So the Minister for Social and Family Development, Chan Chun Sing, says pro-infidelity website Ashley Madison (tagline: Life is short, have an affair) is not welcome in Singapore. "Promoting infidelity undermines trust and commitment between a husband and wife, which are core to marriage," he says. A Facebook group petitioning against Ashley Madison's plans to launch here next year garnered more than 25,000 likes in less than a week.

Director John Erick Dowdle (Devil, Quarantine) is headed here to begin shooting for The Coup. The film sees a family of expats trying to escape from their home as a military coup ravages an as-yet-unnamed Southeast Asian country. And what do Southeast Asian countries do when they have a coup? They kill every foreigner in sight!

Oddly, they picked Bangkok to shoot this movie. Oddly, they picked November. Oddly, the amnesty bill is set to go through parliament this November. Anyone else connecting the dots?

As we go to print, the Thai Meteorological Department is forecasting an end to the diluvial rains that have been lashing down on us all this month. You may have already celebrated with a season’s change sick day or two, in which case you’re currently enjoying a five-day Chulalongkorn Memorial weekend on a beach somewhere and reading this on your iPad. Well played.

Real-life escape games are suddenly all the rage, with the likes of Freeing SG, Lockdown and Real Escape popping up all over Singapore. We spoke to the Executive Escaper behind the phenomenon to
find out more.

I-S So what’s the deal?
Ex Esc Basically you pay us money and we lock you in a room.

I-S We pay you?
Ex Esc Yes. Then you have to find your way out.

The top honor was delivered this week at the annual Screw the Masses Day, a celebration of feudal power which was started by Gilgamesh, who ruled the Sumerians a couple of zillion years ago. The honor goes to the country with the highest numbers of politicians to have inherited political power from their families. As stated by the Bangkok Post, “In Thailand's most recent general election of July 3, 2011, 42% of MPs elected were replacing family members, compared with 40% in Mexico, 37% in the Philippines, 33% in Japan, 10% in Argentina, and a mere 6% in the United States.”

EDITOR’S NOTE
This column was supposed to be a wry reflection on the crazy, amazing evolution of Singapore in the 18 years since I-S began. However, following recent changes to employment laws to protect the local labor force, the magazine will henceforth be written not by the people most willing or best qualified to do it but instead by the first Singaporean to walk through the door. This week, we welcome Edward Tan, a charming old taxi uncle who simply got lost looking for a bathroom.

The civic-minded Bourgeois Association of Bangkok (B.A.B.) has begun handing out awards to people who leave their cars at home. We spoke to the president, Patraya na Narong, to find out more about the initiative.

BK: So why the awards?

PnN: Well, as we all know, traffic has become absolutely hellish in Bangkok, and it’s all down to Yingluck’s first-car scheme. It’s an absolute disaster. I was stuck on Rama 4 for ages the other night.

BK: Stuck… on a bus?

New York City Sues Bangkok For Copyright Infringement

The City of New York has just announced that it is suing the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration for US$200 million in damages. In a press release issued this morning, NYC’s legal department stated:

It is me. The Holy One. Her Fantastic Furriness Lin Ping the Beautiful. And it is time for ye of little faith to be punished.

Oh it all started very well. You paid me respect, you gave me your huddled masses, you bowed to me and queued in the monsoon rain to witness my magnificent cuteness, you beamed me into your homes 24/7 with True TV, you watched me grow, eat and sleep.

Car prices have been falling in Singapore. But where does this rank in the bigger picture of things you would never expect to happen? We’ve put together a cut-out-and-keep scale for future use.

BIT OF A SHOCK, BUT I KIND OF SAW IT COMING

HOLY HELL, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!