Magnet

Seven members of the Joe Gibbs Racing team have been sanctioned by NASCAR for cheating, some suspended indefinitely. To cut to the chase, members on the mechanical side of the Gibbs team tried to thwart a chassis dyno test by placing magnetic spacers under the gas pedals of two cars used in the Nationwide Series. Now, I'd have a hard time explaining the difference between a magnetic spacer and a pencil sharpener, but it doesn't sound like something that can happen accidentally. So here's the question: Whether it's steroids in baseball, unethical taping of opponents in football, gambling-addicted basketball referees, fudging college athletes' transcripts, drugging horses or something called magnetic spacers in auto racing, is there a game anywhere that's on the level?

In one classroom, students pore over wires and switches, a complicated array of materials used to produce a working version of a mazelike circuit diagram on the projection screen. In another - actually not a classroom at all, but the woods behind a greenhouse - students poke insects, yell about a deer sighting and shriek as a tick finds its way up an exposed leg. The two very different experiences are part of a summer program for students attending the new science, technology, engineering and math magnet program at North County High School next month.

Baltimore schools chief Andres Alonso is making it harder for the city's elite magnet high schools to remove students who are struggling academically. Alonso says that the schools are already getting the city's brightest students and that they have an obligation to work with them. Historically, he said, a significant number of students who began as freshmen at Polytechnic Institute, City College and Western High were not still enrolled four years later at graduation. "That's unacceptable," Alonso said in an interview.

Sixteen years ago, Steve Zatuchni was a computer sales manager, making a six-figure income. Then all hell broke loose in his brain. He became severely depressed, to the point that he could no longer work. He slept up to 18 hours a day, and when he was awake, felt so miserable he wished he were asleep. He tried dozens of medicines, in myriad combinations. Nothing worked. Distraught, he tried to kill himself several times. Then, in 2004, he enrolled in a study of an experimental therapy called transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS -- a noninvasive treatment that sends magnetic pulses into the brain.

When Duncan Mackay, a journalist and co-author of a coming book on China's Olympic bid, ran with the Olympic torch through London on Sunday, scores of demonstrators converged on him, shouting their conflicting views about China's hosting of the Summer Games. "It was like running between two gangs, really," said Mackay, referring to the people protesting Chinese treatment of Tibet and other human rights abuses and their detractors, tempers flaring like the torch. "One of my friends had children there between the ages of 7 and 13, and for them it was quite frightening."

The 40 seniors arrive before 7 a.m. for class at the Science and Mathematics Academy at Aberdeen High School, but most are gone by mid-morning, off to research labs at Aberdeen Proving Ground, biotech parks and airports. Once there, they tackle all manner of ambitious science projects of their own design, while partnered with a highly skilled mentor. Senior Brian Herget of Abingdon drives to an airplane hangar in Essex, where he completes a comparative study of the efficiency of the combustion engine at different temperatures.

A divided Baltimore school board approved a policy change last night that gives qualified city students preference over suburban residents in applying to prestigious public high schools. Baltimore's citywide magnet high schools - those with entrance criteria - have selected students based on which applicants have the highest composite test scores and on other measures, regardless of where they live. So qualified city students could be turned away if noncity residents have higher scores.

Life can take unexpected twists. Chris Dragone, the new president and general manager of the Maryland Jockey Club, knows that for sure. His latest came about two months ago when Magna CEO Frank Stronach called and asked whether he would come back to Maryland, where he had been general manager for eight months in 2006 before leaving to become the executive director of New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. Dragone had left Magna because he thought he...

The Howard County Library has Choose Civility car magnets in stock. The magnets are part of an initiative that includes 40 partners, led by the library, to position Howard County as a model of civility. The project - funded by Friends of Howard County Library, The Horizon Foundation and Howard County General Hospital - is intended to enhance the quality of life in the county and emphasize the importance of civility for those who live and work here. Choose Civility is intended to guide people to make choices that will result in improved mental, physical and spiritual health.

Free flu shots planned this month The Anne Arundel County Department of Health will provide free flu immunizations at Westfield Annapolis mall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Jan. 31. Department nurses will give the vaccinations in the new West Atrium between Macy's and Lord & Taylor department stores. Immunizations are free, but donations of $20 are appreciated. Medicare Part B will cover the donation; individuals must bring their Medicare cards. Information: www.aahealth.