The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has reversed a jury ruling that would have lifted the American Quarter Horse Association’s ban on registration and racing of cloned quarter horses. The Amarillo Globe News reports.

“In a ruling of international significance in the horse industry, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday overturned an Amarillo jury’s decision that found the Amarillo-based American Quarter Horse Association violated anti-trust laws by barring cloned quarter horses from its registry.”

An Amarillo federal court jury had found that an AQHA committee and officials had conspired to ban  cloned horses from its registry (and consequently racing and other competitions) in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act..

The 5th Circuit disagreed finding that the plaintiff’s claim failed “because AQHA is not a competitor in the allegedly relevant market for elite quarter horses.”  As the Court noted  “Plaintiffs here contend that AQHA monopolized the relevant market for elite quarter horses. … Nothing in the record, however, shows that AQHA competes in the elite quarter horse market. AQHA is a member organization; it is not engaged in breeding, racing, selling or showing elite quarter horses.”

So no exacta box on The Replicator and Clonemaster in the 5th at Sam Houston Race Park.

Image from http://www.shrp.com

The Houston Chronicle reports of a brewing conflict between open carry enthusiasts in North Texas.  Open Carry Texas apparently has issues with two Tarrant County groups that have taken to recording police actions.

“A group known for its controversial stance on gun owners’ rights to carry weapons in public says it can’t condone the in-your-face tactics of a suburban Dallas cop-watching group. Open Carry Texas, part of a nationwide movement to promote the right to openly carry firearms, takes issue with new Arlington groups known as Open Carry Tarrant County and Cop Block[.]  Those groups have been busy not only promoting the right to carry firearms but also filming officers at work and posting Cop Block videos on YouTube.”

Arlington has been a focal point for the groups where they have confronted police officers as many as 20 times in one day.  The more aggressive and heavily armed Tarrant County groups have been arriving at the scene of police actions, recording them, hurling insults at the police and  shouting “Hands up, don’t shoot” and “I can’t breath.”

Does anyone else see a bad ending to this?

Residents of central Dallas who celebrated the “death” of the controversial Trinity Parkway with a mock New Orleans style funeral are still wary.  The controversial proposed $1.5 billion toll road would have created a major highway between the Trinity River levees running through central Dallas. The toll road had been planned as a 9-mile road which would connect Interstate 45 and State Highway 183.  The road was planned as part of the Trinity River Corridor Project, which aims to create a large urban park with lakes, recreational areas and trails in the now largely vacant space between the levees.  The road has been approved by Dallas voters twice; first in a 1998 bond package for the larger corridor project and again in a 2007 election that unsuccessfully sought to block its construction.

Opponents have questioned the wisdom of the first ever freeway to be built inside of a river levee as well as the impact on the planned parks and existing wildlife along the banks of the channelized river. And the list of opponents seems to be growing.   But Dallas Morning News columnist Steve Blow is arguing for Dallas to keep the toll road on the table.  Blow believes that the river can accommodate both recreation and transportation.

“I especially urge anyone wrestling with this question to get down between the levees and get a feel for how vast that space is. I was there a few weeks ago and was struck again by the size. It’s so enormous that you could easily enjoy a soccer game, a picnic or a bike ride on the west side of the river and barely even know that a major roadway was way over on the east side. Above all, let’s do the sensible thing and simply keep our options open. Let’s see what the final plan brings. Let’s hear from anyone with better fixes to our transportation bottleneck.”

Lebanese-American porn star and University of Texas at El Paso graduate Mia Khalifa apparently wants her own Whataburger franchise.  If you have ever been to a Whataburger in a small Texas town, you probably noted the photos on the wall reflecting the local population and history. One can only wonder at what might be adorning the walls at a Khalifa-owned burger shop.  At any rate, the company appears disinterested in fulfilling Khalifa’s dream.  The Houston Chronicle reports:

“Mia Khalifa .  . . has skyrocketed to fame in the last few weeks, earning news stories in national media outlets like Newsweek creating an international firestorm that drew death threats and rising to the top of her profession.  But it seems there is one thing the 21-year-old Khalifa — listed as the most popular porn star on Pornhub, which is the 71st most popular website in the world (in front of the websites for the New York Times and CNN) — wants that she can’t have: her own Whataburger franchise.

According to the actress’ Instagram and Twitter profile, which is totally NSFW, she is a ‘future Whataburger franchise owner.’ A statement released to the San Antonio Express-News by Whataburger’s Corporate Communications office Thursday regarding the actress’ desire for ownership suggests otherwise.  ‘We are not adding any new franchisees in any of our existing or new markets,’ a representative said in an email.”