The first public appearance of The Witness, a new game from Braid designer Jonathan Blow (and a small team of independent designers), almost went unnoticed. Its presence at last weekend's Penny Arcade Expo wasn't announced by an enthusiastic press release or trumpeted by a flashy trailer. It didn't even have a sign.

"PAX is a huge show, with tons of stuff to see everywhere; if the game could hold peoples' attention under those conditions, purely on its own merits rather than by hype or pedigree, then I would know that it was really working," Jonathan Blow wrote on The Witness blog. "Happily, the game worked very well - despite the fact that the visuals are still in an early prototype stage. People tended to play for a long time, and they liked what they played."

Kotaku's Stephen Totilo compared the first-person exploration and puzzle-solving to Myst. The game's beautifully lit and serene world hides abstract enigmas, such as boards that require you to trace the correct route. What's most interesting, however, is that there don't seem to be any prompts or instructions for the player -- making this understated PAX reveal seem very appropriate indeed.

The Witness makes low-key debut at PAX originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the latest polls indicate Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) has a commanding lead on his Democratic opponent Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA), the top Republican in the state — Gov. Bobby Jindal — still refuses to give the scandal-plauged incumbent Senator his endorsement:

“Voters can make up their own minds,” Jindal said.

The Republican governor said he does not get involved in federal races.

However, Jindal was a special guest at a 2008 fundraiser for Baton Rouge Rep. Bill Cassidy’s campaign.

The governor also endorsed Woody Jenkins in his failed bid for Congress.

Last week, the Louisiana Democratic Party produced a five-and-a-half minute video documenting Vitter’s prostitution scandals. (HT: Political Wire)

Just because you didn't attend PAX this year doesn't mean you can't tell your friends and loved ones that you totally did. Just click through our gallery and memorize every nook and cranny of the expansive show floor. Then you'll be ready when your friends and family try to test your story. "Ricky, when you were at PAX, did you see a giant dinosaur statue, Phoenix Wright cosplayers and Jonathan Blow working on a laptop?" You bet your sweet ass I did, grandma.

But enough with the words, let the images commence!

PAX 2010: A visual tour originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Somewhere there's an alternate dimension where monster games like Rampage and War of the Monsters are not oddities but rather fine examples of a whole "monsters destroying crap" genre. Eat Them!, which I played recently at PAX 2010, is a game directly from that dimension.

In Fluffy Logic's (Savage Moon) upcoming PSN release, you play as a monster that you've customized every slimy, scaly inch of, from his shoulder rockets to his tentacle legs. Then ... well, you destroy shit.

Continue reading Eat Them! preview: War of the Rampage

Eat Them! preview: War of the Rampage originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A new, bug-free version of Crackdown 2's "Toy Box" DLC pack was released yesterday morning on Xbox Live Marketplace, according to Ruffian Games. Unfortunately, rather than a patch, the DLC has been re-issued, meaning that folks who downloaded the content will need to delete it and redownload. The new version fixes issues ranging from "crash on loading" to issues with the narrator's voice and Achievement problems, which we reported on earlier this week.

Ruffian says that the glitches were "caused by problems mastering the DLC package," thus the reissue rather than a patch. The developer assures players that "all will be fine" after the download, which was available publicly as of yesterday morning. We've yet to hear of any issues with the re-release, but feel free to let us know if you find any.

Crackdown 2 'Toy Box' DLC crashing issues resolved by reissue originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Outgoing Minnesota governor and potential Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty appeared on Fox News and Fox Business last night to defend his recent executive order prohibiting the state from applying for grants provided by the new health care law. Pawlenty’s ban could cost the state $1 billion or more in federal funds, but in his national TV tour last night, the governor compared the federal government to a drug hustler pushing its product on willing addicts:

PAWLENTY: Federal government’s acting increasingly like a financial drug dealer, handing out tastes or free samples, trying to get people addicted, further addicted. And we’ve just had it and we’re not taking the bait anymore. We’re not taking the free samples anymore. This is an executive order that says we’re sending them a strong message, but we’re also going to try to make sure the policies are for Minnesota not because some big federal bureaucracy tells us what to do.

Watch a compilation:

Of course, the 97 different entities that applied for reform’s reinsurance grants can rightfully take offense to Pawlenty’s drug-dealing analogy and his dismissal of the money as nonsensical. The Wonk Room explains why Pawlenty’s claim that he has a long record of refusing the federal government’s so-called financial drugs, shouldn’t be taken at face value.

Fresh off its victory over Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the Tea Party Express is setting its sights on taking down Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) in Delaware’s Republican Senate primary. Castle, regarded as the moderate in the race, is facing a spirited challenge from Tea Party candidate Christine O’Donnell. A new poll shows the race within single digits and the Tea Party Express is committing over $250,000 on O’Donnell’s behalf.

As with Tea Party candidates Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania, Mike Lee in Utah, Rand Paul in Kentucky, Ken Buck in Colorado, Joe Miller in Alaska, and Marco Rubio in Florida, the Republican establishment is trying to fend off O’Donnell’s primary candidacy. However, rather than learn from these defeats and take a more muted approach in future contested primaries, the Republican establishment is doubling down on its anti-Tea Party strategy.

Yesterday, the Republican Party of Delaware released a statement, calling O’Donnell “reckless,” “hypocritical,” and “dishonest”:

As the facts continue to emerge regarding perennial candidate Christine O?Donnell?s reckless and hypocritical behavior, I wanted to highlight some of the key media coverage her dishonest campaign has received over the last 24 hours?

Days earlier, Delaware GOP Chairman Tom Ross derided O’Donnell as a “troubled perennial candidate” who is “not electable in Delaware or anywhere else for that matter”:

Ross noted ‘while it is disappointing that the Tea Party Express has not done any due diligence on troubled perennial candidate Christine O?Donnell, it is our hope that they will investigate her half-truths and outright lies before squandering tens of thousands of dollars on a candidate who is not electable in Delaware or anywhere else for that matter.’

Indeed, the Delaware GOP doesn’t even list O’Donnell as a candidate on its website.

As Dave Weigel notes, these statements are “some swipe from the GOP.” If O’Donnell wins next Tuesday’s primary, will the Delaware GOP even support a candidate they view as dishonest and unelectable?

Two weeks ago, Amanda Terkel signed off for the last time as deputy editor at ThinkProgress. You may have already seen some of her articles at the Huffington Post, where she is now a senior politics reporter. After approximately six years at the Center for American Progress, Amanda was ready to tackle a new challenge. While it?s sad not having her around the office, we?re excited to see her incredible creative talents being put towards a good cause.

Amanda was the most prolific blogger in ThinkProgress history, authoring literally thousands of posts for us. She started as a junior researcher on the team over five years ago, and worked her way up to become one of the top progressive bloggers on the web ? in addition to being one of its leading female writers.

Though small in stature, Amanda had a towering presence that we’ve all looked up to throughout the years. Around the office, Amanda was a close friend and mentor to both staff and interns. She always had a smile on her face, a story to tell, and a blog post idea to write up. Here?s a sampling of our favorite Amanda posts (though our long-time readers will probably have others to share in the comments section):

I Was Followed, Harassed, And Ambushed By Bill O?Reilly?s Producer [Link]

O?Reilly Attacks Me As A ?Villain? For Highlighting His Rape Comments [Link]

Taking Advantage Of Citizens United, Dirty Coal Groups Form 527 To Elect Industry-Friendly Republicans [Link]

Cantor Says Federal Spending Doesn?t ?Create Jobs? ? At Job Fair With Companies Funded By The Stimulus [Link]

State Rep: In Oklahoma, There?s A ?Feeling That Women Aren?t Capable Of Making Reproductive Decisions? [Link]

Right-Wing Radio Host On NY Mosque: ?I Hope Somebody Blows It Up? [Link]

Bush wipes his hand on Clinton?s shirt after shaking hands with Haitian residents. [Link]

Malkin On Detainee Suicides: ?Boo-Freakin-Hoo? [Link]

Pimp My Congressional Office [Link]

No Mention Of Iraq In Bush?s Presidential Library Bio [Link]

NBC Censors Sexual Orientation Of Openly Gay Gold Medalist Diver [Link]

Bush Stimulates The Porn Industry With His Economic Package [Link]

DC Madam Customer David Vitter Is Outraged By The ACORN Prostitution Scandal [Link]

Hannity?s Hypocrisy: Criticizing Colleges For Taking Money From Saudi Prince Who Funds Fox [Link]

Why The ?Professional Left? Continues To Hold Obama Accountable [Link]

Did Palin write the answers to Tea Party Convention questions on her hand? [Link]

Texas lawmaker: Asians should change their names to make them ?easier for Americans to deal with.? [Link]

Though she’ll kill us for revealing that she shed a few tears during her goodbye, we’re pretty sure we miss her more. We?ll be rooting for your success, Amanda! Best wishes.

If you’d like to send Amanda a goodbye note, drop her a line at byebyeamanda@gmail.com.

Earlier this week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) issued an executive order directing “all state agencies not to participate in the federal health care overhaul,” specifically demanding they not seek any discretionary funding available through the Affordable Care Act. In issuing the order, Pawlenty vowed to do “anything that I can do to slow down, limit or negate Obamacare,” warning that it “threatens private sector economic growth.” Immediately, the move and its implicit attack on President Obama were seen as a means to position Pawlenty for a presidential bid in 2012. Indeed, his Political Action Committee promptly tried to raise money off of Pawlenty’s order.

But his claim about the law’s danger to businesses were quickly undercut. As the AP reported, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is calling on Pawlenty to accept the funds:

Chamber President David Olson sent a letter to the Republican governor this week encouraging him to specifically apply for a $1 million federal planning grant to study a potential health insurance exchange.

“This grant does not require the state to create an exchange,” Olson wrote. “Instead, it allows for an independent and comprehensive actuarial analysis of an exchange. The analysis will help us determine whether or not an exchange is a cost effective option for Minnesotans shopping for health care coverage.”

Olson also stressed that an exchange could possibly have a significant impact on Minnesota businesses.

The state Chamber is not alone here. The Minnesota Medical Association and the 20,000-member Minnesota Nurses Association both blasted Pawlenty for refusing the money, calling on him to immediately relent and accept the funds.

But in urging Pawlenty to take federal money available through the Affordable Care Act, the Minnesota Chamber seems to be breaking with with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has relentlessly attacked the health care plan since before it became law. Still, while many of the U.S. Chamber’s right-wing allies have signed onto an effort to completely repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Chamber has tellingly hedged, saying full repeal “is not a realistic option.” The Chamber has led efforts to repeal small portions of the Act, but perhaps they quietly realize — as it appears the Minnesota Chamber has — that the law can actually be very helpful to businesses.

A favorite Republican talking point lately is that the businesses are not creating jobs because they are “hamstrung by uncertainty.” According to this argument, the specter of taxes and regulation is paralyzing companies, and if only Congress would preserve the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and promise to not produce any new regulations, a flood of business investment would ensue. Last night on CNBC, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) told supply-side guru and Reagan disciple Larry Kudlow that the way to get businesses to “unleash” the nearly $2 trillion in cash and assets they’re currently sitting on is to extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich and then cut marginal income tax rates even further. “C’mon, we know what works,” Pence said:

C’mon, we know what works. Larry, you know what works better than most Americans, and that is across-the-board marginal tax relief…We’ve got to demand, whether it’s this fall, whether it’s after the election, or whether it’s in a newly minted Congress next year, we’ve got to demand that we preserve tax relief, no American sees a tax increase on January 1, and then promote across-the-board tax relief on marginal rates that’ll really unleash all that more than $2 trillion in trapped capital in this economy.

Watch it:

It seems like some variation of “c’mon!” has become the Republican leadership’s go-to argument these days, but Pence shouldn’t be so smug when it comes to the efficacy of marginal income tax cuts to spur business investment. As The Wonk Room explains, business investment following the Clinton-era tax increase far outstripped that following either the Bush or Reagan supply-side tax cuts. “The failure of investment to respond to supply-side tax cuts greatly undermines the central premise of the theory underlying the policy,” wrote economists Michael Ettlinger and John Irons.