Cape Cod lifestyle in Quincy

This free-standing single-family is part of a Nantucket-like condo development in Quincy's Marina Bay neighborhood.

The four-bedroom house at 12 Hutchinson Lane is in the 18-acre Chapman's Reach planned community, one of 152 single-families and townhouses built in 1999 and designed to resemble a Cape Cod village. Homes are set close to one another to create an urban feel that encourages walking. Transom windows ensure privacy from neighbors, with full windows facing front and back as well as into an enclosed patio. Parking garages are in alleys behind the houses.

This 3,928-square foot two-story home, one of 48 single families in the complex, has 2,400 square feet of living space on the first floor, including the master bedroom suite and is available for $1,180,000.

The well-designed two-story home, with an exterior of yellow clapboard and gray cedar shingles has a front brick walkway and covered farmer's porch. It opens into a double-height foyer with chair-rail wainscoting and maple floors.

On one side of the foyer through a marble column arch is a formal dining room with bay windows, maple floors and a wrought-iron chandelier. On the other side is a guest bedroom with a connecting marble bathroom.

But the showpiece space of the home lies straight ahead in a 25-foot-high maple-floored living room with five sets of double-tiered windows. The west-facing wall of windows looks out into a bluestone patio. In the center of the room is a gas fireplace with fluted columns and green marble surround.

The adjacent recessed-lit kitchen features ceramic tile floors, 32 maple cabinets with beige Giallo Veneziano granite counters and island with pendant lighting overhead. Stainless-steel General Electric Monogram appliances include a side-by-side refrigerator, a gas stove and a compactor. The owners recently added a Bosch dishwasher.

There's an adjacent breakfast nook with high transom windows on one side and glass doors on the other that open onto the nicely landscaped enclosed outdoor patio.

Behind the kitchen is a laundry room with a full-size washer and dryer and the hallway continues down to double doors that lead into the master bedroom suite.

The carpeted master bedroom has a vaulted ceiling with a clerestory window and glass doors out to the patio. There are two walk-in closets with built-in wardrobes. The en-suite bathroom has a white Botticino marble floor with black marble inlay. There are Corian-topped vanities on either side of the room, and a whirlpool tub and separate walk-in shower, both with white tile walls.

Off the bedroom is a hallway with direct access to a two-car garage and there are three deeded outdoor spaces.

Above the garage is a carpeted game/media room with a Tiffany-style lamp over a billiards table, which is negotiable.

A distinctive winding maple staircase from the foyer leads to two bedrooms and a study on the house's main second floor. The carpeted study overlooks the living room. The two carpeted bedrooms are on either side of a walkway that overlooks the living room and the foyer. There's a laundry closet here, as well as a full bathroom with a Fiberglas shower.

The house has an additional, uncounted 2,400-square-foot unfinished basement, with lots of storage and room for additional living space. It also houses two gas-fired forced hot air heating systems and a two-zone central air-conditioning system.

Broker: Fred Alibrandi of Otis & Ahearn at 617-851-8050

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New look for Lexus GS

After a model year on the sidelines, Lexus has redesigned and reintroduced the 2013 GS350 to the marketplace and its arrival has the Audi A6, BMW 535 and Mercedes E class shuffling over to make room.

Pacific Rim cars have rapidly closed the gap on the Europeans when it comes to combining luxury and inspired performance. A slightly wider footprint, crisper suspension, more responsive steering and powerful engine places this luxury sport solidly right in the mix.

Our all-wheel-drive test model — the base model is a rear-wheel only — is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 direct injection engine that cranks a robust 306 horsepower. The multi-link rear suspension, gas pressurized shocks and stabilizer bar reduce the pitch and roll, delivering the solid ride that sports enthusiasts desire when pushing a car hard.

The aggressive hourglass styling on the nose sweeps into graceful lines hinting at the fact that the GS350 is a sports sedan at heart, but can smoothly get you to the office or dinner without wrinkling your clothes.

Just settle into the rich leather multi-adjustable sport style driver's seat and instantly notice the updates to the luxurious cabin. Lexus-branded creature comforts abound, starting with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, a quiet ride, nifty premium sound system and the new navigation package, which includes an intuitive 12-inch touch screen. Soft touches and craftsmanship show at every turn with a combination of man-made materials and leather trim offset by brushed aluminum and wood grained highlights. The stitching in the dash is faux, but looks natural. The cabin and trunk are spacious yet the sedan retains a nice, sporty feel.

As with all Toyota high-end models, the optional mouse controller allows the driver to manipulate the car systems, but please use the redundant steering wheel controls when driving.

Our tester priced out at $55,407 and was loaded with a vast array of standard features, including backup camera. But to get blind-spot monitoring and rain-sensing wipers, you'll have to invest in a pricey upgrade. I guess they have that in common with their German competitors. I'd like to see Lexus upgrade the audio quality of the tinny hands-free phone in this car.

I really enjoyed driving this car. It's powerful and effortless to maneuver, yet pop it into sport mode and the transmission shift points adjust to create a smart, aggressive ride. I managed to get close to the class average 23 mpg during spirited driving, but squeaked out over 27 running the car on ECO mode on the highway.

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Name game for Tommy

Plans to memorialize outgoing Mayor Thomas M. Menino's contributions to Boston have yet to begin, but city leaders have some suggestions — including renaming the concrete jungle that is City Hall Plaza.

"I like the idea … plant some grass, and some trees — we could have a whole new Menino Plaza," City Councilor Salvatore LaMattina said. "I would love to see a Menino statue on Menino Plaza."

Possibilities for commemorating the mayor's legacy can be found in every part of the city, according to LaMattina. "In my neighborhood, there's the police station in Charlestown, the schools, the parks," he said. "And in East Boston, a brand-new library is being built as we speak."

There's strong precedent for honoring mayors: the Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge, Hynes Convention Center, Curley Community Center and the Kevin White statue at Faneuil Hall. In fact, Menino already has a Hyde Park library wing and a Boston Medical Center pavilion named after him.

"We should pay tribute to his inspiring leadership in a lasting, public way," said Paul Guzzi, CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

City Councilor Michael Ross identified what he sees as the "perfect" edifice to bear Menino's name — the new school planned for Commercial Street in the North End, especially since it's the first downtown public elementary school since the Jimmy Carter administration, he said. "That school should be called the Thomas M. Menino Elementary School," he said. "It's the former Mitt Romney (presidential campaign) headquarters. That would be the greatest irony."

Back in 2006, Menino confidantes floated the idea of renaming the $800 million Boston Convention & Exhibition Center as the Thomas M. Menino Convention Center, but there's been no such current talk, a BCEC spokesman said.

City Council President Stephen J. Murphy threw out this suggestion: putting Menino's name on the Ferdinand building in Roxbury's Dudley Square, set to become the new Boston Public Schools headquarters. "Tom Menino has been the mayor of the neighborhoods, and one of his big priorities — and soon to be his achievement — is revitalizing Dudley Square with the infusion of several thousands of municipal workers," he said. "It's his vision, it's his achievement and it should bear his name."

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NKorean propaganda mill serves up soft side of Kim

SEOUL, South Korea — The outside world focuses on the messages of doom and gloom from North Korea: bombastic threats of nuclear war, fantasy videos of U.S. cities in flames, digitally altered photos of leader Kim Jong Un guiding military drills. But back home, North Koreans get a decidedly softer dose of propaganda: Kim portrayed as a young, energetic leader, a people person and family man.

Mixed in with the images showing Kim aboard a speeding boat on a tour of front-line islands, or handing out commemorative rifles to smartly saluting soldiers, are those of Kim and his wife clapping at a dolphin show or linking arms with weeping North Korean children.

The pictures can look odd or obviously staged to outsiders. But they're carefully crafted propaganda meant to give North Koreans an image of a country governed by a leader who is as comfortable overseeing a powerful military as he is mingling with the people.

Analysts say the images also hint at something that often gets lost amid the threatening rhetoric: North Korea's supreme commander isn't an all-powerful, isolated monarch who can govern without considering his people's approval. Kim is still busy building his reputation at home.

"Even dictatorships respond to public opinion and public pressure," said John Delury, a North Korea analyst at Seoul's Yonsei University. "He's expected to pay attention to and make improvements in the common people's standard of living. They've put that promise out in their domestic propaganda."

It's a tall order. Living standards in Pyongyang, the capital, are relatively high, with new shops and restaurants catering to a growing middle class. But U.N. officials' reports detail harsh conditions elsewhere in North Korea: up to 200,000 people estimated to be languishing in political prison camps, and two-thirds of the country's 24 million people facing regular food shortages.

When it comes to North Korean propaganda, much of the world focuses on the series of outlandish videos uploaded to the country's YouTube channel and government website, largely for foreign consumption. In one fantasy, missiles rain down on a burning American city while an instrumental version of "We Are the World" plays in the background. In another, President Barack Obama and U.S. troops burn.

But what most North Koreans see on state TV is a different propaganda message: Kim Jong Un bending down to receive flowers from children, Kim visiting families living in rustic homes on front-line islands, Kim mobbed by gushing female soldiers.

As with any propaganda or PR, the images are carefully staged. And many make foreign news headlines only when experts and photo editors discover that North Korea is digitally altering them. For instance, in a picture distributed recently by state media, troops and hovercraft land on a barren, snow-dappled beach. Experts say some of the multiple hovercraft have been copied and pasted into the image.

But North Korea's propaganda makers aren't concerned about the criticism abroad to their heavy-handed photo editing. "These efforts are aimed more at an unsophisticated domestic peasant audience than those of us who are more discerning," said Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS think tank in Hawaii.

The caring domestic persona being built for Kim by his image specialists is aided by his wife, Ri Sol Ju.

She is young and glamorous, a chic and smiling presence at his side in many of the country's propaganda images. The couple is often photographed at amusement parks, nurseries, factory tours and concerts.

"It's a more complex kind of image he has as a leader," Delury said. "The basis of his legitimacy domestically has to do with these other, non-military things."

The propaganda machine in North Korea also worked to build up a caring image for Kim's father, the late Kim Jong Il. He doggedly appeared at tours of factories, farms and military posts. But while Kim Jong Un puts his wife front and center and is a relaxed presence on camera, his father was stiff in photos and secretive about his family life.

North Korea takes pains to select and sometimes alter photos so its leaders appear in the best light possible, said Seo Jeong-nam, a North Korean propaganda expert at Keimyung University in South Korea.

For example, past propaganda specialists were careful not to pick photos that showed the large lump on the back of the neck of Kim's grandfather, North Korean President Kim Il Sung, Seo said. When Kim Jong Il was alive, North Korean photographers tried to make him look taller in photos than he actually was, often positioning him slightly in front of others, Seo said.

As for Kim Jong Un, Seo said North Korea's propaganda mill chooses photos that show off his strong resemblance to his grandfather, who still is depicted on state TV as the loving father of the nation, surrounded by children and adoring citizens.

___

Associated Press writer Sam Kim contributed to this story. Follow Klug at www.twitter.com/APKlug and Kim at www.twitter.com/samkim_ap.

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Wal-Mart mulls letting customers deliver packages

Wal-Mart's race against Amazon.com for speedier shipping is making it consider asking customers to deliver packages to online buyers.

Shoppers at the world's largest retailer could sign up to drop off packages for online customers who live on their route back home, Joel Anderson, chief executive of Walmart.com in the U.S., said in a recent interview with Reuters.

Wal-Mart, in turn, would offer a discount on the deliverer's shopping bill to cover the cost of gas, Anderson said.

"This is at the brain-storming stage," said Jeff McAllister, senior vice president of Walmart U.S. innovations, "but it's possible in a year or two."

Yesterday, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman downplayed the idea, calling it "just a casual mention."

"There are no plans to roll this out," Ashley Hardie said. "No work has been done to explore it as an option."

Michael Tesler, a retail consultant at Norwell's Retail Concepts, said the idea sounds "a little green and sustainable" but "rife with danger."

"There are a lot of challenges that would make it difficult, including insurance and liability," Tesler said. "What happens if a customer has an accident making a delivery?"

Theft, he added, would also be a possibility.

A UPS spokeswoman, who asked not to be identified, said, "Wal-Mart is a great customer of ours, and we'll definitely be watching to see how this plays out."

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City employees can benefit from tax laws

Tax season is upon us, and the Herald's TaxSmart experts are here every Friday to help.

Today, Joy Child of Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co. discusses potential tax benefits for city employees.

I am a teacher in the Boston Public Schools system. Are there any special tax benefits that teachers need to look for? Also, my husband is a fireman and pays into the city's retirement system. Is there anything he needs to look out for?

There are several benefits that teachers and other town, city or state employees may overlook. The contributions to the various Massachusetts retirement systems are deductible on the Massachusetts return, up to $2,000. Although teachers do not pay into Social Security, they are entitled to the same deduction as people who do pay into Social Security. In addition, teachers hired after 1986 pay into the Medicare system, so this is deductible as well.

However, if a teacher is full-time, usually the Massachusetts retirement contribution is more than the maximum $2,000 deduction, anyway. Because tax software may not always recognize that Massachusetts retirement contributions are similar to Social Security contributions, teachers need to make sure they get this deduction, which will usually max out at the $2,000 level.

In addition, federal wages are different from state wages for an employee who contributes to a Massachusetts retirement system. The federal government allows the wages to be reduced by the entire contribution to Massachusetts retirement, not just the $2,000 deduction that Massachusetts allows. So if your W-2 shows a difference between the federal wages and the state wages, be sure to use the appropriate amount on each return.

Teachers also may deduct as a direct adjustment to their income up to $250 of the money they spend for school supplies. In these difficult economic times for school systems, teachers often have to spend quite a bit on supplies for their classroom. They should be sure to keep the receipts.

Email your tax questions to bizsmart@bostonherald.com

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Tax credits vital to conversions

Affordable housing is crucial to society because it ensures that families with limited economic means have a place to live.

Either new structures can be built or older buildings can be renovated to increase the affordable housing stock.

"Preserving and restoring historic buildings has the potential to breathe life into local communities and their economies," said Larry Curtis, president and managing partner of WinnDevelopment, which is one of the nation's largest developers of large-scale, mixed-use and mixed-income projects, including the Oliver Lofts on Mission Hill and the The Apartments at Boott Mill in Lowell.

Historic tax credits, from both the state and federal governments, can be an integral part of the financing for real estate redevelopment and re-use projects. These subsidies have helped developers revitalize older downtown areas and urban neighborhoods. These projects have provided construction jobs and affordable rental housing for low-income families and seniors since 1976.

"The revitalization of historic buildings into housing typically has significant construction cost premiums and the historic tax credits directly address that and make it possible to create reasonably priced affordable housing," said Bart Mitchell, president and CEO of The Community Builders, the country's largest nonprofit developer of mixed-income housing. Its local projects include the Franklin School Apartments in Lexington and the Central Grammar School in Gloucester.

Making older buildings wheelchair-accessible can be particularly costly, he said.

"Especially buildings such as schools were built as a monumental structure on top of a huge staircase and are not accessible. (It's necessary to) add elevators and such," Mitchell added.

There may also be costly environmental cleanup issues, because renovating older buildings may require asbestos or lead paint removal.

Additionally, when laying out a building for a completely different use, the developer may want to preserve some of the historic features, but may face the costly challenge of coming up with spaces for bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms.

"Preserving the high ceilings and large windows is important and creates interesting interiors within the housing units," Curtis said.

Of course, there are benefits to rehabbing existing buildings.

"When re-using an old building, no one is wondering what the building is going to look like. Sometimes the approval process can be easier," Mitchell said.

The historic credits also can help contribute to a cleaner environment, according to developers.

"The 'greenest' thing you can do is re-use an existing building," Mitchell said. "If you don't re-use an existing building, think about all of the diesel exhaust and landfill that's used in the demolition of the old building, then all of the transportation, manufacturing and assembly for the new building."

Older buildings that were built with thick masonry walls can be extremely efficient to heat, especially once a modern roof and windows are added.

Oliver Lofts, located on Mission Hill, is the only midrise, multifamily building in the city to earn Platinum LEED certification for its environmental friendliness, and one of only two historic renovations in the nation to win that distinction after being converted to mixed-income housing. The 19th century building, recently renovated after being vacant for 30 years, is now a mixed-income housing community consisting of 62 apartments.

Jennifer Athas is a licensed real estate broker and can be reached by email at heraldhotproperty@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter,
@JenAthas.

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Cyprus sends rumbles through shaky banking system

FRANKFURT, Germany — This week's deal to rescue Cyprus and its banks from financial collapse has renewed fears about Europe's shaky financial system and where trouble might next appear.

Many banks across Europe have been struggling for more than three years as losses on government bonds and bad loans piled up. Some governments, meanwhile, have taken on more debt trying to prop up their lenders to the point where they have needed bailing out themselves.

In Cyprus's case, its banking sector became much bigger than the country's government could afford to rescue — seven times the size of the country's economy. When the banks were hit by large losses and Cyprus could not afford to bail it out on its own, the country turned to the other 16 European Union countries that use the euro.

Rather than making Europe's taxpayers foot the entire bill for bad banking, Cyprus and the other eurozone countries agreed to make the banks' bondholders and big depositors contribute to the rescue. One bank, Laiki, is to be split up, with its nonperforming loans and toxic assets going into a "bad bank." The healthy side will be absorbed into the Bank of Cyprus. Savers with more 100,000 euros in both Bank of Cyprus and Laiki will face big losses — possibly as much as 80 cents on the euro.

Daniel Gros, director of the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, said the Cyprus deal "could be a strategic change."

Depositors and investors have taken note of the Cyprus deal and are warily looking around at other countries where the financial sector appears too big or too unstable. The STOXX Europe 600 Banks index have fallen 7 percent since a first bailout deal, later rejected, was reached March 16.

Even some of the more financially disciplined countries in the eurozone can raise concerns: The Netherlands had to take over SNS Reaal, the country's fourth-largest bank, after it suffered heavy losses. And in Germany there are banks under pressure from competition and losses on bad loans.

Here is a look at some countries whose banking sectors are gaining scrutiny in the aftermath of the Cyprus bailout.

SLOVENIA: Privately owned banks are suffering from a burst real estate bubble and unpaid property loans. The country — which is only 0.4 percent of the eurozone's overall economy — has a relatively small banking system and has relied on successful exporters such as home appliance maker Gorenje. But the banks' troubles are large enough that the government has struggled to borrow to finance its deficits and some think it might eventually seek a bailout loan from other eurozone countries.

The new government of Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek is moving to set up a "bad bank" to take shaky loans and investments off banks' hands. Analysts at Commerzbank say depositors will not suffer losses in any bank restructuring because the system only needs a billion euros in new capital for this year. Cyprus, which is half the size of Slovenia, needed up to 8 billion euros to help rescue its banks.

Fitch Ratings said last week it didn't think Slovenia, which is in a recession, would need a bailout. But the agency warned that the quality of the banks' assets and the capital buffers needed to protect them from future financial shocks are deteriorating.

MALTA: Like Cyprus, Malta is a small island country with a big banking system — eight times annual GDP. Its banks have not suffered the huge losses on government bonds that brought down Cyprus' banks. But last year the IMF warned that the size of Malta's banking sector and its interconnectedness to the rest of the eurozone raised the potential for trouble to spread from elsewhere. It told Malta, whose economy has so far avoided a recession, to strengthen deposit insurance guarantees and push banks to strengthen their finances.

The head of the central bank has said that comparisons to Cyprus are misleading. The country is 0.07 percent of the eurozone's economy, with only about 6.7 billion euros of GDP.

LUXEMBOURG: The small, wealthy country's banking system is more than 20 times the size of the economy. Economist Gros says it's completely different from Cyprus, since the banks are subsidiaries of foreign banks, whose parent companies could take any losses. So far the banking sector seems calm.

The terms of the Cyprus bailout could give Luxembourg cause for concern, however. Germany insisted that as part of the rescue, Cyprus should shrink its banking system to the EU average — about 3 ½ times GDP — and abandon its business model of seeking prosperity as a financial center for foreign savers and investors. Luxembourg, which accounts for 0.4 percent of the eurozone, has followed a similar business model to Cyprus.

The country's government has taken exception to the idea, saying it was concerned about "general assessments of the size of the financial sector and the alleged risks this poses." The financial sector is a key pillar of the economy, accounting for 27 percent of GDP.

SPAIN: The country's banks have been struggling under toxic property loans and assets since Spain's property bubble collapsed in 2008. The level of bad debt in the country's banks hit almost 11 percent in January — some 170.7 billion euros ($220.9 billion) in the first month of the year, up from 167.5 billion euros the previous month. The toxic loans have been transferred to the country's bad bank, which was set up as a condition for Spain receiving 40 billion euros in European Union assistance for its financial sector last year. Spain is the No. 4 country in the eurozone, with about 12 percent of the collective economy.

The Cyprus deal has led to speculation that depositors there might head for the exits if the country moves toward a bailout. But that hasn't happened so far. The financial system appears more stable since the European Central Bank offered to help with a country's borrowing costs by buying up unlimited amounts of short-term government debt if necessary.

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The Ticker

Airline merger approved

AMR Corp., the bankrupt parent of American Airlines, has received court approval to merge with US Airways Group Inc. and create the world's largest airline.

But one clause in the merger agreement, a nearly $20 million severance package for AMR's outgoing CEO Tom Horton, was not approved by a judge at a hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.

SF tower aims high

Boston Properties and Hines have broken ground on the Transbay Tower in San Francisco, which will be the nation's seventh largest tower at 1,070 feet tall. The building will consist of 60 levels of office space in a 1.4 million square foot complex.

Construction is expected to begin this summer and be completed in 2016.

Lexington co. secures investment

SynapDx Corp. has secured a significant yet undisclosed investment from The Kraft Group that will support the ongoing clinical development of the company's blood-based autism spectrum disorder diagnostic test. The test is designed to help clinicians identify children with autism earlier than they do today.

T-Mobile takes bite of Apple

T-Mobile will become the first major wireless company to sell Apple's popular iPhone 5 without a contract requirement on April 12. Preorders will be accepted starting April 5. T-Mobile will sell the device for $99, plus the monthly cost of using the phone.

TODAY

 The Commerce Department releases fourth-quarter gross domestic product.

TOMORROW

 U.S. stock markets closed for Good Friday.

 The Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for February.

L Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, left, is joining Boston-based CoachUp as a senior advisor on its advisory board. Boston Bruins President Cam Neely is joining the startup's board of directors.

L Atlantic Power has named Edward Hall as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Hall previously served as executive vice president and COO Global Generation at power company AES Corp.

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Groundbreaking set at former Herald site

The Boston Herald's former longtime South End headquarters will be feted next month before crews start demolition for its next life as the "Ink Block," a 471-unit apartment complex anchored by a Whole Foods supermarket.

Newton-based National Development's plans for the April 11 groundbreaking ceremony will include a strong Herald presence.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino will remove a symbolic brick from the building for preservation, and Herald columnist Joe Fitzgerald will share memories of the paper's home base of 54 years before it moved to a more modern newsroom and offices in the Seaport District last year.

Herald publisher and owner Patrick J. Purcell sold the former 6.6-acre Herald site to National Development in 2007 for undisclosed terms. He retained a minority stake in the $200 million redevelopment, which also will include stores and restaurants and link the South End with Chinatown and the rest of the city.

"We're going to start taking the building down," said Ted Tye, managing partner of National Development. "We've been in predemolition now for several months, taking things out of the building."

In 2011, the Herald signed a 10-year lease for its new headquarters on Fargo Street, where it occupies two floors in the rapidly growing South Boston waterfront area.

Purcell said he's excited about the new quarters and how the newspaper has been evolving with both its print and online editions, and through video.

"And I'm really excited about what the development of the former Herald building will mean for the South End community," 
he said.

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'Journey' sweeps Game Developers Choice Awards

SAN FRANCISCO — "Journey" arrived on top at the Game Developers Choice Awards.

The artsy video game developed by thatgamecompany swept the 13th annual ceremony Wednesday with six wins, including game of the year and the innovation award. "Journey" was also honored for best audio, game design, visual arts and as best downloadable game.

"I really think the success of 'Journey' is because we're standing on the shoulder of the giants," said "Journey" designer and thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen.

The wordless but emotional downloadable PlayStation 3 game casts players as a mysterious scarfed figure that must trek across a desert, through temples and toward a towering mountain. Other players appear online in the game, but they aren't able to communicate with words or sound.

"If you've played the game, you can imagine how difficult it was for the team to go through it," said Chen. "Particularly at the mountain, right before the end. It was very, very stressful. I actually had to go see a psychiatrist."

Selected by a jury of game creators, the Game Developers Choice Awards honor the best games of the past year.

Other winners at the Moscone Convention Center ceremony included Ubisoft's island shoot-'em-up "Far Cry 3" for best technology, Telltale Games' interactive zombie drama "The Walking Dead" for best narrative, Fireproof Studios' puzzler "The Room" for best handheld/mobile game. Arkane Studios' stealthy revenge tale "Dishonored" won the inaugural audience award, which was chosen by online votes.

Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, masterminds of such seminal role-playing games as "Baldur's Gate," ''Knights of the Old Republic" and "Mass Effect," were honored with the lifetime achievement award.

"Spacewar!" developer Steve "Slug" Russell received the pioneer award for his contribution to video games. Russell's "Spacewar!" was created in 1962 and is considered to be among the first digital computer games.

Chris Melissinos, creator of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's "The Art of Video Games" exhibit, was presented with the ambassador award, which recognizes individuals who have helped advanced the gaming industry.

"Thank you to all the game creators who have provided me with a lifetime of inspiration," Melissinos said while accepting his trophy. "You've had a much larger impact on the world than you may believe."

___

Online:

http://www.gamechoiceawards.com

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang/ .

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Sporting News partners with digital video provider

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sporting News will add online highlight clips as part of a new business deal.

Parent company American City Business Journals and digital video provider Perform will work together on Sporting News Media in the United States and Canada. The venture will combine the two organizations' management, sales, content, technology, editorial and media assets.

Perform owns ePlayer, which streams highlights and news from the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL, colleges and other sports.

American City Business Journals CEO Whitney Shaw says "we are combining the heritage and editorial excellence of one of the U.S.'s oldest sports media brands with a forward-looking, digitally focused organization."

The joint venture will be owned 65 percent by Perform and 35 percent by ACBJ.

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Hot Wheels: BMW unveils new diesel 3-Series sedan

NEW YORK — BMW is giving fans of its 3-Series more room and better gas mileage in two important variations of the small luxury sports sedan that it's rolling out at the New York International Auto Show this week.

On Wednesday, the German automaker will formally unveil a new 3 Series Gran Turismo, which has a bigger distance between the front and rear wheels to create more rear-seat legroom and cargo space in the trunk. The company also will unveil the 328d in the U.S., a 3-Series equipped with a diesel engine that should get more than 40 miles per gallon on the highway.

The 3-Series is the top-selling luxury car in the U.S. BMW sold almost 99,000 3-Series sedans, coupes, and wagons last year, up more than 6 percent from 2011. Luxury automakers overall sold more than 1 million cars in the U.S. last year, an increase of almost 12 percent over 2011.

The Gran Turismo will be available in the fall at U.S. dealers, while the 328d will arrive at showrooms later this year.

Here are the highlights of the two vehicles:

UNDER THE HOOD: The Gran Turismo has the same engines and transmissions as the standard 3-Series: a 2-liter four-cylinder engine or a 3-liter inline 6-cylinder. All-wheel-drive is standard. The 328d will have a four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that puts out 180 horsepower. BMW says the car can go from zero to 60 in about 7.2 seconds.

OUTSIDE: The Gran Turismo has a sloped back and tailgate, and is 4.3 inches longer between the front and rear wheels than a standard 3-Series sedan. The 328d looks the same as the standard 3-Series except for a diesel badge.

INSIDE: The 328d's interior will look similar to the standard 3-Series, while the five-passenger Gran Turismo will have a little more back-seat legroom and a trunk that's one cubic foot larger than the regular 3-Series.

GAS MILEAGE: BMW says preliminary estimates show the diesel model gets 45 mpg on the highway. City mileage estimates weren't available. The Gran Turismo should get about what a standard 3-series gets: up to 36 mpg on the highway with a manual transmission and a four-cylinder engine and 33 mpg on the highway with the six cylinder motor and automatic transmission.

PRICE: About $40,000 to start for the diesel. The Gran Turismo 328i starts at just over $42,300. A 320i now starts at just under $33,000, while a 335i begins at just over $45,000.

CHEERS: The 328d brings great gas mileage and performance to the 3-Series, which already was strong in both categories. The Gran Turismo 328i promises a more comfortable ride for passengers on longer trips.

JEERS: The diesel and the Gran Turismo are pricey compared to some of the standard models.

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N.E. groups receive awards for energy efficiency

BOSTON — Eight New England organizations have been given awards for making contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency.

The Energy Star Partner of the Year awards are given each year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.

The 2013 winners include: Raytheon Co. of Waltham, Staples Inc. of Framingham, Beacon Capital Partners LLC of Boston, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships of Lexington, and National Grid of Waltham.

Other winners were: HEI Hotels & Resorts of Norwalk, Conn., United Illuminating of New Haven, Conn., and New Hampshire CORE Utilities of Manchester, N.H.

Energy Star is a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency.

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Google picks 8,000 winners of 'Glass' contest

SAN FRANCISCO — Google has picked out 8,000 people who will be given a chance to don a pair of Internet-connected glasses and make a fashion statement likely to be envied by gadget-loving geeks around the world.

The pool selected by Google won a contest conducted last month requiring U.S. residents to submit 50-word applications through Twitter or Google's Plus to explain how they would use a technology that is being hailed as the next breakthrough in mobile computing.

After sifting through a litany of ideas submitted with the hash tag "ifihadglass," Google Inc. began notifying the winners Tuesday.

Prevailing in this contest might not seem like much of a victory if you aren't a technology fan. The winners will have to pay $1,500 apiece if they want a test version of the product, which is called "Google Glass." They also will have to travel to New York, Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay area to pick up the device, which isn't expected to be available on the mass market until late this year or early next year.

But getting a chance to be among the first to experience Google Glass is being treated like a hallowed privilege among the tech set. Some contestants even likened it to winning one of the five golden tickets that entitled children to a lifetime supply of candy and a visit at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in the popular movie based on a book by Roald Dahl.

The excitement stems from the belief that Google Glass is at the forefront of a new wave of technology known as "wearable computing." Google, Apple Inc. and several other companies also are working on Internet-connected wristwatches, according to published reports that have cited anonymous people familiar with the projects.

Google Glass is supposed to perform many of the same tasks as smartphones, except the spectacles respond to voice commands instead of fingers touching a display screen. The glasses are equipped with a hidden camera and tiny display screen attached to a rim above the right eye.

The engineers who have been building Google Glass tout the technology as a way to keep people connected to their email, online social networks and other crucial information without having to frequently gaze down at the small screen on a smartphone. The hidden camera is designed to make it easy for people to take hands-free photos or video of whatever they are doing, whether it be bicycling, running, skiing, skydiving or just playing with friends and family.

Some of the winning entrants identified Tuesday by Google caught the company's attention by promising to put the camera to good use.

One contest winner promised to take Google Glass to Veteran Administration hospitals so soldiers who fought in World War II can see their memorials before they die. Another plans to wear Google Glass during a trip to Japan so she can take video and pictures that she can share with her grandmother, who now lives in the U.S. but would like to see her native country again. A zookeeper plans to use Google Glass to show what it's like to feed penguins, and another contest winner wants to use the technology to provide maps that will help firefighters in emergencies.

Privacy watchdogs, though, are already worried that Google Glass will make it even more difficult for people to know when they are on camera.

Google said the test, or "Explorer," version of Glass will help its engineers get a better understanding of how the technology might be used and make any necessary adjustments before the device hits the mass market.

The company, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., also sold an unspecified number of "Explorer" models to computer programmers last year. The finished product is expected to cost from $700 to $1,500.

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Cyprus uncertainty keeps markets in check

LONDON — Sentiment in the world's markets remained fragile Wednesday as investors awaited the details of the capital controls Cyprus is expected to introduce when its banks reopen.

The country's banks, which have been closed for the best part of two weeks, are due to start doing business again on Thursday following an international bailout agreement that's caused jitters around the world — but particularly in Europe — over the safety of deposits. Under the terms of the bailout, Cyprus is closing its second-largest bank Laiki and raiding big deposits in it, as well as in Bank of Cyprus.

"Markets are eagerly waiting to read the Cypriot government's capital control measures," said Alastair McCaig, market analyst at IG. "As capital control measures are still in place for Icelandic depositors following their banking collapse five years ago, it does call into question the Cypriot government's insistence that these will only be 'temporary'."

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 0.5 percent at 6,366 while Germany's DAX fell 0.8 percent. The CAC-40 in France was 1.4 percent lower at 3,698.

The euro also remained under pressure trading 0.5 percent lower at $1.2793. The currency has been on the slide since a top European official said the Cyprus bailout may be a model for the future. Though others have since sought to dismiss that idea, the thought has now been embedded into investors' minds.

"Despite the efforts of various eurozone politicians to reassure depositors that Cyprus's banking bail-in will not be used as a template, they will find it difficult to re-seal the can of worms," said Jane Foley, senior currency strategist at Rabobank International.

Wall Street was poised for a retreat at the open, with both Dow futures and the broader S&P 500 futures 0.4 percent lower.

Earlier, Asian stocks fared better as they rose in the slipstream of Tuesday's advance in U.S. stock markets, which saw the S&P 500 edge up towards an all-time high and the Dow rise to a new record.

"It would seem that at least on Wall Street the bears are still in hibernation mode," said Fawad Razaqzada, market strategist at GFT Markets.

Japan's Nikkei rose 0.2 percent to 12,493.79 while Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng index rose 0.6 percent to close at 22,464.82. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite Index advanced 0.2 percent to 2,301.26 while the smaller Shenzhen Composite rose 0.3 percent to 955.24.

Oil prices tracked equities and were falling as European stocks dipped — benchmark crude for May delivery fell 60 cents to $95.74 a barrel.

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Yahoo buys startup run by 17-year-old entrepreneur

SAN FRANCISCO — A London startup owned by a 17-year-old entrepreneur has Yahoo as a buyer.

The teenager was seeking an easier way to read news stories and other content on the smaller screens of smartphones, so he built an app for that.

The deal announced Monday is Yahoo's fifth small acquisition in the past five months. It's part of CEO Marissa Mayer's effort to attract more engineers with expertise in building services for smartphones and tablet computers, an area of technology that she believed the Internet company had been neglecting.

Yahoo didn't disclose how much it is paying for Summly.

Founder Nick D'Aloisio began working on the app at his London home when he was 15. He's younger than Yahoo, which was incorporated in March 1995.

D'Aloisio said Summly will no longer be available, but the technology will return in other Yahoo products.

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Foe: Menino serves up ‘leftovers’

Mayoral candidate John R. Connolly and Future Boston Alliance founder Greg Selkoe yesterday blasted Mayor Thomas M. Menino's plans for the city as too little, too late.

"I agree largely with the vision, but where was it 10 years ago?" Connolly told the Herald. "We could have had a downtown school that would have kept thousands of families here. It's about the follow-through. It's about seeing things as they're developing, not just reacting to the crisis of the moment."

In a wide-ranging speech to 500 business leaders, Menino said development in the city is expected to triple this year from $1.6 billion. Wegmans will open its first Hub grocery store in the Landmark Center in Fenway and construction at the old Filene's in Downtown Crossing will begin in late spring.

He also announced a plan to lay the groundwork for the creation of 30,000 new housing units by 2020, invest more than $11 million to complete the overhaul of Millennium Park in West Roxbury, bring 10,000 more mobile devices to the city's public schools over the next two years and begin an e-reader lending program at the Boston Public Library in May.

Connolly said the city needs a business and development strategy that focuses on the long-term, not just on life sciences, and that Boston shouldn't limit innovation to one district.

Both he and Selkoe said the 70-year-old mayor's speech was a blatant attempt to broaden his appeal among young people. The five-term mayor, who climbed a flight of stairs to the podium yesterday aided by a cane, returned home Saturday for the first time since October after a long hospitalization and a three-month stay at the Parkman House on Beacon Hill, where he was recuperating from a series of illnesses.

"The speech was mostly a re-heating of leftovers of things the city has already been saying," Selkoe said in an email. "Clearly, the mayor is trying to appeal to younger people all of a sudden after 20 years because he sees what a huge threat Connolly is. ... I applaud the mayor for finally paying attention (to young people), but I would challenge the mayor to show the depth of his understanding of these issues by ... answer(ing) unscripted questions about technological advancements in the city, what his strategies are for retaining young talent and on what the innovation district means and how the city is engaged there besides taking credit for market forces and putting up signs."

Dot Joyce, the mayor's spokeswoman, said the city's progress "speaks for itself."

"The mayor's focus on housing, education and people has been woven throughout the administration and is why the city's successes are what they are," Joyce said. "It's unfortunate that those seeking political office use negativity instead of positive solutions."

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Study: Mass. life science initiative creating jobs

BOSTON — Midway through Massachusetts' ambitious 10-year, $1 billion life science initiative, the state is already reaping benefits.

That's the finding of a new study by Northeastern University economists Barry Bluestone and Alan Clayton-Matthews.

The report found that after 5 years and more than $300 million in investments, Massachusetts has overtaken all competitor states in its rate of life sciences job creation.

The analysis found the state made $301 million in investments between June 2008 and June 2012, including more than $186 million for capital projects and nearly $57 million in tax incentives to companies that meet specific hiring goals.

By June 30, 2012, those companies had created 2,537 new jobs.

The report also concluded that investments in startup companies are a strong draw to Massachusetts for larger companies.

Gov. Deval Patrick signed the bill into law in 2008.

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GM in next phase of hoped for Buick revival

NEW YORK — Stop me if you've heard this one before: There's this famous car brand whose average driver is more familiar with Social Security than social media.

General Motors Co. will make another attempt to get Buick to appeal to younger buyers with freshened up versions of the Regal midsize sports sedan and the LaCrosse large luxury car. GM unveils the pair Tuesday ahead of the New York auto show.

Youth has been the theme of several of Buick marketing campaigns during the last three decades, with famous pitchmen from Tiger Woods to Shaquille O'Neal. Sales have even risen recently after a dramatic and lengthy decline. But even with that recent success, odds are against GM making Buick a go-to option for large numbers of drivers below the age of 50.

Buick, once coveted for its understated elegance, used to be a dominant brand. In 1984, GM sold 942,000 Buicks in the U.S., according to Ward's AutoInfoBank. But many Buick buyers died, and younger people opted for SUVs and cooler European cars. Sales tumbled, bottoming out at just over 102,000 in 2009. GM only kept the brand alive because it became a huge seller in China.

The company doesn't expect Buick sales to approach 900,000 per year again. But executives say they can still make a lot of money selling the higher-priced luxury vehicles with lower sales numbers.

GM is giving the LaCrosse a more sculpted, modern look. It gets updated LED daytime running lamps and tail lights and a larger front grille. On the inside, it gets new, more supportive seats and a modernized center stack with fewer buttons than the current car. The interior will have more of a luxury feeling to differentiate it from the sportier Regal.

The Regal also will be updated, but details won't be released until later Tuesday. The New York International Auto Show opens to the media Wednesday.

The LaCrosse goes on sale late this summer and the Regal comes out in the fall. Prices and gas mileage weren't released. The current Regal starts at $29,015, while the LaCrosse starts at $31,660.

Buick sales rose the past three years, and reached 180,000 in 2012. The catalysts were the new Verano, a compact based on the Chevrolet Cruze, and the Enclave, a big crossover SUV, that got a facelift last year. Also, Buick's new Encore small SUV is just starting to hit showrooms.

The new products have helped to change Buick's demographics. In 2006, Buick buyers on average had celebrated 66 birthdays. Last year that fell to 57, according to the company. The Verano helped there as well because small cars tend to draw younger buyers. But Buick buyers are still older, and the automaker would like to catch more people in their 40s. The average car buyer in the U.S. is 52, according to the TrueCar.com auto pricing site.

Even with the new cars, Buick hasn't kept up with the industry. Last year, sales grew only 1.6 percent even though total U.S. auto sales rose 13 percent. Spokesman Nick Richards blames the slow growth on a cut in low-profit sales to fleet buyers such as rental car companies as GM tries to boost the brand's resale values. He says retail sales to individual buyers rose about 6 percent.

Still, Buick's five models combined were outsold last year by single models from other automakers. Hyundai, for instance, sold 202,000 Elantra compacts last year, beating Buick by itself.

Members of the Obama administration's autos task force asked about getting rid of Buick in 2009, during GM's government-funded trip through bankruptcy court. But Buick survived because of a strong following as a luxury brand in China. Chinese drivers bought more than 700,000 Buicks last year, up 8 percent from 2011.

In the U.S., Buick likely won't approach those numbers because the stodgy image clings to the brand.

"The vehicles themselves are very suited for young driving habits. Good fuel economy, performance, nice looking," said Rebecca Lindland, owner of Rebel Three Consulting of Greenwich, Conn.

"But it's still not cool to be in a bar and say you have a Buick."

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Sandusky interview to air on NBC's 'Today' show

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — An interview with Jerry Sandusky is expected to be aired on NBC's "Today" show, a rare instance of the former Penn State assistant football coach giving his own side of the story.

The network said the Monday morning broadcast will include Sandusky's remarks about his former boss Joe Paterno, who died two months after being fired following Sandusky's arrest in 2011.

Sandusky's lawyer Norris Gelman says the interview excerpts are from John Ziegler, a documentary filmmaker working on a defense of Paterno.

In a statement Sunday, Paterno family attorney Wick Sollers says Sandusky had the opportunity to speak under oath during his trial but he "chose not to do so."

Sandusky is serving a 30- to 60-year sentence after being convicted of child sexual abuse. He maintains his innocence and is pursuing appeals.

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EU finance ministers approve Cyprus bailout deal

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus' Parliament president says a deal reached for his country to raise billions in order to qualify for an international bailout is a "painful one" for the island nation's people and a defeat for European solidarity.

Yiannakis Omirou said Monday that Cyprus must work fast to reform its economy and leave the bailout as soon as possible.

The deal reached in Brussels early Monday prevented Cyprus' imminent financial meltdown by securing a last-minute 10 billion euro ($13 billion) bailout on the condition that the country cut back its banking sector and force large losses on big deposits to help pay much of the bill.

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Ford India apologizes over Berlusconi bondage ad

MUMBAI, India — The Indian unit of Ford Motor Co. has apologized for advertisements decried as demeaning to women, including one depicting Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi with a trio of bound women in the trunk of a car.

A Ford India spokeswoman said Monday that the company is investigating whether anyone at the automaker ever saw the print ads, which were never used commercially but appeared over the weekend on a website showcasing creative advertising.

The ads caused an uproar online and came just after India passed a new law on violence against women following a fatal gang rape of a student on a bus that prompted mass protests and spotlighted the status of women in India.

Featuring Ford's logo, one ad showed three women bound and gagged in the trunk of an Indian-made compact, the Ford Figo, with Berlusconi smiling from the driver's seat alongside the slogan "Leave your worries behind with the Figo's extra-large boot."

Similar ads featured Paris Hilton apparently kidnapping reality television rivals the Kardashian sisters — all three sisters tied up and one in a bikini — and Formula One driver Michael Schumacher abducting his male racing competition.

Ford said Monday that it regrets the incident, calling the images "contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within Ford."

The ads were created at advertising agency JWT India and appeared on the website adsoftheworld.com late Friday.

"Ford India Needs to Fire Its Advertising Execs," read a headline on a slate.com blog while Indians on Twitter reacted with posts like "Disgusting!" and "SHAME."

It was unclear Monday whether anyone at Ford India had approved or seen the ads.

"We take this very seriously and are reviewing approval and oversight processes, and taking necessary steps to ensure nothing like this ever happens again," Ford spokeswoman Sethi Deepti said by email.

JWT India's CEO also condemned the ads.

"These were made as posters by individuals. They have never been paid for and were not expected to be released," he told India's Economic Times newspaper.

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Cyprus bailout deal prompts investors relief

LONDON — Investors breathed a sigh of relief Monday after Cyprus clinched a bailout deal with international creditors that will prevent it becoming the first country to ditch the euro — a prospect that could have worsened the crisis afflicting Europe's single currency.

In the early hours of Monday morning in Brussels, an agreement was reached in Brussels that capped one of the most tumultuous weeks since Europe's debt crisis started three and a half years ago.

In return for a 10 billion euros ($13 billion) bailout from its European partners and the International Monetary Fund, Cyprus agreed to drastically shrink its outsized banking sector, cut its budget, implement economic reforms and privatize state assets — a cocktail of measures that mean the country's near-term economic prospects are bleak indeed.

The deal will allow the European Central Bank to continue providing liquidity to the remnants of Cyprus' banking system.

Cyprus' side of the bargain is earmarked to raise 5.8 billion euros. To do so, the country's second-largest bank, Laiki, will be restructured and bond holders and holders of bank deposits of more than 100,000 euros will have to take significant losses. Depositors in the biggest bank, the Bank of Cyprus, with over 100,000 euros will also bear a cost but those with savings up to 100,000 euros will be guaranteed in accordance with the EU's deposit insurance guarantee.

"Equities are enjoying a relief rally this morning as the imminent threat from Cyprus appears to have been abated, but where the markets go from here remains to be seen," said Mike McCudden, head of derivatives at Interactive Investor.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 0.6 percent at 6,430 while Germany's DAX rose 1 percent to 7,991. The CAC-40 in France was 1.3 percent higher at 3,819.

The euro was also well-supported, trading 0.3 percent higher at $1.30.

And Wall Street was poised for a solid opening with Dow futures up 0.2 percent and the broader S&P 500 futures 0.3 percent higher.

The focus will likely remain on developments surrounding Cyprus for a while yet. In particular, investors will be interested to see if the level of bank withdrawals from the country's banks when they reopen. That's scheduled for Tuesday.

A longer-lasting concern though is how the Cyprus deal plays out in other countries, notably those at the forefront of Europe's debt crisis. Will depositors look to reduce their holdings in Spain, Italy and Greece?

"The risk is contagion and the political fall-out from a badly handled crisis," said Jens Larsen, chief European economist at RBC Capital Markets.

Earlier, investors in Asia had the first chance to respond to the Cypriot developments and there too the response in financial markets was of relief. Japan's Nikkei 225 index surged 1.7 percent to 12,546.46m while South Korea's Kospi jumped 1.5 percent to 1,977.67. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.6 percent to 22,251.15.

However, mainland Chinese shares fell Monday, with the Shanghai Composite Index down 0.1 percent at 2326.72 and the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index falling the same rate to 959.93.

Oil prices tracked equities higher, albeit modestly, with the benchmark New York rate up 36 cents at $94.07 per barrel.

_____

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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App gives more than ‘likes’

A new app launching in Boston April 3 aims to help businesses boost sales by offering customers rewards for promoting them on social media.

Socii (pronounced so-she) was founded last year by three Boston-area college grads who noticed how companies struggle to generate word-of-mouth marketing.

"Businesses spend millions of dollars every year to create it, but there's no system to do it," said Victor Dweck, a 2010 Northeastern University alum. "They use social networks like Facebook and Instagram, but their messages typically get lost in the noise. People go on to connect with their friends, not businesses."

Socii allows people to partner with up to three businesses and earn points for completing up to one activity per day, such as "liking" them on Facebook or posting photographs about them on Instagram. The points lead to rewards, including discounts and free goods.

Socii limits the number of businesses and activities people can choose to encourage them to partner only with their favorite businesses and to complete activities on a regular basis to accrue points, Dweck said.

"These aren't people who just want deals like on Groupon," he said. "These are the companies' most loyal customers."

So far, more than a half-dozen Boston area businesses — including J.P. Licks, Finale and Crema Cafe in Cambridge — have signed on to use the app, which doesn't require any new hardware, Dweck said.

"We feel this kind of word-of-mouth marketing creates loyalty among our customers," said J.P. Licks Marketing Manager Jason Provost. "When Victor reached out to us, I was like, why hasn't anyone thought of this before?"

Liz Cohen, head of marketing and design for Crema Cafe, said the company regularly tweets and posts on Facebook. But although it has more than 1,500 "likes," she's struggled with finding a way to get people to actually talk about the cafe on Facebook.

"When I saw what (Socii) was doing, it sounded great because it's a mutual thing," Cohen said. "We'll be asking customers to do things, but we'll also be showing them how much we appreciate them. Right now, we don't have that."

When the Specialty Coffee Association of America rolls into Boston on April 11 for its 25th annual expo, she said, the cafe will be able to use the app to get people attending the conference to tweet about Crema.

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Former workers find new life in industry

There is life beyond the ashes of Curt Schilling's 38 Studios, as seven former employees of the imploded Rhode Island gaming company came to PAX East yesterday to talk about the new studios they've started.

Featured on a panel at the video gaming convention, the budding entrepreneurs — most of whom have set up shop in the Bay State — join what's become a huge increase in the number of gaming and digital company startups in Massachusetts, 
up 78 percent from three years 
ago.

With the increased presence of indie gaming companies at PAX 
one of the big stories of this weekend's event, there's consensus that some of the most creative ideas in gaming are coming not out of the risk-averse mega companies, but rather from small studios, many based here.

The seven former 38 Studios employees confirmed that perception.

"Curt used to tell us that he hoped 38 Studios was the last place 
we'd work unless we started our own studios," said Joe Mirabello, who started Sharon-based Terrible Posture Games right after losing 
his job.

"It didn't pan out with his company so I decided that if I was going to work for a place that could go out of business it might as well be my own," Mirabello said.

Everyone on the panel said the spectacular collapse of Schilling's company was devastating, but it lit a fire under them. And while all refused to dish dirt on their former boss, they said that the collegial environment, which came before the abrupt flameout, had bonded former 38 Studios workers into a "brotherhood."

"We continue to take solace in one another and some have become close friends and help one another," said Geraldo Perez, who started King Bee Digital Games.

"It's been hard, but the video game industry has always been volatile," Perez said.

Rich Gallup got a job as a producer for fast-growing Disruptor Beam, but on the side started Summer Camp Studios.

"After what happened, my company's name was a way of picturing all of us all sent to a safe haven where we could go and learn new things," Gallup said.

Gallup said that most of the roughly 400 former employees of 
38 Studios have found work, 
with about half of them staying in the area and half relocating across the country.

"The attention this got opened a few doors," he admitted.

"But these were talented people, and that's why they found other jobs," he said.

Not everyone is making money off their new ventures, although a number of their games, mostly mobile-based, are for sale. Some said they relied on savings, others had a spouse with a good job, but a few are still living hand-to-mouth, determined to follow their passion to make games.

"My idea and my need was to make a game I wanted to play, and when I started it didn't matter if I made any money," said Paul Siegel, founder of Dancing Sorcerer Games.

Gallup has a better idea.

"My dream scenario is that companies put money in a fund, and if they go out of business workers can tap into that to do the games they want to do."

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EU chief to try to get last-minute Cyprus deal

BRUSSELS — A top European official will chair a high-level meeting on Cyprus on Sunday afternoon in a last-ditch effort to seal a deal before finance ministers decide whether the country gets a 10 billion euro bailout loan to save it from bankruptcy.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Finance Minister Michalis Sarris were flying to Brussels early Sunday. The day of talks could prove critical — not only for the future of their small island nation, but for that of the 17-nation eurozone, as well.

Spokesman Preben Aamann could not confirm who would participate in the meeting, but said it would be led by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy. The Council is the gathering of 27 EU heads of state and government.

Cyprus said European Council President Jose Manuel Barroso would also participate in the meeting led by Van Rompuy. The Council is the EU's executive arm.

Following that session, Anastasiades will meet with Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, and Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, Christodoulides said.

Cyprus has been told it must raise 5.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion) in order to secure the loan from the IMF and other eurozone countries. The IMF, European Central Bank and European Commission will determine whether any plan put forward by Cyprus — or negotiated in the Van Rompuy meeting — meets that requirement.

The requirement is that Cyprus' debt, including any new bailout loan, be sustainable over the long run, considering the size of the country's economy.

To avoid bankruptcy or the collapse of its banking system, Cyprus needs significantly more than the 10 billion euros the international creditors are willing to lend it. For that reason, the country must somehow raise — and not through borrowing — the additional money.

The original plan, agreed to in marathon negotiations, called for a one-time "levy" on all bank depositors in Cypriot banks. The proposal ignited fierce anger among Cypriots and failed to garner a single vote in the Cypriot Parliament.

Any new proposal would have to be approved Sunday evening by the Eurogrop, the gathering of finance ministers from the 17 EU countries that use the euro currency.

If Cyprus or its banks were to collapse, officials fear that a lack of confidence could spread to other countries that use the euro, triggering higher borrowing costs or capital flight from those countries.

___

Don Melvin can be reached at https://twitter.com/Don_Melvin

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Police: No hazardous material at Berezovsky site

LONDON — British police say experts found no hazardous materials in their search of the property where self-exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky's body was found.

Berezovsky, a 67-year-old onetime Kremlin kingmaker who fled to Britain after a bitter falling out with Russian President Vladimir Putin, was found dead Saturday at the property in Ascot, a town 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of London.

Police are treating his death as "unexplained."

They said Sunday that officers specially trained in chemical, biological and nuclear materials have given the scene the "all clear."

They say the majority of the cordon around the property has now been lifted and crime scene officers are carrying out a full and thorough investigation to determine the circumstances around Berezovsky's death.

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