Comments: Royals, citizens alike juggle division between public, private spheres
Some CNN.com readers say they are concerned about the blurring of their public lives and their private worlds.
September 14th, 2012
08:35 PM ET
Comments (192 comments)

Comments: Royals, citizens alike juggle division between public, private spheres

Editor's note: We're listening to you. Every day, we spot thought-provoking comments from readers. Below, you'll see highlighted posts that we noticed.

Heading into the weekend, readers are thinking about the lines between public and private life, and between work and play. There are different stories that give different takes.

The publication of photos showing Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, topless has got readers wondering how much is too much intrusion into a person's life. The following reader drew a line between this incident and the recent images of Prince Harry in his birthday suit.

Scott Bennett: "The publication of the photos of Katherine while on her holiday with William was not only despicable, but also shows the idiocy of the editorial staff of the 'publication' Closer. When Mlle Pieau described the reaction to the pictures' publication as "disproportionate" and slammed the British press as "complete hypocrites," since photos of Harry naked were published by The Sun, she shows her lack of basic human understanding. The two incidents are not even remotely comparable. 1) Harry was cavorting about in his hotel suite, having invited loads of strangers, thus opening the doors for such potential exposure; William and Katherine were vacationing alone in a private residence (or so they thought); 2) Harry is a single, 20-something man; Katherine is a married woman in her early 30s who will at some point be someone's mother. THEY NEED TO GET A GRIP ON HUMAN DIGNITY and get over their self-centered approach to life and their 'job' already! Disgusting, just disgusting!"

But then, is being naked worth the risk when you're a well-known figure?

Other99Pct: "Um, don't go outside with your shirt off if you don't want people to see you?"

Many people were disturbed by the idea that people are interested in such images. FULL POST

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Filed under: Comments • Technology • United Kingdom
September 14th, 2012
03:18 PM ET
Comments (28 comments)

Source: Tentative deal reached in Chicago teachers' strike

A tentative deal has been reached in the dispute between the Chicago Teachers Union and the city's school board, a source with detailed knowledge of the negotiations said Friday.

Students - who've been out of school since teachers began striking Monday - will be back  in the classroom on Monday, according to the source.

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Filed under: Education • Illinois
Obama: Americans laid down lives 'in service to us all'
President Barack Obama speaks Friday at a ceremony in for the four Americans killed Tuesday in Benghazi.
September 14th, 2012
01:23 PM ET
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Obama: Americans laid down lives 'in service to us all'

Editor's note: Several protests stemming at least in part from an anti-Islam film produced in the United States are unfolding outside U.S. embassies around the world. Friday's protests follow ones Tuesday at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, where attacks killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans.

In Tunisia, protesters have scaled a U.S. Embassy gate and set fire to cars on the property, a journalist there says. In Egypt, the influential Muslim Brotherhood canceled nationwide protests planned for Friday, but a running battle between police and protesters in Cairo continued into its fourth day.

Follow the live blog below for all of the developments around the world.

[Updated at 3:04 p.m. ET] A ceremony at Maryland's Joint Base Andrews for the returned bodies of the four Americans killed at the Benghazi consulate has ended, and the caskets are being carried to hearses. See the 2:59 and 2:51 p.m. entries for remarks by President Barack Obama, who said the four laid down their lives "in service to us all."

[Updated at 2:59 p.m. ET] President Barack Obama, at a ceremony at Maryland's Joint Base Andrews for the returned bodies of the four Americans killed at the Benghazi consulate, added:

"The United States of America will never retreat from the world. We will never stop working for the dignity and freedom that every (person) deserves. ... That’s the essence of American leadership. ... That was their work in Benghazi, and that is the work we will carry on."

At the beginning and toward the end of his remarks, Obama cited the Bible's John 15:13: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Obama said the four killed Americans laid down their lives "in service to us all."

"Their sacrifice will never be forgotten," Obama said.

[Updated at 2:51 p.m. ET] President Barack Obama, at a ceremony for the returned bodies of the four Americans killed at the Benghazi consulate, is now eulogizing the four at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

FULL POST

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Filed under: Egypt • Lebanon • Libya • Sudan • Tunisia
September 14th, 2012
11:00 AM ET
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No bombs found after evacuations at 2 universities

[Updated at 1:51 p.m. ET] No explosives were found at two U.S. universities that had ordered evacuations after they received bomb threats Friday morning, officials said.

The evacuations happened at the University of Texas at Austin and North Dakota State University. People were allowed back into the University of Texas buildings at noon CT Friday, though Friday's classes have been canceled, the school said on its website.

Police and federal authorities, including a bomb squad, investigated the Texas threats. A University of Texas police spokesman told CNN that "it was a general bomb threat on campus." A university spokeswoman told CNN affiliate KXAN that a male claiming to be with al Qaeda called the university and said that bombs were placed all over campus, and that they would go off at about 10 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET).

Are you there? Share photos, video, but stay safe

About 51,000 students attend the flagship university, which is located in central Texas. University spokeswoman Rhonda Weldon said that at any time up to 70,000 people could be on campus.

North Dakota State University told its students and employees to leave campus entirely by 10:15 a.m. CT, according to its website. A NDSU official later said that the campus had been swept, and classes would resume at 2 p.m. CT.

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Filed under: Texas
September 14th, 2012
07:36 AM ET
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Friday's live events

The conventions have come to a close, and the candidates are back on the campaign trail.  Watch CNN.com Live for all the latest coverage from the presidential election.

Today's programming highlights...

8:40 am ET - Values Voter Summit opens - The annual gathering of conservative activists gets under way in Washington.  Speakers include GOP vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan at 11:30 am ET.

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Filed under: Elections • On CNN.com today • Politics
September 14th, 2012
04:23 AM ET
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No school Friday but end of Chicago teacher strike may be near

Public schools will be closed Friday in Chicago but the end of the teachers strike could be near.

New hope emerged Thursday after days of sometimes contentious meetings between the Chicago Teachers Union and the city's school board.

"We will see if we can finish this up, hopefully, tomorrow," Chicago School Board President David Vitale told reporters Thursday night. "I think we made some pretty good progress."

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis told CNN affiliate WBBM "we are optimistic but we are still hammering things out. Schools will not open Friday. Talks are ongoing. We've made progress in some areas, but still we have a way to go. Teachers, paraprofessionals and clinicians remain hopeful but energized."

Chicago Teachers Union spokeswoman Stephanie Gadlin said union delegates with the power to stop the walkout would meet on Friday at 2 p.m. CT.

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Filed under: Politics • U.S.
September 14th, 2012
02:25 AM ET
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Strong earthquake rattles Indonesia

A strong earthquake hit off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The 6.2-magnitude shook the Kepulauan Mentawai region

Its epicenter was 760 kilometers (470 miles) west-northwest of the capital, Jakarta, at a depth of 20 kilometers, according to the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Last month, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit Palu city on the island of Sulawesi, killing at least six people.

Indonesia is on the so-called Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

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Filed under: Weather • World
September 14th, 2012
01:07 AM ET
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Riot police, protesters clash outside US Embassy in Cairo

Riot police advanced on protesters outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo shortly after dawn on Friday to quell a violent demonstration that raged through the night.

Police armed with shields and batons, backed by an armed personnel carrier, rushed a group of several hundred protesters, a move that came after U.S. President Barack Obama warned that relations with Egypt will be shaped by how the country responds to the violence.

"I don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy," Obama told Telemundo in an interview that aired Thursday night.

If Egypt takes actions, Obama said, that "indicate they're not taking responsibilities, as all other countries do where we have embassies, I think that's going to be a real big problem."

FULL STORY

Filed under: Barack Obama • U.S. • World