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SMOOTHTALKER --"LEKKERBEK" IN AFRIKAANS--
WAS CREATED IN CANADA FOR SOUTH AFRICANS
NOW LIVING IN CANADA, THOSE IN THE PROCESS
OF MOVING HERE AND ALL THEIR FRIENDS AND
FAMILY ALL OVER THE GLOBE! ARTICLES, IMMI-
GRATION STORIES, ADVERTISEMENTS, POEMS,
NEWS & VIEWS ARE MOST WELCOME.


IMPORTANT NEW RULE
FOR BORDER SECURITY GUARDS
OTTAWA - The job of assessing immigrants and refugee claimants at the border will be handed over entirely to border security guards, removing a key border responsibility from immigration workers, the federal government announced recently. From now on, security certificates that declare a person a security risk and kick-start a secretive deportation process, will have to be signed by two federal ministers : the citizenship and immigration minister and the solicitor general - instead of just the solicitor general alone. That reverts to the former way of doing things. As well, the federal government is giving back to the immigration department the job of conducting pre-removal risk assessments on people facing a deportation order. Those risk assessments sometimes lead to a stay of a deportation order; for example in a case of extreme civil unrest in a home country, where the deportee remains without legal status in Canada until the order can be safely carried out. Immigration lawyer Lorne Waldman welcomed that change. Waldman had challenged the federal government in court, saying it was a conflict to have under the same management team the officers responsible for deportations and those responsible for assessing whether a deportee faced personal risk in a third country. The transfer of responsibilities allows the immigration department to "focus on citizenship, selection, settlement and integration of immigrants while also offering Canada's protection to those in need." Waldman said the change to the issuing of security certificates is a common-sense move. "Given the limited procedural protections (to a person subject to a security certificate) ... anything that makes more people accountable for signing a security certificate is a positive one in my view," said Waldman.







A+
F O R
C A N A D A
Canadians boast a higher rate of post-secondary education than people in any other developed nation, according to a sweeping global report card released recently. Fully 41 per cent of Canadians are either college or university graduates - more than any country, including the United States, with 37 per cent, and Japan, with 34 per cent, said the 400-page report by Statistics Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada. Students in this country have more computers in their classrooms than their peers around the world and twice as much Internet access as students in the United States. But with Canada now spending more on health than it does on education, researchers warn these achievements come at a price. "For the first time, health spending is, to some extent, crowding out education spending. Yet we know that people who are better educated will have better health, and health costs overall will be lower," said Paul Cappon, director-general of the council, which released the third "Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program." Canadian taxpayers spent about 73 billion Dollars (about R431 billion), in 2000 on health - or 17 per cent of all government spending - compared to 63 billion Dollars on education, amounting to 15 per cent, said the report, a compendium of data gathered every four years. This is a reversal from 10 years ago, when Canadians spent 13.5 per cent of their tax dollars on health care and 14.4 per cent on education. Health spending first outstripped education spending in 2000. "As a society, is this a conscious choice to spend more on health than education?" Cappon asked. It's a change that could have a negative impact on both the health of Canadians and their ability to pay for strong health care, warned Scott Murray, Statistics Canada's director-general of institutions and social statistics. "Education traditionally drives health - it reduces health costs and creates the wealth that allows us to have a strong public-health system," Murray said. "So it's worth looking at this substantial reversal of a long-standing trend." Canada relies increasingly more on private dollars for public schooling - with a 16 per cent jump in private funding over four years, largely for colleges and universities, but only a 4 per cent rise in public funding. In a trend consistent from Canada to Japan, boys continue to lag behind girls in the 3 R's: Boys fall behind girls in every developed country on tests of reading, but keep step with girls on most math and science tests. Canadian boys aged 4 and 5 are twice as likely as Canadian girls to have difficulty being understood while speaking, and are more likely to have asthma and allergies. Parents in Canada report boys are less likely than girls to look at books every day, are more likely than girls to take part in a coached sport outside school, but are less likely than girls to take lessons or belong to a club. Boys are still more likely to drop out of high school than girls. The country's dropout rate has declined to 12 per cent from 18 per cent a decade ago. Fewer men in Canada are going into teaching, and now represent only 35 per cent of full-time teachers, down from 41 per cent 10 years ago.




RACIAL B I A S
I N C A N A D A
No matter how long they've been in this country or what generation they belong to, discrimination remains an issue for people of colour. Among Canadians generally, only 7% of those responding to a Statistics Canada survey reported experiencing discrimination or unfair treatment because of their ethno-cultural characteristics in the past five years. But among visible minority groups - representing 3 million Canadians - 20 per cent of those 15 and older said they had been victims of racism. For some groups the numbers are much higher. Nearly one-third of blacks, representing about 135,000 Canadians, said they had been treated unfairly in the past five years, compared with 21 per cent of South Asians and 18 per cent of Chinese. "For people in visible minorities, there was little variation in the levels of discrimination or unfair treatment by length of time, or generation, in Canada," the report reads. The 2007 Ethnic Diversity Survey took the opinions of 42,500 people nationwide. About one-fifth of non-white immigrants who came to Canada between 1991 and 2001 reported perceived discrimination. The number was similar for those who had come before 1991, and even those whose families had been in this country for two or more generations. In contrast, only 5% of the white population reported experiences of unfair treatment in the survey, mostly for reasons such as language and accent. University of Toronto sociologist Wsevolod Isajiw, an expert in Canada's multiculturalism and immigration policy, said he was pleasantly surprised that the proportion of people experiencing discrimination was lower than one might expect. "The study, by and large, shows the partial success of our multiculturalism policy. But as we all know, discrimination still exists in our society," he said. Arab Canadians, for example, have been targeted since 9/11, said Audrey Jamal, executive director of the non-profit Canadian Arab Federation. Children tell their parents: 'I want to change the colour of my skin, I want to change my name' because their skin is darker or their name sounds ethnic," Jamal said. "In workplaces, we see individuals ... who are asked to change their names on business cards from an Arab or Muslim-sounding name to something more Canadian-sounding.

With regard to racism, "It's up to the 93 per cent of those who haven't experienced it to say, 'Look, even this level of discrimination against our fellow Canadians is unacceptable,'" said Karen Mock, executive director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. It's important, she said, to acknowledge the "generalizations and stereotypes that are prevalent in our society." While Canada has an outstanding legal and legislative framework for opposing discrimination, Mock said enforcement of such policies and programs has been inconsistent. "We really need to work harder to implement the (human rights) code and make sure there are proper sanctions against those who violate the law," she said. "There is this level of racism because there's systemic bias built into many of our institutions and into aspects of our culture that needs to be addressed and redressed." Isajiw said numerous studies have underlined the subtlety of racism in Canadian society. "It's no longer as open and blatant as it used to be before all this anti-discrimination legislation," he said. "The law can only catch the obvious violations and it's hard to enforce it when it's subtle." The federal government's annual budget for multiculturalism programs has been cut to the bone, to roughly $15 million (about R85 000 000) this year, Isajiw said, and diversity programs in the schools don't really instil a sense of appreciation of multiculturalism. * Toronto Star With files from Canadian Press






JOB SEARCH FRUSTRATES NEWCOMERS : StatsCan
New immigrants to Canada are unlikely to get a job befitting their education and professional training, according to a report by Statistics Canada. Six out of 10 newcomers switch their fields altogether after coming to this country. Many highly trained professionals settle for positions in sales or manufacturing, if they manage to land a job at all. "It is frustrating. It's a shock to me how difficult it is to get a (related) job in Canada," said Fuzail Siddiqui, a geologist and doctoral degree holder from London's King's College, who traded his 200,000 Dollar a year job with a Zambian mining company for a 12,000 Dollar job as a golf course maintenance worker in Toronto. "You hit a wall of silence everywhere. For a lot of highly educated immigrants, it's hard to get your dignity back once you come to Canada.
The report, "Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada", was released by Statistics Canada. Conducted in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, it's the first part of a long-term study of how Canadian immigrants adapt to life here and how government programs can help them make the transition. Susan Scarlett, a spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, said the study will give the ministry a better grip on issues faced by new immigrants and how to develop programs to better serve them. "These are big issues that the department has been focusing on for a long time ... when someone makes a life-changing decision to leave the county where they live and emigrate to another country," she said.
The study's authors interviewed 12,000 of roughly 164,200 immigrants, aged 15 and older. The initial interviews took place six months after the immigrants' arrival and will be repeated in two and four years. The findings confirm the experiences of many immigrants, said Jane Cullingworth, project coordinator of the Policy Roundtable Mobilizing Professions and Trades (PROMPT), an advocacy group representing 20 organizations involved with immigrant employment issues. "This isn't new information. We have an aggressive immigration policy that targets skilled workers to come to this country, but we don't have an aggressive policy once they get here to make sure they are able to utilize the skills for which they"ve been recruited," she said. Professional and independent immigrants made up 67% of the newcomers in the survey, followed by those sponsored by relatives, 27%. Only 6% were admitted as refugees.
"Finding employment was the area where most immigrants reported some difficulties," the study states. "Seventy percent of newcomers who tried to enter the labour force identified at least one problem with the process, such as transferability of foreign qualifications, lack of contacts and language barriers." Forty-four per cent of the immigrants found employment within a short time and that increased to 70 per cent after six months. However, even then, 42 per cent of the job holders were still looking for another position. Frustrated with gloomy employment prospects, 67 per cent of the new immigrants planned to obtain further training to upgrade their skills. And 67 per cent of university-educated immigrants intended to pursue further university-level training. The study found 76 per cent of new arrivals had at least one type of foreign educational credential higher than a high school diploma, but more than a quarter of those said they experienced difficulties in getting those foreign credentials assessed and recognized, Nicholas Keung from the Toronto Star reports.



Emigration cannot be seen in isolation to the broader debilitating forces that are shaping the post-apartheid society. The growing brain-drain is merely a symptom of these forces, which include violent crime, massive unemployment, the AIDS pandemic, corruption and declining standard of healthcare, education and public service.
Violent crime
More than 60% emigrants leave South Africa because of crime. This is not surprising, as violent crime has turned the country into one of the most dangerous and anarchical places in the world, among with other violent societies such as Russia and Columbia in terms of murder, robberies, rape, car-hijackings, assault etc. During the 1990's close to 25,000 people were murdered in South Africa each year, a total of 250,000 in that decade. In all 750,000 violent crimes are reported each year.
This include:
* more than 15,000 car-hijackings per year.
* more than 1,000 farmers murdered since 1994.
* more than 50,000 reported rapes each year, but due to massive underreporting, this figure could be as high as 1,2 million per year.
* 465 bank robberies and attacks on cash-in-transit vehicles in 1997 alone, which netted R136 million.
* only one in 20 cases of violent crime results in a conviction.
* by 1996 there were 180,000 unsolved murder cases.
* in 1996 the direct costs of crime was estimated at R31 billion.
The Economy
10% of emigrant lists the state of the economy as their reason for emigrating, in particular, the following aspects:
* The South African Rand has been in a perpetual decline since the late-1980s, with dramatic declines since 1994. It fell from R5 to 1Pound, to close to R12 for a Pound in 2001 - against the USDollar it fell from R4 for 1Dollar to well above R8 for 1Dollar - the declines makes Rand-based fortunes worth very little when measured in hard currencies and makes investors and potential emigrants equally nervous.
* A high income tax rate of with a marginal rate of over 40% - emigrants feel that taxes are high elsewhere too, but that it least they will get sizeable social benefits in return from the state.
* Relatively high interest and inflation rates
* High unemployment figures and affirmative action are strong push factor for emigrants with skills - while the unemployment rate for whites is still relatively low, it has become more difficult for many whites to find the kind of work that matches their skills, while racial quotas limits their potential for promotion.
Falling standards
About 19% of emigrants list declining standards of education, healthcare, public service and corruption as reasons to emigrate:
* A shortage of funds and misguided educational policies and initiatives, racial quotas at universities and government threats about correcting a "lack of transformation" at all costs in predominantly white schools, make many people fear for their children's education.
* A massive decline in the quality of public hospitals, beset with inadequate funding, mismanagement, theft and generally unhygienic conditions.
* Corruption, nepotism, and self-entitlement have added to the woes of the public service, in addition to bureaucratic incompetence.
* The CBD's of almost all of South Africa's large cities have become dangerous and neglected wastelands with businesses moving out to the suburbs and squatters and criminals moving in, with few municipal services operating.
Mbeki's two-nation approach
The shift away from Nelson Mandela's reconciliatory approach to whites, to a emphasis on race under President Thabo Mbeki, has unnerved many white South Africans. Mbeki's thesis is that South Africa consist of a rich white nation and a poor black nation, and that economic sacrifices must be made by the whites to prevent a racial revolution - the extent of these sacrifices is not clear, but many whites emigrants prefer not to stay around to find out.
Zimbabwe
The crisis in Zimbabwe has unnerved not only foreign investors and led to a further decline in the Rand, but many white South Africans fear that the land-grabbing and anarchy in that tin-pot dictatorship will spill over to South Africa. This is already happening on a small scale with illegal land occupations and only time will tell for how long the government will be prepared to withstand demands for a massive land-redistribution and land-grabbing.
The global village
In the era of globalization many emigrants simply transfer their skills overseas to earn high incomes (especially in Rand terms). Some of these economic emigrants eventually return, but for others the global village becomes their new home.
"The Great Trek" - see WELCOME page.







These questions about CANADA were posted on an International Tourism Website.

1. Q: I have never seen it warm on Canadian TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK) A : We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.
2. Q: Will I be able to see Polar Bears in the street? (USA) A: Depends how much you've been drinking.
3. Q: I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden) A: Sure, it's only Four thousand miles, take lots of water.
4.Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Canada? (Sweden) A: So it's true what they say about Swedes.
5.Q: It is imperative that I find the names and addresses of places to contact for a stuffed Beaver. (Italy) A: Let's not touch this one.
6. Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Canada? Can you send me a list of them in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax? (UK) A: What did your last slave die of?
7. Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada? (USA) A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe. Ca-na-da is that big countries to your North . . . Oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Calgary. Come naked.
8. Q: Which direction is North in Canada? (USA) A: Face south and then turn 90 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
9. Q: Can I bring cutlery into Canada? (UK) A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.
10. Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA) A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is. Oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Vancouver and in Calgary, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
11. Q: Do you have perfume in Canada? (Germany) A: No, We don't stink.
12. Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Canada? (USA) A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.
13. Q: Can I wear high heels in Canada? (UK) A: You are an American politician, right?
14. Q: Can you tell me the regions on British Columbia where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy) A: Yes, gay nightclubs.
15. Q: Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada? (USA) A: Only at Thanksgiving.
16. Q: Are there supermarkets in Toronto and is milk available all year round? (Germany) A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter gatherers. Milk is illegal.
17. Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Canada who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA) A: All Canadian rattle snakes are perfectly harmless, and can be safely handled and make good pets.
18. Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Canada, but I forget its name. It's a kind of big horse with horns. (USA) A: It's called a Moose. They are tall and very violent eating the brains of anyone walking close to them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.
19. Q: I was in Canada in 1969 on R&R, and I want to contact the girl I dated while I was staying in Surrey, BC. Can you help? (USA) A: Yes, and you will still have to pay her by the hour.
20. Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA) A: Yes, but you will have to learn it first. (author unkown)





So you're sick of South Africa's crime and instability, and you want to emigrate. Are you sure you're ready? Do you really have what it takes? Are you willing to make the sacrifices that will need to be made? Complete our questionaire and find out!


1. When you think of the words "South Africa," the first thing that comes to mind is:
a) The spectacular peaks of the Drakensberg, the emerald green of highveld summers, pleasant evenings with friends around the "braai", cheering on South Africa's national teams in sports events.
b) A country in considerable turmoil. They tell me there are lots of reasons to stay, but I wonder. What are those reasons really?
c) A country that certainly has its good points. But what about the rampant crime that will apparently never cease, and the constant threat of political and economic instability? Should I raise my children here when I could raise them in a modern Western democracy? On balance, I would be sad to leave, but it is the best thing to do for me and my family.
d) Squatter camps, hijackers, rapists, corruption, endless crime, drought, dangerous minibus-taxis absolutely everywhere. I HATE the place! Get me outta here!

2. You have handed in your application for emigration at the Canadian High Consulate in Pretoria. Two years have passed, and you simply can't get a straight answer out of them about whether your application had been successful or not. Eventually they send you a letter that says that your Z364T-OO98-X-73 form has to be filled in using a TX53-type gel ink pen (available at Amazon.com for 45 Dollars a piece) in light Moose Jaw infra-green ink. NOT with a common ballpoint pen and black ink as you have done it. This mistake will cause a minor nine month delay in your application. Oh, and by the way, they'll need to know the EXACT place, date and time of birth of your great aunt, twice removed on your mother's side, before they can process your application any further. Your reaction is:
a) Oh, to hell with it. I don't hate South Africa that much to begin with, and if this is their attitude, I'm staying!
b) Oh, for heaven's sake. Even here in South Africa the bureaucracy is more efficient. Perhaps I should go rethink this. What if this is representative of what Canada is like?
c) Drat! That's a setback! Well, setback or not, I have put my mind on going. Tonight I'll go check out Amazon.com for those pens, and e-mail Aunt Sylvia.
d) That's quite alright with me. I'll give you my great-aunt's head on a platter if that's what you want, as long as you can get me out of this Third world mess of a country.

3. Toronto is:
a) Some place or other. Isn't it that mountain in Japan where they make rice wine?
b) The capital city of Canada with 5.1 mil. residents in the GTA.
c) Canada's largest city. Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario, it is well known for the CN tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the
world.
d)I don't care. If you like me to say that it is an alien base on Mars, I'll say so. Just let me get out of South Africa. Please?

4. Setting up in a new country will cost quite a bit of money. I have:
a) Well, certainly enough to afford a holiday in Kruger Park next winter!
b) The amount specified on the offical immigration website as the minimum required. I hope that will be enough.
c) I have saved up the required amount, but I am not satisfied that it will really be enough. I'm going to see to it that I have twice that amount before I go.
d) I don't have enough yet, but it doesn't matter. I'll go live in a cardboard box in Nunavut if needs be. Besides, they tell me that our family heirlooms are worth quite a bit. I'll just sell off grandma's Victorian jewellery, and then we can go.

5. Family, friends and pets are:
a) Pretty fundamental in my life. I would emigrate, but there ain't no way I'm leaving my cousin Marky behind. We're like brothers!
b) Very important to me. I'm constantly worried that I'm going to lose touch with them if I go. And how will my parents cope if I leave?
c) Very important to me. Even so, emigrating is a personal decision that I can only make for myself, and I am determined to go. I'm making VERY sure I have everybody's addresses, and you can bet I'm going to see to it that I keep in touch.
d) Not as important as staying alive. This country is going down the tubes, and it is everyone for himself now.

6. I would describe the winter weather in Toronto like this:
a) For eight months of the year, temperatures never once rise above freezing point. Average temperature is about minus ten degrees Celsius. They say that it sometimes snows even in summer, and in winter, plants die of hunger because the carbon dioxide in the air freezes out of the atmosphere.
b) I have heard that winters can be pretty tough, and the weather is certainly VERY different from what we are used to. I hope we'll be able to cope.
c) According to my research, winters in Ontario are quite cold compared to what we're used to. Good thing they have central heating in most buildings! Fortunately, there's a bright side: I'll learn to ski and skate. After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans do!
d) Who cares about the weather when you might get yourself killed in a bank robbery any moment!?

7. Housing in Canada can be described as follows:
a) Same as everywhere in the so-called civilized world. Families of four squeeze into two-bedroom flats, which costs them a million dollars. And they call it luxurious!
b) Housing is terribly expensive. I wonder if I'll ever be able to afford a house with a garden like the one I live in here in South Africa. True, I live behind an electric fence at the moment, but is it worth it to exchange that for a small and expensive apartment?
c) Good housing can be difficult to find, and I might not get quite what I had in South Africa, especially in the first few years. But by and large, prices are not completely unreasonable, and having thought it over, I think it will be worth it.
d) For heaven's sake my good man, go re-read my answer to question 4. I repeat: I'LL LIVE IN A CARDBOARD BOX.

8) What is Canada's cultural life like?
a. I once met a Canadian. He was as cold as a fish. Trust me, the Canadians wouldn't know what real culture is if it bit them in the nether regions.
b) From what I hear, it is utterly unlike anything we are used to in South Africa. I wonder if I'll ever get used to it and truly feel part of it. Do they really pour maple syrup and mayonaise on absolutely everything and call minus 5 degrees C "mild"?
c) Canada has a rich and cosmopolitan cultural life, with some of the world's major symphony orchestras, lots of art galleries, modern and well-stocked libraries, a high-quality film industry and some of pop culture's major icons. I'm sure it is initially a bit bewildering, but I think in the long run, Canada has more to offer than South Africa.
d) Well, whatever it is like, I'm sure it doesn't consist of toyi-toying, burglary and corruption.

9) Canada's official national sport is:
a) Igloo building or something. I think I'll stick to rugby, thank you.
b) Ice hockey. I'm surely going to miss the rugby!
c) Lacrosse. Weird. Fortunately, in reality they play all kinds of sports, even including rugby and cricket, though it will be a hot day in Yukon before their national cricket team beats the Proteas!
d) Look mister, I ain't going there to go sit in front of the TV and stare at sport matches. (Is it really the truth that you can receive a 1000 channels for the same price I'm now paying for our not even 100?).

10) The current president of Canada is:
a) George W Bush, if you ask me - What else is Canada than another state and loyal lackey of America?
b) That French guy. What's his name again? Jean Kretchen or something.
c) Canada doesn't have a president. The prime minsiter is Jean Chretien. Interestingly, the official head of state is the British monarch.
d) Could be Big Chief Sitting Bull for all I care, as long as it isn't Mbeki.

11) What is public transport like in Canada?
a) It's like, all there is, since only the rich can afford a car.
b) From what I hear, it is much better than in South Africa. But does one really want to use public transport?
c) Most cities have a very well developed public transport system, that is easy to use, clean, safe and efficient. Many people get along without buying a car, but fortunately cars are not hugely expensive, so those who dislike trains and buses have a workable alternative.
d) I'll walk if needs be. Unlike here in South Africa, where going for a walk is a sort of suicide attempt.

Scoring:
a: 0
b: 1
c: 2
d: 3


Less than 6: The chances of you adapting in a new country are pretty remote. You love South Africa simply too much, and you'll never stop missing it. However, you have some serious misconceptions about what other countries are really like. You might want to go check out your local library (if all the books haven't been stolen yet), and read up on some of the popular emigration destinations. Even if you still don't want to go, you might at least stop feeling that emigrants are traitors.

6 to 16: You feel that emigration might be a workable option, but you should go think about it some more. You have not yet dealt with all the issues, and you do not seem to have done proper research on your destination yet. If you can afford it, a scouting trip might be a good idea. Emigration is not a thing to do lightly, but it might nevertheless be your best move ever.

17 to 25: You are good emigration material. You seem to have done your homework well and you have a reasonably realistic idea of what to expect. A whole new world is awaiting you...

26 to 33: You are convinced that you are ready for emigration. In fact, you think you are ready to sell your grandma into slavery if that is what it is going to take to get out of South Africa. But you are NOT ready. You are not ready because you are TOO ready. You could be in for a very rude shock, and you need to go do a lot more homework.







Worried about that poster on your adolescent's bedroom wall? Celebrities featured heavily in South African sexual fantasies, with 69 percent saying they had fantasised about having sex with a celebrity, with Brad Pitt (37 percent) and Enrique Iglesias (13 percent) on top of the female lust list. The men voted Tomb Raider star Angelina Jolie (26 percent) and Jennifer Lopez (22 percent) as their least obscure objects of desire. A hefty 44 percent of South Africans fantasised about having sex with their best friend's partner, while 27 percent fantasised about a same-sex partner.
Internationally, 36 percent of women surveyed had fantasised about a lesbian relationship. In the honesty stakes, 47 percent (46 percent in South Africa) would tell their partner if they had had an affair, while 75 percent of South Africans would discuss their sexual fantasies with their partner. South Africans were relatively restrained when it came to jumping into bed on their first date, 15 percent said they would, compared with 17 percent globally. Norwegians were the randiest, with 32 percent saying they would have sex on their first date. French respondents claimed to have the most sex in a year - 167 times - followed by the Dutch (158), the Danes (152) and Canadians (150).

South Africans who answered the survey questions claimed to have had sex an average of 146 times in a year, with 6 percent claiming to have had sex once a day for 12 months. Only 21 percent of South Africans lost their virginity because they were in love, and 26 percent said they were ready and "it felt right". Just two percent would wait until their wedding night. *Report by Tony Weaver.
Speak to Paul at Banting and mention Lekkerbek/Smoothtalker as a reference.



FAT CANADIAN CASE
Ottawa - In its first ruling on obese passengers, the Canadian Transportation Agency dismissed a complaint against Air Canada from an obese woman who said their single, narrow airline seats are discriminatory. The 45-year-old woman said she was considering appealing the 2-1 decision by the quasi-judicial tribunal that has authority over access issues on federally-regulated modes of transportation. "I believe that I'm in the right but it's a matter of the (legal) cost involved to appeal", said Linda McKay-Panos, speaking from Calgary, in the western province of Alberta. Her case could be appealed to a federal court trial division. In its decision, the CTA panel found "that being unable to fit comfortably in the seat should not be enough evidence of the existence of a disability, as many people experience discomfort in the seat." McKay-Panos had to pay 50% more for a seat to accommodate her girth on an Air Canada flight in 1997. The airline has a policy of imposing higher fares to obese passengers who require additional seating space. The CTA ruled in December 2002 that a person who demonstrates that obesity prevents him or her from taking an airplane under normal conditions has the same rights as a disabled person, and the company must assist him or her to travel comfortably for the same price as other passengers. In the latest decision, however, it found that McKay-Panos' complaint was largely centered on the seat and not on "activity limitations relating to accessing the transportation system"."She can physically access airports, check her luggage, present herself to security points in airports and reach the boarding gate, like the majority of Canadians," it noted.




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