lucky severson has the story. >> reporter: as unlikely as it may seem, vincent is practicing medication. and you go into the whisper. vin isn't and his wife started meditation after they answered a questionnaire about improving your memory. he wanted to scan their brains while they did it. scans before he learned to meditate and after he had been doing it for eight weeks. >> before meditation here and here. and after meditation, it's more active here and here. so simply doing the practice of the metation, he's altered the activity in this very, very important part of the brain. this is really important because thiswd means that he's changede way his brain is working. >> reporter: since meditating, vincent feels he's become a better high school track coach. >> i think i have become a calmer, more tolerant person. the situation comes up, i don't go do the angry side, i take the calmer road and i think the kids see this. i think i have become a better coach because of it. >> it takes sense that if by doing this practice, he has increased the activity in that frontal lobe, he's actually ab

lucky severson reports on a long standing program in san diego, california aimed at preventing fraud that has come under renewed attacks by as voe cats for the needy. >> we always are looking for a scapegoat in regards to what the budget crisis is. >> reporter: aida reyes has a master's degree but volunteers all her time for a low-income parental support program called spin, enjoying this church-sponsored picnic in a san diego park. >> and who else is easiest ,h scapegoat than the poor people, the people who always is never heard. >> reporter: california has been hit hard by the ailing economy. over 1 million jobs have been lost since 2007. even san diego, advertised as "america's finest city," has seen the numbers of those living in poverty increase to over 300,000. joni halpern is a lawyer who founded of spin. >> seeore homeless, people who've never been poor before. i see those now. people who've lost houses, jobs, cars, people who have never ever expected they would be on public assistance. i see those now, too. >> reporter: even as welfare rolls are increasing, san diego, like l

for "religion and ethics newsweekly," i'm lucky severson in boston. >>> now a special update about organdonation. it used to be that most organ transplants came from deceased donors, but in the case of kidney transplants, medical advances have opened the door for many more transplants from living donors. experts say it is an hical good to become an organ donor. but how far should society go? promoting organ donation? kim lawton has our story. >> reporter: it's early morning at washington hospital center and time for a quick prayer before flavia walton heads into surgery. >> we ask the you to guide the surgeon's hands, lord. for eight years, flavia's husband, bill, has had severe kidney disease, and flavia is donating a kidney. but her kidney isn't going to bill. they weren't compatible enough, at least when it came to kidneys. so bill had to be put on the transplant list. >> you are placed on the list, and then the wait begins, and it goes on and on and on, and your only hope is you can check the list on the internet and see if the numbers are getting any smaller. but they never do. >> r

. >> reporter: gay community leader wig see severson says she doesn't expect to see as many marriage ceremonies in the south bay because there won't be as many marriages to make a statement. >> there are people in the gay community who think gay marriage is silly, it's not, what do we care you know. it's a whole group of people like that. >> reporter: do you think they'll change their mind though after hearing the court decision. >> i think when they fall in love they'll get married. >> reporter: well we're bound to hear a lot of opinions about marriage at the party getting ready to start here soon but just about everybody says they will be celebrating what they call a victory for their civil rights. live in san jose, robert handa, ktvu channel 2 news. >> jerry brown issued a statement on the proposition 8 ruling today. he said in striking down proposition 8 judge walker came to the same decision i did when i declined to defend it. it violates the equal protection guarantee of the 14th amendment to the institution by taking away the right of same-sex couples to marriage without a suf