FIRST: U.S. Marines rescued a hijacked German-owned cargo ship off the coast of Yemen on Thursday, boarding the vessel as dawn broke and apprehending nine pirates without firing a shot. Two dozen Marine commandos took control of the Magellan Star, a container ship en route from Spain to Vietnam, by swarming the decks and surrounding the armed pirates before they had time to react, U.S. military officials said. The pirates, all Somali nationals, will remain in custody of the U.S. Navy until officials can decide whether they should be prosecuted or released. The Marines were aided by the Magellan Star's wily 11-man crew, who had avoided being taken hostage by barricading themselves in a safe room as the pirates boarded the ship. The crew also killed the ship's engine, leaving the vessel to float dead in the water until help could arrive.
SECOND: Jacob Isom, a 23-year-old skateboarder and resident of Amarillo, TX, was skating in a park when he heard David Grisham, leader of an evangelical Christian group called Repent Amarillo announce that he would be burning a copy of the Quran. Apparently that didn't seem too righteous to Jacob, who snatched away the holy book -- already doused in a flammable liquid -- and told the agitator, "Dude, you have no Quran!" before running off. He accused Grisham of "trying to start Holy Wars." Isom made sure the book made it into the safe hands of a smiling local Muslim leader. The incident occurred during a rally against Quran burning organized by the Amarillo Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Sam Houston Park. No word on whether Grisham wants his Quran back. Apparently he wasn't a fan, anyway.
Thanks to the Huffington Post, Washington Post, and Think Progress.
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