Obama hears job concerns on Google+ Hangout

President Barack Obama participates in a Google+ Hangout from the White House on Monday.

By Craig Kanalley, Social Media Editor, NBC News

Sunday night, Google+'s senior vice president of engineering Vic Gundotra?posted?to the social network that his team was "nervous" about its Hangout with the president of the United States. He said there were some technical challenges?? for instance: "You just don't walk into the West Wing of the?+The White House?and set up computer equipment."

Besides some slight technical difficulties at the beginning, the livestream Monday was nearly flawless on YouTube, and the first Google+ Hangout broadcast publicly with President Barack Obama lasted just over 49 minutes.

The start of the live broadcast was delayed 2-1/2 minutes.?Google+'s Steve Grove, who moderated the discussion, said at one point, "Can you hear me? You can't hear me, guys, you need the speaker on." Obama's voice was then heard: "Now I can."

The rest of the Hangout went fairly smoothly, with only an occasional lag, interruption or moment of confusion.

Viewers of the Hangout saw seven boxes at the bottom of the computer screen. One belonged to Grove. Five more to Americans who had been invited to participate, including a group of students from John F. Kennedy High School in Fremont, California. In the final box: the president.

All boxes were displayed equally, and whoever was talking lit up the top of the screen. It was a moment Googlers could likely only dream of when they conceptualized and developed Hangout, a group video chat generally limited to 10 participants.

Perhaps the most notable exchange during the Hangout was when participant Jennifer Weddel of Texas, whose husband has had trouble finding permanent employment for the past three years, interrupted the president.

Obama had said he had a list of folks looking to hire engineers, her husband's specialty. "There's a huge demand for engineers around the country right now," he added, when Weddel jumped in.

"Um, I understand that, but how ? given the list that you're getting, I mean we're not getting that ? You said in the State of the Union address that business leaders should ask themselves what can they do to bring jobs to America," she said.

The president had a very personal response which Weddel seemed satisfied with.

"If you send me your husband's resume, I'd be interested to find out what's happening," Obama said. "But the word we're getting is somebody in that high tech field should be able to find something right away."

"I'll have to take you up on that," she replied.

Another personal moment took place at the end, when Christine from Evanston, Illinois, asked a quick follow-up after her last question.

Christine from Evanston, Illinois, a Google+ Hangout participant, introduces her children to President Obama.

"Mr. President, if it's all right with you, may I just introduce you to my children, who are sitting just off camera?"

"Yeah, let me see them," he replied. And she brought her two sons and daughter into the viewing area.

"Make sure to work hard in school and do what your mom tells you," he quipped.

Tough questions
Not all questions were easy to answer.

A young student asked Obama what he would say to students afraid to go to college because they're worried about paying off student loans.

"I think young people have a little more responsibility to think ahead and make sure when you make that investment it's actually in pursuing a career in which you can have some confidence you're going to find a job down the road."

He also said he and first lady Michelle Obama took out loans themselves which are paid off.

When Weddel asked what the president would say to young Americans who have seen their own parents get laid off, and worry about debt and potentially facing the same situation, he said, "When times are tough, obviously a lot more people are concerned about taking on debt." But he added, "The unemployment rate for folks who only have a high school diploma is multiple times higher than for folks who have a college degree.

"As tough as this has been," he said, "the odds (are) that you'll do much much better in your lifetime, over the course of your career ... if you have a higher-education degree."

To a woman who said she has been unemployed for five years, Obama responded: "The biggest thing I can do for people out of work right now is to grow the economy."

A mother asked how parents should explain the economy to their children.

"We're going to be fine if we make some good decisions," he said, adding as president he'd like to instill hope in the American people.

He referred to manufacturing, which he discussed at length in his recent State of the Union Address.
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"I want us to be a country that is building and selling products all around the world," he said, adding he wants to provide incentives for companies to invest here and insource rather than outsource.

It was such a pleasure and honor to be a part of it. The Google team who organized it was really mint, the President is fun and engaging. It went by faster than I ever thought.... :)

Ray tells NBC News he asked a question like everyone else and the next thing he knew he heard from Google and was told his question was picked to be put before the president, thereby allowing him to participant in the live-streaming event.

Grove said 135,000 questions were submitted ahead of the event, according to the New York Times' Liz Heron.

Watch the Hangout in its entirety below, minus the technical issue at the beginning:

Follow Craig on Twitter, subscribe to his Facebook posts, or circle him on Google+.

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Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/30/10273642-google-hangout-puts-president-face-to-face-with-americans

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Andreessen Horowitz Closes $1.5 Billion New Fund

Last week, we heard from Evelyn Rusli at the New York Times that Andreessen Horowitz was in the process of raising $1.5 billion for the venture firm. Today, partner Ben Horowitz has confirmed that the fund has closed, bringing Andreessen Horowitz's total funding under management to $2.7 billion. The firm says that the $1.5 billion was raised for its Fund III. ?a16z?s Fund III is all about extending our capabilities to more disruptors and pioneers,? said Horowitz in a release. ?We?re remaking the modern venture capital firm, and entrepreneurs are responding to our unique approach.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/XGZ2v3_23os/

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Former Italian president Scalfaro dies at 93 (AP)

MILAN, Italy ? Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, a past president of Italy who held the post during the sweeping corruption scandal of the early 1990s that reshaped the country's post-war political landscape, died Sunday in Rome. He was 93.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano paid tribute to his predecessor as "a protagonist in the democratic political life" and an example of "moral integrity."

"As president of the republic, he firmly and steadfastly confronted one of the most difficult periods of our history," Napolitano said in a statement.

Pope Benedict XVI remembered Scalfaro as "a distinguished" Catholic man of state, who "helped to promote the common good and the perennial ethical and religious values."

Scalfaro was a key figure in postwar Italian politics, helping to write the constitution and to found the former Christian Democrats. He held numerous prominent government posts before becoming Italy's ninth post-war president, a position that is largely ceremonial but carries the significant role of moral compass for the country.

As president from 1992-1999, Scalfaro was often called upon to resolve Italy's recurrent political crises, either choosing a new premier or calling early elections. He once called Italy's volatile political situation "pathological."

The "Clean Hands" investigations launched in the early 1990s uncovered a broad system of bribes that wiped out much of Italy's political class, including key members of the conservative Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats. The scandals deeply eroded Italians' trust in politicians and led to the demise of the two parties that had formed the pillars of post-war Italian politics.

Premier Mario Monti said Scalfaro "consistently defended the values" enshrined in the constitution "bearing witness with his actions and his rigor to all Italians, in particular the young."

A devout Roman Catholic with a law degree from the Catholic University of Milan, Scalfaro spent the World War II years working to help imprisoned anti-Fascists and their families.

Then, in 1946, he won a seat in the assembly that wrote the constitution for the Italian Republic, declared in late 1947 after a popular referendum abolished the monarchy.

Scalfaro, a native of the northern city of Novara, was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in the Italian republic's first general election in 1948 and remained a deputy until he was elected president in 1992.

Scalfaro held junior posts at various ministries through the 1950s and early 1960s. In 1966, he gained his first Cabinet position when Premier Aldo Moro appointed him transportation minister.

In subsequent governments, Scalfaro served two more stints as transport minister and was education minister and interior minister. He was vice president of the Chamber of Deputies from 1976 to 1983.

He became a senator for life after completing his term as president.

He is survived by a daughter, Marianna. A funeral is set for Monday afternoon in Rome.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_eu/eu_italy_obit_scalfaro

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Polling Shows Romney With Big Lead in Florida (Little green footballs)

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Cuba Communist Party eyes term limits at gathering (AP)

HAVANA ? Cuba's Communist Party closed the first day of its national conference Saturday with declarations of support for the burgeoning private-sector class, tough talk on corruption and vows to be attentive to islanders' complaints.

But there were no concrete resolutions on President Raul Castro's call for political term limits or word on leadership changes during the closed-door gathering, a two-day follow-up to last April's historic party summit where delegates opened up long-shut doors of economic opportunity by green-lighting fledgling reforms.

While the government has essentially followed through on its economic promises like liberalizing home and car sales, expanding private-sector activity and offering loans to support farmers, entrepreneurs and homeowners, expectations were low that this weekend would yield any blockbuster news beyond what officials already hinted at.

"The expectations were high because this conference was perceived as an act of continuity with relation to the Sixth Congress, as a space to complete the economic adjustment with complementary political reforms," said Cuban-born economist Arturo Lopez-Levy, a lecturer at the University of Denver. "It became clear that that vision was unfoundedly optimistic."

Foreign journalists were not allowed access, and no major announcements were made through the island's official media.

State-run website Cubadebate showed photos of President Raul Castro presiding over the conference wearing a gray blazer and a dark, open-collar shirt, with what appeared to be a small bandage on the tip of his nose. There was no word of any appearance by Fidel Castro, who was greeted with a standing ovation and some tears at the April congress.

In a brief snippet of video posted on Cubadebate, Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura said in a keynote speech that the conference would focus on "the everyday work of the organization."

Raul Castro himself dampened expectations for any big announcements, saying two weeks ago that nobody should have "great illusions about the conference" and the topics of debate were more "an internal question for the party."

According to a draft agenda that circulated last fall, one matter up for discussion will be his call to limit officeholders including the president to two five-year terms, with the goal of achieving a "gradual renewal in leadership."

Over the years a number of rising young stars considered potential successors to Raul Castro, 80, and his brother Fidel, retired and largely out of sight at 85, have been unceremoniously fired. There are no obvious replacements waiting in the wings.

In April the younger Castro, who is also party chief, lamented the lack of politicians prepared to take over from the 70- and 80-somethings who occupy many top posts. Grooming new leaders would be a priority during his five-year term, he said.

Recently a Cuban official told The Associated Press that despite the lack of movement in visible roles like cabinet ministers, many midlevel government posts have quietly changed hands, with younger officials moving up. If true, that would bolster Raul Castro's claim that his government was laying the groundwork, albeit slowly, for generational change. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, and his assertions could not be independently confirmed.

Communist Party newspaper Granma said Saturday that delegates would consider how best to promote women, blacks and young people through the ranks of the party and government.

They also evaluated the party's role in "the direction and systematic control of the process of updating the economic model and the progress of the economy," Granma said.

The draft agenda for the conference was discussed at thousands of local party and committee meetings and many of its objectives modified. The purpose of the conference was to turn the agenda into policy in support of last year's reforms, Machado Ventura said.

"Let us make our best effort to cast off obsolete mindsets of inertia and old prejudices," he said in comments broadcast on the news. "Let us work with responsibility and an eye toward the future, with the goal of strengthening the foundation of the (party's) work."

The Communist Party, the only party allowed in Cuba, does not have lawmaking powers but issues guidelines that are later taken up by parliament.

The conference's opening day was timed to coincide with the 159th anniversary of the birth of poet and independence hero Jose Marti, in whose honor a noontime 21-cannon salute thundered from a historic fort overlooking the Havana harbor.

But some said that's about all the fireworks they expect this weekend.

"The only thing that might be interesting is if they have some kind of election, to see who they put in the political bureau, especially if they put someone there who's not 80 years old," said Javier Blanco, a 32-year-old Havana resident. "Other than that... I don't think anything will come out that we don't already know."

Many Cubans were disappointed last month when authorities scuttled a proposal to eliminate the exit visa required for travel off the island.

Lopez-Levy said recent signals from Cuban leadership suggest there's no prospect for major political change in the near future.

"The Cuban Communist Party is going to make an adjustment to its internal life ... but it's not going to subject its political model to open debate on structural reforms as it did with its economic and social project," he said. "It's a low-risk strategy for the short term, but it could complicate the future."

___

Associated Press writers Andrea Rodriguez and Anne-Marie Garcia contributed to this report.

___

Peter Orsi on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Peter(underscore)Orsi

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120129/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_communist_party_conference

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Summary Box: Dow slips; first losing week in 2012 (AP)

STOCK SLUMP: Stocks mostly fell after the government said the U.S. economy grew more slowly than expected in the last three months of 2011. The Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 each fell less than 1 percent. The biggest losers were utility stocks, down 1.3 percent.

BAD WEEK: The fall in the Dow capped a down week for the blue-chip index, the first weekly loss in 2012.

THE GOOD NEWS: Nearly two stocks rose for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange, suggesting investors may still be bullish. And despite the drop for the day, the Dow is still up nearly 4 percent this year. The Russell 2000 index of riskier small stocks is up nearly 8 percent.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120127/ap_on_bi_ge/us_wall_street_summary_box

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Some G20 countries soften stance on Europe: sources (Reuters)

MILAN/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) ? Some of the world's biggest economies want to move quickly on a cash injection for the International Monetary Fund to help rescue the euro zone, but hardliners may still scupper an early deal to boost the fund's war chest, G20 sources said on Friday.

Officials from the Group of 20 leading economies are engaged in what one called a 'chicken and egg' game as they work toward a possible deal on boosting the IMF's firepower at a meeting of the bloc's finance ministers and central bank governors in Mexico City in one month's time.

Emerging market powers Brazil and China are among the countries keen to pursue the two-track plan pushed by the current G20 president Mexico to work on additional IMF funding simultaneously with extra steps from Europe, one G20 official told Reuters, rather than insisting on European action upfront.

"There was a much more cooperative sentiment between G20 countries than in recent meetings," said the official, referring last week's discussions between G20 deputies in Mexico City.

"Some emerging countries are more open to consider contributions to increase IMF resources in parallel with euro zone efforts, so they are open to make commitments to increase IMF resources in the next few weeks," the source added.

Mexican central bank governor Agustin Carstens said a consensus was building on boosting IMF resources to help European countries and others that need aid.

But the February 25-26 meeting deadline may prove ambitious, given the United States' insistence that Europe boost its own crisis shield further before any pledges to the IMF - which estimates it needs $600 billion more to limit the fallout.

"Our view is that the only way Europe is going to be successful in holding this together is for them to bring a stronger firewall," U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

"If Europe is able and willing to do that, we believe the IMF is ready to play a constructive role."

Canada is also taking a tough public stance, although a G20 official from another country said Ottawa was becoming more conciliatory, along with Japan.

"Canada and Japan are more flexible than in the past," the second official said. "It could be a bit more difficult with the USA, although they too have softened their position, but it's still early in the game."

STANDOFF FEARS

Europe, for its part, supports the two-track approach, but officials are concerned that Germany's reluctance so far to back increased funding for the euro zone's own rescue fund may fuel a standoff at the G20.

Germany has insisted that the safety net should not exceed 500 billion euros, but officials close to the G20 talks estimate that a further 230 billion to 250 billion euros is needed.

"It is important that we should not let this be locked between the Americans and the Germans, or the IMF and the Germans, so that nobody would get any pretext or excuse to not do their part," one senior euro zone official said.

A G20 official from a large emerging market economy said Europe accepted the need to put in more resources but "won't say it for fear of" Germany.

"They will get to that point because they know not one cent of this IMF money will be made available unless they come up with their side ... the majority view is that we move in parallel we have things ready, but we don't have to deploy it until the Europeans have gotten their act together."

European Union leaders will discuss increasing the bloc's permanent rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), on March 1-2, just days after the February meeting in Mexico, with the timing creating extra difficulty for policymakers.

"If the parallel approach wins inside the G20, a deal on increasing IMF resources could be clinched by the G20 meeting in February," the initial G20 source said. "Otherwise, the G20 will work on reaching a deal by next April in Washington, after an increase of ESM firepower is signed in March among euro zone countries."

G20 finance ministers are due to meet in Washington on April 19-20 ahead of a leaders summit in Mexico's Los Cabos on June 18-19.

Countries keen on the parallel approach are Brazil, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, China, Indonesia and South Korea, the source said.

A senior Brazilian government official confirmed Brazil was keen to push the two aims simultaneously, but said a commitment to a bigger ESM would definitely smooth the way.

"If the Europeans increase (funding to) the ESM then they increase the chances of additional resources to the IMF in support," he said.

The extra funding may come in the form of bilateral loans between individual countries and the IMF or an increase in countries' quotas, which could also give emerging economies more say in how the fund is managed.

(Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton in Washington, Alonso Soto in Brasilia, Paul Carrel in Davos and Jan Strupczewski in Brussels; Writing by Krista Hughes; Editing by Andrea Evans, Gary Crosse)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/bs_nm/us_imf_g20

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