erica edwards, nbc news. >> for more information on this and other health stories, you can always checkealth page online at msnbc.com. >>> all right, in sports now, after a long and frustrated lockout, the nba finally had its season opener on sunday. here's nbc's fred roggin. >> good morning. it was the christmas gift that every nba fan had on their list, the start of a new season. and here we go to dallas. the mavs celebrated their first nba title by raising the championship banner. then lebron james and the heat crashed the party. the favorites to win it all this year started this season with a bang. jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first quarter and kept it going all game long. at one point, they were up by 35. lebron led the way with 37. mavs are the champs of the heat they came to beat, 105-94. >>> in los angeles, kobe bryant played in his record 14th christmas day game. and like so many before, this came down to the final shot. up one, 20 seconds to play. lakers turned it over. chicago needed a bucket and the mvp delivered. derrick rose hit the floater for the lead. one last s

erica edwards, nbc news. >>> when we come back, the video of a house fire where neighbors >>> it wasscene overnight in detroit where two people were forced to jump from the roof of their burning house. video of the ordeal show neighbors encouraging a man seconds before he hit the ground. a woman trapped in the second floor was forced to jump. they had to do it to save their lives. the downstairs of the house was completely engolfed in flames when firefighters got there. the cause is under investigation. >>> a guy in utah won $380,000 lamborghini saturday and wrecked it six hours later. he won the car at a contest at a byu game. he hit the road right away. gave friends and families rides well into the night. on the final ride, he hit a slick spot, lost control and slammed into a fence. the hardest part was telling his wife. >> my heart pretty much fell out. you know, that feeling where your heart drops and you are like oh my gosh, what do we do now? >> david did one very wise thing before he did all that foolishness. he ensured the lamborghini before driving it. repairs are covered. h

erica edwards has the details. >> as kids put in their orders with the big guy, the elves are under thetrict guidelines to make toys as safe as possible. >> they are safer than ever before. >> she is the chair and says the federal limit in lead is the lowest in the world. congress put a cap on cadmium this year, too. all children's products in the u.s. as of january 1st will have to go through independent third- party testing. >> these are laboratories that test for lead, cadmium, other toxic substances that do drop tests to make sure you do not have small parts that come loose for a choking hazard. >> the goal? safer toys and avoid millions of recall like back in 2007. many contained on safe level of lead, but the vast majority of our due to a defective design. consumers can now report problems with product and get company response through a new database called sabreproducts.gov. >> it gives them permission on what someone else's experiences. >> be on the way to make this experience better is to make sure it is as they as possible. >> ho, ho, ho! >> the u.s. ps has chosen their the sho

nbc's erica edwards has ways you can get your body moving when everything around you is cold. >> reporterudging through the snow on a sub-zero arctic day is not how most people want to burn their holiday calories away. the good news is there are a lot of exercises you can do without leaving your heated home. >> empty bleach bottle or something, put water or sand in it. do light weights. do them vigorously. >> reporter: or you can add new meaning to the word work while at the office. >> every office building in the world has stairs. >> reporter: he's no stranger to the cold. he works at the mayo clinic in snowy rochester, minnesota. he says vigorous exercise for ten minutes at least three times a week will significantly lower your risk for heart attack. that adds up to only 30 minutes a week. but the doctor says that half hour isn't meant to be a walk in the park. >> that means intervals, where you go hard a couple of minutes, hard enough you say, wow, i can't do this for more than a couple minutes, then you back off, don't give off, get your breath back and do it again. >> reporter: if yo

erica edwards, nbc news. >> experts say eating a small snack a half hour to an hour before your workoutate a little more heat while you exercise since your body is also working on digestion. who knows, this winter you may have plenty of time to be outside. >>> advertisers have given news today after giving christmas another promotional name. it is mega-monday. it is another chance to cash in on sales as people come to make returns and exchanges on holiday gifts. if you have some money to spare, if you are lucky like that, experts say you will likely find deals on the following items. champagne and fine wines for new year's eve. and baking ingredients, cookie time is over now that santa is gone. look for our bargains on home too decor and seasonal items including ornaments and almost everything that's shiny, red, gold and silver, of course. when else do you use that? clothes are marked down along with electronics and that may be a gk time to buy a car since many dealerships are trying to roll out older models to make room for the new ones. there you go. bargains for all that stuff. this

nbc's erica edwards takes a look at ways you can get your body moving when everything around you is freezingter: drudging through the snow on a subzero, arctic day, is not how most people want to burn their holiday calories away. the good news is there are a lot of exercises you can do without leaving your heated home. >> an empty bleach bottle or something, put water in it or sand, do some light weights and do them vigorously as you say, wow, i really feel this is a lot of work. >> reporter: or you can add new meaning to the word work while at the office. >> every office building in the world has a great exercise facility none of us ever use. they're called stairs. >> reporter: dr. steven copetski is no stranger to the cold. he works at the mayo clinic in snowy minnesota. he says vigorous exercise for ten minutes at least three times a week will significantly lower your risk for heart attack. that adds up to only 30 minutes a week. dr. kopetski says that half hour isn't meant to be a walk in the park. >> that means like intervals, where you go hard for a couple of minutes, hard enough that

erica edwards has a way of winterizing your work out. >> reporter: this is not how most want to burn their calories away. there are a lot of exercises to do without leaving your heated home. >> empty bottle, put water or sand in it. do lightweights. >> reporter: or you can add new meaning to work while at the office. >> every office building in the world has a great exercise facility nobody uses, it's called stairs. >> reporter: he works at the mayo clinic in snowy, rochester, minnesota. vigorous exercise for ten minutes at least three times a week will significantly lower your risk of heart attack. it adds up to 30 minutes a week thachlt half hour isn't meant to be a walk in the park. >> intervals, go hard for a couple minutes. hard now that you say i can't do this more than a couple minutes. back off, don't give up, back off, get your breath back and do it again. >> reporter: if you choose to brave the winter weather and exercise outdoors, wear lots of layers. shield your extremities with heavy socks, gloves and a cap and stay hydrated or do a combination of both. work up a sweat g

erica edwards, nbc news. >>> we are staying on top of breaking news in north bethesda this afternoon.e hurt after a bus crashed with five cars on alta visa road. you are looking at a live picture. we'll have much more on this coming up at 5:00. >>> coming up on news 4 at 4:00, a cranky croc steals a lawn mauer. ax is dog falls into an icy river. >>> coming up next, this afternoon, moms across the country stage a protest today after a new mother says store employees told her to move when she was trying to feed her baby. >>> plus, tis the season for a see trip. the recent warm temperatures mean know one is hitting the slopes in area ski resorts. that could change soon. >>> australia's meanest crocodile is at it again. he decided he wanted a running lawn mauer so he took it. he lost two teeth in this incident. when the blades hit him in the mouth, it didn't keep him from keeping the care keepers away from the mauoaueo mower. they call the animal a real fire cracker. >> he's a big guy, too. >>> a black lab in north dakota is back home with its owner after getting stuck in an icy river. fi

erica edwards, nbc news. >> what a great story. >>> coming up on news 4, a fashion show filled with chocolateus, dozens of penguins covered in oil are cleaned and let go. >>> i'm wendy rieger in the news room. coming up on news 4 at 5:00, a group of thrill seekers who fell from the sky. we'll tell you where they were base jumping and how it got them in trouble. >>> a school in northeast d.c. where the students are fit and academically disciplined. >>> coming up at 6:00, preventing a crime from crossing the line. voting on a measure >>> a record number of cars and trucks receive add top safety rating from an insurance watchdog today. the insurance institute for highway safety picked models after conducting tests to see how well they handled front, side, rear and rollover crashes. some of the cars chosen include the 2012 honda accord, bmw and the forester. stronger roofs on the models led to the record number. >>> it's a happy ending for some penguins caught in a nasty oil spill. staff members at a wildlife recovery center in new zealand released dozens of the penguins today. 300 of the birds w

erica edwards has more. >> reporter: the announcement suggests a non-smoking america may be possible daily cigarette use among teens is down among eighth grade, tenth and 12th grade. >> we are seeing the rates so smoking cigarettes at the lowest they have ever been among teenagers. >> the bad news, we have a disturbing increase in hookah cigars. >> they are just as harmful as cigarettes. the fda banned flavored cigarettes in 2009, it doesn't apply to cigars. >> they have flavoring like grape and peach that appeal to kids. in many states, they are able to get around taxation. in many states they are cheaper than cigarettes. >> reporter: kids seem to be getting marijuana. this year's study showed use among teens climbed to the highest levels in five years. >> what's more worrisome in the current survey is that the rates of daily marijuana smoking are as high as they have been since 1981. >> reporter: alcohol use fell, especially in the important binge drinking category. >> we are seeing significant decreases in it from 1996 whep it was very high. >> reporter:over-the-counter medication

. >> erica edwards, nbc news. >> it is unclear whether lauren would have had time for an epidural even if she wanted one. she was born 23 minutes after they arrived at the hospital. >> that's a kid in a hurry. here i am. let's go. >> i'm sure mom was happy with that. >> ready to be here. >> out to weather. >> an ugly day for much of the afternoon outside but things are brightening up a little bit at the end of the day. right as the sun was going down, a break of sunshine here in washington. it lifted spirits just a bit but there's not a completely done with our rain chances just yet. most of us are done with them but nonetheless i'll show you the radar and where the rain is not quite done at the point of time. now, outside with the mostly cloudy sky. temperatures have really zipped up and down quite a bit today. we're back down now to 52 at national airport. southern maryland, some locations near 60 degrees just an hour ago. meanwhile, northern and western maryland already falling back down into the 30s. a big spread of temperatures out there. 41 in leesburg. 45 in manassas. 55 now in

erica edwards, nbc news. >> wow. that is amazing. >>> still to come, mounting suspicion in the disappearance of a toddler in maine. the little girl's mother is talking about her concerns before her daughter disappeared. >>> >>> a business owner in bedford, virginia has an interesting business proposition. he's getting out of the bagel business and blue ridge bagels could be yours for $100. the owner has a separate business he prefers to focus on. he's letting the shop go. for some folks, the offer is hard to believe. >> a lot of people are shocked. $100 and they could own the business. >> he's asking interested folks to submit a 300 word essay of why you would be a perfect shop owner. the winner getting all the equipment and $10,000 to help them get started. the biggest prize is the bagel shop, which is debt free and grosses $150,000 a year. >>> a company is suing amazon for unfair business practices. the company filed suit last month over the covers it makes for amazon's kindles. amazon tried to force higher commiss

erica edwards explains. >> a full pour. >> reporter: two glasses of wine may taste differently even thoughhey were grown in the same vineyard. the difference is background music. big, bold, subtle and refined. a study from the uk suggests your taste in music might influence how you taste wine. researchers had a group of taste testers listen to one of four pieces of music. they consistently described their wine according to the background tunes. mellow, soft, zingy and refreshing. experts say it's true. we tend to have physical reactions to music. >> music has a fast beat. our heart rate picks up. a slow beat, our heart rate matches it. >> reporter: some aren't easily swayed by the research. sam says he prefers jazz, but doesn't need it to enjoy his favorite. >> the conversation and camaraderie that i'm looking for. >> reporter: wine does lend itself to camaraderie no matter what music is playing in the background. making musicians know something we don't. dave matthews has dreaming tree and train came out with one named after drops of jupiter. >> i think what's fun for individuals is to tr

erica edwards has more on cold and flu etiquette. >> reporter: we have all known someone like this. the office martyr. the employer who can't take a sick day for fear the company may fold without his presence. >> if you you don't feel well i rather you go home rather than you tell me you tell me about while coughing in my direction. >> reporter: it is from anna post, great-great-granddaughter of the original queen of etiquet etiquette, emily post. she's right. you can infect someone with a virus from up to six feet away through cough and sneezes. >> are you that guy. >> reporter: national foundation for infectious diseases previously released this public service announcement to spread the word about not spreading disease. >> guy who is still at work spreading the flu around. >> reporter: calling in sick is easier said than done. recent survey from the intel computer technology company found 84% of h.r. managers expect their employees to be available 24/7. in this case technology could be just what the doctor ordered. stay home, video in for a conference, if your nose isn't too runny

erica gonzalez spoke to one of those victims. >> i think it was a human shark looking for easy prey. >> reporter: edward jones has had to learn the hard way. if it's too good to be true, it probably is. jones is disabled and relies on social security to make ends meet. desean terry johnson met jones last may. he promised to get jones a job as a janitor but said he would need to shell out money for things like equipment and a uniform. jones gave up $700, but got no job. he says he thought johnson was his friend. >> for him to take that money from him, it did have a little bit of an emotional impact on me. >> reporter: now he knows what a real friend looks like. >> well, i actually call him more of a guardian angel. >> oh, gosh. stop. i'm going to get embarrassed. >> reporter: this officer says a concerned citizen told him residents at the inwood house, a residential community for mentally and physically disabled adults, may have been exploited. that's where he met jones. montgomery county police believe there could be more victims and encouraged them to come forward. desean terry johnson is now in police custody. in montgomery cou