And everyone left with an elephant.
Putting some tusk in one’s swag was a function held at the Shangri-La in Toronto Tuesday to properly launch the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation, focused on issues of animal welfare. You get an elephant! You get an elephant! And you get an elephant! No, Oprah did not pop by to instruct everyone to look under their chairs for a gift box, but it was close to the next best thing: Dana Margolis, the wife of dashing foreign affairs-expert/vitamins manufacturer Eric, informed everybody in the room, at a certain juncture, that they were all being gifted with a floppy-eared foster-baby of their own for one year.
A chorus of oohs went up around me, with Kristin Davis — yes, Charlotte from Sex and the City — giving the announcement a particularly audible two-thumbs-up. “That’s awesome!” she rang out from her seat. (Ever the cheerleader and adventuress, Kristin — an ambassador for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust — had just spoken to us about her own experiences with the cause, having travelled to Africa many times, and trekked into the wilds to help save many an orphan elephant — one time, as she informed me later, with a guide named Elvis!)
Dean and Dan Caten, those designer double-troubles from Dsquared, spotted making a quickie cameo at the eventLong adoption short: This is how the irrepressibly glamorous Barbara Amiel ended up going home with an elephant. As did that Energizer bunny, Jeanne Beker. And, oh, presumably Dean and Dan Caten, those designer double-troubles from Dsquared, spotted making a quickie cameo at the event. And, oh, Michael Cooke, Rob Ford’s BFF from the Toronto Star.
University and Richmond is no where near the Maasai Mara, and the cocktails going around did arouse memories of Radical Chic, in the indubitable spirit of Tom Wolfe, but the recoil was sincere when David Sheldrick himself showed us before-and-after photos. Of elephants. Being hunted. With the demand for ivory on the up, as many know — driven by demands by the new rich in China — the massacre of elephants has reached epic levels, with tens of thousands of the animals slaughtered each year for their tusks.
An accompanying announcement then came that the Margolis Foundation would be sponsoring four new anti-poaching teams in Africa, in partnership with the Sheldrick group. A “right to freedom from pain,” is how Eric, the founder of Jamieson Vitamins, personally phrased it, putting a fine point on his mission. And then — putting an even finer point on things, in a Gandhi-style change-within manner — he pointed out that his home is a pretty full house these days, what with three dogs and three cats currently in residence."Gandhi-style"? Give me a freaking break, Shinan.
Now that I know Eric the Rude owns Jamieson, I will never buy another bottle of his vitamins again.
Update: Poor Shinan was so transfixed by the sight of all those beautiful rich people that he left this bit out of his elephant report:
Margolis has argued that the American government may have been behind the 9/11 attacks. On September 10, 2010, in a column on his website[23] Margolis declares "we still do not know the real story about 9/11." Margolis' arguments include: the Osama Bin Laden tapes are fakes, questioning why the Air Force didn't shoot down the planes, asserting a lack of plane wreckage at the Pentagon, and repeating the theory that 9/11 was "staged by Israel's Mossad and a cabal of right-wing US Air Force generals" without criticizing the theory. While saying there is no "hard evidence" that Americans were behind 9/11, he adds "What, in the end, can we conclude? ... The attacks plunged America into wars against the Muslim world and enriched the US arms industry[,] boosted pro-Israel neo-conservatives [and] destroyed one of Israel's two main enemies."
Let me first start off by letting you know that I consider myself a far-right wing hawk on all matters Israel. And it is safe to say that I am the most "Jewishy" amongst my friends... anyone who meets me will quickly learn of most proud Jewishness. I am deeply involved w Chabad Lubavitch, considered friends by Rabbi Grossbaum and his many sons... as well I have been a regular invitee to the annual International Conference of Shluchim (Emissaries) in NYC. They all know that I am also a gay Jew and embrace me with love and respect. Tonight I am attending a dinner honouring the (hawkish) Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Metzger.
ReplyDeleteYou immediately reveal yourself to be a moneyed bigot. "I meant to post this on Saturday, but then we went sailing and I forgot all about it. It's NatPo gossip queen Shinan Ghovani's write-up.
Well though I'm no queen I'd be willing to bet that Shinan has been a greater contributor to this city... if not the country than you. Secondly he wasn't the only non-conformist concerned person there. There were many from working class backgrounds that still knew they had something to offer this most noble cause. I personally knew quite a few who have rather modest lives.
But then you continue to spew your revolting venom towards Dana. She is perhaps the kindest and most considerate lady I have ever met. She has done more for animals worldwide than anyone else I know.
Last year I was in Israel. Late one night I was walking down Ben Yehuda Street (Tel Aviv) when suddenly a stray cat darted across the street and was run over. I ran to scene, stopped traffic and picked up what I expected to be a corpse to bury. However the cat was entirely limp and paralyzed but still alive. Within minutes a "Pet Ambulance" arrived. I was told that there was really little hope and worse yet that they were willing to do everything they could to save the cat but that the reality of returning a paralyzed cat to the streets would be cruel. I promised them that if they would do everything possible to keep the cat alive and try to heal her that I would locate someone to adopt the cat. I then posted on my FB wall begging anyone I knew in area to please consider adopting this cat. The next morning I left for Jerusalem and I went to the Kotel (Wailing Wall) and prayed and begged for the cat to somehow recover and find someone to adopt her as the clinic could not keep the cat beyond a few days.
cont'd...
I can hardly wait for the continuation even though I might throw up
ReplyDeleteWhen I returned from Jerusalem I discovered a message from Dana. She asked me to relax and not be concerned anymore about the tumult I was going through w the cat but that she had contacted the clinic at the contact info I posted. She directed the clinic to send all future bills and outside testing/scanning expenses to her. She also announced that she'd gladly adopt the cat. She then asked me to return to my vacation and enjoy Israel. For the next month and a half Dana called the clinic in Israel every day until she was finally told that a miracle had unfolded and that the cat fully recovered and had full use of all her legs. Then came the time to return to Israel and pick the cat up. Though Dana wanted to go herself, I refused to allow her and I was determined to return and pick her up and bring her to Dana's house myself. Dana pleaded with me to allow the foundation that she and her husband Eric run pay for all the travel expenses... Eric was deeply involved in this mission as well. But this is not the only such interaction w Israel the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation has had. They also support another project which offers a beautiful sanctuary in Israel to donkeys that have been abandoned by their owners after they've been discarded by their owners for reasons ranging from old age or infection etc.
ReplyDeleteThat Dana had the wisdom to include Kristen Davis which was sure to fill the hall with people who could help this cause is something you mock. Or that any other number of doers were there seems to be an act of folly. I wonder just how much you accomplished for goodness in the world on that day or the day you boasted about sailing.
Dana & Eric both are fully aware of my extremely Zionist and nearly uncompromising postions but they too were capable of treating me with respect. Eric knows that I may not agree with much he believes in or writes about. But it is libellous to accuse him of being anti-Zionist! He does support Israel. A safe and secure Israel living side by side a Palestinian state. I do not agree w much he writes about even if it is always deeply interesting. But you sir owe these good people, "queens" the rich and able who do Good things, the ones who struggle to make ends meet but volunteer their services in cases or still contribute whatever they can. But mostly you owe a massive apology to Dana Margolis who worked so hard to put this event together all by herself. Your damning and recklessness also blindly attacked the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation with fraudulent claims about Eric's position on Israel. What Good have you brought forward? To disparage those who do so much for Goodness in this world is a sin.
I'm certain Eric won't notice your boycott of his company. But I do suspect that competing companies provide products that might give your brain better function... try Brahmi or perhaps better yet Ashwaghandha
Mark Steinfeld & Nesi the proud Israeli cat
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