hi, welcome to assignment 7. today on our program, every penny counts. new school now opened in afghanistan thanks to a penny collection had a started in the bay area and debris and chemicals in san francisco bay, why we are responsible for it. also a look at the historic homes in the bay area that you can buy, rent or take a tour of, but let's begin with the high speed rail project in california. critics are trying to put the brakes on it. heather ishimaru has more on a man in charge of the project and the challenges he faces. >> reporter: california voters prastd a $10 billion bond for high speed rail, but at a

current price tag of $43 billion we'll need more than that bond. >> today, i am more confident than ever that this project can and will be built. >> the high speed rail authority ceo told san jose business leaders that funding is the single biggest obstacle but he expects the money will come from two main sources, private sector and the federal government. he says there is momentum in washington to provide about $1.5 billion a year over ten years and there is the idea for an infrastructure bank. >> which is another possibility to make a development bank which has not yet taken off, but which would fund the project of this nature. >> and other things to overcome are peninsula cities that are unhappy with the plan. >> how do you separate those trains from those cars going at 120 miles an hour?

do you raise the train 30 to 40 feet in the air and create a scar down the community? no. >> and they will use caltrain right of way but it's too narrow instead of 60 feet instead of the 80. >> there are sections that are narrower and we are looking at options going partially into a tunnel to not have an impact on the property adjacent. >> the most important part is the high speed staff and board they have to listen a little more. pay attention to what the community is saying. >> van art says construction needs to start in 2012. >> a one of a kind procedure pioneered by a bay area surgeon is changing itself life of a boy from mexico born without ears. >> good to see you. >> reporter: these gold medals

are valued possession, a victory of national competition, medals he wants to give to his doctor. >> he is like gold to me. >> he was born without ears or ear canals but his middle ear bones are intact. >> somewhere in development when the ears developed and the ear canal starts to open it stops. >> typically requires several surgeries to correct but a plastic surgeons have pioneered a way to perform multiple operations the same day, about ten hours in surgery, working together to create a new ear canal. >> so this will turn and rest of the ear will be here and the opening will be here. >> it's something they have dreamed of. >> it's a miracle for me. it's been 12 years, even with

newly reconstructed either might bring him discomfort. >> they say if i get bit by a mosquito my ear will swell up. i have been nervous but i am call because i'm in good hands with dr. report son. >> early in the morning, first they begin construction of the outer era and then they create an ear canal and eardrum while the doctor continues his sculpting of the ear. seven surgeries in one day. four weeks later, diego is ready to have the packing remove, a chance to hear for the time. >> for him, it's a huge change, but what we'll see over the next several weeks that will continue to improve and come up to a

better level. >> he has another favor to ask. >> it's my other operations. >> he plans to be back at christmastime for his left ear and he will hear the roar of the crowd at his gymnastics competition. >> two women have returned from afghanistan after delivering on a promise. they used the pennies raised by children in this country to build a new school for girls. cheryl jennings has the remarkable story. >> these young afghan boys are at the opening ceremony of a brand-new high school for their sisters in a province in afghanistan. it's high in the mountains at an elevation of nearly 10,000 feet. these pictures are from roots of peace. this is the only high school for

girls here. it was paid for with pennies raised by children from the san francisco bay area and around the world. they joined the roots of peace children's pennies campaign co-hosted by two people from san rafael. >> i was approached by the first and only woman governor of afghanistan. >> she promised to build a school here. heidi and their daughter risked their lives to attend the school's dedication this fall. >> they know we are there. >> they were joined at dedication by her husband. he was there inspecting agricultural programs led by roots of peace. the students received brand-new computers donated by a company in dubai. they also returned to the very first school buy by the roots of peace pennies campaign back in

2006. there, they delivered more brand-new computers. >> we believe through education and agriculture this country will be lifted up. >> they dedicated a new computer lab, walt disney's daughter to largest private donations to remove land mines. >> kylie was the first to visit there when she saw children studying under a tend in the hot sun. she promised to get a school built. the children are immensely grateful. >> cheryl jennings, "abc 7 news". up next, 7 on your side, how

your wireless printer may be giving away secrets. >> i think it can move. sure, it's just not easy. >> the bay area company where making coffee spans, why i i i i i i i i i i i i i i'

welcome back to assignment 7. chances are you have a printer at home to use with your computer but is the printer giving away your secrets? michael finney on the new privacy concern. >> so if i go to google i can find this? >> right. you can find all of it on google. >> i've done plenty of internet searches but i've never seen anything quite like this. it all starts with your printer scanner.

here is best buy display, most of them are wi-fi enabled. it can leave your system open to snoops. >> you click to see if there is anything there. >> we are looking at a list of hue elector wi-fi enabled scanners. we click on one and then we click again. if anything is on the scanner we get to see what it is. here a photograph. we are blurring it out. here a document, again we can read it but we're blurring it so you can't. computer security firm z-scaler figured this out. >> any xp scanner that is connected in the room could be wide open and any document they are pulling out there could be scanned by others. >> reporter: jay is ceo and president and he says companies

like hp ship the printers with a default settings that makes it access easy. we asked hp about that and we're told on a secured network the likelihood of a web scan being a security issue is extremely unlikely. properly secured home or business networks will keep documents private, and that is true. but he says not everyone as a secured network. >> it's hard to educate masses. you can try to put the burden on a layman, but it doesn't work. >> you caning on the internet and click on everything that is on that list, it's kind of scary. >> she works for best buy's geek squad. it's her job to inform consumers the masses and protect them, too. >> i would definitely, but that is huge thing, after looking at that i'll let the consumers know and rest of my team.

there is new alarming report out there on the health of the san francisco bay and what is in the water. all sorts of chemicals. leigh glaser reports. >> water flows through diamond canyon, down to 580 and 880 and here into the bay. >> this is where rain water from the creek watershed enters the bay. what is being done to enter the bacon tians high levels of pcp's and pesticides. >> there is legacy of pcb's but come to the level that make many fish unsafe to eat. >> storm drains and 15 industrial areas around the bay, waterways near richmond and san pablo were found to be heavily polluted. and the creek in san pab le, but

they say the community has tried to help. >> stuff that you would see normally floating around the creek has been cleaned up. >> plastic bags are another polluter. neighbors living next to this creek restored the creek side with native plants. it will reduce the amount of contaminants downstream. >> as the water slows down, all the sediment that is carrying will be able to slow down and fall out in suspension and gets trapped. so all the contaminants that are attached to it are also trapped. >> while water quality in the bay has improved, more needs to be done and they are looking for the public for help. leigh glaser, abc news. >> a change could be coming along the waterfront at jack london square in oakland, it involves coffee and baseball. wayne freedman reports. >> it seems to be in perfect put

you'll motion, plow row along third street in oakland, a place of import, export, traditions and history, but if you read the headlines these days, it may be a neighborhood in atlanta signifies. >> i could not see a ballpark here. >> spoken like a man with 85 employees and legions of loyal customers. >> this is not bad. >> peerless coffee is a three generation coffee business. fill works in the same office next to their wife sonya and the kids work here too, from george and christina and it would please them the immigrant who founded the company back in 1924. >> peerless we wanted to be the best coffee. >> how do say peerless in

yugoslavia. >> but it's full of surprises. there is a museum, it's all about coffee and it's company stocked with items, small and large. >> it's in mint 1922 condition. , one, an activee museum, there working museum a few feet away. >> just like the rest of this neighborhood, its busy place. making coffee begins with big bags all around the world. there are sacks and also barrels, this is no fol gergs or starbucks. >> but in the coffee world we are small. >> but the flavor. >> superb. >> it's specialty stuff, chalked

full of family secrets. did you know that coffee beans need to cool for two minutes and then sealed in bags. that is why coffee bags have little pressure valves. >> you have to have a way for the gases to leave the packaging otherwise we would have blown up bags everywhere. >> and against this busy backdrop, a looming dilemma, a possible trade for beans for. >> but i think the tradition can move, sure, it's just not easy. >> when they built the company they did it generation at a time. living proof in a coffee business, a family that works together stays together but here who knows. wayne freedman, "abc 7 news." >> still ahead, an architectural history lesson.

>> and wear and tear, but i kind of like it. >> we'll take you inside some of bay@t@t @

>> another bay area is full of houses with past and several are for sale or rent. here is dan ashley with history you can live in. ♪ >> here we are and it is a grand fo zbler this is the mansion in the north berkeley hills. real estate agent is showing us around. >> this is billiard room, gentlemen would share company. >> it was built in 1912 by a wealthy land developer, it was designed by john hudson thomas. >> it has unparalleled beauty and it's unique. >> it can be yours for $6.5 million. the mansion was used for several

decades as a young women's college. a lot of original details are still intact. signature woodwork, beautifully preserved but the house does need serious work, there are three acres that was once a show place garden. >> somebody has the desire, this could be most beautiful place to li for f you are looking for something with a lower price tag might consider renting a historic home in the presidio. this neighborhood was built in the early 1900s for doctors. >> the house was vacant for 30 years now the presidio trucht is refurbishing them for rentals. >> what the historic character, we do that, we need to make it suitable for modern use. >> that means new kitchen and

lighting and wiring but everything else is the same. >> they came back to take a look. they used to live here. >> i was surprised to see this. >> there are three homes and eight duplexes from rents to $5,000 to $10,000 a month. biggest house is almost 4,000 square feet. they remember it was a lot to clean. >> its a wife killer but that didn't stop me because i loved the house. >> at this open house, some people are looking to rent, some want to step back in time a bit. >> it makes you feel good, presidio trust that restores these buildings and makes them accessible. >> it's not quite easy to get a look at this home. alpine ranch is on more than 300 acres in san mateo county hills.

>> the ranch house was built in 1870s and this was the original parlor and everything was redwood on the property. >> it was built by a lawyer as a wedding gift for a young woman from the paige family but she rejected the proposal and never moved in. it became a cattle ranch and still filled of relics from the past. >> this is the old wedgewood stove that came with the house. >> there are steps worn down by 130 years of family. >> this is the wear and tear but i kind of like it. >> it's not easy to give up history like this. she had the ranch on the market but the time we got here to see it, she changed her mind. >> i just came up here and sat on the porch, listened to the trees and decided, this is my great escape.

>> dan ashley, "abc 7 news." >> drive to discover, a new device that not only points you in the right direction but it tells you what you are pointing at.lllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

new consumer technology is being pioneered in the bay area and augmented reality can point you in the right direction but can tell you what you are pointing at.

richard hart has the drive to discover. >> to bart a train platform is a social platform. social on social networks.e >> we have been there 2008 and 2009. it's a small part for what we do. >> no public agency and probably no company has computers with more data open to the public than bart making it an ideal candidate. >> the technology is augmented reality different from gps devices, it adds a camera to what you are seeing. government offices, museums. >> so as i point my thumb, it notion where i am standing and using the compass it knows what direction you are looking at. >> point it at a building and how much floor space is available for how much and dials the leasing company.

>> lisa works for the company behind it, a san francisco pioneer in augmented reality. a magazine comes to life and zombies come to life on your desk in an augmented video game. today the real estate info is provided by rolfo, but much more open information like this is needed if augmented reality is to grow. the info has to come from some where is. you know about-face recognition, this is place recognition. >> if you want more information on the stories on our program today, go to our website at www.abc7.com. look under the news links on the left side for assignment 7. that is all for this edition of assignment 7. i'm kristen sze. thank you so much for joining us. we'll see you back here next we'll see you back here next

>> alan: soaked. the rain brings down trees and powerlines throughout the bay area. we still have several more days of this weather. also, trouble in the