♪ welcome to "news4 this week." welcome, everybody. i'm veronica johnson. we're going to show you some of the more interesting stories making news in our area this week. among them, healing through a hug. why thousands showed up just to get an embrace from one woman. and what's your workout? athletes talk about the full-body benefits of playing the world's second-most popular sport. then a taste test. see how well a burger chain's new menu item blends into the smoothie world. first, it's an option that d.c. taxi riders have wanted for a long time now, and it's finally on the way. soon all the cabs will have meters that allow credit card payments, and that's just the beginning. tom sherwood has more. >> reporter: 6,500 licensed cabs in the district.

some take credit cards, some don't. some know where they're going, some don't. even with the meter system, it's not always clear in the nation's capital what the fare is. that's about to change. >> this is a very major portion of the mayor's program for modernizing our taxi fleet here in the district of columbia. >> reporter: the city will enter a five-year, $35 million contract with a company called verifone. by the end of the year a new verifone will install in every cab, a meter, an emergency button, a credit card device, and a monitor screen for people to see public service announcement and brief advertising. to help pay for the system. nbc has the national contract with verifone, so riders will be able to see programming from nbc and nbc4. many drivers and passengers want the credit card option. >> we need that, because i got robbed last time, and, you know, we always carry cash, so we need

like everybody else, we want a credit card system. >> reporter: passengers will pay a 50 cent surcharge per trip, a fee to take advantage of the millions of out-of-town visitors who use cabs. >> it actually will relieve the taxpayers completely for paying for the operation of the taxicab commission. >> reporter: and for the first time, the new equipment will also will let the taxi commission gather gps data whether cabs are ignoring parts of the city or taking roots to boost fares. taking routes to boost fares. in the district, tom sherwood, news4. it's worth noting that the gps tracking feature has not been popular with cab drivers. well, winning the lottery has practically become a routine for one arlington man. joseph sylvester recently won $100,000 in the lottery's cash 5 game, for the second time in three months. sylvester used easy pick, and he let the computer randomly

select his numbers. there's no word yet on how he plans to use the latest winnings. when he won the first time, he used that money to pay bills and he bought a new truck. well, go ahead. can you tell the difference between a real gun and a fake? the po potential for confusion has local police waving a red flag about the dangers of toy weapons. jim handly explains the serious consequences kids could face if playtime goes wrong. >> reporter: real or replica? in a split second, it's tough for even the trained eye of police to distinguish. >> they feel like real weapons, they function like real weapons, they look like real weapons. they're amazing replicas. >> reporter: 14-year-old friends jordan and brady play in the backyard with their fake rifles. >> it's a 400 fps sniper rifle that is bolt action. >> it's good to just stay on your own property, because going out into like public areas, people can, like, think it's dangerous.

>> reporter: to raise awareness for kids and parents, police from around northern virginia put the fake with the orange tips alongside the real guns, and reminded kids and criminals, in moments of uncertainty, they treat both the same. >> our police officers are trained to respond to every weapon as if it's a real weapon. we don't train them any differently than we train third graders. if you see a weapon, assume it's a real weapon until you know for sure. we train officers make the situation safe, give appropriate commands. >> reporter: two key things for kids to keep in mind when using one of these replicas -- a safe environment and supervision. >> it's a toy, it's a game and, you know, we present it as such to the kids. i guess it's so important to tell them, and they know, you know, if the police officers ever do come around, you've got to do exactly what they say. >> reporter: some officers are seeing more and more criminals using fake guns, to avoid a stiffer penalty that crimes with

firearms can carry. they are still, however, charged with the initial crime, be it robbery or attempted assault. >> just because it has an orange tip doesn't mean it's not a real gun. obviously a very confusing situation and very difficult to decipher in 0.38 seconds. >> reporter: jim handly, news4. well, now to a real pot story here. thousands of people gathered in alexandria to literally embrace a world-renown humanitarian. her name is amma, and she's known as the hugging saint. erica gonzalez has more on what they were hoping for and what some say they got during the visit. >> reporter: she's a spiritual leader and humanitarian dubbed the hugging saint. amma is in the midst of her 26th summer tour of north america, and that includes a stop in alexandria. people have traveled from all over. >> i have come from altoona, pennsylvania. >> reporter: the sick and elderly.

the heavy-hearted, and others with child-like faith. it begins with a token or a number to get into the hilton alexandria marks center. then they sit and wait, take their shoes off and prepare to receive their darshin or blessing. some followers choose to bring a gift, but amma will give all a sweet token. >> i am just overwhelmed with grace, and i hope i can share it with others. >> reporter: people like david have come with high expectations. others unsure. >> i didn't know what to expect, because it was my first experience. >> reporter: barbara gilham was spurred to meet amma in an effort to spur her own faith. she describes the tender moment. >> she felt warm, something that just kind of passed through her, just a nice, tight hug of love. >> reporter: amma tells me her religion is love. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: and that she doesn't believe in a god who sits on a throne, but rather

that all living beings are her god, and she believes in serving them. erica gonzalez, news4. over the past 40 years, amma claims to have embraced some 32 million people. what's normally considered an adult's disease, but it's affecting an alarming number of children. next, why doctors say type 2 diabetes is even harder to treat in kids sdpl a local kayaker goes to london. how she's taking a skill she learned in summer camp matters. pioneers in outsourcing us jobs supports tax breaks overseas. insourcing. industry and favors bring jobs home. it matters. this message.

these sweet honey clustery things have fiber? fiber one. almost tastes like one of jack's cereals. uh, forgot jack's cereal. [ jack ] what's for breakfast? uh, try the number one! i've never heard of that. [ wife ] it's great. it's a sweet honey cereal, you'll love it. yeah, this is pretty good. are you guys alright? yeah. [ male announcer ] half a days worth of fiber. not that anyone has to know. fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. fans now have a new way to watch their beloved panda. a live web cam was unveiled at the giant panda's home in panda. he was born here in washington, d.c. for each person who likes or shares the live stream, $1 will be donated to replant a bamboo field. we have a link to that web cam

at nbcwashington.com. well, what started out as just something to do at camp has taken a maryland native around the world in her kayak caroline queen is representing the team in the kayak. it started on the potomac. >> i started at 9-year-old, and they have a lake race. i won the lake race, as a 9-year-old in the junior camp. i thought, okay, that's cool. i joined the slalom team after being invited to join the team. that came close to the 2004 olympics. i think that's what inspired me, that i could really take this a long ways and have fun with it. >> reporter: part of that fun, earning a nickname. >> bam-bam. >> reporter: bam-bam. >> i actually thing i gave her

the nickname. it happened at war saw. at one particular run she came out of the starting blocks and proceeded to hit about the first four or five gates. and so after that, i said, you know, run clean, no bam-bam. and that sort of stuck. >> there were a lot of sort of moves on the water that i was willing to try as a small paddler that didn't end up so graceful all the time. i would be hitting stuff, like hitting the paddle, the boat, occasionally hitting myself. >> she's rugged. she's very strong, and, you know, she brings both a mental and a physical toughness to the way she competes. >> reporter: it also speak toss her perseverance. in 2008, she was the youngest member of the u.s. senior national team, yet just missed qualifying for the olympics. her resolve to return bolstered by mom and dad. >> every couple months when i

sort of hit the borderline of burnout, a lot of time it was them, you can quit if up, but we're guessing you probably don't want to. >> we've always said and caroline knows in her heart we'll love her regardless of the outcome. i think that provide also some emotional stability for her, but it's also simply the truth. there's something mystical about the olympics. there are so many talented athletes that apply themselves in so many sports, yet there's something about going to the olympics, being an olympian, that just pulls at everyone's heartstrings. >> i realized that about -- going into the beijing games, that this area really has embraced local athletes and the potomac is a great resource for all different kinds of kayaking. it's great to see the community embrace us. for that, i would have to say thank you. and we wish her the best of

luck. well, it's a bit like baseball and it's a lot of good cardio. next, local cricket players share how they stay in shape for the games that sometimes last all day long. and more kids are developing a disease that normally strikes adults. what doctors say is behind the disturbing trend with type 2 [ telephone rings ] [ female announcer ] every day, there seems to be a new reason not to make a home-cooked meal. work... errands... ♪ ...a greasy bag of deep-fried easy. ♪ but you have hamburger helper on your side. with 40 varieties that are all fast and easy to make, nothing stands in your way of a home-cooked meal. hamburger helper. help is on the way. you there ! i am looking for someone, hair black as night, skin white as snow ! yeah, yeah, i got that !

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in news for your health, type 2 diabetes is often thought of as an adult disease. now that's the diagnosis for more than 3,600 kids each year. doreen gentzler explains what's behind the trend, and has more on one young man's battle to fight the disease. >> they told me that i had diabetes and that's really what -- a big shake-up. >> reporter: emanuel gerry is only 13 years old, but living with type 2 diabetes for two years now. doctors say the condition is a

result of his weight and his poor eating habits. >> my favorite food is pizza. i eat a lot of pezza. i usually make a hamburger, some fries, and i drink a lot of soda. >> reporter: while jerry is working out to eat healthier and lose some weight, doctors worry he is part of a growing number of children with type 2 diabetes who have trouble getting the disease under control. >> it really doesn't seem that type 2 diabetes is different in children than in adults. >> reporter: johns hopkins center dr. david cook says they don't know why the disease acts differently in children. some believe it's the result of adolescent hormones that react differently to insulin. the problem is left uncontrolled, diabetes can have devastating complications like blindness, kidney heart and nerve diseases. >> those things happens in adults in their 50s and 60s so

when we're thinking about children at 10 or 15, they have many, many years of life to put them at risk of these complications. so i think that's the really scary thing. >> reporter: emanuel has been struggling to get his diabetes under control when he was diagnosed at age 11. it's caused hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and it sparked his mother's greatest fear. >> that he was going to die, that he could go away, that's what told him, if he loses weight and exercises, and takes care of himself. >> reporter: but doctors say the best medicine is prevention. >> it's much easier to avoid gaining weight than to lose weight. and so finding some way of preventing obiasity in childhood clearly is going to be a big key. >> reporter: doreen gentzler, news4. many of the studies surrounding this issue are really grim. they're finding even with lifestyle changes and medication, it's really tough to get type 2 diabetes under control in kids. so prevention is really a must here. start early.

well, cutting food into smaller pieces could help us eat less. researchers at arizona state university recently gave 300 college students a bagel. some got the bagel whole, others got it cut into four pieces. those who ate the bagel that came in pieces actually ate 25% less at their next meal. experts think having the food come into pieces tricks your brain into thinking it's getting more food. hmm, okay. i'm going to try that. cricket is the second most popular sports in the world, and it's gaining interest in. there's a washington cricket league, and we met with some of them to learn about the sports, and we asked them, you know, "what's your workout?" >> cricket is basically another form of baseball. the object is to score as many runs as possible without losing

too many wickets, which are called outs in baseball. high-scoring game. it's a circular or oval field. in the middle it's called a pitch, where the pitcher or bowler as it's called in cricket, has to pitch the ball. >> the right cricket ball is a leather ball, just like a baseball. and a bowler, he bowls, and his targets is to hit those three stumps on the other side. if you hit the stumps with a legal delivery, that means the baseman is out. that's the basic game. >> in cricket you only get one chance. if you get an out, you're done, and you don't get to pad the game until the next match, really. >> they're all day. sometimes seven hours. you're on your feet all today, so basically working out your lower body more than your upper body, unless you're a bowler where you're using your arm all the time. >> you have to chase the ball,

you are running for the runs. so it's a very, very good workout. you've got to be very, very physically fit in order to play on a high level. it's a very, very demanding game. >> cricket is life. well, similar to life, you only get one chance, you know. if something happens, you pass away or whatever, you only get one good chance. in cricket when you're batting, similar way. you don't have the patience, you don't pace yourself, your opportunity is gone. cricket is actually a complicated sport. we sort of gave you the highlights. if you're interested in learning more, all you have to do is go to nbcwashington.com and search "cricket." still ahead on -- >> i'm liz crenshaw. burger king says it has a new smoothie made with

a local brewery is turning the inconvenience of the summer power outages into a new

opportunity for beer lovers. the port city brewing company is releasing a limited-edition beer called derecho common. it's named after the storm that knocked out the power for three days. the company's founder said they were fortunate enough to get a generator to keep the beer from going bad, but one batch brewed at a higher temperature. >> the beer is developing great as a steam beer or california common beer. it's just not the beer we set out to produce. so it's going to be different. >> the derecho common brew will be available on draft at local bars. i cannot wait to taste it, just because it has a weather name it. if you'll like something sweeter to sip on, this taste test might be for you. smoothies are a $3 billion a year industry. when burger king stepped up, you

know our liz crenshaw was right there. she put it up against two restaurant chain smoothies. take a look. >> we make our delicious strawberry banana fruit smoothies. we take real fruit and p ultimate it in the blender. >> and the press the button. >> no! you probably should take your shirt off. >> reporter: david beckham stars in the burger king campaign ad. it claims it uses real fruit. smoothies were popular back in the '60s. today the pureed fruit drinks are making a star-studded comeback, so we took burger king's summertime smoothie and put it up against mcdonald's and smoothie king in a blind taste test. we labeled them a, b and c. take one from each and tell us which one you like the best? >> i liked a. >> reporter: tell me about it. >> it was tangier. >> reporter: a was from

mcdonald's 3 at the 29. it's made it strawberry and banana puree and grape and pineapple concentrated juices. >> a tasted fresh and natural. >> it was more tart than i prefer. >> reporter: why do you like a? >> it's more flavorful. >> reporter: is there a difference? >> oh, yes there's a great difference. b tends ton sweeter. >> reporter: b is the new competitor from burger king. we paid $3.49 for. >> i like b. it tastes more berry. >> the most real fruit taste. >> b just tasted like it was processed. >> it tastes the freshe. >> i like c the best. >> reporter: you have very expensive taste, young man. it's $more. >> i figured. it's smoother. >> reporter: it cost us 5.29 for 24 ounces, about $2 more than

mcdonald's and burger king. it's made with soy protein, nonfat milk, vanilla, turbinado sugar and honey. >> it tasted very bland. >> reporter: what is it about c? >> it wasn't too sweet, but it had a bit of sweetness. it was just nice and smooth. >> reporter: after 41 tasters, the votes were in. letter c smoothie king, the most expensive, got the fewest votes with seven. letter a, mcdonald's earned 15 votes. and the new smoothie from burger king, letter b, got the most votes, 19, and ended up king of our test. >> i rarely go to burger king, but i would go for one of those smoothies. now i'm hungry. well, that's all for "news4 this week" though. i'm veronica johnson. thanks for joining us. as always, until next time, be kind, be safe, be happy. see you here next time.

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