'Star Wars' DVD changes

Curious about just what changes George Lucas made for the DVD release of the original "Star Wars" trilogy? Then check out these links:

• The Digital Bits highlights noticeable changes in all three films, comparing old and new scenes with nifty side-by-side screen captures.
• MovieWeb has compiled some extensive galleries showing rejiggered scenes and previous versions. Alas, they're not captioned so it's a little tough to figure out which is which.
• CNN lists five major changes in the trilogy, including redubbed voice parts.

Disunity in the EU

The "clash of civilizations" appears to be alive and well across the Atlantic. More than 300 years after the siege of Vienna, lingering anti-Muslim (or, at least, anti-Turk) sentiment divides Europe as Turkey seeks to join the European Union, the Guardian reports. The headline pretty much sums it up: In 1683 Turkey was the invader. In 2004 much of Europe still sees it that way.

Liechtenstein makes news

Here's something you don't see very often: Liechtenstein, the world's sixth smallest country by land area, is the focus of an Associated Press story today.

Measuring just 62 square miles, Liechtenstein is about two-thirds the size of the city of Seattle and has about 1/16th the population.

On a somewhat related note, About.com has a useful list of the world's 17 smallest countries, each taking up less than 200 square miles.

Net lures the young

There are few surprises in the Online Publishers Association's most recent Generational Media Study, gauging how different age groups view different media (download full report as 224K PDF). For example, the Internet is the top medium of choice for 18- to 54-year-olds, with 47 percent of respondents saying they spend more time online now than they did a year go. TV comes in a not-that-close second, but is used more for entertainment than information, which remains the Internet's bailiwick.

I did spot one interesting nugget, however: "Fifty percent of 18 to 24 year-old newspaper readers say they trust the news they get in newspapers, compared to only 35% of 35 to 54 year-old readers."

Encouraging factoid or symptom of youthful naivete? I'm sure the cynics and pundits will have fun with that question.

An anti-protest law?

In Thou Dost Protest Too Much, on Slate.com, writer Jonathan M. Katz looks at how "an old law turns protesters into threats against the president."