I made a comment about "Hints from Heloise" in another thread, and it got me to thinking of all those newspaper advice columns that I always used to read, but have not even thought of since I stopped subscribing to print media. They gave advice on everything ranging from relationships to horoscopes to getting gum out of your hair. Who were some of your favorites? Do you recall any that might have only been in your local papers (not nationally syndicated?)
I suppose Dear Abby was my favorite. I think she had a replacement, maybe more than one, but I quit reading it at some point. I think those columnists have been replaced by social media influencers now and I certainly don’t want to follow any of them.
I used to read Sydney Omarr's horoscopes. The guy was born Sidney Kimmelman, and because he was into numerology he changed the spelling of his first name and took on the name of a Victor Mature character (Omar) as his last name, adding that extra R. He believed he had been an astrologer in many previous lifetimes, and he was able to do full planetary horoscopes in his head when given an individual's birth coordinates and birth time. Omarr said his column was popular because he always kept the horoscopes positive and upbeat. I wonder what that statement implies regarding the accuracy/honesty of them.
"The grass is always greener over the septic tank."-Erma Bombeck From Wiki: Bombeck was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (an incurable and untreatable genetic condition) when she was 20 years old (1947.) She married 2 years after the diagnosis and had 3 children. She survived breast cancer and a mastectomy and kept secret the fact that she had kidney disease, enduring daily dialysis. She went public with her condition in 1993. After she spent years on a waiting list for a transplant, one kidney had to be removed, and the remaining one ceased to function. On April 3, 1996, she received a kidney transplant. She died on April 22, 1996, aged 69, from complications of the operation.
I guess everyone knows that Ann Landers (Esther Pauline Lederer nee Friedman) and Abigail Van Buren (Pauline Esther Lederer nee Friedman) were twin sisters from Iowa.
I agree. The relationship advice columnists made it interesting to read about other folks' life issues, but Miss Manners had practical advice that we could actually apply to our less-dramatic lives. Unlike Dear Abby and Ann Landers, Miss Manners (Judith Martin) is still alive and well at the age of 84. She was born, raised and still resides in DC. Her father was an economist with the UN, and she spent part of her childhood living different world capitols. One might assume that is where she learned the art of etiquette. The most frequently asked question she receives is how to politely demand cash from potential gift-givers (which she answers by stating that there is no polite way to do this), and the second most common question is how much potential guests must spend on a gift (determined by what the giver can afford, not by the event, relationship, related expenses or other factors.) Martin identifies "blatant greed" as the most serious etiquette problem in the United States. Ten years ago her 2 children began sharing credit for the Miss Manners column, which is still carried in newspapers.