Stunning new Kia provo concept takes aim at the MINI market

Kia is coming up with another crowd-pleaser soon, as previewed by its Geneva-bound provo concept car. A small hatchback with coupe-style sloping profile, the Kia provo looks to be aimed right dead centre at the MINI, Citro?n DS3 and Fiat 500 premium supermini market.

The Korean carmaker claims that the provo has been designed for fun ? to delight and entrance its owner and bring a smile to the driver?s face. The concept was pictured at a racetrack to highlight that point. If proven right, it will be the first Kia to do so as dynamic prowess has never been part of the brand?s wide-ranging repertoire.

It sure looks the part, though. Designed by Gregory Guillaume at Kia?s European styling base in Frankfurt, the provo is a sleek and muscular representation of Kia?s latest design direction with plenty of unique touches to make it special.

The aggressive front splitter, single-piece LED headlights within the long bonnet and sculpted flanks, wraparound glasshouse and finely detailed rear end all add up to form a purposeful, dynamically able-looking sports hatch contender. Measuring 3.88 metres long, 1.77 metres wide and 1.35 metres tall, the provo concept is slightly larger but lower than the MINI.

Housed under a single piece of glass is the latest take on the Kia ?tiger nose? grille, flanked by tiny programmable LED headlamps. The light clusters are made up of more than 850 LEDs and can be used as daytime running lights, dipped/main beam or even race-style illuminations and various humorous and decorative displays to add an extra dimension of customisation and fun.

A unique colour combination is used to good effect here, the contrasting blood orange elements enhancing the provo?s masculine stance. Generous use of carbonfibre panels and high-gloss aluminium add a touch of raciness too, as do the gorgeous 19-inch milled-alloy wheels with racecar-style single centre nuts.

The Kia Europe Design team was able to let imaginations run free on the inside too, with a one-piece carbonfibre dash housing two customisable digital displays, each with a variety of screen displays (normal, cruise, track and entertainment modes available). The front seats are made of a single wave-like panel, lavishly covered in black quilted leather.

It?s not just a styling exercise either. There?s a working turbocharged 1.6 litre GDI engine with 204 hp under the hood driving the front wheels through Kia?s first seven-speed DCT gearbox. It?s also helped along by an electric motor capable of sending a maximum of 45 hp to the rear wheels, achieving on-demand all-wheel drive traction and performance.

There?s no word on any specific production schedule yet, but the provo does show a lot of promise. Hot on the heels of the pro_cee?d GT, perhaps Kia could excite us dynamically after all.

?

Source: http://paultan.org/2013/03/04/kia-fires-a-warning-shot-at-mini-with-provo-concept/

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Two new genes linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related disorders

Mar. 3, 2013 ? A study led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has discovered mutations in two genes that lead to the death of nerve cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and related degenerative diseases.

The same mutation occurred in both genes and led to the abnormal build-up of the proteins inside cells. These proteins play an essential role in normal RNA functioning and have also been linked to cancer, including the Ewing sarcoma, the second most common type of bone cancer in children and adolescents. The finding is the latest in a series of discoveries suggesting degenerative diseases and cancer may have common origins. RNA is the molecule that directs protein assembly based on instructions carried in DNA.

The study also adds to evidence that seemingly unrelated neurodegenerative diseases may involve similar defects in RNA metabolism. Researchers linked the problems to a specific region of the mutated proteins whose normal function was unclear. The study was published today in the advanced online edition of the scientific journal Nature.

"I hope this study helps to build the foundation for desperately needed treatments for ALS and perhaps a broad range of diseases caused by abnormal RNA metabolism," said J. Paul Taylor, M.D., Ph.D., an associate member of the St. Jude Department of Developmental Neurobiology and senior author of the study. Taylor and James Shorter, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the biochemistry and biophysics department at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, are the study's corresponding authors.

Each year approximately 5,600 people in the U.S. are found to have ALS. The disease is nearly always fatal, often within five years. Patients suffer muscle wasting and paralysis that affects their limbs and trunk as well as their ability to talk, swallow and breathe. There is no cure.

For this project, St. Jude sequenced just the portion of the genome called the exome, which carries instructions for making proteins. Researchers sequenced the exomes of two families affected by rare inherited degenerative disorders that target cells in the muscle, bone and brain. Neither family carried mutations previously tied to ALS or related diseases. The project built on the infrastructure developed by the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital -- Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, which played an important role in finding the mutations.

Researchers found the families carried a single, previously unknown mutation in a pair of RNA-binding proteins named hnRNPA2B1 and hnRNPA1. The proteins both bind RNA and help regulate its function. When researchers checked for the same mutations in 517 ALS patients they found hnRNPA1 protein mutated in two patients. One patient had the inherited form of ALS. The other ALS patient had no family history of the disease.

The new mutations occurred in a region of the proteins Taylor refers to as a prion-like domain because it has similarities with yeast proteins called prions. Prions are proteins that can alternate between shapes as needed for different functions. "Until recently we did not know these domains existed in humans and now we realize that hundreds of human proteins have them," Taylor said. "We're only beginning to understand their function in human cells."

Researchers showed the prion-like domains are responsible for the shape change that occurs when these proteins convert into slender threads called fibrils. The mutations accelerate fibril formation and recruit normal proteins to form fibrils. This phenomenon called propagation may explain how ALS and related diseases spread throughout the nervous system.

Taylor speculated that the normal function of prion-like domains is to assemble RNAs into temporary structures called granules, which are part of the cell's normal protein production machinery. Granules are normally short lived, and the RNA-binding proteins involved in their formation are recycled. But in cells with hnRNPA2B1 or hnRNPA1 mutation, RNA granules accumulated in the cytoplasm instead of being disassembled. "That's bad news for RNA regulation, which is bad news for those cells," Taylor said.

The study has several important implications, Taylor said. Recognition that the mutations adversely impact regulation of RNA could lead to targeted therapy to correct the problem. The mutation's location in the prion-like domain might also prove significant. Although the mutations in hnRNPA2B1 or hnRNPA1 appear to be rare, hundreds of other RNA-binding proteins have prion-like domains. Taylor said patients with unexplained neurodegenerative diseases may have mutations in these proteins.

The study's first authors are Hong Joo Kim, Nam Chul Kim, Yong-Dong Wang and Jennifer Moore, all of St. Jude; and Emily Scarborough and Zamia Diaz, both of the University of Pennsylvania. The other authors are Kyle MacLea and Eric Ross, both of Colorado State University; Brian Freibaum, Songqing Li, Amandine Molliex, Anderson Kanagaraj and Robert Carter, all of St. Jude; Kevin Boylan, Aleksandra Wojtas and Rosa Rademakers, all of the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla.; Jack Pinkus and Steven Greenberg, both of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School; John Trojanowski, Bradley Smith, Yun Li and Alice Flynn Ford, all of the University of Pennsylvania; Bryan Traynor, of the National Institute of Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.; Simon Topp, Athina-Soragia Gkazi, Jack Miller and Christopher Shaw, all of the Institute of Psychiatry, London; Michael Kottlors and Janbernd Kirschner, both of University Children's Hospital Freiburg, Germany; Alan Pestronk and Conrad Weihl, both of the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis; Aaron Gitler, Stanford University School of Medicine; Michael Benatar, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; Oliver King, Boston Biomedical Research Institute, Watertown, Mass.; and Virginia Kimonis, University of California-Irvine.

The research was supported in part by the Packard Foundation, by grants (NS053825, AG032953, DP2OD002177 and NS067354) from the National Institutes of Health, the ALS Association, the Ellison Medical Foundation, a grant (MCB-1023771) from the National Science Foundation and ALSAC.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Hong Joo Kim, Nam Chul Kim, Yong-Dong Wang, Emily A. Scarborough, Jennifer Moore, Zamia Diaz, Kyle S. MacLea, Brian Freibaum, Songqing Li, Amandine Molliex, Anderson P. Kanagaraj, Robert Carter, Kevin B. Boylan, Aleksandra M. Wojtas, Rosa Rademakers, Jack L. Pinkus, Steven A. Greenberg, John Q. Trojanowski, Bryan J. Traynor, Bradley N. Smith, Simon Topp, Athina-Soragia Gkazi, Jack Miller, Christopher E. Shaw, Michael Kottlors, Janbernd Kirschner, Alan Pestronk, Yun R. Li, Alice Flynn Ford, Aaron D. Gitler, Michael Benatar, Oliver D. King, Virginia E. Kimonis, Eric D. Ross, Conrad C. Weihl, James Shorter, J. Paul Taylor. Mutations in prion-like domains in hnRNPA2B1 and hnRNPA1 cause multisystem proteinopathy and ALS. Nature, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nature11922

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/pOZEz9hUe_o/130303154857.htm

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US cardinals seek answers on Vatican dysfunction

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Cardinals said Monday they want to talk to Vatican managers about allegations of corruption and cronyism within the top levels of the Catholic Church before they elect the next pope, evidence that a scandal over leaked papal documents is casting a shadow over the conclave and setting up one of the most unpredictable papal elections in recent times.

The Vatican said 107 of the 115 voting-age cardinals attended the first day of pre-conclave meetings, at which cardinals organize the election, discuss the problems of the church and get to know one another before voting.

The red-capped "princes" of the church took an oath of secrecy and decided to pen a letter of "greeting and gratitude" to Benedict XVI, whose resignation has thrown the church into turmoil amid a torrent of scandals inside and out of the Vatican.

"I would imagine that as we move along there will be questioning of cardinals involved in the governing of the Curia to see what they think has to be changed, and in that context anything can come up," said U.S. Cardinal Francis George.

The Holy See's administrative shortcomings were thrust into stark relief last year with the publication of documents stolen from Benedict's desk that exposed the petty infighting, turf battles and allegations of corruption, nepotism and cronyism in the highest echelons of the Catholic Church.

The pope's butler was convicted of stealing the papers and leaking them to a journalist; he eventually received a papal pardon.

The emeritus pope, meanwhile, remained holed up at the papal residence at Castel Gandolfo, his temporary retirement home while the discussions on picking his successor kick into gear in Rome.

No date has been set yet for the conclave and one may not be decided on officially for a few more days; the dean of the College of Cardinals has said a date won't be finalized until all the cardinals have arrived.

Eight voting-age cardinals are still en route to Rome; some had previously scheduled speaking engagements, others were due in over the coming days, the Vatican said. Their absence, however, didn't otherwise delay the conclave's preparations.

Speculation has mounted that the conclave might begin around March 11, with the aim of having a new pope installed by March 17, the Sunday before Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week.

With 115 electors, 77 votes are needed to reach the two-thirds majority to be elected pope.

Those who were in Rome prayed together Monday, chatted over coffee and took an oath to maintain "rigorous secrecy with regard to all matters in any way related to the election of the Roman Pontiff."

The core agenda item is to set the date for the conclave and put in place the procedures to prepare for it, including closing the Sistine Chapel to visitors and getting the Vatican hotel cleared out and swept for bugs or other electronic monitoring devices, lest anyone try to listen in on the cardinals' secret conversations.

Yet the first day of discussion was rocked by new revelations of scandal after Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien admitted that his "sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal."

O'Brien last week resigned as archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh and said he wouldn't participate in the conclave after four men came forward with allegations that he had acted inappropriately with them ? the first time a cardinal has stayed away from a conclave because of personal scandal.

The Vatican on Monday refused to confirm whether it was investigating O'Brien, even though the Scottish church's press office said the allegations had been forwarded to the Vatican and that it expected Rome would pursue the case.

Pressed to respond to reports of a fifth accuser who reportedly approached the Vatican directly in October with accusations, a Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Thomas Rosica, read O'Brien's statement admitting to sexual misconduct and said the Vatican would say no more.

The Vatican and cardinals attending the session said the O'Brien case didn't come up during formal or informal conversations.

"It's a tragic moment for him," George said.

At a briefing discussing the priorities for the future pontificate, George said the next pope will have to follow canon law and keep priests who molested children out of parishes.

"He obviously has to accept the universal code of the church which is zero tolerance for anyone who has ever abused a minor child and therefore may not remain in public ministry in the church," George said. "That has to be accepted. I don't think that will be a problem."

Separately, the Vatican is still reeling from the fallout of the scandal over leaked papal documents, and the investigation by three cardinals into who was behind it.

American cardinals seem particularly keen to get to the bottom of the Vatican dysfunction, and they have had access to a very knowledgeable tutor, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Vatican's ambassador to Washington.

Vigano's letters to the pope were the most explosive leaks of documents last year; in them, Vigano pleaded with Benedict not to be transferred after exposing alleged corruption in the awarding of Vatican contracts that cost the Holy See millions of euros (dollars).

Vigano was named the Vatican's ambassador to Washington, and as such has been able to give U.S. cardinals a clear-eyed view of the true state of the Vatican, said Corriere della Sera commentator Massimo Franco.

"They have appreciated him very much because he doesn't read the Vatican situation with a rosy lens, a rosy view," Franco said in an interview.

In his new book "The Crisis of the Vatican Empire," Franco paints a portrait of a Vatican completely falling apart, with financial scandals at its bank, backstabbing among its ruling class and the sex abuse scandal discrediting the church on the global stage.

"If we think of the pope, in a way the pope decided to sacrifice himself because he couldn't change anything," Franco said.

Coupled with the upheaval of Benedict's resignation, the scandals have contributed to create one of the most unclear papal elections in recent times.

"It will be a very open conclave with a very unpredictable outcome," Franco said.

In one of his last audiences before resigning, Benedict gave the three cardinals who investigated the leaks the go-ahead to answer their colleagues' questions about the results of their investigation.

"There are members of the College of Cardinals who are interested in having information that has to do with the situation in the Curia and the church in general and will ask to be informed by their colleagues," the Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said.

Cardinal Angelo Scola
Country: Italy
Age: 71
Titles: Cardinal-Priest of Santi XII Apostoli; Archbishop of Milan

Scola is one of the front-runners to be selected, after many considered him a candidate ... more?

Cardinal Angelo Scola
Country: Italy
Age: 71
Titles: Cardinal-Priest of Santi XII Apostoli; Archbishop of Milan

Scola is one of the front-runners to be selected, after many considered him a candidate following John Paul II's death in 2005. More academic than pastoral, Scola has published over 100 articles in journals of philosophy and theology and is the founder of Oasis, an organization that seeks to bolster the relationship between the Western and Muslim worlds. less?

___

Trisha Thomas and Rachel Zoll contributed to this report.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-cardinals-seek-answers-vatican-dysfunction-194140380.html

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When Birth Control Fails (Video) | Care2 Healthy Living

• Health Guru
• March 3, 2013
• 5:30 am
• 3 comments

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Broken condom? Forgotten birth control pill? When birth control fails, it's only natural to wonder, 'Am I Pregnant?' - but the statistics aren't as scary as you might think. Find how likely you are to be pregnant in this video. Related: 13 Sex Secrets of Married Couples

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Police chief apologizes to Freedom Rider congressman

Decades after "Bloody Sunday," national leaders acknowledged America's continuing civil rights struggle by making the iconic march from Selma, Ala. to Montgomery. NBC's Lester Holt reports.

By Craig Giammona, NBC News

An Alabama police chief brought Rep. John Lewis to tears Saturday, apologizing to the noted civil rights leader for failing to protect the Freedom Riders during a trip to Montgomery in 1961.

Lewis and fellow civil rights activists were beaten by a mob after arriving at Montgomery's Greyhound station in May 1961.

On Saturday at ceremony at First Baptist Church, the city's current police chief, Kevin Murphy, apologized to Lewis and offered him his badge in a gesture of reconciliation, telling the longtime Georgia congressman that Montgomery police had "enforced unjust laws" in failing to protect the Freedom Riders more than five decades ago.

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Lewis, who was arrested during civil rights protests in cities across the south, said it was the first time a police chief had apologized to him.

"It means a great deal," Lewis said. "I teared up. I tried to keep from crying."

Lewis and other members of Congress were taking part in the 13th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Alabama, a three-day event that also included trips to Selma, Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.

Murphy said the decision to apologize was easy.

"For me, freedom and the right to live in peace is a cornerstone of our society and that was something that Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Congressman Lewis were trying to achieve" Murphy said. "I think what I did today should have been done a longtime ago. It needed to be done. It needed to be spoken because we have to live with the truth and it is the truth."

Murphy, who was asked to speak at the event only after Montgomery's mayor and director of public safety were unable to attend, said he wanted the Montgomery Police Department to be "heard in a different light than what history has recorded in years past."

"We're going to move forward as one Montgomery, one MPD. And we're going to continue to work at it," Murphy said. "There's still a lot of work to do, we know that. We, the police department, needs to make the first move to build that trust back in our community that was once lost because we enforced unjust laws.

Those unjust laws were immoral and wrong. But you know what? It's a new day. And there's a new police department and a new Montgomery here and now and on the horizon."

Montgomery Police Chief Kevin Murphy and Rep. John Lewis speak to the press after Murphy offered an apology to Lewis for the failure of Montgomery police officers to respond to attacks on the Freedom Riders during a trip to Montgomery in May 1961.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/03/17167907-alabama-police-chief-apologizes-to-freedom-rider-congressman?lite

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Kyle Busch ends 24-race Nationwide winless streak

Kyle Busch, front leads Austin Dillon, center, and Parker Kligerman into Turn 1 during the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, March 2, 2013, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz.(AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Kyle Busch, front leads Austin Dillon, center, and Parker Kligerman into Turn 1 during the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, March 2, 2013, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz.(AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Kyle Busch leads a line cars out of Turn 4 during the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, March 2, 2013, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Jamie Dick, front, climbs out of his car following a collision with Johanna Long, left rear, and Alex Bowman, right, on the front stretch on the second lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, March 2, 2013, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Johanna Long, left, spins form a collision with Alex Bowman, right rear, and Jamie Dick, right front, on the front stretch on the second lap during the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, March 2, 2013, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

Pit crew members and fans listen to the national anthem before the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race Saturday, March 2, 2013, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) ? Kyle Busch spun his wheels at the start/finish line for a few extra rotations, filling the track and grandstand with a fog of white smoke.

After waiting so long to win on the Nationwide Series again, it felt like the first time and he was going to enjoy it.

Overcoming a mid-race gaffe on pit road with a dominating performance, Busch led 142 laps at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday to end a 24-race Nationwide winless streak.

"It was a phenomenal day for us to get back to Victory Lane, feel the taste of it again," said Busch, whose last Nationwide win was Sept. 9, 2011 at Richmond. "I was almost nervous, feeling like it was my first win even though it was, I think, No. 52 in the series. It's nice to be back."

Busch had a rough 2012 by his own high standards, finishing 13th in the Sprint Cup standings with just one victory despite leading the second-most laps. He also failed to win in 22 Nationwide races for his own team and came up empty in three trucks races.

Busch signed a deal to stay with Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 18 Sprint Cup car this season and agreed to race for the team on the Nationwide circuit.

He bounced back from a rough start at Daytona in the season opener by earning the pole at Phoenix and was clearly the fastest car all day during the 200-lap race around the mile oval.

Despite a penalty for entering pit road too fast, Busch eclipsed 11,000 career laps during the race and picked up his 52nd Nationwide victory, extending his own record. He's won seven times at Phoenix, including five in the Nationwide Series.

It also was Toyota's 75th Nationwide victory, 41 of those coming with Busch at the wheel.

"He's just gifted behind the wheel, so we're excited about that," JGR president J.D. Gibbs said. "Cup, Nationwide, truck, whatever he races, he's got a gift."

Brad Keselowski finished second and Justin Allgaier overcame body damage on his car from an early wreck to finish third. Trevor Bayne finished fourth, followed by Elliott Sadler.

Keselowski, Matt Kenseth and Brian Vickers each led laps, but none of them had a shot at keeping up with Busch.

"It was pretty phenomenal how fast his car was and what he was able to do with it," Keselowski said of Busch.

The Nationwide Series got off to an awful start at Daytona last week, when Tony Stewart's season-opening win was marred by a 12-car crash on the final lap that left at least two dozen fans injured.

The wreck happened as the cars came around for the checkered flag and leader Regan Smith tried to block Keselowski. That triggered a chain reaction that piled up cars and sent rookie Kyle Larson's car airborne into the fence, shearing it into pieces that flew into the grandstand.

Two injured fans remain in the hospital.

The Phoenix race had a crash involving six cars on the fourth lap and 38 laps were under caution during the race on the slick track, but no one was injured.

"It was fun out there, slipping and sliding all over the place," Allgaier said.

Busch led the first 40 laps, but was sent to the back of the pack ? to 23rd ? for entering pit road too fast during a caution. He also overshot his pit stall, thinking it was the last one instead of the one before, but didn't seem bothered once he got back on the track.

"Oh, well, let's make a race of it," he said through the radio. "Let's go get it."

He did, ripping through the field, up to fifth within a few of laps off the restart, past Kenseth for the lead not long after that.

Busch finished 32nd in Daytona due to engine trouble after leading 22 laps, but had no problems down the stretch in the desert.

He dropped to fifth with about 50 laps left when he went into the pits, but was quickly back out front. He wasn't challenged again, finishing nearly 2 seconds ahead of Keselowski at the checkered flag before his smoky celebration that took a while to get going.

"I was a little rusty at the start and I needed help on it, said let me rethink," Busch said. "I went over and got my checkered flag, and it all looked good at the end."

Five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who won his second Daytona 500 last week, finished 12th in his first Nationwide race since 2011.

The News-Star

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-02-CAR-NASCAR-Phoenix-Nationwide/id-b4097079984442b8aac84555bdaa374c

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Video: Gray whales make a splash in California

>>> we've got a rare look at a spectacular show of nature. a big splash being made off the coast of southern california by gray whales. they've made a big comeback and are giving the economy of the region a real boost. n

>> reporter: a couple breaths reveal the giants beneath the surface.

>> we may have one whale here and two whales there.

>> reporter: gray whales making their way south to the delight of their fans and naturalist alyssa janiger.

>> this gois fantastic.

>> reporter: her excitement contagious.

>> woo hoo !

>> the enthusiasm. people looking for them. the first person who spots them saying, look, thar she blows!

>> reporter: an experience that still exists thanks to conservation. prized for their bones and oil the paf gray whales were hunted relentlessly nearly to extension until commercial hunting of great whales was banned. while they still face threats from notes and boat strikes they've become the comeback kids of the pacific. earlier this season an astounding 23 whales were spotted together off of san pedro . their continued success depends on educating younger generations through events like whale watch weekend at cabrillo national monument .

>> i grew up watching the whales and i want my children to debris up seeing tdebris -- grow up seeing the whales not reading about them in a book.

>> they can grow up maybe being an advocate.

>> reporter: at the time when average attendance is down more gray whales sightings are bringing much needed tourist traffic to state and national parks .

>> we've seen a rise in visitation in what would normally be an off-season.

>> reporter: it turns out conservation is great for the economy as well. gray whales are great for business.

>> we're driving the boat in from fishing trips and having to dodge whales.

>> reporter: that was two years ago. san diego whale watcher boats have been filled ever since. a conservation success story that could serve as an example to ensure the natural wonders never cease. nbc news, san diego .

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/51021193/

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