Ukrainian Christians Celebrate Epiphany Holiday

Ukrainians celebrate Epiphany on January 6, a significant religious holiday that commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, marking the start of the church calendar year. Rituals include ice-hole diving and the blessing of water, believed to possess miraculous properties. Meanwhile, Joel Whitney's new book, 'Flights: Radicals on the Run', highlights the lives of dissenters like Graham Greene and Malcolm X, showcasing their sacrifices in the pursuit of truth and justice. In another reflection, educators share their annual reading lists, emphasizing the blend of historical and contemporary works that inform their teaching and writing. Furthermore, 2024 was marked by increasing government overreach, with concerns over civil liberties, militarization of police, and invasive surveillance technologies that eroded privacy. This growing trend has raised alarms about the government's expanding powers and their implications for individual rights and freedoms.