While much of the attention has focused on Mubarak's dictatorship, most Americans don't realize that -- before the recent political turmoil -- he'd actually been winning international kudos for his handling of the economy.
The frightening battles in Egypt have Americans peppering museums with questions about what's going on there. At the same time, antiquities authorities in Egypt are warning museums and auction houses to be on the alert for people trying to sell looted items.
Unless there's a breakthrough in battery technology, gasoline will remain the primary auto fuel in the U.S. for years. But our dependence on imported oil comes with a major risk of supply disruption. And the U.S. has a domestic alternative that's ready and reliable: natural gas.
Google has teamed up with its newly acquired social-media-voice company, SayNow, and social network Twitter to set up a new service this weekend that enables Egyptians to tweet via voicemail, bypassing the country's Internet shutdown.
With protesters swarming the streets of Egypt, its stock market has taken a hit. But discount the doomsday scenarios. The sell-off could provide a good entry point for investors with the stomach to endure until things turn around, which seems more likely than most now expect.
Continuing unrest in Egypt sent shock waves through stock markets as far away as Japan, where the Nikkei 225 Index fell 1.2%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index also dropped 0.7%. In China the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 1.4%.
Have social networks like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube become the weapons of revolution? Egypt's president shut down the Internet on Friday to try to calm the protests rocking the country. But while the Internet may be an enabler of the demonstrations, it's not the cause of the discontent.
With an oversupply of oil on the market and OPEC afraid that higher prices will impair the U.S. recovery and sap demand, the fundamentals point to an oil price drop in the near term. Yes, markets move on emotion, and fears about unrest in Egypt have reversed that downward price trend, but the drop is probably coming.
The recession may be over, but millions of Americans are still feeling the pinch. Don't let that stop you from seeing the world, though. Featuring low prices, exotic cultures and solid tourism infrastructure, our list of the ten best international vacation bargains will help you find an affordable place to spend your hard-earned dollars.