BookTV This Weekend

There's several programs that look to be quite interesting that'll be shown this weekend on BookTV:

Pornified: How Pornography is Transforming our Lives, our Relationships, and our Families
In "Pornified" Pamela Paul argues that women are being urged to embrace pornography in today's culture. She is joined by several authors who have written books about the current sexual state of America to discuss how pornography affects relationships as well as the effect porn has on children. Panelists include Nadine Strossen, author of "The Government Vs. Erotica," Nelson George, author of "Hip Hop America," Ariel Levy, author of "Female Chauvinist Pigs," Kay Hymowitz, author of "Liberation's Children," and Catherine Orenstein, author of "Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked." This event was hosted by New School University in New York City. (A debate concerning this book can be found up at Slate.)

Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life's Origin
Robert Hazen discusses the latest scientific thinking on the origin of life in the universe. Professor Hazen explains that the evolutionary process is accompanied by a trend towards more complexity. He outlines this and other features of the evolution of life and provides a critique of intelligent design. The talk was hosted by Iowa State University. Professor Hazen answers questions from the audience following his remarks.

Reaching for Power: The Shi'a in the Modern Arab World
In "Reaching for Power" author Yitzhak Nakash examines what the rise of the Shi'a means for the Arab world. During the event the author chronicles Shi'i history and argues that in order for Iraq to achieve political success the country must be unified.

Purple Hearts: Back from Iraq
Nina Berman talks about the photographs she took of wounded Americans who served in Iraq. Ms. Berman explains why she decided to take the photographs and describes how she found the 20 veterans who ended up in her book, "Purple Hearts." The talk was hosted by the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum (nvvam.org), where Ms. Berman's photographs will be displayed until April 30, 2006. Includes Q&A.

But wait - there's more!! Here's the full schedule.