Over the past several years Canadian and international trade policy has been the subject of intense public debate, and near the top of Canada's publicpolicy agenda. The present volume is offered as a further contribution topublic understanding of the policy issues involved. It represents theoutcome of a study over the past two years of how heightened internationalcompetition moves governments, on the one hand, to reinforce barriers toimports as a means of protecting domestic producers and, on the other hand, to encourage and assist producers to adjust to change.
Introduction to A De-Masculinization of Strength, Andrew Charniga, Sportivnypress.com A De-Masculinization of Strength is one of a kind in – depth analysis of the evolution of the elite female weightlifter. Beginning with progress of the female world records relative to those of the men since the introduction of world weightlifting championships for women in 1987; social, physiological and psychological factors involved in the achievements are covered. Considerable incite is offered into the how and why female lifters have overcome social – psychological barriers to achieve high results in male dominated realm of strength. “The psychotropic quality of aggressiveness is a natural peculiarity of the male weightlifter in response to the ascending weight of the barbell.” “Sport scientists Medvedyev (RUS) {1999} and CAO (CHN) {1993} both believe the female weightlifter’s ability to accommodate this massive training load is because the female organism has low levels of testosterone.” “It is more common knowledge than common application that exercises requiring high power necessitate performance against a backdrop of overall relaxation”. “…the male weightlifter is not as capable of performing a complex speed – strength skill exercise like the clean and jerk as efficiently as the female weightlifter; due to the male’s reliance on pyramiding levels of aggressiveness to perform this exercise.” “The psychotropic quality of aggressiveness is a natural peculiarity o the male weightlifter in response to the ascending weight of the barbell.” “Relaxed straining would seem to be an oxymoron.” “The East German sports science authorities decided “to administer testosterone as well as dihydrotestosterone by nasal spray, especially in those events in which the psychotropic effects of testosterone, such as increased aggressiveness, are considered important, as well as to evade doping tests.” (Franke, Berendonk, 1997). “… extensive observations over a period of many years, many top female lifters are able to perform the jerk from the chest even after a very fatiguing clean, precisely because they lack this quality of aggressiveness, i.e., the overzealous, impulsiveness which inhibits the ability to switch effectively from a simpler power movement in order to physically and psychologically re – gather.”
On January 1, 1989 the Canadian government began to implement the free trade deal that it had completed with the Government of the United States on October 4, 1987. Before signing the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) the Canadian government had sought exemption from the use by the United States of its ‘unfair’ trade law system of anti-dumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVDs). While the U.S. ‘unfair’ trade law system is presumed to be based on principles agreed to in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), economists, and other scholars, have contended that the system is not being applied properly; by reducing the harm caused by the margin of the foreigners' subsidy or dumping practices. Instead, it is being used to provide shelter to U.S. based corporations and industries seeking import relief, where shelter represents a type of administered trade protection, since the actions are undertaken and paid for by the U.S. government. This abuse came to represent a serious problem for Canadian producers in the1980s, who are extremely reliant on exports to the United States. To an increasing degree they believed they had become the target of U.S. trade law actions by their U.S. competitors. The United States was, however, not prepared to eliminate its ‘unfair’ trade law system for Canada, but instead, agreed to the setting up of two dispute settlement mechanisms (DSMs) where Canadian and American citizens could sit on binational panels to hear the final review of complaints lodged against the administrative agencies actions in either country on AD and CVD cases under Chapter Nineteen of the FTA or on general trade disputes under Chapter Eighteen of the FTA. This book critically examines the development and implementation of these two DSMs over the January 1, 1989 to August 15, 1994 period. It also provides a broader analysis of the issues surrounding the problems of the application of the ‘unfair’ trade laws, by examining the Canada-U.S. FTA's DSM systems against the present use by Canada and the United States of the procedures available under the 1979 GATT Subsidies Code. It also examines the changes that have been made in the 1994 GATT Subsidies Code and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which has incorporated, with revisions, Chapter Eighteen and Nineteen as Chapter Twenty and Nineteen of the NAFTA, respectively, and extended access to these mechanisms to Mexico. This book primarily focuses on the application of CVDs and the adverse international affects of governments subsidies practices, though many of the issues raised are also applicable to the application of AD duties and the private subsidization activities of firms. The book finds that, first; the Chapter Nineteen DSM may provide some short-term benefits to Canadian producers, but for ensuring the long-run 313stability of Canadian producers access to their U.S. markets, including the eradication of harassment by U.S. based producers using the ‘unfair’ trade laws, Canada still needs to push for major changes to the CVD and AD processes in the NAFTA mandated Working Groups. Second, if Chapter Eighteen, or now Twenty of the NAFTA, is going to best serve the interests of Canadian, American and Mexican citizens, then it is going to have to be seriously revised to take into account some type of consumer welfare criterion. As NAFTA is presently written it has a strong bias, carried over from the Canada-U.S. FTA, toward producer interests which may detract from the long run interests of consumers in the NAFTA area. The ability of groups who seek redress for the closing of markets in the NAFTA area by the three Parties to the Agreement is very weak at the present time.
The Female in Weightlifting features a series of essays about the peculiarities of female weightlifters. Some history and the challenges of the participation of females in weightlifting “De- masculinization of strength”; “How the female weightlifter outgrew the lady bar” are presented. Unique stereotype debunking essays about how females ‘express’ strength’ “Expression of Strength in Weightlifting”; prepare for competition attempts: “Comparison of Warm Up Protocols of High Class Male and Female Weightlifters”. “Discrete alterations in facial expression, in all probability, mirror the female lifter's intrinsic abilities to optimize tension of muscles, i.e., to eliminate unnecessary tension for effective rapid switching the disposition of the body during the weightlifting exercises.” “The 'sleeping' female weightlifter receiving the full weight of the barbell in the low squat in figure 5 is a unique 'expression' of muscular strain, i.e., an ambiguity of nature.” “The point here is not point a finger, but to make the point: the strength of today’s women lifters is beyond the equipment, originally designed for a “weaker sex”, whatever that is.” An original and unique theory of the female weightlifter’s low injury susceptibility is presented: “Shouldn’t female weightlifters be injury prone”. … the ability to react quickly, in many respects, faster than males, to unanticipated circumstances, loss of balance, falling and so forth, with very rapid reflexive release of muscle tension to dissipate and/or otherwise re - distribute mechanical energy.” Three essays of this book have appeared in the EWF Science journal with another awaiting publication.
Introduction to Weightlifting Training and Technique I.P. Zhekov and various authors This book consists of translations of selected sections of two books: Ilya Zhekov’s The Biomechanics of the Weightlifting Exercises and Junior Weighlfiting by L.S. Dvorkin. European coaches and sport scientist have justifiably referred to Zhekov’s book as “god’s book of weightlifting”. Zkekov’s book incorporates unique perspectives from actual practice, biomechanics and even engineering concepts. In fact Zhekov left weightlifting later in his career to work for the Russian space agency, i.e., a seamless transfer from weightlifting biomechanics to rocket science. The rest o the book consists of various articles about weightlifting biomechanics, flexibility from R.A. Roman, A. Lukhashev, R.P. Moroz and others. “A correct execution of the movement is performed when there is no full extension of the knees, nor a significant rise onto the toes. The squat under begins when the athlete has straightened his knees to an angle of 165 - 170° and has only begun to rise onto the toes.” “A rational and consequently economical movement should begin with as great as speed as possible from the very beginning. (I.P. Zhekov, 1972) …”the weightlifter as a self – tuning system is confronted with the always present task to find such a movement structure which conforms to the required laws of physiology and will produce the maximum motor - effect. “the skill to execute the squat under in the presence of a slower barbell speed is also indicative of better technique; It is namely this skill that is important for lifting maximum weights”. I.P. Zhekov, 1976 “The feet, like the spine, are the support and “springing” apparatus of man. The arch permits the feet to become a “spring” . I.P. Zhekov, 1976
Injury Susceptibility in Sport consists of a series of essays examining the injury epidemic in American sports. Beginning with “Its all connected” and “Its all connected: Part II myths about injury susceptibility of female athletes are debunked leading up to the next eight essays covering the proliferation Achilles tendon ruptures in the NFL and NBA and various other lower extremities. A unique and radical method/theory of “reverse engineering” is proposed beginning in Part III, to determine etiology of injury susceptibility in American sport. Root causes of many lower extremity injuries emanate from strength and conditioning methodology, athletic trainers (taping & bracing of joints) physical therapists, doctors and assorted medicaments: “It should be emphasized such a simple assertion that strength and conditioning exercise techniques can predispose one to injury; must be inclusive the influences of the medical community, the academic community, the athletic training and physical therapy professions exert in the training room and on the athletic field.” “Inhibiting or otherwise tampering with this natural, reactive protective mechanism can create conditions, for a probable outcome; where taped feet, ankles and knees and/or otherwise trained to restrict range of motion, suffer disproportionate injury rates in sports with less stress on the joints than a maximum strain sport like weightlifting.” The final two essays “Why Safe is Unsafe” and injuries in the NBA are further corroboration of the correctness of the “Reverse Engineering” theory presented in the previous six essays. Several of the essays in this section have been published in the Science journal of the European Weightlifting Federation (www.ewf.com).
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