… and so does UD. As Phoenix falls from its ashes, and as even scuzzier outfits make their way through the courts, it truly begins to look as though Americans have figured out how the tax-syphons work, and refused to play along.

… at an all-Berlioz concert in his honor in San Antonio, where he had lived for many years.

Jacques Barzun is dead at 104.

… after they’ve seen … college?

The University of Wisconsin has endured the taptaptap of bad news about one of its faculty for years, and for years it has closed its ears to it.

It’s our old friend Thomas Zdeblick, object of a federal investigation into his remarkably lucrative relationship with Medtronic.

Investigators … found that two papers Zdeblick co-authored were among 11 in which Medtronic employees, including those in the company’s marketing department, were secretly involved in drafting and editing, a practice known as ghostwriting.

Both papers were published in the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques where Zdeblick has served as editor-in-chief since 2002. That role was the subject of a 2009 Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigation that found the journal frequently published favorable articles about Medtronic products under Zdeblick’s watch. The story noted that Zdeblick’s financial relationship with Medtronic was not disclosed by the journal.

Many more gory details here. The picture the investigation draws is one of rampant conflict of interest destructive of patient health and research integrity. An Emory professor to whom Medtronic gave $25.5 million protests that the money had absolutely no effect on the articles he wrote about its products.

*************************

The Zdeblick scandal jumps to Reuters. Perhaps now, with the release of the Senate’s definitive report, this story will get the attention it deserves. The University of Wisconsin will no more respond to it than Donna Shalala’s University of Miami will face up to what it has in Charles Nemeroff. It will take international coverage of practices at schools like Wisconsin for the conflict of interest that corrupts academic medicine in the United States to change.

**************************

Two of the featured Medtronic beneficiaries are at the University of Louisville.

… supporters, maybe Donald Trump is something God intended to happen.

From the student paper at the University of South Dakota (My comments are in parentheses.):

‘With a 10-3 lead over Western Illinois and a crowd of 10,200, the University of South Dakota football team had it all going for them heading into halftime of the Dakota Days game Oct. 6.

“We need the students to be completely honest with us,” Sayler said. “We want them to tell us what they want to see at football games. If they are leaving because our team loses, or because there isn’t enough interaction, we want to know. Once we have a clear understanding at what is driving students away at halftime, we will being to work towards improving the experience as much as we can.” ‘ [I think the university knows perfectly well why students leave. They’re basically bored. Being drunk, as we know, is an excellent way to tolerate boredom. They’re leaving because they don’t feel drunk anymore, and as result they’re bored.]

The solution seems to UD obvious. You’ve got everything else in place – presents, student heavy music. You’ve almost put them out. But without something like this –

– a personal at-will dispensing mechanism at every seat so they can suck on that teat the minute they start to feel sober – you’re going to lose clients.

She’s not sure why, but when she has lain abed contemplating all of our great states, she has had a tendency to overlook Missouri.

Thanks to the athletics department at the University of Missouri, however, the state has found a way to worm its way into her consciousness.

How can she forget the YouTube of Mizzou’s football coach trying to recite the alphabet? The salary and incentives the university gives this fantastic representative of the life of the mind? Their quarterback who made a sextuple play? The moving testimonials from MU’s professors about what it’s like to teach there?

No, UD will never forget Missouri again. It has burned itself into her consciousness, and she certainly doesn’t need to hear about Mizzou’s Michael Schumacher in order to jog her memory.

Director of [athletic department] video operations Michael Schumacher spent $7,605.50 [of university money] in a single night at Olympic Garden, a club conveniently located on the Strip that “feature[s] literally hundreds of the world’s most beautiful ladies (known as the Dreamgirls) in a relaxing and spacious setting.” One of those charges included a $2,000 tip on a $4,400 bill. Maybe I don’t understand how strip clubs work, but was Schumacher being extra generous, or is “tip” just how you say “blowjob” on a receipt?

————–
UD thanks Dave.

You can’t put a price tag on what big-time athletics does for America’s universities.

A video of [University of Wyoming football coach Dave] Christensen’s exchange with Air Force coach Troy Calhoun was posted online on Thursday. As of Monday afternoon, the video had more than 105,000 views.

The video starts with Christensen cursing in the direction of the Air Force team before meeting Calhoun for the post-game handshake. He accuses Calhoun of having quarterback Connor Dietz fake an injury to buy the Air Force staff extra time before the go-ahead touchdown. Christensen then continues his tirade by personally attacking Calhoun.

“I’d be f—— scared to death if I had a f—– like you defending me,” Christensen told Calhoun.

After being pulled away by his daughter toward the Wyoming locker room, Christensen finished by saying:

“Go get in your f—— press conference, fly boy.”

The comments came on Wyoming’s “Military Appreciation Day.”

… to ask…

Romney’s eyes look a little red. Tired? Anxious? Good line from Romney: “We can’t kill our way out of this mess.” (Talking about instability in the Middle East.)

Actually, Obama’s eyes look red too. Maybe it’s the cameras.

Too bad they’re sitting down this time. I think striding around was good for both men. Seemed to wake up Obama.

Obama gets in the first hit: Romney’s strategy in regard to the region “has been all over the place.”

Romney gesticulates more than Obama, which I find sort of surprising.

Another hit from Obama: Romney called Russia – not the Middle East – our biggest foreign policy challenge. “Every time you’ve offered an opinion about the region, you’ve been wrong.”

Romney comes back strong, correcting Obama on Russia. Yes, he called it a geopolitical problem, but “in the same paragraph” he identified Iran as our biggest national security threat.

The guys are mixing it up now, talking over each other. Obama is rather condescendingly lecturing Romney.

“Syria is Iran’s route to the sea,” says Romney, which neglects, Mr UD points out, Iran’s long coastline.

Romney’s long-suffering smile is a little odd after awhile.

Obama, in talking about Egypt, makes an elegant reference to JFK (the moderator began by noting that today is the fiftieth anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis.)

Romney’s effort to characterize our weak economy as a threat to our power and influence abroad is rather unconvincing.

“America is stronger now than when I came into office.” Obama answers strongly. “Our alliances have never been stronger.”

What happened to foreign policy? They’ve wandered totally into domestic policy. Bob Schieffer is being a wimp. Get Candy Crowley in there!

Romney says the navy has fewer ships than it did in 1917. “Governor, we also have fewer bayonets and horses. Things have changed. There are now, for instance, submarines; boats that go under the water.” Ouch. Fantastic comeback from Obama. On Romney’s budget: “We’ve visited your website quite a bit. The numbers still don’t work.” Getting laughs from the audience. Strong stuff from Obama.

Both men have beautiful speaking voices (Obama also sings well, while Romney’s singing voice is painful). Mellifluous is the word that comes to mind.

I’d say that generally Obama seems nimbler, more energetic. Romney feels a little flat-footed, reciting policy paragraphs but not punching well. I’d even suggest that Romney’s age relative to Obama’s is showing a bit.

The seated arrangement is hurting Romney. Obama is now going down a long list of examples of Romney being “all over the place” on foreign policy, versus Obama’s “clarity of foreign policy.” If they were standing, Romney would be striding about; here, he’s forced to sit there and take it.

“When Tunisians began to protest, this nation moved to support them before anyone else.” Good answer from Obama in defense of our response to the Arab Spring.

Obama has also told, throughout the debate, lots of human interest stories (Romney has told none).

Romney’s good on the trade imbalance with China. In fact, he’s now telling his first story: His encounter with counterfeit valves.

They’re both keeping their tempers. “People can look it up,” says Romney calmly, on the matter of exactly what he said about Detroit and bankruptcy.

Another anecdote from Romney. Good. On the other hand, his repeated statement – “I love teachers.” – comes across as empty, and in fact Schieffer just made fun of it.

Closing statements now.

Instant responses here, with our friends:

Obama won the debate.

I don’t know. They agreed about so much.

Well, it’s a beautiful match-up. This year’s scandal-plagued darling, North Carolina Chapel Hill, and comical, pathetic Minnesota with its $800,000 bill not to play football.

… at Vanderbilt pursues a political career.

… photographs by Tamara Trocki
(earlier work here) of UD’s
famed giant puffball mushrooms.

This is their season, their
moment to … well, calvatia gigantea
don’t shine… The moment
for their pale bruised flesh to
glimmer slightly from the floor
of the woods…

The shadows of grasses on the
surface of the shroom moons…

Right here in Tubby City!

It’s a spectacular fall day.
UD has been out enjoying it.

She began with brunch at Garrett Park’s
Black Market Bistro, with Rosemary, who
just got back from Thailand and has
many stories.

(Train carrying lumber in background.)

Then she and Rosemary went to
Johnson’s Gardens, where UD bought
mums like these.

Then UD worked in her garden,
stopping occasionally to stare
at her giant puffball mushrooms.

They look like this, only they’re
in the woods, not in a cow pasture.

UD paused in her gardening to
talk to her across the street
neighbor Martin, who with his
wife Tammy (Tammy took the photo
of UD that ran in the Chronicle
of Higher Ed article about UD)
is about to go to Israel, and
who wanted UD to know that they
gave UD’s phone number to their
cat sitters.