The two countries remain distinct only in their earnings potential: a graduate engineer in Matamoros earns less than a shop assistant across the river in Brownsville.

ECONOMIST: One river, one country

This just a matter of principle, because I have had no chance to make myself heard and such a legal action I will never find a job as a graduate engineer.

BBC: Can nuclear power ever be safe?

Ted Stevens, a Harvard Law School graduate and former prosecutor, helped engineer statehood for Alaska and has served as the state senator for 40 years, a powerful position that has allowed him to steer billions of federal dollars to his state.

NPR: Taped Phone Conversations Played At Stevens Trial

Some ten bidders looked at it before IBM grabbed the firm in January, paying an undisclosed sum, changing the company's name to IBM Entity Analytics and naming Jonas, 41, who didn't graduate from high school or college, to the lofty title of IBMDistinguished Engineer.

FORBES: The Watcher