. >> reporter: in northeast baltimore preston mitchum. >>> we are two days away from the grand finale. it kicks off its eighth season with a two hour special on the baltimore build. we will finally see what's inside. before the ultimate reveal we will take you behind the scenes of the build with a special one hour show right here on abc 2. that starts at 6:00 followed by the two hour season premier of the home makeover at 7:00. square off with richard cher will 9:00 a.m. instead of the regular time at 6:30:00 p.m.. and if you would like to take a look back to the beginning of the whole project, for example if you want to see the moment the girls found out about their new home head to our website at abc2news.com click on the extreme makeover home edition section. >>> the rain has stopped but rivers continue to swell in wisconsin and minnesota after yesterday's flash floods. they pulled together to salvage what they could. in parts of the upper midwest a powerful weather system the remanence of pacific tropical storm georgette moved through the season. >> all the watap the south -- all

. >> kansas state university senior amanda mitchum has been crowned the new texting champion. managed to bang out the fastest and most accurate texts in the contests and she has her younger brother to thank for correcting a scoring error that would have eliminated her. >> mitchum plans to use part of her $1,000 prize money to take her brother out to dinner. her brother recognized an error in someone else's text so he should get more than a dinner if you ask me. >> no >>> for years as many of you know lasik eye surgery has been promoted as a quick way to correct vision. millions so far have had the procedure. >> now a former fda official who helped get lasik approved in the first place is warning against it. elisabeth leamy explains why. >> reporter: lasik surgery promises a chance at 20/20 vision. but a former fda official says hindsight is 20/20. knowing what you know now, would you ever recommend lasik to somebody you care about? >> no, absolutely not. >> reporter: dr. morris wexler was part of the fda team that green lighted lasik surgery in 1995. but then he says he starte

discussions here many that evening criticize the us corny for taking more stage time than the host but mitchumit that it didn't seem to mind these helen prime minister for example definitely spies but of course if you are among such of them over to the right that you will for two days this stadium turned into a lib or a tree where some of the world's best minds attempted to find a formula balancing three elements democracy modernization and efficiency did they come up with a single formula of course they didn't but what they agreed upon is no matter what the proportion if a country wants to move forward it needs all three elements in the mix if the democrats are to from. give us back our privacy that's the rallying cry from civil liberties liberty campaigners who've been demonstrating across europe against what they see as a big brother approach to surveillance they claim they can't trust the governments that monitor their lives r.t.c. or god has been following the largest of the protests in berlin. well you know if you did some freedom not fear the participants of mass rallies in berlin and t

. >> reporter: in wes minister, preston mitchum, abc 2 news. >> and for more information on alexis' walkto find a cure including details on how to lend your support you can log onto our web site, abc2news.com. >>> now, the forecast certified most accurate by weather rate and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> now arriving at the news desk. >> yeah. >> meteorologist wyatt everhart is here right on time. >> yeah. >> and you know it's -- you have been busy. >> with the swim across america and everything else, a big weekend for you. >> it is. it is a culmination of 7 weeks, christian, of hard, hard-fought training there. >> one mile in the chesapeake bay. >> coming up. >> and you know i've done as much as a mile in the pool. >> yeah, good. >> we know the chesapeake is a whole different ball game. >> chop. >> chop. >> it's going to be cold. >> not so much, you look down, you don't see anything. got to keep looking up looking for -- >> and there might be some wild life to guide you along the way. >> we hope the jetly fish show us. >> what is there in the bay. >> watch this, check it ou

achieve these goals and there seem to be no consistency about it and this is what the forum is about mitchum a bit of state been has been that nothing is very straightforward these states and you can't really attach an experience of one country to another you have to look. at the countries very specific ways of moving forward the countries background the country's history as well the central topic of the forum democracy analysts disputed on what is democracy in the first place and whether it can be described with any adjectives with any attributions the president made better has been saying that democracy is a process in the first place and that is just not a term and as for russia he reminded. his guests that about russia's very specific way of democratization he said that the nine hundred ninety s. instead of perspire attend liberty as we each reformers promised to the people brought. poverty to the houses of money and this is where we control the sirat the word democracy in russia stems from but on the other hand he has said that the democratic institutions started to be formed in russia

discussion here many that evening criticize the us corny for taking more stage time than the host but mitchum it that it didn't seem to mind these hellion prime minister performances definitely spies stuff but of course a formal session of them over there for two days this steady him turned into a lib or a tree where some of the world's best minds attempted to find a formula balancing three elements democracy modernization and efficiency did they come up with a single formula of course they didn't but what they agreed upon is no matter what the proportion if a country wants to move forward it needs all three elements in the mix it's the democrat party from. russia's president has called on the u.s. to step up efforts to create new security institutions that could incorporate existing military and political structures professor craig calhoun from new york university says a new european security framework will take years of discussion but that reforming the current structure is vital. i don't think that there has been a resolution about the proposal for the new european security security treaty

discussion here many that evening criticize the us corny for taking more stage time than the host but mitchum it that it didn't seem to mind these helen prime minister performance definitely spies stuff put forth a formal session. for two days this study and turned into a lib or a tree where some of the world's best minds attempted to find a formula balancing three elements democracy modernization and efficiency did they come up with a single formula of course they didn't but what they agreed upon is no matter what the proportion if a country wants to move forward it needs all three elements in the mix exiting the church of r.t.e. from. over a new european security framework will take years of discussion and reforming the current structure is vital says professor cray cohering from new york university. i don't think that there has been a resolution about the proposal for the new european security security treaty but i do think that there is now a relationship of mutual respect between president medvedev and president obama and between the two countries and that includes the other european cou

discussion here many that evening criticize the us corny for taking more stage time than the host but mitchum it that it didn't seem to mind helen prime minister before i see a more definite despised but of course a formal session of them over to the uk for two days this stadium turned into a lib or a tree where some of the world's best minds attempted to find a formula balancing three elements democracy modernization and officials did they come up with a single formula of course they didn't but what they agreed upon is no matter what the proportion if a country wants to move forward it needs all three elements in the mix excluding the r t from. so one of the biggest issues discussed before and was russia's proposal for a new european security framework and we talked about it with professor gray cohan from new york university and he says such a restructuring will take years of discussion but it's vital that talks go on. i don't think that there has been a resolution about the proposal for the new european security security treaty but i do think that there is now a relationship of mutual respe

about mitchum a bet it was promoting the idea of a new european security architecture the events of all those two thousand and eight show just invasion george's aggression against south of the site here shown have shown that preventive measures are needed and that the current security structures in europe and nato as well north atlantic alliance simply are not capable to tackle least kind of conflicts and in order to prevent these conflicts to aim the future he gave he's new vision for european security. as though it dissolution we need to create an institution that will bring together nato and non nato members and other structures where u.s. counterpart president barack obama never avoids discussing this issue he does not say that is harmful or unnecessary but i would suggest that among our american partners a certain jealousy exists with regard to this idea however it is necessary to rise over this josee and try to look the truth in the eye without the creation of the system the world will not be able to survive we can help each other here well of course these three main topics were n

discussions here many that evening criticize the us corny for taking more stage time than the host but mitchum it that it didn't seem to mind these helen prime minister performance definitely spies stuff but it was a formal session most of the for two days this stadium turned into a lib or a tree where some of the world's best minds attempted to find a formula balancing three elements democracy modernization and efficiency did they come up with a single formula of course they didn't but what they agreed upon is no matter what the proportion if a country wants to move forward it needs all three elements in the mix if the democrats are tea from. his analysis of the mystic issues dimitri medvedev said experimenting with a parliamentary democracy would be a catastrophe for russia while agreeing with the president's views so often member of the russian council on defense and foreign policy says the country's party system is gaining force. i don't really see on the horizon the possibility of russia becoming a parliamentary democracy it wouldn't work here but so what we are witnessing the moment is t

. >> i have had john wayne and robert mitchum and two of the others. >> reporter: ruby palmieri, terry's mom, was a cocktail waitress at a swinging club. not exactly a strip club although it is now a strip mall. and would you see the silhouette of the exotic dancers. they were performing in the club as you drove down 101. >> reporter: that could have caused some accidents , huh? >> may very well have. >> reporter: the pepperland auditorium gave san francisco clubs a run for their money. artists like pink floyd recorded albums there. but now, all that's left is that big 46 by 8-foot sign. it's now getting a $50,000 makeover. like an old fading star, it's getting ready for its close- ups. >> scrubbing it making it shine. right now it's dirty filthy, it's got, you know, 50 years of dirt on it. we are going to make it shine. >> reporter: jim rizzo of the ron yorks has had to order neon bulbs from italy because the kind used in this sign aren't made in this country and the young erlich field isn't cutting corners. >> i think it's a sign that deserves it. it's classic and historical. people lo