August 9, 1974, was a momentous day in American history, not just because my first child, Rachel Tiven, was born in Atlanta that morning but also because a resigned President Richard Nixon left the White House in disgrace at lunchtime headed for political oblivion in California.

Safe travels, stay safe and other phrases are are part of our vernacular in today’s dangerous America.

Have you noticed how we casually toss out "Be safe" every day? If someone's off to work, school, or just running errands, it's like a reflex. I guess it makes sense—safety feels more precious now than ever.

A black moon refers to the occurrence of two new moons within a single month.
The lunar cycle of a new moon is approximately 29.5 days, which means that, on a rare occasion, it can happen twice in a single month. Hence, the black moon is the extra new moon in a cycle.

I recently received a response from a colleague that stated they did not know what my email message was all about.

My response was for him to read the Subject line and it would immensely become clear as a bell.

Pure as the sound of a bell; also, readily understood. For example, Did you understand the message I left you? —Yes, clear as a bell . This simile, which alludes to the bell's clarity owing to lack of overtones, was already a proverb in John Ray's English Proverbs (1670).