Greening the Champs-Elysees

[Gob]

One of Paris's main thoroughfares, the Champs-Elysees, has been covered in earth and turned into a huge green space in an event staged by young French farmers.

They want to highlight their financial problems, caused by falling prices for agricultural produce.

Plants, trees and flowers were brought in by lorry overnight to transform the avenue into a long green strip.

More than a million people are expected to visit over the next two days.

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The event, which cost 4.2m euros (£3.6m; $5.3m) to stage, has been organised by the French Young Farmers (Jeunes Agriculteurs) union over the holiday weekend in France.

It will serve as a showcase of farm production from sheep breeding to crop growing.

The union, which represents some 55,000 farmers under the age of 35, wants to impress on the public - and the government - the efforts required to produce what goes on the table.

"It's about re-establishing contact with the public about what our profession is and what they want from it," William Villeneuve, president of the Jeunes Agriculteurs, said on Friday.

"Do they want the cheapest products in the world or do they want products that pay producers?" he added.

Only in France are you ever likely to see such a monumental mobilisation of creativity and resources, all in the cause of that beloved but beleaguered figure: the French farmer, says the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris.

Overnight, 8,000 plots of earth have been brought into central Paris, and on Sunday morning, from the Arc de Triomphe down, the Champs-Elysees is one vast green space.

Some 150,000 plants have been installed - including 650 fully grown trees - representing agricultural produce from the marshes of the Camargue to the plains of Picardy, our correspondent adds.

Visitors will be able to buy boxes of the earth for their own gardens.

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[Long Run]

What do they expect this to produce?

[Gob]

I don't know, but as with most things the French do, it's done with such elan, that it hardly seems to matter.

[Sue U]

I don't know, but as with most things the French do, it's done with such elan, that it hardly seems to matter.

That sums up la France perfectment!

[loCAtek]

Without all the crowds, it would look like an episode of;

Life without People, a Yank series that speculates what would happen to the Earth if man were to suddenly become extinct.

[kristina]

I saw a few episodes of that series, and like it a lot. Fascinating stuff.

[loCAtek]

Me too, I'm a big fan of rust!


AKA Oxidation - the combining of an element with oxygen till it breaks down.


Believe it or not, rusting and welding are the same thing! OXIDATION!

Rusting is slow oxidation of metal, and welding is rapid oxidation of metal.

My two favorite words to say in a Weezer voice, "RAPid Oxi-DAY-shunnnnnnnnnn.... "

[tyro]

Rusting is slow oxidation of metal, and welding is rapid oxidation of metal

Ummmm,,,,,,no.

Rusting is the oxidation of a metal and it involves individual atoms of oxygen forming new bonds with individual atoms of metal. In iron, the new molecule of metal and oxygen is physically larger than was the original atom of iron and so it wrenches itself away from the surface leaving the layer of iron underneath exposed to the air and further oxidation.

In aluminum, the new molecule of oxygen and metal is almost the exact same size and so the layer doesn’t pull away from the rest of the aluminum and remain as a layer of protection to any further oxidation. Scratch an aluminum pot and you will see a very shiny mark but this mark will turn pale (rust) quickly.

I have never welded, but it seems to me that it is a process of melting the metal and then letting it cool, thereby closing gaps between edges.

I recall a coworker who was a welder having to take a special course to learn how to weld titanium a metal similar to aluminum. He explained that in addition to the oxygen and acetylene tanks, he needed one with argon (I think it was argon, I know it was one of the inert gasses). The argon he explained was to keep oxygen away from the weld.

[loCAtek]

We are both correct tyro, strictly speaking Rapid Oxidation is burning metals such as you do with a Oxy/Acetylene rig. It's a common method for cutting steel pipe and plate. You can weld with a oxy/acetylene rig too, but it also sounds like your friend was learning to use a TIG welder as well, which uses argon as a shielding gas. You either use an oxy/acetylene torch, or a TIG welder. Oxy/acetylene is the older method, but you have better cleanliness and control with a TIG. Aluminum is also easier to weld with a TIG.

Both can fuse metal, which is what you described as melting the metal and closing the gaps.

However, a stronger 'weld' is done by using higher temps than just what is need to melt the base metal; and adding filler metal rod. The high temp is needed to melt the base and the rod and get good penetration; that is the two metals are completely welded into a single piece of metal with no pores or cracks. There will still a little bit of metal burned or consumed, thus another need for the rod. Fusion without adding filler rod would leave the metal thinner at that point and potentially weaker.

I was saying it was 'rapid oxidation' loosely because metal burning is a part of welding ...and it sounds silly to compare it to rusting. Plus, I really do like to say RAPid Oxy-DAY -shuuuuunnnnnn

[tyro]

I defer the welding part of your answer and it was a million years ago when I heard about welding titanium.

However, you would have to agree that welding is not rusting (or even rapid oxidation) otherwise you would never have a solid weld with iron alloys. The best you could hope for would be a 1970s Ford.

[loCAtek]

Right, I was being silly.

RAPid Oxy-DAY -shuuuuunnnnnn