The word “date” entered the English language about the same time as Marco Polo’s travels. The Moors brought dates to Alicante in Spain from North Africa and the fruit continues to grow in Alicante. The quality of the dates grown in Spain is not very good, but even so the dates have a significant impact on the economy of Alicante.

The Spanish carried date palm seedlings and seed to American and attempted to develop a date colony in Cuba in 1513. The first attempt in Cuba failed as the Spanish were attacked by the hostile Indians. The second attempt succeeded, but because of the rain the quality of the dates was very poor and eventually all the date palms were taken out.

The Spanish then left a trail of date palms as they made their way through Mexico up to California. The dates did well in some parts of Mexico, but they never took. The Spanish Friars established missions in California and planted palms along their route in the late 1700’s but few of these date palms yielded fruit. Eventually these seeds made their way to the interior of California. Around 1850 the dates in the central part of California succeeded and the interest in date cultivation increased in the United States.

Around 1912 date pioneers brought Algerian stock plants to California and planted them in Mecca in the Coachella Valley of California. He then made a trip where he brought back about 3,000 date palms, but could not sell them in California so he planted them in Arizona. Another company set up a farm in Mecca and brought back about 14,000 shoots from Iraq and Algeria and planted them in Mecca. Almost all these plants were successful and today the date palm continues to thrive today in hot climate communities of the Coachella Valley including Mecca, Thermal, Coachella and Indio.

The first dates grown in the Coachella Valley are the Deglet Noor and the Medjool Date the King of Dates. The Medjool date is not grown in the large quantities that the Deglet Noor is grown, because it is much more labor intensive and because it is a soft date. The Medjool Date is more of a dessert date, because of its sweetness and is not consumed every day in the Middle East and North Africa.

At one time the Medjool Date was reserved for royalty and their friends and family. The Medjool Date made its way to the United States through the agriculture department after a disease was destroying all the date palm orchards. Shoots were brought back to the United States in an effort to save the Medjool Date from extinction.

The techniques for growing dates are similarly in many places and provide for multi crop farming. In Oman the date palm shades other trees such as citrus or nuts and then the citrus provides shade for sweet potatoes, squash and lentils. The date palm is know as the tree of life and is probably the same tree of life mentioned in the Bible. The date palm is probably known as the tree of life, because nothing is wasted and for many years was the basis of life in the Middle East. The date palm produces the fruit to eat and from the fruit, seeds and the tree itself other products are derived. The leaves and the trunk are used for construction of homes and to fuel fires. The date palm is used to make hats, ropes, mats, tools, cattle feed, and even landfill.

In many places dates are still picked by hand in some places machines are used to shake the trees and cause the date to fall. In most places dates are sold locally, but in the United States dates are sold throughout the country.

Dates are very nutritious and have supported life in the Middle East. Generally grains are credited with giving rise to civilization, but it is almost certain that Western Civilization would not have evolved if it had not been for the date which was a very important food source and to the economies of ancient civilizations including Babylonia.

Dates are not very well known in the United States, but many athletes that discover the date discover the benefits of eating dates. Not only are dates sweet and tasty but also contain very high concentrations of carbohydrates, potassium, and magnesium. The content of the date strongly suggests that they may be good to prevent cancer and this is supported by the low cancer rates of populations where the date is eaten regularly and the low cancer rates.



By: Arnold Hernandez

About the Author:

Reviews of Dating Guides for Men and Women

How To Ask A Girl Out On A Date

 

When the time comes to pop the question and ask her out on a date the deliema is how do you do it? My rule of thumb is to not ask directly, instead assume she’ll come and merely propose a meeting place. Never call a meeting a “date” as it throws most men in a frame war where he’s courting, he’s paying and he’s going to have to wait for the pink taco until at least the third date … maybe longer.

 

Asking a girl on a date tip#1

Say these exact words:

“Hey there’s this really cool lounge called and theres something on that we have to check out, it’s on lets meet up there for a few quick drinks and have some fun, you’re going to love this place, I have to go now as a friends making me dinner…so just quickly how’s 8pm work for you? Good … I’ll pick you up/meet you there …look forward to it, cya”

 

This gets me a 90% date rate … and it should do the same for you. I’ve included some nice touches there like “a friends making me dinner” (she’ll always assume it’s a female friend) and this makes you look good, also that your time is valuable as you ended the phone call first.

 

Asking a girl on a date tip#2

Always meet your dates in QUIET bars or lounges, never take them to loud noisy bars or nightclubs as other guys may move in mistakenly and whisk your date away, unless you want this to happen my general rule is never take them to busy or loud nightclubs.

 

Find a cruisy, quiet and half lit (aka romantic) lounge, where there are sofas or lounges as opposed to bar stools which are uncomfortable and pose a problem when the time comes for you to move in for the make out and get things heavier.

 

Asking a girl out on a date is quite easy when you warm up by talking to other girls first, so call up some old numbers have some great conversations with them and then call your girl, hopefully by this time you would have loosened up a little. Asking a girl out wont be a challenge again!

 

 I hope you enjoyed these tips on asking a gril out on a date and to get more information and to claim access to Alex Coulson’s Free Audio Ebook that provides top tips when it comes to attracting women in your life.

 

http://www.DatingWorkshops.com.au

 



By: Alex Coulson

About the Author:

Reviews of Dating Guides for Men and Women

Don’t let a lack of funds keep you from having romantic dates with your spouse. By using your imagination, you can add some fun and excitement to your marriage even on a limited budget. Here are 12 ideas to get you started:

1. Go out for a burger and fries and take in a movie at a nearby dollar theater.

2. Put the children to bed early and give each other an all over body massage using warm body oil or lotion.

3. Have a picnic in the park. After you eat, lay on a blanket and watch the clouds.

4. Turn your living room into a theater. Dim the lights and eat buttered popcorn as you watch a movie.

5. Plan a camping trip. If your children are going with you, you may want to provide them with their own tent so you can enjoy some privacy.

6. Put your children at a sitter’s house for the night and have a romantic date at home. Get dressed up and enjoy a candlelight dinner.

7. Play an exciting board game- preferably one for couples.

8. Create a romantic retreat. Change the look and feel of your bedroom by using different colored light bulbs, candles, flowers, and extra pillows on the bed. Bring in some food and have a date in your bedroom.

9. Take advantage of the free music concerts or festivals offered in your city.

10. Pack a lunch and go for a bike ride. When you get tired, stop and have a picnic.

11. Plan a romantic evening at home. Before the date, each spouse can go shopping in a department or dollar store and spend $5 or $10 on things to make the evening special.

12. Go out for lunch rather than dinner. Many times restaurants will charge more for dinner than lunch. You can save even more by drinking water and skipping dessert.

You can have fun in your relationship even when you don’t have the money to go on expensive dates. Use this list to spark your own ideas and do something fun with your spouse today.



By: Lorene Troyer

About the Author:

Reviews of Dating Guides for Men and Women

Do you want to find local singles online? If you do, then here are a few tricks that you can place up your sleeve. But before that, you have to remember that men and women are different in many ways. Men approach romance in ways far more different from those of women. Men are more visually stimulated, looking mainly at the physique first before anything else. Women, on the other hand, prefer those who have charming verbal skills. In other words, men are usually attracted first to those who look good, while women prefer those who they can connect with on an emotional level.

Click Here For Date Match Instant Access Now!

So, how to find local singles online. Well, there are a number of online dating sites that you can choose from. These dating sites allow you to create your own profile and upload your pictures. The first trick, then, is to post your best photo on your profile picture. Again, men like what they see. They are basically attracted to those who are virtually pleasing. A picture is what first interests men and is what actually catches their attention. Also keep in mind that men may prefer fun pictures than serious photographs that were taken professionally. Fun pictures, according to them, allow them to get a glimpse of your personality. Studio pictures are, well, scripted and artificial.

The next trick is to choose a nice username. Choose one that reflects a bit of your character. However, steer away from those that are too complicated or are too cryptic. Also, if you want to protect your privacy, do not give your full name. A name that will make you attractive and interesting is a good choice.

Last, create a good profile. Be brief yet concise, fun yet honest. Again, let the men who will read it get a glimpse of who you truly are as a person.

Finding local singles online is easy. But if you follow these tricks, local singles online will find you instead.

Click Here For Date Match Instant Access Now!



By: Chris Jensen

About the Author:

How to Date Attractive Women

Dating can be one of the most challenging tasks in a person’s life, so having a few funny questions to ask your next date can certainly break the ice.

Why is Dating so Hard?

Dating is horribly painful for a very large majority of the population. Those who have found a partner, or have gone on to get married, swear that they **never** want to have to enter the “dating scene” ever again. Why is it so painful?

It is painful because most people are terribly self-conscious, and they find it extremely difficult to come up with topics to talk about with a perfect stranger. Throw in the fact that the perfect stranger might actually be so handsome, or so beautiful, that you are caught off guard – and your nerves may get the best of you. This kind of situation can turn a potentially wonderful dating opportunity into a disaster that you could regret for the rest of your life.

Funny Questions On a Date

Yes, dating is a time when you are informally “interviewing” someone about their life, their desires, and their life goals. You are hoping to find a decent match with your own life goals and dreams. But this process of “interviewing” someone doesn’t have to be a nightmare. In fact, learning about someone new in an intimate way can be wonderfully exciting and fun, especially when a little bit of humor is throw into the mix.

The following are some questions that you can toss into the conversation, in a light-hearted and joking way, that can serve to break the ice and help both of you realize that you don’t have to take this “dating game” so seriously.

Have you ever been arrested?

Now, you should never ask your date if they’ve ever been arrested at the very start of the date. But this question is best asked after a few serious questions. It will interject a tone of humor into an otherwise serious discussion, and will hopefully get your date laughing and will set you both at ease. The conversation would go something like this.

You: “So what do you do for work?”

Date: “Oh…I’m a beautician, I cut hair, and I also do makeup.”

You: “Oh that’s great! You must enjoy talking to people then.”

Date: “Absolutely, I love people – I’m totally a social butterfly.”

You: “I love it! I am too..and do you have a big family, brothers..sisters?”

Date: “No…I’m an only child. My parents pretty much ignored me..that’s why I’m so independent now.”

You: “I’m an only child too! Wow, we have so much in common…we’re both social, we’re both the ‘only child’…have you ever been arrested?”

As she looks at you with a raised eyebrow and a quizzical look, you should wait a few seconds and then laugh…”I am SO joking…”

The question immediately breaks up the monotony of a question and answer session, and prevents it from feeling like a formal job interview. As she laughs, it will help her reflect on the fact that this isn’t a job interview – and that you are willing to take matters lightly. You will immediately notice her relax.

Other Funny Questions for a Date

Some other odd questions to toss out in order to lighten up the mood includes:



What’s your favorite midnight snack?

What is the one, single food that you would never give up?

What is your weirdest “quirk”?

Do you have any relatives in jail?

Have you ever gone cow-tipping?

What’s your worst pet peeve?



 

The important thing is to come up with a question that would catch someone off guard, but you should also avoid being vulgar or rude. The question should be light-hearted, and just odd enough (and asked with the right inflection or tone of voice), so that your date can’t help but chuckle.

Humor is the ultimate ice-breaker, and used the right way, it can change an ordinary date into one for the record books.

Visit www.questionsthatmakeyouthink.com for books, quotes, information and resources about questions that make you think.



By: Ryan Dube

About the Author:

Reviews of Dating Guides for Men and Women