Dotrat
Explorer
Reged: 07/25/05
Posts: 201
Loc: Boston
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CHELYABINSK, Russia
For forty-five years, Chelyabinsk province of Russia was closed to all foreigners.Only in January of 1992 did President Boris Yeltsin sign a decree changing that.Shortly afterwards, I made my first trip to this region, which later Western scientists declared to be the most polluted spot on earth.
In the late 1940's, about 80 kilometers north of the city of Chelyabinsk, an atomic weapons complex called "Mayak" was built. Its existence has only recently been acknowledged by Russian officials, though, in fact, the complex, bordered to the west by the Ural Mountains, and to the north by Siberia, was the goal of Gary Powers's surveillance flight in May of 1960.
The people of the area have suffered no less than three nuclear disasters: For over six years, the Mayak complex systematically dumped radioactive waste into the Techa River, the only source of water for the 24 villages which lined its banks.The four largest of those villages were never evacuated, and only recently have the authorities revealed to the population why they strung barbed wire along the banks of the river some 35 years ago.Russian doctors who study radiation sickness in the area estimate that those living along the Techa River received an average of four times more radiation than the Chernobyl victims.
Read More at http://www.logtv.com/films/chelyabinsk/
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jmorga
Tourist
Reged: 07/06/05
Posts: 13
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This woman "Elena" calls herself the "Kidd of Speed". Her father is a nuclear research scientist who monitors the Chernobyl area for the Russian gov't. she is a motorcycle fan who rides her Kawasaki Ninja through the Chernobyl area at high rates of speed to avoid being radiated. Her last photo "tour" was in the Spring of 2004. Interesting pictures and story.
Kidd Of Speed
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Dotrat
Explorer
Reged: 07/25/05
Posts: 201
Loc: Boston
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I have been searching for this website for a while now...I browsed it about a year back and couldn't find it again.....kidd of speed ROCKS !!!
Thanks for your post...
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Dotrat
Explorer
Reged: 07/25/05
Posts: 201
Loc: Boston
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If anyone finds a decent map of this area I will make an overlay......
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Sojourner
World Explorer
Reged: 07/18/05
Posts: 341
Loc: Wembley, Western Australia
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Thanks for that Dotrat
Guess that we will just keep well away from there then.
Are you sure that it is still the most radioactive spot or has it
been superceded?
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Cheers 
Sojourner
Quo Vadimus
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Nitewolf
Tourist
Reged: 08/12/05
Posts: 54
Loc: USA
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Whether it's been superceded remains to be seen (if we ever hear about it). Take a look at this and then think about it. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/1281721.html?page=1&c=y
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Imagination is more important than knowledge.
--Albert Einstein
Everything you can imagine is real.
--Pablo Picasso
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Warbandit
Tourist
Reged: 08/24/05
Posts: 3
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En respuesta a:
This woman "Elena" calls herself the "Kidd of Speed". Her father is a nuclear research scientist who monitors the Chernobyl area for the Russian gov't. she is a motorcycle fan who rides her Kawasaki Ninja through the Chernobyl area at high rates of speed to avoid being radiated. Her last photo "tour" was in the Spring of 2004. Interesting pictures and story.
Kidd Of Speed
I'm a biker myself...but this....gives the concept a NEW meaning...She rocks!!!
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Dotrat
Explorer
Reged: 07/25/05
Posts: 201
Loc: Boston
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The Yucca mountain project is pretty insane. But we will be funding it and it will be contained.
Chelyabinsk is a plain old wasteland with total disregard for the environment and people. I don't see it being superceded at all. And if for some strange reason it is....well I think that country should feel the wrath of it's neighbors.
Russia should be ashamed for letting this area turn into what it is. There's a really good article about Chelyabinsk out there called "Half Life". NOT THE VIDEO GAME !!  I will see if I can track down the link.
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Dotrat
Explorer
Reged: 07/25/05
Posts: 201
Loc: Boston
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Here's some great reading :
Greenpeace Half Life Article VERY GRAPHIC : http://archive.greenpeace.org/mayak/
http://www.sprol.com/?p=176
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FoxholeAtheist
Tourist
Reged: 08/27/05
Posts: 25
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Those are really wonderful photos, but the backstory behind them has been shown to be largely fictional. They don't let chicks on bikes ride unaccompanied through the region, no matter who their dad is.
Fourth post in this thread has the LA Times story concerning the fake bits.
http://www.literature-web.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3199
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