Value shoppers turn to used cars

With used-car prices falling and the quality of late-model cars improving, buyers are now getting a lot more bang for their buck.

Recent redesigns, especially in the midsize- and compact-sedan segments, have left the used-car market full of vehicles that were on the cutting edge several years ago, but at lower prices now.

Those cars have helped to create "some of the best product we've seen in the industry in years" said Alec Gutierrez, an analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "These vehicles are significantly improved over the models they are replacing."

"If the new-car prices are out of your budget and you're looking to buy used to save a few dollars, used cars the past few years are really good products," said Richard Arca, used car analyst at Edmunds.com. "If you take a look now, the manufacturers made huge strides in improving their product" in the past few years.

To make the deal even sweeter, used-car prices are down 6 percent from their peak in May 2011. The average price for a used car at auction was $11,031 in June, according to Manheim, an auction company, and experts don't expect prices to rise soon.

"Prices will continue to soften at a faster rate," Arca said.

"Now is definitely as good a time as any" to buy a used car, Gutierrez said.

Analysts said the quality of used cars has been instrumental in keeping the entire auto sales business afloat.

"Nearly every vehicle in the industry has so significantly improved that it's helped to shore up the industry," Gutierrez said.

Here are some of the top used cars that have been dramatically redesigned over the past few years:

2011 Hyundai 
Sonata

Replacing the fifth-
generation Sonata introduced in 2005, the '11 was introduced to rave reviews. Kelley Blue Book called the stylish mid-sized sedan a "towering home run" in its review. The redesign brought an entirely new look to the car, along with value, quality and a world-class powertrain.

2011 Kia Optima

The previous iteration of the Optima, a bland, boring car with few attractive features, was replaced by this heavy-hitter. Packed with amenities, this mid-sized sedan comes with improved styling over older models and new (at the time) tech features, including Bluetooth connectivity, an iPhone audio input and a glove box that will keep drinks cool.

2012 Ford Focus

This compact got a new look in 2012, but also packs more quality, features and options. Also available as a 5-door hatchback for the first time, the Focus boasts a stronger unit-body structure and a completely retuned suspension. Premium comfort features include MyFord Touch infotainment and standard dual-zone climate control.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze

The Cruze marked the beginning of Chevy's turnaround, and for good reason. While not technically a redesign, the Cruze replaced the Cobalt in Chevy's lineup. The compact has an impressive 36 mpg, and the price to back it up. Superficially, the car is attractive inside and out.

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Squantum home’s a day at the beach

If you want to feel like you're on vacation year round, this waterfront house for sale in the Squantum neighborhood of Quincy comes complete with deeded access to a private beach.

Built in 2008 by Realtor/owner Theresa Repoff, the three-bedroom single family at 173 Huckins Ave. in Squantum is about 100 feet from the ocean and has water views from most rooms. It's also one of nine neighboring houses that have deeded access to private Sunrise Beach.

The 3,100-square-foot home with Brazilian cherrywood floors throughout, a third-floor family room, three outdoor decks and a basement wine cellar is on the market for $1,195,000. The second-floor master bedroom and the entire top floor have unobstructed ocean views.

The house, which goes front to back from Huckins Avenue to Sunrise Road, has a three-vehicle garage underneath it, with doors opening out to both streets. It has bushes in front along with front, side and back lawns.

A granite paver walk leads to a covered porch and into a cherrywood foyer with a double-door closet.

To the left is a floor-through, recessed-lit living and dining area with crown molding and three large sets of triple windows with transoms above that bring in lots of light and have ocean views, although the house next door blocks sight lines. A gas fireplace with a granite surround separates the living and dining space. At the end of the dining area sit glass doors that lead out to a private rear deck that looks out to the beach.

The dining area segues into a recessed-lit kitchen with 25 white-painted beadboard-styled cabinets above and below greenish blue granite counters with a multicolored glass mosaic tile backsplash. There's a granite-topped central island with a four-burner Bosch stainless-steel gas cooktop. The refrigerator and dishwasher are also Bosch stainless-steel.

Also on this floor is a half bathroom with white marble floors and counters over an antique vanity.

The home's three cherrywood bedrooms are on the second floor, reached via a turning staircase.

The sunny master suite features a three-part window with unobstructed ocean views and glass doors out to a private deck. There's a large walk-in closet with built-in storage as well as a double-door closet. The en-suite ceramic-tiled master bathroom has a walk-in shower and double-sink vanity with creme marble countertops.

There are two other bedrooms on this floor — ideally sized for children — as well as another full ceramic-tiledx bathroom. Opposite the bath, behind a frosted glass door, is a laundry room with ocean views.

The entire third floor of the home is a cherrywood-floored family room, ideal for entertaining with its private outdoor deck with unobstructed ocean views. There's a vaulted ceiling here, lots of windows, a skylight and even a built-in electric fireplace.

The basement has a finished wine cellar and direct access to the garage. There's also a lot of extra storage space in the unfinished areas.

The home has two gas-fired heating and central air-conditioning systems.

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Arts festivals drawing lots of business to Hub

Officials plan to build on this summer's string of business-boosting arts festivals by bringing even more outdoor summer fun to downtown Boston and city neighborhoods next year.

"We absolutely want to keep what we have, but there's always room for expansion," said Chris Cook, director of arts, tourism and special events. "We're already looking at opportunities to layer in different arts experiences next year."

Cook pointed to the free, nine-day Outside the Box inaugural festival, which ends Sunday, as a model. The event features 200 performances and has attracted thousands of people daily to Boston Common and City Hall Plaza, despite this week's sweltering weather.

"The city needed it," said Ted Cutler, the festival's founder, adding with a reference to the April 15 bombing, "Since the marathon, there's been a cloud over the city. This helped lift it."

In addition to raising people's spirits with art, music and dance, Outside the Box has boosted sales at some local businesses.

Steve Heeley, CEO of Earl of Sandwich, Boston Common's only year-round restaurant, and Lindo DeFarias, manager of Sal's Pizza on Tremont Street, both estimated that sales have been up 50 percent since the festival began.

Rosemarie Sansone, president of the Downtown Crossing Business Improvement District, said she only hopes that future events will be more spread out across the city. And with next weekend's FIGMENT Boston, she'll get her wish. The event returns to the Rose Kennedy Greenway for the third year, bringing more than 100 interactive art projects, dance performances and music.

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Asian stocks mostly down as funds shift to US

MANILA, Philippines — Asian stock markets were mostly down Friday as fund managers shift money from Asia to the U.S. amid concerns that growth is slowing in China and Japan's economic reforms may be losing steam.

Japan's Nikkei 225 was down 1 percent at 14,647.41 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.5 percent to 4,969.30.

Benchmarks in Singapore, the Philippines, New Zealand and Taiwan were also lower while Hong Kong's Hang Seng added just 0.1 percent to 21,368.62. Seoul's Kospi wavered between gains and losses.

China earlier this week reported its second straight quarter of slower growth and authorities appear determined to stick to a path of shifting the economy away from reliance on investment and exports, which could dent economic activity in the near term.

In Japan, the initial euphoria over the "Abenomics" stimulus policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has faded and doubts have emerged abour whether deeper reforms will be carried out.

"Although the U.S. market is at record high, in Asia, people are still worried about two things: one, the slowdown in China, and then number two, the situation in Japan," said Francis Lun of GE Oriental Financial Group. He said there was concern "Abenomics may be running out of steam."

Lun said because the U.S. markets are doing well, a lot of fund managers have been shifting money from Asia to America.

"You have an exodus of funds that began in the second half of May and the exodus is still continuing," he said.

U.S. stocks rose to record levels Thursday on earnings gains at major U.S. companies and encouraging economic news.

Claims for unemployment benefits fell and manufacturing surged in the mid-Atlantic region. Higher earnings from companies including UnitedHealth Group and Morgan Stanley also helped though reports from Microsoft and Google after the close of trading were less impressive.

The S&P 500 closed up 0.5 percent at 1,689.37 and the Dow rose 0.5 percent to 15,548.54.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of British shares rose 1 percent Thursday to close at 6,634.36 while the CAC-40 in France gained 1.4 percent to 3,927.79. Germany's DAX rose 1 percent to 8,337.09

Benchmark crude for August delivery was up 14 cents at $108.18 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract jumped $1.56 to close at $108.04 on Thursday.

In currencies, the euro rose to $1.3137 from $1.3106 late Thursday. The dollar fell to 99.94 yen from 100.48 yen.

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Suffolk prof relishes role as ‘explorer’ at visual frontier

He used to be just Andrew Perlman, Suffolk Law professor, and he was fine with that.

But for the past month, he's been Andrew Perlman, Google Glass Explorer, and nothing has been the same.

There was the stranger who refused to walk in front of his technology-enhanced field of vision.

But most people, he says, are curious or excited. Walking into a cellphone store the other day, Perlman said, "I was like a rock star."

Perlman, director of the Institute on Law Practice Technology and Innovation, applied for one of thousands of spots in Google's Glass Explorer program in February, and was selected by Google in March.

"I had both personal and professional reasons," Perlman said. "I've always been fascinated by technology."

Professionally, Perlman plans to use the wearable device in his classroom to increase engagement from students. In the fall, shy or nervous students will be able to text questions to Perlman during lectures. Because the texts will pop up in Glass, Perlman will see them and be able to respond.

"Glass might be a useful complement to the usual way of interacting" in the classroom, he said. "I'm always interested in bringing technology into the classroom in ways I think can be helpful and keep students engaged."

Glass could also have uses in legal environments as well, such as in depositions or for taking notes during a trial, he suggested.

Meanwhile, Perlman said, he is looking forward to seeing what happens when he puts the device on one of his daughters during a gymnastics meet.

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Asian stock markets buoyed by Bernanke testimony

TOKYO — Asian stocks were mostly higher Thursday, tracking overnight gains in Europe and Wall Street after U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's suggested stimulus policies may continue for longer than expected.

Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.8 percent to 14,733.91 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.2 percent to 4,989.20. Shares in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India and Singapore were also higher.

However, China-related shares were mostly lower, continuing to suffer after China on Monday reported a second straight quarter of slower economic growth.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed early gains to fall into negative territory and then was virtually unchanged by midday, at 21,376.72. Benchmarks in mainland China and Taiwan also were lower. The Shanghai Composite dropped 0.5 percent to 2,034.32.

"The slowdown of growth in China is still the main concern," said Linus Yip, a strategist at First Shanghai Securities in Hong Kong.

In prepared remarks to lawmakers in Congress, Bernanke said the Fed's timetable for reducing its bond purchases was not decided and that the U.S. central bank could even boost them if the economy fails to meet expectations.

The Fed wants to see substantial progress in the job market before scaling back its $85 billion a month in purchase of government bonds and other financial assets, he said.

Expectations the Fed might start tapering off its stimulus in September have been cast into doubt by recent disappointing economic data.

Wall Street was reassured by Bernanke's comments and also by stronger than expected earnings reports by big companies such as Bank of America, which reported higher profits in the second quarter.

The Dow Jones industrial average was almost flat at 15,470.52 while the broader S&P 500 index rose 0.3 percent to 1,680.91.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of British shares rose 0.2 percent to close at 6,571.93 and Germany's DAX gained 0.7 percent to 8,254.72. The CAC-40 in France ended 0.6 percent higher at 3,872.02.

Benchmark crude for August delivery was down 14 cents at $106.34 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 48 cents to settle Wednesday at $106.48.

In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3092 from $1.3117 late Wednesday. The dollar rose to 100.14 yen from 99.62 yen.

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Antarctic talks fail on apparent Russia objections

BREMERHAVEN, Germany — Facing apparent Russian objections, the countries that regulate Antarctic fishing failed Tuesday to agree on proposals to create giant marine sanctuaries in the continent's oceans.

Talks in the German city of Bremerhaven ended with no result — the second time in less than a year that negotiations have stalled.

"The outcome is not what we expected or hoped for ... We did not reach a consensus," said Terje Lobach, the chair of the group deliberating the results.

Two plans were on the table: a proposal put forward by the U.S. and New Zealand to protect the Ross Sea, considered one of the world's most pristine, and an Australian-European plan for a sanctuary covering several areas of the Southern Ocean in the eastern hemisphere.

Russia, however, questioned whether there is a legal basis for the 24-nation Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to create the reserves, according to activists present during the talks.

"After two years of preparation, including this meeting, which Russia requested to settle the scientific case for the Ross Sea and East Antarctic proposals, we leave with nothing," the director of the Antarctic Ocean Alliance, Steve Campbell, said in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed regret that the commission was unable to reach agreement on establishing marine protected areas, including in the Ross Sea. Despite the setback, he noted that the majority of commission members "were able to find common ground" and there will be another chance to work out a plan to protect Antarctica.

"I've seen firsthand how acidification, pollution, and sea level rise tear at the fabric of our economies, our communities, even our security," Kerry said in a statement released late Tuesday. "But this isn't just a personal priority. The Ross Sea is a natural laboratory. Its ecosystem is as diverse as it is productive, and we have a responsibility to protect it as environmental stewards — just as we do the rest of the ocean."

Scientists have said the ocean sanctuaries there would be ideal places to monitor climate change away from the influence of man, while conservations say the thriving colonies of seals and penguins should be left alone. However, several countries fear that the sanctuaries would have too much impact on their annual fishing haul.

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Asian stocks mixed ahead of Bernanke's testimony

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Asian stock markets were mixed Wednesday as investors remained cautious ahead of testimony from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Bernanke's address to lawmakers in Congress later Wednesday could provide clearer guidance on when the Fed will start reducing its monetary stimulus.

The Fed is spending $85 billion a month buying financial assets in the hope of keeping long-term borrowing rates low and stimulating the U.S. economy. The program has been a major driver of gains in stock markets as investors sought higher returns in a low interest rate world.

China's Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.4 percent to 2,058.40 and Tokyo's Nikkei 225 dipped 0.4 percent to 14,535.51. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.2 percent to 21,355.90 and Seoul's Kospi added 1.2 percent to 1,889.50.

"There is partly caution ahead of Bernanke's testimony. I don't expect anything new. He is likely to reiterate that policies will remain accommodative for some time," said Mitul Kotecha, analyst with Credit Agricole CIB.

Bernanke last week said the central bank would not ease its stimulus before the economy was ready and that the U.S. needs "highly accommodative monetary policy" — or low interest rates — for the foreseeable future.

There is concern however, over disagreement among Fed officials about when the central bank should start scaling back its purchases of Treasurys and other assets.

Esther George, the President of Kansas City branch of the Fed, and a voting member of the committee that sets the Fed's monetary policy, said Tuesday that the central bank should cut back on its stimulus as the labor market begins to recover.

"It is time to adjust those purchases," George said in an interview on Fox Business News. "Sooner is appropriate ... because we have a long way to go if we are going to do this in a gradual and a systematic way."

DBS analysts said in a report that as long as the U.S. recovery proceeds as expected, a reduction in the Fed's asset purchases will probably start with mortgage-backed securities later this year and that the stimulus could ideally end by mid-2014.

It said Bernanke was likely to reassure markets that if the U.S. economy stumbles, the Fed could increase asset purchases again.

In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 0.2 percent at 15,451.85 on Tuesday while the broader S&P 500 index ended an eight-day rally to fall 0.4 percent to 1,676.26, partly due to lackluster corporate earnings.

Benchmark crude for August delivery was down 17 cents at $105.83 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 32 cents to settle at $106.00 on Tuesday.

In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3141 from $1.3149 late Tuesday. The dollar rose to 99.33 yen from 99.21 yen.

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Salmonella fears close Clover Food

Following a salmonella scare, Clover Food Lab has temporarily closed all locations while the state investigates what caused a dozen people to become sick.

The Cambridge-based food company temporarily closed its five stores and fleet of food trucks Saturday after the company was notified by state authorities that about 12 salmonellosis cases included people who had eaten recently at Clover.

"It's an expensive decision, but I think it would be far worse making people sick knowing about it," said CEO Ayr Muir. "The right thing to do is to not serve food until we know it's safe."

Fans of the popular food company took to social media not only to wish for their favorite dishes, but also to commend Clover on its transparency.

"This is a thing in our industry that nobody talks about," Muir said.

Roughly 1,200 cases of salmonella are confirmed by the Department of Public Health each year.

Muir said he is trying to determine the source of any potential salmonella but is still waiting for more information. "We're not going to open until we know everything is safe."

DPH is working with the city of Cambridge and other communities regarding the outbreak, a spokeswoman said.

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Asia stock markets down after US retail sales ease

SEOUL, South Korea — Weaker-than-expected U.S. retail sales sent most Asian stock markets lower Tuesday as investors awaited congressional testimony from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke later in the week.

Growth in U.S. retail sales eased to 0.4 percent in June from 0.5 percent the previous month. Americans bought more cars and trucks, furniture and clothes, but they cut back on many other purchases in a mixed sign for economic growth.

South Korea's Kospi fell 0.5 percent to 1,866.42 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng was off 0.1 percent at 21,291.36. China's Shanghai Composite Index dropped 0.7 percent to 2,045.40. Markets in Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, India and New Zealand also fell. But Japan's Nikkei 225 added 0.6 percent to 14,593.70.

Apart from doubt about the strength of consumer spending, which is a mainstay of the U.S. economy, an upcoming speech by Bernanke provided another reason for investors to hold back from stocks.

Investors will be looking for more clues about the central bank's commitment to its stimulus program and its outlook for the U.S. economy when Bernanke speaks to Congress on Wednesday.

Markets have largely shrugged off the latest evidence of China's economic slowdown. Beijing said Monday that the world's second-largest economy slowed to 7.5 percent growth in the second quarter from 7.7 percent in the previous quarter. But investors who feared below-7 percent growth were relieved.

In the U.S., stocks closed higher on Monday. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 19.96 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 15,484.26. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2.31 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,682.50. Both the Dow and S&P are at all-time highs. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 7.41 points, or 0.2 percent, to 3,607.49.

In energy trading, benchmark crude for August delivery was down 15 cents at $106.17 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained 37 cents to $106.32 on Monday.

The euro rose to $1.3069 from $1.3054. The dollar fell to 99.71 yen from 100.01 yen.

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Asia stocks rise, brush off slower China growth

BANGKOK — Asian stock markets posted modest gains Monday, registering relief that a slowdown in China's economic growth wasn't as sharp as feared.

The world's second-largest economy grew 7.5 percent from a year earlier in the second quarter, slowing from the previous quarter's 7.7 percent, as weak trade and a clampdown on lending took their toll.

It was the second consecutive quarter of slowing growth but still strong enough to suggest China will meet Beijing's 7.5 percent growth target for this year.

A clampdown on overly fast growth in lending had contributed to jitters that China's growth might fall below 7 percent. That would hurt companies around the world that have become increasingly reliant on breakneck Chinese growth to boost earnings.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 0.4 percent at 21,369.00 and Sydney's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3 percent to 4,985.90. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.3 percent 1,875.70. Japan's financial markets were closed for a public holiday.

Elsewhere, benchmarks in Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand rose while Indonesia and India fell.

The gains in Asia came after Wall Street eked out new highs.

After spending most of Friday flat or down, U.S. stocks rallied at the last minute and closed slightly higher, just enough to post record highs for the Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500.

The gains were tiny. And the record doesn't mean much for investors, who hardly have any more money now than they did a day earlier. But it is a sign that investors believe the market's rally this year may not be over yet.

In energy trading, benchmark crude for August delivery was up 5 cents at $106 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $1.04 to $105.95 in New York on Friday, driven higher by continuing tensions in Egypt and a sharp drop in U.S. crude stockpiles.

The euro was little changed at $1.3068 from $1.3066 late Friday. The dollar rose to 99.24 yen from 99.14 yen.

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Asiana to sue San Francisco TV station over names

SEOUL, South Korea — Asiana said Monday that it will sue a San Francisco TV station that damaged the airline's reputation by using bogus and racially offensive names for four pilots on a plane that crashed earlier this month in San Francisco.

An anchor for KTVU-TV read the names on the air Friday and then apologized after a break. The report was accompanied by a graphic with the phony names listed alongside a photo of the burned-out plane that had crashed at San Francisco International Airport on July 6, killing three and injuring dozens.

Video of the report has spread widely across the Internet since it was broadcast.

The National Transportation Safety Board has also apologized, saying a summer intern erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew.

Asiana has decided to sue KTVU-TV to "strongly respond to its racially discriminatory report" that disparaged Asians, Asiana spokeswoman Lee Hyomin said. She said the airline will likely file suit in U.S. courts.

She said the report seriously damaged Asiana's reputation. Asiana hasn't determined whether to launch a similar suit against the NTSB, Lee said.

Neither the station nor the NTSB commented on where the names originated.

The four pilots, who underwent questioning by a U.S. and South Korean joint investigation team while in the U.S., returned to South Korea on Saturday. South Korean officials plan to conduct separate interviews with them, South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Sunday.

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MGM, anti-casino group make final push before Springfield vote

A big-money casino and a grass-roots movement have entered full campaign mode in the days leading up to Tuesday's referendum in Springfield when residents vote on the $850 million casino proposed by MGM Resorts.

Both opponents and supporters of the casino proposal said they planned to be at the polls Tuesday, drumming up support for their cause.

"We've been working really hard for many, many months," said Mike Mathis, vice president of Global Gaming Development for MGM.

"There's much more support than we even expected to see," said Peter Swarr, one of the leaders of Citizens Against Casino Gaming, a local anti-casino group. "Our goal is to say Springfield is not sold on this."

Springfield election commissioner Gladys Oyola said she expects voter turnout to exceed that of the U.S. Senate special election last month. Everett voter turnout was 50 percent higher for the casino vote than the June 25 Senate race, just three days apart.

The months leading up to the vote have been marked by a massive spending gap between supporters and opponents of the casino. MGM has given nearly 
$1 million in the past month and a half in donations and in-kind contributions to Yes For Springfield, a pro-casino group, according to a campaign finance report. Yes for Springfield spent more than $800,000 in advertising and canvassing. MGM also brought in rap star Pitbull to perform at the MassMutual Center for another $173,000 in May.

Citizens Against Casino Gaming listed in-kind contributions worth just over $2,500 for bumper stickers, yard signs and printing since Jan. 1. The only other expenses listed are bank maintenance fees.

"It's like David and Goliath," Swarr said.

Voters will cast their ballots for or against a Host Community Agreement agreed upon by the City Council and MGM. The agreement lays out the terms of the project, including size and annual payments to the city. The agreement calls for an anticipated annual payment greater than $25 million, 2,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs, 90 percent of which must be from the Springfield area.

If the referendum is approved, MGM's proposal will be evaluated by the state Gaming Commission based on criteria including revenue projections, positive impact on the state and local benefit.

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Drink detectors make a stir

Three years ago, Mike Abramson was at a Boston nightclub celebrating a friend's birthday when he ordered a gin and tonic that turned out to be both impossible to remember and impossible to forget.

"The next thing I recall is being shuffled over the arms of friends as they dragged me out the door," said Abramson, a 31-year-old patent attorney. "Most of the night is a blur. I was so nauseous, I was bedridden the next day. I know that my drink was drugged, but I have no idea by whom."

Because of that, he never reported the incident to police, but he did go on to found DrinkSavvy, a Boston startup and MassChallenge finalist that aims to eradicate drug-assisted date rape with cups, straws and stirrers that change color if a drink has been tampered with.

The U.S. Justice Department estimates that at least 400,000 people are drugged each year, but the number could be much larger because the department estimates that fewer than 5 percent ever report it.

Like Abramson, many don't remember the incident or are afraid of being accused of drinking too much.

Women in particular often are advised not to accept drinks from strangers, not to leave their drink unattended and not to drink from punch bowls.

"But it only takes half a second for someone to slip something in your glass," he said. "And it's difficult to detect because it's usually colorless, odorless and tasteless."

Abramson researched other drug-detectors such as coasters, but found them awkward to use because you have to pour some of your drink onto them and wait for them to dry and change color.

Other companies make testing strips, but they're only as good as the second you dip them into your drink.

So Abramson teamed up with chemists from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and raised more than $52,000 from nearly 2,600 donors on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.com to develop plastic party cups, straws and stirrers that, when they are completed, will change color in three to five seconds if a drink has been spiked.

"We make invisible drugs visible without the user having to do anything," Abramson said. "It's discreet, effortless monitoring of your drink throughout the night."

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