High Contrast: Thomas Kinkade’s Art, Life & Controversy

There is something attractive about defrocking a figure of faith-and-family-values virtue, particularly one of great commercial success who has endeared himself to an endangered minority: the American middle class. The late Thomas Kinkade, who died of unnamed causes Friday, made an easy target. The self-anointed "painter of light" specialized in idealized scenes hearkening to a more …

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American Competitiveness: The New Untouchables or The New Half Truth?

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman makes a superficially compelling case for reforming education in pursuit of American Competitiveness. But is he overstating its promise?