The prime minister did not attack public spending in the abstract, or pledge to get the state off citizens' backs.

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President Barack Obama is merely the latest head of government to attempt to deflect public attention onto an abstract scapegoat.

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The public interest is more abstract.

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Rather than researching these public records, Mr. Siedle poses rhetorical questions and abstract accusations.

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And that sort of publicity could make privacy violations that once seemed abstract far more real for the plane-flying public.

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The challenge was part of Iconathon, a nationwide series of day-long workshops during which policy experts and graphic designers create abstract symbols that represent concepts in food, transportation and other public goods.

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Earlier this year it was the venue for a public talent show where Libyans went to show off their skills at everything from freestyle football, abstract paintings and portraits of Hollywood and MTV celebrities, to singing about Islam.

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