From TED, Gever Tulley talks about our new wave of overprotected kids — and spells out 5 (and really, he's got 6) dangerous things you should let your kids do. Boyhood before the Xbox: Virtual adventures didn't begin with 3D graphics and computer games — neither did parental anxiety. Should you feel guilty if your children spent a lot of time in front of the TV? A review of Into the Minds of Babes: When to Relax and When to Worry About How Screen Time Affects Children from Birth to Age Five by Lisa Guernsey. Why is risky behavior so common among teenagers and what might be done to curtail it? Can't you all just get along? Experts have plenty of advice for new parents — if only they could agree.

From Sirens, should women be surprised when men say no? From American Sexuality, time for T and macho men? Testosterone levels linked to women’s preferences for masculine men. Virgin or slut, pick one: Why teenagers are so screwed up about sex and their bodies. A look at how porn is screwing up young men's expectations of sex. Young, horny and impotent: Traumatic Masturbatory Syndrome can ruin your sex life — good thing it’s reversible. Life after masturbation: Advice for a mother who’s walked in on her son during a private moment. Do Me: Sex Tales from Tin House, an eclectic literary anthology dedicated to sex in all its glorious iterations, offers an entertaining if uneven read.

From The American Conservative, here's a reality-based assessment of Iran’s nuclear capability. The Western image of a closed society of mullahs dictating every Iranian's thoughts and movements is far from the reality. From NYRB, Max Rodenbeck is an American in Iran; and Michael Massing on as Iraqis see it. "The US got rid of one Saddam and replaced him with 50": An article on the politics of the local in Iraq. Juan Cole on the top 10 myths about Iraq in 2007. Fred Kaplan on six months that could change Iraq: Three post-surge scenarios. A tall order for a Marine: Divining how to treat the ally who tried to kill you in Anbar Province. Some US soldiers have spent so much time in Iraq, it feels like home. An interview with George McGovern on Out of Iraq: A Practical Plan for Withdrawal Now.

1905 and the Birth of Modernity: An excerpt from Savage Century: Back to Barbarism by Therese Delpech. A century on the edge, 1945-2045: The era of nuclear weapons and of global climate change poses dangers to human existence which must be addressed in coming decades. A review of As the World Burns: 50 Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial by Derrick Jensen and Stephanie McMillan. Blame it all on the '70s: An interview with Thomas Hine, author of The Great Funk: Falling Apart and Coming Together (on a Shag Rug) in the Seventies. The secret library of hope: Twelve authors on war and peace, dissent, the environment and the empowerment of the poor provide inspiration to transform the world in 2008.