Did you know that new regulations came into effect in Beijing China that will affect cab drivers? Apparently drivers whose cabs are smelly will be suspended for two days while they undergo “rectification and reform” guidance.

The city is trying to improve it’s image before next years Olympics. Cabbies can be banned for such things as spitting or smoking, wearing big earrings, outrageous dress styles or radical hairstyles.

“Many drivers pay no attention to appearances. Their mouths stink of garlic and their bodies smell, making the whole cab foul. It creates a bad impression for the taxi industry,” Yao Kuo, head of the transportation management office, was quoted as saying.

“As a service industry, taxis have to think about appearances. So from now on, dying hair a bright red or yellow and making weird hairdos is banned,” Yao said. Shi Xiangpeng, a top political adviser, complained bitterly about the odor of Beijing’s taxis. “Sometimes I could smell an unbearable stink once I got into the cab,” he was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.

Taking things too far?

A ban on smoking has been passed by a judge upholding a rule by a condominium association in Golden Colorado. This ban will prohibit condominium owners from smoking even inside their own units. Apparently neighbors of smokers have been complaining for years that cigarette smoke has been seeping into their town houses.

Honestly, I think that’s taking things too far. These people own their units and should be able to do what they want inside their own homes shouldnt they? Provided that they aren’t doing anything illegal.

Prior to this ruling Belmont California became the first Amercian city to ban smoking every where within city limits, including condominiums and even cars. Detached and single family homes are excluded from this ban. The day before this ruling, the San Francisco board of supervisors voted to instruct that the police treat marijuana smoking as the cities lowest law enforcement priority.

You know if cities are going to start taking things this far, why are they still selling cigarettes. If they are as bad as we’ve been told for years and years why other than all that juicy tax money that the government gets from the sale of cigarettes are they selling them.

I can see a number of people suing the cities and condo associations that have banned smoking.

What do you think of these bannings?

Do you think this fitness club went too far?

Albert Argibay of Beacon New York, ended up being escorted by police from a gym earlier this week. Why? Because he was grunting, which is apparently against Planet Fitness’ rules. The club wants to maintain a non-intimidating atmosphere. Planet fitness markets itself as a judgement free Zone.

This is recent trend in gyms and fitness clubs - no hogging of machines, can’t wear flip flogs, and no grunting.

Argibay, who is a 40 year old corrections officer, stated “Perhaps I grunted, perhaps I didn’t. It’s open to interpretation”. He’d had his headset on when he was lifting 500 pounds on a squat machine.

Posted in the gym are rules that state that members cannot wear bandanas, grunt or bang weights on the ground. If an offender is spotted a lunk alarm sounds to warn the member. There is at least one expulsion every two weeks across the locations, said Mike Grondahl, CEO of Planet Fitness. He said grunting and dropping weights are the most common offenses.

The gyms general manager, Carol Palazzolo, said that the grunt that Argibay emitted Monday evening, a peak time for gyms, could be heard from across the room, even though “the place was a zoo.”

“He was looking directly at me and he did it four times,” she said. “I’m not a doctor, but as far as I know, a grunt is a noise that comes out of one’s body that is loud and is intimidating.”

When the manager confronted him an argument took place, and the police were called in, Argibay was escorted out of the gym, but no charges were filed.

“It’s an ebarrassing situation to be in, over a grunt,” Argibay said.

Interestingly, every two months, dozens of couples meet in a pub in Singapore, have drinks, mingle, and then decide whether they want to sleep with one another. In other Countries this would not be looked upon as being all that odd but in a country where oral sex is illegal and Playboy magazine is banned this is pretty unusual.

There are more than 10 swingers clubs in Singapore, most of them private, some of them online. With more than 6,000 members, the Web-based United SG Swingers is one of the biggest.

A 42-year-old Singaporean company executive who only wanted to be identified as Jack said “There are a lot more people that are open to the idea. It’s so widespread now, Swinging is all about sex. It’s satisfying the urge to have casual sex and doing it with somebody you’re comfortable with,” said Jack, who has been swinging for 10 years.

For all their enthusiasm, few swingers tell family and friends about their lifestyle, although the practice is not illegal in Singapore. Swinger believe that they will be perceived as perverts if they are open with their friends and family about their lifestyle choices.

In another interesting turn, this past Friday Singapore opened Sexpo 2006, the country’s second sex exhibition, featuring an array of toys and seminars.

At United SG Swingers, people share erotic photographs, exchange personal ads and correspond about the next gathering. It is a close-knit community in which couples recommend good sex partners and criticise those who aren’t. A police spokesman confirmed that swinging is not illegal as long as it is done behind closed doors, is consensual and no money changes hands.

This year, the organisers of United SG Swingers started holding “on premise” parties, where couples can engage in group sex in houses and hotel rooms across Singapore. At these parties, the bedrooms have a strict clothes-off rule and the “hard swingers” can engage in partner swapping. The “soft swingers” are couples who stand around and watch, or have sex with their own partners in full view of others.

Couples who swing say that seeing their own partners in action keeps their passion burning. “It’s like looking at cake and wanting to eat it,” said the main organiser of United SG Swingers, 37-year-old IT specialist Josh, as his 32-year-old wife nodded in agreement.

But some swingers disapprove of these parties, saying they can degenerate into orgies. “You can’t establish pure friendships when there’s a large group,” said Ishak. “Genuine swingers would want to establish trust — you can’t trust a person just by meeting them one time and then think they can do it with your wife.”

A 34-year-old Australian who attends swinging parties told Reuters that Singapore’s scene is just evolving. “It’s very innocuous here, it’s not like other countries,” he said. “Compared to Australia and Europe, it’s more discreet and less lively. Singaporeans are pretty reserved in a lot of ways.”