Three open mic nights give students the opportunity to perform. The Ark's monthly open mic begins at 8 p.m. with admission set at $2 for students. At Gypsy Cafe's "Wide Open Mic," anything is welcome, including poems, songs and readings. The Tap Room's "Open Mic Acoustic and Electric" is hosted by the Martindales, and begins at 9:30 p.m. V Weekend, etc. Magazine returns with a look at the rich history of the Blind Pig. Wednesday February 17, 1999 5 Artscapade celebrates community o ' artists By Julie Munjack For the Daily Back by popular demand, Artscapade in Winter has returned, but not merely for first-year students. Entering its third year, Artscapade *roduces incoming students to the cultural richness of the University. But as a result of its overwhelming success, the Museum of Art teamed up with the University's arts coordi- Artscapade accommodates many degrees of artistic interest. A wide range of activities is sched- uled for tomorrow night. Participants may challenge themselves in Arts Jeopardy and Arts Memory or make a mask for Mardi-Gras. If anyone is artistically inclined, he or she can make a mural. For those who have always wanted to be the center of attention, picture can be taken inside a work of art. There will be performances by 58 Greene (a local a cappella group) Al Hill (a renowned Ann Arbor jazz key- boardist) and David Zinn (a dramatic reader). While listening to the voices and instruments of these artists, one may relax at the "Apse Cafe" and enjoy free refreshments. In addition to the museum's regular exhibits, there will be exciting new galleries to view and to learn about during Artscapade. The haunting and Artscapade in Winter Museum of Art Tomorrow at 7 p.m. nator to make the same experience available for the entire student body. Artscapade attracted more than 2,000 stu- dents last year for a night of art- related games, music, comedy, faux-tours, a video festival and live drum- ming on the lawn. It is a per- powerful photography of Bill Jacobson's "Portraits, Songs, Thoughts, 1992-1997" will be on dis- play throughout the festivities. For a new perspective on life, one may view the photographs of Hana Hamplova in "The Recycled Word, 1979-1987." Her work features images of paper from a worker's view at a Prague recycling station. Relating to the exhibit, David Zinn will per- form a dramatic reading from a Czech short story that inspired Hamplova's work. The unique style and talent of "Magdalena Abakanowicz and the Headless Crowd" may provide an aes- thetic experience worth remembering. For those curious about what goes on behind the scenes in a museum, they may take a Tour from the Crypt: the Art Off-View, which provides stu- dents with a rare glimpse into the storage rooms of the museum. With more than 13,000 works unavailable to the public, this tour is a unique and incredible insight into the art world. "The purpose of Artscapade in Winter is to elevate students' experi- ence for the arts. Its goal is to answer the call for all students," said University Arts Coordinator Mary Craig. courtesy of Artscapode Musuem of Art Director James Stewart (right) speaks to students. 4t opportunity to take a study break, spend time with friends and to dis- cover the world of art. Whether one enjoys music, photog- raphy or just relaxing at a cafe, What better way to spend a Thursday evening than at the Museum of Art for a multi-faceted night of fun, growth and learning. Students who complete activities receive tickets that can be turned in at the prize table for a chance to win concert tickets, art books, film passes, CDs and posters. Courty a t Artcpde Students host a round of Arts Jeopardy at this past fall's Artscapade. Balancing the black and white of social justice New show questions alien life "Work of the eyes is done, now 'o and do heart-work." -Rainer Maria Wilke I went to see the movie "Dead Man Walking" when I was a senior in high school, on a first date with a guy from a neighboring school. I didn't know anything about the movie when I chose to see it, but I admired Tim Robbins, who directed the film, and heard that it received good reviews. It seemed like a movie that would ve me a topic of conversation with eone I did- n't know very x well. I guess the death penalty isn't really a good first-date topic. I have to. give my date credit - he bd the film t Gas "very intense" and Jessica attempted to sound intellec- Eaton tual and appre- ciate the sym- State of bolism - but the Arts he didn't really understand the point of the movie. The government can execute crimi- nals? Some criminals don't get com- ete legal defense? Wow, that's too Td. So, do you want to go get cof- fee? I, on the other hand, quickly became obsessed with the way the sensitive, controversial topic was presented in the movie. I can honest- ly say that it was the first time a film changed my life. The phrase, "dead man walking," is the guards' warning of a con- Omned prisoner on the tier being moved to the site of his execution. In 1982, Sister Helen Prejean (portrayed by Susan Sarandon) became a pen pal to Louisiana death-row inmate Elmo Patrick Sonnier (in the film, Sean Penn plays a fictional inmate with traits of both Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie, another death-row inmate also * Join Daily Arts. 763-0379 There's a whole world out there! Explore It with Contikl- The #1 tour for 18.35 veer olds advised by Prejean.) Sonnier and his brother, Eddie, were convicted of brutally murdering a high school couple and raping the girl. As the older brother, Patrick Sonnier was held more responsible by the courts and received capital punishment, while Eddie was sentenced to life in prison. Prejean befriended Sonnier, and while officially acting in the position of his "spiritual adviser," tried to help obtain legal aid for him and learned about the limited rights of prisoners, especially those unable to afford ade- quate legal counsel. (Nearly all of the prisoners on death row are indigent, cited Prejean in her written account. In addition, she stated, most executed prisoners are black Americans who have murdered Caucasians.) Her experience with Sonnier, who was executed in the electric chair in early 1984, and her work with the criminal justice system led her into years of activism fighting the death penalty - be it hanging, electrocution or lethal injection - as a form of pun- ishment. But Prejean was not one-sided in her compassion and recognition of the need for help. After working with prisoners' rights for several years, Prejean also founded programs in Louisiana to aid victims' relatives and to inform them of their rights in the judicial system. After seeing the film "Dead Man Walking," I quickly purchased a copy (now well-worn and dog-eared) of the book that inspired the film, Prejean's written account of her rela- tionships with death-row inmates and her beliefs about capital punish- ment. Prejean is not naive about the peo- ple she has dealt with in her work - she recognizes that as a free, kind- hearted woman with legal and politi- cal resources, there are many motiva- tions for prisoners to take advantage of her. But she also recognizes the occa- sional corruption in the judicial sys- tem, the often-politically-motivated government approval of a prisoner's death, and the way responsibility for the execution is displaced by employees who just want to do their job. In an ideal world, it would not be necessary to resolve these opposing sides of prisoner and society, of bad and good. In her writing, Prejean recognizes that the truth is not always black and white, and strug- gles to sort through the gray areas. The film depends on strong visual imagery to make its statement, and Penn portrays an unrepentant, self- proclaimed "victim of the political system" sacrificed to a bloodthirsty society. Prejean's written account, however, is powerful because it avoids such abstract images and con- centrates on the facts of capital pun- ishment - on how biased the judi- cial system can unintentionally be and on how fatal mistakes are some- times made. I don't admire Prejean solely because of her stance against capital punishment. I admire her compassion, and the way she has attempted to bal- ance the sides of justice - the right of a victim's family and of society, seek- ing vengeance for a violent crime, with the right of an individual to live. I admire her energy, and the strength it must have taken to record her work to share with a critical public. In my mind, she embodies what social activism should be. She works for jus- tice for all people, without becoming self-righteous or taking sides. To Sister Helen Prejean: Thank you. Without ever knowing it, you have become one of the most impor- tant role models in my life. And to that date back in high school, all those years ago: I'm sorry things didn't work out, Nic. It wasn't you, it was me. Prejean will be speaking at Rackham Auditorium on Monday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. See next week's Daily for an interview with Prejean and a review of her lecture. -Jessica can be reached via e-mail at jeaton@ umich.edu. By Anika Kohon For the Daily Numerous people claim they have experienced alien probes in virtually every orifice and appendage of their bod- ies. One man claims he was forced to have intercourse with an alien being. No, this is isn't "South Park," Cartman isn't farting fire and it isn't the alien zoo from "Slaughter-house Five either."' "Communion" author Whitley Confirmation: Strieber, who claims to have been The Hd abucted by aliens, sheds new light on Evidence of the subject with "Confirmation: The Aliens Among Hard Evidence of Aliens Among Us?," Us based upon the book of the same name. NBC Opening with an unoriginal high Tonight at 8 angle shot and a camera dollying down to reveal a host in a black trench coat, you know you're watching an NBC production. Either the special pays homage to "Unsolved Mysteries" with the opening or blatantly rips it off alto- gether. Either way, it establishes that the subject matter will be other-worldly Robert Davi ("Profiler") makes an appropriate narrator for the program. His narrative segments heighten the hyped-up atmosphere of the program as he walks through a dark forest shrouded in fog while he speaks. Davi takes us to Mexico on our first investigative endeavor, where we meet Jaime Maussan, the host of "Third Millenium," a show about UFO activity in Mexico. Maussan describes a video he received anonymously, shot Aug. 6, 1997, which reveals a large flying object. Maussan argues for its validity, while author and UFO skeptic, Phillip Klass, refutes it. Denrn Muren explains how they could have faked it. Muren, senior visual effects supervisor at Industrial Light and Magic whose eight Academy Awards for work on such films as "Star Wars" and "Jurassic Park," explains it would be easy for any neophyte with a simple computer-aided system to create the effect. Essentially, this is a microcosm for the entire show -someone claims he or she witnessed, experienced, or observed conclusive evidence of UFO's or alien beings while someone else goes to great lengths to contradict them. Although the first two segments are dry, it gets wilder from there. "Eyewitness" experiences range from seeing bright lights in bed to repeated abduction and forced intercourse with alien beings. Two different people liken the probe expe- rience to a sense of violation or rape, and all of them shriek horribly while they are under hypnosis. After footage of an unidentified object being removed out of a man's shin, he says, "I had this experience of emptiness sort of like a feeling like a pet had died, a sense of something missing." Maybe the iron alloy removed from his shin. Despite the extraordinary material "Confirmation" con- veys in an exaggerated manner, it is not entirely terrible. There are many learned individuals on both sides who argue their cases in a reasonable intelligent manner, giving both sides of the story. It's not as bad as an anal probe but not as good as sex with E.T., either. I - -" The diploma you can- wear. a4 I BOB fftw..r.