Jerry Coyne nearly cracked his cranium today when he learned that Oprah Winfrey gave a graduation address this past Sunday at his alma mater, Harvard.  Reading him call her out as “a peddler of woo, lachrymose feel-good guru, promoter of questionable science” in the second sentence of the post was almost as gratifying as my first mug of Dark French Roast, even though I had a hard time keeping the gulf entirely between my cheeks.  He admitted to feeling like his Ph.D. now “not worth a plugged nickel” and contemplated if his days as a professor at UC were numbered.

I felt his pain.

But, it could get worse.  Try to imagine what would happen if Jerry awakened one morning to find this story headlined in the Tribune:

Depak Chopra nominated for Nobel Prize in Quantum Physics

Embarrassment for his alma mater, unemployment and cranium cracks would probably be the least of his problems.

Oh, Ceiling Cat.  Protect and watch over him.  We can’t let this happen.