8
CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, September 21, 1994
3A
Martial arts helps students clear their heads, begin the day
By Shannon Newton Kansan staff writer
Nicole Vasco went to Campanile hill at 6 a.m. yesterday to clear her head.
"I do it to escape," said Vasco, Stillwell junior. "It's peaceful, and I can block out the world."
Vasco is one of 25 students who participated in a morning meditation session conducted by Michael Ur, KU Karate instructor.
"I learned about the meditation from my martial arts master," Ur said. "It was very beneficial to me, so I decided to teach it to my students."
Ur teaches five different karate classes at Robinson Gymnasium and allows his students to participate in a weeklong meditation training every semester.
The students arrived for yesterday's session before the sun came up and quietly stretched to prepare for the training.
They began the session with a 40 minute physical workout.
"This training is to challenge yourself," Ur told them. "Don't worry about anyone else around you."
Ur told the students to concentrate on combining their minds and bodies
"Without your mind working together with your body, your body is only material," Ur said. "It can't become stronger."
After the physical training the students had a mental training.
The students sat with their legs crossed and their eyes closed.
"Sense the new day," he said, "Feel the wind. Hear the birds."
Ur said that meditation helped people learn how to focus and concentrate.
"It helps with studying and for life in general because people learn to focus on one thing," he said.
Ur said that that meditation could benefit people in all areas of their lives.
"Sometimes when I watch basketball games I wonder why the players don't try meditating." Ur said. "If the players would focus their energy on shooting, our free throws would be incredible."
"I want them to work beyond what they think they can accomplish," he said.
Ur wants to teach his students that the only limits they have are the ones they create.
Vasco said it was not that difficult to wake up for the sessions because it was something she enjoyed.
"It's a great way to start the day," Vasco said. "It's a great way to escape stress. I close my eyes and think about everything around me."
Paul Kotz / KANSAN
"I will be getting my black belt in December, and the meditation has always helped my form."
Sun said that the concentration skills he had learned had helped him with his study habits.
"Focusing helps me gain power on other areas of my life, especially with my studies," he said.
David Burgett(right), Overland Park senior, and Charlie Sun, Springfield, Mo. senior, meditate on Campanile Hill. Burgett and Sun were among approximately 15 students that participated in the early morning meditation Tuesday morning.
15-day hunger strike is ended by doctor; Man's health was in question after pains
Lawrence resident's mission produces national attention, but card hasn't been recalled
By Nathan Olson Kansan staff writer
A Lawrence resident's 15-day hunger strike ended Monday on his doctor's orders.
The outside of the card shows a Muslim woman in face veil and reads, "Rather than confront her fear of germs, Millicent changed her name to Yazmine and moved to Tehran." Inside, the card reads, "So, you're feeling like Shite. Don't Mecca big deal out of it."
Mohammed Saeed had been protesting a get-well card made by Chicago-based Recycled Paper Greetings. Saeed, who received national attention for the strike, had said he would strike until the company issued an apology and recalled the card.
Saeed subsisted on water, fruit juice and daily vitamin pills throughout the strike. But after Saeed complained of chest pains last week, his doctor told him that if he did not stop the strike, he could damage his heart.
Saeed said he would be seeing a doctor today to determine more specifically what was wrong with him.
Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the Council on Islamic-American Relations in Washington D.C., said that the council asked Saeed to end his strike.
"There is an Islamic principle that says you shouldn't do anything to harm yourself," Hooper said.
Hooper said Saeed's strike was beneficial because it brought national attention to the card and Recycled Paper Greetings.
Although Hallmark Cards Inc. does not carry Recycled Paper Greetings in its corporate-owned stores, last week the company announced that it would inform its independently-owned stores that it considered the card unacceptable. Hallmark also announced it would encourage Hallmark retailers to remove the card from their stores.
But Recycled Paper Greetings has done little, Hooper said.
"They have not apologized for the card, nor have they recalled it," he said.
In response, Hooper said, a nationwide protest would take place Saturday in selected cities across the United States, including San Francisco and Chicago.
Saeed said that responses to the strike were positive.
"The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post and The New York Times have written about it," he said. "Here in Lawrence, a young man who said he runs two computer networks told me he was telling people to boycott the company."
Saeed said he hoped his protest had been effective.
"We want to say to people, 'Don't buy the card,'" he said. "That way, we'll hit them where it counts: in their pocketbooks."
"I'm now craving vegetables and salads," he said. "Before I really didn't like vegetables. Now I can't seem to eat red meat."
Saeed said that one strange effect of the strike was that his food preferences were changing.
"The first thing I did when my doctor told me to eat was go to Penny Annie's Sweet Shoppe on Massachusetts Street and have a chicken taco salad and a root beer float."
"Other than an occasional Wendy's attack, the thing I missed the most was cherry pie and peach pie," he said.
He said he thought the change might have to do with his body being depleted of vitamins.
Candidates work 40-hour week in quest for a Kansas House seat
Candidates agree that door-to-door campaign works best
By James Evans
Kansan staff writer
Troy Findley and Eric Schmidt have found a new full-time job. The Democratic and Republican first-time candidates for the 46th Kansas State House District are finding out just what it takes to run for the house seat.
"It's pretty much like a second job," Findley, of Lawrence, said.
He said that he was spending 35 to 40 hours a week on campaigning for the House seat. Findley still works to help other Democratic candidates on their campaigns as Kansas Democratic Party-County Outreach Director.
Findley said that he decided to run for the house seat in May when Mary Jo Charlton retired from the position.
Findley said that he started meeting with voters in July.
"Before the primary, I tried to door-to-door on a daily basis," Findley said. He finds door-to-door one of the most effective ways to campaign, since an estimated 13,000 to 14,000 registered voters are in the district.
Since the primary, in which he beat Dick Small of Lawrence, the amount of time he had spent on his campaign has increased.
He said that he had 10 to 20 core
people working with him to help on his campaign on any given day. For special campaign events the volunteer help increased to 50 or 60 people.
Eric Schmidt
He could not estimate how
much his campaign costs would run until the Nov. 8 election.
"We'll spend as much as we money as we need to win," Findley said.
Schmidt, Findley's opponent who is also a financial consultant, has also been spending a lot of time on the campaign trail. He said that he worked around 40 hours a week on his campaign.
To get out his campaign message, Schmidt said that he had spoken to different community groups, the media, and done door-to-door campaigning.
Schmidt, who is also from Lawrence, said that he would probably spend around $7,000 for his campaign. The largest campaign expense was printing costs for campaign literature.
"I've put some of my own money into the campaign and have done some fund raising also," Schmidt said. He raised funds for his campaign by a direct mail campaign, contributions, and from telephone solicitations.
Voting Districts
Dave Campbell, Nathan Olson / KANSAN
Dave Campbell, Nathan Olson / KANB Russell Getter, associate professor of political science, said Schmidt's estimation of $7,000 for an open Kansas state seat is a reasonable figure.
"Candidates can spend up to $20,000 for a seat," he said. "It cost more to run for office depending on how you run the campaign."
Getter said door-to-door campaigning in urban districts, such as Lawrence's 46th district, was effective.
"The door-to-door campaign is the standard particularly if the candidate is new to the citizenship," he said. "If your one of the older candidates you can use things such as mail."
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