good morning. breaking news. at least four people killed as riot police armed with clubs, rubber bullets and tear gas clash with protesters in bahrain. and a u.s. journalist gets caught in the violence live on the air. >> let go of me! >> we are there, live. emotional admission from senator scott brown reveals the physical and sexual abuse he endured as a child. abuse he never reported and kept hidden even from his own mother. this morning why he decided now was the time to finally tell his story. and scientists working on

another problem believe they may have stumbled across a new cure for baldness today. >> yes! >> today is thursday, february 17th, 2011. that was al roker. captions paid for by nbc-universal television can you do this show alone? al and i have an appointment. >> it grows hair on rats, i know that. oh! >> oh! >> oh, nice. >> you had to go down that road. we'll get to that story later

on. also, serious news. armed troops and tanks are patrolling the streets of bahrain's capital of manama after that overnight clash in the city's main square. >> it is the latest violence in the region following the successful revolution in egypt. protesters have held antigovernment rallies since monday, but early this morning, police were sent in to disburse the crowd and things quickly spiraled out of control. we'll get the very latest straight ahead. also, a danger to car owners. if your car uses what's called a keyless ignition system. more and more models come with that feature. it's supposed to make your life a little easier, but could it also pose a danger to your family? the warning you need to hear, coming up. plus, charlie sheen's rather unexpected phone calls to a radio show. he talked candidly about drugs, why being sober bores him, and whether he's ever been drunk on the set of his hit sitcom. he even offered advice to lindsay lohan. but we begin on this thursday morning with the deadly violence in bahrain where anti-government protesters

clashed. jackie deangelis lives in manama. she's joining us now by phone. jackie, good morning to you. i know that the protest in bahrain began to percolate as the streets of egy(t were boiling over. talk to me about the scope of the protests and what seemed to escalate the protests in the last 12 hours. >> we've been following this story for the last three days. protests started peaceful, although there were some clashes of violence that we saw, but pretty much peaceful once it got to the pearl round-about. the last time i was there was 11:00 last night, local time. i was looking down on it. there was music playing. there were women and children. people were eating food. it almost seemed like a festival more than a protest. i went back to my flat. we were getting ready for our coverage the next day. we were awoken by bullets, live shots, coming off in spurts. and also tear gas. now, i was not there, but a source tells me that police acted very swiftly and very aggressively. and they cleared that square of thousands in 20 minutes. of course, that was at 3:00 a.m. local time. heavy, heavy tear gas. four people we know died. many were injured. the mood here right now is very

tense, matt. there's a lot of -- there are military tanks in the square. police have sealed off that area. people are being urged to stay at home. there's just a really, really tense feeling in the air. >> and i understand, jackie, there's a bit of a backlash against foreign journalists as well. >> that's right. it's been very hard to cover this story. as a matter of fact, there have been reports that the ministry of information has been taking cameras from people that have been recording things. as a matter of fact, in the violent last night, abc's miguel marquez was there, and he got caught up in it. >> police officers are moving in a line to clear the square forcefully. no, no, no, no! get away! get away! [ inaudible ] >> i just got beat rather badly

by a gang of thugs. i mean, these people are not screwing around. >> all right, jackie. we can obviously hear it's a very dangerous and tense situation. jackie, thank you for your report this morning. we appreciate it. all right. it's five minutes after the hour. here's meredith. cbs correspondent lara logan is now out of the hospital following the brutal beating and sexual assault that she suffered while covering the revolution in egypt. today national correspondent amy robach is here with the latest. >> good morning. logan flew back to the united states on saturday after that attack took place. she was treated at a hospital before being released to her family and now the mother of two is recovering at home. >> reporter: the latest news on lara logan was reported by cbs news wednesday night. >> we're happy to report she's out of the hospital now, continuing her recovery at home. she received a call today from president obama, who expressed his concern.

>> reporter: logan was in cairo friday to report on the resignation of president hosni mubarak, but became separated from her crew and was surrounded by a mob of more than 200. this photo released by cbs was taken the moment before what cbs news has described has a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating. according to the committee to protect foreign journalists, at least 140 reporters have been attacked while covering the protests in egypt. >> what was unusual about the situation in egypt is the systematic and sustained nature of the attacks on journalists. >> reporter: this was not the first difficulty logan experienced in egypt. one week before the attack, logan and her colleagues were detained by egyptian security forces and endured a long interrogation before being expelled from the country. but logan managed to return, telling charley rose before she went back she felt compelled to go again. >> it's very hard for me to be away from this story. i feel like i failed because i

didn't deliver. but fundamentally, it's in my blood to be there. >> you don't want people to question your ability to carry out what's been considered a man's job for very long. >> reporter: judith gmxmatloffa journalist and professor who used to work with logan. she says attacks against women reporting in foreign countries often go unreported. >> women are worried that if their news editors are concerned that they'll suffer an attack like this, they won't send them into dangerous assignments. >> reporter: logan has covered war zones for two decades. the married mother of two young children has spoken openly on cbs news' website about the difficulty of working in dangerous environments. >> would i go back now that i'm a wife and a mother? i have. is it much harder? yes. do i feel terribly guilty? yes, i do. but i have a sense of responsibility and a sense of duty. i believe that this is something that i was meant to do. >> reporter: no word on when logan could return to work, but experts say for some, getting back to work can be healing. >> an attack changes a person.

it makes them aware of their vulnerability. but as much as you can hold on to family, what you do, your identity in the world, the more that that can mitigate the emotional impact. >> experts tell us as the demonstrations spread in the middle east, so, too, does the opportunity for more attacks on western journalists like the violence we saw overnight in bahrain. meredith? >> amy robach, thank you. let us head over to the news desk now. we'll get the rest of the morning's top stories from ann curry. good morning, everybody. we begin this morning with more on this wave of revolution sweeping the middle east. today is a declared day of rage in libya, a nation led by muammar gaddafi. security forces were out clashing with anti-government protesters. the libyan opposition website reports that four protesters have been killed so far there. and in yemen's seventh day of

protests, government loyalists lashed out at peaceful demonstrators with batons and daggers. here at home, president obama is on the defensive as house republicans seek to make steeper spending cuts for 2012. nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd in washington, d.c., with more on this story. hey, chuck. good morning. >> good morning, ann. today is the day that house republicans are expected to pass their attempt to cut 60 more billion dollars from this year's budget. so what is president obama doing? yesterday he did interviews, and the home media markets of three leading house republicans, john boehner in cincinnati, eric canter in richmond, and paul ryan, the budget chief in milwaukee. here's what the president said to our affiliate in milwaukee, wtmj, about his relationship with paul ryan. >> as to hearing those ideas of congressman ryan's, he hasn't been too specific so far in terms of exactly what he'd like to see done. >> reporter: the expectation, though, is that house bill will probably die in the senate, probably never get to the

president's desk. meanwhile, he heads to the west coast for an overnight trip. tonight he has a private meeting with technology leaders including mark zuckerberg. >> thanks for staying on top of this. an overnight tour boat in vietnam sank this morning killing 12 people, including two americans. tourists were mostly asleep when the boat went down. about 26 children are injured by cribs every day according to a new study in the journal "pediatrics." nearly 10,000 children are treated for crib-related injuries in emergency departments every year and the government says since 2007, more than 11 million cribs, playpens and bassinets have been recalled. now to wall street. all eyes are on apple's stock amid renewed concerns about the health of steve jobs. melissa francis at the new york stock exchange for us this morning. melissa, good morning. >> good morning. this is based on photos that appear in the tabloid "the enquirer." they appear to show steve jobs entering a cancer treatment center and looking frail. apple has no comment right now. of course, the hospital has no comment either. nonetheless, we did see the stock fall about 1%.

and investors are certainly watching this news closely. we're also watching fed chairman ben bernanke, testifying before a senate hearing today. also, timothy geithner speaking about the budget. finally, there's also jobs and inflation data. so a very busy day on wall street. ann, back to you. >> thank you so much for your reporting. as matt and al made hay of earlier, researchers at ucla may have accidentally stumbled on a new way to prevent researchersy have stumbled on a new way to prevent baldness. a hormone blocker helped mice regrow lost hair and prevented hair loss in younger mice. as you can see by the end of the study, the only way to tell the difference between the once bald mice and the others were their i.d. tags. it's a nice day for a swim in the warm waters off of florida if you're a shark. tens of thousands of sharks have been swarming about 50 yards from the store near a popular

diving spot. biologists say they're hungry. they also say they're so close to the beach because they're chasing bait fish and trying to keep warm. who isn't? it's now 7:11. let's go back to meredith, matt and al. >> it was laboratory mice, not rats. >> did i say rats? did i say rats? >> you put the most negative spin on it. >> yeah. >> there is hope. >> that's right. >> start slapping that stuff on your head right now. >> those mice looked good. >> we'll just put a bunch of mice on our head. >> some guys do that basically. anyway -- >> how about the weather, mr. roker? >> all right. let's show you what's going on. our friends out west are feeling our pain that we felt earlier this winter. they're getting more rain and more snow coming onshore from santa mariah up to the california/oregon coast. we're talking one to two inches of rain. then we have the mountains dealing with more heavy snow.

we're looking up good morning to you. well, we have slick conditions out there. make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. as you can see, some pretty heavy showers still coming down over the bay area. the moisture source is moving into the south. so heading throughout this afternoon, whereas yesterday we picked up the most rain in the north bay, today it looks like we'll see more rain in the south bay and the east bay. maybe up to three inches in some cities. keep that in mind. have a great day. we are back tracking the radars in a minute. >> and that's your latest weather. meredith? and now to washington and a surprising admission from senator scott brown. in his upcoming memoir, he is revealing that he was physically and sexually abused as a child. nbc's kelly o'donnell has details. good morning to you, kelly. >> good morning.

good to see you, meredith. scott brown has delivered the unexpected before politically. his big upset win that he became one of the most sought-after republicans out on the campaign trail. but now he gets very personal, disclosing a childhood of abuse. scott brown made the political world take notice just two years ago. >> this is the people's seat. >> reporter: that huge republican upset, winning the seat ted kennedy held for decades. today, senator brown is turning heads again. but with a deeply personal memoir "against all odds." in an interview with "60 minutes," brown revealed that a summer camp counselor sexually abused him. >> he said if you tell anybody, i'll kill you, you know? i will make sure that no one believes you. >> reporter: brown says he was just 10 years old. >> it was certainly back then very traumatic. >> reporter: brown says he never told his family. >> my mom will read about it for

the first time. my wife has read about it. i haven't told anybody. >> reporter: brown describes a separate trauma, physical abuse, saying two relatives beat him regularly. he remembers being embarrassed and hurt. >> that's the biggest thing. when people find people like me at that young, vulnerable age who are basically lost, the thing that they have over you is they make you believe that no one will believe you. >> reporter: brown has honed a truck-driving, regular-guy image. >> i'm hoping i can show them my truck and play basketball with them. >> reporter: while rising as a political star. 51 years old, married with two daughters, a lawyer and triathlete, last year he spoke about overcoming obstacles. >> people -- people knew a little bit about my past. they knew i had nothing. i came from nothing. >> reporter: he writes about growing up hungry, his bad-boy days, and how awkward he felt shooting that '80s nude

centerfold back when he was named america's sexiest man. brown's senate office pointed to his legislative work, helping victims of sexual abuse. asked about revealing childhood secrets, brown said the physical and sexual abuse is in my book. it's a part of my life, but it certainly isn't the only part of my life story which i tell. >> in retrospect, i don't think it would have changed a thing because it made me who i am today. >> and to be a nationally prominent politician these days, you need a book and a book tour. brown beginning his next week. the timing of this is also political, too. he's in a campaign. his victory was to fill the final couple of years of ted kennedy's term, so next year he's up for a full six years in the senate. >> kelly o'donnell, thank you. and senator brown will be here for a live interview monday on "today." it is 7:16. here's matt. it's a popular feature on new cars that could be posing a deadly danger. the keyless ignition. but the feature aimed at making

your life easier is being blamed for taking lives. lisa parker from wmaq in chicago has details on this. good morning. >> matt, good morning. car keys are becoming a thing of the past, replaced by fobs that can start a car from your pocket or from inside your purse. it's a system that's found on more than 150 different models now. lots of variations, but basically it requires no physical connection between this fob and the car in order to stop it, to start it or to drive it. convenient? absolutely. but is it also a system with deadly flaws? mary rivera, once a college professor, now needs help with the simplest of tasks. rivera suffers from permanent brain damage. the culprit, a popular feature in millions of cars called keyless ignition. in which a fob replaces the traditional key. >> a fob is designed so it can stay in your purse or in your pocket, and as long as it's

close enough to the censor, you can start your car by pushing a button. >> reporter: in february 2009, rivera pulled her lexus into her garage directly beneath the new york home she share would hd wi long-time companion. rivera got out of the car, keyless fob in hand, and walked away, not realizing the car was still running. >> the engine should shut off after a specific period of time of inactivity. >> reporter: instead, the car sat idling for hours, filling the home with carbon monoxide. rivera survived barely. her partner, ernie codillia, did not. two other known cases in florida. michael yaffi was found unconscious in his home, his lexus running in an attached garage. he died two weeks later. the cause, his lawyer says, carbon monoxide poisoning. and in boca raton, a 29-year-old

woman was found dead in her home. chasty glisten died of carbon monoxide poisoning. toyota, maker of lexus, offered no comment on the incidents, but says its key system provides multiple warnings to alert occupants that the vehicle is running when the driver exits with the key fob. carl brouwer is critical of keyless technology. >> it's supposed to warn you when the key and the car are separated. >> reporter: or before you can walk away from an engine still quietly running like mary rivera says she did to tragic results. >> i kiss his picture every night when i go to bed. >> now, this is not just a toyota issue. drivers of all different types of cars have complained to the national highway traffic safety administration about a range of problems connected to keyless ignition. there is currently no federal standard in place, but the agency confirms it is now

looking at changing that because of what it is hearing now from so many drivers. matt, back to you. >> lisa parker, thank you very much. some of these cars, you pull into your garage, they're so quiet when idling that you almost don't know they're still running and you can make a mistake like that. >> at least when you have the key, you pull it out. there's the difference. turning to other news now, former baseball manager dallas green, an emotional discussion he's had about an event that changed his life forever when his granddaughter, christina, was killed in that tragic shooting in tucson. he spoke publicly for the first time about the pain his family has endured and how baseball is helping him heal. >> that was a -- a wonderful little gal. >> she was the little girl he called princess. on wednesday, dallas green painfully spoke for the first time about the loss of his granddaughter, christinchristin tragedy gunned down in tucson last month. >> she embodied what's good

about kids. and what's good about growing up in the united states. >> reporter: christina was the youngest victim, just 9 years old, caught in the rampage targeting representative gabrielle giffords. >> you know, i'm supposed to be a tough sucker, and i'm not very tough when it comes to this. she was really a special young lady. probably older than her years. >> reporter: green praised his son, john, for his courage. >> to be able to stand up and talk about his daughter the way he did at the funeral, it was unbelievable. >> reporter: an emotional green says he came back to work to help himself heal. the former phillies manager is now a senior advisor to the team. >> it's helped me because, you know, obviously you sink yourself into the work and you don't -- you don't see a little girl with a hole in her chest as much.

>> reporter: much like her grandfather, christina loved baseball. born amidst another tragedy, september 11th, she was an "a" student who enjoyed dancing and singing and had a passion for politics. her senseless death captured the hearts of many. >> that little girl woke an awful lot of people up. we just -- we just miss the hell out of her. >> yeah. obviously the emotions still very fresh. dallas green, the former manager of the philadelphia phillies. we're back in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

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so dr. nancy is here because we have two desperate men who want to -- >> not desperate. >> they're always desperate. >> needy. they want to know about this study with rats growing hair back. >> it's cool. it's a mouse study at ucla. we don't talk about mouse studies very much.

there is a difference between a mouse and a rat, just so you know. this is a study for ucla where they were really looking at stress hormones in the gut. this -- the doctors treated them with reverse stress hormone and found that three months later they couldn't tell which mice had lost hair because of stress and which ones were just normal. because they had treated them. now that -- perhaps they've found a link between stress hormones and hair loss that may be applicable in human beings. and that's the big thing. this doesn't seem to be genetics at all. it's stress-related. >> bottom line is when do al and i have to go out and buy combs and brushes? >> you know what? if i could put you in a cage with a mouse, i could make this go fast. >> but if it's stress f i leave the show, you'll grow a lot of hair. >> it could mean there's a little link to green, too. lot o >> it could mean there's a little link to green, too.

good morning to you. it is 7:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. more wild weather could slow down your morning commute. we want to check in with "today in the bay's" marla tellez live in the santa cruz mountains where there have already been reports of lightning this morning. how are you holding up now? >> reporter: we are still getting soaked out here. the mountains certainly will be soaked all morning long. highway 17 off to the morning here. the morning commute is looking just fine. drivers are dealing with some slick roads and dense fog. you can see that chp issued a fog advisory. signs are posted warning drivers of the reduced visibility this morning. also hail could happen in the santa cruz mountains.

as you get ready to head out the door, no matter where you are in the bay area, take it easy out there. thank you very much. you can see the camera lens covered with the water there. we'll check in with -- they are going to clean it off for next time. we'll check in with christina as she looks at our forecast. there, now we can hear you. good morning to you. you will be hearing the thunder in the east bay with lightning strikes firing off. a pretty heavy cell is headed to walnut creek in the next ten minutes. get ready for heavy downpours. heading throughout the afternoon most of the rain comes down over the south bay. we could see up to three inches before all is said and done. some light rain in the north and along the peninsula. now to mike to find out about your drive. good morning, mike. good morning, christina. despite the wet roadways, things are moving pretty smoothly. speeds are in the 30s down the east shore freeway. slow through hayward with no major slowing or incidents.

the golden gate bridge, we'll show you this, a smooth drive through the north bay on 101. but highway 29 had to be closed near mount st. helena. the weather is impacting your commute in more than one way. a lot to keep up on. we'll do that for you as we have another local news update for you in a half hour. the "today" show returns in less than two minutes. try to stay dry out there. have a great day. [ male announcer ] hands free driving.

cars that park themselves. an unmanned car driven by a search engine company. we've seen that movie. it ends with robots harvesting our bodies for energy. [ engine revs ] this is the all new 2011 dodge charger.

leader of the human resistance. we're back now. 7:30 on a thursday morning. it's a 17th day of february, 2011. nice view of manhattan, central park there in the center from the top of the rock. supposed to get a little sunnier later in the day, and temperatures going up to the 50-degree mark. tomorrow we're talking 60s. >> i can't believe it. that is nice. >> feeling like spring. nice crowd gathered outside this morning. we thank them for making us a part of their morning. inside studio 1a, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira. charlie sheen spoke out

twice this week. he spoke about sobriety and whether or not he's ever been drunk on the set of his sitcom. we'll hear straight from charlie just ahead. it looks like al has made a new friend. right now he is talking to a robot that 15-year-old linden beatty is controlling from his home in texas. linden suffers from a rare condition that doesn't allow him to attend school, so it acts as a robot to walk the halls, sit in class and answer questions remotely. remarkable technology. and linden will show us how it works coming up. >> we were chatting with linden earlier. it's very cool. prince william and kate m middleton will make a royal visit to north america. we'll have details live from buckingham palace. first, charlie sheen's calls to a sports talk radio program. lee cowan is in los angeles with what the actor had to say. lee, good morning. >> good morning, matt.

this was essentially charlie sheen unplugged. it was a series of very overly casual conversations that were on the air about his private life that to some seemed a bit cavalier, especially given how many jobs are on the line while they wait for the star of "two and a half men" to come back to work. charlie sheen loves baseball. not just on screen, but in real life, too. which is perhaps why he felt compelled to call in to dan patrick's radio show on monday to explain a pep talk he recently gave ucla's baseball team. >> i said, stay away from the crack. which i think is pretty good advice, unless you can manage is socially, dan. if you can manage it socially, go for it. but not a lot of people can, you know? >> reporter: that sent the tabloids scurrying to press. and the late-night comics into overdrive. >> what does that mean? i got the big i.t. meeting in

the morning, so only one rock for me. i'm just a social crack smoker. oh, yeah. >> reporter: to the cast and crew who depend on sheen as the star of "two and a half men," it's no joke. hundreds have been out of work since the show was put in hiatus after sheen decided to seek rehab at home last month. >> how long have you been sober? >> i've been -- i'm not in a.a. i don't believe in it. you know? it's off and on. it's been -- i was sober five years ago and was board and decided this is not who i am. >> reporter: the message to his bosses seem to be, i'm ready to work. but don't wait too long. >> i heal really quickly, but i -- i also unravel pretty quickly, so quget me right now, guys. get me right now. >> reporter: studio executives had no comments other than to say that they plan to go back into production at month's end. but sheen apparently had second thoughts about his comments and called dan patrick back on wednesday to apologize. sort of. >> i'm sorry from stuff sounding

flip. >> reporter: he insisted at work he's always been the consummate professional. >> were you drunk on the set during the show? >> never been drunk, never been high on the set once. but would show up having not slept much. asking the director to move my mark a little bit just so i could be next to a piece of furniture or table. >> so you could lean on it. >> yeah, so i wouldn't fall off. >> reporter: to addiction specialists, that isn't a sign of professionalism. it could be a sign of a pattern about to be repeated. >> he's not interested in recovery. you know? all he -- you know, he feels he's fine because he's testing clean. and that's all he's interested in is to be clean for a little while, go back to work, collect his millions and then go home and party. >> i dare you to get lindsay on the show. >> reporter: before hanging up, sheen said he had parting advice for lindsay lohan, who has had her share of public trouble, too. >> what is your rone piece of advice for lindsay lohan?

>> work on your impulse control. just try to think things through a little bit before you do them. >> charlie sheen, once again, he makes me sweat. >> now, industry sources say that they have already cut the number of new episodes of "two and a half men" down from eight down to four. that's the second time in two years that they've had to cut the production short. sh charlie sheen says there's plenty of time to make up that work. >> lee cowan, thanks. christina and steve are joining us now. good morning to both of you. >> good morning, matt. >> christina, let me start with you based on what we're hearing in the snippets of this interview. what stands out in your mind? >> what stands out is what we have here is a man that's left untreated, essentially three or four weeks of abstinence does not equal recovery. that's enough time to have clean

urinealysis, but it's not enough time for a shift in thinking and way. saying i am struggling and trying every single day. i'm hoping i can make it through this. he's saying, sobriety is not me. i was bored out of my tree. >> that's right. it's very unfortunate because what we're watching is the unraveling of a man. you know, behind the image, behind the industry, is a man that's hurting, that's addicted. and left untreated in a significant way, he will die. >> and he says i'm ready to get back to work. he says get me now because i unravel quickly. if you're one of the producers of his show at cbsr you at all comfortable with that? >> i would not be. i would not be at all. and, you know, what he says is accurate in some ways, that he unravels quickly. he heals quickly. i don't agree with the word

healing, but this is the challenge of quote/unquote functioning addicts. they appear to be okay, but left untreated, he'll be in this situation again, if not worse. you know, addiction is a progressive disease. it is a chronic illness. it cannot be treat would ed wit acute model. >> steve, he's saying i'm going to go back to work. he's been allowed to have at-home rehabilitation. let's be honest. he'll go back to work because that show makes an awful lot of money. it's a big ratings-getter. he'll be welcomed back. >> i'm not so sure, matt. >> i think they're going back into production at the end of the month. >> that's what they say. he keeps calling into sports shows like this, making flip comments, making comments on the show like, listen, hey, kids, i said avoid the crack unless you can handle it socially. i mean, you don't do that kind of thing. i'm not an addiction specialist, but when you say things that hurt your brand and your reputation -- the people at cbs have to be asking themselves --

i know he has a contract, but they should be considering whether it's worth the money he may bring in for the long-term potential if something really implodes here. >> you're saying what he's saying may make these people rethink it. what he's done in the past didn't make them rethink it. they welcomed him back after he did crazy things. >> horrible things. domestic violence case, a situation at the plaza. last time i was on the show, i said about cbs the day before they ultimately pulled and it said stop this production, i said i'm wondering what it would take for them to stop the production. i'm wondering what it would take your contract. the guy is talented, but he's out of control. >> by the way, i'm not suggesting anyone at cbs should be his parents. that's not what they're in the business of being. >> that's fine, matt. what happens when the adults, the executives who are running cbs, running the network and responsible ultimately for what happens on the show realize that they have an out-of-control t

talent who could do something that's devastating for himself and his family and for their brand and the show's. >> remember, the live llihoods a lot of people that work on that show are being held hostage to all of this. >> yes. >> steve and christina, thank you. let us now get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> all right. thank you very much, matt. we've got a bachelorette party going on. what is your name? >> sabrina. >> when is the wedding? >> may 6th. >> where? >> in san francisco. >> and nothing untoward happened last night? >> of course not. absolutely not. >> okay. wink's as good as a nod. let's check your weather and see what's happening. possible record highs today. des moines, they're going to hit 70 degrees. kansas city, 74. wichita, 76. lancing, michigan, 57. you look at those records. we're talking about high temperatures. 20 to 30 degrees above normal. rest of the country, it's on the chilly side as you head out west, especially into the plains as another big winter storm

makes its way from the west to the east. also in new england, we're looking at chilly conditions. nice and toasty down in texas. temperatures in the 80s. we've got fog working its way through parts of texas on into the midwest, into the great our neck of the woods is quite active. you can see how the radar is lit up like a christmas tree in morning. we have a heavy downpour over concord. walnut creek just got hit pretty hard. walnut creek, in particular, take it easy out there as you find slick conditions. yesterday most of the rainfall came down along the peninsula and in the north bay. today it is looking more like the south bean bay and east bay. we could see three inches as more moisture trains in from the pacific. and rain in the forecast each and every day all the way through this weekend. >> and don't forget, you can check your weather for your bridal shower or anything you need if you go to the weather

channel on cable or online. the countdown to the ronew and kate middleton's trip to america after the "i do"s. that's right after this.

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we are back now at 7:43 with new concerns over the serious risk of blindness posed by high-powered laser pointers. pilots are reporting thousands of cases of being tagged, and doctors say they are treating kids who have suffered partial blindness after playing with the devices. tom costello has more for us. tom, good morning. >> hi, meredith. we're talking about these types of laser pointers. you can buy them at the store. really powerful versions online. they're used for meetings, for star-gazing. what looks harmness can be quite dangerous. it was in the skies over los angeles that this green laser locked on to a southwest 737 preparing to land at lax.

soon, a tv and police helicopter were also hit, piercing the cockpit and posing a blinding risk to pilots. when police zeroed in on the address, the suspect was a 14-year-old. he'd been playing with a small hand-held laser pointer. police pilot steve robertson says he's hit by lasers at least once a week. 15 years ago, it nearly proved disastro disastrous. >> it was instant pain and burning and i was blinded instantly for a good 15 to 20 seconds. but the most memorable part was the pain. it was -- it felt like getting hit in the face with a baseball bat. >> reporter: these faa photos of a cockpit lit up by the beam of the laser show why there's concern. pilots reporting more than 2,800 laser hits in 2010, double from the year before. almost always during the critical moments of take-off and landing. lax reported the most laser events with 102, followed by

chicago, phoenix, san jose, and las vegas. faa chief randy babbit -- >> these aren't toys. this is serious when you distract an airplane, whether it's a commercial aircraft with passengers, a police helicopter. all of these are dangerous. >> reporter: because the concentrated light can be brighter than the sun, the fda regulates laser pointers to no more than five milliwatts. but far more powerful and dangerous green lasers are sold over the internet. >> let me take your glasses off. we'll put a drop in your eye. >> reporter: robert josephburg is treating a teenager who suffered temporary blindness after a friend pointed a laser straight in his eyes. >> it's a thermal burn. and basically a laser is radiation. and it's so collimated and fine-tuned, it's a pinpoint of light that basically goes right into the eye. >> reporter: back in l.a., sergeant robertson has regained his sight, but he was hit with a laser again just last week. >> it's not a video game.

you can't push the reset button. you can't put another quarter in. this is people's lives that it's affecting and could impact with a crash. >> pointing a laser at a flight crew can bring you both state and federal charges and prison time. the fda has warned about the dangers of pointing lasers at eyes, especially the very powerful illegal lasers sold on the internet. meredith? >> scary stuff. tom, thank you very much. and just ahead, prince williad kate nomorth north america. details live from buckingham palace, right after this. or

♪ sglnchlg we're back now at 7:50 with a countdown to the big weddi wedding, just 71 days away. prince william and kate are busy making plans for where they'll go before and after the big day. peter alexander is at buckingham palace with details. peter, good morning to you. >> matt, good morning to you.

a beautiful day outside the palace. william and kate are now officially coming to america. well, north america, at least. it will happen this summer. next week, they're expected to make their only public appearance before the actual wedding. if you hope that you're on that invitation list, now is the time to start checking your mailboxes. those formal invites, according to insiders, are now heading out. it will be a royal run-through of sorts, exactly one week from today prince william and kate in their first and only official public engagement before the wedding, will head to a remote isle. the unlikely place with the newyweds are expected to make their first home. the event, a rescue boat dedication, but it may as well be a formal christening for kate's new life. >> this trip is very much the dress rehearsal. this is going to be her opportunity to take to the stage and hopefully shine. >> reporter: a day later, they'll attend an alumni

gathering at the university of st. andrew's where their royal love story reportedly began. and what was it that first caught will's eye? it just may have been this sexy see-through dress, the one kate wore nine years ago at a student fashion show. the first and surely last time we'll ever see the future queen in her underwear. now up for auction, that dress that snared a prince could sell for more than $15,000. >> let's face it, kate and william are the couple of the moment. they're the golden couple of the house of windsor. anything that they touch seems to turn to gold. >> reporter: and in their first official trip overseas, william and kate will make a nine-day visit to canada. william surely won't forget his last canadian vacation. met by thousands of would-be princesses. >> he's gorgeous, he's sweet, i love him. he's everything. >> i'm in love with him. all of you english girls who think you're going to get him, no way.

it's me. >> reporter: they'll even be there for canada day, which also marks his mother's 50th birthday. of course, the real question this morning for a lot of americans is when will william and kate visit the u.s.? it's unlikely to happen this summerer, but certain to happen soon. >> peter alexander, thank you very much. just ahead, theot g t t solh can't go to school so his robot attends for him. they'll show us how it works after your local news.

good morning to you. it is 7:56. i'm laura garcia-cannon. president obama is heading west this morning to meet with some of the biggest business titans. he is expected to touch down at sfo tonight at 6:00. bob redell is live with what the president will do in town while he's here. >> reporter: good morning. the president will land here later today at sfo per for a private dinner with some of the business titans including facebook founder mark zuckerberg and apple's ceo steve jobs. he is expected to talk about his $3.7 trillion budget hes reload released earlier this week.

he does arrive tonight, which is not great timing considering the evening commute and the wet weather we are experiencing. mike inouye will sort that out for us now. mike? the presidential motorcade is not posted where they will be driving but the evening commute through the peninsula will be tied up because folks are anticipating the closures. plan on delays near sfo heading to dinner. then perhaps as he heads into the city or the south bay or somewhere else after the evening commute. this morning's commute is tied up because of the rain. a slow drive past the highway 92 interchange near 101. christina is wet this morning. it will be wet this evening as well. we have an issue weatherwise as well. if you are trying to get out the front door, we have major rain coming down in the east bay. some heavy downpours from oakland to walnut creekment and rain continues to train in from the pacific heading throughout the day today. we could pick up to three inches of rain between this morning and

tonight in some cities in the south bay. you want to keep that in mind. some of the heaviest rain comes down near gilroy. we'll get more of a break today along the peninsula and the north bay with the most rain yesterday. kind of a flip-flop situation. we are expecting more afternoon thunderstorms to develop today. we pick up the daytime heating. 53 degrees. snow levels down to 2,000 feet as we head into friday. a few showers linger for this weekend. breaks of sunshine finally on monday. then we worry about a frost problem. now i'm going to send it over to laura. thank you very much. keep checking back with us as we have another local news update for you to help you get through this rainy commute. the "today" show is back in less than a minute.

8:00 now on this thursday morning, february 17th, 2011. can you feel it? spring is in the air, already a balmy 44 degrees on the plaza. al says we are heading into the mid 50s by midday. >> maybe even 60. >> maybe even 60 today. i'm meredith vieira along with matt lauer, and of course, al roker. just imagine, guys, 16 years old, and you can't go to school and hang out with your friends at all because of a disease you have. that is the case for linden beatty who suffers from a rare medical condition. but now he can, thanks to a robot that allows him to virtually go to class and

interact with his teachers. can you say hi, linden? >> hi. >> that is his avatar. we'll talk to linden and his folks in just a minute. that's in the school, the other one is in his school, and then he can through his computer actually be in class. that thing moves through the classroom. very, very cool. >> yeah. science is wonderful. >> it sure is. also, we're going to talk about an event, and i bet a lot of people don't even remember this happening. 50 years ago, a tragedy for the world of figure skating. the entire u.s. figure skating team died in a plane crash. it was 1961. it's a story that still resonates with people all around the world, in particular, some of the top skaters in u.s. history. we're going to talk to three of them. scott hamilton, peggy fleming and evan lisocek, about that tragedy. and best bargains for beach get-aways. if it you're getting itchy for sun and sand between your toes, and if you're getting itchy, well, we've got some ointments are for you.

>> exactly. first, a check of the morning's top stories from ann curry. hey, ann. >> thanks a lot, guys, and to you, meredith, and good morning, once again, everybody. officials in bahrain and the persian gulfin leashed deadly force against anti-government protesters. police used clubs and tear gas and rubber bullets to clear them from the square. at least four people were killed. bahrain's military has banned all public gatherings and says it will take all necessary measures to maintain security. officials in indonesia say nearly 130 starving and dehydrated refugees from myanmar have been rescued at sea. they say the refugees from an ethnic minority not recognized by the government left myanmar three weeks ago to escape persecution. wisconsin lawmakers could vote today on a bill that drew thousands of protesters of their state house last night. the measure would strip government workers, except police and firefighters, of nearly all union bargaining rights, and make them pay more for pensions and health coverage.

wisconsin's governor says it would save $300 million over two years, and prevent layoffs. the fallout is still unfolding in the wake of bernie madoff's first interview in which he said unnamed banks were complicit in his ponzi scheme. we're keeping an eye on this story. mike, good morning. >> first of all, madoff only said what most people already believed, that a lot of the biggest institutional investors over the years, as well as people closest to madoff had to know something was wrong and yet said nothing. the 71-year-old is in jail for 150 years, the system doling out his punishment. but for those he may now be talking about, the worst may yet to come. bernie madoff revealed nothing after his arrest in december 2008. and nothing when he was sentenced to a century and a half in prison. so what does it mean that madoff has now told "new york times" writer diana henrikez whose book is due out in april that he says

investors were complicit and doing business for him years. his long-time bank, jpmorgan chase, and the owners of the new york mets are being sued for hundreds of millions each by victim's trustee irvin pick arrested. both deny knowledge of any fraud. it's not clear exactly who ma maudoff is blaming. he says no one in his immediate family, wife, ruth, sons peter, knew anything about the fraud. and his friends, who profited richly, they knew nothing, they knew nothing. pickard is trying to add to the $10 million he has already recovered from madoff's truly innocent victims. >> there are people who now have lost everything. >> hayes and other lawyers we have spoken to all agree that if he chooses to, madoff could help prosecutors in almost every criminal case they plan to pursue down the line. that's if he chooses to. so far he's only said he'll help

to recover in the effort of the scam's phony profits. >> thanks, mike. and finally, an animal truck in honor of the lunar new year has turned out to be so controversial that chinese state television has cancelled an encore performance tonight. a magician appeared to make six goldfish swim in perfect formation. however, animal activists suspect the goldfish' symbols prosperity were controlled through electrical currents or implanted magnets. hmmm. it is now 8:05. let's go outside now for a check of the weather. i know, al, with you. >> i don't know how he does it, but i want to take a look at my kids. anyway, we've got these folks -- where are you guys coming from? >> new jersey. >> new jersey! all the way from jersey. >> anniversary also. >> happy anniversary! >> thank you. >> all right. let's check your weather and see what's going on. we'll show you, atlanta, georgia. i'm kidding about the kids.

sunny and mild. y'ththreperfect.rf 71 degrees. as you look, you can see a big storm coming on shore in the pacific northwest. down into california. ooking at some lake effect snow, through the eastern great lakes. we've got sunshine through the southeast. record highs in the mid section of the country, showers along the atlantic coast. high surf advisories along the southern california coast. folks from clarks vegas. what happens in clarksburg stays in clarksburg? >> that's right, yes. >> you guys got out. all right. that' good morning to you. well, rain continues to train in from the pacific. and it looks like we'll see most of the moisture later this afternoon over the south bay, but right now the east bay is getting hit pretty hard by a strong cell here. right now it is centered over concord, but we have heavy rain coming down through oakland. we are getting heavy downpours with lightning at times. thunderstorms will be a problem heading throughout this afternoon. take a look at this.

snowfall coming down on mount hamilton, but they have closed the road to take you up there. have a great day. ll right, al, thank you very much. when we come bark, the robot that goes to school because a 15-year-old can't go himself. we'll meet them both, but first, these messages. ♪ good morning

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back at 8:10. this morning on "curious medicine," a texas teen who can't go to school because he has no immune system. but he's still able to raise his hand in class and joke with his friends thanks to this robot. we're going to meet them both in just a moment. first, here's janet shamlian. >> reporter: morning in knox city, texas. as the school day begins, linden beatty starts his day at home. >> this is my beatty bot. >> reporter: it's a robot that allows linden to attend school from home. in the aftermath of a kidney transplant and with almost no amune system, the risk of infection from others is so great, rilinden started being he schooled last september. >> i had no social interaction with anybody. i had no friends to talk to. i had nobody to be there for me.

>> reporter: then the school district found a piece of technology that put linden in class without putting him in danger. >> from the first day that linden got to use this technology, the next day -- there was just an immediate change in his life. there was a reason for him to get up in the morning. >> reporter: now linden can roll down the hall with his friends. >> do you think you passed that test yesterday? >> i know i passed. i know i got all my bonus points. >> reporter: and teachers can share test results. >> linden, can you focus in on that. >> okay. >> reporter: he operates the avitar with a click of a keyboard. >> i'm always having to beg someone in the middle of the hallways to, hey, can you please open the door, open the door, open the door. i don't have any arms. >> reporter: the $6,000 vgo is often used in manufacturing, but this is the first time it's gone to school. >> you can show him on the board, especially for math

because i can work the problems out. he can ask questions about what he doesn't understand. >> it's like him being there with us in class. like him really being there. >> reporter: all plastic and circuitboards, it's given now purpose to a boy who's all heart and soul. >> it's the most amazing thing that's happened to me in a very long time. >> reporter: for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news, houston. >> and linden beatty is at home in knox city, texas, with his parents, sherry and lewis. here with me is an exact replicaw repl replicuof the beatty bot. good morning to you all. >> good morning. >> linden, this is so cool. i'm only sorry that we can't have you with us physically, but i know that would be too risky because of your immune system. how are you feeling, first of all? >> right now i'm feeling pretty good. i'm just really nervous about this. >> oh, don't be nervous. don't be nerving at all. you were born with a kidney

disease, polycystic kidney disease. you had a transplant at the age of 7. you did great for the next eight years. then your body started to reject your kidney and your immune system was suppressed. you basically had to isolate yourself from your friends, mostly spending time at home with your mom and dad. your home was home schooling you. what was most of last year like for you? >> you know, mainly it was just kind of lonely and, you know, i didn't -- i wasn't -- i don't think i was really getting what i needed with the school because, yeah, my mom, she was doing good, but, you know, you have to be actually in there, in the classroom to get the full effects and understand what's going on. and back there -- or back then, you know, i just felt lonely. i never got to see my friends. but now through my beatty bot, i can.

>> it's really changed your life dramatically, hasn't it? >> oh, yes, it's -- it's the most wonderful thing that's happened to me since my transplant. >> and, mom, what does that feel like for you to hear that from your son? >> it's incredible. it's really exciting to see as a mom and just to see him light up every day, to get to go to school and see his friends and interact in the classroom. >> i know, lewis, you are the superintendent of your school district. how have the teachers responded to this? is it a distraction at all for them? >> no, the teachers have been very supportive of the equipment. i think, you know, to start with, it was a little bit different, but now the teachers are very supportive. and just consider it just another student in the class. >> so, linden, i want to show the audience again how this works. i've got a beatty bot with me. i want to talk to the beatty bot. okay? so now i'm going to talk to you

through the robot itself. hi, linden. >> can you hear me? hey! >> i can hear you really well. explain what it's like going to school from home. you're actually controlling every movement of this robot. >> yeah. it's -- it's just like being there. i'm not being there, but, you know, when i'm home, i feel -- i actually feel like i'm at school. you know, if i was at school, i could run the risk of being sick. but if i wasn't at school, if i -- since i'm not at school, yet i am -- i am in school. and i am staying healthy with the beatty bot. i keep saying i can be two places at once. >> yes, you can. is there anything you miss about not being physically at school that the robot can't do for you? >> it's kind of different when you're at school because, you know, you can actually -- you

know, you can actually see the body. you know, yeah, i can see the body, but -- you have to actually see a person or, you know, touch them or something like that. you know, i can't do that -- do that through my screen. but, you know, i am staying healthy and that is what's most important. >> absolutely. and i know that you're now interested in journalism and writing because of the robot. you're taking extra curricular courses. i want to take you on a studio of 1a. can you see me? >> yep. >> linden is controlling this robot. we're going to walk this way. i want to show you something. got it? can you walk this way. >> yep. i might beat you there. >> there you go. over here. do you see what's in front of me? >> yep. >> you know what that is? >> nope. >> that's matt lauer's desk. his chair. he's not in it. how would you like to take it

over one day? >> not now. >> here he comes. he's panicking. linden, darn, darn! >> dang it! i should are taken it when i had the chance. >> go back, go back! >> linden, such a pleasure to have you here. what is next for you, kiddo? are you on a list for another transplant? >> right now, not yet but, yes, i will eventually have to have another transplant. when my kidney is functioning at 20%, i will be listed for another transplant. and then when it goes down to 15%, i will be -- go on dialysis. >> well, we wish you the very best, linden. matt will keep the seat warm for you. >> thank you. it really means a lot. >> you take care, sweetheart. is monday...

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we're back at 8:21. some of the greatest names in figure skating are the story-tellers in a new story called "rise" that commemorates the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest tragedies in the history of sports. >> 74 people were killed in the worst plane crash in belgian aviation history. 49 americans including members of the united states figure skating team on their way to the world championships at proglost their lives. >> those were going to be my role models. and i think being so young, i didn't have, you know, that perspective of what that really meant. >> how old were you? >> i was 12. >> three of the olympic champions are with us. scott hamilton, peggy flemming and evan lysacek. good morning. >> good morning. >> why hasn't more been said about this story? i'm a sports nut and when i

watched this movie the other day, i was shocked that people haven't heard more about this. >> peggy and i were talking earlier. she says it is the single largest sports tragedy in the history of sports because it wasn't just the athletes that were killed. it's all the coaches, all the best coaches, parents, officials. it was devastating to u.s. figure skating. they were on such a roll. when you look back at four olympic gold medals in a row were won in men's figure skating. ladies', two in a row. >> that generation retired and then this was the new team. >> right. >> filling their shoes. >> that team then ceased to exist. peggy, you were one of the next generation of skaters who were given the job of rebuilding figure skating in this country. the olympics after the crash you placed sixth and then you won the gold. so what did that mean? >> i was on a fast track. you know, i was 12.

i didn't really know if skating was going to be my sport that i would keep up for a long time. i didn't look up to, you know, winning the olympics sometime. i just kept getting better every year. my coach was killed in this crash, bill kipp. he was very charismatic, had a lot of energy. but i just loved skating and kept taking lessons. >> one of the things the movie does so well, evan, it shows that this wasn't about one team. it shows that -- that the sport even today can go back and trace the impact of that one team. this happened 25 years before you were even born, and yet you have connections to that team. >> well, i had initially the same question as you. why do we not know more about it? my generation of the young skaters now really have no information about it. today, with instant gratification everywhere, 50 years seems like a long time. but it's really not that lengthy of a period. and the people that are the forefront of the sport still, my

coach -- >> frank carroll. >> -- and many who are closely affected by this crash are still involved and it's too painful for them to talk about. the education process is not there and that's why this film is important. >> frank carroll, your coach, was taught to coach by one of the people who died in that crash. that person, frank, they never got a gold medal. when you won the gold medal at the last olympics, you got to kind of complete the circle. and give frank the coach's medal. >> correct, yeah. and that, to me, was what made this movie so relevant to my career and my relationship with my coach. i felt such a strong connection in that moment, just knowing -- after seeing the film how close they actually were and how frank assumed her role in a way and i, in turn, assumed the role of frank. >> scott, you say -- i love something you say in this movie. i'm not usually that big a fan of yours. but i really -- >> our history is long. >> you say it's not about falling. it's about getting up.

that's not only true about what happened to this team, but skating in general and life. >> there's always something that's going to knock you down and devastate you. you've got to find the strength to get up. and one thing i've good morning to you. it is 8:26 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. good news for drivers on the bay bridge. construction is moving ahead of schedule. "today in the bay's" christie smith is live this morning in oakland with what bay bridge leaders will tell us today. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. we are just passed the bay bridge toll plaza where you are going to see some lane realignment and detours come up that caltrans plans to unveil later today. what this is going to do is to allow the oakland touchdown to be complete it ahead of schedule. this is the area with we are standing. it is a 1,000-foot stretch that now will keep pace with the

suspension span construction instead of being built last. the detour drivers can start using in may leaves one direction, the entire eastern span is expected to open in the year 2013. that's the latest from here, reporting near the toll plaza, christie smith for "today in the bay." find some place dry. and when we come back, we'll in doai nd comin wn wn and how it is affecting the morning commute. h

good morning to you. well, we have a lot of lightning firing off just off the coast.

a lot of rain moving in to the east and the north bay. right now you saw where christie smith was situated, a big-time cell passed through her area headed over to concord. we'll check the commute with mike inouye. the road was getting a smackdown. you saw kristy receiving that. red and yellow all over the map. that means speeds near 30 at best all over the bay. be careful. be careful heading out the door this morning. i'll have another local news update in a half hour. the "today" show returns in less than a minute. have a great day.

8:30 now on a thursday morning, 17th day of february, 2011. say hello to my little friends. >> hello, friends! >> that's from a movie, right? that was "scarface" i believe. >> pacino. >> that's right. nice people that have gathered

here on this 48-degree morning here in new york. temperatures going up to better than that. i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira, ann curry and al roker. coming up, the mysteries of the brain. controls everything we do. it controls our addictions. it controls just about of our habits, our emotions, our thoughts. but do you know how it works? we'll take a virtual tour of the brain this morning. >> that guy has got problems. >> he does. are you thinking about having a little trip to the beach before spring starts? >> that would be nice. >> we're coming up with affordable destinations that you can book right now. >> okay. also, what do you do if you're a saver and your sfopous is a spender? besides having arguments, we'll give you important advice on how to get on the same page. and the five tips every dog owner needs to know. >> okay. that's a good tease. first, you've got a check of

the weather. >> i do, inneed. the long president's day weekend, saturday, heavy rain in southern california. snow, great news for the seeki out west. on sunday, icy conditions in the river valley. sunshine returns to the west coast. sunny and mild through florida. good news for vacationers there. into president's day, sunny and warm down through florida. icy here in the northeast. rain in the mid-atlantic well, we have a weather alert if you are getting ready to head to highway 4 in antioch. a strong cell is pushing towards you. you have heavy rain coming down as well as some lightning strikes. thunderstorms out there this morning. you really want to take it easy. as we head throughout the afternoon, most of the moisture is expected in the south bay and the east bay. we will see a built little bit of clearing by tonight with more rain on the way tomorrow. watch out for the strong cell pushing towards antioch.

>> and that's your latest weather. >> we just talked to those three great skaters about "rise," about the 1961 tragedy with the u.s. figure skating team. you can see that movie tonight in over 500 theaters across the country, and then an encore performance on monday, march 7th. go to our website for more details. now to today's "royal treatment." we're sending one lucky viewer and a guest to england during the royal wedding. >> here's one of the entries we've already received. >> hello, "today" show. i'm deidre. i would love to go to london for prince william's wedding because my husband loves british accent. i don't really talk in a british accent all the time. i'm not from britain, but my husband loves the accent.

>> well, there you go. >> all right. >> i think we have a winner! >> i'm telling you. whether it's who or whoever, the winner will get two first-class tickets on british airways to london. that's nice. there will be so much more. >> that's right. get out your cameras and be creative. we'll look for videotapes that are no more than two minutes long telling us why london is calling you and creativity counts. if you want more details, go to todayshow.com. >> we're doing a lot of that. >> too much. ou exactly. coming , h does you y

we're back now, 8:36 with

"mysteries of the brain." this morning, how the brain fuctions in everyday situations. we'll take you on a virtual tour in a moment, but first here's dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: it weighs only three pounds. it's made mostly of water. and it contains 100 billion neurons. the same number of stars in our galaxy. the human brain. most of us pay little or no attention to how it actually works, but it is arguably the most important organ in the human body. blinking, tying your shoe, walking, even breathing, almost everything you do and every thought you have is controlled by the brain. every second a single neuron in your brain may send out as many as 1,000 signals. these signals can zip from neuron to neuron at speeds of 250 miles an hour. a highly complex control center that allows us to perform the simplest of tasks every minute of every day. >> hey, nancy.

good morning. >> hey, matt. >> we'll start with taking a look at memory. first of all, for everything the brain does and accomplishes, it's relatively small in some of us, i would imagine. >> the size of the grapefruit is the size of one's brain, about three pounds. what's cool is the neurons, especially in women, fire from both sides of the brain. men tend to not use both sides of the brain as much, but the memory parts that we're talking about is in the central part of the brain. an area called the hypocampus. >> what do i have to do here? >> we'll flash up right now various names and words and pictures. i want you to look at them. one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four, one thousand five. matt, close your eyes. recite to me in no specific order what you saw. >> cowboys, golden retriever, meredith, boots, coffee, a hat, like a weird indiana jones hat.

that's it. >> you forgot the star and the "today" rainbow. >> pretty darn close. there's no perfect score for this. but you had to rely on a familiar face, something that, oh, maybe has relationship or not, maybe what you ate, maybe what you drank, something sexy, your dog. you're recruiting interestingly from all different parts of your brain even though it starts in the center. >> people who have a good memory, do they have a bigger section of the brain that controls it? >> yes. you and i have been to london a gazillion times. you know the london taxi drives. they have to memorize 250,000 different routes. in london taxi drivers, because there's no specific grid, the central part of their brain is bigger than in non-taxi drivers in london. >> that's cool stuff. >> memory matters. it's really cool. >> all right. nancy, thank you very much. let's swing over to meredith.

okay, matt, thank you. whether it is coffee or cigarettes, we've got our vices, but did you know -- hello. sometimes it only takes one sip, one drag for changes to occur in the brain that can lead to addiction. >> interesting that it's you and vices. >> i'm going to ignore you. what happens to the brain when we get addicted to something? >> it all comes back to the pleasure center of the brain. whether you're eating something, sex, nurturing a baby. there's a cool fwrafgraphic tha shows that -- if we can pull it up in here or a full screen. >> there you go. >> here it is. it starts in this area, the same sort of area of the hypocampus. this gives you the reward that it feels good. but here's the problem. that same reward path can lead to addiction. so something as simple as a martini or smoking, particularly in adolescents when their brain is developing, that reward path

can become the pathway to addiction. >> do all of these affect the same part of the brain? >> dthey do. it also applies to gambling and sex addiction. this is real vodka. just to prove that we don't fake things at the "today" show. >> don't go away yet, missy. are there people more prone to addiction? >> yes. and we're increasingly finding the genes for it, especially men and adolescened a leadolescents speed. there is a genetic link. but i want to warn adolescents, you think you can mess around with cigarettes and cocaine and alcohol. when your brain is still developing, that reward pathway becomes addiction very fast. some pretty cool research that you may restructure and rewire the brain. that pathway is important. now i'm going to leave you to your martini. >> i smell something, i hear

it -- >> that's right. in fact, all of our senses are on overload right now. >> i can taste the martini. >> we are the sizzling bacon right here in front of us. and i wish this was smel smellavision. man, it smells good. >> you hear the crackle, crackle, crackle. you know something is in the skillet. then you and i can smell the bacon. there's nothing like bacon. that lights up different parts of the brain. you hear it. you smell it. that goes right to your nose. but interestingly, what you see is registered in your eyes but the olfactory aspect is in the back of your brain. then you taste it. if i tell you that you know what this tastes like, you have a memory for bacon because you know you've had that registered in the past. >> so you just talked about all of these different senses. if you start to lose, you know, with age one of those senses, then does that affect -- can you possibly lose this kind of experience in all of them?

>> i have taken care of people in california who lost their sense of smell after viral infection. and people in the wine industry then can't taste wine. i've seen careers go away because one sense affects the others. it's like when you have a cold and you lose your ability to really want food. it's because you can't taste it. here's something i want to do with you for a second. >> okay. >> we always say, well, if you could lose any sense, what would it be? vision or hearing? people always say i'd rather lose my hearing. don't take away my sense of sight. close your eyes. if i say remind me of the trip you took last year and what a beach looks like or the forest or your son's cheek, you have a memory of that. >> uh-huh. >> now open up your eyes. that's a terrible place to be. >> you're right. >> interestingly, when people lose their hearing, it's a place that's more hollow than losing vision. and people don't expect that. >> if you lose your hearing or

lose one of your senses or begin to lose it, is there some way to sort of compensate or are you really stuck? you're talking about people getting stuck. >> you can compensate. one sense we left out, which is -- which is feel. and what's very interesting is when people sometimes lose the feeling in the tips of their fingers and they think, oh, well it's no big deal, if i touch this pan, i'm going to get a burn. if i get a thorn in my finger, i may not realize i'll get an infection. we need them all and we recruit all parts of our brain. women use their brains firing across both halves more than men. if i give you a math problem and i give matt a math problem, matt will hyperfocus on it, you'll recruit from everywhere. we think differently. >> there you go. that explains a lot. >> nothing against matt. now you can have the martini. >> i know. thanks so much. we've got much more -- and a special thanks to the museum of natural history. it's on display in new york

through august 14th. you're coming to the city, you need to check that out. nancy will be back tomorrow to answer your questions about the brain. submit your questions at todayshow.com. up next, affordable beach getaways. first, this is "today" on nbc. [ female announcer ] to get fresh-baked

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[ engine turns over ] that's my car! ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing the new line of mercedes-benz. welcome to the family. this morning on "today's travel travel," affordable beach getaways. we have great destinations that you'll want to consider. eva, good morning to you. everybody wants some warmth. this has been a really hard winter on all of us. >> it's been tough. >> let's start out west. laguna beach, california. seven miles of city beaches. >> yes. casa del camino, it's a place that's embraced their southern california spirit. they have surf-themed rooms. even if you can't hang ten, that doesn't mean you can't go here. $136 a night.

you have great access to lots of fantastic beaches in the area. they have a gorgeous rooftop bar where you can have a drink and watch the sunset. >> if you don't know how to surf, they'll teach you, right? >> yes. >> we'll go from west to east to florida. you found a deal in vero beach, probably owned by gloria estefan. >> yes. the whole spirit of this place feels like you're in 1950s florida. vero beach is right between -- halfway between orlando and miami. and so this is a place you'll feel like you're in the '50s but with all of the modern amenities.linens, big, beautiful bathrooms and great beaches. again, really reasonable price. $139. >> will those prices still be good in the summer? >> that's right. don't wait until the summer, though. >> this is kind of odd to me, going to maine. >> we're going to book maine now. maine is something you want to do in the summertime, but the great thing to do, especially at a small property like tidewater,

book now. there are only 19 rooms. what i love about this, it's quintessential new england. you have to take a ferry to get there. tons of lobsters. and the place you get to stay is only $165 a night. book it now. that's $165 a night in the summertime. >> and on top of the water, that place. >> used to be a mill, so you're hearing the water that used to power the mill. >> from there, we'll go to the caribbean. think of that as a place for the rich and famous, but you've found a great deal. >> this is a property that's owned by a couple who are behind one of the rich and famous properties that's five-star. you'll get lots of five-star amenities. you'll get rum punch on check-in. >> hello. >> you'll get linens, food service right on the beach. you have a beautiful beach. it's $250 a night. that's the highest price that it's going to go. >> finally, an eco lodge in tullea, mexico. sounds like roughing it. >> a lot of people love it

because it's very accessible from cancun and there are beautiful ruins there. they actually have 24-hour electricity. it's wonderful because they're solar-powered and wind-powered. you're doing something good for the environment while you're lying in your hammock with a margarita in hand. >> thank you so much. still ahead, five tips that every dog owner should know. first, this is "today" on nbc. switching to progressive could mean hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today.

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this morning on our special series "applause for pause," the connection between man and dog. our animal advocate is here with a very special story. joe, good to see you. >> could you get a little closer? >> i think ann is supposed to be here. >> do i have a problem here? oh, boy. okay. nice turn here. anyway, we found a place that is the ultimate example of what it means to get a second chance for man and dog. who not only find shelter together, but also learn to trust again. ♪ >> i think there's a connection between homeless men and homeless dogs. >> men really get these dogs. they get that the dogs have struggled. they face the same struggles. >> it's true. they give me a sense of purpose. and companionship. >> reporter: in the south end of boston lies pine street inn, stapleton house. a non-profit four-story dwelling set up for homeless men.

and now a safe haven for homeless dogs as well. >> come over here. >> reporter: this shelter, the only one of its kind, is the brain child of barbara davidson who realized these troubled individuals and abandoned pooches often have a parallel past. >> i think sometimes animals are given a hard time. so are homeless people, given a hard time through no fault of their own. so there's a connection there. >> the men and the animals share in many cases history of abuse. there is something very underlying and common there. >> i know what it's like to be alone and not know where your next meal is coming from or a roof over your head. i guess i've been out there in the same position they've been in. >> come on, boys. >> reporter: stewart thorpe has been living at stapleton house for over year, after spending 30 years of his life on and off the street, after returning from vietnam. >> i slept in a movie theater, a

dollar a night movie theaters, in train stations and things of that nature. >> reporter: he now finds great comfort, not only having a roof over his head, but also having storming norman by his side. >> he trusts you. you trust him. >> true. >> so you really learned how to trust first through the animal. >> yes. >> hey, doggy. how you doing? what's his name? >> norman. >> people are treated differently with a dog. the neighborhood sees thel s t part of the neighborhood, not, o oh, what are those people in the neighborhood there. >> reporter: the shelter takes in only one dog at a time. since this innovative program began a year ago, all 13 dogs who once resided here have found permanent loving homes. a true gift for lisa kaufman, who not only rescues the canines but places them here. >> it really is a win-win, not

only for the men but for the animal as well. >> these are animals that would be euthanized, so, yes. these are dogs who are in great need of a placement. >> because of where these dogs have been, they've come in here with a lot of issues. how do you get them to trust you? >> slowly but surely. you have to let them sniff your hand. you have topet them a time or two. get them to experience the world with you. we've just grown together in a form of friendship, companionship, and a numutual understanding. >> i just love to see the guys and the dogs go on to better lives. better quality of life. i can't honestly think of anything better. >> and stewart told me that because of the dogs, this house is now a home for all of these men. >> that's a great idea. you were saying a second ago, they should do this in more cities. >> yes. something else they should do is

move you a little closer. >> come on. le good morning to you. it is 8:56 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. as you can see, a wet morning

commute out there in oakland. in sierra the snow is coming down. all the rain is adding to the green hills out in the sunol grade. let's check the forecast with christina. i'm tracking a severe cell right now. we'll zoom in to show you where it is headed. you can see all the orange and redheaded through fairfield right now pushing up to vacaville. by 9:08 we expect it to hit. reus trohe conditions with more rain on the way. more news after the break.

california could get millions more in federal money for high-speed rails but will it be enough? states like florida, ohio, wisconsin and iowa have dropped their projects because of state and budget crunches. florida's decision could send $2

billion in construction funding to california. that still leaves the high-speed rail project more than $40 billion short. the rail officials say they can secure the remaining funds in time to run bullet trains between san francisco.

back with more of "today" on a thursday morning 17th of february 2011. nice people who have stuck it out with us this morning on a beautifully moderate morning here in new york city. we thank them for stopping by. out on the plaza right now, matt lauer along with natalie morales and al roker. coming up, more on this brutal attack on cbs news correspondent lara logan. she was not only beaten but sexually assaulted while covering the political upheaval in egypt in the past week. she's recovering at home now. she got a call from the president within the last day or so. we'll find out more about how she's doing coming up.

>> heart-breaking story. we send her our best. >> no question. >> also, we're taking a look at aging. you've been talking about a brain a lot this morning. it's something that a lot of people worry about. is it normal to start forgetting certain things or could it be the beginning of something more like alzheimer's? other experts are answering your questions. also, we'll talk about how to handle your family's finances. can it be a make-or-break issue for a lot of couples. we'll have expert advice to get your spouse on the same track when it comes to making a budget and making sure that you both stick with it. and for those of you who have got the pooch at home, not everybody can have a westminster winner like hickory, who dropped by our studio yesterday, but you can have a top dog at home if you follow the five things every owner should know to keep your pooch out of the doghouse. >> cuties right there. >> cutie pies. >> let's go inside. ann is standing by with a check of all headlines. >> good morning.

military officials in bahrain have banned all public gathering just hours after riot police used deadly force to clear thousands of antigovernment protesters from the city square. bahrain's health minister says four people were killed and 230 people were injured. meantime, in libya antigovernment protesters have declared today a day of rage. an update on lara logan, the cbs reporter attacked while covering the revolution in egypt. today, amy robach has details. amy, good morning. what more can you tell us? >> good morning, ann. lara logan flew back to the united states on saturday. that was the day after the attack took place. she was treated in a hospital before, just recently being released to her family. the mother of two is home in washington, d.c., where she continues to recover. the latest news on lara logan was reported by cbs news wednesday night. >> we're happy to report she's out of the hospital now, continuing her recovery at home. she received a call today from president obama who expressed his concern.

>> reporter: logan was in cairo friday to report on the resignation of president hosni mubarak but became separated from the crew and surrounded by a mob of more than 200. this photo released by cbs was taken the moment before what cbs news has described as a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating. according to the committee to protect foreign journalists, 140 reporters have been attacked while covering the protests in egypt. this was not the first difficulty logan experienced in egypt. one week before the attack, logan and her colleagues were detained by egyptian security forces, and endured a long interrogation before bdetained forces and endured a long interrogation before weeg being expelled from the country. logan said she felt compelled to go back. >> it's in my blood to be there. >> you don't want people to question your ability to carry out what's been considered a man's job for very long.

>> reporter: judith is a journalism professor who used to work with logan. she says attacks against women reporting in foreign countries often go unreported. >> women are worried that if their news editors are concerned they'll suffer an attack like this, they might not send them into dangerous assignments. >> reporter: logan has covered war zones for two decades. the married mother of two young children has spoken openly about the difficulty of working in dangerous environments. >> i have a sense of responsibility and a sense of duty. i believe that this is something that i was meant to do. >> experts tell us as demonstrations continue to arise in the middle east, so could the opportunity for attacks on western journalists like the ones we've seen in recent days, ann. >> thanks, amy. in other news, same-sex couples will be able to enter into civil unions in hawaii starting next january. hi hawaii's governor is set to sign the bill after lawmakers pass it on wednesday. six other states already allow civil unions.

the borders book store chain says about 6,000 u.s. employees will lose their jobs as the company reorganizes under wednesday's chapt 11 bankruptcy filing. a judge has ordered the mayor and five other current and former officials of belle california, to stand trial for corruption. they're accused of looting more than $5 million from the los angeles suburb. honda is recalling nearly 700,000 of its popular fit subcompact cars around the world along with two other models. a defective spring can cause the engine to stall. last month the fit outsold toyota's prius in japan. in colorado, the lions sleep tonight. the big cats were rescued from poor conditions in a bolivian circus to their new home in colorado. the relocation was funded by retired game show host bob

barker. a long-term home for the lions is still under construction and will feature a biosphere to help them survive the chilly winters. it's now five minutes past the hour. let's go back outside to matt and natalie. >> so nice of mr. barker. cares for the animals so much. we wanted to wish nana ruth a happy 95th birthday. congratulations. she's in pennsylvania. mr. roker are special guests. >> that's right. got friends here from down under, trail. what is your name? >> paul. >> and your son luke. these guys are with the wiggles. they'll explain -- we have a special relationship with the wiggles. we'll explain coming up in may. are you having a nice time here? >> a bit cold for us, but it's okay. >> all right. good seeing you guys. let's check your weather, see what's happening. and oh, man, out west we are talking rain and snow. big storm coming in. we're talking about anywhere from one to three inches of rain from san francisco down to santa maria. we've got snow, good news for

the skiers. it's going to be skier's delight. up to three feet of snow before it's all over. that is something. another big event, it's quinton and liam's tenth birthday today. how are you doing? where are you from? >> manhattan. >> manhattan. you made the trip all the way here. unbelievable! wow! they braved all sorts of well, our rainy pattern continues. right now we have some heavy downpours coming down over the east bay and the south bay. the south bay today will pick up the most rainfall, possibly up to three inches in the higher elevations, in particular, as we head throughout ts afternoon. temperaturewise, it will be 55 degrees. snow levels falling to 2,300 feet tonight. down to 2,000 feet by tomorrow morning. more rain on the way as we head throughout the day today. but you will get a bit of a break up in the north bay. not quite as much for you or the peninsula. have a fantastic thursday.

>> and that's your latest weather. ann? this morning on "daily dose," dealing with aging. the single fastest-growing age group are those reaching 100 years old. what can you expect from your mind and your body when you age? you've got dr. mark agronin. he's the author of "how we age: a doctor's journey into the heart of growing old." and also returning is dr. nancy snyderman. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> doctor, let me start with you. you just mentioned to me earlier that the average age of the people you work with is 90. >> yes. >> what does this tell you given that there is such an antiaging bias in our country, what does that tell you about aging that perhaps we could maybe gain

from? >> i think sometimes we tend to focus too much on the down side of aging. on the losses people face as they age, on illness, on death. what i've seen from working with older individuals is that we have to also focus on the positive elements. the fact that even as we age, there are new opportunities and new connections and for so many individuals, it can really be a wonderful time of life. >> for a lot of us -- >> for a lot of baby boomers, it's like, well, i'm not going to die. no, that's not an option. you're going to. but how do you embrace that second half of your life and own it? that's where the exciting work is being done. >> it has to be not just about living longer but living better. and the fact is that these are opportunities that we all have, but we have to have a positive attitude about it. >> live more deeply with a richer sense of life and sort of making the connections you're talking about in our minds in a joyful way. >> it's true. as people get older, we see that they have a better ability to be more positive, contrary to what

people think. we think that most people are depressed, but that's not true. >> maybe that's an example of our first question. we've got an e-mail question from anne. she writes, my father, 82, has alzheimer's that he developed quickly. it has been terrible to see him go through this. how can i protect myself from this disease? is there clear evidence that we can prevent alzheimer's? >> this is one of the most common concerns that children and grandchildren have of an older relative. not every memory lapse as we get older means alzheimer's. and so my first question would be, is this actually alzheimer's? there could be some other form of memory impairment, many of which are reversible. the person needs a thorough evaluation. the main risk factor is age. the older we get, the greater risk there is of almshezheimer' >> certainly she's probably had her -- her father looked at. are you suggesting that sometimes doctors might -- and maybe this is a question for you, nancy. look at an elderly person and not look at all of the possible other options? >> the dangerous thing is to make the assumption that the

correct diagnosis has been made. not all dementia is alzheimer's. i'd say to every baby boomer kid parent middle child out there, go to your parents' medicine cabinet and pull everything out. sometimes drug/drug interaction can masquerade as dementia, which is automatically diagnosed as alzheimer's. they are not all the same thing. >> it's true. you'd hate to make a diagnosis when it's not true. >> that's important. we have to kind of me our parents' advocate as well. >> absolutely. >> barbara in massachusetts is on skype. hello, barbara. what is your question? >> my question is how well -- how will compression of morbidity affect the baby boomers? >> that's a smart question, barbara. what do you think? >> well, our greatest fear of aging is that we'll be sick and suffering a long time before we pass away. this term compression of morbidity really refers to the hope that it will be a very short period of time in which we

would be ill before we actually die. >> i see. i see. okay. thank you so much, barbara, for your question. let's move on to an e-mail from peggy from wilmington, north carolina. she writes i am 79 and on oxygen 24/7. it is more my mental feelings that bother my most. nothing to look forward to, a feeling of hopelessness that is ongoing. the most exciting thing in my life is when my "star" magazine comes. >> this is something that needs more social and mental stimulation from family or activities in the community. but i also would be concerned whether there's an element of depression. and so she really needs an evaluation. there's effective treatment, both talk therapy and medications. in the book i talk about boubo 96-year-old man with recurrent depression. we worked with him, he thrived in therapy. he came back and said, i have to tell you, my life has been turned around. this is at 96 when we tend to write people off that they can't make change. it is possible. >> people who are depressed feel worse.

when you feel worse, you're mow depressed. it becomes this very vicious cycle. in some cases, i think medications may also be indicated in some patients for antidepressants. usually you have to extricate people from their depression and figure out what's causing it and break that cycle. >> you're really talking about taking a new look at aging so that we will enhance our ability to have rich, full lives, all the way up until we can't have one anymore. we need to rethink that and not write ourselves or our family members off. >> slide out at home plate. live it big and slide out. don't do anything that draws out the bad stuff. live a big life, do it right and slide out. >> it's never too late to make changes. >> all right. the book is called "how we age." thank you, as always. coming up next, how to get your spouse to save with smart money strategies. maybe they'll help you save yourself. also, later, charlie sheen unplugged.

the actor opening up about his wild ways. to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq®, a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping to treat my depression. ask your doctor about pristiq.

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at sears.t ♪ this morning on "today's money," how to get your spouse to save. what happens when your perfect partner turns out to be your financial opposite. good morning. >> good morning, natalie. >> you say it's actually pretty common that people end up with their financial opposite when it comes to the dating game. >> absolutely. academic research shows this time and time again. most recently, a survey by northwestern, university of pennsylvania, and university of michigan found that savers attract spenders and vice versa. we're hard-wired to do this. >> my husband and i are very much financial opposites. you yourself recently just became engaged. soap this is something that came on to your radar. there's your handsome fiance. >> tim. we just got engaged last fall. >> congratulations.

>> thank you. >> we're very diligent and committed to saving. you can't date me and not be a saver, but we have spending patterns that are different. i love to shop for different things than he does. so it's been on our radar. now that we're getting closer to marriage, we're more concerned about our behaviors and more willing to save as a couple. >> yeah. and you say when we give people advice here now, the things you need to do to come together as a couple is to establish what you call a spending threshold. what do you mean by that? >> really important for the household purchases that will come off the joint account. don't come home with the ipad and call it a household expense or household purchase. >> really, you can't? >> and not have consulted your partner. spending thresholds, $150, $200. it's important to make that phone call. it's considerate. otherwise it may be selfish. >> it may keep you from that impulse buy as well. >> right. there are better things to spend that money on. >> right. next idea is a creative one. you say have a cash contest. >> yes. >> the idea sheer to see who

spends less cash during the week. >> right. as we know, cash limits us compared to credit cards. there's more pain associates with cash. make it a contest. make it fun. whoever ends up with the most money at the end of the week, say you start off with $50 or $75, whoever ends up with the most at the end of the week wins and the other has to clean the house or run the kids around to all of their various activities. whatever it is you despise the most, that's your -- what you have to do. >> okay. the take-home prize. this is from your personal experience. you want spouses to plan their meals ahead of time. >> especially for us, we live in new york city. so mump temptation to just go out and eat. plan early and ahead of time. know what the meals are going to be, at least a few of them. on sunday night, plan ahead. another important thing is to eat early. if we haven't eaten by the time "30 rock" comes on, we're in trouble. >> your waistline is going to pay for it, too. >> right. we'll just pick up the phone and

order thai food. this works. >> another thing, this is one that people debate when it comes to, you know, being a couple, to open your personal expense account, your own money that you set aside. >> so important. it establishes your onaona on - own autonomy. if you want to come home with the ipad and not have to face judgment or guilt, use your personal expense account, your own money. >> all right. and you say -- is there a percentage of a salary you should put aside? >> 10%, 15%, whatever you decide as a couple. one person may make more than the other, but as long as it's an equal percentage, that's fair. >> finally, take advantage of all of these free computer programs that are out there. i wasn't aware of them until i was doing research for this segment. >> the world of online budget s tools is growing by the day.

>> feel much better about yourself already, right? >> if you don't want to take your spouse's word for it that you're spending too much, you can see how others are and, you know, save an argument that way. >> show him the graphic of how everyone is spending more than you are. >> it's not me. it's everybody else. >> right. you also say teaching your spouse to be a saver is not something that's going to happen overnight too, be patient and learn how to work it out together. >> a group effort at the end of the day. you don't want to point fingers and say you're the spending. change. figure it out. figure it out together. no pointing fingers. >> all right. great information. >> sure. >> thank you. congrats. >> thank you. coming up, who let the dogs out? well, the five things every dog owner should know to train their pooch.

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coming up, charlie sheen sets the record straight. and five tips to train your four-legged friends. plus, the best travel deals. it's the sears presidents day mattress spectacular. get an extra ten percent off mattresses already half off. and instant savings up to four hundred dollars on

select mattresses. head to sears to talk with our mattress experts or shop our largest selection online. hurry, it all starts friday! sears. good morning, everybody. thetime is 9:26. i'm brent cannon. developing news on the weather front, a live look behind me as you can see how socked in it is. they are getting hammered at the bay bridge approach. that's what you are facing around the bay area today. christina has a look at pretty thick storms coming through. yes, they are firing off this morning. we have thunderstorms. right now we are noticing some pretty frequent lightning strikes off the coast of santa rosa. you just saw that there. also we got a really strong storm system that just passed through antioch. now it is moving towards highway 4. and it looks like as we head through the next two hours or so highway 4 is going to get slammed with heavy rain. now what you can count on as we head throughout the day today,

these showers continuing to stream onshore from the pacific. all the heavy rain is going to start to push to the south as we head through the next few hours as this is all part of the frontal system sliding south. heading throughout the afternoon we are expecting most of the rain into south bay and into the east bay. that means you'll get a break in the north bay and along the peninsula. that's probably after noon today. lots of rain and flooding anticipated in the south bay. take it easy out there. brent is right back with more news after the break. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days.

60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through is a walk in the park. from the moment i registered, people started immediately supporting me and asking me how they could help. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. a massive budget deficit, possible police and fire layoffs and skyrocketing pay cuts are a few of the topics that chuck reed will address in the state of the city speech today. he'll give the annual speech at the san jose civic auditorium tonight at 6:00. city leaders laid out a worst case scenario to deal with the $110 million budget shortfall. some proposals include shutting off neighborhood street lights overnight and getting rid of

gang-prevention programs. an accused credit card thief may have checked in your bags at san jose international airport while checking out your credit card. an american airlines ticket agent stole hundreds of credit card numbers and thousands of dollars. the 49-year-old woman stole more than 350 credit card numbers from unsuspecting travelers then used the numbers to make counterfeit credit cards. detectives say she used the cards at safeways to buy gift cards and then used the gift cards to buy electronics. she then sold those items on e-bay to pocket the cash. investigators say the scheme was almost half a million dollars. her former boyfriend tipped them off calling safeway who then called police. more local news in hour.ur the "today" show comes back in a couple of minutes.

♪ in 2009, she was the grammy winner for best new artist and adead ha de del hasn't disappointed since. she now has a new album out. she's going to be here to sing for us live tomorrow on "today." >> beautiful voice. >> yeah. >> just close your eyes and listen to her. wow. powerful. coming up, well, another

voice with charlie sheen. the actor called into a radio show, not once but twice, to talk about everything from his drinking to his partying. whether or not he's ever shown up to work drunk or high. we'll find out what he had to say, coming up. >> and giving advice to lindsay lohan. also, it's hard enough to get your spouses or kids to listen to you, but what about your pets? if your furry friend has you frustrated, we'll have five things that every dog owner needs to know. victoria stillwell is here with great advice. also, you may remember her from "top chef." we're talking about candice kumai. she's also known as the stiletto chef. she's going to help us create a girl's night in with her signature style of food, which we're told tastes even better than it looks. i like the pieces that she's serving them on. they're very girly. >> nice. >> a lot of pink up there today. meantime, how is the weather

today, dear? >> not too bad. we'll take a look to the weekend. first of all, saturday we've got sunshine in the pacific northwest. but a lot of rain in southern california. showers in the mid-mississippi river valley. mild through the southeast. sunday we've got frigid conditions in new england. more snow back through the rockies for all you skiers. sunny skies along the west coast. and then for president's day, we've got warm weather down through florida. going to be nice. nice and mild, texas into the southwest. icy conditions in the northeast on into northern new england. frigid weather from the western great lakes on into the plains. that's what's going on -- why are you i'm kind of in awe of all the lightning strikes firing off just offshore here. you can see a steady line of lightning strikes. these are realtime strikes. as we head throughout the day today, there is more on the way to the bay area. we already have a really solid line of showers and thunderstorms moving in to

antioch. also pushing to vacaville. if you live in that neck of the woods expect heavy downpours in the next 15 to 20 minutes. snow levels are down to 2,000 feet tonight. thunderstorms are becoming more widespread this afternoon. >> we just want to do a puppy show. >> puppy palooza right here. >> look at the one with the little white socks. look at them. look. >> okay. it's a party with the puppies. >> this could go wrong very quickly. >> we'll have that coming up. and also charlie sheen coming up right after this. [ female announcer ] imagine the possibilities with stelara®.

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hurry, it all starts friday! sears. charlie sheen has been in the headlines for weeks for his

all-night partying and substance abuse. well, now he's speaking out about it all, calling into a nationally syndicated radio show twice this week. lee cowan is in los angeles with what the actor had to say. it's kind of revealing, lee. >> yeah, to say the least, al. this was definitely a charlie sheen unplugged. it was a series of overly casual conversations that were on the air about his private life that seemed a bit cavalier to some, especially given just how many jobs are at stake while they wait for the star of "two and a half men" to come back to work. charlie sheen loves baseball. not just on screen, but in real life, too. which is perhaps why he felt compelled to call into sports guru dan patrick's radio show on monday to explain a pep talk he recently gave ucla's baseball team. >> i said, stay away from the crack. which i think is pretty good advice, unless you can manage it socially, dan. if you can manage it socially,

go for it. but not a lot of people can, you know? >> that sent the tabloids scurrying to press. and the late-night comics into overdrive. >> what does that mean? i got that big i.t. meeting in the morning,o just one rock for me. thank you very much. i'm just a social crack smoker. >> reporter: but to the cast and crew who depend on sheen as the star of "two and a half men," it's no joke. hundreds have been out of work since the show was put in hiatus. >> how long have you been sober? >> i'm not in aa. i don't believe in it. it's off and on. it's been -- i was sober for five years and just bored out of my tree and decided, you know, this is inauthentic. it's not who i am. >> reporter: the message who his bosses seems to be i'm ready to work, but don't wait too long. >> i heal really quickly, but i also unravel pretty quickly, so get me right now, guys. get me right now. >> reporter: executives had no comment on monday's interview other than to say that they plan

to go back into production at month's end. but sheen apparently had second thoughts about his comments and called dan patrick back on wednesday to apologize. sort of. >> i'm sorry for stuff sounding flip. >> reporter: he insisted at work he's always been the consummate professional. >> were you drunk on the set during the show? >> never been drunk, never been high on the set once. but would show up not having slept much, asking the directordirector to move may mark so i could be near a table. >> reporter: to addiction specialists, that isn't a sign of professional. it could be a pattern about to be repeated. >> he's not interested in recovery. you know? all he -- he feels he's fine because he's testing clean. and that's all he's interested in is to be clean for a little while, go back to work, collect his millions, and then go home and party. >> i dare you to get lindsay on the show. >> reporter: before hanging up, sheen said he had a parting

advice for actress lindsay lohan, who has had her share of public trouble, too. >> what is your one piece of advice if i have lindsay lohan on? >> work on your impulse control. just try to think things through a little bit before you do them. >> charlie sheen, once again, he makes me sweat. >> now, industry sources, al, say they've already cut the number of new episodes of "two and a half men" down from eight to four. that's the second time in two years they've had to cut the season short. but charlie sheen says there's plenty of time to make up that work. >> lee cowan, thank you so much. coming up next, keeping your canine out of the doghouse, right after this. oad noise ] [ whispering female announcer ] there are other companies that have mini vans with similar safety features as the chrysler town and country. ♪

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this morning on "today's pets," five tips every dog owner should know. victoria stillwell is author of "it's me or the dog" and hosted the animal planet show of the same name. every week she tries to restore ha harmomy in homes where pets are running wild. good morning, victoria. >> good morning. >> so usually it's not the puppy that's the problem. it's the reenforcement around the house. >> yes. >> and having a positive attitude and enforcing that positive behavior with the pets, right? >> that's what it's about. it's not about dominating your dog. it's about getting your dog to feel good. positive reenforcement teaches a dog to do something right and doesn't force a dog or punish a

dog when it does something wrong. and really this allows a dog to think for himself. plus, what i'm going to do here -- >> you just started working with this dog minutes ago. >> this is buddy. buddy realizes -- buddy has a backwards sneeze now. >> uh-oh. hairball. >> there. okay. sit. good. >> she's the dog whisperer. magic. >> when he sits, he gets a good reward, whether it's food, toys, play, petting. and it makes him feel good and then there's that connection between myself and buddy. i've only known him for about five minutes, but he's realizing and he's focusing on me. it's a great connection between dog and owner. >> what about when a dog is jumping up or there is bad behavior, when they wreck your house. the couch is destroyed. how do you have that positive reenforcement when they do something bad? >> you've got to contain your anger. i use discipline to guide not to instill fear but to guide. so you either ignore behavior or you do time-outs or you do

removal or you simply issue just like an -- a correction, a vocal correction to interrupt the dog and then get the dog to go on to something more positive. >> and help your socialize your dog. let them have their doggy play dates. they love it. >> it's so important with this puppy. look at this puppy. >> i think he's play dated out. >> she's tired. she's such a great example. you need to give socialization -- that means introducing puppies to great sights and sounds and people and all different kinds of environments. their brain is like a sponge. the more positive experiences they have when they're young, the morepusc experien positive they'll have when they're older. >> and then the physical exercise. you've got to make sure you get out and take your dog for a long walk. >> yes. we've got shanchantal here.

the more you can exercise your dog, the better. i would say if you don't do anything else with your dog, take them out for exercise. >> not just the physical exercise, but you also need to make sure you exercise their brains, right? >> right. >> what can you do? >> i love using activity toys. a dog has to work out how to get the food out of this toy. >> there's peanut butter in there. >> you have a great toy here for puppies and for dogs where they have to work out how to get the snakes out of this. all of this stimulates the brain and tires them out and a tired dog is a happy dog. >> just like people. they need the brain exercise as well. and then talking about taking care of your dog, really important to watch what they eat. the same way you watch what your family eats, do that with your pets. they're part of your family, too. >> this is betty the beagle. >> they're all tired this morning. >> he's rotund. put it nicely. beagles can put on a lot of weight.

it's important to feed your dog a really good food. and when you're looking at an ingredient pack, avoid foods that contain wheat and soy and corn. major allergens. also, no artificial flavorings, colorings or preservatives. the less ingredients, the better. >> so very natural foods. just as you read those labels, again, very closely. >> yes, yes. >> victoria, thank you. all of these pets are from stray from the heart. they're all up for adoption. great organization. we thank all our foster parents for being here as well. >> thank you. coming up, you can catch "it's me or the dog" on animal planet. check your local listings. coming up, fit and festive with the stiletto chef. [ female announcer ] shopping with nutrition in mind

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this morning in "today's kitchen," candice kumai is here with must-have party foods.

the former "top chef" contestant, also known as the stiletto chef s all about making food look good, taste good and be good for you. her book is called "pretty delicious." candice, good to see you. the stiletto, do you always cook in stilettos? >> that's just something that people like to tease me about. it's a way i got through culinary school was modeling from before. so now that i'm a seasoned cook, i have the stilettos on for you today. >> thank you very much. we're making a great dip, something that you and your girlfriends could hang out with, eat while you're watching movies. >> right. i want to do a girl's night in. i want to really treat my girlfriends, but i want to make food that's really good for them, too. first we have what i call hot stuff spinach artichoke dip. we have onions and garlic sauteing. toss in the artichoke hearts. that's just two cans sliced up thin. >> that's it?

>> right. really easy. and then foods with benefits is what i like to add. >> nice. >> this is the fwb here, spinach. it's got viten in en iamins a, iron, which will keep you looking fabulous forever. >> you can have all of this f spinach and it ends up being nothing. >> that's right. you have concentrated flavors in here that are really going to shine. that's why we don't need a lot of fat. it's about creating balance. >> there is some fat. where does that come from? >> right over here. check out the -- we have light cream cheese and light mayo. so i've kind of made a swap-out here. originally you would use full fat on both. but then you're not going to look so fabulous in those heels. >> it's a trade-off. >> right, absolutely. >> but it still tastes good. >> it actually tastes great, i think. i can't really tell the difference. you're fooling your friends. >> but if you don't tell them,

they don't know. >> that's the other good thing. and after a few cocktails, everything is fabulous. >> right. so what happens now? you cook this up? >> right. we want to marry the two. so what i'm going to do -- >> it's like that new train song. ♪ marry me sorry. >> i don't know about that. we've got the spinach, the artichokes and then we'll marry these two. or you can sing the song while we do it. >> no, that's okay. we can't afford the rights. >> all right. so what we're going to do now, we'll combine the good with the bad, i always say. and then season with a little bit of sea salt. you are very good. look at that. i love it. >> i'm just stirring. >> i know you know what you're doing there. >> then what? >> then we place this into our baking tin. very good. >> okay. most of it got in. >> right. >> and then we want to toss that. put a little cheese inside or just sprinkle it right on top.

and then what we want to do is place this into an oven for 375 degrees. >> it comes out looking like this? >> just like this. >> and then you just dip it. >> you got it. >> look at that. go to town. >> what have we got back here? >> okay. everybody loves chinese chicken salad, right? little do you know that it's actually -- >> i do! >> oh, hi, ann. hi, natalie. >> this is fantastic. >> chinese chicken salad, people think it's good for you. it's actually really heavy on the hips. >> but you're lightning it up. >> this is the frersh version. the food with benefit in here is cabbage. it helps you detoxify. we have cabbage, chicken, cilantro. we'll pour our dressing in there. it's soy souse, vinegar, ginger, sesame oil. we toss that all in. a little bit of honey in there, too, for sweetness. toss that up. >> don't you just love that al is doing the segment on girls' night in? >> i know. >> i'm in touch with my feminine

side. that's right. >> it's fantastic. >> yep. >> so glad that the girls are coming over. >> these are wonton cups. >> he know wheres s where to be. >> you make these inside of a muffin tin. you just bake them up with sesame oil and sea salt. >> there you go. >> perfect.

and good morning, everybody. the time is 9:56. a soggy look at the golden gate bridge this morning. we also want to check in with

christina, it is not just rain, we are seeing lightning out there. >> yes, we are. and a lot of it. good morning to you. we are watching frequent lightning strikes firing off the coast. some of the strikes are making their way inland. just off the coast of santa rosa we have some lightning, san francisco and san jose are hearing rolls of thunder right about now. what's happening is this system of low pressure is bringing us all the rainfall right now with the core crossing over the bay area. heading through the next five hours we'll see some really active weather associated with these thunderstorms. pea-sized hail, heavy lightning and frequent heavy downpours. take a look at this really solid line of showers. mod ran rat rain here embedded by the orange and red. i-80, treacherous conditions. if you can postpone your travels for the next hour or so. you will probably want to do so. this is one of the most active times we are going to see throughout the day today in the east bay. let's check on the drive to see how the roads are fairing with this active weather and mike inouye. you talked about all the

rain and issues for interstate 80 through the area and here in sierra, but for the south bay 238 at 85 an earlier accident is clearing. the sharks are on the ice at the hp pavilion, but you cannot get to mount hamilton road as it is closed due to local snowfall. highway 84 is flowing better through san mateo. a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza it is showing that it is not clear at all. we have soupy conditions there at the toll plaza as well. prince is coming to the bay area. the pop icon is announcing he'll be here monday. he's going to play at the oracle arena monday and wednesday. tickets go on sale tomorrow. they will cost between $50 and $250. prince has been giving fans short notice for a lot of his tours on his stops this time around. more local news coming up in what half hour. the "today" show returns in about a minute. have a great morning. play it safe out there. see you back here in a half hour.

never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days-- i can do that. 60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through is a walk in the park. from the moment i registered, people started immediately supporting me. we had an outpouring of-- of support. i wanted to do something bigger than myself. the 60 miles-- it makes a statement. i know i'm stronger than i was before, both mentally and physically. i walk with my sister. our relationship has gone to a whole new level because of training together. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. i knew that there was something really special about this event. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing. it was three days of hope. of love. of empowerment. it was three days the way the world should be.

here i am, second year in a row, and i'm already signed up for next year's. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, everybody, we made it thirst-day thursday, february 13. hope you're having a great week. yesterday about put us under, didn't it, hoda? we had a long day yesterday. >> we were together from 7:00 in the morning until close to 9:00 p.m. we went all day. >> yes, we did. tell the good folks at home what we did. >> we started off after the show. we went to lunch at sardi's.

>> we haven't been to sardi's in a while. it's a landmark restaurant and i relate it to broadway. >> and it has your pictures up there, the sketches. >> yes. >> we go there and who is lunching at the same time we are, that dog. the dog from the westminster dog show. he was eating steak! >> so three dogs were eating lunch there yesterday. the dog wasn't too thrilled. can you imagine a dog that's not into steak? >> again, this is a dog that won the westminster show. it's a scottish deerhound. then we went up another floor because it's multiple floors at sardi's, and guess who we ran into there. >> we ran into michael kors, 30

years in the fashion business. don't you have that picture? >> no. anyway, there was a picture of michael kors. it was a great picture. >> then we went to the show that everybody has been talking about for months now, "spiderman." i personally don't want to hear anything about a show before i see it because i want my mind clear. there were many dreadful things written, and you know what was said about "adams family" and they've been raking it in. sometimes the critics hate it but people love it. >> you hear about all this drama that happens. >> they're doing death-defying leaps and it's all over the audience. >> you're constantly looking up and behind you because they fly right over your head and land next to you. one of the crowd-pleasing

moments, it may have been a snafu, but it got the crowd riled, was when they got stuck. both of them were stuck. >> which never happens. >> but the crowd went crazy. you see them suspended and people started applauding and pointing and it was one of those -- i think the whole thing about the show is it's filled with unexpected moments. >> we asked little kids, because there was a lot of little kids. it was a wednesday matinee, but i guess school was out. what i didn't understand was there were boys. this is full of boys and they were loving it, loving it. now, if you were a fan of the classic book musical like "c "camelot" or "sound of music," it's probably not going to be your thing. but if you are coming for bono and edges music and you love cartoons -- comic book, it came

from the comic book -- then it could be your thing. we wish them the best. it's now in pre views and opens march 14. >> they're going to be going from the script. >> the drama continues off stage and on. >> we asked an older couple about it and they said, everything is so unexpected. you don't know what to expect. >> spiderman comes out of the crowd and then before you know it, he's sitting next to you. >> our night was not over. we went to another event after that. >> an amazing townhouse down in the tribeca village. i don't know what they're called, but it was nice. >> it was an nbc ad meeting for all the advertisers and stuff like that. while we were there, we ran into

mr. apprentice himself. >> the donald was there. >> he's excited about his new season of thethe "the apprentice one with all the crazy people. "the apprentice" this year is filled with nuts. gary busey -- >> you didn't expect something that just happened to you. you know who did the play list this week. >> nice lid. >> i have a question. he is not from jamaica. >> this song is called "marry me" by train. we played this last week. they sent a nice card that said we're glad you liked the song and then all the guys from train

signed it. >> flowers are forever. >> are we announcing that we're going to jamaica in a couple weeks? >> our entire crew is wearing the hats and the hair. >> here's the sad part. they're not going with us to jamaica, so i guess they're celebrating in their own weird way. >> we're going to jamaica to do a morning show in jamaica just for fun. >> do you know who else is not going with us to jamaica? the very busy -- >> we could watch this all day. >> some of you actually look good, some of you don't. that's a don't. and we won't name names. charlie sheen is not going to be going with us down to jamaica, although i think he'd have a good time in jamaica. he called this dan patrick show again yesterday. we have audio. >> he had called before and we had just the transcript.

now you actually hear him being questioned by dan patrick. he called in and dan patrick asked him some very direct questions about his drinking, about his show, about everything. i think we have a tiny snip. let's listen to what he says. >> were you drunk on the show? >> never been drunk or high on the show, but would show up not having slept much. doing a network run-through and asking the dreblt toirector to mark just a little bit. >> so you wouldn't fall over? >> yeah. >> what's one piece of advice you would give lindsay lohan? >> work on your impulse control. just try to think about things a little bit before you do them. >> i would tell you to think things through. is that the same thing? >> i guess. that's ridiculous. that's ridiculous. >> it's good advice. it's just that he should take it himself, right? >> yeah.

they went on to ask him if he had a drinking problem, and he said -- they said, are you in recovery? he said, i don't like to use the word recovery, i don't believe in aa. >> he's saying he finds his own sobriety boring, he said, so put me back to work now because i'm not going to be sober, basically, very long. >> it doesn't sound like he's interested in the recovery process. >> but he did thank viacom, the parent company of cbs, for intervening on his behalf. he said these guys basically showed up and said, dude, it's out of control. a lot at stake here. you have to get your act together. >> he actually called his boss and apologized for being glib or something, i don't know. answer this question. if you could be skinny, or your other choice is have sex. would you rather be skinny and

no sex or have sex and not be skinny? i don't know. >> hoda is here in body but not in mind. and the survey says, most women would give up sex for a year if it meant they would be skinny. >> for a year or are they going to be skinny forever? >> are you contemplating that choice? >> no, i'm just wondering -- >> you've got both right now. you're on top of the world, baby. half admitted to skipping meals to get thin. men have done that as well. >> skipping meals is the worst thing you can do. honestly, every person we've had always said i skip breakfast and they always have the same trouble. >> you eat the rest of the day. i eat a nice big meal and don't eat dinner. >> this is rude. our crew is not even paying attention. >> we have names and we know where they live. >> we can find you and track you

down. >> and hoda can hurt you, if you know what i mean. >> so the old spice commercial, we love him so much. remember? >> isaiah mustafa. i'm not counting on you to remember anything today. >> there's a brand new commercial. hey! let's take a look at it. >> ladies, can i take you to the freshest of distant cultures? no, but kimodo can. and it will. and i will, too. i know so. ice cream? okay. >> come on. >> you know what? he had us at hello. he shows up and you smile. >> we love, love, love him. >> we meet guys all the time that have bodies even better than isaiah's. he is so adorable of a human being. he's got a great sense of humor about himself and he doesn't -- there is nothing unsexier, and you guys should hear me now, jerry, especially you.

>> and jimmy. >> and jimmy who fell asleep. there is nothing as unsexy as a guy who thinks he is. but confidence is good. confidence is different than thinking you are all that and then some. >> let's shake our moneymaker, shall we? >> if i had one, i would. >> it's time for my playlist. you don't really like these songs. i thought of doing something new and current, but why when the o oldies are the best in the world? this is kool and the gang. so think back to the '70s and shaking it. ♪ oo la la la, let's go dancing ♪ ♪ oo la la la, let's go dancing. ♪ went down to the park

♪ everything was dark. >> here it comes. ♪ on came the lights ♪ everything was feeling right ♪ people started dancing ♪ you saw me joining in ♪ don't it feel good now >> hoda, you're the only one that agreed with that. they all felt compelled. >> facebook is going to love it. >> i like l.l.kool. >> this isn't l.l. cool. this is kool and the gang. if you want to feel more kathie lee, go to dr. ross. >> that's going to be on tomorrow, right? we were trying to figure out

what was a good sandwich and a bad sandwich, so we went to the land of oz. >> she's so darling, so beautiful, so elegant. why is kathie so mean to her? >> you get what you deserve in life. >> so here's the game. no beating each other with the broomsticks. i've got popular sandwiches in front of me that are ordered in restaurants all over the country. you're going to write with those broomsticks the correct answer to each of the questions i give you. there is a massive prize at the end. >> what is the question? by the way, i guess courtney is getting married. i did have a long conversation with her about it the other day, and she was very, very pleased with scott's sobriety. made a huge difference in their relationship. >> here's the question, is it okay to tell a little lie? kathie lee says little lies can lead to bigger ones and it's

always best to speak in the spirit of love. >> don't mess with that. hoda says, of course it is because she's a big fat liar. a little lie is better than a big fat bruise to someone's ego. >> i'm not saying you should hurt someone's ego. tell them the truth. love them enough to tell them the truth. >> say hi to our friends outside. >> she's got it right. >> what's she doing? >> she's got chardonnay, champagne and a mug. you got it, baby. still to come, it's never too late to unspoil your kids. i think when it's done, it's done. we're going to find out from the expert. up next, pillow k. g ahow get a good night's sleep. the right way you should sleep after this.

you know what they say, no laying down on the job. that's unless you have ours, of course. >> we're talking about sleep today, and if you're one of those people who wake up stiff and achy, the pain may be in your sleep position. we have julie here from home journal magazine. >> nice to see you, julie. >> i happen to have a herniated disk, so that's why i wake up stiff and awful, but for normal people, what's the biggest problem? >> women are sleep deprived in general for whatever reason. sometimes your position can cause those little aches and pains, so we have those tools

that can help you sleep better. >> if you sleep on your back, you want a really thin pillow like this one. it keeps your head in better alignment with your spine. so thin pillow. if you're on your back, sometimes people get back pain. so you can put this lumbar pillow under your lower back. >> we have a power pack back there which is really comfortable. >> yeah, that's good, that's good. >> sometimes a little one under your knees, too, can really help get the spine back where you want it to be. but for back sleeping, back sleeping causes a lot of people to snore. women, too. if you want to slip over to your side, this is this incredible snore pillow. >> what are you doing? >> you can actually put your arm

under it and it encourages you to sleep on your side and opens your breathing airways and keeps you breathing and not snoring. a lot of men -- women snore, too, but men love this. >> julie, here's the problem. it's one thing to be conscious of how you're falling asleep, right? you're asleep and you don't know what your body is doing, you're moving around. have you thought about that, julie? >> yes. that's why we have the boomerang pillow. if you're sleeping on your side -- you're a side sleeper. >> but i can't sleep on my left because of my neck, so i sleep on my right. >> this pillow will support your shoulder. i have tendinitis in my shoulder, and you can put your arm above it to support your shoulder. you can support your back with it. you can move it around, hug it for comfort when you're alone. >> i have frank for that, julie, you silly girl. >> when you travel. you say a hard one is better. >> a thicker pillow.

>> you guys are on thin ice as it is, you know what i'm saying? >> this supports -- it's better for your hips and knees. it's so good. >> yeah, it's great. julie, how do i do this? stop it. julie. >> this takes all the pressure off your hips and knees, and it's memory foam and you can turn with it. people love these. this is like $20. it's a great investment. >> what if you're a stomach sleeper? >> it's not good for your neck and back and all that. if you're going to sleep on your stomach, you need to try to do no pillow. and you may not want to try this, but basically no pillow and the same lumbar support pillow can go under your pelvis to keep the natural curve of the spine. because when you lie on your stomach, your spine flattens out. it's not good. your neck is turned.

>> even when i'm getting a massage, i don't like to be in that position. a lot of people have neck problems. >> thank you, julie. you're a good sport. still to come, what to tell your child who asks for his tenth toy of the season, or demands it. how to unspoil your kids, but first, this message. thank you.

still to come, we're going to tell you how to reverse the damage. >> then we'll let our resident funny man tell you why he's walking around with the banner "world's dumbest." >> and hopefully there is going to be something to quench our thirst. it's thirst day.

good morning once again, everybody. 10:26 right now. i'm brent cannon. another live look outside, this time the south bay is gray and wet. but this time christina says more is on the way. the storm she has been watching is tracking from the north down to the south now. that's right, brent. i do think we are going to see most of the rainfall throughout the day today in the south bay. and i would say in the next 15 minutes if it is not already raining over your house in san jose get ready for some action. let's show you what's happening. we have a core of low pressure. it is actually bulls eyeing the bay area creating a lot of instability. we have lightning strikes up and down the coast. in fact, some lightning strikes are firing off inland just off the coast of san jose.

take a look at what is headed your way. we have moderate to heavy rainfall indicated by yellow and rain here. heading throughout the day the core will continue to push off to the south. that's going to bring all this moisture south as we head throughout the next few hours, possibly baking picking up to three inches in the south bay. this is what we are expecting in terms of accumulation. most of the rain today is staying to the south. we'll find out how your drive look us now, probably not so good. good morning to you, mike. good morning, kristy e tina. it is slow off the east shore freeway. 28 minutes off the cartinas bridge. a live look at oakland shows the super sloppy conditions. but the northbound side is easing up. the southbound side now is seeing the brunt of the commute headed out of downtown to the san mateo bridge. a live look at the bridge shows a reason for slowing there. you can't see the high-rise there south on the pa nins louisiana you talked about the peninsula just getting hit. sloppy conditions on the off-ramps as well. coming from the north bay, a smooth drive but highway 29 is closed north of california because of snow. snow.

brent has more news after this. [ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread when you can have pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits? the warm, light delicate layers are like nothing else. add a layer of excitement to your next meal. ♪

but i've got a warm, fresh baked strawberry toaster strudel. see the difference? mmmm. i do. (announcer) pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat. an evening meter parking in downtown walnut creek will be up for debate tonight. the commission will take up a pro who sal at a special meeting tonight. other parking suggestions include a free hour of parking in city garages to changes in meters. the enforcement hours could be changed as well. the city wants to encourage people to use city-owned garages and save prime spots on the street for those willing to pay

more money for the premium spot. tonight's meeting is 7:00 at walnut creek city hall. thank you for joining us this morning. the "today" show continues coming up next. see you back here again tomorrow morning. today's moms is brought to you by walmart. mom, head to your local walmart today to find ways to save money, live better. >> i want, i want, i want. we're back here on this thirst-day thursday with today's moms and find out how to unspoil your kids and reverse the damage, if possible, if it's already done. >> giving them too much and giving in to them can create a monster later in life. today's contributing scientist, gail soltz.

>> it's a huge problem. i've been writing children's books and going to signings, and out of 100 children at the event, one said thank you to me. i think it says a lot about our culture. >> it says a lot about where we are. teaching them the basics, please and thank you, teaches them a lot for later in life. >> what's happening? what's different now? >> in a way, we want to yell at them, but it's not their fault. it's the parents' fault. that's where it comes from, and i think what's sad about it is parents don't realize the disservice they're doing to their child. it's not just that they're spoiled rotten and people won't want to be with them, but life has hurdles and disa appointments. you're not teaching them anything about delayed gratification, about working hard for things and not having things in the short run so you can have them in the long run, and you're not dealing with how

they're going to deal with loss. they feel entitled to everything. >> we should have pre marital counseling and glagree as a couple, don't you think? >> how you're going to raise your children and not give them everything they want. it's up to us to set that example. >> let's pretend a parent is watching right now with a five-year-old and the five-year-old is completely out of control and spoiled and whatever. if that has already been set in motion, can you reverse it or is there a point where there's no turning back? >> i have a five-year-old and i've had the store meltdowns and you're embarrassed because you want to give in because everyone is watching you. i don't think anything is too late. i think kids feel lost when they're a teenager or going into their 20s, but to say it's too late is never a bad idea because it's giving up on your child. >> at five you can certainly make changes.

in those young years, you can make all the difference. what happens is when parents give in, they positively reinforce the spoiled behavior. they're basically saying it works. kicking scene? that works. you actually make them do more of that behavior. when you hold the line, you show them negative reinforcement. this is pure psych and you say, that doesn't work so i'm going to extinguish that behavior. but later in the teen years, it is harder to undo. because you lose a lot of control. however, it's not entirely too late to sit down and say, i love you. i made a big mistake. i really regret it. i am sorry and we have to revamp this system because you're going to be an unhappy person. >> what i see also is people are not teaching their children right from wrong. it's as simple as that. you don't lie. you don't steal. >> we give consequences for bad

behavior and then we reward bad behavior by giving in. so if we turn on tv and say, gosh, i love watching these reality programs where everybody has more, more and treats each other badly and lies on the show and now i think they're fantastic, that makes a statement that a moral compass is just not very valued. >> if you don't have that in life, then you have no foundation to build your life on. >> you're going to turn out a person who is going to think lying and stealing and cheating are fine -- >> and they become a spoiled adult. >> we have so many of them in our culture. >> but they can get in big trouble if they don't know who they are. >> and you're going to make more spoiled people. >> it's a cycle. >> i really think it's a stoppable cycle. >> maybe we can.

>> thanks, ladies, so much. up next, where to find some fun in the sun when you just can't take it anymore, right after this.

time to pack it up for today's travel and ways to escape the winter blues. >> whether you're on a budget or live in luxury, there's something for everybody. nice to see you again. >> nice to see you. >> we're all needing it right

now, baby. we've got the winter blues. >> the big question is whether to splurge or steal and i have both options. >> you do not have the right to steal! go ahead. >> we're start ng the caribbean. it's $368 a night. it's everything you would expect from a w resort. there is bicycling, tennis, the rooms are spectacular. but if you want a steal, consider jake's in jamaica, $115 a night. that casual, high hooeeels, flip-flops all the way, $115. >> those are cute. >> next we're going to one of your favorite cities, paris. >> yes. my home town. >> everybody thinks about an extravagant weekend in pair ris. the shang ri la hotel.

half of the rooms have views of the eiffel tower. it was built in honor of napoleon's grand nephew, so so much history. >> what's so great about him? >> then if you want a steal, there is the citizen hotel, $228 a night. that's a very bohemian area, but a new hotel at $228. take us to santa fe. >> santa fe is great in the springtime, a little hotter than you expect because of high altitude. it's $660 a night, but it's beautiful. you can hike, relax, a beautiful spa, all contemporary interiors, no dream catchers in sight. it's 20 minutes north of the city, but if you want to be in the city, consider the spa at loredo.

it's $170 a night, the architecture very recognizable, t terra cotta reds. >> the art galleries and funky little boboutiques. >> there are 250 art galleries located in santa fe. >> park city, utah. >> this is what you would expect for park city. it's a norwegian chalet halfway up the mountain. $550, and i hear they throw in two lift tickets plus breakfast for two. they have a ski concierge welcome you upon arrival. they take your skis so you don't have to worry about schlepping them around. and for something less expensive, consider the cascade at vail, colorado.

$270 a night, which is 50% off the normal rate. that's run by travel and leisure and luxury link, and we're running it special today for the vacation viewer. >> we had a home out there for years, and we just loved it. it's a fantastic place. >> a beautiful renovation. the patio overlooks an infinity pool. >> family vacation, if people want to go to florida? >> the ritz-carlton. beautiful hotel. everything you can imagine. from a 400-plus room resort. great deal. close to two amusement parks and national parks and of course the beach. if you're looking for something different, consider the green turtle club in the bahamas. very quiet and relaxing. less than $200 a night there as well, so something for the entire family. >> boy, that looks good. with the kind of winter we've had, you say i'll take anything.

you're unbelievable. >> you don't look at anything, you have everything memorized and she was like this, the galleries. >> you know your stuff, swe sweetheart. coming up next, what kathie lee and i do best. we're going to go head to head. we're talking about breakfast.

if breakfast is your favorite meal, that might change thanks to resident dietitian. >> what is healthy and what's not so healthy. we're about to be put to the test. hello, madeline. >> hello. you're being put to the test here. we're going to look at the most fiber in three breakfast foods that have fiber in them.

100% whole grain english muffin, two waffles or oatmeal. it's not the oatmeal. >> it's one of these two. >> because everyone thinks that's it, i'm going with the flax. >> a gift i give to you, hoda woman. >> who has ever heard of a flax waffle? >> it's whole grains and all that. flax seed, exactly. how about pancakes? >> i don't eat this stuff. >> a plate of pancakes, no extra butter, but a quarter extra syrup. does this have more or less than

50 on c 500 calories? it's more. it's 650 calories. how many teaspoons would you save if you went to sugar-free syrup? is it 7, 10 or 14 teaspoons? >> 14. >> hoda is right. >> you can get sugar free syrup? >> it's perfectly fine if you want to use it. now we're going to some breakfast meat. we have turkey bacon, canadian bacon and regular pork bacon. rank these from lowest to highest fat. >> you go and then i'll get it right. that should be first, i think. >> and that's canadian bacon. that's your choice? >> no, i just want to know what it is. i'll make it my choice now. >> did you miss it? >> yes. >> you're still wrong. >> i wasn't done!

>> i did it for you. she got the point. let's go. >> oh, boy. >> hoda! >> canadian bacon is the leanest and then turkey bacon and regular bacon. >> it makes a difference if you really, really like it crispy. >> crispy is good but the fat stays the same. if you like the canadian bacon, a lot of people don't, but you know what, it's not that bad? >> i like canada. and the canadian people as a whole. i'm just not crazy about their ham, i'm sorry. their bacon. now, hoda -- >> i'm going first so you can get it right later. >> you're going first. one of these has 500 dal rhcalo and one has 350. a sausage breakfast sandwich or a muffin.

>> you're saying that's the 500 calories. >> it seems to me it would be. >> but you know what? you're wrong. bacon is not 500. >> the lowest to highest calories. calories only. this is cocoa puffs, this is granola, frosted mini whaeats. >> done. >> those would seem higher. >> real quick. okay, when it comes to milk, we have skim milk, soy milk and almond milk. one of them is very low in protein. which is it?

>> low in protein. this one. >> no. >> now you have to get the second answer. >> i can't see what they are, honey. >> almond milk or you can have soy milk. >> i'm going with soy. >> you're both wrong. it's going to be the almond milk that has a gram of protein compared to about eight grams. who won? >> hoda did. >> we have for you a little breakfast basket. >> finally something to eat. >> she'll share with me since i really won for her. >> still to come, chuck nice is

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we adore chuck nice but he can do some pretty dumb things.

>> he's one of the commentators on "the world's dumbest." it shows videos like this video of two russian women beating the heck out of each other. i love this. >> it's like rock 'em-sock 'em nanas. i'm waiting for one of their little heads to pop off. >> it's a real video? >> it is. truly. >> people love these videos. what's the story with these? >> because we get to point and laugh at people doing stupid things and it's not us. it's a guilty pleasure, it's a fun show. it comes on every thursday night at 9:00. i'm on it. watch it. i have children. i need the money. >> when i watch something like that, though, i get frustrated because i go, surely one of them realizes if they just got up, they would have the advantage over the other one. >> but they're 83. i don't think they can get up.

>> they got to where they sat down, didn't they? >> people love the videos of people falling down. sdp >> that's you. >> no,i don't. >> watch this guy. he's hurt. he's a black ninja. that's what he calls himself. as you can see, black people should never be ninjas. that's something we don't do. >> if they're not ultimately hurt, you can see the humor in it. none of these people were hurt. >> nobody was hurt, there were no human beings hurt for the show. but i'm sure some brain cells were lost. >> i can't believe it's been on the air this long. >> thanks for the complement, hoda. "i can't believe your piece of [

bleep ] has been on for this long." >> he also has another show. tell us about the other never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days.

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