Roundup: Obama emphasizes science-based policy, Palm raises cash, and more

Here’s the latest action:

Obama directs agencies to use science for policy decisions – In overturning Bush’s idealogical ban on stem cell research, President Obama issued a directive “to guarantee scientific integrity” to justify hiring expert advisors who will rely on scientific data.

Be sure to check out the speakers lined up for GamesBeat 09 — Our inaugural game conference in SF is coming up fast. We’ve added new speakers for the March 24 event. Check out our latest roster here and find full details of the conference here. To register, click here.

Are these newspapers the next to fold? – 24/7 Wall Street has made predictions about 10 newspapers it expects will shut down or go all-digital next. This comes on the heels of the Rocky Mountain News’ close after nearly 150 years in business. At the top of 24/7 Wall Street’s list is the Philadelphia Daily News.

Palm raises cash in secondary offering — Both Palm and its biggest investor, Elevation Partners, have raised money to handle the launch of Palm’s new Pre device. Palm’s cut is $83.9 million.

Is Apple laying off enterprise sales people, or not? – Despite denials from Apple, CNET’s News.com confirms that 50 people were laid off.

VCs still favor green technology – A KPMG survey reveals clean tech is still in favor among venture investors. But the sector has been hit hard by falling energy prices and the difficult economic environment.

YouTube to block music videos in UK – Google’s video company failed to reach an agreement with the UK Performing Rights Society and has shut down music videos in the UK.

Clearwire names new CEO – William Morrow, former head of PG&E electric utility, has replaced Ben Wolff at the wireless broadband company.

Are blogs less influential? — Blogger Brian Solis says blogs may be losing their authority to Twitter communities and microblogging sites.

Want a new domain name? – The .tel domain name kicks off today. If you have $375, you can reserve your own .tel domain name for three years. Anyone can use your domain name to pull up any and all contact information you choose supply. We covered the service several months ago when it was first announced.

Video game optimist says games will weather recession – Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick believes games will hold up in the recession thanks to new overseas markets and the Wii’s success.

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