Send listings two weeks in advance to braincity@seattleweekly.com.

Jehane Noujaim The director of 2004’s Control Room, a documentary about the Arabic-language news network Al-Jazeera, speaks on the theme “Different Channels, Different Truths.” Shoreline Community College, 16101 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-546-4717, www.shoreline.edu. $12 ($10 seniors, $6 SCC students). 7:30 p.m. Wed., March 1.

Pamela Peeke The University of Maryland medicine professor (and former alternative-medicine scholar at the National Institutes of Health) explains the role of gender in health. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255, www.townhallseattle.org. $5. 7:30 p.m. Wed., March 1.

Scott Ritter The erstwhile United Nations weapons inspector dishes on how the CIA interfered with UN work in the Middle East to further U.S. foreign policy. Downstairs at Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255, www.townhallseattle.org. $5. 7:30 p.m. Wed., March 1. Also, signing his book “Iraq Confidential” at the downtown Barnes & Noble, 600 Pine St., 12:30 p.m. Thurs., March 2; and at the West Seattle Barnes & Noble, 2600 S.W. Barton, 7 p.m. Friday, March 3.

Gay Rights Debate Two influential black leaders, King County Executive Ron Sims and Ken Hutcherson, senior pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, discuss whether modern gay-rights legislation is akin to the African-American civil rights movement of the 1960s. Downstairs at Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255, www.townhallseattle.org. $5. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., March 2.

Dr. George Divoky The research associate at the University of Alaska’s Fairbanks Institute of Arctic Biology explains how global warming affects seabirds on Alaska’s Cooper Island and how this knowledge can be applied to climate change in the Puget Sound region. REI Flagship Store, 222 Yale Ave. N. 206-382-7007, www.pugetsound.org. $10. 7 p.m. Thurs., March 2.

Tony Buba The independent filmmaker will talk about his work and career and will screen two films: Voices From a Steeltown (about the decline of a once-thriving Pennsylvania steel town) and No Pets (about work and love and animals). The Evergreen State College Recital Hall, 2700 Evergreen Parkway N.W., Olympia, 360-867-6833, www.evergreen.edu/expressions/. Free. 8 p.m. Thurs., March 2.

Be Comfortable in Your Genes Author Daniel Becker, musician Danielle Henry, and nutritionist Julie Church will mark National Eating Disorders Awareness Week in this open-house event. Bring a pair of old jeans to donate to local charities and shelters. Seattle Center House, 305 Harrison St., 206-684-7200. Free. Noon-5 p.m. Fri., March 3.

Rev. Bernice Powell Jackson The North American president of the World Council of Churches will speak on the theme “Another World Is Possible” as part of Seattle University’s Great Theologians Lecture Series. Pigott Auditorium, 901 12th Ave., 206-296-5330, www.seattleu.edu/theomin. Free. 7-8:30 p.m. Fri., March 3.

Travel Abroad 101 Local nonprofit Crooked Trails teams with area experts to present tips on travel safety, destination planning, guide books and maps, choosing clothing and gear, inoculations, passports and visas, and—most importantly—how to travel with a purpose. REI Flagship Store, 222 Yale Ave. N. 206-372-4405, www.crookedtrails.com. $35. Noon-4 p.m. Sat., March 4.

Mel Hurtig The award-winning author kicks off a workshop-laden conference on peace inspired by the statement: “The root of war is fear.” Sponsored by the Thomas Merton Society of Canada. Canadian Memorial Church, 1825 W. 16th Ave., Vancouver, B.C., 604-669-2546, www.merton.ca. $65. 7:30 p.m. Fri., March 3. Conference is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., March 4.

Historian’s Guild Conference Pulitzer Prize–winning author and journalist Timothy Egan joins local historians and scholars for a daylong examination of life in the Puget Sound region between 1890 and 1950. Museum of History and Industry, 2700 24th Ave. E., 206-324-1126, www.seattlehistory.org. $40. 9 a.m.-5:30. Sat., March 4.

Break Out the Water Wings The Weather Channel’s West Coast Tsunami checks out the possibility of a devastating tsunami striking the Pacific Northwest after a massive out-at-sea earthquake. The episode examines the 1964 tsunami that killed 115 people in Alaska. The Weather Channel, www.whatifweather.com. 9:30 p.m., Sun., March 5.

Get Inside Your Head The HANDLE (Holistic Approach to NeuroDevelopment and Learning Efficiency) Institute looks at why some people have learning issues such as ADD or memory problems, then looks at nondrug alternatives for treating these neurological differences. Safeco’s Jackson Street Center, 23rd Ave. S. and Jackson St., 206-545-6111, www.handle.org. Free. 7-9 p.m. Tues., March 7.

Miwon Kwon The associate professor of contemporary art history at UCLA will discuss the works of Felix Gonzales-Torres and issues surrounding institutional art collections. Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E. Prospect St., 206-726-5011, www.cornish.edu. Free. 7:30 p.m. Tues., March 7.

Gloria Steinem The influential feminist, activist, and writer talks about what America and the world would look like “If Women Mattered.” Four (free) tickets per person, available at University Bookstore locations. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255, www.townhallseattle.org. 7 p.m. Wed., March 8.

Michio Kaku The well-known physicist and author explores parallel worlds—the far reaches of scientific speculation that another universe may be floating in hyperspace just a millimeter away on a membrane beyond our four dimensions. Downstairs at Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 206-652-4255, www.townhallseattle.org. $5. 7:30 p.m. Wed., March 8.