Bernanke Alerts Fed Ready to Convenience on EU Risk

Federal Arrange Chairman Ben S. Bernanke signaled he’s worried Europe’s problems will hobble a 2 1/2-year U.S. growth that may need another increase from the middle financial institution.The Fed’s policy-setting section, which met in Oregon last night, said the financial climate “has been broadening slightly,” compared with the Nov. 2 evaluation that development “strengthened somewhat.” As well, the middle financial institution added a referral to “apparent reducing in international development,” and said that “strains in international areas continue to position considerable disadvantage dangers to the financial mindset.” UGG Ultra Short Boots Bernanke and his fellow workers may be considering more methods to aid development and improve public comprehension of Fed insurance insurance plan, which could be revealed as soon as their next convention developing Jan. 25-26, said Julia Coronado, primary South The united states economist at BNP Paribas. The Fed reiterated that it needs lack of employment to decrease “only progressively.”“They still see disadvantage dangers, so I still think they are moved toward reducing,” said Coronado, a former Fed specialist who is centered in New You are able to. She said she needs a new game of property buys in the second one fourth, or as soon as the The 30 days of january or Goal events should the financial climate decline quicker.The “recent energy in data” allows Fed authorities to “be a little more individual than they otherwise might be,” Coronado said.Consumer ConfidenceImprovement in some U.S. research indicates development may be increasing. The catalog of major financial symptoms increased 0.9 % in July, the most since March. A customer assurance catalog from the Conference Board increased in Nov to the best since September. Developing enhanced in Nov at the quickest speed in five months, according to the Company for Supply Management’s manufacturer catalog. UGG Boots Australia The Authorities Open Market location Screen, in its report last night after a one-day convention, reiterated that rates would stay near zero through at least mid-2013 and taken care of its $400 thousand selection switch toward longer-term Treasuries, the July methods named Function Distort. Chicago, Illinois Fed Leader Charles Evans dissented for the second immediately convention, choosing added reducing.Policy designers recognized “some development in overall work market conditions” after the lack of employment amount all of a sudden decreased by 0.4 amount stage in Nov to 8.6 %. That level is still “elevated,” while business resolved financial commitment decision “appears to be increasing less rapidly” and the houses industry “remains frustrated,” the FOMC said.

Down the garden path
It's a wild night outside Southdown Cottage but inside, it couldn't be more peaceful. There's Miles Davis in the air, a bottle of red on the table and a pile of gardening magazines to work away at. Yep, I'm embracing my inner old git and loving every minute of it.Southdown Cottage in the Southern Highlands encourages this sort of behaviour. It's everything a country cottage ought to be without being overly chintzy or pretentious. The words "snug" and "cute" could have been coined for this place. Cheap Ugg Boots We arrive to find someone has kindly turned on the lights, adjusted the temperature and even slipped a Beethoven disc into the CD player and left a generous selection of breakfast produce in the kitchen.The cottage is tiny, comprising a downstairs living room-kitchen and children's bedroom and a double bedroom and ensuite above, reached by a steep staircase. This main bedroom is built into the eaves and is almost unreasonably cute. The small bedroom downstairs has double bunks and another bathroom beyond.Whatever the opposite of minimalism is, this is it. On virtually every surface there are books, cushions, pictures, magazines, knick-knacks and gewgaws. It is shabbily chic before that "style" was appropriated by pretentious, overpriced boutiques and it reminds me pleasantly of an aunt's cottage in North Yorkshire.The princesses, aged seven and nine, are thrilled by the idea of spending the weekend in a real fairytale cottage. Literal-minded as ever, they both lick the walls experimentally when I suggest it could just be made of gingerbread. In fact, the cottage is the original caretaker's house on the 2.4-hectare Southdown Estate - there are two other homes on the property available for rental.In the morning, we unleash the princesses to explore their new domain while we finish our coffee, then set off for a leisurely stroll to track them down. UGG Classic Tall 5815 The gardens are quite extraordinary for their size and variety. Topiary and statues abound. There are rose gardens, bridges and ponds and perfect "outdoor rooms". Each time you turn a corner, there is something new to discover and enjoy.Exploring the place is a delight and we spend a couple of hours doing just that, until I self-indulgently drag the family away to see Bowral's Bradman Museum of Cricket, a place of which I never tire.As ever, the museum doesn't disappoint and I even manage to pick up a ceramic replica of the Ashes with which to goad my Australian-born friends in the time-honoured fashion.After the museum, there's time for a mooch around the Berkelouw Books barn in Berrima and to check Harper's Mansion in the village. The mansion, a fine country house built in the 1830s, has been restored by local volunteers. It's still a work in progress and doesn't detain us too long. We're really here for the maze in the mansion's garden. It was planted about 10 years ago and the hedges have now filled out to make it quite a challenge.We emerge after 10 minutes of wandering into dead ends and each other. After being told their dad has hidden 50 cents in the centre of the maze, the princesses again plunge in, with squeals of excitement. UGG Classic Cardy I suggest to their mother that we could probably slope off to the White Horse Inn for a quick gin and tonic before they emerge but, strangely, she thinks I'm joking, so we hang around until the breathless pair emerge grasping their booty.It's beginning to get dark so it's back to the fairy-tale cottage, where more red wine, board games and Miles Davis await. Sunday dawns and we make our full English breakfast last as long as possible. We must return to the real world soon, where hedges don't come in geometric shapes and gardens aren't magically weed-free.

Lifestyles of the skint

Maths has never been my strong suit. I do the conversion in my head and I think I have the exchange rate from Australian dollars to Uruguayan pesos all worked out. I suck the last olive from my martini and take a seat at the blackjack table. I am in the self-proclaimed Las Vegas of South America at 2am on a Tuesday. Two hundred pesos to $1 is great value. I push all my chips towards the dealer and he flicks out the cards.A 10 and a 5 land in front of me. Perfect.For his own cards, the dealer puts down a 10 and an ace. UGG Argyle Knit BootsI'm out. And only then do I realise my mistake: 20 pesos equals $1. Bugger. The dealer scoops away my entire gambling budget for the week and smiles at me before saying "sorry" in perfect English.The trills of the gambling machines are at odds with the empty corridors filled with a handful of old ladies still coaxing the pokies to reward their commitment. I wander back to my room to await the hangover and chastisement from my girlfriend.Punta del Este on the Atlantic Coast of Uruguay is marketed as a beach resort and playground for celebrities. During the peak period of December and January, it is also said to be one of the most expensive places in South America.Our budget for a week of high-class living has sprung a leak, so we set out the next morning to explore the area on the cheap, hopeful that we can survive without having to dive into the dumpsters for food. Walking to town along La Brava beach, it is deserted; there is no one for kilometres, apart from the fishermen standing in wet sand waiting for a twitch on their lines.At the far end of the beach it looks as if we have stumbled across the tip of a buried city. A colossal hand claws through the sand, the blue-grey sculpture reaches towards the sky stretching for something eternally out of reach. La Mano is the work of Chilean artist Mario Irarrazabal; this searching hand is one of the most recognisable symbols in Uruguay. UGG Classic Short From La Mano we continue along Avenida Gorlero, taking a wide berth around the boutique stores selling big hats and holiday jewellery in US dollars rather than pesos. Behind us, downtown Punta del Este is littered with row upon row of skyscrapers - 30-storey sentinels that are populated by no one but the gardeners and live-in maids who keep the damp away in preparation for the summertime rush.We continue exploring the streets and it seems as if we are the survivors of an apocalypse: doors are closed and windows boarded. A tourism representative, Mariana, later tells me that for 11 months of the year Punta likes a fishing village - and how most of the year-round population of about 8000 prefer it.With lunchtime approaching, we are expecting the inflated prices of summer but are surprised at the options available in the side streets around town. I find a chivito for 95 pesos. The chivito is the national sandwich of Uruguay and it resembles a Frankenstein version of a steak sandwich. Complete with steak, lettuce, tomato, egg, bacon, cheese, mashed potato, chips, mayonnaise and olives on a roll, it is enough for a hungry lumberjack. Washed down with a local Zillertal beer, it is the perfect prelude to a South American siesta, another national passion.Continuing the bargain-hunting on Avenida Francia, we find "La Tucumanita" and order a pile of $1.50 empanadas to enjoy. Cheap Ugg Boots My girlfriend is from Argentina, the home of the empanada, so it is with careful consideration that she pronounces these to be the best she's ever eaten.With Punta abandoned and windswept, we decide to venture from the town. Across from the Casa del Padre Pio church we find a car-hire special and get a four-door Hyundai for $35 a day with which to explore the area.Ten kilometres south of the city is the living museum-hotel Casa Pueblo, which resembles a set from Star Wars. Built on Punta Ballena by renowned artist Carlos Paez Vilaro during the 1960s to resemble the nest of a Hornero bird, it is a honeycomb of rooms and staircases displaying the artist's various abstract paintings and sculptures. The upper level has a bar and balcony looking out to the ocean. We take a seat near the railing at sunset just as the speakers kick to life and a recording of Vilaro's Ceremony of the Sun poem is played to visitors. Argyle Knit UGG Boots The crowd is silent and solemn as the homage to the setting sun is read aloud while the last orange strands disappear behind storm clouds over the Atlantic.Vilaro completed his Casa Pueblo vision in honour of his son, who made headlines around the world in 1972 as one of the 16 survivors of the infamous flight-571 plane crash in the Andes. Vilaro's son, Carlitos, was a member of the Uruguayan rugby team who had to survive on human remains for two months until rescued. This was later immortalised in the book and subsequent film, Alive.From Casa Pueblo we cut across the edges of the Laguna del Sauce to Las Cumbres. Las Cumbres is a collection of 19 luxury suites hidden in the forest. Star Service named it as one of the top 100 hotels in the world. Wanting to treat ourselves to an affordable luxury, we have afternoon tea on the deck. While I initially baulk at the $22 cost, it is a bargain when the spread is put out before us. I gorge on apple strudel, chocolate cream cake with dulce de leche, champagne, pots of Darjeeling and jasmine tea, fresh croissants, sandwiches and mini pizzas.Still strained from the Olympic-size afternoon tea, we head along Route 10 through farming country to La Paloma to explore the beaches. This village is at complete odds with Punta; it is a collection of pastel-painted huts in the trees, with little development. At the single-screen cinema on the main street, I notice Hugh Jackman on the poster for Australia, which is getting its first run.On the edge of town, a guard at the Faro Cabo lighthouse seems glad of our company and tells us all the beaches are completely public here, so the high-rises and beach parties are avoided. For the $3 entrance fee he takes us up the 143 stairs to the top of the lighthouse, showing us the view south to our next destination, La Barra.This is the epicentre of the January transformation, when a plethora of nightclubbers and beach partygoers descends on the town. We walk past designer-dress stores next to Quiksilver outlets and various overpriced seafood and steak restaurants, many of which display their prices in US dollars and euros instead of pesos. UGG Classic Mini 5854 There are still budget options available, though, and after making our own gourmet gouda cheese and prosciutto rolls for less than $3, we find the Museo del Mar, an odd collection of skeletons, pygmy whale foetuses and shipwreck regalia that could easily feature in the wardrobe of The Pirates of Penzance.As we head back into Punta del Este at twilight, I check my pocket and find a wad of pesos. We have survived our week on the cheap with flying colours. The flickering lights of the Conrad's casino are in the distance. I smile at my girlfriend and wonder if she'd fancy a hand or two of blackjack with our leftovers.

Virginia Woman Fakes She is Suffering from Cancer For Money

This Virginian woman who is now 42 years old used to fake about her cancer since the time she was in her twenties. She has been held by Hanover County officers, who have levied two charges on her. Both the charges are for taking money from people by faking about her disease. Martha Nicholas from Mechanicsville has to appear in Hanover County General District Court on December 16 for case hearing. She is a mother of two and even her kids did not have any idea about her pretense. She used to go to public places and used to meet help groups and told to them that she has stage 4 ovarian cancer since she was in her twenties and used fake tears as her weapon to get money from people. UGG Boots Australia Emotions were her biggest strength as where ever she went she used to affirm that every night that passes makes her feel that it would be her last night on the earth. Hospitals and other clinics which she used to mention were also wrong as she has never been to any of the hospitals, said Capt. Michael J. Trice of the Hanover County Sheriff's Office. He further affirmed that they have investigated each and every medical place but there is no place which could confirm that she has ever been to any of them for her cancer treatment. Trice said, "Our investigation revealed no evidence of any cancer treatment at any medical facility that had been publicly identified by Martha Nicholas during her many public appearances and testimonials”. It is also said that those who have given her money without confirming her details would also be charged. One of the supports who raised $500 for her was shocked to know that she lied to her. She could not believe that all her tears were nothing but a drama.

Among the lily pads

An agile wallaby is one of the cutest marsupials you're likely to see. These little bounders with wide-open eyes and a curious gaze are gathering around my verandah as I try to sleep. The frogs are croaking and the dingoes are baying.This is Wildman Wilderness Lodge, a collection of luxury African-style tents and cabins with a central lodge and infinity swimming pool that has opened recently on the edge of the Mary River wetlands between Darwin and Kakadu National Park.In the wetlands, irritable buffalo and pigs are wallowing in the mud. These feral beasts are in the cross-hairs of a shoot-to-kill eradication program aimed at protecting this 8000-square-kilometre flood plain. They trample among lily pads in ankle-deep water that has the largest concentration of crocodiles in Australia and teems with jabiru, magpie geese and loud, screeching black cockatoos. Cheap Ugg BootsOne of the crocs here is a five-metre salty named Big Arse, who might be aged 40 years to 60 years and lives in Wildman's home billabong. Just in case you don't see him during a resort boat cruise, he is captured in a photo hanging in the main lodge.I have my tent zipped up tight, not to keep out these wild things but as protection from the mosquitoes, which leave bites like sherbet bombs of itchiness, ready to explode when touched.Wildman's tents have polished blackbutt floors, king-size beds loaded with soft pillows and ceiling fans over the beds to stir the hot air. The tents have chic corrugated-tin bathrooms and flushing toilets and each has a writing desk, a mini bar and verandah chairs. Each tent costs about $100,000 to assemble and is finely finished and draped in the best African canvas. They are also equipped with a "survival kit" that includes a wind-up torch, hairdryer, sunscreen and insect repellent, but this is where my troubles start.I'm too slow to apply the Wildman-issued Aeroguard during an afternoon bush amble with indigenous guide Neddy Tambling and the mosquito bites are now driving me crazy as I lie under the ceiling fan, listening to the creatures and eyeballing the agile wallabies under the outback stars.During the walk, Tambling takes us to the soggy edges of the wetlands where termite fields, pandanus and paperbark give way to near impenetrable pools, channels, billabongs and rivers. UGG Classic Tall 5815 Tambling has us tasting rosella flowers and smelling eucalyptus plants used as bush medicine. He shows us trees used for making spears and tells of hunting file snakes and turtles. He keeps an eye out for crocodiles and, half-jokingly, advises: "Run for a tree if you see a buffalo."On a routine day, Tambling sees more buffalo than people. "I went to the footy in Melbourne last year to watch my nephew play and I'd never seen so many people together in one place," he says.Walking to the edges isn't the only way to explore the wetlands. We also hop in a helicopter and take a scenic flight, scooting low across the water as buffalo and pigs scurry off.Our pilot, Phil O'Driscoll, tells of catching a crocodile recently to relocate it somewhere safer. "We were dragging it up the river bank with a rope but it was so muddy, we were all slipping down towards it," he says. "We finally tied the rope to a bullbar on the four-wheel-drive and pulled it out that way."Crocodile stories are all around. O'Driscoll drops us in the wetlands at a waiting airboat driven by Robert Townsend. There's mud between our toes as we scramble aboard for a joy ride, powered by a Chevy V8 that drives a big aeroplane-like propeller at the rear.As we skim across the water's surface at high speed, small freshwater crocodiles thrash out of the way. The big saltwater crocodiles keep their cool and submerge, leaving only a trace of bubbles. We come across some horses on high ground and Townsend tells of mustering a stranded herd of eight last season with the airboat when a crocodile attacked. "They were swimming in a tight pack and the croc jumped on the back of four of them and started to bite into them but it was too small to take them down. UGG Classic Cardy I spent the next few days stitching up horses."The helicopter and airboats are in the repertoire of activities at Wildman, owned by Indigenous Business Australia and managed by tourism entrepreneur Grant Hunt, whose Anthology group also has Wilpena Pound Resort, Cradle Mountain Huts and Bay of Fires Lodge.At a more gentle pace than the chopper and airboat, Wildman's executive chef, Aaron Lee, provides cooking demonstrations over the outdoor fire-pit, where he cooks butter scallops and baby ocean trout with lemon myrtle, rosemary and lime."I've wrapped the fish in foil today but if we were out camping, then I'd use paperbark," he says.The open fire is a focus at the lodge and is surrounded by wraparound, sofa-style seating perfect for sunset with drinks.To the right of us are the tents and to the left are cabins called "habitats". They have been relocated from the defunct luxury Wrotham Park Station, 2800 kilometres away in Queensland, and provide airconditioned comfort.As we watch the sun dip and the frogs and cicadas start their cacophony, the mosquito activity increases and I know it's time to move inside.

Inner-city style on a budget

You wouldn't think by looking at it, but one of Sydney's most infamous nightclubs once operated beneath the Altamont Hotel. The Cauldron was one of Sydney's hottest clubs in the late 1970s and early '80s; people lined up around the block to get in. Apparently Madonna and the Rolling Stones once used the hotel's Loft Room as a changing room, before using its secret staircase to visit the Cauldron below.Today the club is closed - all that remains is a big empty space - but the hotel survives as part of the 8Hotels boutique collection.From the Altamont's Darlinghurst location it is just a hop, skip and a jump to several of Sydney's bustling entertainment areas. The Coke sign of Kings Cross is only a few hundred metres away. A short walk in the other direction are the best of Darlinghurst's pubs, clubs and restaurants. Take a longer walk towards the city and you'll end up on George Street.The hotel pitches itself as "budget boutique", aiming at the cash-conscious consumer who wants a touch of class. UGG Boots Step through the hotel's front doors - former cell doors from Melbourne's Pentridge prison - and you enter the stylish front section of the hotel, with a pool table, a lounge, tables where patrons have breakfast and the reception desk. The front of the hotel used to be an upmarket restaurant more than a decade ago and hints of grandeur remain. Upstairs is a "Tuscan"-style courtyard.We park in one of the Altamont's off-street parking spots and take our bags to our room. My wife and I had tried to secure a courtyard room but have to settle for a standard room with a king-size bed. Unfortunately it seems to be the one nearest to the alley outside.Inside, the room has a simple yet stylish fit-out, with chic furniture, shuttered windows, appealing art on the walls and a minimalist vibe. There is cable TV, coffee and tea-making facilities and a small bar fridge (BYO). The bathroom also has a funky look. Overall it's stylish, comfortable and clean, a fine HQ for a sojourn in Darlinghurst's entertainment quarter.There are two sociable dogs wagging their tails in the lobby, when we ask the hotel owner at the front desk for dining recommendations. He's polite and knowledgeable, and recommends a few venues, including the highly regarded Onde restaurant. Are we well-dressed enough to get in? "In Sydney, all you need is money," the owner laughs. Too true.We follow his directions and take a shortcut through a church courtyard to the Victoria Room. We order cocktails and calamari and lounge in the room's British-Raj opulence, then pop in to the Green Point Pub for a drink or two before braving Onde. Unfortunately it's packed and there's a 45-minute wait for a table. It's tempting but instead we stroll back up Victoria Street and settle in at the one-hatted A Tavola. UGG Roxy Tall 5818 The squid-ink pasta and salmon pasta are superb. We consider stopping for a cocktail at the Kirketon Hotel on Darlinghurst Road - as recommended by the Altamont's owner - but we're already well fortified. While close proximity to Darlinghurst's buzzing nightlife is a boon when you're out on the town, we cop a bit of an earful of it during the night. Groups troop through the alley, talking loudly about their exploits. I'm woken several times, and I toss and turn on inadequate pillows - there are several of them, but none that are nicely plump and firm. We suspect the other rooms would be quieter, especially the ones on the other side of the building. Still, you don't stay in Darlinghurst on a Saturday night unless you want to sample the area in all its glory. In the morning the soundscape changes and we listen to the delightful ringing of church bells. I take advantage of the late checkout and sleep in, then we tuck in to the continental breakfast, which is included in the tariff. It's a genteel way to end a pleasant stay - if only there was a way to hit the mute button on late-night revellers.