+ arts & culture + HOROSCOPES >> WHAT'S YOUR Opportunity? KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2016 Aries (March 21-April 19) The next two days bring plenty of professional activity. New skills are required. Make a connection to take new territory. Avoid stress with short, frequent breaks. Taurus (April 20-May 20) Check your itinerary before dashing off. The next two days favor travel and study. Review long-range goals, and align current actions to suit. Keep your frugal ways. Explore and discover uncharted territory. Gemini (May 21- Gemini (May 21 June 20) Consider new possibilities. For the next two days, review financial arrangements. Discuss shared accounts, and align on priorities. Make plans, and keep your team informed. Opposites attract. Cancer (June 21- July 28) Cancer (June 21- July 22) Kindle passion with tender care. Refine plans for mutual motivation. Partnership negotiations occur today and tomorrow. Ask for what you want. Give generously. Get promises in writing. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) Energize your work today and tomorrow. A production streak checks things off your list. Get into powerhouse mode. Gather support for a project. Make agreements and deals. Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22) Sept. 22] Get carried away by someone's fascinating ideas. Share fun with family and friends today and tomorrow. Play and practice your arts. Consider tossing everything and starting over. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 21) The next two days are good for making changes at home. Get family to help. Talk it over. Draw up your fantasies, and limit to one shared dream. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) You're especially persuasive. Take advantage of your way with words over the next two days. Write a novel, comment or post. Upgrade your communications infrastructure. Learn like a child. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Bring home the bacon today and tomorrow. The more you complete, the higher you climb. Pay attention to maintain positive cash flow. Capricorn (Dec. 22 Jan. 19) You're becoming more confident and power- ful over the next two days. Make a personal change. Keep your promises, and make new ones for exciting projects. Photo Illustration by Jake Kaufmann/KANSAN Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 18) Aquarius Jan. 20- Fri. 18) You're entering a two-day pensive phase. Get into thoughtful planning mode. Get intimately involved with a project. Peaceful productivity suits your mood. Make nostalgic diversions. Listen to your heart. Pisces (Feb. 10 March 20 19-March 20) Group projects and team efforts go far over the next few days. Pay back a debt. Hold meetings and gatherings. Delegate tasks, and take advantage of diverse talents. Build a shared dream together. Lawrence's Fox Mulder: Local ufologist and alumnus believes the truth is out there ▶ COURTNEY BIERMAN @courtbierman Daniel Lauing is the kind of person that might have inspired the character of Fox Mulder from "The X-Files." Lauing, 64, is a Lawrence resident, 1974 University graduate and ufologist (yoof-ologist). He has spent the better part of his adult life studying the UFO phenomena and the government's alleged efforts to cover it up, as can be seen on his website. His appearance doesn't fit the conspiracy theorist stereotype; there's no tin foil on his head. He's well-groomed at the meeting with the Kansan, with a bushy grey mustache and clear, sincere eyes. Laung received a degree in Liberal Arts from the University in 1974 and returned to his home state of Illinois shortly afterward. It was in Chicago that he became obsessed with Carl Jung's theory of synchronicity — meaningful coincidence — that put him on his current path. On Dec. 2, 1992, three military aircraft crashed across North America. Lauing said he sees a link between supposed unidentified aerial phenomena and nuclear weapons. He said five C-14iBs were flying in formation in the northern United States before two of them collided along the Canadian border in northern Montana. About half an hour later, a B-1B bomber crashed along the Mexican border in Texas. "That is just phenomenal that the Air Force would lose three of their largest planes specifically designed to carry atomic weapony, and, one day later, I'm at the University of Chicago at the golden anniversary of Enrico Fermi's controlled Pile-1 reaction; that was the creation, the energy needed for a self-sustained reaction needed for the atomic bomb," Laing said. Both crashes were covered by the media, but Lauing said it's all about synchronicity. He claimed the crashes occurred along an almost-perfect longitudinal axis. Not only that, but he said he thinks his very presence at the University of Chicago the very day after the crashes is indicative of something paranormal. He's even written a book on the subject: "Manitou, Fountains of the Deep," which was published in 2012. Much of "Manitou" is about the crash of United Airlines passenger flight 585, which Lauing said is related to UFOs and their "[fascination] with atomic weaponry and nuclear-related endeavors." He spoke to the Kansan about cattle mutilations in McPherson County, UFO sightings over Haskell University and Hillary Clinton's campaign Chairman John Podesta's efforts towards the disclosure of UFO files. Media like "X-Files" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" upset Lauing. He said he thinks people like Steven Spielberg exploit ufologists' hard work without furthering the cause, and he wishes Spielberg would help fund UFO research. ...nothing's ever going to happen There will never be disclosure." Daniel Lauring Ufologist "There's nothing that's ever going to be done [about disclosure]," he said. "Steven Spielberg and the producers of 'The X-Files' on Fox are going to make all their fortunes off of it, and nothing's ever going to happen. There will never be disclosure." In 2011, Lauing organized the Reykawik Summit at Liberty Hall. The inaugural event brought together UFO experts from all over the country for three days of lectures. The word "Reykawvik" is the portmanteau of "Reykjavik," the capital city of Iceland where Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev held a summit meeting in 1986 to negotiate a nuclear treaty, and "Kaw," the name of the Native American tribe from which Kansas gets its name. Rob Fitzgerald, former events manager of Liberty Hall, worked with Luang to organize the summit. He said, apart from the subject matter, it wasn't a particularly unusual event. "They had some really interesting speakers," Fitzgerald said. "Of course, the subject matter is a little bizarre, people might say. Belief in extraterrestrials or not, some of these people had pretty compelling stories. They obviously believe what they're taking about, and they experienced something." Lauing is very much aware of the stigma associated with his work. He frequently uses the term "kiss of death" to describe his career. No matter how wild and irrational his beliefs may seem, Lauing genuinely believe he's making the world a better place with his work - and it's not just alien stuff. He and his partner John Leatham, who assists Lau- ing with his writing and research, are currently working on a book about Abraham Lincoln's role in the Sand Creek Massacre. They hope to bring justice to the dozens of Cheyenne Indians killed by United States militiamen in 1864. "When an individual receives an iconic stature of immortality and basic superiority over everybody else, and then they're worshipped for it for centuries and beyond, and it's not true, it needs to be put out there that it's not true." Leatham said. It's not about convincing everyone he knows that UFOs are real, he said. From the outside, it looks like his unending quest is one for peace of mind. With so many people around you telling you you're crazy, can you blame a guy for trying to prove that he isn't? "There is a whole genre. And once you get to know these people, they're mortally sane." Laung said. "They're normal. They have business lives. And you just sit there and go okay. My persona has been decoded to accept all this. I know that it's real. I can accept it." Edited by Michael Portman Art from Spencer Museum still visible through Collections Open House despite renovations MINSEON KIM @adropofsunny The Spencer Museum of Art's "Collections Open House" features ceremonies and rituals in African Art this month. The installment, which happened yesterday, is from the museum's Global Indigenous Collections. "We have everything from masks that would have been used in initiation rituals to materials related to the brewing and consumption of beer, which was a highly-ritualized ceremonial activity," Associate Collection Manager Angela Watts said. This series is only one part of the AT LARGE program through the museum. This program allows the museum to continue to bring out artwork for people to see, despite the fact that the museum has been closed for renovations, which will continue until mid-2016. Cassandra Mesick, the curator of Global Indigenous Art, said the Collections Open House provides an opportunity for students to still see some of the museum's collection. Watts said the series also allows the museum to shed light on items that have not been on display at the museum. "Several of these items have actually not been on the display yet," she said. Mesick said the museum uses the program as an opportunity to showcase standouts in its collection. "We are also trying to just use this to highlight what we've received as real strengths and highlights of our collection," Mesick said. The next Collection Open House will open March 28 at the Commons in Spooner Hall, featuring Native American ceramics of the Southwest. - Edited by Samantha Harms Kelcie Matousek/KANSAN As part of their AT LARGE program, the Spencer Museum of Art held an African art exhibit in the Spooner Hall Commons today. Among the pieces were items such as a Makishi mask (right) that was worn during initiation rituals, and a funerary portrait (center) which were put on graves and were supposed to be a mixture between a portrait of that person and an idealized version of the deceased. 4