In the rich world the job losses are starkest in America, where the recession began.
Climate change and the depleted ozone layer are among the starkest examples.
Shanghai, like all of China, is scene to one of the world's starkest class divides, but the chaotic street life blurs the lines.
It remains in the interests of many governments—not least those who wish to deter American interference with their own regimes—to paint its consequences in the starkest colours.
The gap between the developed and the developing world in terms of infant and child survival is one of the starkest examples of health inequity.