"A lot of people here would not want to put dollars into the border, but as a price to get citizenship, as long as it's not an impediment to citizenship but rather works alongside citizenship, it's something we can all live with, " Schumer said, after talking to the Hispanic House members.

NPR: AP Source: Senate Plan To Stiffen Border Security

It is the culmination of a campaign by the European Commission to bring down the high price of making cross-border mobile phone calls in Europe.

BBC: Chatting abroad will now become much cheaper

Though many retailers across the region, perhaps surprisingly, spy benefits in price transparency, the cross-border shopping boom, also maybe surprisingly, has not set off a public chorus for euro membership.

ECONOMIST: Scandinavian shoppers

NAFTA, price guarantees have disappeared, and the border has opened to imports from the United States, which are often cheaper.

ECONOMIST: The problems of plugging a square economy into a round world

Meanwhile, there is no question that Americans will pay a price if the drug violence spills over the border.

CNN: Commentary: What Mexico's drug war means for U.S.

So far as substitution of one kind of capital for another is concerned, the price to be paid for discouraging cross-border bank lending seems affordable.

ECONOMIST: Hot and cold running money | The

The BP deal guarantees Sempra gas at a discount to the price on the U.S.-Mexico border, locking in a nice spread.

FORBES: Gas Guzzler

The Europeans fear that an attack might persuade the Iranians to retaliate across the border in Iraq, as well as leading to a further spike in the oil price.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

Our Price, Tower Records, Virgin Megastores, Zavvi, MVC, Music Zone, Andy's, Border's and Woolworths are all well-known names that have disappeared from streets in recent years.

BBC: Virgin France files for bankruptcy

When you consider the departure of Our Price, Tower Records, Virgin Megastores, Zavvi, MVC, Music Zone, Andy's, Border's and Woolworths, it's not just the story of the downturn.

BBC: Shops 'til they drop