we're back now with more of "today" on a tuesday morning, the 14th of december 2010. barking dogs outside, chilly temperatures, lots of nice people waving simply to keep warm. it's about 20, 22 degrees out there, windchill much lower than that. had a dusting of snow in the northeast overnight. that's nothing compared to what the people in other parts of the country have been dealing with, waist deep snow in some places and ridiculous temperatures. >> lake-effect snow that just won't go away.

>> i'm matt lauer along with natalie morales. take a look at some of the scenes from around the country, and we should tell you that al this morning is up in dunkirk, new york. it looks chilly up there, al. >> yeah and i'll give you an idea of how cold it is, this is lake erie just about 15 yards behind me. and this is what just flew over here. >> come on. no. >> no, you got that at a & p. >> look, over here, this is one of our producers, it's cold and i found this. and it's crazy. >> oh, my goodness. >> that's how cold it is. you got to look around, someone's throwing fish at you. all right, al. >> nobody's throwing fish. >> that's great. >> this is for your, lauer.

>> someone threw it at you just for the halibut, no question about it. we're going to get to your forecast in just a moment. >> you're giving me a had ddock. >> this is getting worse. >> i'm tired of working for scales. >> okay, we can't take it anymore. also ahead, navigating the diet mine field known as the holiday season. this morning on our diet s.o.s. whether you're suffering from a lack of will power. it's also time for another installment of jill's steals and deals, deep, deep discounts on everything from jewelry to handbags just for your "today" show viewers. let us get a check of the top stories at the moment. anne is standing by 59 at the news desk. we begin with that deadly winter storm that's still moving across the country. we have got nbc's john yang,

he's how in the bad weather in michigan city, indiana with more on this. hey, john, how are you? >> reporter: here on the shores of lake michigan, the third straight day of snowfall here in northern indiana. there's already two feet of snow on the ground and the high winds are creating drifts of up to four feet high. for drivers, it's not a winter wonderland, it's a winter whiteout. blowing snow covered highways as fast as they could be cleared, snarling traffic and causing accidents. in northwest indiana -- >> we're trying to keep traffic headed that way. >> reporter: more than 100 cars and trucks were stuck on snow covered highways, drivers who were able to move found that the hard part was stopping. >> this isn't an ocean. this is lake michigan. waves 25 feet high, wind gusts up to 35 miles an hour. americans from the great lakes to florida are in the deep

freeze. in chicago, officials warned of the dangerous bitter cold. >> all chicagoans should avoid making unnecessary trips outside. >> reporter: it's all part of a massive winter storm that stranded travelers at chicago's o'hare airport and dramatically deflated the deflatable roof at the twin cities metrodome stadium. a woman in her 60s had to be rescued after her van was spotted in an icy pond. she was taken to the hospital in serious condition. also a man woke up to find that a broken water main had coated his home in ice. the temperature has been dropping, the high today was before sun rise. and they have been chasing surfers out of the water here. on a very serious story now, veteran diplomat richard holbrooke has died. the obama administration's special envoy to afghanistan and

pakistan has been in the hospital since friday for a torn aorta. holbrooke served under every democratic president since john f. kennedy and was notably the architect of the bosnian peace agreement. his last words were to his doctor when he said, quote, you've got to stop this war in afghanistan. holbrooke was 69 years old. republicans will have new ammunition next year when they try to repeal the health care reform law. a federal judge on monday struck down a key provision of the law that requires most americans to carry health insurance. wikileaks founder julian assange appears in a london court today to make a fresh appeal to be released on bail. today he made his first public statement since his arrest following a visit in jail from his mother. he said, quote, my convictions are unfaltering. america's neighborhoods are more racially integrated than ever according to recent census

data. integration among blacks and whites in major cities fell. and the 18-foot long mammal beached himself in san diego last night. it took 20 sea world workers to inject him with antibiotics and push him back out to sea. if you're looking for a very unique vacation spot, this could be it. starting next year, the site of the 1986 chernobyl nuclear meltdown will be open for tourism. the highly contaminated zone surrounding the blow reactor has been off-limits for decades. more than 50 people died in the aftermath of the meltdown, although the radiation released will eventually kill thousands. >> that's pretty unusual, i think, that word.

dying to go back to dun dishindunkirk, new york to see what's flying now. >> why don't you guys come visit? >> no, you're fine. >> i think you're enjoying it there. you want to stay through tomorrow? >> no, no i'll be back in the studio tomorrow. i'll tell you, though, the lake-effect snow has been cranking, all five great lakes have lake-effect snow coming off of them. take a look at what's going on. you've got the snow coming across the great lakes. snowfall totals. syracuse, probably picks up another one to two feet before it's all over. buffalo about three to six inches, cleveland will see some snow, all the way up into new england, we'll be looking at some snow. and as you look at these departures for temperatures from normal. 20 degrees below normal in

charleston, cleveland 12 degrees below normal. 20 degrees below normal in miami. 39 right now, it's 24 in washington, minus 3 in des moines and those are the windchills. and as you look at what the highs are for today, we'll see temps warm up a bit. but not by much. only 10 degrees in buffalo. 47 jacksonville. 20 degrees in st. louis. temperatures do moderate a bit on thursday. but i'll tell you, this is the deep freeze and it's going to stay cold throughout the great lakes and on into the upper plains. >> it is going to be a windy and very cold day. wind chill between 0 and 10 degrees. otherwise, a chance

>> and that's your latest weather. this morning on joy's diet s.o.s. how to enjoy countless holiday parties without it affecting your diet or your stomach. joy bauer's slim down workout, good morning, joy. the first one here from dana, she's in bronx, new york and she joins us via skype. what's your question? >> my husband suffers form acid reflux and we're going to be going to a lot of holiday parties, i wonder what the worst offenders are that he should avoid at all costs. >> it's super hard during the holiday season. i think the most important thing hands down that your husband can do is to not overstuff himself

with a large volume of food. and that's because when you eat a super large meal, you increase the pressure in your stomach, it sits in your stomach for a longer period of time and it increases your exposure to acid. so just encourage him to have small portions, your daughter's adorable. encourage him to have small portions of whatever he's eating at parties and also to wait at least three hours after eating a meal before going to bed. because when you lie down after eating, it's easy for that food to travel up back into the esophagus. and also watch the alcohol. it's a big trigger. just one or two cocktails per party if possible. >> i think so. >> small portions, that's the key, though. happy holidays. >> thanks a lot, dana. and i think peppermint and spearment are also triggers and high fat food are also triggers. >> avoid tomato based sauces and

some of the citrus fruits. >> you know it's all there and you want to have all of it. we have stacy, she's on the phone in fishkil, new york. stacy, what's your question? >> caller: good morning. during the holidays, our customers are constantly bringing us goodies, trays of brownies and cookies and chocolates. i'm very appreciative of their warm wishes, but the calories are killing me. do you have any tips that will help me not eat them all day? >> i think every single person wants to hear your answer to this one. >> yes. and stacy, here is your strategy. i want you in the afternoon to review the trays of goodies and select the most delicious looking one, maybe it's a chocolate fudgy browny or hard christmas koocookie. this way you don't open up the

pandora's box in the middle of the day. you know it's waiting for you later on. and to distract your taste buds a little bit, pack sugarless gum, pack interesting blends of herbal tea. and if it's in your clear line of sight, ask if you can move them and try to also send them off with customers, as quick as they come into the salon, try to get them out of the salon. send them to their spouses and their kids, it's all good. >> this can also be a question that actually we have gotten some viewer e-mails, asking pretty much the same question, how to avoid overindulging, and i think setting something aside makes a lot of sense and picking the one thing that you love, it's going to be chocolate and i'm going to hold out for later. >> really it's the whole month of december tends to be problematic. be very selective with your

splurges. pick just a few parties or gathering and plan to indulge at those special get togethers and the rest of the month, try to stick to your healthy eating plan. >> what's your indulgence? >> i love melty chocolate and hard crunchy christmas cookies. stelara® helps control , moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara®, your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection,

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and tonight everyone gets a taste of something special... ranch spinach dip. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. ranch spinach dip. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. we're back once again with our very popular series jill's steals and deals where we have great discounts just for you. jill martin has everything from electronics to winter coats, even some lobster today. jill, good morning. >> let's remind people again how this works. >> so retailers come to us and offer these deals for 24 hours at extremely discounted prices. i am not involved in any of these brands nor am i a

spokesperson, i don't benefit nor does the "today" show. this is about giving you the deals of a lifetime because they really are amazing and there's something for everyone. >> they get on our website and there's a special code and then they are able to order. >> go to todayshow.com and then you'll get a code to go on the website. and just be patient because there's so many people logging on it may take a little time. >> let's go first, you've got a great deal on these jackets here. they come in four colors actually. we have got three of them here, also come in black. >> these are lined, these are great jackets. so the original price is $99.50. and steals and deals price, $25, that's 75% off. so you really can't beat this. it's great if you need a color to pick red and just have a bright color. i also love winter white. and these are great as a gift.

>> perfect. >> and you can get them at the stores as well and available for christmas. >> $25. okay, you can't beat that price. >> we have got these great leather purses by christine price. tell me about these, jill. >> genuine leather. we have one that's great for work. i made these huge because i love these bags. and then the smaller one and there's a little one that can really go from day to night. and just feel them, they're genuine leather, originally $129, $58. so that range in price, but it's about 82% to 81% off. >> these are popular with the celebrities. >> hillary duff, jennifer love huet great fans. and you can wear winter white bags all year. i'm always asked that question. >> and over here, a viewer favorite, how can you go wrong with food? omaha steaks last week, they sold out, right?

>> i went around town and people were saying i ordered it for my friend. let me tell you what you're getting first. two lobster tails. two pounds of coconut shrimp. $214.94 for $49.99 that's 77% off. >> wow. >> and it all comes right to your house. it's a great gift. it's dinner for four very hungry people. >> parties this holiday season, the coconut shrimp, great appetizer. >> and it's also prepared so you can have fun yourself. >> we love jewelry and you've got some great pieces right here. tell us about them. >> i love jewelry, especially for new year's because people think they need to invest in dresses. you can take something simple and dress it up with statement jewelry.

this is a great example. look at all these great pieces. originally $150, steals and deals priced $30, that's 80% off. >> wow. >> so these are great. and even just a light t-shirt throughout the year if you want to dress it up with jeans, these are great, great pieces. >> and here's something that everybody needs, a little gps, from radio shack. >> i consistently get lost everywhere i go so gps is my friend. it's 4.3 inches, the touch screen, written directions come up, a map and it talks to you so you don't have to be distracted. i still get lost, but this is a good deal. $129.99. now for $19.99 so that's 90% off. ive the speed limit changes, if ate letters you. >> or if you're going a little too fast, it will let you know.

>> that could be very annoying. >> or very helpful. so this works on batteries so you charge it and put it in the car, perfect. >> jill martin, thank you so much. here to remind you, the coat, handbags, by christine price. the world seafood prize catch direction, the gps receiver from radio shack. just head to todayshow.com for the promotion codes and the websites offering all these fantastic deals. in 24 hours it will be gone. coming up a deserving member of our armed forces who serves in iraq and afghanistan gets all glammed up with the help of bobby brown. but first these messages.

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"today's" 17th annual toy drive is all about making sure children get what they need for christmas. including tools for learning. and who acceto help us with tha have got dan moore, you're donating not toys, but something else? >> we're a direct sales company and we start with first things first, on behalf of thousands of college students from across the u.s., canada and europe, they have their own businesses in our summer program. we want to say thank you to the "today" show. and we're delighted to donate educational software that's going to be in use with needy

families and organizations all over the u.s. >> and so if you would like to donate a gift, you can come down to our plaza or go to todayshow.com for details. we have got more coming up after these messages. [ male announcer ] are you reconsidering your medicare coverage? now is the time to take action. call unitedhealthcare medicare solutions today. you only have until december 31st to make sure you have the coverage you need. consider a medicare advantage plan.

it combines medicare parts a & b, which is your doctor and hospital coverage and may include prescription drug coverage for as low as a $0 monthly premium. you only have until december 31st to enroll. call unitedhealthcare today.

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is a wbal-tv 11 news update. >> it is an arctic start for us in baltimore. the wind chills of between 0 and 10 degrees right now. the winds will continue to gust over 30 miles per hour this afternoon. windy and cold, chance for snow showers and flurries. showers and flurries. you know what i want for the holidays? do tell. true love. true love is a myth. [ gasps ] you're a myth!

excuse me? [ female announcer ] it's the thought that counts. and the gift. safeway. ingredients for life.

when you don't have to cook, you have time for other things. yeah, like what? i don't know. fishing. fishing?! i, uh, i said wishing. [ female announcer ] when we do the cooking, you do the enjoying. safeway. ingredients for life. are you still physically attracted to my daughter, greg? >> jack, there's never been a problem of that? >> even though her body has endured the hellish or deal of bearing twins? >> it's all good under the hood. >> that's disgusting. >> i love robert deniro and ben stiller. just in timeorhe on the film's

hijinx. >> you have to be very careful how you say it. coming up in this half hour, we have a holiday makeover for a really lucky soldier? >> master sergeant betty thompson has been serving in the army since he was 17 years old in dallas, texas, she's served all around the world from macedonia to iraq to afghanistan. so who wouldn't be in the mood for a little makeover. >>. also ahead, we're making a list, we're checking it twice. when it comes to holiday decorating and safety around your home, from flameless candles to flame retardnant rug.

>> hey, al, how are you doing, dear? >> we're starting to get some lake-effect snow kicking in again, we understand it's snowing pretty good in buffalo right now, syracuse as well. this is going to be the shape of things to come for the next 48 hours around the great lakes and the winds are pretty howling too. wind gusts of 40 miles an hour, windchills anywhere zero to 5 below. as we look and show you what's going on as far as today's concerned, we are looking at record lows down through florida, a real mess down through the pacific west with rain on the coast and snows inland. tomorrow we have got more lake-effect snows in the eastern great lakes. cool weather down in florida with temperatures moderating just a tad. in the mississippi river valley, icy conditions, rain along the pacific northwest, mild weather from texas on into the southwest.

>> it is going to be a windy and cold day today. wind chill running between 0 and 10 degrees. jefferson of showers and flurries otherwise. >> that's your latest weather, now lets head down to washington and say hello to uncle willie scott. >> it's all good stuff. take a look at phillip, handsome devil. phillip weintraub, west palm beach, florida. 100 years old, exercises at the gym five times a week. attributes his longevity to eating healthy.

there you go. there's a good stroke for good clean living. and lena whitlock. from greendale, indiana. 100 years old today. lives independently and formerly a lunch lady, fed those kids and they all grew up to be healthy and happy. i tell you these older people love their computers. cunningham, 100 years old today, known as the bingo queen and loves to go to the casinos last once a week. i like that. roger welling, 100 years old. drove seniors to the doctor, how about that? doing his good deed helping

other seniors. can't beat that. harold and moxey, 75 years they have been married, and longevity they say never, never going to bed angry. so they sleep in separate bedrooms. they don't, i'm just saying that. happy birth, happy anniversary. that's all, back to new york city. >> and happy holidays to you. we have got the finalists who have been announced, who will be "time" magazine's person of the year? according to time, it is someone who has done the most influence the events of the year. >> who do you think will get the distinction? and we took an online poll, our viewers did and here's how you think it should go. 44% of you thought it should be the chilean miners. 20% say the tea party. 19% the founder of facebook, mark zuckerberg.

julian assange, steve jobs, apple. 6%. >> and remember that "time" magazine says it's someone who for good or for ill has affected the most lives and it's not somebody who has affected lives in the past, but also may have an affect in the future. so looking at that -- >> i think the chilean miners is a great choice, but i'm not so sure how they would move forward. so i'm thinking about maybe mark zuckerberg or julian assange as being possible. >> certainly the tea party is a big player in american politics could be changing the face of elections as we know it. >> already has. >> mark zuckerberg has done so much good, now he's donating most of his fortune. so he's going to be somebody who clearly not only his influence. and steve jobs, obviously we're not making a choice here.

>> you'll have to find out tomorrow. >> they're going to reveal it live here on the "today" show. coming up next, a holiday makeover for one deserving soldier, courtesy of makeup maven bobbie brown. right after this. hey susan, you gotta tell the aunt jessie story again. -yes, you do! -ok, ok. joe: love that story. try olive garden's two new scaloppini dishes. pan-seared chicken breasts in a lemon-herb glaze. or sauteed pork in a creamy white wine sauce. both served with asiago filled tortelloni. with our unlimited salad and breadsticks. this is like being back at the kids' table. [ laughter ] olive garden. when you're here, you're family.

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in a more delicious world, there would be more smoothness, more creaminess, more rich just-for-me-ness, more hershey's bliss-fulness. hershey's bliss. it's not just chocolate. it's bliss. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us.

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. ♪ try mini crescent dogs. just unroll the dough, roll up, bake, and present. very impressive! and very easy. for this recipe and more, visit pillsburycrescents.com. this morning on "today's" beauty, a dazzling look for the holiday season, courtesy of bobbie brown and today bobbie

wanted to pamper a busy mother, army master sergeant thompson, good morning to both of you. how did you two meet? >> i wanted to give back to someone who was giving back and i thought it was really important to find someone who has done so much for our country. so i found betty. >> and betty, you have served for almost 20 years in the military. >> she was 11 when she started. >> and when you heard that bobbie brown wanted to give you a makeover sparkle, what was your response? >> i was honored that i was selected to come on the show and i received the holiday makeover. >> but you were disappointed that i wasn't the singer, right? >> we thought about that first. >> you have served in wars, you have served in difficulty, in situations where a girl doesn't get a chance to put on a lot of

makeup, so here's bobbie brown. >> she has never put a lip gloss on. i had her try and i said you have done this before? and she said i haven't. she looks so beautiful without makeup and in her army fatigues in her beautiful face, but she's going to a party. we added a little sparkle. we gave her a smoky eye. a beautiful blurb. the new smoky eye is not just dark colors, it's about adding a little bit of sparkle. the season is all about sparkle. this isn't glitter, it's sparkle. and the difference s i don't even know if the tv will pick it up. but the sparkle just lights up your face andi ingand, and if y light sparkle, it's smoky eyes. >> it's not a heavy sparkable. >> it's amazing when i feel a little tired, a little sparkle just gives you a little lift. it's really nice and we can also

do a little sparkle on the cheek if we want. but red lips, people always think of for the holidays and we're told not to wear red lips with dark eyes. so instead of going for a bright red lip, i'm going for something a little more smimery, the great thing about a gloss is that you can keep it in your purse and you don't need a mirror really, you can just kind of throw it on. and because it sheer and shimmery, you don't have to have bright red lips. >> what do you think, laura? this is your daughter? what do you think of how mommy looks right now? you think she looks good? >> and laura's got sparkle on her eyes too. meantime, you know, i'm sure that the men and women you

command are going to have a few thoughts about seeing you on tv with all these sparkles on your eyes. >> i'm sure they will, and i miss them a lot. >> you miss them because you're here or because you haven't seen them in a while? >> it's been a while. when i was stationed in afghanistan and then i left the unit. so i was a first sergeant with an attachment there. >> you know, bobbie, i think what you're doing is i think what every american needs to do which is to step up in any way we can, it's time that we serve them and you're serving in this way. >> it's amazing what lip gloss can do, huh? >> thank you for your service. is there anything you want to say to your men and women who are under your command? >> just that i miss them and that they're doing a great job and to continue doing it and they're the ones that do all the work and leadership usually gets all the credit for that. >> that's right. well, you gave them credit this

morning. sergeant thompson, thank you so much for everything. and coming up next, the safe way to decorate your home for the holidays right after this. ♪ wow! ♪ they're from my garden club, up north. [ female announcer ] this year, hallmark has all new ways to say it. well, there's the snow you wanted. when you can actually party at your party?

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so i mix together a packet of hidden valley ranch, 1 box of spinach, and 16 ounces of sour cream, and tonight everyone gets a taste of something special... ranch spinach dip. [ male announcer ] hidden valley ranch. mix it up. [ whistle blows ]

[ squishing ] [ male announcer ] pool filled with caramel. not as good as chocolate filled with caramel. introducing milky way simply caramel. life's better the milky way. "today" celebrates christmas is brought to you by milky way. life's better the milky way. >> this morning on "today" celebrates christmas, how to deck the halls without the holidays decking you. burning candles, many holiday zeshts can be avoided. here is the host of the syndicated show house smarts. sadly a lot of people do get injured because they're doing things, they're setting up their decorations and not being as careful as they should. number one is slips and falls. >> you've got a holiday rug, and

you're putting it out there, head down to the hardware store and get a nonslid mat. a smaller one like this will do the trick. it has a rubber tactile feel to it and will not hurt the floor underneath it. >> absolutely perfect. okay now ladders too. >> don't use the one that came with the house. >> exactly. >> and make sure you have somebody holding it as you're getting up there. >> on every ladder that you purchase or use, you'll see a little sticker on the side that has the weight rating on there. this one has 300 pounds, remember it's not just you, it's you and the stuff you bring up on it. and don't extend up higher than the laster goes. the second step down on a stepladder is as high as you should ever go. it's not worth it, hundreds of thousands of people ends up in the emergency room because of accidents from ladders. >> i was watching national

lampoon's christmas vacation. stringing up the lights. tree lights. this unfortunately is a cause for a lot of fires. >> uh-huh. and part of the things with con vern conventional lights. a lot of people don't like the colors, but trust me, this is where we're going to go. when it comes to plugging them in. you can buy cords. this thicker one is for outside. and this one has multiple points to plug the lights into. so with conventional lights, never more than four together at one time. so you can do that, for four here, four there. this is an indoor version of that. these cords have you ever used these outside? tell me the truth. >> i think we have some outside right now. >> those are not for outside. they're too thin. they get cold and they get brittle and they can break. multiple plugs like this, this

has a breaker in there so in case something shorts out and timers, this is an outdoor timer for your lights. you can use an outdoor timer inside, but you can't use an indoor timer outside. this will short out. so you need something with protection. and the nice thing about timers is you don't get honey, did you turn the lights out? >> set it and forget it and that's going to help save energy too. >> thinking about being safe with candles and fires. candles a are a big source of fire. >> if you're someone that likes natural candles. set a little timer put it by your bed. about 15 minutes before you typically or after you go to bed, the thing is go to go off, oh, i forgot to put out the candles. or the battery operated ones, to the tea lights, the different candles. in the studio, they don't do it

justi justice. in darker settings or homes, they really look beautiful. here's the secret about these. this set of six votives cost about 7:9 cl$7.99. the batteries are $4. buy another set of lights. >> this is the time to check your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. i also want you to get fire extinguishers. i want you to buy two of the them. have you ever used a fire extinguisher? >> i have not. >> what do you do? take one, go outside and use it. and then you'll know. if you can't put it out within 20 to 30 seconds, 911 and get out of the house. >> absolutely. >> happy holidays. >> thank you. >> can you come fix my lights? >> absolutely. >> back in a moment, first this is "today" on nbc.

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>> live, local, latebreaking. this is a wbal-tv 11 news update.

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