But nowhere has America pursued its search for new oil with more ferocity and dedication than the west coast of Africa, particularly the Gulf of Guinea.

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Less apparent, but perhaps more forceful is the dedication these companies have to making life simpler for their customers.

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Butcher knows it will tough to continue such fine form on the road and is looking for more of the same dedication that was on show at Pittodrie.

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He says super long hours are not a sign of dedication, but more of inefficiency and an inability to let go.

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Two centuries before Rand arrived on the scene, Adam Smith had already written The Wealth of Nations, a powerful treatise demonstrating why self-interest offers a more secure foundation for a rational society than a selfless dedication to the common good.

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Oeri, whose family has controlled Roche, maker of Tamiflu and Valium, for more than a century, is herself best known for her dedication to the art world.

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Probably partly because of higher unemployment, which meant more insecurity, and made people feel the need to show their dedication to the job, and partly because lower tax rates and rising pay at the top of the scale made working harder more worthwhile.

ECONOMIST: Working time

She gets up at 5:30am every morning, leaves the house about the time the kids and I are rising, goes in early to work to get things ready for the day, spends the school hours teaching lessons about mathematics, literature, science, civics, citizenship, friendship, achievement, disappointment, dedication, right, wrong, pride, humility, and more, and stays late to organize materials and set up special projects.

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More than 20, 000 people are expected in Washington tomorrow to join in the dedication of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

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