Credulity does not suit journalists or our audiences. We’ve moved from believing something because “I read it in the paper” to “I heard it on the radio” to “I saw it on the Internet.” It’s never so dangerous as when a comment or story is credible. It makes sense. It’s the kind of thing that What’s His Name would say. Long before the Internet, people were inventing or repeating quotes and attributing them to famous people to add authority to their arguments.  

I'm writing to extend my sincere appreciation for your support during this campaign. When Michelle and I undertook this journey more than 21 months ago, we knew that we had to have your help in order for this movement to succeed.  

I know that change starts with me, and so I've been wracking my brain trying since Election Day to figure out how to become a better American. Then I thought of a quote Barack Obama said to his daughters during his victory speech: "You have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House." That's it! Take one of mine.   

I don't need to be the one to tell you that it's been a pretty rough week for a lot of people. This whole "getting a candidate we actually wanted and voted for" elected as the next president of the United States has left millions upon millions of us — except the rich assholes who voted for John McCain — without things to complain about.  

Anyone who drove down I-75 last week near St. Bernard probably thought to themselves, You know what? The air smells really great now that Barack Obama has been elected president. It just goes to show you the power of a liberal, progressive black man being elected to our nation's highest office.   

You know the old saying about dogs that chase cars: What are they going to do with the car if they ever catch it? Last week Barack Obama caught a car. Hell, he caught every car in the country at the same time. By extension, all of us who supported Obama in his presidential bid caught a piece of the car, too.  

BREDDENBERG, GERMANY – Being here the week after Sen. Barack Obama became President- Elect Barack Obama came as a somewhat unexpected surprise. The citizens of Germany are as happy as I am.  

Today is the dawn of a new day, the beginning of a new age, the start of something big. And, as always, when new doors open others close. Of course I’m referring to the start of CityBeat’s 15th year of publishing. This issue of CityBeat in print is Volume 15, Issue 1, a momentous turning of the calendar. Oh yeah, the United States has a new president-elect today. I guess that’s pretty big news as well. I write this column on Election Day not knowing the results of the presidential contest, but I have a good feeling that Barack Obama will prevail. You’ll know by time you read these words; if you don’t and we’re headed to a repeat of the Florida fiasco in 2000, God help us all.  

Change is in the air across the United States, but some things remain constant: for example, the slow pace of tabulating ballots in Hamilton County. But given the dramatic finish to the nearly two-year-long race for the White House, the local problems were just an annoying delay.  

With the economy still reeling from recent bank failures and credit crunches, a couple of artists in New York City decided to show what it would look like if the economy were literally melting down.