To be or not to be

This is a big week in terms of collective bargaining. In addition to the well-publicized proposals to curb collective bargaining in Wisconsin and Ohio, the collective bargaining agreement between the National Football League and the NFL Players' Association is set to expire at midnight on Thursday. I've seen estimates that place the annual revenue for the NFL upwards of $9 billion, which is a staggering sum of money for an entertainment field. I understand that negotiating a new CBA is a complicated issue, but at a certain point both players and owners need to come to their senses and realize that there is more than enough pie to go around.

America's top-ranked chessplayer, Hikaru Nakamura, announced recently that he will not be competing in the upcoming U.S. Championships. This is a dismaying decision for some chess fans, who had hoped to see him go for his third title. According to one recent interview, his decision was fueled by a desire to pursue only the strongest, most exclusive tournaments in order to continue his chess development in anticipation of an eventual run on the World Championship. Whether or not this is a fair assessment of the strength of the U.S. Championships--Nakamura won by a half-point in 2009 but finished in third place last year--I wish him the best in all his chess endeavors (and I wouldn't mind seeing him reconsider).

In other news, the Oscars were held this past Sunday ... and just like last year, no one cared.