Early history of chocolate

On August 15, 1502 the European  Christopher Columbus was the first to discover cocoa beans and to come in contact with cacao .

The cacao tree was found in Central American rain forests. Cacao is actually a Mayan word meaning "God Food" which is known today as chocolate and the cacao beans were used as currency in Nicaragua and also drunk in the Aztec culture and it was named xcolat by roasting and pounding the seeds of the Cacao tree. Within a few years the first factories of chocolate opened in Spain to dry fermented beans. Chocolate was treasured at that time 10 beans would buy a rabbit and 100 beans would buy a slave. And it was used as currency until the 19th century in some parts of Latin America.     The cocoa powder was a very great idea which was produced in Spain and it got too popular and it was exported to Europe, Netherlands, Italy, France, Germany and England and eating chocolate was first mentioned in England in solid form in the mid 1600’s, then in 1847 chocolate powder was mixed with sugar and milk to be the first milk chocolate drink. The chocolate was considered as healthy food and a cure for fever and cooling the body.

                Tour provides insight into pearl diving

The Arabian Gulf was one of the largest natural diving economies in the world. The proud tradition of pearl diving in the UAE may be gone but it’s certainly not forgotten. To reconnect Emiratis and tourists with the once vibrant pearl economy in the Gulf, Emirates Marine Environmental group (EMEG) and Jumeirah Group have jointly formed a new pearl diving eco tour in waters off Palm Jebel Ali.  Back in the day before cultured pearls cornered the market, scores of Emirati pearl divers would spend weeks aboard a dhow at sea and up to 300 divers per day would explore the depths of the sea in search of the elusive pink pearl.

Road crashes main cause of child death in UAE

               Road crashes main cause of child death in UAE

 

 

Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among infants and responsible for 63 per cent of deaths among children aged 14 and younger in the UAE. Although this is a major problem in the UAE, only one law has been passed concerning child restraint in vehicles, that children ten years and older sitting in the passenger seat must wear a seat belt. Souad Al merri, Media supervisor for Sharjah Ladies Club and organizer of the Child Safety-car seats campaign, believes it’s time for authorities to make an effort towards child car seat safety. Today there are car seats made to accommodate children throughout their various stages of growth. Both weight and age are factors to consider when choosing the appropriate child-car seat.Lesley Cully, founder of the buckle up in the back campaign, said that children 13 years and younger should be using a form of restrain in the car other than an adult seat belt. The RTA has taken action to promote road safety and child safety in vehicles by launching the Haseb/Take Care safety campaign. One function of the Haseb/Take Care campaign is educating children about road safety to create good habits from a young age.