The cow in the fish tank, challenges complacency towards animals and meet in modern society, in brings us back to the reality of our relationship with meat as food. Highlighting the extent which we separate food meat from its animal origins. The cow is no more a cow than the slab of meat we stick on our plates. from one side we can see the meat we often see in the butchers, but on the other we see the cow.

You’re thinking too much. That’s what I don’t get. I don’t want to spend a month thinking of some clever explanation as to why something is art so my dinner party guests will be impressed.

It’s a cow in a fish tank. Nuff said.

If he’d put gold fish in the tank with the cow I might have at least found it amusing.

The VdM is just lovely (for me). It looks great. It’s a pretty woman, well depicted with skill.

Well MF, if you can’t define what art is then nothing is art.

I like it cos I can’t imagine being able to do it. The form is pleasing and the skill amazing.

Buy an Autotrader. There are always loads of cheap places for clutch, gearbox and engine replacements advertised in there.

OR – bite the bullet and do it yourself.

You will probably need to hire an engine hoist and a clutch alignment tool – but it’s manual labour rather then skill…..

Send me your address TSY and I’ll pop an Otter Top in the mail 🙂

And is being able to craft something from a piece of stone more skilful than being able to cut an animal in half and successfully preserve it?

Sorry, I forgot.

I would argue that cutting a cow in half (as in a slaughterhouse worker) is slightly less skilled then creating a realistic female form from stone using a hammer and chisel.

If I want to see half a cow I’ll go down to the local butchers thanks. And while I’m in there choosing between Lamb or Pork chops I won’t get all emotional about what they mean to me spiritually. I’ll just drool and get hungry (damn I want a lamb chop!).

Venus will be a wonderful piece of art in a thousand years time still (hopefully) whereas a cow in a fishtank won’t be.

As a final argument – you can see her norks 🙂

It’ll cost you a case of Alcopops for a sawn in half otter!

Actually, it depends which direction I saw it in half.

Across the mid-riff is cheaper.

If you don’t like it you can keep the £50.

But I will be drinking the Stella whilst painting.

You want me to paint a red square on your bedroom wall?

£50 plus a four pack of Stella.

:shakeshead:

So a blue square.

A black square.

Something a four year old has done.

Art? Probably only becuase it was done by an artist and the world has been told that it’s art.

I’d agree with Hora – it’ll probably be cheaper in the long run to get the whole thing done as the main work is getting the gear box off (which they need to do anyway).

Clutch plates are cheap compared to the labour involved…..

It depends on whether the bearing has already caused damage.

Front wheel drive cars mean a lot of man hours to crack the gear box off and access the clutch. I can’t offer a guess but it’ll likely be hundreds rather than tens of pounds.

Throw-out bearing / Thrust bearing, whatever.

But yes, get it fixed. If it’s binding it may be spinning it’s body against the pressure plate and will eventually cut through leaving you with no clutch……

Sorry – cos it ain’t a cheap job.

Er TJ, don’t shoot the messenger. That is what a proper riding school was teaching…..

1 second! So, in 1 second you can have analysed the situation and either swerved (probably then hitting something else) or braked?

If you can than I bow to your greatness. But somehow I doubt it…..

Blimey there are some heros on here.

When I did my motorbike test they taught the moped group to stick into the kerb as it was safer (cos they were so much slower than other traffic) to be out of the way. So being closer to the kerb was defensive riding.

No amount of technique will ever prevent you from hitting someone who just steps out in front of you.

Cynical-Al – you deserve the sticker 🙂

Women should retire later.

Lets face it:-

They live longer so should have the same retirement years as blokes

They earn less (cos they’re not as good at jobs as men) so need to work longer to get a good pension

Most of the lazy mares have already had a few years off squeezing puppies.

There – I think my argument is convincing……

Both 🙂

It does sound a lot….

Yes Master Jedi. I did ride Herts shore – you were there 😉 It was loooooong time ago though.

Scared the living bejesus out of me mind! LOL!!!!

Epping ain’t a bad idea – is there a club?

It’s not easy. But try talking, try relate, but also be prepared for the point when you might need to accept it’s over.

It might sound harsh, but there comes a time when you need to move on.

It’s utter crud getting to that point though.

Hmmm,

The LBS suggestion is a good idea BUT is one of my issues. I used to know the guys in the LBS fairly well and had ridden with them. But I’m kinda embarrassed now to go back there – cos I’m fatter and more useless then I was then.

I live in Stevenage which is pretty useless for riding. There’s Herts shore nearby (where I have ridden) but I’m way off being able to do anything like that again. Or Chicksands is nearby I guess.

It’s just a bit dull.

Perhaps I should post a lonely hearts ad:-

Fat useless git seeks similar……

It’s a giggle.

I grow my own herbs, toms, peppers and last year also did courgettes.

I had tomatoes coming out of my ears (made chutneys) and the herbs are still going strong even at this time of year.

But, as said, it is work – but rewarding 🙂

OK – I have seen it.

But – it’s just an unmade bed.

Why is it different from any other unmade bed? Why is it special? It’s not.

Surely if I have to use my imagination then it’s my mind that is the piece of art? OK – I’m even confusing myself now!

Oooooh – I like your Stealth Wrench. Is it invisible to radar?

You don’t need to like Westlife, but if you did, it would allow you to enjoy a whole lot of stuff.

Your argument just took a nose dive – LOL!!!

But, for sake of argument, let me think about Ms Emins unmade bed. What do I think was going through her mind as she lay there farting, doped out of her head? Dunno. And, to be frank, don’t care.

I’m not sure what I should ‘get’ from looking at her dirty stained sheets, apart from annoying my natural OCD tendencies.

If, whilst sitting at my desk, I tipped out the pot of bulldog clips and said it was to demonstrate my feelings of despair – would that be modern art or a mess?

Perhaps that’s what I need answering. When does a pointless pile of rubbish become something more? Afterall, we can analyse almost anything……

because you don’t understand something, does not mean there is no meaning there

OK – so this is where I lose the plot. WHY do I need to understand it?

I can look at a sculpture and appreciate it. But why should I bother trying to understand what half a cow in a fish tank means?

Surely it’s just all a little bit up it’s own bottom?

For me, that’s just technical, mechanistic.

Which is fine 🙂

Torminalis – I don’t understand. Wouldn’t the chainsaw need to chop itself in half for your reflection to work?

But that’s why I don’t like Modern Art. It’s like a bad joke – if it needs explaining it ain’t funny…..

Good idea TSY. Although I don’t want to copy Mr Hurst. Would you mind holding down my neighbours Spaniel while I do the cutting (the Spaniel or the nerighbour – makes no odds to me)?

What do you want from art? just pictures? stuff that looks exactly like the thing it represents?

No. I do like more classical stuff. But I just think if it needs a seperate name then it’s probably the Emporers New Clothes.

I like things that have needed skill. Taking a chain saw to a cow isn’t that skilful (not that I’ve tried mind).

A broad, sweeping and completely unjustified statement.

Not really – my opinion is it’s all crap.

Charging millions for half a cow just means nothing to me. There’s no skill apart from conning people into buying it.

What it evoked and represented?

Er, that the stiggy cow needed to make her bed and tidy up!

But why isn’t it just ART!?

Surely the monica of Modern Art is becuase it isn’t art, but is something different?

What is clever about half a cow (butchers have been doing that for years) or a submarine made of tyres?

I mean, if I put my unmade bed up for sale would it be worth millions?

It’s all crap.

Doesn’t look bent – or even bent enough to be a problem.

Dirty cable perhaps?

For a flat-to-flat drop I’d reckon anything the same size as you is the cut off between AM and DH.

The water sharpers (as linked above) is, IMO, better than a steel.

I’ve used a steel for years and can sharpen a knife – but not as nicely or as consistently (along the blade) as I can with the water sharperner.

It did take a while to get the knives sharp mind. Years of abuse with a steel meant I didn’t have the perfect shape on the cutting edge, and getting them sharp to begin with was a pain.

But now they need a couple of drags through once a month to stay razer sharp.

I refuse to participate on grounds of decency

It’s magic?

It doesn’t matter how it works – it just does.

I’ve done this for years. If I’ve bled brakes or even put new pads in I’ve stuck a business card either side of the rotor and zip-tied the lever back over night.

It does just seem to reset everything and get the pad spacing nice.

Bleach?

Or use biological washing powder/liquid

Or, you can use steradent (or similar) to soak stains off but I guess you’d need a lot for a sink (DOH! Too slow)

But Flash Spray with Bleach would be my first stop.

If you’re eating nails or razor blades, that could be your problem.

Hmmmmmm

I may have imagined this. But I remember as a much younger man being told that half a gallon of diesel in a rank of petrol works wonders on cleaning a motor out.

But please check before you try……

Bombay Sapphire. Diet Schweppes tonic. Ice. Lemon. Lime.

And yes, I do wear dresses a lot.