Singapore shares another trait with historical city-states: Its authorities strongly believe that they can safeguard the status quo with regulations against almost anything and everything that - in their view - could possibly upset the sense of tranquility. In reality, visitors will find the place is not as restrictive as the long lists of hefty fines for such things as littering and jaywalking suggest. Some visitors to Singapore leave singing the praises of a society that "works," while others feel the government's near-compulsive fixation on cleanliness and order makes Singapore sterile in every sense of the word.