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I took his advice and Googled "Dead Sea Cosmetics". Apparently one of the WikiLeaks diplomatic cables had details about a company exploiting young Israelis, to

I took his advice and Googled "Dead Sea Cosmetics". Apparently one of the WikiLeaks diplomatic cables had details about a company exploiting young Israelis, to take tourist visas and sell these cosmetics in malls. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5519017/WikiLeaks-delves-into-Dead-Sea-sales-scam http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5519017/WikiLeaks-delves-int...

s_henry_paulson 14y ago
It goes deeper than that. As soon as I read "skin care products at the mall" I immediately thought, "I wonder if the sales person was from Israel". I honestly didn't think I would see that addressed. Do you remember those Zoom Copters that used to be in every single mall across America? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJyCAZGRpf8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJyCAZGRpf8
- chimeracoder 14y ago
  Wow, it's not every day that someone can get personal sales lessons from a potential spy! ;-)
chimeracoder 14y ago
Hah - years ago, my aunt was stopped in a mall by a young Israeli guy selling these products. She mentioned that she'd been to the Dead Sea on a trip to Jordan and seen them selling similar products for a fraction of the price. The salesman, unfazed, asked her if she was perhaps mistaken and thinking of the 'Red Sea, because the Dead Sea is in in Israel[1]'. Thankfully, my aunt taught history, so she knew her geography well enough to know that he was just trying to pull the wool over her eyes. [1] Which is technically true, since it sits on the border. But I wouldn't tell a Canadian that they were mistaken, because 'Niagara Falls is in the US'.
- aba_sababa 14y ago
  A bit more than technically true. The Dead Sea is an Israeli icon...
  - chimeracoder 14y ago
    Abe, I think you missed the point - Niagara Falls is (partly) in the US and is an American landmark, but I wouldn't tell a Canadian that they were 'mistaken' about visiting Niagara Falls on a trip to Ontario 'because Niagara Falls is in the US'.

s_henry_paulson 14y ago

It goes deeper than that. As soon as I read "skin care products at the mall" I immediately thought, "I wonder if the sales person was from Israel". I honestly didn't think I would see that addressed. Do you remember those Zoom Copters that used to be in every single mall across America? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJyCAZGRpf8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJyCAZGRpf8

chimeracoder 14y ago
Wow, it's not every day that someone can get personal sales lessons from a potential spy! ;-)

chimeracoder 14y ago

Hah - years ago, my aunt was stopped in a mall by a young Israeli guy selling these products. She mentioned that she'd been to the Dead Sea on a trip to Jordan and seen them selling similar products for a fraction of the price. The salesman, unfazed, asked her if she was perhaps mistaken and thinking of the 'Red Sea, because the Dead Sea is in in Israel[1]'. Thankfully, my aunt taught history, so she knew her geography well enough to know that he was just trying to pull the wool over her eyes. [1] Which is technically true, since it sits on the border. But I wouldn't tell a Canadian that they were mistaken, because 'Niagara Falls is in the US'.

aba_sababa 14y ago
A bit more than technically true. The Dead Sea is an Israeli icon...
- chimeracoder 14y ago
  Abe, I think you missed the point - Niagara Falls is (partly) in the US and is an American landmark, but I wouldn't tell a Canadian that they were 'mistaken' about visiting Niagara Falls on a trip to Ontario 'because Niagara Falls is in the US'.