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In October, the Broward County Historical Commission got a new sign on the front of its newly renovated home at the old West Side School. That same week, the County Commission finalized a budget that axed its funding, laid off its staff, and consolidated it with the county libraries. Fortunately, the commission's museum stayed open: Exhibits highlight photographs and maps from when Broward was mostly swampland, and extensive archives are guarded by a state-of-the-art waterless sprinkler system. The thought of Broward County doesn't usually evoke much of an idea of "history," unless you mean "recent history of corruption." But the real history is accessible, at least for now.

If you try to learn Buddhism on your own, even the most basic information can get complicated. Your mind and body are not one. Your mind and body are not two. They are both one and two — "nonduality." What you need is a teacher, a person guiding you to enlightenment. Tubten Kunga Center for Wisdom Culture and the Study of Tibetan Buddhism offers the following classes: "Overview of the Buddhist Path, Mind and Awareness (Lo Rik)," "Buddhism for Beginners" (yay!), "Introduction to Meditation" (here we go!), "Tara Puja," "Medicine Buddha Puja" (think the Healing Buddha), "Lama Choepa Tsog," "Purification Practice" (nice!). You sit down in a cozy room full of gold decorations, Buddhas, and a portrait of the Dalai Lama himself, learning to keep your mind in the present. It helps to have a practice support group. You get that? Practice. Support. Group. Following the Dalai Lama on Twitter just ain't going to cut it, but do that anyway.

The silk-screened concert poster lives, and it's a sight to behold. Long after their neighbors in Fort Lauderdale's budding FAT Village arts district have gone to sleep, Chuck Loose and Ian Rowan crank out original designs showcasing South Florida's hottest touring acts (they have an exclusive contract with LiveNation, the country's largest concert promoter). On FAT Village's art walks, you can tour the studio. It smells like ink and vinyl and is bedecked with posters for sale: a perfect and inexpensive way to ease your apartment walls into cultured adulthood. Two years after they nabbed our first Best Silk Screening award, they're still the best little print shop in town.

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