US uses songs to deter immigrants

The US Border Patrol quietly enters the music industry, commissioning a CD of songs reminding people in northern Mexico how dangerous it is to cross the border.

In one, called The Biggest Enemy, a singer called Abelardo from the Mexican state of Michoacan and his cousin Rafael set off to cross the border.

They reach the US but nature defeats them, as they wander the desert without water. Exhausted they lie down with Abelardo waking later to find his cousin dead by his side:

“He decided to come back/ And have a burial in their town/ And as a vow/ He told his dead cousin/ If God will take my life/ That it be in my beloved land.”

You can to listen to two of the songs on The Guardian’s website.

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Risk vs. Reward: … A straight shot through a light without slowing is statistical suicide, but a measured glide based on time of day, knowledge of territory, and exposure to all of the sensory information around can be a reasonable response to certain situations. The exaggerated articulation of this internal math, in pointed deep glances left and right, can be a useful cue to drivers that you’re aware of the danger and acting anyway.

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