For me, this self-denial approach would be more in keeping with your old, or early, Earth Day.

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She found something saintly and crazed in his undertaking, an element of self-denial, an element of penance.

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Ireland, meanwhile, is often cited as a country where public-sector workers have reacted to a sharp downturn with impressive self-denial.

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Here's an alternative hypothesis, one for the behavioral economists to look into: Maybe diet soda creates a psychological illusion of self-denial and thereby encourages gluttonous behavior.

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Or the monastery's founder, Saint John of the Ladder, whose call to self-denial and spiritual warfare has been a sort of manifesto for monks ever since?

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And people are more likely to break their own rules if they have spent the day resisting temptation: dieters often slip after a day of self-denial, for example.

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"I am sorry for the timing and result of my action, but continue to believe that people working in traditional media needs to open their eyes to the realities of our culture in 2010 without denial, self righteousness or arrogance, " Mr. Abrams wrote.

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Google is also doing some amazing things like self-driving cars but increasingly is portrayed as evil incarnate having betrayed a dying Steve Jobs and apparently in denial about their actions.

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