Transcripts For KNTV Today 20120222

and welcome to "today" on 7:00 on the west coast on this wednesday morning. i'm ann curry. >> i'm carl quintanilla in for matt. the u.s. was quick to apologize for the burning of korans and other materials saying they were improperly disposed of after being pulled from the shelves of a detention center library. >> that's right. it hasn't stopped the demonstrations in afghanistan from growing both in ár-e and intensity this morning. thousands have taken to the streets in kabul and jalalabad. we'll have the latest on the story ahead. >> also "today" investigates how are dirty surgical instruments ending up in operating rooms? >> that's right. >> we talk with a man who became infected with a potentially deadly bacteria during surgery and look at what's being done to keep you awe safe when you go under the knife. >> and today's professionals will weigh in on a few topics getting a lot of buzz including the controversy over chris brown and rihanna's music collaboration, and also a school that charges parents when their kids get into detention. we begin with the breaking news, the deadly anti-american protests in afghanistan. nbc's atia is live there in afghanistan. >> well, 35 people have been killed and others have been wounded at different protests and different parts of the country concentrated in eastern afghanistan. it is nighttime now, and the protests have died down, but it was a very chaotic day in afghanistan including in the capital of kabul, and embassies on lockdown, including the american embassies foreign guesthouses on lockdown as angry protesters threw molotov cocktails to the embassies and shouting anti-american phrases. and this is saying that the taliban is better than the u.s. forces here, because they feel that the u.s. and nato do not respect their religion. ann? >> we know that the defense secretary leon panetta has issued an apology and called the burning unfortunate and said they disapprove of the conduct in the strongest terms. is there any reaction or the word getting out that there is an apology, and it is going to have any impact do you think? >> well, i can tell you, ann, i have been watching the afghanistan television stations and the radio stations, and they have been airing the commander of nato here general allen's a apology to the afghan people saying it was an accident and unintentional and he is doing everything in his power to change this, but you can only say sorry so many times to the afghan people. they are not listening to the ap poll i js jis anymore, but they of ten years of civil war, and ten years of apologies and for the afghans, they need more than ap poll jis, and they are tired of this happening, and they do feel disrespected. >> thank you, atia. here is carl. >> thank you. here at home, investors hoping for more positive news out of wall street, this a day after the dow crossed the 13,000 mark for the first time since may of 2008. what does that mean for the economic recovery and for you? here to talk about that is jim kramer host of msnbc's "mad money." jim, how are you? >> good, carl. >> and it is an important milestone and others say just another number, and what does it mean to you? >> it means that stocks are no longer the enemy of investment. this kind of rally means that the future is brighter than the past. carl, i like what i see. >> let's talk about what some of the companies are doing, because some of the american companies are firing on all cylinders and what kinds of companies and why? >> industrial companies and companies in oil and gas and consumer companies, in other words, companies that really depend on the consumer spending. this is broad, carl. it means that hiring is coming. >> unbelievably the dow has doubled in value since the low of march of 2009, but we all know that the job growth has not kept pace with that. do you see that catching up with what the market has done in the last couple of years? >> i like to look at the dow as a six-month precursor to what can happen. so, yes, i can see things getting better, but i won't equivocate, carl, they are getting better. >> talk to system of the investors who are too nervous to get into stocks, and held the money in savings even though they are making next to nothing. is this a sign to get back in again or danger of getting burned again? >> well, gas is high and oil is high, and europe is not resolved, but i see bargains, carl. i see companies doing nothing in four years and they have great dividends and much better to be than cds, much better. >> we have talked about gas prices yesterday on the show, and we will get to housing this week, and people are wondering how much of a drag is the housing on the economy still? >> it has been the worst drag. i think that housing starts will be up 10 or maybe 15% this year. that is a good sign, but off of a low bottom. one thing i want to point out is that when people build houses, a lot of jobs, carl. so even if we get some lift in housing, that is a good sign. >> and finally news out of greece, the second bailout, and how important is that and are you seeing signs that europe is a little bit less of a risk to the economy now? >> well, it is important if you are in europe and i think that the greece deal will ultimately not work out for greece, but it takes the big catastrophe off of the table, and that allows us to grow. we can look over our shoulders at greece, but it is no longer front and center. >> are you willing to go out on the limb to say that the market is going to end the year higher than it is right now? >> yes. yes, i will do that. yes. >> that is a good note the end on. jim, thank you as always. you can catch jim on "mad money" weekly at 7:00 p.m. on msnbc. and it is a neck and neck race between mitt romney and rick santorum in michigan. it is romney's birthplace and a state he needs to win next tuesday. peter alexander is in detroit this morning with more on the story. peter, good morning. >> hey, ann, good morning to you. it is not mitt romney, but rick santorum who is going to take center stage at the debates tonight. this campaign season the debates have rewarded the winners. remember newt gingrich in south carolina and mitt romney in florida and rick santorum is hoping for the same, but his campaign is already downplaying expectation. one adviser telling me while this debate is important, it is not the end all be all for the campaign. >> reporter: as the candidates prepare for the debate tonight in arizona the latest nbc news/marist poll shows the next crucial primary in michigan is heating up with mitt romney and rick santorum in a virtual tie. >> there is a lot at stakes, folks. this is an important election. >> reporter: an election that has increasingly become laced with references to religion. on stage tonight, santorum is likely to be peppered about the questions of the recent remarks of what he called the president's phony theology. >> because i will defend everything i will say, because it comes from here. >> reporter: on msnbc's "morning joe" tuesday evangelist franklin graham, billy graham's son, e spoused him for the christian values and criticizing the president's values. >> you do not believe he is a christian, the president? >> no. >> you do not believe he is a muslim? >> no. >> categorically not a muslim? >> well, kayn't say categorically, because islam has gotten a pass under president obama. >> reporter: at a town hall meeting mitt romney was asked how he would protect religious freedom and answered by attacking the president. >> unfortunately, because of the perhaps the people the president h hangs around with and a secular administration, they have fought back against religion. >> reporter: earlier reverend graham also questioned romney's faith. >> most christians would not recognize mormonism as the christian faith. >> so he is not a christian? >> i am just saying that most christians would not recognize mormonism. >> reporter: then sarah palin weighed in blaming the media for what she calls a double standard for christians invoking the bible, but criticizes president obama when he does the same like earlier when he was at the national prayer meeting. >> the theology of reading the book of luke, and then for him to say we need to increase taxes on hard-working taxes is okay, but rick santorum talking about good and evil is not okay? >> and a clarification on the story we reported here yesterday, in the 2008 campaign jeremiah wright was not forced to resign for controversial comments, because he had in fact already announced the retirement from the church when the church received national attention for his comments. >> joining us is chuck todd, our white house correspondent. good morning. >> good morning, ann. we should mention that rick santorum is leading mitt romney in florida, but leapt's move on the florida, because that is where the story is good. romney is ahead by two points the there. >> yes. >> there is a deeper story in michigan, isn't there, chuck? >> well, a couple of things. there is a difference between organization and momentum. in arizona, half of the state has already voted. mitt romney leads by 30 points among the folks who have already voted. in michigan, he leads by 20 points among folks who have already voted, but among those who haven't, that is where you see the santorum momentum kicking in. among half of the electorate that has not voted in arizona, he leads, and also in michigan, so it is getting into the issue of the early money that romney spent even a couple of weeks before the primaries got heated up has helped him to potentially, potentially if he avoids the upset helped him to avoid the upset here. >> let's remind people that romney is from michigan. >> yes. >> he won it in 2008, and his father was once the governor of michigan, and does he have a real chance then of losing michigan, and what kind of setback would that be for the campaign? >> well, he does, and when you look at it, it would be because of ideology. you see the same ideology split among the tea parties and among those who consider themselves tea partiy supporters santorum has the lead, and so ideological breakdown among those voters for santorum. that is the way you see e where michigan where romney is doing well is geographically around the detroit area where he grew up around the suburbs there. but in the rest of michigan, it is lot more like iowa, and that is a state that technically rick santorum won. >> and to make it more interesting in michigan, michigan's primary is open, which means that the democrats and the independents can vote. does the romney campaign have to worry about the democrats and possibly the independents voting for rick santorum to push him off of the dime? >> well, look, they should, because in 2000, the michigan democratic party did do something like this and they were able to organize at the time an anti-bush vote and propelled mccain to uppette is there. we see evidence in the polling right now where romney and santorum are dead even among independents, and this should be surprising. why? because in any other state so far where the independents have been allowed to vote romney has dominated among those, because more times than not the independents in other states have been moderates and looking for the quote electable republican, and in this case, this appears to be evidence of at least an tie auto bailout and those folks mad at romney over the bailout, and some protests though, because santorum is doing better among independents there than any other state we have tested. >> the numbers are always valued, chuck. thank you. good morning, carl and ann. we begin with two western journalists, including one american who has been killed in syria while reporting from the besieged flashpoint city of homs. richard engle is in turkey with the border news and good morning? >> the activists insides of the city of homs identified them as american correspondent marie corbin and remy where these two journalists were inside of the media center in homs. homs in the last two weeks have been surrounded by government forces and shelling from the outside, but the opposition does control pockets enside of ho s and the media center was inside of one of the city, and they had some degree of internet access. the journalists were there when it was attacked by rockets and destroyed. some videos have been posted online showing the destroyed media scenter, and also includig graphic images showing the bodies of the two identified journalists. >> awful. richard, at this point, any talk at all of the u.s. possibly arm arming the opposition? would that be a viable option? >> i have spoken to u.s. officials, and they are very concerned about fueling a civil war. they don't know who controls the opposition, and there is a free syrian army controls parts of homs and that media center where the journalists were killed, but they don't want to fuel a civil war, and on one more note, in addition to the two western journalist, three other journalists we are told were also injured, including one in urgent need of medical attention, and it is very difficult to reach them, the city of homs has been cut off. that is why there is a push from the united states and other countries to at least allow if not direct weapons to reach the rebels, but some humanitarian assistance. >> all right. richard engle there on the border of syria in turkey there. thank you, richard, for reporting on a tough story this morning. in health news at home, more americans are dying from hepatitis c than hiv and many of them are unaware that they aare even infected. according to the cdc, 3.2 million americans are infected with the virus which is the leading cause of ssecirrhosis a other diseases. and a local american facilitator was believed to be poisoned after refusing to give up possessions in a robbery. rice had most recently worked on the cbs show's 20th season, but not working on it at the time of his death. the father of two also worked on animal planet's "whale wars" and "the biggest loser south africa." the president is singing the blues this morning, but if mick jagger stuck a microphone in your face, you wouldn't either. so the commander in chief belted out a impromptu duet with b.b. king. ♪ baby, come on ♪ baby, don't you wanna go ♪ the sweet home chicago >> as you heard "sweet home chicago" and the president took time to shout out for his home city. they should go on the road. >> well, it takes chutzpah to take on b.b. king and mick jagger. >> and buddy guy. >> and i liked the look on michelle's face like, oh, no. >> it looks like a remake of the "blues brothers" to me. >> oh. cool. >> anyway, that is fun. >> who wants to talk about the weather? we are going to have an amazing day here in the northeast, right? >> well, the folks on the pacific northwest are singing the bluesmountains. we have avalanche warnings in the mountains there, in the cascades. high wind warnings and watches and wind advisories for the mountain south into central montana and wyoming. wind gusts over 80 miles per hour. you can see snowfall amounts anywhere from two to four feet of snow and along the coast, rainfall of one to two inches. well, it's kind of clear and cool out there right now. but we are gng to warm up nicely with a building breeze out of the north warming us up as it moves from land to sea. 75 degrees today in san jose. you'll hit 72 in pleasanton. even touching on the low 70s in san francisco. we continue to stay warm as we head through your thursday. then we drop off by friday, but take a look at the difference between friday and saturday, back in the 60s, cooling you down. that's your latest weather. carl? >> al, thanks. now to a breathtaking show in the sky in the northern hemisphere. the largest solar flares since 2005 have created the most spectacular northern lights in years. michelle kosinski is in tromso, norway, inside the arctic circle. michelle, good morning. >> reporter: hey, carl. norway has had a mild winter, but a jaw-dropping aurora borealis. this is one of the best spots on the planet to see it. nasa predicted that this winter would be some of the most intense northern lights in half a century. it all depends on the activity of the sun which is on a 12-year cycle. right about now is the peak of it. our trusty sun might look the same, but the headlines it's been generating, geomagnetic storm to hit earth -- not so comforting. unlike our brand of storm, when a sun storm slams the atmosphere at 5 million miles an hour, just last month, we get this. the majestic aurora announcing itself through twinkling curtains over the upper and lower latitudes. some of the most awesome in the true and most popular sense displayed in decades. bright green, pinks, sweeps and stripes. glowing rings. some of the coolest images have come from space. the violence of a sun burst settling into a glowing crown atop our planet. to see it in person -- >> it's like a painting maybe that moves. >> sometimes it makes me feel small. i mean, it's so great. it comes from the sun. >> reporter: the sun has been throwing off more charged particles than usual which collide with earth's particles and shoot out photons or light. those are swept along earth's magnetic field and voila. >> the sun is coming out of a period where it's been quiet. but it is entering a more active period. we can expect solar storms multiple times per day. >> reporter: that makes for a lot of electricity up there. scientists just launched a research rocket into the gloers aw -- glorious aurora over alaska to see how it may interfere with our gps. >> turn left, then keep left. >> reporter: if a messed up gps doesn't make you late, staring at the aurora will. a peek we may not get to ooh and aah over for another dozen years. if you want to see it in real life you may have to go somewhere inconvenience to americans. best places are iceland, greenland, norway, finland. you get the picture. but a lot of tourism is now geared toward seeing the lights. carl? >> amazing pictures and we liked the music, too. michelle kosinski, thanks. still ahead, a dangerous problem. why some surgeons are unknowingly using dirty instruments in operating rooms. first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ okay, so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. that's yours. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol. i'm yummy. lower cholesterol. i got that wrong didn't i? 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[ male announcer ] it's sweet. it's nutty. it's absolutely delicious. kellogg's crunchy nut. it's morning somewhere. good wednesday morning to you. 7:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the man suspected of killing a 67-year-old berkeley man over the weekend is expected to be in court today. daniel dewitt was arrested saturday night after police say he attacked the victim in the berkeley hills. the man was rushed to a local trauma center where he was pronounced dead. dewitt has a history of paranoid schizophrenia. neighbors say they never thought he could be accused of murder. >> he'd come and you could see the pain. i'd say daniel, you're always welcome in our home. you have refrigerator rights as long as somebody was home. and that was any of the kids. he's just sweet. >> dewitt is scheduled to be arraigned at 2:00 this afternoon. let's check the forecast now with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning to you. well, we are going to see gorgeous conditions today. great beach day. at noon 65 degrees at the san francisco marina, up to 72 as you round out the day in the city by the bay. down in the south bay, up to 78 degrees in morgan hill and gilroy. could hit 74 degrees in placed like pittsburgh today. we take you across the water, staying nice and mild even right by the coast. 66 in half moon bay. we'll stay warm through your thursday as well, then we start to drop after friday, into saturday down to 61 degrees. the cooldown is on. a few more clouds come into the mix. then we get some showers late sunday, into monday so that rain that we definitely need is back in the forecast as of late weekend. let's check your drive with mike. south bay drivers check this out. we have your build for 101, 87 and 85. but 280 might be a little extra problem coming up toward highway 85 because of an earlier accident involving three or four vehicles and a big rig. southbound 101 an accident in redwood city causing some slowing. all activity offense to the shoulder. another one at peninsula avenue may be a factor in this slowdown as well. across the bay, slow 880 south off the hayward and san leandro. westbound 580 and northbound 238. we'll have another local news update with traffic and news coming up in just a bit. in the meantime, check out our facebook page, nbc bay area. or "today in the bay." have a great day. 7:30 now on this wednesday morning. it's the 22nd of february 2012 as we check out things from the top of the rock. al says in the city we could approach 60 degrees today which is welcoming for all of our friends gathered outside of the plaza. meantime inside studio 1a i'm ann curry alongside carl quintanilla in for matt. nice to have you here again. >> thanks for having me. >> just ahead "today" investigates a growing problem. >> we are talking about dirty surgical instruments used in operating rooms across the country. why is it happens and what's being done? we'll have details. >> also, should parents be forced to pay fine ifs their children misbehave at school? also, would you eat a hamburger made from lab grown test tube meat? those are compelling questions that today's professionals, star, donny and dr. nancy, will weigh in on this morning. >> we begin this half hour with the trial of a man accused of murdering a father of two as he dropped off his son at a day care center in georgia. testimony started tuesday with testimony from the victim's widow. thanh truong is at the courthouse with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: hey, carl. good morning to you. 48-year-old newman is accused of gunning down rusty snyderman in november of 2010. the prosecution says he was deliberate in planning the killing but he's pled not guilty by reason of insanity. they claim he had an affair with the victim's wife, andrea. the case against newman boils down to sun simple sentence say it is prosecution. >> the man wanted her in his life and he killed her husband. he got caught. >> reporter: the father of two young children was gunned down but the defense claims newman was delusional. he imagined he was visited by a demon who sounded like barry white and an angel who looked like olivia newton john. >> the angel told him rusty was going to harm the children. that he needed to protect the children. that he needed to kill rusty. >> reporter: newman's attorney described a man in financial crisis who suffered an abusive upbringing. with the first witness the debate over newman's mental health turned into a salacious soap opera. andrea snyderman said newman, her boss at ge was obsessed with her and made repeated unwanted passes but she never reported it. >> do you have any idea why the defendant would have these feelings toward you? >> i think i'm a nice person. i'm a very caring person. i did nothing but try to help hemmy newman, suggested him to seek counseling in his marriage. >> reporter: prosecutors produced records of business trips they had taken together including one to south carolina. >> what happened there, ma'am? >> we were holding each other's hands. that's it. it may sound worse than it is. >> reporter: snyderman denied having a sexual affair with newman. >> there was no affair. who kills someone else's husband? >> reporter: despite constant advances and a barrage of romantic e-mails she said she never felt threatened but her husband spotted someone snooping outside their home in a mask. police later discovered it was newman. >> rusty didn't recognize him. how would rusty recognize him? he was wearing a disguise. >> reporter: nine days later newman shot rusty. snyderman said a day care worker called saying something had happened to her husband. the prosecutor pressed her to explain why she never called her husband. instead calling her family and then newman six times. >> why didn't you call rusty. >> they told me something happened to rusty. what are the chances he'll answer his cell phone. >> i'm curious. why didn't you call rusty. >> reporter: andrea will take the stand in a couple of hours for cross-examination by the defense. if convicted newman faces life in prison. if found not guilty he'll be sent to a mental hospital. carl? >> thanh truong, thanks. should make for an interesting day in court. newman's estranged wife is listed as a potential witness for the prosecution. we are joined by her attorney esther panich. >> good morning, carl. >> the defense says newman was stricken with mental issues. did you're client witness those issues during the course of their marriage? >> reporter: no. in fact, the only thing my client witnessed was that her husband had been cheating on her and was caught. so it has nothing to do with mental illness. in fact, this defense is really an insult to those who actually suffer from bipolar disorder. he had no family history -- go ahead. >> then there is a demon i wanted to ask about. the one that sounds like barry white. an angel that looks like olivia newton-john. what did you think when you heard that testimony? >> frankly, the first thing i thought of was olivia newton-john. was it "grease" or "xanadu." if this case wasn't so serious resulting in the death of a good man, multiple families and a community then this would be laughable. unfortunately this is a tragedy which hasn't even seen the end yet. so for mr. newman to come out nine months after he pled not guilty to now decide he's seeing demons and angels is insulting. >> andrea snyderman adamantly denies having an affair with hemmy. does your client believe andrea is lying on the stand? >> yes. in fact, in the courtroom there were a lot of people who believed andrea was lying. she was completely evasive, argumentative with the prosecutor and the defense lawyer. she has not yet told the truth. she seems to have had selective amnesia when confronted with e-mails indicating that mr. newman loved her. she said she didn't remember all the e-mails she got in two years. i don't know about you, but if a boss of mine sent me an e-mail telling me he loved me multiple times it's not something i would be likely to forget. >> you have alluded in the media in the past to the idea that there might have been someone else involved in rusty snyderman's murder. can you elaborate on that? >> not at this point. i think we are all going to have to wait to see what witnesses the prosecution brings out? you will have to have me on again. >> do you and your client believe it was a plot to kill rusty snyderman? >> we'll have to see the investigation. the district attorney is in control of their case and they are doing an incredible job. as is the defense attorney. >> does your client believe the father of her children would be capable of a crime like this? >> i don't think anybody believe that is the person they love and marry is capable of such a crime. she never knew him to be violent. she knew he had cheated on her and when she found out that he was involved it was devastating to her. it is still devastating to her. she was no different than any other woman who went to work one day, came home only to find out that the police were at her door saying her husband had killed another man. it's unfathomable to believe that your husband, your family member is capable of such violence. yet he has admitted to killing rusty snyderman. >> thank you very much for your time. time now for a check of the weather and al. >> carl, thanks so much. a nice morning out here. you guys are having twins? >> twins! >> you're just letting the folks back home know. >> we knew we were pregnant but we found out it's twins. >> your first? well, first and second. >> right. >> let's check out your weather today. severe storms in the southeast. atlanta, birmingham, knoxville, nashville, greenville, all the villess getting in on it. possibility of tornadoes. rainfall amounts a half inch to an inch of rain. the big story is the wind and thunderstorms. more heavy rain in the pacific northwest with mountain snows. sunshine and 79 in los angeles. sunny through texas. a few showers along the southern good morning. i'm meteorologist christina live in the nbc bay area weather center where temperatures today are going to climb into record teitory. 78 degrees, just two degrees shy of 80 in morgan hilda. 75 for evergreen. 72 in pleasanton an even san francisco right on the water, 72 degrees. as we head throughout your thursday, staying nice and mild. dropping off friday into saturday, more clouds and a few showers sunday into monday. don't forget. get your weather any time you need it. go to weather channel on cable, weather.com online. carl? >> al, thanks. up next, how clean are the surgical instruments in operating rooms? 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[ deep breath ] thank you! that's the cold truth! people say to me, "you're so lucky. after tax season, you get to relax." we're not here for a couple of months. we're here year-round. after april 15th, we don't close down. we're working late, learning next year's tax laws to make sure turbo tax is the easy way to get your taxes done right. and we even guarantee that all turbo tax calculations are accurate. i'm lisa skelly, and i'm an experienced tax professional. . test makeup out there. but one is so clever that your skin looks better even after you take it off. neutrogena® healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% saw improved skin. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics. back now at 7:43. this morning on "today" investigates, an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes in the operating room. nbc news partnered with the center for public integrity to tackle what experts think is a growing problem -- dirty surgical instruments making their way into surgeons' hands. dr. nancy snyderman is "today's" chief medical editor. good morning. >> good morning. in my role as a surgeon when i have asked for an instrument my assumption is everything is a clean surgical tool. what i have learned is that sometimes that's not the case. >> i had to have surgery to repair my shoulder. i was not worried one bit. i knew they were going to take care of me. >> reporter: like most patients headed for surgery john harrison put his faith and trust in the surgeons standing over him in the operating room. but unknown to most people, including john, surgery doesn't start in the o.r. it starts here in the basement of the hospital where instruments are cleaned, sterilized and reassembled. but new research shows too often surgical tools leave the basement still contaminated with hidden blood, tissue and other debris. then used on patients like john. >> we were told the recovery time for rotator cuff surgery would be about six weeks. just through physical therapy his shoulder would be restored. >> reporter: that didn't happen. >> something was wrong with my shoulder. something was bad wrong. >> reporter: two weeks after the surgery john's wife laura rushed him to the hospital where he was told he was infected with a potentially deadly bacteria during his surgery. >> it was a nightmare. it was really frightening. >> reporter: an investigation found dirty surgical instruments had infected not just john but seven patients at the hospital during a two-week period. it's happening across the country with multiple outbreaks reported over the past two years. because only 25 states are required to report surgical site infections, experts worry this is just the tip of the iceberg. >> if we do not do our jobs correctly we can impact a patient's life. that's the reality. >> reporter: sharon green golden is the head of the sterile processing department in virginia, not the hospital where john was treated. she thinks of her team as the unseen patient advocates. >> it is a job that cannot be given to robots because a robot doesn't have the critical thinking to say, this is still dirty. i need to clean it some more. sterile processing is one of the most important jobs in the hospital. >> reporter: green golden has made her department state of the art. a model for what should be happening across the country. she says in most hospitals people who are paid to do this work are hourly, minimum wage laborers and in every state except new jersey are not required to have any kind of training or certification. >> your hair dresser has to have a license. the barber has a license. the dog groomer has a license. the tattoo artist has a license. i'm dealing with instruments going in your body. i'm not required to be certified. >> a risk management clinical engineer at the university of michigan health system has done eye opening research that shows even when technicians follow cleaning instructions often times the instruments still contain debris. it's not even an old instrument. >> no. >> reporter: oh, my gosh. you've shocked me. now you've shocked me. i would think that's perfectly fine. you open it up and that's horrifying. we ran a tiny video camera through suction instruments deemed ready for the o.r. it looks pigmented. it could be blood. >> or rust. >> reporter: it shouldn't be there. all contained some kind of debris. do you know how many times in my life i have used a suction like this? thousands. aware of the problem the fda recently had a meet ing where h presented his data. they must provide specific cleaning instructions for each instrument but the testing is done in a laboratory setting, not in the real world. if a dirty medical device finds its way to an o.r., the fda doesn't require hospitals to report it. the fda declined to do an on-camera interview for "today," but gave us this statement. hospitals are reminded to carefully clean and sterilize reuseable medical devices. a patient's risk of acquiring an infection from a reprocessed medical device is very low. for john, what was supposed to be a six-week recovery has turned into a three-year nightmare. >> changed my life. it changed every aspect of it. waking up with pain. >> reporter: a surgery that was supposed to improve his life led to seven other surgeries, constant pain without the full use of his arm. >> this is what i have to live with. >> we asked the advanced medical technology associates for a statement. they said the medical technology industry is committed to providing patients with safe effective medical devices and diagnostics, ensuring the proper reprocessing of reuseable medical devices is a shared responsibility between the fda, device manufacturers, health care facilities and physicians. now it is important to point out that this is a relatively rare phenomena, the idea you could get an infection going in for surgery. with the more complex surgical instruments the issue is the cleaning has become a much more difficult process. i want to thank the center for public integrity. they were a real help with the investigation. >> very important reporting. you would think they should be certified, people cleaning the instruments. >> we went to the university of michigan where they have the money in the bowels of the hospital to have a big reprocessing plant, but as you look at community hospitals this becomes an expensive process. and then a third party to do it. frankly, this is a shared responsibility where the ball is being dropped. who pays? the patient pays. >> again, out comes down to money. >> first, do no harm. at the end of the day, no matter who you are in the medical system, first, do no harm. >> important reporting this morning. thank you. still ahead, the royal secret kate middleton just revealed for the first time. first, these messages. ugh, my sinus congestion, and it's your fault. instead of blaming me, try advil congestion relief. often the real problem is swelling, not mucus. advil congestion relief reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. advil congestion relief. so i can breathe. when we walk together, we are bigger than cancer. the american cancer society relay for life. find your event at relayforlife.org. ready or not, here i come! ♪ found ya! you always find me. you always hide here. [ male announcer ] tim and richard smucker have always loved the taste of just-picked fruit. so it's no wonder why today smucker's makes the world's best jam. for five generations, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i came to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪ just ahead, how to talk politics without starting a war. >> plus today's professionals take on the hottest headlines including the inappropriate gesture made by adele during an awards show last night. nice moves. after your local news and weather. hing. but why energy? we've got over 100 years worth. is it safe to get it? but what, so we should go broke with imports? look, i'm just saying. well, energy creates jobs. [announcer:] at conocophillips, we're helping power america's economy with cleaner, affordable natural gas. more jobs, less emissions. a good answer for everyone. we gotta be careful. it's cleaner. it's affordable. look, if it's safe, i'm there. not in this economy. we also have zero free time, and my dad moving in. so we went to fidelity. we looked at our family's goals and some ways to help us get there. they helped me fix my economy, the one in my house. now they're managing my investments for me. and with fidelity, getting back on track was easier than i thought. call or come in today to take control of your personal economy. get one-on-one help from america's retirement leader. [ male announcer ] 20,000 btus produce a delicate sear. double-oven range makes dinner and dessert -- at the same time. turbo-charged advantium oven cooks more than twice as fast, in this culinary powerhouse. dan. yes? molé sauce. [ male announcer ] with ge's most advanced cooking technology, the café line takes food further. ♪ all you need is a hand full of quarters to turn boring wednesdays into 50 cent wing wednesdays. every wing, every flavor, every wednesday, only 50 cents each and only at your pizza hut. ♪ and only at your pizza hut. i'm al ways like splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweeteners. this bowl of strawberries is loaded with vitamin c. and now, b vitamins to boot. coffee doesn't have fiber. unless you want it to. splenda® essentials™ are the first and only line of sweeteners with a small boost of fiber, or antioxidants, or b vitamins in every packet. mmm. same great taste with an added "way to go, me" feeling. splenda® essentials™. get more out of what you put in. good wednesday morning to you. 7:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. fire investigators think they know what caused a one-alarm fire that sparked around 4:00 this morning at an oakland apartment complex. man living in the complex at 37th street near linden was trying to make a midnight meal and was using an oil lamp for light. the lamp caught fire and then spread to nearby curtains. he tried to put that fire out but he couldn't so he ran to get everyone else out of the building. there was about $100,000 worth of damage to the two-story complex. one person was treated for smoke inhalation. let's check that forecast right now with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning. we have a gorgeous day shaping up and the temperatures are already climbing. 53 in san francisco. 57 in livermore. now that the sun is out courtesy of some warm down sloping winds and all that sunshine, we are talking about record highs today. 78 in morgan hill. 72 today in pleasanton. even in san francisco, low 70s for you. we stay just about as warm tomorrow with an even warmer start. by friday we drop you off to about 70 degrees, staying mild. saturday and sunday we get more clouds, cool down and a few showers late sunday, into monday. let's check your drive at 7:57. peninsula drive is slow, 101 through san mateo, folks. 92 also jamming up. the earlier accident marked on the map on peninsula avenue but slowing northbound as well. northbound 880 at tennison, an earlier accident moved to the shoulder in the last few minutes but that kick off slowing out of freechlt from dakota road up to tennyson it is slow. slow through oakland and off the castro valley y. one lane blocked off the walnut creek interchange and slow to the bay bridge toll plaza. for the latest traffic and news updates, check out nbc news bay area on facebook. i'll have another local news update for you in about half-an-hour. have a great morning. the word is swapportunity. can i have the definition? swapportunity: the opportunity to swap a higher calorie snack for a yoplait light. can you use it in a sentence? mmm. swapping a 300 calorie donut for this 110 calorie strawberry shortcake is a good swapportunity. that's not a real word. oh haha it's real. [ female announcer ] delicious, creamy, yoplait light. over 30 flavors each around 100 calories. do the swap today. 8:00 now on a 8:00 now on a wednesday morning. the 22nd of february, 2012. we're stepping out to greet everyone gathered in rockefeller plaza. we have a nice crowd, young people included. we're glad to see them. meantime i'm ann curry alongside carl quintanilla in for matt this morning and, of course, al roker. you know it's warm enough for you two not to wear a coat but i'm a wuss. 46 degrees. not so bad. >> oh, no. >> we have today's professionals in the house with hot topics. >> lots of interesting topics. rihanna, is she sending the wrong message to fans by appearing on a new remix with chris brown? what about fancy coffee drinks for toddlers. >> no! >> we'll hear star, nancy and donny's take on this. >> another topic this morning. in this election year, how many of us have had to start the conversations about politics and wish we hadn't started that conversation about politics? how do you do it? you want to talk about what's happening in politics. we're going to get advice from from experts about how not to ruffle feathers yet make our point. >> and toward the end of february tax time is on the horizon. do you want to add to your refund or avoid paying too much? we'll walk you through the most overlooked deductions that could save you a boatload of cash. >> millions of americans forget to take these credits. meantime let's hear from natalie morales with the top stories of the morning. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. the u.s. embassy in afghanistan is on lockdown today. afghan officials say at least six people have been killed after police opened fire to disburse thousands of anti-american protesters, rioting for a second day over the burning of the koran at bagram air force base. the u.s. apologized saying the holy books were inadvertently burned. two western journalists, one american and the other french, have been killed in syria this morning while reporting from the flash point city of homs. the americans were identified as marie colvin and remy olschlik. five people are dead in an apparent murder-suicide. bodies were found after officers responded to a call of shots fire. a preliminary investigation shows the gunman is among the dead. police say he was a freaked visitor to the spa. italian authorities believe four more bodies have been spotted in the wreckage of the costa concordia. they were seen in a submerged part of the ship which capsized last month off tuscany. if confirmed it would raise the death toll to 21. 11 others are missing. today the obama administration rolls out the plan to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 to 28%. in exchange corporations would give up dozens of loopholes and subsidies they now enjoy. many analysts aren't giving the plan much chance of being passed in an election year. for a look at what's trending now our quick roundup of what has you talking online. thanks to a new photo holding what appears to be a sonogram leaving a doctor's office drew barrymore has baby bump watchers buzzing online. the 36-year-old recently gotten gauged to will kopelman. and kate middleton revealed the name of her new black cocker spaniel to be lupo, italian for wolf. the duchess of cambridge let the secret slip while visiting a primary cool in oxford. someone has already created a twitter account where he says he can't control his excitement over all the excitement so watch out for accidents. can this guy beat jeremy lin? back when lin played for the golden state warriors these comedians challenged him to a shoot-off. lin tried big shots and no-look freethrows. he missed a couple. the comedian made the trick shot to beat lin at his own game. maybe the knicks should sign him up. it's 8:04. now back out to ann and carl. >> sounds like a lucky shot. lin is amazing. >> yeah. and he wasn't looking as he made those shots. >> who can do that? we know al roker can do anything. >> not anything. certainly not those shots. i'll tell you. you guys came from boston. are you on winter break? >> yeah. february break. >> what's your name? are you with them? >> yeah! >> you're the silent partner. all right, dude. way to go. >> let's see what we've got for you. pick city wis nbc 10. partly sunny, breezy and mild. 65 degrees. man it will be gorgeous. temperatures in the mid section of the country. oklahoma city, going to be 22 degrees above normal. 18 degrees above normal in amarillo. it will get to 73. 60 in st. louis. northern states on the chilly side through the great lakes and new england, 20s and 30s. 80s in southern california. southern texas as well. that's good news. southern florida looking at temperatures in the 80s also. well, we're going to see temperatures about 10 to 15 degrees above normal, as we head throughout this afternoon. 75 in san jose today, up to 78 degrees in morgan hill and gilroy. staying warm through the east bay. 75 is antioch. right by the water, san francisco breezy, but 72 degrees. that breeze will build as we head through tonight. downright windy conditions throughout the east bay hills tomorrow. but our temperatures are going to be just about as warm. come friday, they start to drop into the low 70s. 60s rirn saturday into sunday. fingers. are you shannon? >> yes. >> happy birthday. you're double digits get a woo-woo! woo-woo! >> woo-woo! >> all right. ann! >> we like a little woo-woo. thanks, al. coming up, today's professionals weigh in on hot topics including a school that basically charges parents when their kids are put in detention. we're back after this. ce park has been here since the early 50s. my dad and grandfather spent their whole careers here. [ charlie ] we're the heartbeat of this place, the people on the line. we take pride in what we do. when that refrigerator ships out the door, it's us that work out here. [ michael ] we're on the forefront of revitalizing manufacturing. we're proving that it can be done here, and it can be done well. [ ilona ] i came to ge after the plant i was working at closed after 33 years. ge's giving me the chance to start back over. [ cindy ] there's construction workers everywhere. so what does that mean? it means work. it means work for more people. [ brian ] there's a bright future here, and there's a chance to get on the ground floor of something big, something that will bring us back. not only this company, but this country. ♪ is the pain reliever orthopedic doctors recommend most for arthritis pain, think again. and take aleve. it's the one doctors recommend most for arthritis pain. two pills can last all day. ♪ ♪ ♪ wow... ♪ [ female announcer ] sometimes, all you need is the smooth, creamy taste of werther's original caramel to remind you that you're someone very special. ♪ werther's original caramels. wait. ♪ it's morning in the himalayas... [ male announcer ] it's sweet. it's nutty. it's absolutely delicious. kellogg's crunchy nut. it's morning somewhere. [ male announcer ] for a better-looking tomorrow. vicks nyquil cold & flu. the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold...medicine. [ deep breath ] ♪ 1, 2, 3, 4 ♪ [ laughter ] [ male announcer ] vicks dayquil. defeats 5 cold & flu symptoms. ♪ the difference between hiding my skin and showing it off? jergens ultra healing moisturizer. even my driest skin looks healthier, instantly. jergens is the difference between i'm here, and here i am. jergens®. the beautiful difference. ♪ back now with today's professionals. here to break down the hottest headlines and surveys is our team of star jones, donny deutsch and dr. nancy snyderman. >> today's professionals, welcome. >> thank you. we begin with the reunion between rihanna and chris brown. three years after they break up because he abused her, two songs hit the internet on which they have collaborated. star, is this something she should be doing? >> i have held the hands of a number of women as a prosecutor who went back to their abuser. i was in pain during that time. what i learned quickly is i couldn't tell them that they needed to get help. i had to let them come to that on their own. they had to do the work behind it. i'm not sure what rihanna and chris brown have done in the background. have they done the emotional work to get to this point? if they have, i'm glad they are able to work together. if they haven't then this goes down a bad path. >> it sends a message. does it send the right message? >> let's go back to the charles barkley commercial, i'm not a role model. she is a role model. i'm not telling anybody how to live their life but there is nothing more heinous than a man hitting a woman or whatever that abuse was. i think you have an obligation as a woman that young women look up to not to send a signal that it's okay and we are back to business. having said that, i wish she took a stand and said, i'm not going to work with this guy anymore. she has a responsibility to young women. >> i couldn't agree more. i think it sends a wrong message. no matter how much a man says "i love you" if he hits you, he doesn't even like you. she hasn't driven it home enough. when people are in the public eye and they say, well, i'm not a role model, i'm sorry, you are a role model by default. i worry that for everyone battered woman it sends a wrong message and for every adolescent girl entering into a relationship -- >> i think it could be fixed by the two of them addressing it -- >> not with the words they are singing. >> not in the song. not in a tweet. but because rihanna took on the responsibility of doing an interview publically, she took a stance against domestic violence. in order to come back, you have to say -- >> there is no coming back from that. a man hits a woman, a woman should never go bam to him. >> you and i know that. >> it's a deal breaker. if you heard the lyrics to the song, it's basically "hit me again." >> no excuse for a man hitting a woman, period. >> there's unanimity on that front. let's move to the chicago charter school in which students who gets a defense, must also pay a 2.00 fee. last year a school rakes in almost $200,000 in fees. >> i love it. i know there is controversy. i love it. when i ran a business 20% of the troublemakers take up 90% of the time. this is costing the schools money. let kids know there are consequences. the $5 is not going to put food out of anybody's mouth. >> that's not true. >> i think it's wonderful because a kid has the ability to not misbehave. >> $5 could put food out of somebody's mouth. however, my mother would then require something of me. if i was taking money out of our family's pocket, if i made my mother have to come to school more than one time because i was misbehaving or running my mouth, trust me. that would not happen but one time. >> i want to know the definition of misbehaving. a lot of time the schools fail the kids. if a kid can't sit in circle time -- >> don't give me that doctor stuff. i promise it's not for that reason. >> you don't know that. talk about cheap fund-raising. >> a teacher will tell you what misbehaving is. >> how about a kid kicked out of montessori because he couldn't do circle time? >> that's a new york city -- >> it was a california thing. >> this is cheap fund-raising. >> this school in chicago deals with some of the worst behavior problems. some kids that will never go to school. they graduate kids that go to college. they're doing something right. >> i wouldn't go to newt gingrich and make him do janitorial work, but i like that. >> how about this. a team of dutch scientists working on the first hamburger meat made from stem cells and lab grown meat. they say this will cut down on cattle slaughter. >> peta loves this. because no longer are we slaughtering cows. where does peta think the stem cells came from? bone marrow biopsies in the field? no. it came from bone marrow in slaughter houses. if a stem cell is from an animal, it's still an animal. >> is it possible they are slaughtering less cows? to me if it ends up with the same product and you're killing less animals, why not? >> this is the circle of life. we eat the meat, the meat eats the grass, we are buried under the grass. didn't you see "the lion king"? it's the circle of life. >> by the way, i think even if we save some cows the circle of life will continue. why not? >> how would you market it if it tasted okay? if people wanted it? >> well, i will market it to the people who are conscious -- animal lovers. be up front and direct about it. >> it could be ahakuna matata burger. adele last night at the brit awards giving the exception spot. they begin to cut her off. she flip it is byrd, not to her fans, to the producers. >> what is it with girls behaving poorly in public? no flipping the bird. accept your award. it was bad that they cut her off. that's not a ladylike thing to do. no flipping of the bird. >> act like an adult. when is the last time you flipped the bird? i'm not going to demonstrate on tv. it's childlike. >> this is someone everyone's embraced as a classy, fabulous bombshell with a voice from heaven and just left the grammys with an armful of awards. this degrades her a little bit. this is a moment she'll regret. i'm sorry it happened. >> i wonder if she gets a pass because she's white, not black. >> i don't give anyone a pass for being a bad girl. i don't think it's attractive? >> it's not classy. >> just weeks after m.i.a. did it at the super bowl. >> i wonder if this will be more gently received because she's a portly white woman. >> "a portly white woman"? how about a zaftig 23-year-old bomb shell. >> i like rubenesque. >> you do not. >> i do. >> cutting people off is unacceptable, yes? >> no. it's a business. if somebody is going on and on. >> you're about to cut us off any minute now. >> the reality is they should award more time for the big award winners. time codes are time codes. >> finally in brooklyn, cafes are making what they call babycinnos. not caffeine free. >> a little bit of caffeine. a little splurge every once in a while is not going to hurt the child. but there is no reason to introduce caffeine to a younger population. >> everything you can do to keep kids kids as long as possible. this is one example. they have plenty of time to be an adult. >> will it hurt them? no >> a little chocolate milk. >> that doesn't even make sense. >> just flip them the bird. >> right. >> star's going to her home grounds. she's on "the view." >> we'll talk tomorrow. >> another hot button issue. talking politics without ruffling feathers like this and losing friends right after this. capital one's new cash rewards card gives you a 50 percent annual bonus. so you earn 50 percent more cash. if you're not satisfied with 50% more cash, send it back! i'll be right here, waiting for it. who wouldn't want more cash? 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the cure for cabin fever. because with get-it-done savings on everything we need... we can turn this weekend into a fresh floor... or an updated bathroom... or a brand-new look. so let's hit those orange aisles, and make today the day, we make a big difference, no matter how big our budget. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot maximize your budget with great buys, like mosaic tile, just $4.98 per square foot. with the election year in full swing the talk of politics is everywhere. what should you do if someone you know is so passionate about his or her views he or she becomes politically incorrect? we talked to a family that's learned to navigate the political red tape. >> i would say i'm particularly blunt and honest and i tend to irritate people. >> it makes for awkward situations during dinner parties. we have often not made it through dessert. >> he likes to be the one politically incorrect person at the party. >> i never back off. i'm blunt. i stick to my position. i've got my friends, my family. i'm lucky. i stick to what i believe in and i go for it. so much so that people do walk out. >> with new people they're like, mark, watch what you're going to say. >> i make friends during the week just to lose them on a saturday night. >> here to break it down for us is the author of "social q's, how to survive the quirks of today" and anna post, co-author of "emily post etiquette." good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> you don't want to have people you love and want to be friends with not want to talk to you again after a political conversation. how do you survive the times? >> one thing i find is that the more it looks like i am listening and hearing what you say, no matter how much i disagree with you and look for little bits of commonality between us and try to build on those. well, that's maybe as much as we can ask when we are talking to people we disagree with. >> we want to talk about politics. this is a time to do it. we really need to hash it out. >> what could be more important now or ever than the political future of our country? >> so, anna, how do you maintain friendships with people you disagree with completely? >> i talk about the phrase, "i have to think about that." you can acknowledge a point and give it consideration without giving up your own deep beliefs and have an exit strategy. be willing to save the last word so you can save the relationship. that particular mom may need to use some humor and have weekday lunches. >> the knock down drag outs over politics and my dad would say, well, ann, i may disagree with you, but i'd still vote for you for president. it's that connection to create respect. >> absolutely. >> let's talk about things you have gotten, e-mails. you received one from janice new york. she wrote my boss is holding a weeknight fundraiser for a candidate he's in love with but i do not support. my boss delivered the invitation to me personally and said, i'd like you to come. do i have to go? >> the old style rule, no politics in the office just doesn't apply anymore. every 15 minutes there is a new news item on my computer about rick santorum or the president. it's what we are talking about now. especially at different levels in the company it's really the pressure an under ling may feel to go, the boss was in the wrong. i hope the woman works in an office where she can say, sorry, i can want make it that night. >> there should be a line there. we have one more e-mail. we don't have a lot of time. from dan in california. our next door neighbors have planted three lawn signs for a political candidate who is hateful to me. it makes me furious every time i drive by. can uh i ask them to take a couple of them down? >> no, you can't. fight fire with fire. get some of your own. >> there you go! it's a conversation we all have to continue to have. maybe if we don't argue and put down the other person. >> bingo. >> thank you so much. we're back after your local news. good morning to you. it's 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. this afternoon's proceedings are for a pretrial conference. he's facing charges after allegedly bruising his wife's arm on new year's eve. in his first appearance he's granted visitation rights with his son two weeks ago. the actual trial starts on friday. let's check the morning commute with mike. >> laura, let's go over to the peninsula where the 101 is moving very slowly north of 92. especially the southbound side, we had a couple of accidents over the last hour. west 92 as well, reports of spilled materials, so cleanup is going to have to go on there, and that could cause a slowdown off the san mateo bridge. 880 better than it was before, and northbound accident at ten ison has cleared. live shot past the coliseum, creeping down to a crawl. almost 45 minutes from 230 up to the toll plaza. 580 bogging down as well. >> thank you for joining us for the latest traffic and news updates. check es out on facebook. getting ready to plant? 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[ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. 8:30 now on a wednesday morning, the 22nd of february 2012. and a really pretty morning in midtown manhattan. i understand it will be something like 60 degrees later on today. that doesn't mean we don't need our coats and gloves this morning. meantime outside here on the plaza i'm ann curry alongside carl quintanilla and natalie morales and al roker. matt's got the morning off. hope he's having a nice time away. meantime some creative ways to stay in touch with loved ones. >> with everyone's schedules sometimes it's hard to find time to call your mother. that doesn't mean you can't make time if you have tech savvy solutions. we'll talk about different ways to stay connected. >> okay. >> also, if you need reminding, tax day is less than two months away. if you are starting the process of putting all your returns and information together you're in luck. coming up we'll run through some of the most overlooked deductions and credits that could add to the refund you're hoping for. >> all right. a little bit later on, martha stewart is going to be here. she's always known for her comfort food, but this time it's comfort food with a lighter twist. she has great recipes that are 500 calories or less. >> so we can have a lot of them. >> a lot of them. hey! they're 100 calorie packs, let me have ten. it doesn't work like that. >> as i was saying, let us know what the temperatures are across the country today. >> first i want to say hi to these folks. what's going on? >> we are raising money to fight cancer. >> very nice. now let's check your weather. we'll take a look for today a risk of strong storms in the mid south atlantic coastal areas. a lot of rain in the pacific northwest with inner mountain snows anywhere from two to three feet of snow. as we move into tomorrow, a risk of strong storms, lower mississippi river valley into the mid mississippi river valley, light snow in the pacific northwest to the central rockies. we are expecting warm weather from southern california to texas. warm down in florida. nice and mild along the well, it's already clear out there. good moing. i'm meteorologist christina loren in the nbc bay area. we're on our way to the upper 70s. maybe even a few isolated 80s in the warmest cities across the bay. really not much of a temperature difference from what we're expecting inland versus right by the water. 72 in san francisco today. as we head through your thursday, we're going to stay just about as warm, 70 for friday, starting to drop off and cool down saturday into sunday. a few showers monday. i'm not sure, but i think it's your birthday. i don't think you have enough signs. what's your name? >> carly. >> how old are you? >> 12, think. >> you think? okay. there you go. this young man's birthday. we know he's 4. ann? >> thank you, al. coming up, if you're too busy to call your mom we have high tech ways to stay in touch with her. first, this is "today" on nbc. ok, guys-- what's next ? chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll take all the strawberries, dave. you got it, kid. we have a winner. we're definitely gonna need another one. small businesses that want to grow use 4g lte technology from verizon. i wonder how she does it. that's why she's the boss. because the small business with the best technology rules. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006. [ male announcer ] aggressive new styling. a more fuel-efficient turbocharged engine. and a completely redesigned interior. ♪ the new c-class with over 2,000 refinements. it's amazing...inside and out. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. ♪ call me back at 8:36. this morning on today's tech, staying in touch with mom. if it's been a while sints you dropped by or have given her a ring she's probably told you about it. instead of feeling guilty we have ideas to keep her happy. mario armstrong is a digital lifestyle expert. >> good morning. good to see you. >> that's a good intro song. ♪ call me >> no one calls anymore. >> your way of calling is video conference. >> what we'll see in 12 to 24 months is you will be looking at the phone, not answering it and putting it to your ear. video conferencing is the way to see people long distance. >> you need a camera and a computer. >> you can do it on the laptop or tablet. you need a web cam. i'm holding one. what you are looking for is dual stereo mics for great sound. look for hd for the greatest quality and a high speed internet connection to ensure a great connection. >> does it matter if it's in the computer or not? >> no. you want to look at the specs. you may want to bump up and buy a web cam and put it on the laptop. it may be better than the web cam that came with the laptop. bottom line is when you are buying laptops, you will see web cams in them. >> how much are we spending on it? >> $39 to $99. >> we're going to put it to work, right? >> this is face time, apple's world of chatting. you have the ipad, iphone, itouch. if you have apple devices you can use face time to connect with family and friends. over here we are going to skype with al. >> i don't talk to al nearly enough. >> there he is. he's in the window. skyping is easy. free to use. log onto skype.com, type in your name and profile. find any family members on skype, hit the video call button and chat with al. what's going on, al? >> it's amazing this technology. >> where are those $20 you owe me? >> i lost you carl. i'm sorry. [ disconnects ] [ laughter ] >> i don't believe that guy. >> that's how easy it is. you hit the video call and dial him back and say, no, it wasn't a bad connection. we know you tried to cop out on us, al. >> he's turning us down. there's a camera you cannot escape from. >> that's how easy it is. family and friends can connect. >> for those frustrated by the picture freezing is that a reason to give up or keep trying back? >> normally that means your internet connection is slow or you may be doing too much wiggling. sit still. have great lighting. have an hd camera. the bottom line is you want to connect with family and friends over long distances. don't wait for the holidays to connect. skype helps with that. >> you say texting is a way to go. >> yes. texting is big. everyone is carrying a mobile phone. kids don't call their parents anymore. they want to text them and say, hey, mom, here's where i am. one of the things i like is group me. groups can text together. a whole family can be in one text conversation. you can have several different contacts and add more contacts. then you can see the messages as they are going back and forth. in this case they are talking about planning dinner tonight. texting is something that parents need to get comfortable with and need to move on. >> we know about facebook but social media has ways to connect you may not have thought about before. >> you have google plus which has google hangouts. you can do multiple people. in this case we have six different people within this one window which is awesome. you could be planning a family wedding, a family celebration or something. you want to have everyone together. what's cool about google plus is whoever is talking at the time, that's where the camera focuses on at that particular moment. >> if you are shooting video, sending video, is there an easy way? >> yes. social cam. my favorite app for that. it's free. it's on the android and apple devices. my little page here. basically you shoot with your iphone or android. take a quick video. doesn't matter the length of time. you can send it to family and friends. you can make it private so only they can see it or make it public for everyone. really cool. >> what about with my mother-in-law. i already talk to her enough. you're out of luck? >> out of luck. get ready to put on some clothes because now you're on video, not just on phone. >> mario, thank you. up next, money saving tax tips. the overlooked deductions you should take advantage of. first, this is "today" on nbc. -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur?] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that c help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh. a superhero? ♪ kinda. [ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪ back now at 8:43 with today's money. tax season is here. if you are wondering if there are money saving tips you missed you're in luck. cnbc's personal finance correspondent sharon epperson is here with the most overlooked tax credits and deductions. sharon, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> millions of americans overpay their taxes. how much is this ultimately costing americans? >> we're talking about 45 million americans who itemize deductions on 1040 forms. they can claim deductions up to $1 trillion. we are talking about a lot of money you can save my bi putting in the right itemizations for credit. >> you say you want to talk about tax deductions and credits. what are the differences? >> a deduction comes off the top of gross income. when it's subtracted you have your adjusted gross income. a credit is actually dollar for dollar reducing your taxes. so that's a bigger bang for your buck, or it can be. that's what to look for as well as deductions. >> starting with deductions, because it does add up to real money, state sales tax. that's something we can deduct. >> you have a choice between deducting state and local sales tax or income tax. for people who live in states that have no income tax this is a great thing you will want to look into particularly in florida or texas, washington state. what you want to consider, the irs has tables online that you can look at. you can also add to whatever they say the state sales tax deduction would be. add to that a home if you purchased that. add to that a vehicle, a boat, anything like this could be added to that and that may make it even more cost effective to take the sales tax deduction versus the income tax deduction. >> because you're buying a huge item. >> your home building expenses can be added as well. >> medical expenses can also be deducted. when do you want to think about that? >> if you had a lot of medical expenses. it has to add up to 7.5% of adjusted gross income to deduct it. if you're self-employed look into health insurance premiums. long-term care insurance you could deduct. >> when it comes to your home there are a couple of deductions. refinancing points is one of them. >> that's a prepaid interest on the loan. you can deduct it over the course of the loian. you can take 1/30 of the points over the life of the loan. for every $1,000 you take $33. it may not seem like a lot but it can add up. >> as we saw, moving expenses can be deducted. at what point? >> you want to look at the irs guidelines to make sure you are in the right time frame. so many people are having to move to get a job. that's something to consider. >> speaking of having lost another job, people looking for work. the cost of looking for work can help you. >> food, transportation, lodging. if you have used an employment agency the cost to print your resumé, business cards. those job hunting expenses, you want to keep track of because they are deductible. >> i'm going to list the other things. running your own business, the expenses for that can be deducted and getting more education. >> tuition and fees deduction can be significant if you qualify by income. that's up to $4,000. you can get the american education credit. that's $2,500. >> the tax credit is important. and we also can get credit for using energy saving, home improvements. >> some people may not be eligible because they have done it already. but if uh you did it between 2006 and 2011 an extra $5 00 helps. >> it can cost you not to file. >> file on time. april 17th is an important deadline to meet. >> thank you so much this morning. >> sure. >> coming up next, martha stewart helps lighten up our favorite comfort foods. but first, this is "today" on nbc. this morning on martha on "today" lightening up your favorite comfort foods. if you want to cut fat but not flavor martha stewart is here with recipes from her new cookbook "everyday food light." >> this is an exciting book. really it does cut out a lot of calories and fat. it's just right for our springtime eating. >> the flavor stays in. >> all the good ingredients are there. like meatloaf. three-quarters of a pound of ground sirloin, but instead of just meat, pork and veal we are using sirloin and chopped fresh vegetables. carrot, celery and onion chopped in the food processor. to this instead of adding the whole egg everyone is used to adding, just one egg white. and a quarter of a cup of panko. these are japanese bread crumbs which are made from a good white bread, no fat added, nothing. just bread crumbs. this gets mixed up with salt and pepper. and bake it for 30 minutes at 425. brush it with your favorite barbecue sauce. >> i can't wait to try it. >> what makes the potatoes extra light is nonfat buttermilk. >> good ideas! >> no cream. you don't even have to put butter in the potatoes. they really taste good with buttermilk. >> you say we can make chicken parmesan tasty and light. >> no frying. bake it on parchment and the chicken is easy. want to do it? >> mm-hmm. >> one side of the chicken spo the egg white, then into the flour. >> that's just plain flour. >> right. into the egg white again. >> on the other side? >> no. only one side. then into the whole wheat bread crumbs. in there is grated parmesan. >> there you go. >> bake it at 425. for ten minutes. take it out, put skim mozzarella cheese on top and serve it with your favorite spelt pasta or a really nice whole wheat pasta and tomato sauce. >> it doesn't look low fat at all. looks terrific. >> that's a nice southern staple, shrimp and grits. >> instead of a lot of cheese in the grit which is adds fat. >> sure. >> it's just about two cups of grits and only two tablespoons of butter. >> for flavor. >> and salt and pepper. let that cook. i love the shrimp part. here we have onions. a little bit of garlic. there is bacon fat. we cooked two slices of bacon. >> right. >> that give use a tablespoon of bacon fat. >> just for flavor. >> right. no butter or oil. you add your tomatoes. these are roasted in the oven. one pound of shrimp and saute that. it takes about three minutes. really. >> it's light and quick. >> and serve it like that over the grits. sprinkle a little bit. this serves four people. >> light and economical. >> a little bit of the bacon for flavor. what a delicious dinner that is. >> and dessert. you can have your dessert and make it light. >> you can. >> mini mocha cheesecakes. >> but the cheese instead of being heavy cream and cream cheese it's low fat or nonfat cottage cheese mixed with cocoa and espresso. >> you get protein as well. >> yes. >> in these muffin tins you put in the cheesecake mixture. top it with a chocolate wafer. >> this is what they look like when they come out. if you must, add a little bit of whipped cream. >> all right. let's try. you also made brownie cookies. >> one day i had left over brownie mix. i was trying a new recipe. i put just a tablespoon on parchment. it made brownie cookies. >> 100 calories. >> and so good. all the recipes in the book is an approach to lighter food. we all eat too much. >> yes, we do. >> why did you look at me when you said that? >> no! >> she knows you're a foodie. as we all are. >> i'll just hang out by the grits. >> martha, thank you so much. great ideas. >> now let's say hello to willard scott in florida. >> from beautiful sanibel, florida, at one of the nicest hotel resorts in the country. come see us. we'd love to have you here. nice people. right on the beach. happy birthday from smuckers. do they have smucker's in there? if they don't, we'll close them down. earlene stacker from indianapolis, indiana. 106 years old. keeps her mind sharp by watching the news and reading the newspaper every day. that's good. that will fix you up. elmer carter of marlton, new jersey. 101 years old. proud wwii veteran. six battle stars including the bronze star. we salute you, sir. a patriot. how about that? anthony silva of hampton beach, new hampshire. 100 years old today. drove an rv across the country after he retired. then had an extended stay in las vegas and a week later bought the rv back. i just threw that in there. louise borst of west palm beach, florida. 104 years old. enjoys riding her bicycle. how about that? and watching soap operas. we were saying there are not many left to watch. that's an era gone by. i used to listen to them on the radio. george jarrell of blacksburg, virginia. 101. good for him. that's pretty country down there. i know it well. he loves watching baseball. favorite team the atlanta braves. can't beat that. that's a good team. take a look. tucson, arizona's lee nin is 104 and believes you should exercise your mind and body. if i had one of each i would. that's all. now back to the great city. >> willard, thank you so much. just ahead, the west ways to ease uncomfortable back pain. >> first, your local news. good wednesday morning you to. it's 8:56 right now. a mom faces charges along with her son in the stabbing of a 13-year-old boy. san jose police say 42-year-old margaret drove her 15-year-old sun away from the scene in clearview drive on thursday. the stabbing followed an argument between the teens. his injuries were not life-threatening. the mother and son both face attempted murder charges. good morning to you. we're looking really good, live picture of alcatraz. the camera has a bit of a shake to it, that's because we have a breeze today. we drop off for the weekend. have a great day. oh will you grab us some yoplait? sure. what flavor? mm, one of each. lemon burst, hm, cherry orchard, blackberry harvest... my daughter's grabbing some yoplait. pina colada, orange creme. i can't imagine where she is... strawberry cheesecake. [ grocery store pa ] clean up in aisle eight. found her! [ female announcer ] yoplait original. 25 flavors for you to love. it is so good. back now with more of "today" on this wednesday morning, the 22nd day of february 2012. it is ash wednesday. it is also a heavenly day this morning here in rockefeller plaza. it is not too cool. a little cool but not too ol. it's expected to be in the mid 50s at some point today. >> and tomorrow. >> i'm outside with carl quintanilla who's in for matt this morning and al roker and savannah guthrie. we are all excited to have everybody here. we'll be talking about back pain coming up. >> millions of americans suffer from it, especially women. we'll talk about things you can do to help with back pain including maybe lightening our load. we all carry big heavy purses with bricks in them. high heels. there are a lot of things to cause back pain. we'll have good tips for everybody. >> if you want to alleviate strain on your wallet, carl hurt his back falling off of his the other day. we have advice from the money 911 team. whether you are looking for low financing on home furnishings or trying to make the most of your spending accounts to save pretax dollars we'll answer your questions. >> all right. >> also, which celebrity style you would like to copy. ideas? >> slim whitman. >> who's that? >> i'm not a celebrity. >> gosling, yeah. >> americans weighed in on that as well as hollywood heart throbs you would trade your husband for. >> what? no! are we talking about that today? >> ivillage's annual entertainment awards. >> is it too late to vote? >> i don't want to get in trouble with my husband. you'll call him after the show. it's not going to be good. meantime, we're going to ask natalie for the news coming up this morning. >> good morning, everyone. anti-american protests are raging in afghanistan this morning. it's the second day of demonstrations over the improper disposal of korans at a u.s. military base outside kabul. u.s. officials say the burning of the muslim holy text was inadvertent and apologized. as protests turned violent the u.s. embassy tells nbc news they are on lockdown. the supreme leader of iran said tehran's nuclear course won't be changed regardless of international sanctions or other pressures. he spoke on state television shortly after the u.n. nuclear team declared efforts to get iran to come clean on nuclear intentions have failed. two western journalists, one american and the other french have been killed this morning in syria while reporting from the besieged city of homs. the american is identified as distinguished war reporter marie colvin. the frenchman is remy olschlick. >> dr. conrad murray is appealing his conviction. some say he would be a flight risk. he was sentenced to four years in jail after being found guilty of using the anesthesia propofol as a sleeping medication for the superstar. in health news, more americans are now dying from hepatitis c than hiv and many of them are unaware they are infected. according to the cdc, about 3.2 million people in the u.s. are infected with the chronic hepatitis c virus that's a leading cause of liver disease and death. the virus is most prevalent in baby boomers. experts say many could have been infected decades ago and not know it. kate middleton has revealed the name of her new black cocker spaniel to be lupo which is italian for wolf. she let it slip tuesday while visiting a school in oxford. someone has already created a twitter account for his royal dogness where he says he can't contain his excitement over all the attention so watch out for accidents. in case you can't get enough of the duchess of cambridge you're in luck. now there is a spare. an english artist photographed the kate and pippa lookalikes as part of a fashion shoot. she may have the shiny hair and sapphire ring she doesn't have the prince to go with them. it's now four minutes past the hour. now to al for a check of the weather. very much on spot, i think. >> yes. now they have to find the william and harry lookalikes. for today, your weather. lots of wet stuff and snowy stuff in the pacific northwest. heavy rain moving in. finally starting to slack off. we have high wind watches. high wind warnings and advisories all the way from coastal washington state into parts of millionontana and wyom. wind gusts over 80 miles per hour. snowfall from two to six feet in the northern cascades. also right around vail. they are looking at good snow as well. we are looking towards a breezy and warm afternoon. good morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. we're talking temperatures just 2 degrees shy of 80 in places like morgan hill today. we've still got a month of winter left. 72 degrees today in black hawk. and about 73 in san mateo. holding on to the low 70s even right by the water in san francisco. as we head through thursday, just about as warm, dropping off to 70 for friday. then we get more clouds and cool off for the weekend. ♪ somebody call 911 ♪ shorty fire burning on the dance floor ♪ >> time for today's money 911 where you get financial advice from our panel of experts. here to answer your questions, jean chatzky, the author of "money 911." david bach, founder of finish rich.com and the author of "debt free for life" and farnoos farnoosh torabi. good to see you. we'll start off with skype. we've got carla skyping in from st. louis, mo. good morning. >> hi, al. >> what's your question? >> my husband and i just bought a new home. we are looking to buy home furnishings including new furniture and are considering financing instead of paying cash. if we can find interest-free financing options. it seems most stores have 0% financing right now but you have to sign up for a store credit card. would it be smarter for us to sign up for a new general credit card with a 0% introductory or balance transfer rate or should we siep gn up for the store cre card? we are concerned about the impact on our credit if we open credit at stores where it may be our only purchase in the next few years. >> i like the credit card better than the store credit card. interest rates on store credit cards are typically almost double interest rates on regular credit cards. you can really snag a good 0% credit card right now. what i like better than that and i think these guys would agree is that you live in the house for a while before you go crazy spending money on furniture. you will get hit with a expenses, maintenance, utilities and things you aren't expecting. be conservative. congrats on the house. >> thank you. >> that knock down furniture. nothing wrong with that. >> craigslist. >> let's head to twitter. so if i tweeted, what's the difference between flex spending accounts versus a health savings account? can they both be a deduction on taxes? >> they can. there is a great alternative for people looking for ways to lower health care costs. there is the flexible spending account and what you can do is this. you can put up to $5,000 in the account. what's great about it is it's tax deductible. what you have to watch for is if you don't use the money by the end of the year, you lose it. it goes back to the employer. so the other alternative is the health savings account. that's for people with a high deductible plan. if you're single and you have a deductible of $2400 you should look at that account. the money rolls over for the next year and continues year after year. it's almost like a retirement account for health savings. >> what about the taxes? >> it's deductible. go to irs.gov and put in health savings accounts. tons of information. >> back to skype to check in with kim skyping in from phoenix, arizona. good morning. >> good morning, al. >> what's your question? >> i'm trying to repair my credit. i have accessed all my credit reports. the reports seem pretty straightforward but i have a lot of questions regarding them. are there organizations i can access, maybe a nonprofit to help me really read my reports and give me advice as to how to increase my credit score? >> great question. >> great question, kim. congrats on checking your credit report. that's the first and most important step. we should all do it. go to annual credit report.com to get it for free once a year. first some resources. check out the national foundation for credit counseling. find a certified counselor in your area. not only can they help with your credit report and interpreting it but also looking at the budget, your bills, your debt. a comprehensive plan that's free for you. check your local library. libraries aren't just houses with books anymore. they may have a financial literacy center that's free. you can access that in your free time. also check out free websites online like credit.com, credit karma. we have mentioned them on the show several times. and to boost your score, i haven't seen your report but i guarantee that paying your bills on time and lowering your debt on your credit card bills will be a boost. those two variables alone comprise 50% of your score. good luck to you again. great step checking your reports. >> thank you. >> now we'll hit the phones. john is calling in from minnesota. good morning. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> thank you for taking the time to field my question. i have read both pro and con regarding this issue. on the surface it seems complicated. here's my question. what is your opinion of paying off an existing home mortgage versus borrowing more such as with a home equity loan and investing the money in investment grade insurance contracts such as a tax-free investment as suggested by douglas andrews publication "misfortune 101"? >> i don't like it at all. here's why. >> that's simple. >> it's not complicated. don't do it. a lot of people got into trouble by using their houses as atms during the housing bubble. when you pull money out of your house using a home equity loan you put your house on the line. i have a money rule that says your house is a piggy bank, not a cash cow. you want to pay off the mortgage again and again. it becomes a savings account for your retirement. you can trade down into something else. >> the return on paying down your mortgage is guaranteed. if the marriage is 4% and you pay it off it's a 4% return. if they promise you 4% that's a potential 4%. >> it's not a promise. >> not a guarantee. >> all right. >> so in other words don't touch it with a ten-foot pole. >> exactly. >> that's the advice of the panel. >> jean says don't do it. end of story. >> got it. >> we have a viewer e-mail from jessica from virginia. she writes my husband and i are going to be getting a decent tax return this year. wants to put it into savings which they have been rebuilding since buying their first home. i want to pay off our medical bills and save after. this is the only debt we have. we still have a good chunk for savings after paying off medical bills. what do you think? >> you're in great shape. normally i would say to pay off the debt. $2,000, it will be paid off and you don't have to worried. but there is a lot to be said for keeping your husband happy. if you compromise and put half the money to paying off half the debt you will be half happy and the rest of the money in savings he'll be happy. it thaes a compromise called marriage. i would go that route. >> marriage counselor. now to patricia on skype from brighton, michigan. good morning. >> good morning. >> what's your question? >> so far bonds have played a minor role in my portfolio. i'm looking to diversify and decrease my volatility from stocks. i'm concerned that the bond market's best days are behind us because interest rates are likely to go up. how and when do i enter the bond market? >> if you're a buy and hold investor don't time the bond market. yes, the market moves inversely to interest rates, prices of bonds go up when interest rates go down. but if you are going to buy and hold for the long term until it expires the volatility interest rate won't impact your return. in other words you're still going to get back the initial investment and the coupon payments. that's more than we can say for stocks. have some mix of bonds in the portfolio. it's diversification. >> and be patient. thank you, patricia. jean, david, farnoosh. thank you. coming up next, are you one of 5 million women suffering from an aching back? we'll help you straighten things out with tips to alleviate the pain. and then these aren't your average awards. we have all the winners coming up after these messages. 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[ female announcer ] only from aveeno. have 46 grams of whole grains... mmmm. ...and a touch of sweetness. you'll be delighted to discover how good they taste. get your free sample of quaker oatmeal squares on facebook. ♪ everybody hurts this morning on today's health, preventing back pain. according to the centers for disease control and prevention back pain is the most common source of discomfort and women in particular are at risk. dr. raj is a today contributor and contributing editor to women's health magazine. good morning. >> good morning. >> 5 million americans go to the doctor's office every year with back pain, particularly women. >> absolutely. >> why are we vulnerable? >> the back is the support system for the body. women in general tend to carry too many things. i was looking at the sidewalk right now. the men are walking around, not a care in the world. the women have the purse, shopping bags, lugging kids around. we carry too much weight. >> we do. three common back issues i think that doctors see most often. first is muscle strain, herniated disks and osteoarthritis. starting with muscle strain. >> muscle strain implies a slight tearing or over stretching of back muscles causing stiffness or soreness made worse by sudden movements or a jolting or awkward movement. often gets better on its own, with ice, stretching or anti-inflammatories. >> herniated disk? >> right. the disks in the spine are cushions in between the vertebrae. they help protect it. with aging and other wear and tear it can sometimes bulge out or even rupture. if that rupture or bulge then compresses a nerve that can cause shooting pain in the back sometimes down the leg. sometimes a herniated disk doesn't cause pain. you may not be aware of it. >> when it does cause pain it's excruciati excruciating. and then osteoarthritis. >> this is part of the general wear and tear of the joints. it happens in the hips, knees, lower back. it causes pain and soreness. >> with all of these you say if you are experiencing back trouble you should go to your doctor's office and make sure you get a thorough check. >> get it checked out especially if you have numbness, tingling, bowel or bladder problems. it could be a sign of something serious. >> there are tips to hopefully help prevent the visit to the doctor's office. you recommend we shape up our core. >> right. >> why are the muscles here so important to ensure that you don't hurt your back? >> you really want to strengthen the muscles that protect your spine including our abdominal muscles and back muscles. yoga and pilates are ways to include core strength in exercise. also low impact aerobic exercise is important to strengthen muscles in the body. the core is important to make sure it's really maintaining a good cushion for the spine. >> and if you are carrying weight around the middle, a good idea to be fit and strong. >> the more over weight you are, the more pressure on your back. that will lead to pain eventually. >> you say to adjust your work space. what may contribute to the problem? >> so many people are looking at a computer screen for eight hours or more a day. you want to be sure the screen is in the right position. it should be at eye level. your neck should not strain up or down. that will lead to a full curvature of the spine. the spine should be in an s position, not a c. you want lower back support in the chair. keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. no crossing your legs, unlike us. >> no putting your leg under you. that throws you off as well. >> it causes mislimiemt. imagine a straight rod in the back. stay in that position most of the time. >> next you say to stretch it out. >> stretching is important. especially before and after exercise. everyone should be stretching in the morning, the evening and middle of the day, especially if you are sitting for long periods of time. stretch out your spine. that will help with posture, too. >> and lighten the load. you mentioned we carry a lot of weight with the big purses. >> you don't need all those things. keep a second batch of hair spray or whatever at the office. use a bag that's right. some of the heavy leather bags are heavy. use canvas or faux leather. have it over your stomach like a messenger bag or a backpack style is better. lift with your legs when lifting, not your back. your back should be straight. >> don't bend down. great reminder for us all. thank you. >> thank you. >> still to come, the right clothes to flatter your figure. we'll help you find the perfect figes. 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[ female announcer ] lactaid milk is easy to digest. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. >> good morning. it's 9:26. the man suspected of killing a 7 yrld berkeley res dend over the weekend is expect to be in court today. police say he attacked the victim in the berkeley hills. the man was rushed to a local trauma center where he was pronounced dead. dewitt has a history of paranoid schizophrenia. >> you could see the pain. i said, dan, you you're always welcome in our home. and i -- he's just sweet. >> he's scheduled to be arraigned at 2:00 this afternoon. they can be aggravating, and some say the red-light cameras are illegal. the company which operates the cameras in the bay area has been named in a class-action suit claiming they violate the california penal code. it requires infractions be witnessed by an officer, or at the very least, should be authenticated by a person, not a computer. it was filed against victorville in southern california. attempts to reach reach red fle comments were unsuccessful, ea taking a live look over on the city by the bay. you can see we've got a gorgeous blue sky overhead everywhere right now across the bay area, seeing a lot of sunshine. and take a look where our temperatures are at 9:28. 60 in livermore, 58 in novato, and 58 degrees in san francisco. we'll keep climbing through about 3:00 p.m. today. highs ending up close to temperature records just about everywhere as a result of offshore flow. 75 in san jose, 71 in dublin today. about 72 degrees in san francisco. just about as warm for tomorrow. getting a few more clouds. and cooler for the weekend. let's check your drive at 9:29 with mike. >> horrible, folks, northbound 880 coming off the san mateo bridge to san leandro. use 580 if you can, if it's convenient. 280 had a couple of accidents around hickey. still very slow out of the city through daly city. mike, thanks. we'll be back with our next news and weather update at 9:56. we'll see you soon. all right. let's put the onion -- >> okay. >> perfect. >> bread crumbs. >> cayenne. wow! oh, excuse me. you scared me. >> you have that effect on people. >> wow. that's paula deen and yours truly at last year's south beach wine & food festival. we'll be there friday with paula. she'll discuss the fallout since she announced her diabetes situation. we'll have other celebrity chefs and a look at the sizzling style of south beach with jill martin, friday on "today." >> how can it be we didn't get our invitations, al? >> i know! and you're cooking. >> for the q. on thursday. >> we're available. >> come on down. >> you have to butter up mark victor, our 9:00 producer. >> it will be beautiful and sunny there. >> 85 degrees. >> all right. coming up this half hour the oscars are sunday, but we have something perhaps even better. the entertainment awards are unlike any other from the star whose style you most want to steal to the man you would trade your husband for. the ivillage awards had a lot of fun this year. we'll have some of the winners. the guys definitely would trade in the wife for j. lo. >> man, you're going to get me in trouble. >> don't answer, al. >> and it's one of nature's most spectacular light shows in decades. we'll find out why the aurora borealis this year is the brightest in decades. and chef swartz is spicing things up with a brazilian meal that many families have feasted on last night on the last day of carnivale. we are looking forward to that. first a check of the weather. >> today we will be expecting plenty of sunshine along the eastern seaboard. showers in the interior northeast. a lot of wet weather in the pacific northwest. a risk of storms in the mid mississippi river valley. for tomorrow, a risk of strong storms back through the lower gulf coast. left over snowshowers. cold air makes it to the great lakes. lake effect snowshowers there. sunny and warm from california through the southwest down into texas. 89. temperatures already in the 60s in some cities. we are going to keep on climbing all the way through about 3:00 p.m. meaning temperatures will easily hit the 70s. by noon today in your inland cities you'll be at 65 degrees. in san francisco, as you break for lunch, rounding out the day at 72 degrees in the city by the day. staying just as warm for tomorrow. the breeze will pick up. by friday, cooling you down, and cooler weather this weekend. >> and that's your latest weather. >> up next, from your favorite reality shows to the most stylish celebrities, the ivillage awards are in right after this. love this stuff. i'm starting to feel a change no longer feeling slow. i can't believe i thought irregularity was my normal. now i don't miss a beat. activia helps with occasional irregularity, when eaten 3 times a day. i knew lisa would love her new normal. ♪ activia love your new normal and introducing silky, fruity activia harvest picks. one more way to enjoy activia. to fill over 200 garbage trucks out of landfills each year? 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[ male announcer ] 1, 2, 3 percent cash back for the things you buy most. the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. have 46 grams of whole grains... mmmm. ...and a touch of sweetness. you'll be delighted to discover how good they taste. get your free sample of quaker oatmeal squares on facebook. get your free sample of quaker oatmeal squares hi. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations. like peach/raspberry. with one flavor in the granola bunch and one on the flake. two flavors. in harmony. honey bunches of oats. make your day bunches better. ♪ sunlight says get up and go ♪ mountain-grown aroma coming through ♪ ♪ a new challenge waits for you ♪ ♪ ♪ jumpin' into something new ♪ you really see all you can do ♪ ♪ ♪ the best part of wakin' up ♪ is folgers in your cup and the winner is -- the results of the third annual ivillage entertainment awards are in. if you wonder which hollywood hottie women want to change their husbands for or which star has the best style we have your answers. kelly, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> i like these categories. they are a little different. unorthodox. >> a little bit like move over oscar. instead of the academy doing the voting our community does. talking about the actors, actresses, the shows they have been talking about all year. >> let's talk about the winners, but first how did you. coup with nominees? is it the viewers and those who watch voted for the nominees as well? >> absolutely. our crack entertainment editorial team talked about coming up with eclectic, fun categories. topics and people that our community have been talking about all year long. that made it easy. >> our first category, trendiest celebrity tot. we have shilo jolie-pitt, suri cruise, kingston rossdale, honor marie warren, liam and stella mcdermott and mason disick. >> the winner --? mason. any kardashian fan knows that's the son of kourtney. she put a post on the blog saying vote for mason. >> she campaigned. >> a little bit. that helped. >> clearly. the next category is the star style you most wanted to steal. we'll put up the nominees. emma stone, blake lively, kardashian, mila kunis, emma watson and kate middleton. >> kate middleton wins over the celebrity princesses. it was close. just a two-point difference from. the moment she put on her wedding gown to every dress since fashion writers and fans love her style. sometimes it's chic for the red carpet but sometimes she uses clothes that don't break the bank. she wears an affordable dress or coat from an irish or english designer and within minutes it's off the shelf. >> and people can relate to her style and wish they look as good as she does. >> she's very comfortable in her fashion skin. we look forward to what she'll wear next. >> our next category is favorite reality show judging panel. you put some of the top reality shows out there. "american idol" won but it's a close second. >> "the voice" is right on its heels. this is significant. "the voice" is a relative newcomer and "american idol" has been around 11 seasons. an episode of "the voice" topped "american idol" in the coveted 18 to 49 demo which has tv writers saying "american idol" has been number one for so long but how long can it go and "the voice" is there. >> the judges do have good chemistry. >> christina aguilera, ceelo stone, blake shelton, adam levine. fans are relating to this and it shows. >> saddest tv farewell. one of ours, meredith vieira. also regis, steve carell left "the office," all my children and one life to live and oprah. >> soap opera fans lost two shows and they are upset. their loyalty put soap opera farewells at the top. one life to live one and then all my children. the shows have been around more than 40 years. this was not just tv. they were like family to fans i.'s hard to believe in the age of dvr, but years ago lunch schedules, college schedules, work schedules revolved around the show. many stars started on these shows. kelly ripa, kyle chandler. this is a launching pad for a lot of celebrities. >> a lot of folks feel like it's the passing of an era. >> it is. fans were hopeful. there was talk that all my children, one life to live may continue on the internet, but it fell through. it's a genre that's gone. >> we have saved the best for last. final category, man you would trade your husband for. >> we love our husbands. but we love this category. >> matt damon, ryan gosling, ryan reynolds, robert pattinson, jason momoa and jason segel. what would you vote for? >> ryan gosling. maybe ryan reynolds. >> the ryans. >> matt damon for me. >> it wasn't even close. robert pattinson with 64% of the vote. he's the leading man from the twilight saga. and the twi-moms, women of all ages are obsessed. he's won this category every year for three years. the undisputed champion. clearly they are obsessed with him, obsessed with "twilight." he's only 25. some of the moms like that younger man. >> he is cute. kelly wallace, thank you. that was fun. up next, the most spe spectacular display of northern decades. we'll show it to you after these messages. and the cereals your kids love. ♪ now all general mills big g kid cereals have more whole grain than any other ingredient. the same great taste they love in cereals like lucky charms and cinnamon toast crunch with whole grain that they need. just look for the white check, only on general mills big g kid cereals, the delicious way to help them grow up strong. now with more whole grain than any other ingredient. for you today ? we gave people right off the street a script and had them read it. no, sorry, i can't help you with that. i'm not authorized to access that transaction. that's not in our policy. i will transfer you now. my supervisor is currently not available. would you like to hold ? that department is currently closed. have i helped you with everything you needed ? if your bank doesn't give you knowledgeable customer service 24/7, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaids, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. yes. yes. noooo! [ male announcer ] yep, subway broke the 200-calorie breakfast barrier. with delicious fresh fit mornin' melt breakfast sandwiches. subway. eat fresh. [ female announcer ] gross -- i'll tell you what's really gross: used dishcloths. they can have a history that they drag around with them. for a cleaner way to clean try bounty extra soft. in this lab demo, one sheet of bounty extra soft leaves this surface 3 times cleaner than a dishcloth. it's super durable too. it's the cleaner way to clean. bring it with bounty extra soft. in the pink pack. and try bounty napkins. sounds like a mini-wheats day to me! and becka's science fair is on the 8th. she's presenting the solar system. hey i've got just the whole grain fiber to help keep her full so she can stay focused. um...you rock. she'll be ready to rock. right here! [ female announcer ] make your kids big days, mini-wheats days. packed with fiber and nearly a day's worth of whole grains kellogg's frosted mini-wheats cereal helps keep your kids full and focused. now available in cinnamon roll flavor. keeps 'em full... keeps 'em focused. keeps 'em full... when we walk together, we are bigger than cancer. the american cancer society relay for life. find your event at relayforlife.org. in the last month the earth has been subject to a spectacular astronomical phenomenon -- the biggest solar storm in more than six years. >> couple that with a peak in the sun's activity and you have psy psychadelic northern lights. >> michelle kosinski has more from norway this morning. good morning. >> reporter: norway has actually had a mild winter but a jaw-dropping aurora borealis. this is one of the best places on the planet to witness it. you know, nasa predicted that this winter would be the most intense northern lights in half a century. it all depends on the activity of the sun which is on a 12-year cycle. right about now is the peak of it. our trusty old sun might look the same but the headlines it's been generating -- geomagnetic storm to hit earth. not so comforting. unlike our brand of storm, when a sun storm slams the atmosphere at 5 million miles an hour, just last month, we get this. the majestic aurora announcing itself through twinkling curtains over the upper and lower latitudes. some of the most awesome in the true and popular sense, displayed in decades. bright green, pinks, sweeps and stripes. glowing rings. some of the coolest images have come from space. the violence of a sun burst settling into a glowing crown atop our planet. to see it in person -- >> it's like a painting maybe that moves. >> sometimes it makes me feel small. i mean, it's so great. it comes from the sun. >> reporter: the sun has been throwing off more charged particles than usual which collide with earth's particles and shoot out photons or light. those are swept along earth's magnetic field and voila. >> the sun is coming out of a period where it's been quiet. but it is entering a more active period. we can expect solar storms multiple times per day. >> reporter: that makes for a lot of electricity up there. scientists just launched a research rocket into the glorious aurora over alaska, more than 200 miles up, to see how it may interfere with our gps. >> turn left, then keep left. >> reporter: if a messed up gps doesn't make you late, staring at the aurora will. a peek we may not get to ooh and aah over for another dozen years. if you think you may want to get out to see the real thing in person you may have to go somewhere kind of inconvenience for americans. the best places are northern gasoli green land, iceland, norway. but there is now tourism geared specifically toward seeing the northern lights. back to you. >> it looks like it's worth the trip. >> and it comes with that music. >> it's like yani. celestial. >> coming up next, the traditional brazilian meal with a modern twist. first, this is "today" on nbc. this morning in today's kitchen we are spicing it up with the taste of rio. >> that's after the last day of carnival, brazilians sit down to a savory stew. >> laticia swartz is here to help us create the traditional meal with modern touches. >> good to see you. >> i'm so happy to be here! >> we're starting with a cocktail. >> this is a cartina. >> to brazil! >> to drinking before 10:00 a.m. >> exactly. delicious. >> what goes into the fedowada. >> it is original from my hometown of rio de janeiro. i feel right at home. i grew up eating this. it is a black bean stew with different meats cooked inside. >> to different meats! >> we'll drink to that. >> usually this is what you see in brazil. >> right. what i love so much about the dish is it really represents the spirit of brazil. we are a mixture of three different influences -- the portuguese, native indian and african. everything is mixed here together. >> we're going to make an american version. >> in brazil -- >> it's a pig hoof. >> in brazil we use a wide variety of cuts. but this dish allows you to be very creative. so you can stay in the land of familiar cuts as well. there we have ox tail, pigs' feet, sausages, you name it. here we have pancetta, chuck and chorizo. we are browning the meats here. we are then going to add the vegetables. can can you add them for me, al? >> what vegetables do you have? onion, skal lons, celery, red onion. >> all those. >> exactly. >> then you want to scrape the pan to get the bits. >> off the bottom. >> then add nutmeg, kacayenne a the star of the dish, the black beans. >> did you presoak? these are dried? >> dried and we cooked it and save all the water. that's the soul of the dish. >> when i make beans i usually use canned beans which work as well, right? >> you can. but something we do in brazil, a little trick is we use a pressure cooker. >> that's the way my mom makes this. >> big time saver. then you return the meats. then you want to cook until it's -- you know, slow for two or three hours. >> on the stove top or in the oven. >> either one. we cooked here on the stove top. >> cover it, let it go for three hours or so. >> and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to get in touch with me at cheflaticia.com. i love to connect with people. >> looks delicious. >> let's transfer. >> you serve it over white rice. >> collard greens in brazil, orange segments. >> nice. >> let me give you some to taste. >> you're not wearing shoes. >> no shoes in the kitchen! >> i didn't want to be so tall today. don't out me, al roker. you're the worst. >> want rice, guys? >> and you also serve it with collard greens which is something common in brazil, too. >> right. you don't have to go to brazil to cook this. everything is available right here. >> what's for dessert? >> a typical dessert we do is called fugine de lece. it's a brazilian flan and we use sweetened condensed milk. >> thank you so much. recipes on the website. today.com. >> still ahead, kathie lee and hoda. >> and fashions that flatter your 9:56 now. good morning. san francisco sheriff will be back in court today ahead of his trial on domestic violence charges. this afternoon's proceedings are a pretrial conference. the sheriff is facing misdemeanor charges after allegedly bruising his wife's arm during an ar gum on new year's eve. it is his first appearance after being granted visitation rights two weeks ago. the trial starts on friday. it is decision day for the san jose earthquake's new stadium. the san jose planning commission will vote today on whether to allow the soccer team to move ahead with construction near the airport. the team is hoping to break ground soon, and has the permit to do it. but neighbors in the area are appealing. they're concerned about noise and traffic. if the commission rules in favor of the residence, the team will have to start the process all over. blue skies draping the area. let's check the forecast with christina. >> look at our temperatures, marla. we're at 66 in livermore right now. 65 in santa rosa. and 60 in sunny vail. that clock is accurate, it's only 9:57. temperatures climbing into record levels today. 78 degrees in places like san jose today. you'll hit about 67 right by the water. a little on the cool side in pacifica, half moon bay today. 72 in san francisco, not too shabby there. tomorrow, just as warm. plenty of sun for your friday but dropping to 70 degrees, then 61, cooler and cloudier weather for the weekend. let's check your drive with mike. >> things are calming down right now. as you approach the bay bridge, from most directions, east shore freeway coming off 24, which was backed up a lot today, as well as 580 approaching the maze. 880 northbound still a problem. scattered accidents, mainly north, jamming up at the coliseum, up towards high street. you'll see things are starting to move a little better at high street. at marina, and 66 north of this shot, another couple of accidents that could cause more slowing heading up into downtown off of 580 and 38, marla. mike, thanks. off of 580 and 38, marla. mike, thanks. we'll be back at 10:26. year after year. in youet feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories, america's beverage companies are delivering. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> announcer: live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody. hoda and i are so happy you're here with us. it's february 22nd, wednesday. also around here and the rest of the world, it's ash wednesday. >> it is. the day after mardi gras. >> and the beginning of lent. very special day for many people in the christian faith. and only in america could this happen. it's ash wednesday, but it's also national margarita day. ♪ >> salsa in the house. >> thank you, darrell robinson. >> for my margmargaritas. what makes these unique? >> this is a pomegranate margarita. >> pomegranate means it's also good for your sex life. >> you know, we don't really want to say that, but i'll let you say it. >> that's what i've heard. >> by the way, there's a show called "drink up." >> "drink up." >> which some people have suggested should be the title of our show. i did not know this. the original margarita was invented in 1948. >> wow. >> in acapulco by a socialite. i'll bet she was a lot of fun. >> and her name was? >> margarita sain. >> just lime juice, agave and tequila. three simple ingredients. >> that's what we're having now. >> agave, pomegranate, salt on one side. >> why the colored salt? people are getting weird. >> it's national margarita day! >> i know, but it gets your tongue green, gets your teeth green. >> that's why i left one side unsalted. >> and we want to wish you all the best. >> happy margarita day. >> happy national margarita day. >> thanks for coming to see us. >> thanks, darrell. >> so yesterday, the president of the united states sang again. and this was one of those -- if you guys saw it, this is one of those full-court press kind of things. it was b.b. king. >> it was blues night at the white house. >> mick jagger. >> celebrating black history month. >> sure. and they were saying -- and you'll see, they were sort of egging him on. they said to the president, look, you do it for al green. >> he let the genie out of the bag when he showed how well he can sing. >> let's watch this. ♪ ♪ ♪ come on ♪ baby don't you want to go ♪ come on baby don't you want to go ♪ ♪ same old place ♪ sweet home chicago >> he has really got it. he'll have a new career after the white house, i think. i don't think b.b. king's going to let him open for him, though. that wouldn't happen. >> he's got pipes. he's got some pipes. >> you know what we didn't realize yesterday. we want to apologize to anybody that we offended. we certainly didn't mean to. when we were talking about people that still have their lights up and christmas trees. we heard from quite a few people that said, you know what? we do that out of love and respect and in longing for our loved ones overseas who are serving in the armed forces. we had absolutely no idea. >> we didn't know that. >> so they keep the light shining for them, and i think that's awesome. >> yeah, a lot of people responded on our facebook page that that's why they leave their lights on. >> knowing that, i might turn mine back on. thanks, everybody, for letting us know that. >> if you didn't already fall in love with adele, you probably did at the grammys. she swept all the awards. she's great. anyway, so there's sort of, i guess, the british equivalent of the grammys in britain. and she was getting her award, i think it was last night. and she was giving her acceptance speech. it was weird because in the middle of her speech, she got cut off. and then she decided to -- >> let them know how she felt about getting cut off. >> coming to the brits and winning album of the year. i'm so, so proud to be british and to be flying our flag, and i'm so proud to be in the room with all of you. >> at that point, at that point, this guy comes up. and he says to her, i'm terribly sorry, but i'm going to have to cut you off. and what you see, kind of fuzzy in the corner, is her giving -- letting everyone know who's number one. >> she didn't do it to her fans, she says. really? really? >> she said it was for the suit. >> the suit. >> the suit who cut her off. >> apparently somebody ahead of her -- and this is why you shouldn't do this -- had taken way too long and had not left enough time for her, which was the final one of the evening. you know, you can understand it, but it's still unfortunate. you know what else is unfortunate? >> oh, no, no. all right. sheila hershey, shayla hershey. we've shown you pictures before. this is one from her facebook page. anyhoo. >> i bet she's fun at cocktail parties. >> she does hold the guinness book of world records for the biggest breasts. she's got 38kkks. and she actually wants to go to ms. >> it took her 13 years and 22 surgeries to get there. why not just do it all in one fell swoop? i don't understand. maybe your skin can't stretch that much initially. it has to -- you know? >> gradual. >> yeah. >> anyway. >> i don't know. >> she's on one of those tlc reality shows that's called "my strange addiction." it says she has more surgeries to increase her breasts to an "m," but she had a staph infection. she had to go back to the "ks" and not the "ms." it's very complicated. >> here's the sad part of it. you know what? she's obviously screaming for attention. you know, that will get them. that will get you some attention. but the sad part is that now she can no longer tie her own shoes, we understand. hoda, it's not funny. it's tragic. stop it. and this is the worst, she can't even hug her daughter. arms just don't go that -- they can't make room for another human being in there. so, you know, i mean, you know, i think it's -- she's addicted, definitely, to it. but there's, you know, if you take those breasts away from her, it doesn't feel like she has any value at all. and it's a terrible role model for young girls. >> i'm sorry. anyway. i feel bad. >> no, you don't. nobody believes you. >> i don't want what to say about it. anyhoo. here's the thing. a lot of people do want cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery. >> they want a face-lift. >> they want a face-lift. all of these starlets in their 20s that are gorgeous, they say, i'm never going to do anything. the first -- ah! they run to the botox. >> right. so there's a new study out that says if you do plastic surgery, a face-lift -- >> right. >> -- the full-on face-lift, if you're wondering how many years that would take off, let's say you did it when you were 55 or 60. >> like i should have. >> they say it cuts off 7.2 years off of your looks. if you think you're going to look 10 or 15 years younger, you're really only look like you did seven years before. >> which i guess for some people it's worth the price and the pain and suffering and the recuperation. but i think a lot of people go in thinking i'm going to look 20 again. >> yeah. >> and the trouble is, once you start there, then you've got to -- you can't even go out and take the hair out of your face without giving yourself away because your hands don't look eight years younger or 20 years younger. so you've got to do all of yourself. then you spend most of your life recuperating from a surgery. and nobody knows you anymore. and it's bizarre. >> yeah. a friend of mine said before you go in for plastic surgery, if you want plastic surgery or a lift or something -- >> and we're not putting anybody down who wants it. >> before you do it, they said if you can, take a week, if you can, and just rest. rest, sleep, go on a teeny vacation, then come back. because often when you feel wiped out, you're exhausted, you feel run down, i need to do this now. when you're on your best day to see if you really feel like you need it. >> or i'm telling you, these fillers these days are so good, you can look ten years younger just with fillers if they're done properly. just don't get 20 years worth at the same time. >> and it's hard to get lifts at all because if you do anything to your lips, it's so noticeable. that's the one thing. >> i know, i know. go to somebody who really knows -- find somebody, a friend, who looks fantastic and ask her, or him, who did it and go to that person who's reputable. not everybody can go to my precious -- >> dr. wexler. >> dr. wexler. she's just not available for everyone. she's very busy. >> i'm not going to, like -- >> every other week. >> how weird. i don't like this story so you'll have to do it. i know i'm not going to like it. i don't even know what it is. >> apparently neither one have seen this, our facebook friend, michelle, saw this ad and posted it on her wall say it made her think of hoda and how she loves our show. >> before and after what? is that a shampoo? >> oh, hair. the little lioness had her hair done. i can't imagine why she thinks that. that's sweet, though, hoda. >> we also want to thank our fan of the week. sometimes we send our fans to great, exotic locations. >> almost every time, yes. there was just that one unfortunate trip. >> a wonderful guy named john posted this thank-you picture. he said he had a lot of fun. >> abaco beach resort. you know what? that is so sweet. >> in the bahamas. he had some fun there. >> good. >> excellent. all right. so we are doing an '80s show on friday. okay? so do you remember what you looked like in the '80s? take a picture. get one of the pictures and send them to us on our website because we want pictures of with you that '80s hair, the shoulder pads. remember? >> we were talking about doing this show, i couldn't remember the '80s. it wasn't for the reasons you might think. i was so busy, i had just moved from california to new york. i was working on another show. and then regis and i met frank. >> boom, boom, boom. >> i couldn't remember. >> the '80s at all. >> no. i would mention a song, and i wouldn't know what decade it came from. >> yep. >> you know, or a movie. i said, well, i love that movie. they said, well, that was in the '60s. really? >> the '80s was a weird decade, madonna, michael jackson, that kinds of musical -- >> so we're going to go down memory lane. >> yes, we are. >> on friday. >> we're also going to do an ambush makeover. if you feel like you're stuck in the '80s, you're going to get made over. >> it's going to be fun. send those in. sara's got a new batch of photos that will make you say, what the -- >> william shatner is here. be afraid. be very afraid. he's going to let us into his wacky, wonderful world. and that's right after this. new dannon pure, love the taste. love the simple ingredients. love the price. new dannon pure yogurt. please your family. please your budget. he just showed up with his client unannounced. luckily, we've got kraft homestyle mac & cheese in the pantry. so mom can save the day. 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[ female announcer ] s.c. johnson. a family company. william shatner has boldly gone just about everywhere in his amazing career from starring in films, television series and commercials to writing best-sellers and making music, not to mention the horses. >> at 80, william has taken on yet another project bringing him back to broadway after a 50-year hiatus. his one-man show is appropriately entitled "shatner's world, we just live in it." hello. >> and we knew it was going to be fun when you get here. >> i was so anxious to see you. i am so ready. >> you're jazzed, aren't you? >> well, i am jazzed about the show. i'm jazzed about you coming to see it. because it's a one-man show. and how do you talk about a one-man show based on dramatic, fun-loving -- >> you've had such an incredible life and career. >> but how do i say, come see, i'm so wonderful. >> you are. >> but other people have told us that. we were out of town last week. you just opened. >> yeah. >> you had stomach flu on your opening night. >> the night before -- the night before i got sick. >> and you have no understudy for your show. >> right. now i've got the flu. and what do you do? so what you do, and it's part of what i talk about in the show, is like you say, okay, this is great! i'm opening in the show that i'm obsessed with for a year and i've got the flu, that's great! i'm going to open with the flu as well! >> exactly. did you incorporate it? >> well, in a way. before and after. >> but there was no barfing on anybody in the front row. >> during, i didn't incorporate it. >> do you take people through the whole kit and caboodle, through "star trek"? >> i talk about love, i talk about music, i talk about death, i talk about -- >> horses? >> horses. i talk about a horse. i talk about the love of horses. i talk about the death of a horse. i talk about the joy of horses. i talk about music. i talk about the beginning. >> and you sing at the end. >> and at the end -- >> a song that was written for you. >> brad paisley wrote a song for me. and he's coming -- i can't tell you exactly when, but he will come to one of the shows and help me sing his song. >> beautiful. >> give us a line or two of it. can you sing a line or two of it? >> sorry to disappoint you, but i'm real. >> that's a lyric from it. that wasn't exactly singing. >> that's how he would sing it. >> that's singing. what else would you -- you want me to sustain a note? are you crazy? >> you did an album. come on, you did a cd. >> i've done more than one just like that. >> how much "star trek" is in it? >> about 15 minutes. >> and what do you say about that? >> there's nothing much to say about the filming of "star trek," but there were things that happened before and after, for example, nasa in "star trek" became sort of a partner. a symbiotic partner. and i talk about that. i talk about what happened after "star trek" when i was broke. and i'm lying in a field in a shell watching a man on the moon, watching astronauts whom i had met and said, i'll see you on the moon. and he's walking on the moon, and i need the money. >> why were you broke? >> i was divorced and took all the money and everything i had earned. and there i was trying to make a few bucks. >> you came back, though. you came back. >> you sure did. >> strong, baby. >> yeah! with the flu. but i'm better now. >> we were a little worried when we saw that last priceline commercial. >> i know, i died. >> what happened? >> talk about being killed off. >> they want you to know that there are prices that are really low that, in addition to what you can bid -- >> there you go. >> what happened? >> the negotiator. i get one of the big laughs from the show, doing something about the negotiator. >> you know, i've known you for a gazillion years. one thing i've never, ever, ever told you. >> please. >> you were one of my first major, major crushes in "star trek." >> why didn't you tell me? >> i was 4. you know, whatever. >> age -- age -- >> there's no longer a barrier. but there was one thing that was a turn-off, i've got to tell you. >> age is a barrier. age has become a barrier. >> there was one thing that was a turn-off, but it wasn't just you. it was everybody. you all wore the pants. you looked like you were expecting a flood. >> you never knew when the sewage department -- you had to have those things up there. i know, those funny little pants and tight little shirts. >> by the way, you looked amazing. are they in the smithsonian, your pants? >> i am. >> no, your pants. >> are my pants in the smithsonian? oh, yeah, tight little pants. >> cute. >> every so often i try and fit into them. >> you do it to me. >> that lady with the triple -- could you believe that? >> you know, is that coco? because i think you should name co and co. right? isn't that her name? >> thank you. >> there she is. sharing the stage with william shatner on broadway. >> you can catch william shatner in "shatner's world" here in new york. it's at the music box theater through march 4th. >> is there a chance it can be extended? >> what? >> that's it. that's it. >> no, no. i'm going on tour. 15-city tour. the audience will see me in a city that they're at. come and see me. >> in a theater near you. great to see you. up next, the photo lineups that will make you say, what the -- then later, who knew and test your oscar knowledge. but first these messages. smokin. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. 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[ male announcer ] it's a snack like nothing else. kraft milkbite bars are made with real milk combined with tasty granola. find me in the dairy aisle. please. it is 10:26 now. a south bay mom faces charges, along with her son in the stabbing of a 13-year-old boy. san jose police say 42-year-old mar gret swazo drove her 15-year-old son away from the scene near clearview drive thursday. the stabbing followed an argument between the teens. the boy's injuries not life-threatening. now o now a 10:28. now, take a look at where your temperatures are. you're at 66, four degrees away from 70 already in sunnyvale. 64 in san francisco right now. the temperatures will keep on climbing to about 78 degrees in morgan hill. breezy conditions. even the city of san francisco, 72 degrees for you. windy conditions as we head through tonight with a wind advisory in place for the east and north bay hills until 6:00 p.m. as you can see, we're going to see very gusty winds all across the bay area. but mostly in the higher elevations. your full forecast today at 11:00 a.m. let's check your drive with mike. >> we have late slowing getting into san francisco. north of 280, there's an accident at the vermont off-ramp. one lane is blocked but should be cleared soon. we have a pleasant drive from the oakland side. but the metering lights are still on. the accident at the start of the problem, that is just clearing and causing slowdown off the castro y as well. slowing still southbound, 101 in through san mateo. much better than it was a half hour ago. >> thanks, mike. don't go anywhere, i'll be back for nbc bay area news at 11:00. see you in 30 minutes. ♪ and we're back on this wednesday ready to play our weekly trivia game we call "who knew?" the biggest night in hollywood is just a few days away. it's time to test your knowledge with oscar trivia. kathie lee is across the street at the nbc experience store. she's ready to hand out $100 to those who get the question right. and to those who don't, a cd. are you ready? >> i'm ready. >> lovely lady from long island. who is the host of this year's os cars? eddie murphy? billy crystal? chris rock or anne hathaway? >> i'm going to have to go with billy crystal. >> you're going to have to go because it's right. >> billy crystal. i haven't seen much of him out there on the publicity front. >> no, he's been very low-key. this is his ninth time hosting. he holds the second most hosted record after bob hope who did it 18 times. i always love when he embeds himself into the movies and sings about the movies. that's a lot of fun. >> he's great. i like his opening usually. back across the street. >> from boston. a study found compared to the loser, whatever that means, married women who received the oscar for best actress were 63% more likely to do which of the following? cry onstage? thank their husbands? have children? or get a divorce? >> ooh. can i ask a family member? >> yeah. >> what do you think? >> we have very little time here. >> cry on stage. >> wrong. don't rely on your children for anything, i've discovered, in life, really. here you go. >> the correct answer is kind of a shocker. they are more likely to get a divorce. >> isn't that crazy? there was actually that found that. if you look at some of the recent winners, sandra bullock, kate winslet, halle berry, hilary swank, they all win the oscar and then a few months or a year later, they get a divorce. a study found the husbands can't handle the women becoming so famous and successful. >> they're jealous of oscar. >> the men, there's no divorce rate correlation. >> because we like them to do well. >> so if you win, you have to sell your oscar on ebay to save your marriage. >> back across the street. >> sad. you said you're from braintree, massachusetts, all right? which one of the following classic movies has not won the oscar for best picture? titanic? "the sound of music?" citizen kane or rocky? gosh, you're so young, i don't think you'll know this one. surprise us. >> can i ask my mom? >> sure. >> "citizen kane"? >> see, ask your mother. that's exactly what you do. >> we're getting it now. "citizen kane." surprising. >> people consider that one of the best movies made of all time. in 1942 it was nominated for nine oscars, it only won for the screenplay. "how green is my valley" won. >> back across to kath. >> from connecticut, what did george clooney bring with him to the 2010 oscar ceremony? his dad? a flask? binoculars or earplugs? >> it was his dad. >> boy, and she thought she knew. and how embarrassing. to be so sure and then to be proven wrong. no, it was his flask. >> his flask. >> i love him. >> so he brought a flask. >> and he showed it to the reporters on the red carpet. but what people don't remember about the oscars, it's a really long ceremony. it's over three hours. unlike "the golden globes," there's no alcohol. i really think he did a good thing. >> he brought his own. back across. >> from duluth, minnesota, which of these films received the most oscar nominations this year? "the help"? harry potter? hugo? or the descendants? >> what do you think? "the help." >> see, she listened to her child and lost again, i'm so sorry about this, really. >> the correct answer there is "hugo." >> the martin scorsese movie about the boy that lives in a train station got 11 nominations. "the artist" got ten nominations. "harry potter" has never been nominated for best picture. all eight movies, most successful franchise of all time. >> surprising. >> the academy does not like that movie. >> time for one more. >> from lake george, new york. how many people work as seat-fillers on oscars night? >> 220? >> yes. good for you. >> wow, nice. so 220 people. >> 220 people. so you actually have to be related to someone in the academy, or you have to be an accountant or a lawyer. even when it comes to seat-fillers, there's nepotism in hollywood. >> accountant or lawyer? >> you have to work for the acted me. it's not just regular people. >> thanks so much. >> sure. coming up next, donny deutsch answers your guy questions. and then the fashions that flatter your figure and make you look every single part of your body. kathie lee is coming back across the street. we'll get busy right after this. . they agreed. [ experimenter 1 ] relax, take some nice deep breaths. 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>> mistake number one, after a third date, don't ask a man about his feelings. >> ooh, yeah. >> just don't say what are you feeling. at some point into the relationship, you could say that. and the good news, he was honest with you. now, if he said to you, look, i don't feel this way about you, and i don't think i ever will, that's one thing. if he said hey, it's only been three dates, i'm not sure. that's an honest response. don't ask a man early on, how are you feeling? where is this going? not a good thing. >> also you don't know well enough to know if he's telling you the truth or not. >> by the way, after three dates and cue know you're falling in love, i might do a time-out and step back. i know there's love at first sight. >> be mysterious. men like a little mystery. >> we like a lot of mystery. >> our next question is from sheila. how do i get my man to take me seriously when i try to talk to him about my needs? >> first of all, the word "needs," it's an abstract -- who wants to deal with needs? but you have specific things that are important to you. and so you have to choose, as a woman, or a man it's reverse, what are the things that are really critical? him saying he loves you once a week. a man is not there to might your needs and vice versa. a man is there to be respectful of what's important to you and be cognizant of it. so separate those two things. i sound smart today. >> what's going on? >> who are you? >> what happened to you? are you in love? >> no. the more time i spend being a daddy, the more you elevate yourself. >> of daughters, thank you very much. >> that is what's happening to me. i find things coming out of my mouth now. you have daughters, it changes everything. >> that's great. >> what's next? >> from mandy, my fiance is private about his past. i know enough not to be suspicious, but why is he so private? >> by the way, a past is who you are. so there's nothing -- and by the way, in this world right now, it's not -- i don't mean to be a detective, it's not hard to find out. but by the way, i always, early on, like tell me about your last husband. so if he's being private about his past, there's a reason. that's not a good sign. because your past is who you are. you should be very open about where you're from, who you've been with. >> she should google him and find out all he needs to know? >> absolutely. that's just life. by the way, i'm always suspect of a girl, on a first date, i've never googled you. i know nothing about you. that's the person i know has been studying for three hours. >> or me because i know nothing about it. >> you are rare in every way. >> oh. let's move on to the next one. i like that one. >> next from beatrice. my man seems to have little patience with conversations which he doesn't agree with my opinion. he literally shuts down, little things such as meal choices, clothing styles. my opinion is, is it okay to agree to disagree? >> of koushs it's okay. you said the key thing, little things. don't even bother. by the way, if you guys like different meals, like don't even get into those conversations. >> isn't there something strange about this guy who's turning everything off? >> maybe he's somebody who doesn't like conflict. it doesn't moon he doesn't love you. save your arguments and disagreements for things that matter. >> we have to run d.d. >> you're bringing back -- these aren't really fry boots but in that direction. this is the official coming back of fry boots. >> and 10-year-old roberto cavallis. we're very retro. >> no, you're very rare. >> that's working for me. spring is all about style, i told you. >> is it? >> we'll show you how to hide any flaw you might have. i think you have none. you know, other people disagree. and then never have another bad hair day again. the tools that are going to help you with the perfect curls right after this. nyquil (st uffy ): hey, tylenol. you know we're kinda like twins. tylenol: we are? nyquil (stuffy): yeah, we both relieve coughs, sneezing, aches, fevers. tylenol: and i relieve nasal congestion. nyquil (stuffy): overachiever. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. you could spend as much as $200. olay says challenge that with an instrument that cleanses as effectively as what's sold by skin professionals for a whole lot less. new olay pro x advanced cleaning system. love the taste., love the simple ingredients. love the price. new dannon pure yogurt. please your family. please your budget. if it's your hips that you think are less than hot or a bum that you believe is a bit too big, we've got some ways to flatter your figure problems with some great fashions. >> and if you're an "instyle" magazine fan, you'll love what we're about to show you. she is the magazine's fashion features editor. hey, isabel, how are you? we all have problem areas. it's nice just to throw on a nice outfit and kind of erase them. >> sure. you want to emphasize the areas you do love and play up your assets. >> maximize those assets, baby. >> if one of the issues is a shorter leg, and we have sky coming out, tell us what's the right thing to do here. >> so if you do have a shorter leg -- and she's got a great pair of legs -- you want to start with a skirt that's high-wasted. this gives you the illusion that the legs start higher than they actually do. >> i lo of that skirt. >> it's a cute, flouncy skirt. keep it in the same skin tone or if you're wearing tights to create a long, continuous line. you absolutely want to wear a pair of nude heels. this adds another three inches. the illusion of three inches. >> so what's a no-no? >> you don't want to wear midi skirts or mid-calf-length skirts. you don't want to disrupt that line. same with ankle straps. don't want to disrupt that line. >> thank you. if you have a full derriere. come on out. so what should you do? >> she's got a great posterior. >> yes, she does. >> a la kim kardashian. >> it's right up there. >> you know, it may seem counterintuitive, but you actually want to expose the area with a lot of coverage. you want to make sure that it's a continuous line. you don't want to add bulk with bulky pockets or a lot of embellishment on the back side, but you do want a trouser cut that's fitted, keep your shirt tucked in and the proportion and you see the difference where the waist comes in and where the curves start. >> thanks, mia. so if hips are an issue, carmela's coming out to show us. hi. hello. >> she looks like she's on "mad men." >> exactly. so we're playing up the retro silhouette that a great pair of hips can provide. >> and most men actually like that. >> it's a very sexy hourglass figure. you know, we've tapped into two big trends which is the pencil skirt. this is ideal for accentuating your hips. we've done it in a print which further draws the eyes to that area. and then we have a peplum top which is very retro and we've belted it. you don't want to do anything shapeless here because it will look ridiculous. >> again, the nude shoe. >> and the nude shoe for length. >> very good, isabel. >> let's bring out ms. bernadette. we're talking full chests here. >> she's not quite a shayla, but she's got it going on. >> yes, she does. >> to really play up your bust area, you know, you don't want to overendow it with ruffles or embellishment. you want to streamline it. you want a v-neck or scoop neck. you want to open up the area. you might think oh, i want to cover up, but actually, that creates bulk. so you want to have the beautiful v-neck silhouette. you want to support with material in the shoulders and have a great bra on. and then the wrap dress creates the silhouette with the waist. again, it's about defining those proportions between the waist where it comes in and where you have -- >> because even if you've got beautiful bosom, you can tend to look matronly if you're not careful. everybody looks gorgeous. thanks, isabel. good to see you again. up next, now that you've got the wardrobe down, it's time to conquer the curl. first, this is "today" on nbc. c. first, this is "today" on nbc. have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, i just don't know what to do with my hair? >> never. all right. well, why not put a little curl in your coif? there are so many fun ways to do it, and beauty expert grace gold is here to help you get the perfect amount of bounce. good to see you. >> thank you. >> you've got some less expensive and more expensive options for each one of these we're going to talk about. >> i do. and each of these curlers, they give you a little different look. >> first of all, you have a glove on your hand. >> so not to burn yourself, right? >> talk about that curling iron you have. >> this is the clampless. this is the big trend right now. everybody's using these. but you do need a little michael jackson action with the glove. >> okay. >> you're going to burn. >> and the irons do usually come with a glove. our budget version is the pro tools. it's $29.99. it works great. and chi makes them in different sizes. >> will you show us how it works? there's no clamp. you actually use your hand on it? >> so you're going to take a section. you hold it down. you spiral around. >> and that works until you get to the end. then you hold it. >> this is why you need the glove or else it's not going to end well for you. and you get an s-shaped wave. >> very nice. a lot of people use the traditional hot curlers. >> yes, hot rollers are great if you're intimidated by the tools. because this does all the work for you. >> okay. >> and in the drugstore, really nobody does it better than conair. $18.99, you get a whole set. this one is by remington. it's from target, $45. yes. and they come with clips. >> do they also come in bigger sizes as well? >> they do come in different sizes, yes. and the clips, if you're going to do this, use the clips because it makes it so much easier. >> and they don't leave a mark. >> you just take them out just like that. and then run your fingers through them. >> should you let it cool before you do the running of the fingers? >> yes. it takes about 15 minutes. you need it cool for sure. margot's got this beautiful look. it gives you a to us touselled, curl. >> what would you do with yourself? >> you saw. >> you can curl with a flat iron. it needs to have a rounded edge if you're going to do that. and our budget buy here is a brand called cricket. it's $49. all of the bells and whistles of the $200 irons. and this one that we've used on lany, this is the fhi heat. this is my personal favorite. this is the move, okay? and practice on a cold iron first. until you feel confident enough. you close up, under. >> oh. >> turn once. >> oh, dear. >> oh, no. i'm scared. >> pull it down. it's like curling ribbon with a scissor. >> okay. >> and look at that. you get gorgeous curl. >> a little less than a minute. careful, it's hot. >> careful. >> and this last one, bobbie thomas talked about. >> this is the traditional curling iron. it gives you a circular curl. >> except it does the work. >> it does all the work for you. our budget buy is conair, $15 at the drugstore. >> while we say good-bye, show us how this works. tomorrow he have a big show. nick jonas is coming. >> and sinead o'connor. i hope she's going to sing for us. >> look what happens. >> magic. and can you really curb your sweet tooth? >> we'll have all the answers. >> have a great winesday wednesday and national margarita day. tomorrow we'll see you for thirsty thursday. >> exactly. i love the hair. the suspect in the beating death of a berkeley man will appear in court this afoo

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