Sunday, October 30, 2016

Leonardo DiCaprio Presents 'Before The Flood' Documentary...



  NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC  


...Rolex Coolness...

2016 Academy Award Winner For Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio

Presents 'Before The Flood' Documentary

Early in October I published a preview of this stunning upcoming National Geographic documentary. Of course, Rolex has been a huge supporter of National Geographic for many decades.

Leonardo DiCaprio who won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 88th Academy Awards this year pictured below wearing his stainless steel Rolex Daytona with a black dial, but that is not what this article is about.



Leonardo DiCaprio has been working with the folks at National Geographic on this amazing film about Climate Change, which is beyond fascinating. Nat Geo aired this amazing full length documentary today in in 171 countries. You can view the entire documentary, commercial-free by hitting the play button above.

If there is ANY question in your mind about whether climate change is real, or if you believe it is an elaborate hoax dreamed up by tree-huggers, I would beg to differ with you! If you don't believe me, watch this documentary, then publish your comment in this story. I think any rationale human-being would recognize this as being scientifically objective and sound reality.

If you want to learn more about this issue and the ultimate solution to this global challenge, look no further than Elon Musk's solution Tesla announced just a few evenings ago in California. Just visit Jake's Tesla World and click on the first video titled "Tesla Powerwall 2 & Solar Roof Launch."


Counterpoint

I received an email today from a reader in response to this article who wrote:

I used to enjoy visiting your blog/s, but your post on Leonardo DiCaprio/National Geographic turned me off to the point that I am not visiting any of your blogs.

You turned what was an otherwise cool blog on watches into something political -- and that's where you lost me. 

I know you're a climate change true believer, but you should try looking at the facts/objective data/evidence.  As an attorney, that is what I am trained to do.  After doing so -- objectively -- I have no doubt that man-made climate change is a lie.

Tens of Thousands Of Scientists Declare Climate Change A Hoax

So instead of writing back to the reader, I thought I would respond here. The reader sent in his name, but I respect his privacy and will not publish his name without his permission. Instead, I will address him by his initials, which are VM.

First point, VM: I am happy to learn you have enjoyed visiting my blog/s over the years. They contain more than several thousand articles I have personally researched and written. Like you, I follow many, many blogs on a daily basis, and constantly come across things I disagree with, or that turn me off. So if I came across an article on a blog with more than 3000 articles, and I happened to disagree with one, that would not stop me from enjoying the rest of the content :-)

Aristotle, the Greek philosopher put it best when he said:

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought, without accepting it." –Aristotle

My next question VM, is did you even watch the Leonardo DiCaprio documentary, which was produced by Martin Scorsese? If you did not watch it entirely, it would be difficult for us to discuss its content intelligently.


Martin Scorsese is pictured above wearing his Rolex Day-Date. Martin Scorsese has directed some of the most classic and seminal films in a career that has spanned the past five decades. This list of profound films includes Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Color Of Money, Cape Fear, Good Fellas, Casino, The Aviator, Gangs Of New York, and The Wolf Of Wall Street.


Martin Scorsese's films that he directed, to date, have received a total of 80 Academy Award nominations, of which they have won 20, including Best Director. His films have also been nominated for 56 Golden Globe nominations, of which they have won 11. He has received 84 British Academy Of Film and Television Arts nominations, of which his work has won an astounding 23 Awards!!!


Martin Scorsese has also been a proponent of the Rolex Mentor and Protége Arts Initiative, as well as a direct participant.

VM, you said:

You turned what was an otherwise cool blog on watches into something political -- and that's where you lost me. 

So VM, please tell me about my politics since you assume to be an expert on them? The truth is that I am and have always been politically agnostic. I have never been affiliated with ANY political party in my life. 

That being said, I have been a fan of many American presidents, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, JFK and Ronald Reagan. I even had the chance to sit down with Ronald Reagan and tell him that I was a big fan of his. I was a fan of Reagan, purely as an American who was proud of his country. 


If you want to learn more about my meeting with President Reagan, you can read about it in my story about my personal Rolex History. In the photo above and in the photos below, you can see me many years ago with President Ronald Reagan.


In these photos you see me chatting with President Reagan, and we discussed a whole host of fascinating topics. Does this make me a staunch Republican? Nope! So if I am not a Republican, does that make me a Democrat? Nope! I am simply a human being who was extremely fortunate to be born and raised in  the United States, and I care very deeply about the world we live in. 


I care not only about The United States, but about the world, and every human being on earth. For years, I have been deeply concerned about the impact we as human beings have on earth. I have personally witnessed many thing occur that are terrible for earth and many of its inhabitants.

For example, when I was a boy, in the United States, we used to use LEAD as an additive in ALL gasoline. In other words, the entire American fleet of hundreds of millions of cars in the U.S. used to all pump lead into the atmosphere. As a result, all humans regularly breathed-in that super-toxic lead. So VM, if I told you today, I believe I think we should start putting lead back into gasoline, you would probably think I was crazy, but in 1972 If I told you I thought we should remove lead from gasoline because it was so toxic, you would have probably told me I was crazy.

Even though there is no longer lead in gasoline, I am still completely apposed to vehicles that run on fossil fuels and petrol. Put aside global warming for a minute. Cars that run on fossil fuels are super toxic. Don't believe me VM? Try this experiment: Take a Tesla, or any all-electric car and put it in your garage at home. Let is run for five minutes in your garage with the door closed, and take deep breaths. You should notice no change in air quality. Now try the same thing with a gas or diesel burning car, which are super toxic. They will literally choke you out with super unhealthy toxins. Now multiply what is coming out of that exhaust by 1 Billion cars daily, and you understand the silent killer better.

People don't typically notice how toxic petrol exhaust is, as they drive around outdoors, but the typically invisible toxins are still there. In other words, out-of-sight is out-of-mind. Today the worldwide fleet of cars has more than 1 Billion cars pumping toxins into the atmosphere daily. The truth is we live in a world that is full of dangerous toxins. Don't believe me? Visit a tire store, any tire store. Go in and take deep breaths, and you will see how toxic the air is from the metro-chemicals used in making tires.

So once again, you said:

"You turned what was an otherwise cool blog on watches into something political -- and that's where you lost me."

I have zero intention of turning Jake's Rolex World into Jake's Climate Change Blog. I also don't intend to publish anything more on the subject, and I agree Jake's Rolex World is a 'cool blog'.

Next VM you said:

"I know you're a climate change true believer, but you should try looking at the facts/objective data/evidence.  As an attorney, that is what I am trained to do.  After doing so -- objectively -- I have no doubt that man-made climate change is a lie."

I have spent a tremendous amount of time investigating climate change, and I have looked at the facts and objective data, as well as a great deal of evidence, and it strikes me that even if Climate Change is a great hoax, our world would be FAR better off and less toxic running on solar power than on burning coal and other fossil fuels.

You mentioned you are an attorney and that is what you are trained to do. I am not an attorney, but I come from a long line of ultra-successful lawyers, and I also went to law school. Thus, I believe you could say I tend to think or reason like an attorney. I certain I.R.A.C. all issues :-)

As the world's leading Rolex historian, not only do I think like a lawyer, but I also use scientific methodology to research all my stories. So what makes me 'the world's leading Rolex historian"? I have personally separated the fact from the fiction on just about every Rolex Myth that has ever been perpetuated. 

For example, I dispelled the myth that the Rolex Day-Date was dubbed "The Rolex President" because U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower wore one. I did this by working with the Eisenhower Presidential Library archivist, who gave me access to all of President Eisenhower's correspondence with Rolex. The result of this research lead to my 11 part series titled, "The Complete History Of The Rolex President."






I also separated the fact from the fiction on the supposed "Steve McQueen Rolex Explorer", which never existed.



I also separated the fact from the fiction around the myth that said that Rolex developed the Rolex SEA-DWELLER with COMEX. I separated the fact from the fiction on that one from personally interview Henri-Germain Delauze, who was the founder of COMEX, and is pictured below.


I also dispelled the myth that Rolex never went to the moon, and the list goes on and on and on...

So to conclude VM, I have some questions for you?

1. Did you watch the entire Leonardo DiCaprio documentary, so you can make an informed decision?

2. Have you ever driven a Tesla?

3. Do you have an open mind?

4. Do you promise to keep enjoying my writing and research on Jake's Rolex World, if I promise not to write more about climate change ;-)

Jake

Update

I followed up with VM and let him know I responded on Jake's Rolex World. He was kind enough to get write back to me, and he shared his perspective as seen below.

Mr. Ehrlich,

It wasn't my intention to engage in a debate on climate change -- it was simply to voice my frustration with having to read a controversial subject, when I simply wanted to read about Rolex watches (or Panerai watches on your blog: http://PaneraiMagazine.com. BTW, I own a Rolex DeepSea Sea-Dweller and a Panerai PAM 00359 -- the latter, which I wore today).  Needless to say, I am exasperated by the constant barrage of politics (and make no mistake, much of climate change is politics), which has permeated even casual reading (such as your blogs).  I can -- and do -- respect your passion for watches, and even your views on climate science; however, my work-life is stressful enough without having to be inundated with political messages (which is one reason I have "tuned out" of television, and mainstream media).  It's your blog and you're certainly entitled to post your personal views.  I was simply voicing my frustration. 

It was never my intention to hurt your feelings (not that I think they were), nor "ridicule" you in a public forum (again, which is why I sent a private e-mail).  I simply thought that you might like to hear the voice of a frustrated reader.  Yes, I have watched "Before the Flood" on National Geographic, and my views on the subject remain unchanged.  Nonetheless, my love of nature (I hike the beautiful mountains near my home every weekend, and hit a national park every chance I get) is the impetus for my wanting a cleaner earth, and I sincerely try to do my best to be a good steward of this earth, and to leave a very small carbon footprint (which, I am sure, is less than one tenth of Mr. DiCaprio's) -- even if I don't believe in man-made global warming/climate change.  We can agree to disagree -- amicably.  And, if electric cars evolve to the point (and price-point) of gas-powered vehicles, I will certainly consider purchasing one.  One thing that precludes me from doing so is that I frequent the mountains and I use four-wheel drive often -- sometimes, all weekend -- out in the wild (meaning, no access to a charging station, etc.). 

Thanks again for reaching out; for your efforts on your various blogs; and for your passion. 

Warm regards,

VM



EARTH

I would like to thank VM for graciously taking the time to write back in with a thoughtful response.

VM, I genuinely understand your perspective, and in many ways feel the same way about political messaging. I also agree with your notion of good stewardship. My personal belief is that the ultimate measure of success in any persons life is whether or not we leave the world having made it a better place than when we entered it. In other words, if we contribute more to life and people than when take, that is true achievement. 

 To use a Barack Obama-ism, 'I respectfully disagree without being disagreeable.' In other words, when mankind drives more that 1 Billion cars—that burn fossil fuel—around the world every day, those cars all emit serious levels of carbon monoxide, which has a serious net effect on the earth's atmosphere. The ever increasing levels of carbon built-up in the Earths outer atmosphere stops heat from being able to escape, and thus warms the earth. The Earth's atmosphere is all we have to protect us from the heat of the sun and the cold of space. If we lose or do irreparable damage to the atmosphere, it is game-over for Earth and all of its inhabitants. Life, in all forms, is fragile...

When I look at Leonardo DiCaprio's Herculean effort in making this documentary, or Elon Musk's effort with Tesla, Solar City, Hyperloop, and SpaceX, I don't see greedy men trying to make a bunch of extra cash, or playing political games. I see intelligent men who genuinely care about the future of humanity, that are trying to make this world we all share a better place. 

Warmest regards,

Jake :-)