audiomick

As I understand it, the figures are for that one racing team alone, i.e. not counting the cans of fizz. Dividends: That's the son of the now dead co-founder of Red Bull. He owns 41% of the company, and got €582 Million in dividends in either 2022 or 2023. Can't quite make out which. Incidently, Reb Bull is a GmbH, i.e. a "limited liabiltiy company". I don't think the company is listed on the stock market. EDIT: bugger, I forgot to link where that quote came from, and closed the tab. Sorry... However, I just found another one: https://www.derstandard.de/story/3000000239121/red-bull-machte-2023-rund-24-milliarden-euro-gewinn They are talking about €10 billion turnover, and €2.4 billion profit. The headline:

Yeah, no worries. But "when I get around to it" might still be a long way off...

I have not tried this variety, but if one can believe the blurb it is the right thing for pots and faders and such. In fact, when I get around to it, I intend to get a can of it for the workshop in the opera where I work (paid for by the house, of course...) https://caig.com/fader-f-series/

That's profit, mate. After they finished paying everyone, and paying off the sexual harrrassment fees. Profit.

Yeah, the Jags had their problems. Even so, the XJ models were very pretty. And I got to drive an XJ 40 with the V12 once. Apart from it having been an automatic, which I don't like, it was very, very nice. Beautiful motor, given that it wasn't having a hissy fit. Fuel consumption was shitful, though. That is why the bloke who owned the one I drove sold it in the end. The Stags had their problems, too. Particularly the overheating issue. I gather the solution in Australia was to fit a Holden 308 radiator.Wouldn't bother me though. The Stag was just a stunningly beautiful car, and I would, given the resources, be prepared to sort out the problems just to be able to own and drive one.

Yes, they were in all things indeed very similar. I've even heard the theory postulated, and I think it is justified, that Kawasaki bought a K100, studied it, and made a better one, which was the GTR.

and they got it right on nearly all counts. The only thing is the XJ-C. I've no doubt that it was an elegant and satisfiying car, but I saw one once somewhere. It did look a bit odd. The four-door XJ was a design that just should have been left as it was. It didn't need a "coupe" version. The two-door thing was covered admirably by the XJ-S, a truly beautiful car, but it did come a bit later. I mentioned the Triumph Stag a bit further up. That or an XJ-S would be a difficult decision. That or an XJ-C wouldn't. The Stag would win hands down.

I know exactly what you mean. I had some good years with the Kawasaki GTR 1000, and some great rides. Brilliant weather protection, brilliant luggage, great motor. But 290 kg means you think about where to park the bike and how you are going to get back out of there every time you stop. Getting it onto the centre stand without the luggage is hard enough. With the luggage full, forget it. The bike served a purpose valiantly for a time, but the time passed. It's just too heavy for me now.

According to here, that is not "cans produced", but cans actually sold: https://www.redbull.com/int-en/energydrink/company-profile On the topic of how a "Soda company" can afford to sponsor all those sports events, I wrote further up that I'm sure they make a profit from a large part of that. Look here: apparently 2023 was a bad year despite good success in F1 racing. Profits went down, and they only made about £20 million profit. https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/304625/red-bull-annual-figures-show-less-profit-despite-more-revenue-in-2023.html I feel really sorry for them. Only 20 million pounds, must be hard...

I tried it twice, to make sure. I was right the first time...

They no doubt picked up more member after the Vietnam war, but the Hell's Angels go back to just after WW II, at least according to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hells_Angels I think the attraction of a "veterans motorcycle club" is first and foremost being amongst people who have had the same experience. I never had to go to war, and wasn't in the army. I have, however, talked to a number of Vietnam vets, including spending an evening in the club house of the Vietnam Vets MC in Albury, Australia. Is is quite obvious that they have been through stuff that no-one can really grasp who wasn't there. I can understand seeking out or forming a group of people that you don't have to explain it all to because they already know.

Don't know if it is that many, and I couldn't find any figures just now, but I know the do have lots of bikes in stock. One problem is, as I read just now, some of them (a lot) are Euro 5 emissions spec, and as of January a new registration has to be Euro 5+. So if that want to have any chance of selling them at all, at least in Europe, the dealers have to get them registered (Tageszulassung is the German term, "day registration") before the end of December so the registration happens before the new emissions law comes into force.

indeed, but a good kind of weird.

seems appropriate for the last one of the evening...

more Bowie. Sorry, can't help myself....

not my fault, this came after that on Youtube, for whatever reason. Bowie was and remains a legend.

this is the band I was working for. The prelude "where are they...then there lost in the complex" is actually more true to life for the band than is funny.

while i'm at it, this. The band I worked for a while had the same agency as this band, so we did a number of supports for them. They were great on stage.

or this

and this one I liked the first time I heard them

I took a long time to appreciate this band

And now for something completely different, still as relevant today as it ever was....

R.E.M. : it would be nice if the bloke could sing more than four tones. On the subject of french vocals and distorted guitars (ok, the song is from Belgium...) this came out when I was 14, or maybe 15 by the time it came to Australia. I loved it. As far as I can tell, the chorus means something like "it's all ok for me". I found this quote in the Wiki, which I find very appealing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ça_plane_pour_moi

in that category, shitty video, but this lot played in the pub in Melbourne where I was house technician for about two years. One of the best evenings in the entire time, and I don't even really like the style of music.

Tight as a duck's arse. Fantastic. Regarding the "finnish attitude", look at this. Don't pay too much attention to the guitar playing. That is a bit rough, but that is not what the man does for a living. Listen to the voice, and take note that he let his obivously overwhelmed cousin film it and post it on the 'net. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPc7Se3SmkY Dan, the singer, is a member of the ensemble in the Opera in Leipzig where I work. Lovely bloke. This is an indication of what he does for a living. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtmM1IaolYE The point is, someone from another culture who does the opera thing for a living would have threatened to kill the cousin if he didn't take the video down from the net. I spoke to Dan about the video one time, and I don't think he is really happy that it is out there, but he is ok enough with it to not take action. I like that.