nbc's kevin tibbles reports. >> reporter: wikipedia pulled the plug for 24 hours to protest the stop online privacy act or sopa before congress. >> this bill puts together the infrastructure for censorship in a way completely unnecessary to combat piracy. >> reporter: those in the industry supporting regulation including nbc universal claim online piracy costs $135 billion a year and steals 2.5 million jobs worldwide. >> your father's counterfeit was people selling cheap knockoffs on street corners. today those same criminal enterprises sell these products online, dupe consumers. >> reporter: they aim to block foreign websites that infringe on copyrights from movies and television, music, publishing, software and consumer products, even material on youtube could be affected. not so long ago much of our information came from these, but in the last decade or so the proliferation of the internet has made ownership of this information very difficult to police. but the online revolt against sopa has grown to include some 7,000 websites, including the tech site wired, boing boing and mozil

kevin tibbles, nbc news, pontiac, michigan. >>> more news when we come back in just a moment, including the spectacular light show that has so many folks mesmerized night after night. >>> all is not quite ready for the summer's london olympic games, but it's getting there, as you can see in these new time lapse pictures. a whole lot of construction going on, the stadium, the olympic village, the aquatic center, all expected to be up and running for the opening ceremonies when we get to hear that music again. opening ceremonies six months from today. >>> robert hegyes has died. he was best known playing the jewish puerto rican student juan epstein alongside john travolta in the '70s on "welcome back kotter." he was later a regular in "cagney and lacy." he passed away thursday morning after suffering cardiac arrest. he was 60 years old. >>> a photo circulating on the web this week is getting a lot of attention. we did some checking and found out the photo was taken a year ago, it's no less impactful and emotional when you consider the newborn infant's father was marine corps lance corpora

nbc's kevin tibbles reports from sunny chicago. >> reporter: what's playing in peoria this winter? golf. >> i think people in arizona are jealous of us today. >> reporter: in chicago, more golf. tennis anyone? >> nice to be out in shorts and a t-shirt. >> reporter: a january warm up spans much of the nation including fargo, north dakota, where a year ago it looked like this. today, you get the picture. >> spring has sprung for the day. heading out and about, you'll need a pair of sunglasses and only a lighter jacket. >> reporter: i was going to use a thermometer as a prop to show you how warm it is, but this is more fun. in a convertible in a sweater in chicago in january. if you don't want to be reminded of what it can look like, look away now. this was the snowpocalypse that nailed chicago last winter, closing roads and trapping motorists last winter. this was new york city exactly one year ago. today, the big apple blossomed with shorts and bare feet. >> this was almost like a heat wave. it feels kind of like early spring. >> reporter: not pleasant for those who depend on winter

kevin tibbles, nbc news, canada. >>> next here, turning medical practice on its ear bit. now there is a new way we should all be getting our blood pressure measured. >>> chelsea clinton explains how a decorated american war hero and the helpers he has recruited here are making a big difference. >>> as we mentioned earlier, the health news has to do with a basic staple of the doctor's office, getting your blood pressure checked. if your last time at the doctor they only measured it on one arm, well, new research says they're doing it wrong. further, they say, doing it right could reveal a big health risk. our report from our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: doctors who measure blood pressure in only one arm may be missing critical information about their patient's heart health. a new study published in the journal "the lancet" shows the differences in blood pressure readings between both arms could point to underlying health risks. if the systolic pressure, the top number in a reading which measures the pressure in the artery where the heart beats, di

our report on this trend tonight from nbc's kevin tibbles. >> reporter: this high school senior is one of millions trying to crack the college code. and he's surprised by some of the questions. >> what's your favorite superhero and who's your favorite villain? >> reporter: these days there's all sorts of quirkiness in college applications. for example, emory university asks, what is your favorite ride at the amusement park? the university of chicago, what does play-doh have to do with play-doh. and at maryland, my favorite thing about last tuesday was? >> their favorite thing about last tuesday was getting free chic filet. >> you get a very one dimensional picture looking at high school transcripts and reviewing standardized test scores. this way we get to talk to students. >> reporter: critics are wondering what the hallowed hall will be asking next. what's your favorite ice creams? potatoes or stove top stuffing? do you have an innie or an outie? >> frankly, it becomes across as cavalier and a little disrespectful to the applicant. >> reporter: the van horn twins find themselves coun

nbc's kevin tibbles has been keeping track of kevin pearce every day since and today he reports on atone. >> reporter: two years ago kevin pearce was flying high. >> whoa, kevin! >> reporter: a favorite on the snowboard circuit, poised for the podium at the vancouver olympics. but then he fell to earth. pearce missed a new difficult maneuver called the double cork while training on the half pipe in park city, utah, slamming his head into the icy wall with such force it cracked his helmet. he was left near death with severe brain trauma. >> i guess from what i hear i never will remember any of what happened that day. you know, that's all right with me. >> reporter: pearce suffered memory loss and impaired vision. he would have to learn to walk again. his father, renowned glass blower simon pearce and the rest of this tight knit vermont family supported kevin every step of the way. >> what he's done in the last two years, i can't imagine anyone who's been part of it who wouldn't be inspired by it. >> reporter: kevin's brothers were a constant source of strength including his brother da

kevin tibbles, nbc news, canada. >>> next here, turning medical practice on its era bit. now there is a new way we should all be getting our blood pressure measured. >>> chelsea clinton explains how a decorated american war hero and the helpers he has recruited here are making a big difference. you wouldn't want your doctor doing your job. so why are you doing his? only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious... like acid reflux disease. over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. for many, prescription nexium not only provides 24-hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acid related erosions in the lining of your esophagus. talk to your doctor about the risk for osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels with long-term use of nexium. possible side effects include headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. let your doctor do his job, and you do yours. ask if nexium is right for you. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may

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kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >>> up next here tonight, the new list of best and worst airports, and an american legend taking on a new challenge. when bp made a commitment to the gulf, we knew it would take time, but we were determined to see it through. today, while our work continues, i want to update you on the progress: bp has set aside 20 billion dollars to fund economic and environmental recovery. we're paying for all spill- related clean-up costs. and we've established a 500 million dollar fund so independent scientists can study the gulf's wildlife and environment for ten years. thousands of environmental samples from across the gulf have been analyzed by independent labs under the direction of the us coast guard. i'm glad to report all beaches and waters are open for everyone to enjoy. and the economy is showing progress with many areas on the gulf coast having their best tourism seasons in years. i was born here, i'm still here and so is bp. we're committed to the gulf for everyone who loves it, and everyone who calls it home. with thermacare heatwraps. thermacare work

kevin tibbles takes a look. >> reporter: what's playing in peoria this winter? golf. >> i think the people in arizona are jealous of us today. >> reporter: and in chicago, more golf. and tennis, anyone? >> it's nice, nice to be out here in shorts and a t-shirt. >> reporter: a january warm-up spans much of the nation, including fargo, north dakota, where a year ago it looked like this and today, you get the picture. >> spring has sprung for the day. heading out and about, you'll need sunglasses and a lighter jacket. >> reporter: i was going to use a thermometer as a prop to show you. but this is way more fun. in a convertible in chicago in january. if you don't want to be reminded of what it can look like, look away now. this was the snow-pocalypse that nailed chicago last winter. and this was new york city exactly one year ago. now the big apple blossoms with shorts and bare feet. >> this was almost like a feet wave. it feels kind of like early spring. >> but not so pleasant for those who depend on winter for their livelihood. ski hills from west to east are str

all right, kevin tibbles, thank you so much. can see kevin's full report on this web-wide shutdown coming up on nightly news with brian williams. >>> some call it liquid gold. police in prince georges county are looking for thieves who they say are stealing used cooking oil. it is a crime that can be a big financial loss for more than just restaurants. news4's pat come as soon as live for must landover with more on this story. hi, pat. >> reporter: jim, first it was copper then the steal wheels, now it's grease. old grease. french fries. fried fish. but eventually that cooking oil gets old and sort of grungy and, well, you know what they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure? well in some circles that old, grungy cooking oil, that stuff that ends up looking like this is considered by some to be, i don't dare say it liquid -- every night, someone is out stealing this used cooking oil? >> yes. >> in the county? >> yes. inside the county. outside the county. pretty much all over the state. >> reporter: that's detective and

nbc's kevin tibbles has the story. >> reporter: three teenage sisters murdered because of how they wanted 2 live their lives. dress like westerners, use the internet, meet boys. also killed, their father's first wife. by a strict religious family that felt it had been disgraced. >> four strong, vivacious and freedom-loving women were murdered by their family. >> reporter: convicted of the crime, the girls' father, mother and brother, immigrants from afghanistan. in 2009, the women were drowned and their bodies placed in a car that was then pushed onto a canal to look like an accident. they may call it honor killing, but delivering the guilty verdict, the canadian judge called it a sick notion of honor that has absolutely no place in any civilized society. 59-year-old mohammed shafia came to canada in 2007. the court was told how he ruled his home with a rod of iron. and that eldest daughter was even forbidden to attend school because she had a boyfriend. the young woman had texted the boy saying, "be aware of my bro." it is impossible to know how many honor killings take place in north am

where nbc's kevin tibbles picks things up. welcome to a nursery unlike any other. have her bottle. >> it's me, uncle kevin. >> this is a 10-week-old, 13-pound bouncy baby southern sea otter. the orphaned pup was found on a california beach last month. >> you know the first few days that she lost her mom were probably very scary times. >> the southern or california sea otter is a threatened species. with fewer than 3,000 animals left in the wild. but luckily for kaiukos, she was rescued and brought to chicago's shedd aquarium. one of the top marine mammal facilities in the world and she seems to be adjusting just fine. >> she is a baby. they like to play. they like to explore, they like to get into mischief. >> but baby otters like baby humans, also need round-the-clock care. so the shedd has a dozen surrogate moms to feed her and begin to teach her how to be an otter. the shedd first started caring for otters in 1989 in the wake of the exxon valdez disaster. that's when kenai was rescued, she's now the matriarch. >> she's 23 now and she has a nice, retired life rig

for today, kevin tibbles, nbc news, seattle. >>> up next the young woman's close encounter with the hungrystarry park you expect a close view of the animals. one woman got more than she bargained for. check it out. >> kind of like -- ow! he bit my shoulder, oh, my god! >> megan sweatman is the zebra's victim there. she is with us now. megan, good morning. >> good morning. >> wow. >> that had to hurt. >> yeah, just a little. >> left a mark for quite a while, right? >> yes, ma'am. >> oh, boy. >> so you're holding some food and the window is open. >> yeah. i was trying to get a picture with the zebra before that. he had stuck his head in and got in the bag and so then i thought it was a good idea to get a picture with him. and i turned my back and he was hungry. >> so lesson learned in this is don't turn your back on the zebra. especially if you've got food. >> you're holding it in front of his face. >> i know. so mean. he got me for that. >> what did the people at the safari park say and do about this? >> so we go into the gift shop and i like show -- it's this old man working in there. i wa

>> kevin tibbles, thank you so much. maybe some good will come of all this. >>> coming up ahead, nbc news has now confirmed that it is casey anthony speaking out in a new youtube video for the first time since her trial. hear what she has to say. but first this is "today" on nbc. >>> the duchess of cambridge steps out on her own. we're live with a big announcement she is making today. >> plus, two guys who catch alligators with their bare hands. why? i don't know. >> because they can. what makes? what makes a touch linger? smooth sensation from nivea. the light lotion with moisture enhancing 24-hour-plus hydra iq. it works with your skin's hydration system to keep your skin smooth all day... all night. ♪ smooth sensation and the essentials collection with hydra iq only from nivea. touch and be touched. aflac... and major medical? major medical, boyyyy! [ beatboxing ] ♪ i help pay the doctor ♪ ain't that enough for you? ♪ there are things major medical doesn't do. aflac! pays cash so we don't have to fret. [ together ] ♪