Daily Archives: April 2, 2005

Pictures of a great man

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johnpaulii.jpgAs Pope John Paul II nears death, Newsweek provides this online review of its issues over the past 27 years that have featured a picture of the Pope on the cover.
George Weigel’s Witness to Hope is probably the best biography on Pope John Paul II. Mr. Weigal’s op-ed from ten years ago — The Mobile Pope — explains how the Pope modernized the papacy and in The Holy Father in the Holy Land from five years ago, Mr. Wiegel describes the Pope’s historic visit to Jerusalem and the Middle East.
Pope John Paul II leaves a legacy of grace, strength and forgiveness that is a beacon of light in an increasingly dark world. His is a life worthy of reflection, so take a few moments to review the momentous contributions of this remarkable man.
Update: Mr. Wiegel provides this interesting personal remembrance upon the Pope’s death on Saturday afternoon.

Oil prices hit record highs

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traders150-pa.jpgOil prices climbed to record highs Friday on mounting concern about limited supplies.
Crude futures for May delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange settled up $1.87 at $57.27 a barrel. That price is a new record closing price, beating the old record of $56.72 a barrel of a couple of weeks ago. Adjusted for inflation, Friday’s closing price close is the highest since Oct. 11, 1990 when Nymex crude closed at $40.42, which is equal to $58.18 in today’s dollars. Nymex crude would still need to reach $90 a barrel to beat the inflation-adjusted high price that was established in 1980.
This Forbes graph provides an instructive overview of oil prices over the past 150 years. The last 30 years of oil price fluctuations has been quite a ride.