If you still aren’t quite sure how a bill–regulating things such as, say, healthcare–goes from a little sparkle in a Congressman’s eye to a new law, you should check this out. Or, if you have an afternoon off and haven’t yet checked out the National Archives, this is a great excuse. My favorite part of the museum is listening in on recorded conversations of past presidents. Nothing like some good eavesdropping.

Here are the event details:

Friday, August 21, 2009
12:00 noon
Location: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

The 75th Anniversary National Archives Expert Series features staff experts who will focus on archival treasures discovered among the holdings of the National Archives.

Today, Michael White, managing editor, Federal Register, discusses How a Bill Becomes a Public Law.

Event InformationLocation: Jefferson Room
Admission: Free
Reservations: Not required

General Information

National Archives and Records Administration
Hours: Daily 10 am - 5:30 pm
Hours are subject to change. Please visit www.archives.gov for the most up-to-date information on museum, exhibit, and event hours.
Admission: Free and open to the public
Address: On Constitution Avenue, NW between 7th and 9th streets
Metro: Archives-Navy Memorial (Yellow or Green line)
Phone: 202-501-5000
Email: reservations.nwe@nara.gov

Thursday, July 23 from 4 to 5:15 p.m at the Woodrow Wilson Center, hear a renonwed expert, scholar and former foreign minister to Pakistan shed some light on the political situation and conflicts between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

From the website:

Riaz Mohammad Khan is the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Pakistan Scholar. Previously, he spent nearly four decades in Pakistan’s diplomatic service, where his last positions were foreign secretary (2005-08) and ambassador to China (2002-05). He also held posts dealing with Europe, Central Asia, Afghanistan, arms control, and disarmament. He is the author of Untying the Afghan Knot: Negotiating Soviet Withdrawal, written while he was a diplomat-in-residence at Georgetown University.