Stanley J. Borley’s The Reluctant Villain: Coward of the Heart relates Borley’s tale of smuggling drugs between the United States and Canada Tyq... Lewis Jersey , procuring drugs in the United States on the Vancouver border, and motoring hundreds of pounds of marijuana using an old boat. Although the headlines focus primarily on the drug smuggling that occurs on our southern border, it is extremely common to transport drugs across the northern border as well.


Borley’s account is similar to the March conviction in Washington State of seven Canadians from British Columbia who were responsible for thousands of kilograms of marijuana smuggled into the United States through PVC pipe, hollowed out logs, wood chips, and hidden compartments in tractor-trailer trucks. The “managers” were sentenced to four and a half years in jail; five lower level smugglers were given sentences ranging from probation to one year in jail. Over the course of the three-year-long investigation, Rob Shannon, the ring leader of the operation was sentenced to 20 years in jail.


Just as the recently arrested Canadians used creativity to smuggle drugs, Borley and his partner had to change the nature of their operation when the boat owner no longer wanted to participate, leaving them to find a new means of smuggling drugs into the country. They eventually settle on a plane whose pilot had been smuggling cocaine from South America to the US and Canada, demonstrating to readers that our borders remain at risk from every point of accessibility, whether it is air, water, or land.


Borley relates his tale of becoming a “reluctant villain,” dealing marijuana and cocaine on an international scale, which progressively escalates, leading him to Red China and Korea. Although the smuggling of drugs across our border with Mexico is the one most hotly talked about, our northern border remains at great risk to such schemes as that of Borley, allowing seemingly innocuous boats, planes, and in the case of the recent news story, tractor-trailers, to transport drugs across borders with operations going undetected for many months or even years. The large-scale nature of both Borley’s operation and the 2011 conviction give readers pause for reflection on just how unprotected our borders truly are.


Find out more about The Reluctant Villain: Coward of the Heart

Performers rehearse a heaven worshipping ceremony at Temple of Heaven in Beijing on Friday. The public can watch the dance and music performance from Feb 19 to 23 at the park. HE JUNCHANGXINHUA

The Beijing city government is strengthening safety measures for Spring Festival following the deadly New Year's Eve stampede in Shanghai.


The number of visitors in tourist attractions will be strictly monitored, according to the Beijing Commission of Tourism Development, and police must be contacted immediately if they exceed the safety limit.


Wang Jucheng, head of the Beijing Public Security Bureau's security management unit, said that safety is the top priority for large-scale events.


"Activities that have safety risks would definitely not be permitted, whether the Shanghai incident happened or not," said Wang. "Organizers of activities that include more than 1,000 people must submit security plans as well as the details of venues, hosts and helpers."


On New Year's Eve, 36 people died and 49 were injured in a stampede on Shanghai's Bund.


The incident provoked widespread criticism of the local government's deficiencies in safety management measures.


Beijing will also cancel or scale down traditional fairs at key venues.


The popular Lianhuachi fair, or Lotus Pond fair, which had been held in Beijing's Fengtai district for years, has been canceled for safety concerns.


The Temple of Heaven will simplify its traditional ceremony, though a dance and music show will still be provided.


According to the park, it will also stop selling tickets if there are more than 90,000 visitors.


The Ditan and Longtan fairs, which have been running for three decades, will reduce their booths, cancel opening ceremonies and take strict crowd control measures.


Organizers of the two fairs have invited professional companies to evaluate safety measures and make contingency plans. A safety limit will be set on the number of visitors.


The fairs will also install more than 100 surveillance cameras and about 20 monitoring towers to ensure safety.


"The cancellation and scaling down of fairs, though not welcomed, is understandable," said Wang Rui, a teacher from Beijing Culture and Art School. "Too many people may want to attend the fairs at certain big venues during the festival, and that will put too much pressure on public security management departments. Lots of my friends have decided to stay home to avoid crowded events."


The General Office of the State Council released a safety notice on Monday that ordered local governments, tourist attraction management departments and hotels to make safety plans to prevent stampedes.


It also said that large-scale events must be approved by public security departments, and that people in charge will be seriously punished if safety incidents occur during the festival.


BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Over 132 million railway trips were made during the past 11 days of holiday travel rush, up 11.6 percent year on year, according to the China Railway Corporation (CRC).


The travel rush of the National Day holiday lasted from Sept. 28 to Oct. 8, with the holiday extended by one day this year as the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival fell on Oct. 4.


Several railway traffic indices set new highs, with the daily average number of passengers over 10 million for nine consecutive days. Oct.1 alone witnessed 15 million trips, the highest ever on a single day.


During the holiday, on average 7,852 trains were sch.