week. and among them -- ♪ yeah, baby. libraria. like you have never seen them before. see why a local library is getting global attention for their efforts to battle budget cuts. a reason to love your love handle. why so researchers are saying ten pounds overweight, that could be a good thing. and portraits of role models. local students create a photo exbit that shows us who is having a big influence on the next generation. but first, president obama issued his opinion on d.c public schools. it is not too flattering. the president said the city's schools could not give his daughters the same quality of education as their private counterparts. one top d.c. official says not true. tom sherwood with that story. >> there has been a lot of talk about public schools,harter schools are public schools. >> reporter: d.c. schools chancellor michelle rhee is getting lots of national attention on nbc's education

nation special repor this week, her three years of reform have not won over president obama who sends his two daughters to a pvate school here. >> those options areot available for enough children. >> reporter: on the nbc today show monday morning a caller asked obama about education in the city. >> as a father of two ve delightful and seemingly very bright daughters, i wanted to know whether or not you think that malia and sasha would get the same high quality rigorous education in a d.c. public school as compared to their very elite private academy they are attending now. >> i will be blunt with you. the answer is no right now. the d.c. public school systems are struggling. >> reporter: obama did acknowledge thacity schools are gettin better like in other cities. >> now, they have made some important strides over the last several years to move in the direction of reform. there are some terrific individual schools in the d.c. system. that's true bishgs the way, in every city across the country.

>> reporter: d.c. counselor vinct gray the democratic nominee for mayor who defeated rhee's boss, fenty, objected to the president's characterization of the city schools. >> i did hear the comment. we wish he would rethink that. i think we have some excellent schools. you know, bothin our traditional public schools and our charter schools. i think his dauters would get a first class education. at the end of the day every parent has to make the decision they feel is best for their children. >> repter: gray, who faces a nominal election november 2nd, rhee assuring business leaders from the city council, he will pursue education reform, whether rhee remains as chancellor or not. tom sherwood, news4. >> vincent gy said he will make no personnel desions on schools or other jobs until after the general election on november 2nd. it still not clear whether there are plans for rhee to move from her post. moving around town it is getting easier if you immediate wheels. you don't want to drive.

you can represent a bicycle in the dirict or arlington. it is part of the bike share program. tracee wilkins has more on how it works. >> reporter: beginning today there is a new form of transportation for folks in the washington area. looking for a kick trip and exercise. capital bikes chair is an expansion of d.c.'s smart bike program with a few differences iluding folks to ride over into arlington if they would like. capital bike share is the largest bike share program in the country. it costs $5 million to design and will cost $1.4 million a year to operate. vdot developed to show riders how it would all work. stions are solo powered at this time instead of electric. pricing is the same. $50 for one year's membership to get a bike whenever you want or 24-hour rentals starting at $5. there are more stations with capital bike share including some east of the river. ke riders we talked to say it is an interesting form of transportation but they had questions. >> if everybody in one community uses them one place and end up mewhere else, you know, how do

they get back? maybe ride the met back. i'm wondering about the logistics of it. >> some people are using it. the longer it is in place. the mre locations there are, you know. >> we see it as the hop-around town, three hours on the canal. we want people to use the bike. go to their destination, lock it back up. and have them available for other people to use so it is more of an alternate to the bus or metro or to driving your car. >> that's what this system is really for. to get you from point a to point b. it is not for all-day recreational bike riding because the fees can actually add up if you try to do that. they say this complete system should be up and running by october. tracee wilkins, news4. more than a thousand bikes are n available. there are a hundred statio ace cross the district and 14 in arlgs ton. shedding a few pounds may be an added befit to using the

bike program but there may be benefits to carrying extra weight. doreen gentzler has more on why you might want the reconsider your plan to lose those ten pounds. >> i would like to lose ideally about 15 to 20 more pounds. i think i'm getting there. i think m in shape now. 20 years of sitting to make up for. >> reporter: it is all to lose a little extra weight he says is slowing him down. >> when you drop a few pounds, you all of a sudden notice walking fast is easier and jogging is easier. playing sports is easier. >> reporter: nowhere are a growing number of stues finding that being a little bit overweight may not be so bad for you. we are not talking about being obese but rather rrying an extra five to ten pounds. it may not shorten your life and, in fact, it could even make it longer. >> there are certainly a number of diseases people seem to do a

little bit better with a little bit higher bmi above the, quote, normal. >> reporter: two studies from the centersor disease control found that people with a body pass index in the overweight range were no more likely to die from cancer are or cardiovascular disease. another study out of australia found that overweight people in their 70s were less likely to die in the next ten years of their life than those who were normal weight. those researchers say it is an indication that a little extra weight could actually fortify people against injury as they age. >> being a little overweight may increase the incidence of some diseases but if you have those diseases, the outcome seems to be better, heart failure, perhaps end stage renaldisease and other medical conditions. >> reporter: inova fairfax hospital cardiologist dr. shore says while the studies are interesting there are dozens of

risk factors besides weight that determines a person's health and longevity. >> person's a few pounds overweight who doesn't smoke or have high blood pressure, doesn't have chesterol issues, no family history, lower cardiac risk than someone that's a smoker and has a bunch of other risks that may a few pounds later. >> reporter: mhael knows fitness and a healthy lifestyle are both important. he kicked up his exercise routine recently and after doctors found a clogged artery in h chest. >> feel like i'm putting in the effort to be healthy so i'm a better husband, better father. >> reporter: doreen gentzler, news4. >> dr. shore says it is important to note a lot of these studies depend on a person's individual risk ctor. you need to talk to your doctor if you have any questns about weight loss. still ahead on "news4 this week," why the experts say your bridge can be one of your best resource it is you are looking for a job. discounted electronics may come at a dangous hidden cost.

liz crenshawhows us what most consers d't know about counterfeit goods. ♪

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area drivers could be getting relief from the district's aggressive effort to raise parking prices. the city doubled the meter charge. it costs $2 for an hour. ward 2 council member jack evans wants to hold hearings on rolling back the cost of the meters. he also wants to eliminate charges on nights and weekends. except in the more crowded areas of the city. the word counterfeit, you think o it and you think of money. it applies to products that we buy, including electronics. they may come at a discount. but they can also be extremely dangerous. liz crenshaw has more on what you need to watch out for. >> reporter: here's something you hopefully haven't witnessed in your home. an electrical cord going up in smoke and then fire. and then there's this iron overheating and engulfed in

flames. in fact, all these items have the potential to go up in smoke and flame because of one thing in common. they are all counterfeit. >> you have seen a lot of counterfeit electrical products come on the market. we think a lot of them are obvioly unsafe for a lot of different reasons. >> rorter: to find out how unsafe brett of the electrical safety foundation international took me on a quick shopping trip to twoollar discount stores. we bought a bunch of iems like indoor extension cords, outdoor extension cords, and power strips, and chargers and batteries. all at a bargain price. and as it turns out, maybe too great a bargain price. >> some ofhe things we -- make it dangerous is the fact they don't use enough copper. typically the most expensive thing in electrical devices. >> reporter: to prove his point he cut open our bargain extension cord to show what consumers never see. >> you can see the difference in the amount of copper in thewo devices as startling.

>> reporter: this is legitimate and this is what we bought today. >>orrect. >> reporter: that's a fire hazard. >> absolutely. >> reporter: a different problem occurs with power strips. the one the left has no brand name and there are spelling errors in the instructions. >> this is supposed to say this product is manufactured. t it says phcis. and it has a phony ul code instead of a genuine underwriter's hologram. it has never been tested. and look at these batteries. they look like duracell except they have an imitation energizer bunny on the package. what can go ong? >> definitely could destroy the property itself. >> reporter: fortunately if you look past the bargain price, it is relatively easy to spot a dangerous counterfeit. a legitimate extension cord will only bend so far. a counterfeit will bend almost flat because there is so little wire in it. ere's often no brand maim or

warranty information on counterfeits and many times the counterfeits just feel flimsy and cheap with no behin of quality. the electrical safety people say too many consumers think is something being sold in a store, someone else has checked it out for safety. but when it comes to cheap electrical products, that is not the case. >> we purchase a counterfeit electrical oduct, it is not like purchasing a counterfeit purse or watch. it is something that can really hurt you, even kill you. >> reporter: liz crenshaw, news4. >> still ahead on "news4 this week," the survival song that made local librarians an intern sensation around the world. starting a job search? head for the kitchen. we will explain how networking we will explain how networking can be a as simple as opening four yearsgo, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%.

and for the st four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides wi corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big bks and '. middle cde do. rule the upload. rule the status update. rule the moment. we built america's most reliable network to make a more powerful you. rule the air. verizon [ scott ] nicene, tracy. here's anoth little thing that makes a big difrence...ott. hold this. uh, thanks? it's called smart flush. it's free whenou buy scott naturals bath tissue.

hang it in your tank and you'll save up to a liter of water each time yoflush. it adds up to about 2,000 gallons of water a year per family. whoa. it's just another easy way scott naturals help you take a green step. it's green, done right. [ female announcer ] do you know scott? scott naturals and free smart flush are een done right. lunch break. what's that? if you work through your lunch break you are not alone. a poll of more than 2300 workers, less than half say they

leave their desk for a meal every day. one in five eat lunch at their desk. about the same number take a luh break on occasion. 13% nev take a break from work to even eat. top level execs, they were more likely to take that lunch brk and then take a break more often than women. looking for a job? you probably have been told that the key lies in knowing the right perso more than 75% of job seekers find their nxt opportunity through their network according to a care build er dot com survey. how do you take your first step to build a network? aaron gilchrist shows us how using your refrigerator. >> reporter: it is the state of the economy from college graduates to longtime career professionals, a lot of people are out of work and lookingfor jobs. to get back on their feet experts have one word of advice -- network. >> 70% to 80% the way most eople will wind up getting

their jobs is because somebody knows somebody who knows somebody. >> reporter: how do you build a network and who exactly should be included? a n article by career builder says that lay out a simple plan involving your refrigerator. grab a few pies of paper and tape them across your refrigerator. every time you get something to eat, stop and write down the name of at least one person you know. by the end of t week, you should have a list of names and your network. >> the idea once again is to start building that network. kind of brick by brick, person by person. so you start with the people who you know best and who know you best. so certainly friends, relatives, professors, former teachers, even high school, former coaches, clergy. >> reporter: once you built your network, can it really help? jeff landed a job as a development manager for private school. >> i definitely had good

network through my alumni association, monthly meetings, through happy hour, i was able to collect business cards and begin to know who did what where. >> reporter: stephen chen says he began his network as an intern and worked his way up. >> it is a matter of taking the job seriously and working hard. and i think that's really how i developed the relationship with the guy who i was in touch with in new york. >> reporter: it can't hurt to build a solid network. you will never know when you need to land a new job. >> have you that going, whether it starts with a list on a refrigerator or somethi in a pda, blackberry, white board at home or a piece of paper in your pocket, it doesn't matter. as long as you get that network constructed and use itnd you -- nurture it and you make it a part of your life. >> reporter: aaron gilchrist,

news4. >> our tough economy has given librarians in stafford county a reason to dance. the staff at the rappahannock regional library says it is being forced to do more with less money. instead of sulking, they are singing. it is getting them national attention. john schriffen takes a look. >> another day at the library. ♪ >> reporter: these are librari n librarians like have you never seen before. >> people have images of librarians that they are not real people. we are. we don't usually dance on the tables but after hours who knows. >> reporter: caroline along with dozens of her co-workers from all eight branch muches of the rappahannock library took tis remake of gloria guy for's "i will survive." >> my friends and family have seen and it like it. they are not surprised i'm -- acting goofy again.

♪ >> reporter: but this goofy rendition has an underlying message. the librarians say in this current economic climate libraries around the country are having to doore with less. >> how are we going to get thrgh this, you know, i -- we had to cut hours, book budget has been slashed, busier than ever. how will we surve? it came to us, i will survive. it. we will survive. so far so good. >> reporter: when the video was first posted on youtube it was intended for other librarians and people here in this fredericksburg community. but in just over a week, it received over 35,000 hits and comments from people aund the world. >> chinese, hungarian, swedish websites. it has been very gratifying. >> reporter: sean is the mastermind behind the helves. shooting, editing and writing the script for this librarian manifesto. >> much easier than youay expect. the librarians i work with are amazingly professional.

but they are also very personable. they are very enthusiasticbout libraries and about their jobs. ♪ will survive >> reporter: john schriffen, news4. you can see the library's full music video on our website, nbcwashington.com. just search library i will survive. you need to take a look at the full oduction. coming up next, young local students show us who they idolize with a few familiar faces on the lt. how are you getting to a happier place? running there? dancing there? flying there? how about eating soup to get there? delicious campbell's soups fill you with good nutrition, energy, farm-grown ingredients, and can help you keep a hlthy weight. helping you get to a happier place. have a nice trip. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

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what started as a project for black history mon has turned into a wildly popular photography exhibit. craig melvin shows us the photographers and subjects who are elementary school students. >> i am malcolm x. >> rosa parks. >> if photography club picked a role model, pretended they were the person, and started

clicking. famous musicians, famous athletes, and even a famous local broadcast er. for monique her choice was a no-brainer. >> she's a civil right icon for kids and adults. sheis a very good friend of mine. >> reporter: the fiftgrade areas mother worked with dr. height so she saw her often. >> it was awesome because she would say hello to me. >> reporter: she had double inspiration. >> when i grow up, i want to be a basketball player. >> reporter: it wasn't nearly a game of dress-up before putting on the glasses or grabbing a trumpet, the stents studied the people they admired. >> she played the piano. and she skped second grade. she's 5'11".

i like it when i put on the dress and coat and i like to fix it. >> reporter: for an elementary schooler dressing like a person you would have liked to be would ave been fun enough but there was another part to the project. >> it was fun because i like to hit the button on a camera. >> you get to hold on to the camera, photography person. >> reporter: they were apparently just as comfortable behind the camera as they were in front of it. >> basically all we helped them do was to frame the pho. we talked about composition and point of view. but you would be surprised how much they already knew. >> reporter: lindsey runs the otography club. >> primarily african-american school, i think it is really important to be able to learn about their culture and to focus on others who were here befor them. >> reporter: the project also seemed to help them think about their future. >> a fashion model. football pyer. >> a teacher or a doctor.

>> narrator: craig melvin, news4. >> fantastic. anthat's all for "news4 this week." i'm wendy rieger. thank you for joining us and have a good one.

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