Google Pine Gap and it'll tell you what the Australian military and science community want you to think - that this base, 11 miles from the desert city of Alice Springs, is an "Earth Station", used primarily to track satellites as they crisscross our globe. And sure, the sky is crystal clear there and conditions are perfect. But what they don't tell you is that it's also operated by the CIA, NSA, and NRO, and contains tracking technology almost unheard of anywhere in the world.
It's not just tracking technology either, if you believe the hype. Plasma technology, supersonic craft, and brainwashing devices are all said to have been developed and tested at the base, sourced from alien designs. Pine Gap is also one of the few places to have been officially questioned - by the UK Ministry of Defense, no less - about flying saucer activity. Guess what? Their questions were refused answers due to concerns over "national security".
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.