The horrors of the human appetite

Sure, he's repented. Sure, he preaches against it now. But how do you forgive something like this?

From BBC: I ate children's hearts, ex-rebel says:

Milton Blahyi, a former feared rebel commander in Liberia's brutal civil war, has admitted to taking part in human sacrifices as part of traditional ceremonies intended to ensure victory in battle.

Milton Blahyi urges other ex-combatants to confessHe said the sacrifices "included the killing of an innocent child and plucking out the heart, which was divided into pieces for us to eat."

There had been numerous rumours of human sacrifices during the 1979-93 conflict but this is the first time anyone has admitted publically to the practice.

Mr Blahyi, 37, is better known in Liberia as "General Butt Naked" because he went into combat with no clothes on, to scare the enemy.

He is now an Evangelist preacher, who prefers to use the name Joshua.

He was speaking to the BBC, after telling Liberia's Truth Commission that his forces had killed 20,000 people.

"Tradition made me to believe that as a priest, coming now to be a warrior, that I made a human sacrifice before going into battle."

He said he thought that confessing to what he had done and asking for forgiveness could help heal the country's wounds.

"I have been looking for an opportunity to tell the true story about my life; and every time I tell people my story, I feel relieved," he said, drinking a bottle of tomato juice.

He stopped fighting in 1996, saying God appeared to him as he was charging naked into battle and told him he was doing Satan's work. He is now often seen preaching on street corners and churches in the capital, Monrovia.

"I now preach against murder and making human sacrifices," he said.

I don't think it's right that he can sit there drinking a bottle of tomato juice. That puts this next story to shame.

From BBC: What is 'ethical' veal?:

Veal is a result of the dairy industry. Cattle are encouraged to give birth to bring on milk, but an estimated half a million male calves born each year are not needed by farmers and are mostly considered to make bad beef.

They are either killed or reared for veal. Largely unable to sell male calves for veal or beef in Britain, most farmers export them to Europe.

Those exported abroad are usually taken from their mothers at just one day old and undertake journeys of up to 100 hours to Spain and Italy, says CIWF.

The conditions they travel in are cramped and when they arrive they usually spend their short lives in wooden-sided crates which are so narrow they cannot turn round, it adds.

They often have no bedding and are forced to stand or lie on the uncomfortable, slatted floor.

They are fed a predominantly milk-based diet to ensure the whiteness of their meat. As a result the majority of calves tend to be anaemic and this method of rearing causes the calves great mental distress, says the charity.

British-reared calves have more space and flooring that allows them to move. They also have a dry, bedded area to lie down in.

Almost enough to make me give up veal.

From The Star: Little Nicky still afraid of crowds:

MALACCA: Nicky, the tiger cub rescued from the dinner table by a Good Samaritan three years ago, is afraid of crowds and prefers to stay in a corner whenever people flock to Malacca Zoo.

Zoo director Mohd Nawayai Yasak said Nicky only comes out during feeding sessions.

“At other times, she is active and responds to her name,” he told The Star.

Almost as bad.

Is there nothing more fearsome than mankind's reasoning abilities that can justify such actions?