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cabbage
Leafy garden plant (Brassica oleracea 'capitata') of European origin, with a short stem and a globular head of usually green leaves. A member of the mustard family, it is a major table vegetable in most countries of the temperate zone. The term cabbage also refers more generally to a vegetable and fodder plant of various horticultural forms developed by long cultivation from the wild, or sea, cabbage (Brassica oleracea) found near the seacoast in England and continental Europe. The common forms may be classified by the plant parts used for food: leaves (e.g., kale, collard, common cabbage, Brussels sprout); flowers and flower stalks (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower); and stems (e.g., kohlrabi). Cabbages grow best in mild to cool climates and tolerate frost. Edible portions are low in caloric value and are an excellent source of ascorbic acid, minerals, and bulk. See also Chinese cabbage.
Kaaba
Most sacred Muslim shrine, located near the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca. All Muslims face toward it in their daily prayers. The cube-shaped structure, made of gray stone and marble, has its corners roughly oriented to the points of the compass; the interior contains only pillars and silver and gold lamps. Pilgrims to Mecca walk around the Kaaba seven times and touch the Black Stone of Mecca on its E side, which may date from the pre-Islamic religion of the Arabs. Tradition holds that the Kaaba was built by Abraham and Ishmael. In 630 Muhammad purged the place of its pagan idols and rededicated it to Islam.
Aqaba
NE arm of the Red Sea penetrating between Saudi Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula. It is 100 mi (160 km) long and varies in width from 12 to 17 mi (19-27 km). Its head touches Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. Its only sheltered harbor is Dhahab (Dahab), Egypt; Jordan and Israel created the ports of Aqaba and Elat, respectively, as outlets to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Babbage
British mathematician and inventor. Educated at Cambridge Univ., he devoted himself from c.1812 to devising machines capable of calculating mathematical tables. His first small calculator could perform certain computations to eight decimals. In 1823 he obtained government support for the design of a projected machine with a 20-decimal capacity. In the 1830s he developed plans for the so-called analytical engine, capable of performing any arithmetical operation on the basis of instructions from punched cards, a memory unit in which to store numbers, sequential control, and most of the other basic elements of the present-day computer. The forerunner of the modern digital computer, the analytical engine was never completed. In 1991 British scientists built Difference Engine No. 2 (accurate to 31 digits) to Babbage's specifications. His other contributions included establishing the modern postal system in England, compiling the first reliable actuarial tables, and inventing the ...
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