June 13, 2022

Huge welcome to all of our new subscribers! The growth of the Roca community over the last few months has been nothing short of inspiring. It appears that there are many of us who believe the news today is terrible. So let's keep making Big News sweat. Ride the Wave, and happy Lobster Day. 

In today's edition:

• Pope Francis calling it quits?
• eBay's sneaky ivory trade
• Hawaii's great unifier

 Key Stories

US Gas Prices Reach Average $5

As of Saturday, average US gas prices are over $5 per gallon — the highest since 2008

• California currently has the highest average prices at $6.43/gallon; Georgia has the lowest at $4.48/gallon. Prices exceed $4 in every state (a gallon is 3.8 liters)
• Gas prices typically peak in summer, when travel increases and demand for oil is higher. This year, the highest inflation in decades and the war in Ukraine are driving prices even higher
• Prices in the US are low compared to some other countries. A gallon of gas costs $6.76 in Canada, $8.36 in the UK, and $10.87 in Norway

• In early June, after months of lobbying by the Biden administration, OPEC+, a group of some of the world's largest oil exporters, agreed to increase oil production. That may reduce prices, however JPMorgan recently predicted the average US gallon of gas could hit $6.20 by August

Senators Agree on Gun Control

US senators reached a bipartisan gun control deal

• The agreement, announced on Sunday, has the support of at least 10 Republicans, which ensures the bill has the 60 votes needed to pass
• The bill will offer states money for passing “red flag” laws, which block those deemed dangerous by a judge from legally buying a firearm. The bill also increases funding for mental health programs, school security, and expanded background checks
• If passed, the bill will be the largest gun control effort since 1994. While senators have agreed to the framework, it still needs to be written and approved

• While the bill doesn't go as far as gun control advocates would like, it follows decades of lawmakers consistently failing to agree on gun control terms. The last major effort was in 2013, after the Sandy Hook massacre, however that bill failed to secure the necessary votes

Pope Francis 

Speculation is growing that Pope Francis, 85, will soon retire

• Popes rarely resign: Only 6 have done so, among them the prior pope — Benedict XVI — in 2013. Some think his retirement may have set a new precedent
• This weekend, Pope Francis canceled an upcoming trip to Africa. He faces declining health and is currently wheelchair-bound following knee surgery
• Francis also announced that he will visit the tomb of Pope Celestine V, the last pope to voluntarily resign before Pope Benedict. People are reading it as another sign that Francis plans to retire

US Ends Traveler Testing Mandate

The US ended its requirement that all international travelers receive a negative Covid-19 test 24 hours before entering

• The rule applied to all travelers, regardless of nationality or vaccination status
• Airlines and tourism groups had been aggressively lobbying for the change. They blamed the requirement for impeding the revival of international air travel and tourism
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the requirement is “not currently necessary,” although the US health secretary said the government “will not hesitate to reinstate a pre-departure testing requirement, if needed later”

• Last week, 40+ mayors – from Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta, and elsewhere – asked the Biden administration to cut the requirement, saying it was hurting their cities' economies. A travel business group recently estimated that lifting the requirement could generate an additional $9B in spending this year

• Florida man plays hockey: The Tampa Bay Lightning are heading back to the Stanley Cup finals for a chance to win their 3rd Cup in a row
• Baby, no: Justin Bieber revealed that he’s been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome which has left the right side of his face paralyzed
• Atta boy, Tiger! Forbes declared Tiger Woods a billionaire on Friday, making him the 3rd athlete to have this distinction

 What do you think?

See yesterday's results below the Wrap!

 Roca Wrap

Was Kalākaua’s trip the greatest vacation of all time or a nation-destroying mistake?

In 1881, David Laʻamea Kamananakapu Mahinulani Naloiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua – better known as King Kalākaua – set off on a round-the-world journey. He was no stranger to travel – in 1874, he became the first world leader to receive a state dinner at the White House – but this was a groundbreaking trip. It would last 10 months and make him the first monarch to circumnavigate the globe. 

Kalākaua said his mission was to find more contract laborers for his islands, as well as to generate more awareness of the Kingdom of Hawaii, then an independent country. His critics said it was a ploy for him to see the world. 

He and 2 friends set out in January 1881. The first stop was California, followed by 3 months in East Asia. After visiting India he headed to Egypt, followed by a summer in Europe, during which he visited Spain, Austria, England (twice), Paris (twice), and Portugal. Next was the US, where he crossed by train before sailing back to Hawaii. 

Kalākaua met the greatest leaders of the era in each place he visited: The emperor of Japan, the king of Siam (Thailand), the ruler of Egypt – who personally showed him the pyramids – Queen Victoria of England, the king of Portugal, and US President Chester Arthur. In many of these places, he negotiated deals for cheap foreign laborers to move to Hawaii. 

Yet while he was gone, rumors swirled: Some thought he was simply taking a long vacation, yet others thought he was trying to sell the Hawaiian islands. 

Within weeks of his departing, newspapers had reported that a Hawaiian diplomat was in Germany, finalizing the terms of a sale. Those rumors persisted through the trip, causing a year of anxiety among the US, which demanded first right for acquiring Hawaii. 

But did the trip pay off?

In the 30 years after the trip, at least 16,000 Portuguese laborers migrated to Hawaii, as did thousands more from China and Japan. The trip generated more awareness of the kingdom’s existence. A meeting Kalākaua had with Thomas Edison set the precedent for the electrification of Hawaii – beginning with the royal palace.

Yet many saw the trip as a waste of money – particularly after Kalākaua, so impressed by the British monarchy, dramatically increased spending on Hawaiian royal activities. With the kingdom’s finances deteriorating through the late 1880s, in part because of the trip and resulting costs, Kalākaua lost most of his power in 1887. 

6 years later, in 1893, the US helped orchestrate the overthrow of what remained of the Hawaiian monarchy, and in 1898, the United States officially claimed Hawaii. 

17 years after his great voyage, Kalākaua’s kingdom had ceased to exist.  

 Roca Clubhouse

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 Final Thoughts

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