Tomorrow night at 9PM EST (Tuesday February 14th) PBS will air another showing of its Frontline special on ‘Sex Slaves’ from 2006 that featured young girls taken from Ukraine and funneled through Europe as sex trade workers. We’ve covered PBS re-airing this broadcast before, and if you aren’t able to catch it it is also available on YouTube:
and Google Video:
On last week’s Family Guy, Lois found herself in ‘Foxy Boxing’ and was up against an opponent from Ukraine – but quite surprisingly was able was speak Ukrainian herself:
Lois: I’m sorry there’s been a terrible mistake, my idiot husband booked this match without my knowledge… Bell rings – Punch!
Peter: She’s from the Ukraine Lois, she doesn’t speak English.
Lois: Alright, мені шкода про вас… Punch! (Roughly translated: ‘I feel sorry for you…’ – thanks Taras)
Peter: She’s from the other part of the Ukraine, it’s a different dialect.
…
Joe: Did you know where the Ukraine was ’cause of my globe?
Peter: No, I saw it in a book.
Joe: *sigh*.. you knew, ’cause of my globe – you dick!
Last night was the finale of ‘So You Think You Can Dance Canada’ which featured two Ukrainians in the top four. In the end there could only be one winner and former Shumka dance Denys Drozdyuk took home the top prize:
In the end, it was the Ukrainian from Toronto rather than the Ukrainian from Edmonton who won the title of Canada’s Favourite Dancer in Season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance Canada. After tabulating more than 1.5 million votes from across Canada, Denys Drozdyuk was declared the winner Sunday night. Edmonton’s Jeff Mortensen came third.
Earlier this week, the 22-year-old told his mother Susan he felt he had already won. She was in the Toronto studio for the live finale, as was his dad Finn and a handful of other family members. Dozens of family and friends descended on a northwest Edmonton restaurant to watch it all unfold on TV, and to celebrate what has been an incredible journey for the one-time Shumka Dancer, who last season never made it past the Top 40 of the popular show.
…
Mortensen said he remembered watching the first season of the American version of the show while he was still with Shumka, the venerable Edmonton Ukrainian dance troupe. At the time, he says, he had never taken a class in ballet, or jazz or hip-hop.
“But I thought to myself: ‘You could do that,’” recalls Mortensen.
He could, and he did.
You can watch the final moments below:
Congratulations!
Update: CTV has also released a video of the finale
The Gareth Jones memorial website run by his great nephew Nigel Colley posted a clip last week from a popular game show University Challenge last week that asked participants “killed in 1935, the Welsh journalist Gareth Jones was posthumously awarded which country’s medal of freedom award in 2008 for his efforts in publicizing the Holodomor, a famine of 1932 and 33 during which several millions died as a result of policies instituted by Stalin”
Unfortunately no one got the answer correct. Laughably upon hearing the word ‘Stalin’ one participant quickly buzzed in his answer of ‘Russia’, but I don’t think there is a single case of Russia awarding anyone any sort of decree for their work denouncing Stalin – especially since Russian schools are now being equipped with new textbooks justifying his millions of murders and praising the dictator.
Update: Denys has won the contest!
If you’re watching this season of ‘So You Think You Can Dance Canada’, one of their competitors is a Ukrainian from Toronto:
Born in
theUkraine, Denys first started dancing ballroom at four–years-old. He moved to Toronto when he was 12, and by the time he was 14, he was back in Europe studying and training in Berlin. At 19, Denys was enrolled at the prestigious arts school, Juilliard in New York City. Upon graduation, Denys continued with a Masters Program in Dance Education at New York University.
You can watch his amazing audition that got him to the show:
Ukrainian born Denys Drozdyuk said it was a combination of hard work and good luck that helped him make it into the Top 22 of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE CANADA Season 3. He is grateful for the opportunity to show Canada who he is and says the competition has already improved his overall outlook. "The competition thus far has taught me that no matter what the circumstances, I must always stay professional and dedicated to what I do. No matter how I feel, I still need to perform my job 110%."
Read the rest of his bio and follow him on Facebook
Update: A reader pointed out there’s a second Ukrainian dancer this season from Edmonton Jeff Mortensen:
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