Inside the zone

[lushd]

Those interested in things formerly Soviet may be interested in this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/...res_chernobyl0s_silent_graveyards_/html/1.stm

The BBC has been running stories all week about the Chernobyl explosions. If (like me) you admire the trucks and vehicles of the Soviet era, there are some huge treats here.

If only I could bring myself to believe that the images had been taken on a Zorki or FED.

 

[OpenWater]

In addition to the above, you might want to look at the following:

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/default.htm

It is a chilling, compelling, and perhaps false account of travels through the hot zones surrounding Chernobyl. It is full of photos - who knows, perhaps done with Zorkis & FEDs. I would be interested if someone could comment on whether her travels are authentic or not.

 

[JimG]

You should check out Martin Cruz Smith's book 'Wolves Eat Dogs' (fiction, he's the guy that wrote 'Gorky Park'). Allot of it is about the people who remained in Chernobyl and why.

 

[ch1]

Speaking of Chernobyl, this 20th anniversary-related article is in today's New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/20/nyregion/20chernobyl.html

 

[ZorkiFan]

In addition to the above, you might want to look at the following:

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/default.htm

It is full of photos - who knows, perhaps done with Zorkis & FEDs. I would be interested if someone could comment on whether her travels are authentic or not.

I don't see why they wouldnt be made with a Fed or Zorki, although the young people there have been known for having a love for things that the US like. I noticed she likes Kawasaki, so she may like Nikon, or something. I would like to think they are taken with a FSU camera too.

I first visited the site when it was still on anglefire, and I took it to be the real deal. If I remember right her father was supposed to be an engineer, or a doctor involved in containment, and she took advantage of that in order to pass through. I thought that sounded plauseable, and I took the site to be the real deal.

If it is fake or not, it made me look the disaster as something other than a news event, something that effected a lot of peoples lives. The website made a big impression on me. The internet would be better if there were more sites like that, and it is the thing that most photographers try to do with their photos.

Pretty cool link anyhow 🙂

 

[OpenWater]

You should check out Martin Cruz Smith's book 'Wolves Eat Dogs' (fiction, he's the guy that wrote 'Gorky Park'). Allot of it is about the people who remained in Chernobyl and why.

Yes, I've read it and enjoyed it. It also makes me be inclined to think that the "Kid of Speed" is no hoax. Still, novelists are - novelists - one doesn't know how much artistic license they are using.

 

[Spyderman]

If only I could bring myself to believe that the images had been taken on a Zorki or FED

Is that the only thing that you can think of when you hear or read about the Chernobyl disaster? 😕 Thousands of dead, thousands exposed to nuclear radiation, thousands of evacuated 🙁 ... and you only wonder if the pictures were taken with a Zorki or FED...

The internet would be better if there were more sites like that

I also agree with ZorkiFan, the page is great (although the stories make me rather sad 🙁 )

 

[JimG]

Yes, I've read it and enjoyed it. It also makes me be inclined to think that the "Kid of Speed" is no hoax. Still, novelists are - novelists - one doesn't know how much artistic license they are using.

That's very true Mike, but like Anatholi Rybakov's books writen about the Stalin years even fiction allows the reader some perspective of what it was like for those who were there. Jim

 

[OpenWater]

That's very true Mike, but like Anatholi Rybakov's books writen about the Stalin years even fiction allows the reader some perspective of what it was like for those who were there. Jim

You're absolutely right. I think novelists have given us some of the great perspectives on historical events. But while history is necessarily interpreted within limits, the limits for novelists are far broader.

I just wonder did she really ride her bike through the hot zone? I would like to believe she did - that her site is "true." Such a visit raises questions about how hot it is after these intervening years? What kind of damage persists and how long will it persist?

What is so interesting about her web site - to me, at least - is that it is as if she has gotten on a time machine and visited the site of a human and ecological disaster of unimaginable scope. It is such a sad tale about what we keep doing to ourselves and to the earth.

 

[rumbliegeos]

I teach in a college, and I brought up Chernobyl in one of my classes because many 18-22 year olds have not heard of it. The Guardian Online site has had a very poignant article on the disaster and its effects. National Geographic Magaziine also had an interesting article on it last month, which detailed the plan for containing the "sarcophagus" for the time being: it involves building a giant quonset hut next to the plant, and then sliding it over the ruin! Even that is still a stop-gap solution.