Back at the farm, the Abdullahi daughters were frying rice flour with ground walnuts - pancakes for everyone.

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They are sprinkled generously on rice dishes and ground into rich chutneys.

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"I don't know how hitters ever get the ball off the ground with him, " said Andy Etchebarren, Rice's manager with the independent-league York Revolution.

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The Rice Canyon Fire, which burned dozens of homes to the ground in Fallbrook, was 80 percent contained Saturday at about 9, 000 acres as calmer winds made firefighters' jobs a little easier, fire officials said.

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The Labwani verdict comes a week after a ground-breaking meeting between Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a summit in Egypt - the first time the two countries held such high-level talks since the death of Mr Hariri in 2005.

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And that is why the actions that Ambassador Rice is negotiating in New York will hopefully address the problem and the situation on the ground in a way that can be effective.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing