round, mild amber to darkish brown whenever ripe; gentle, together with thicker flesh as well as abundant taste; of outstanding quality. For shipment requires refrigeration once selected, after that curing as well as special packing.
‘Dayri’ (the “Monastery Date”)-introduced into California from convent grounds in Dayri, Iraq, in 1913; lengthy, slim, almost black, gentle. Palm needs additional care. Not developed thoroughly within California.
‘Deglet Noor’-a top date within Algeria as well as Tunisia; as well as in the second country it really is developed in inland oases and is also the main export cultivar. It absolutely was launched into California within 1900 and today comprises 75% of the California crop. It really is semi-dry, not so sweet; retains effectively; is moisturized just before delivery. Significantly utilized for cooking. The palm is higher producing although not very resistant of rain as well as environmental moisture.
‘Halawy’ (‘Halawi’)-introduced into California through Iraq; gentle, incredibly sweet, small to moderate; might wilt throughout maturing until the palm is well-watered. It really is particularly resistant of moisture.
‘Hayany’ (‘Hayani’)-the cultivar most substantially grown in Egypt; however, not exported. Introduced into California in 1901, and is also distributed fresh new; isn’t easy to cure. The fruit is dark-red to almost black; gentle. The palm is probably the most cold-tolerant.
‘Khadrawy’ (‘Khadrawi’)-important within Iraq as well as Saudi Arabia, and is also developed to some degree within California as well as Arizona. It’s the cultivar most in-demand simply by Arabs yet too dark in color to become well-known around the American marketplace, even though it is really a gentle date of the highest quality. It really is early-ripening; doesn’t keep too well. This particular cultivar is definitely the tiniest delicious date palm developed in the usa and it’s also pretty resistant of rain as well as moisture.
‘Khastawi’ (‘Khustawi’; ‘Kustawy’)-the top soft date in Iraq; sirupy, tiny in dimensions; valued for treat; maintains well. The palm is big as well as energetic and also generates its offshoots high in trunk area in California. The fruit is resistant against moisture.
‘Maktoom’-introduced into California from Iraq in 1902; huge, red-brown; thick-skinned, gentle, mealy, moderate sweet; resistant against moisture.
‘Medjool’-formerly released from Morocco; 11 off-shoots imported into California from Bou Denib oases in French Morocco in 1927; is currently promoted like a luxurious date within California; is big, gentle, as well as delicious yet ships properly.
‘Saidy’ (‘Saidi’)-highly prized in Libya; gentle, extremely sweet; palm is actually a hefty bearer; requires a hot weather conditions.
‘Sayer’ (‘Sayir’)-the most generally developed cultivar within the Old World and a lot released to Europe as well as the Orient; dark orange-brown, of moderate size, gentle, sirupy, and infrequently a few of the sirup is exhausted out as well as sold individually; not of top quality however the palm is probably the most resistant of salt along with other undesirable elements.
‘Thoory’(‘Thuri’)-popular within Algeria; really does very well within California. Fruit is usually dry; whenever treated is brown-red together with bluish bloom with extremely old and wrinkly skin as well as the flesh is oftentimes tough as well as breakable however the taste is nice, fairly sweet as well as nutty. Keeps well; usually carried on trips. The palm is strong together with short, stiff leaves; contains seriously, as well as groups are extremely big; fairly resistant of dampness.
‘Zahdi’(‘Zahidi’)-the oldest-known cultivar, eaten in great quantity in the centre East; launched into California about 1900. Of moderate dimension, round, mild golden-brown; semi-dry but gathered and traded in 3 phases: gentle, medium-hard, and hard: extremely sugary; keeps well for a few months; much utilized for cooking functions. The palm is strong, rapid developing, heavy bearing; drought tolerant; has very little tolerance of mugginess.
Among the less well-known cultivars within California usually are:
‘Amir Hajj’-introduced from Mandali Oasis within Iraq in 1929. The fruit is gentle, together with thin skin as well as thicker flesh; of good quality yet very little cultivated within theUnited States of America.
‘Iteema’-offshoots from Algeria were launched into California in 1900. The fruit is big, oblong, mild amber, gentle, extremely sweet. Much developed in Algeria although not rain resistant as well as little developed in California.
‘Migraf’ (‘Mejraf)-a extremely popular cultivar within Southern Yemen. Fruit is mild golden-amber, big; of excellent quality.
In inland oases of Tunisia, along with the ‘Deglet Noor’, there is certainly ‘Ftimi’ (‘Alligue’) which can be likewise susceptible to moisture, significantly less fruitful and much less disease-resistant.
‘Manakbir’ features a big fruit as well as ripens sooner yet has got the drawback that the palm delivers very few offshoots and its particular multiplication is restricted.
Nutritional value of Dates
Dates usually are free of fat, cholesterol free, and therefore are an excellent source of dietary fiber. One particular date consists of close to 23 calories, which makes it a nutritious low-calorie snack food. They will consist of vitamins A, Vitamin B-complex, C and over 20 distinct amino acids that will help us absorb as well as deal with carbohydrates along with manage blood sugar as well as fatty acids levels. Dates may also be excellent options for carbohydrate, fiber, as well as potassium, calcium and iron together with minerals within small quantities. Selenium present in dates reduces the chance of cancer as well as heart diseases and enables us keep our immunity processes healthy and balanced.

NutrientUnitValue per 100.0g
Proximates
Carbohydrate, by difference
g
75.03
Energy
kcal
282
Fiber, total dietary
g
8.0
Protein
g
2.45
Sugars, total
g
63.35
Total lipid (fat)
g
0.39
Water
g
20.53
Minerals
Calcium, Ca
mg
39
Iron, Fe
mg
1.02
Magnesium, Mg
mg
43
Phosphorus, P
mg
62
Potassium, K
mg
656
Sodium, Na
mg
2
Zinc, Zn
mg
0.29
Vitamins
Folate, DFE
µg
19
Niacin
mg
1.274
Riboflavin
mg
0.066
Thiamin
mg
0.052
Vitamin A, IU
IU
10
Vitamin B-6
mg
0.165
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid
mg
0.4
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
mg
0.05
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)
µg
2.7
Lipids
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated
g
0.036
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated
g
0.019
Fatty acids, total saturated
g
0.032

Ways to Eat Dates
Eat as it is.
Whilst it’s healthy to be a part of several red dates every single day, like several dried fruits, they must be consumed moderately to prevent gloating. 3 to 5 are generally sufficient for just one day. Diabetics, however, and individuals along with digestive problems ought to stay away from red dates. Chinese herbal medication states that red dates usually are not ideal for individuals with an excessive amount of internal humidity. Listed here are several typical red date dishes, that you simply must be able to pick up at most of the non-regional or even zhou
  • Red dates, white fungus as well as lotus seed soup (hóng zao yín’er  iánzi geng)
  • Longan, red dates and glutinous rice porridge (guìyuán hóng zao nuòmi zhou)
  • Osmanthus as well as red dates cake (guìhua hóng zao gao)
  • Red date, Chinese yam as well as pork rib soup ( hóng zao shanyào páigu tang)
  • Black rice, red date as well as soy bean paste (Hei mi hóng zao dòusha)