With the discovery that last week's terrorist attacks in London were the work of suicide bombers, analysts, experts and other airbags are arguing there is no way for Western Europe to protect itself against this kind of vulnerability. But 20 months the Sept. 11 al-Qaida attacks in the United States, the venerable Atlantic Monthly ran an essay written by journalist Bruce Hoffman in which he cites success in Israel's fight against suicide bombers and shows how they can be applied to the United States and Western Europe. He argues police must understand the terrorists' milieu and methods of operation (e.g. when, where and why they strike), build stronger ties to the communities that produce potential suicide bombers, alert businesses that sell materials that can be used to produce bombs to report suspicious purchases, etc. It also offers practical advice for city planners: use solid materials in construction of buses, park benches or whatever, so they don't become unintentional shrapnel in a suicide bombing. "Israeli buses and bus shelters are austere for a reason," he writes.

Harry Potter Casts His Spell Again

The countdown  has begun. In two days time, the next instalment of the Harry Potter series will hit the shelves and the accompanying media circus is once again gearing up for the big event. J. K. Rowling , the author of the Harry Potter series -- and the world's first billionaire novelist -- will begin reading from Harry Potter Six at the stroke of midnight on Friday night. The reading will be broadcast live on television and rather than giving traditional interviews, she has invited seven children to represent the world's English language media. The kids will be the only ones allowed to grill the Potter author about the new book.

Fan sites  are oozing with hype and rumors about the latest in the series but Rowling herself is remaining tight-lipped. Speaking of which, many sites are devoted to the minutiae of the wizard series, including one study of Harry Potter and dermatology . And last year, French newspaper Le Monde famously devoted its editorial pages to discussing whether Harry Potter was a neo-liberal or anti-capitalist.

News that one of the central characters is to be killed-off will delight legions of Potter-haters  around the world. Religion  has long been suspicious of this young, imaginary boy and there has also long been amazement and disgust at how an innocuous story about a wizard became the publishing equivalent of the second coming. There is no point trying to escape it though. Harry Potter -- for better or worse -- will be everywhere for the next few weeks. Those whose knowledge is slightly rusty, should start cramming now .

Poker Raised to Prime Time

Extreme sports were fun for awhile. It was fun to imagine oneself surfing gigantic waves in Hawaii or free-climbing the North Face of the Eiger. But let's be honest. For most of us, it required an incredibly vibrant imagination. The newest trend in television leisure though is a bit more blue collar -- and is easier for us mortals, with our expanding waist lines, to imagine playing. Poker. Since poker tournaments began making regular appearances on the tube -- including one reality-esque show that allows the viewer to see all players' cards -- the popularity of the game, particularly the online variety, has shot through the roof. Not only that, but the average poker player is no longer the over-sized, cowboy-hat wearing character we know from Hollywood, but hip, young professional players a la Daniel Negreanu and Erick Lindgren.