Texas voucher applications are open. These schools are still left out.

As of February 2026, Texas has launched its "$1 billion Texas Education Freedom Accounts program," allowing families to use taxpayer-funded vouchers—officially Education Savings Accounts (ESAs)—for private school tuition, including religious institutions. The program allows religious schools to accept these funds for the 2026-27 school year, with over 46,000 applications submitted in the first 24 hours

However, not all religious communities are treated equally in Texas.

Palm Tree Academy in El Paso hoped Texas’ new private school voucher program would boost enrollment and eventually help the community establish a middle school.

The private academy, which has operated for nearly 30 years, is the only full-time school serving El Paso’s small but burgeoning Muslim community, which includes many longstanding Hispanic Muslim families as well as more recent Arab and South Asian immigrants drawn to jobs at local hospitals and universities.

But on Wednesday, as families statewide began applying for the state-funded tuition subsidies, Palm Tree was among nearly two dozen Islamic schools that remained blocked from participating in the $1 billion program.

The state comptroller’s office said it has held up a handful of schools over alleged ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy group that Gov. Greg Abbott has deemed a terrorist organization. But the move is affecting schools like Palm Tree that say they have never been in contact with CAIR and still have received no information from the state about why they have not been invited to apply.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/private-school-voucher-islamic-schools-21332095.php

I am totally opposed to the Texas' voucher plan that will divert state dollars from public education into private school tuition. But as long as such a program is enshrined in Texas law, it should be administered fairly, not used as a vehicle for religious or cultural discrimination. ☮

"The Look", Michele Obama's interview with Jonathan Capehart on MSNOW

Is a striking contrast to the Trump family. She is so intelligent, compassionate, articulate...just a very classy person. She speaks my language!!

A great interview. Hopefully it will be available on YouTube if you missed it.

Bama deserved this loss. Hard to believe they cannot get a good FG Kicker and Simpson is not a Heisman candidate.

Sopwith Camel ‎(The Miraculous Hump Returns From The Moon)

It's a little early but....turn on the Lava Lamp and enjoy great memories of the early 70s San Francisco

Doesn't seem to be much to celebrate this 4th of July.

Although I don't usually do much for the 4th other than use the long weekend to visit family. This year just doesn't put me in a festive mood at all - in fact, I think it sucks.

I just don't care for US politics, and especially not for Texas, my home.

"May this Juneteenth bring you joy and reflection"

As someone that grew up in the Mississippi Delta (born 1950) I have vivid memories of the Jim Crow South. Never went to public school with a person of color, separate water fountains, the people of color lived literally "across the tracks". I saw KKK cross-burnings, I went to a MLK,Jr. speech on our town square, we had riots, , my HS was burned down, and all that went along with the civil rights movement.

We had a black "maid" that basically raised me and my brother and sisters...Estelle...I loved her. She was such a wonderful person.

All of this changed my life forever...for anyone that didn't experience the reality of the Civil Rights movement, you really have no idea how nasty people can be.

These are some photos from those days in my hometown in 1966. (MLK and Joan Baez)

Woman.....feeling sentimental ☮

Pocket is being discontinued...so I am moving to Instapaper

Supposedly you can export your Saves, and they will send you a link that will download a CSV file you can use to import to other apps.

I requested this download and got a reply, but when I tried to download it said my time had expired (less than 8 hours later). Supposedly you have 48 hrs before the download expires.

I re-requested another export and haven't seen anything yet.

Has anyone else had this issue?

Be aware of this when you do your next Win11 update

Microsoft Confirms Windows Upgrade Choice—You Must Now Decide

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/05/17/microsoft-confirms-windows-upgrade-choice-you-must-now-decide/

Microsoft has now released its latest update for Windows 11 users, which is mandatory given the raft of new security fixes accompanied by the near obligatory attack warnings. I covered the headline security fixes earlier, but perhaps just as critically this update comes with a very different warning and a key decision all users must now take.

Because “KB5058411 is a mandatory security update,” Windows Latest explains, “it’s supposed to download and install automatically whether you like it or not.” The catch with this one is that “we noticed that it finally turns on Recall, which is an AI-based feature that captures snapshots of your screen every few seconds.”

There can’t be any Windows 11 users who are still unaware of Microsoft’s controversial photographic memory upgrade — the headline AI feature now available on new Copilot+ PCs. “If you allow Recall to save snapshots,” Microsoft says, “an image of your screen will be saved every few seconds. This will create a photographic memory for you of the apps, websites, documents, and images you’ve seen on your PC.”

10 laws that are 'ruining America

I saw this on Amanpour today and found it fascinating. It explains the roots of our present-day policies such as immigration, number of US representatives, and voting rights.