Margin Notes by Kevin Clarke

Direct deposit [1]
Cutting out the middleman may increase the value of our charitable donations.

Full of surprises [2]
Pope Benedict kept us guessing—especially on matters of social justice.

A farewell to arms [3]
Our best shot at protecting the common good isn’t to keep loading up on guns.

No small sacrifice [4]
We can’t afford to lose our children to the ravages of war.

Left out to dry [5]
Those least responsible for our flood of climate change concerns are bearing the brunt of the storm.

Out of the ashes [6]
Can an ambassador’s death be the seed of a better future?

Less isn't more [7]
Solutions to poverty’s big challenges don’t come in smaller packages.

Sleeping through genocide? [8]
The world needs a wake-up call to save a population at risk of meeting a violent end.

Invest for success [9]
Bonding with those most in need can yield big returns.

Waist management [10]
Banning the Big Gulp isn’t enough to tip the scales in America’s obesity epidemic.

Poor spending choices [11]
Getting our nation’s budget priorities in order will require a show of solidarity.

Under the influence [12]
The special interest groups pulling legislators’ strings can no longer hide in the shadows.

This means war [13]
Arguments for U.S. military action in Iran feel like a case of déjà vu all over again.

Down and out of site [14]
Those who’ve become last in the unemployment line should be our first priority.

Smoke and mirrors [15]
America’s inflated self-image doesn’t reflect our nation’s obvious flaws.

Unbalanced diet [16]
Our eating binge is purging the developing world of access to healthy foods.

Of human bondage [17]
How oppressed exactly do workers have to be before we consider them slaves?

Yule shall overcome [18]
Amid cries of economic catastrophe, let holiday cheer take the place of fear.

A killer toothache [19]
It’s the hidden tragedies that tell the real tale of our nation’s economic woes.

Starved for attention [20]
With billions in aid on the chopping block, who is looking out for the world’s poor?

The wages of war [21]
A trillion-dollar price tag isn’t the only cost of war.

Leave no trace [22]
The modern world threatens the existence of a small group of our own species.

Little house in the big city [23]
Can the $300 home add dignity to the lives of the world’s poorest people?

Star power [24]
The energy policy of the future should be sung to the tune of “Here Comes the Sun.”

We're sticking to the union [25]
Don’t paint public workers as a public enemies; they’re just working for the common good.

Tweet like an Egyptian [26]
The Internet keeps its promise in Egypt.

Collateral damage [27]
If profit is the prime motive, the poor will always get the raw end of the deal. 

Papal prescription [28]
The pope’s stance on health care may be hard pill to swallow for opponents of reform.

Broke in the 'burbs [29]
The country's cities may no longer be the epicenters of poverty.

Silent flight [30]
The land of Jesus' birth may soon be without Christians to celebrate it.

Take the next exit [31]
When it comes to economic growth, the express lanes are closed.

Born in the U.S.A. [32]
American birthright citizenship is downright Constitutional.

Union made in China [33]
Workers might have to go half way around the world to celebrate Labor Day this year.

Let's do shots! [34]
Booze and bullets are a lethal cocktail no matter how you shake it.

Bombs away [35]
President Obama wants to lock up nukes—but he isn’t about to throw away the key.

Can this marriage be saved? [36]
A little counseling might help get the Israel-U.S. partnership back on track.

Working for the common grid [37]
Reducing our collective carbon footprint can be as easy as plugging in.

Go outside and play [38]
Falls and fresh air can teach kids the most important lessons of faith and life.

More out of Africa [39]
A deal that sounds too good to be true probably is-especially for subsistence farmers

A few fit men [40]
We should be helping America’s young people really be all that they can be.

Welcome to the Motel California [41]
What was once such a lovely place is becoming the country’s financial flophouse.

This is your country on drugs [42]
Countries who live in glass houses should take care when criticizing others’ anti-drug efforts.

Please, Sir, I want some more [43]
The nation's most vulnerable children are getting the short end of the spending stick.

You want fries with that [44]
Fast food has meant a slow death for thousands. Why aren't we doing more about it?

Let them eat cash [45]
The hungry of the world make an uncommonly good investment opportunity.

Whose child is this? [46]
"Banning" Mexico City's street kids only moves their plight from sight

Will teach for tenure [47]
Glaring double standards on workers' rights are far from a class act.

The drone wars [48]
High-tech warfare administers death from a great distance

When enough is enough [49]
Why a future of endless economic growth is not the cure for what ails the earth

¡Romero vive! [50]
"The harvest comes because of the grain that dies."

Promises to keep [51]
Barack Obama's election was historic, but can his presidency be great?

We should still give unto others [52] 
After the Wall Street wipeout, in a world full of hurt, we're still our brothers' keepers.

Between Iraq and no place [53]
Iraqis are on the move away from their broken nation. Who will be responsible for them?

Let my people stay [54]
How to deal with the immigration “problem”? Give people a real choice on migration.

Let them eat corn [55]
Our agricultural priorities should be on filling hungry bellies, not fuel tanks.

Now that’s a cold war! [56]
Let’s melt these nationalists’ cold, cold hearts and build an Arctic circle of cooperation.

Paper chase [57]
The right paperwork can save lives among the world’s stateless people.

Reality bites back [58]
New show ideas are endless—and depressing—when real life is the true basis of TV.

Spending like there's no tomorrow [59]
It's time for Uncle Sam to call a credit counselor

I think I can, I think I can [60]
A 19th-century mode of transport may be the answer to our current environmental woes

Home sweet biohazard [61]
There's no place like home, as long as parents prevent it from becoming toxic

Womb for rent [62]
Have infertile couples taken a maternity leave of their senses?

Hot enough for you? [63]
The world's poor face an even bleaker future than polar bears, thanks to global warming

No more CARE packages [64]
Instead of dumping grain in poverty-stricken regions, we should be investing cash

Cracks in the system [65]
Deferring infrastructure maintenance for war spending builds a bridge to nowhere

Code blue [66]
The patient is ailing, the prognosis is poor. It's the nation's major medical emergency

Be our guest [67]
The U.S. should be a good host and protect the migrant workers who knock on our door

Troubled waters [68]
Billions of the world's poorest are being denied even the most basic natural resource

Dispatches from Decatur [69]
Community is the first casualty in America's labor wars

They can do it [70]
Third World women could be the new recruits in the global war on poverty

These American lives [71]
Undocumented stories