Bruce Friedrich, Vice President of PETA, has challenged collegiate debate teams at some of the country's most prestigious universities to defend the practice of eating animals. If he hasn't always won outright (they've only taken a post-debate vote "twice, and the vegetarian side received more votes both times" he says via email) his goal is to speak to students who "are open to making, and empowered to make, decisions that might have been more difficult earlier." Tomorrow night, he'll be clashing with NYU's Debate Team, an opportunity that was denied by a certain, drug-addled "Ivy." more ›

Pork and bacon, of all things, are decidedly the new engines of charity events: First off, Tom Mylan and Brooklyn Kitchen have decided to auction off 10 upcoming seats at Mylan’s immensely popular pig butchering class to benefit Just Food and the Greenpoint Interfaith Food Team, according to Serious Eats. Secondly, the “Park Slope Pork Off” next month at Loki Lounge will garner the winner $100 and bragging rights; moreover, all proceeds benefit survivors of toxic waste in the Philippines. “Fakin’ bacon,” the organizers advise, is also acceptable, however “you best fool us but good.” We hear that Jonathan Proville, winner of last month’s epic Bacon Takedown, is angling for a second victory at next month’s event. More information on the “Pork Off” here. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, the New York Times has an excellent piece this week on vegan advocate and author Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, and across the pond, BBC correspondent Richard da Costa has spent four days eating, cavorting, and sleeping 24/7 in a sty with pigs. The resulting documentary called My Life as an Animal plays tonight; more information here. more ›