Fed lets rate stand again

Without ruling out future hikes in the benchmark short-term interest rate, the Federal Reserve leaves the 5.25% rate alone for the third consecutive meeting.

“Going forward,” the Fed says in a statement, “the economy seems likely to expand at a moderate pace.” It also predicts inflationary pressures will moderate because of declining energy prices and previous rate hikes.

Low unemployment, robust hiring, a rebounding stock market and a moderate, not severe, housing construction slowdown also seem to be contributing to strong consumer confidence.

“People seem to be pretty optimistic about the economy in general,” says one clothing store owner who intends to hire more workers as customers flock back. Page C1

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From Big Bird’s biggest ancestor...

About 15 million years ago, a large bird died near some rock outcroppings in rural Argentina.

Then, one day recently a high school student named Guillermo Aguirre-Zabiala noticed a bone sticking from the ground.

It turns out to be the bird’s fossil skull -- more than 28 inches long. Paleontologists determine the head and nearby bones belong to the largest bird ever found, a 10-foot-tall, 400-pound flightless monster that chased and devoured local rodents the size of small sheep.

“It is an unbelievable creature,” says one expert, who documented the find in the journal Nature. Page A10

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...To the busy little bee that dances

Speaking of unbelievable, take the little Western honey bee.

That industrious tiny creature, which does fly, has now had its DNA unraveled by scientists exploring the genetic underpinnings of social behavior.

An international team of researchers reports it has identified 10,157 genes, fewer than the mosquito but sufficient to produce the only non-primate species capable of communications through a symbolic language.

They use different forms of dancing to describe food sources to peers.

“We hope to extrapolate the biology to humans,” one researcher says. Page A16

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Nicaragua moving to ban abortion

Nicaragua seems likely to become the third Latin American country to approve a tough new law outlawing all forms of abortion, including those aimed at saving the life of the mother.

The measure is supported by both major political parties in the Nov. 5 presidential election.

The new law, which the Roman Catholic Church helped draft, establishes prison sentences ranging from six to 30 years for women involved and their doctors. “The current law allows a small door in which abortions can be performed,” says one doctor who supports the measure, “and we are trying to close that door.” Page A6

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A qualified ruling

New Jersey’s Supreme Court rules that gay couples have “the same rights and benefits” as heterosexual couples under the state’s marriage statutes. The 4-3 ruling gives lawmakers six months to enact legislation for same-sex couples providing rights equal to those of married couples. Page A1

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CALENDAR WEEKEND

Visiting his old haunts

You think you know scary? Try riding around the L.A. area with director Tim Burton as he journeys to his favorite cemeteries, a wax museum and a prop shop that sells monster masks. Those are his warm and fuzzy places. To really give him the creeps, you’ll need to take him to his hometown: Burbank. Page E28

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Tracking the whirl of Brazilian Girls

The members of Brazilian Girls aren’t Brazilian, three of the four members are men, their new album explores more flavors than the spice aisle at Trader Joe’s, and their lead singer not only changes languages during songs, she always hides her eyes during performances. Sometimes with electrical tape.

Yeah, we’re talkin’ alternative here.

But one element is constant in their music: It just makes you want to dance. Their new album, “Talk to La Bomb,” takes chances, but the group’s reputation for energetic live shows has opened the door to a possible crossover to mainstream.

“We don’t care -- categories don’t matter to us,” says Sabina Sciubba, who was born in Italy, raised in Germany, and speaks several languages. Her penchant for bouncing from dialect to dialect bothers some listeners, but again, that’s not high on her list of concerns.

“Some people just think, ‘What is this? I don’t understand a word,’ ” she says. “But others appreciate it. I think from the outside it might seem a little pretentious, but that’s really how my life is.” Page E10

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Prepping for role was a test of character

Derek Luke’s performance as a real-life South African rebel fighter in “Catch a Fire,” which opens Friday, is already generating award-season buzz. Regardless of any honors he wins for his acting, though, he ought to be satisfied with the amount of preparation he did.

Luke traveled to South Africa six weeks before filming started. He learned to speak Zulu and South African English. He visited the prison where Patrick Chamusso was tortured and incarcerated for 10 years, and he limited his diet so he could attain a weedy look.

“For breakfast I had apples and almond crumbs and a spoon of honey,” Luke says. “For lunch, I had steamed vegetables and for dinner a green salad with lemon juice. You walked everywhere [back in the 1980s]. No one had a Metro card. These guys were very lean.”

Playing Chamusso had an effect on Luke that goes deeper than mere appearance. South Africa “takes all the complaining out of you,” he says. “You become less selfish. You really prioritize what is a necessity -- they are living off of 150 American dollars a month.” Page E6

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HOME

What’s old is weird again

Hankering for an obsolete medical device that looks like a crude catcher’s mask? How about a $7,000 stuffed penguin? Or some patterned wallpaper, curlicued credenzas, or lamps shaped like human skulls? Then you’re probably part of the New Victorian trend that’s making a splash in L.A.-area homes and offices.

Yep, ornamentation is back. Some might say it crawled out from under a rococo tombstone -- and ought to go back -- but fans see it as a natural outgrowth of a post-9/11 trend to nest. One merchant says it’s a reaction to the modernism of the 1950s and the minimalism of the 1990s. But will it last? Page F1

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Making more with less, in the garden

It took her several years, but Emily Green finally realized what she wanted from her garden: the courage to just leave it alone. After all that time and money spent on watering and lawn care, she writes, it’s time for a new regimen, based on letting nature take its course and letting the homeowner take a rest.

Accomplishing that isn’t just a matter of neglect, though; first, as one nurseryman tells her, “we have to learn about plants.” That means finding botanicals that can survive on the 15 annual inches of rain that we average, instead of the 84 inches that Southern Californians dump on their yards annually through irrigation. Page F1

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... and inside an old ranch house

“A good house has to make sense in five seconds,” architect Michael Allan Eldridge says. For a house that Eldridge recently remodeled, though, getting to that point took 45 years.

Homeowner Timothy Braseth didn’t care for his 1961 ranch house’s warren of small, dark rooms, its mismatched rooflines and its shaggy, lurking appearance. Eldridge’s solution: blow out the interior walls and open the whole place up; unite the house’s two wings with a single, streamlined fascia; and scale back the foliage.

The result? A practical, free-flowing floor plan inside, and a proud, confident exterior.

Page F3

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BUSINESS

HMO regulator could be fired

A state regulator who reviewed the merger of two health maintenance organizations -- one of which he owned stock in -- could lose his job for failing to recuse himself from the process.

The Schwarzenegger administration wants to fire Kevin Donohue, deputy director of the California Department of Managed Healthcare. Donahue, who’s on paid leave, is fighting the move; he insists he complied with the state’s disclosure laws and played no role in the decision to approve UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Pacifi- Care Health Systems. Page C1

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Wax museum plan not melting hearts

It’s not often that you’ll find two wax museums on one street. (Or two references to wax museums on this page, for that matter.) Madame Tussauds, though, plans to open a branch in Hollywood, less than a block from the Hollywood Wax Museum.

A few years ago Tussauds’ announcement might have prompted a parade down Hollywood Boulevard, but as the district grows more popular and new developments sprout, local residents and merchants suggest that they’d prefer something more practical than another tourist magnet. Page C1

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SPORTS

Stern should stick to jump shots

Columnist J.A. Adande has a suggestion for NBA Commissioner David Stern: Run your league instead of trying to run your players’ lives. Stern is worrying about players who carry guns, and although Adande notes that guns are a serious issue, Stern shouldn’t make a connection between packing heat and the Miami Heat.

“Carrying guns is one of those Things That Only Seem Bad When NBA Players Are Doing It,” Adande writes. “You know, like going from high school straight to the pros. Fine for baseball, hockey, tennis and golf, but a danger to our society when it involves basketball.” Page D1

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Golf pitches in for ALS research

Pro golfers have reason to take special interest in finding a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Tom Watson’s longtime caddie, Bruce Edwards, died of the disease in 2004, and a few months later golfer Jeff Julian also died of ALS.

Watson and Julian’s widow, Kim, have formed Driving 4 Life, an ALS fundraiser. “There are not too many more important things in my life than fighting the disease that killed my friend,” Watson says. Page D8

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ON LATIMES.COM

Puttin’ on the dog: At Animal Planet’s Roarin’ Howl-o-Ween bash at the Highlands club in Hollywood, canines rule the catwalk. Check out images from the show, including a pirate pooch, a tuxedoed bloodhound, Shih Tzus that are outfitted in Ewok garb from the movie Star Wars and a canine cowboy. Then submit your own photos of your costumed pets, look at how other readers are dressing up their doggies, and comment on which animal you think deserves the prize. All atwww.calendarlive.com/howl

Lakers sounds: Every day, bloggers Andrew and Brian Kamenetzky host a conversation on everything Lakers, highlighted by their reports and analysis from the games, on the road and at the practice sessions. Today, hear live audio reports from Staples Center featuring interviews with Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson. Bryant discusses his health issues as the season nears, and Jackson says the recent spate of injuries “puts us in a dubious situation to get off great.” Get in on the discussion at latimes.com/lakersblog