Kidd of Speed - Elena's Pictorial Motorcyle Ride through Chernobyl Posted: 4 months ago by Moe
On April 26, 1986 at 1:23 AM, reactor crew at Chernobyl-4 moved to shut down the reactor in its low power mode and a domino effect of previous errors caused a sharp power surge, triggering a tremendous steam explosion which blew the 1000 ton cap on the nuclear containment vessel to smithereens.
Elena gives us an unprecedented first person view of the place now.
Comments: 10 Score: [-] 251 [+].
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Posted: 4 months ago by bunnysutra:
Great find. Many more upvotes than what I have to give. Took me a half hour to get through it, but so fascinating!
Score: [-] 34 [+].
Posted: 4 months ago by Boomshank:
This one's been proven to be a fake documentary.
Most of the pictures were taken from a Chernobyl bus tour website with a few of her on her bike thrown in.
It's still a great read and entertaining/educational though.
Score: [-] 76 [+].
Posted: 4 months ago by tundramonkey:
I'm guessing the reason the buildings are more radioactive/dangerous to enter (aside from structural integrity issues) is radon gas?
Anyone here all keen on nuclear stuff? My uranium experience is limited to drillcore.
Score: [-] 19 [+].
Posted: 4 months ago by chinook:
« tundramonkey:I'm guessing the reason the buildings are more radioactive/dangerous to enter (aside from structural integrity issues) is radon gas?
Anyone here all keen on nuclear stuff? My uranium experience is limited to drillcore. I think yes, though my U time is rather limited to drill core as well. It smells funny!
But I believe that Radon is the reason the buildings are unsafe, which is why some basements are unsafe, which is why the school in U City was unsafe (because building on tailings is ALWAYS a good idea??)... so stay away from that radon.
Is it weird that I really want to see Chernobyl? I'm a huge advocate of nuclear power, but I really want to see Chernobyl.
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 4 months ago by D3SPiTE:
« Boomshank : This one's been proven to be a fake documentary.
Most of the pictures were taken from a Chernobyl bus tour website with a few of her on her bike thrown in.
It's still a great read and entertaining/educational though. Thats disappointing... I was so impressed by it too.
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 4 months ago by MarkR:
Though Elena's taking a motorcycle is not true, at least her story brought much-needed attention back to the devastation left in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster.
I personally visited the Chernobyl area for two days in June 2006 with a friend and former resident of Pripyat. We toured the Chernobyl Plant (including the Reactor 4 control room), several of the abandoned villages, and Pripyat. I have posted a photo journal of my trip entitled "My Journey to Chernobyl: 20 Years After the Disaster" at:
Score: [-] 37 [+].
Posted: 4 months ago by pocksucket:
« Boomshank : This one's been proven to be a fake documentary.
Proved, or accused of being?
I've heard the accusations, but I've never seen the supposed proof.
And even if you have this proof, it doesn't detract any from the website, so I wonder why you bring it up.
Score: [-] 69 [+].
Posted: 4 months ago by MarkR:
« pocksucket : Proved, or accused of being?
I've heard the accusations, but I've never seen the supposed proof.
And even if you have this proof, it doesn't detract any from the website, so I wonder why you bring it up. Proved.
A guide who used to work for Chernobyl InterInform (she died 2 years ago) remembered Elena on one of her regular tours. She thought it was odd that this woman brought a motorcycle helmet with her on the tour. Unfortunately, I don't remember the URL where I found this information.
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 4 months ago by pocksucket:
« MarkR : Proved.
A guide who used to work for Chernobyl InterInform (she died 2 years ago) remembered Elena on one of her regular tours. She thought it was odd that this woman brought a motorcycle helmet with her on the tour. Unfortunately, I don't remember the URL where I found this information. Then it's heresay and anecdote - I'm sure you can accept that, from my point of view, this is proof of nothing.
Equally I could say that I know Elena personally, but that she is very publicity shy and so won't make any comment on this. It has the same veracity as your statement.
It's like calling "Photoshop" on this image (or countless similar)
No-one benefits from people knowing it is faked. All that happens is that one person gets a smug little feeling of showing the world they've got extra knowledge, believing they are special.
So what does it matter if it is "faked"? It's only faked in so far as she elaborated on the story of how she got the photos. She was still there, she still took them.
You may have some reason to be put out if it is faked, but I could also say that you have a vested interest in doing so - after all, the Kidd of Speed site is more well known that your own blog.
I don't mean this as an attack on you - I appreciated your blog a great deal as I have something of a fascination with the area and the aftermath. I just wanted to point out that you saying you know it is faked because that you heard some dead woman on a bus remembered another woman carrying a helmet. There really aren't enough clear shots of Elena on the site for me to trust that a tour guide could accurately remember that someone carrying a helmet was definitely her.
As it is, the only thing you could say is that she invented a story around the photos (some of which are genuinely taken from a motorbike tour of the area - unless your source also thought it strange that she brought the motorbike in some of those photos onto the bus as well...).
If that is the case, and that is still a huge if, the word that should be used is "fiction" not fake.
Unless you'd also call War and Peace, for example, faked.
As I said before, please don't consider this as any form of attack on you - that's not the way I mean it. But I felt that my rebuttal of your calling fake (and Boomshank originally) required a little explanation.
Score: [-] 69 [+].
Posted: 4 months ago by MarkR:
« pocksucket : Then it's heresay and anecdote - I'm sure you can accept that, from my point of view, this is proof of nothing.
Equally I could say that I know Elena personally, but that she is very publicity shy and so won't make any comment on this. It has the same veracity as your statement.
It's like calling "Photoshop" on this image (or countless similar)
No-one benefits from people knowing it is faked. All that happens is that one person gets a smug little feeling of showing the world they've got extra knowledge, believing they are special.
So what does it matter if it is "faked"? It's only faked in so far as she elaborated on the story of how she got the photos. She was still there, she still took them.
You may have some reason to be put out if it is faked, but I could also say that you have a vested interest in doing so - after all, the Kidd of Speed site is more well known that your own blog.
I don't mean this as an attack on you - I appreciated your blog a great deal as I have something of a fascination with the area and the aftermath. I just wanted to point out that you saying you know it is faked because that you heard some dead woman on a bus remembered another woman carrying a helmet. There really aren't enough clear shots of Elena on the site for me to trust that a tour guide could accurately remember that someone carrying a helmet was definitely her.
As it is, the only thing you could say is that she invented a story around the photos (some of which are genuinely taken from a motorbike tour of the area - unless your source also thought it strange that she brought the motorbike in some of those photos onto the bus as well...).
If that is the case, and that is still a huge if, the word that should be used is "fiction" not fake.
Unless you'd also call War and Peace, for example, faked.
As I said before, please don't consider this as any form of attack on you - that's not the way I mean it. But I felt that my rebuttal of your calling fake (and Boomshank originally) required a little explanation. You are correct - in this sense, the word "fake" is used out-of-context. However, I would embellish your suggestion of using the word "fiction" and say Elena's account is actually "historical fiction."
I do not take your post as an attack, but feel I need to explain myself a little further.
If it makes any difference, I know some people who used to know that guide, and they were able to verify that story with her (before she died).
Please note that all I said in my original post is that Elena's use of a motorcycle was not true. My only mistake was saying "Proved" in relation to [boomshank's] "fake" statement. I should have qualified my comment better.
FYI - the Chernobyl Zone administration does not allow motorcycles in the area due to the radioactive dangers - much more dangerous on a motorcycle than in a car or bus, especially if you get behind a vehicle that is kicking up dust.
The importance of pointing out that Elena did not ride a motorcycle in the area is to inform people that the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is not a safe place, especially for motorcycle riders (you'd be surprised how many people think they can go there and ride around freely due to Elena's story).
I am not trying to be in competition with Elena's site. I'm just trying to share accurate information. As I said in my original post, I am glad that her story brought attention back to the aftermath of the accident. Too many people have forgotten about it, and it has relevance today in relation to the world's energy needs and the resurgence of nuclear power.
Score: [-] 37 [+].
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