Umlaut and U

       Estase has been annoyed to hear Fox News personalities mispronounce the name of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller.  He chalked it up to the stupidity of the Fox personalities, until he watched CNN and saw them do the same thing.
        The umlaut is a piece of German punctuation (ȕ) that essentially means that the character is given extra depth.  An umlaut u is pronounced "ooh" rather than just "uh".  Since English doesn't use umlauts, Mȕller is rendered the other way, with an e after the u.  (Mueller)  Similarly, in the original German, Ferris Bueller would be Ferris Bȕller.  Bueller?  Bueller?
        So for the love of pete, stop pronouncing the Special Prosecutor's name "mull-er," and pronounce it "mew-ler."  Otherwise, you are demonstrating you aren't aware of the special relationship between umlaut and u.

Luella Foster Ausbury (d. 1909)

       "Mrs. E.T. Ausbury died at her home, 220 South Dudley Street {ed.- Macomb, IL} at 10:55 Thursday evening, of a complicated trouble from which she had been suffering for the past five months and twenty days.  Short funeral services were held at the residence at 12:30 Sunday.  The remains were then taken to the Pennington Point church, where the services were held at 2:30, rendered by Rev. Thompson, interment in the cemetery there.
       Luella Foster was born in Eldorado township {ed.- McDonough County, IL}.  She was united in marriage to E.T. Ausbury Oct. 12, 1892.  About three years ago they moved to this city, where they have since resided.  She was a member of the Presbyterian church.  The following children survive her:  Ralph, Edward and Mary A. of this city.  She is also survived by the following brothers and sisters:  Roy and Henry of Eldorado township:  J.L., Industry township:  Mrs. William Vail, Table Grove:  Mrs. Nellie Barclay, Scotland township:  Miss Eva Foster, Table Grove.
       She has led an upright, Christian life, was a dutiful wife, a kind neighbor, and leaves many friends in the city and vicinity to mourn."

Macomb Daily Journal 1 APR 1909

Prelude to Carnage, Part Two

       The First World War led to the Armenian Genocide and the creation of the Soviet Union.  It involved the suspension of Europe's moral standards.
       Preceding American involvement in World War I, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson centralized Federal power in a way that had never been done before.  This allowed Wilson to manipulate the news, censoring coverage of German sabotage, and eventually creating popular opinion in favor of American involvement.

The nature of

World War I, with its casualties measured by the hundred-thousand, introduction of chemical weapons and massive artillery barrages broke down the barriers between normal war and genocide.  Thus, it came as no surprise when the Ottoman Empire decided to resolve its issues with its Armenian population.

       Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a stabilizing influence that united disperate ethnicities, its ancient, amoral relationship with the Ottoman Empire tarnished its moral legitimacy, and gave an element of truth to Entente propaganda.  Allied with militaristic, Prussia-dominated Germany, it is hard to believe that the Central Powers' victory in the war would have been benign, or that Hitler's rise out of the Weimar era could have been prevented by their victory.