Five surefire ways to get cred:

1. You were in two different hardcore bands while still at school.
2. The first concert you went to was Bob Marley.
3. Your oldies named you Jose
4. You can turn a Massive Attack classic into an epic indie song.
5. You became vegetarian as a teenager.

If you tick all those boxes, then add me on facebook, please - I need friends like you!

Someone who fits this description fully is Jose Gonzalez - who made time to chat to Unleashed about why he cut cruelty out of his diet.

Jose is just one of loads of musos who refuse to eat meat. And it's not just hardcore or indie types. Jason Mraz, Missy Higgins, half the Wu-Tang Clan, Joel and Benji Madden - all eat cruelty free! Not to mention the late, great MCA from the Beastie Boys. The music world is full of super-talented, super-kind stars. You don't have to be musical to cut cruelty from your diet though (trust me!).

Jose said that it was "definitely the suffering of the animals that was my concern". How 'bout you? Do you want to take a stand against animal cruelty too? The single most powerful thing you can do to protect animals from abuse is simply pledge not to eat them.

Jose also reckons it was his mates that introduced him to the idea. If you're already a life-saver for the animals, then share this video on your facebook or twitter (or Tumblr, pinterest, etc) to inspire your friends to save lives too. It's a simple way to help animals and your mates.

Wow wow wow! I've got some amazing news to share: Tasmania has just become the first state in Australia to commit to completely phasing out battery cages!

After years of campaigning by Animals Australia and Brightside Farm Sanctuary, hens in Tassie will finally be free from those dreadful cages!

And if that weren't enough reason to jump for joy, there's more...

The Tassie Minister for Agriculture has also announced that they are going to fast track the phase out of pregnant sow crates. You might remember a couple of years ago they committed to getting rid of these cruel crates by 2017... well now they are promising to have 'em gone for good by the middle of next year!

If you've ever written a letter, shared a campaign video or spoken out for battery hens and mother pigs, then give yourself a pat on the back. You've been a part of making history today!

That's one state down, and just a few more to go (don't worry, the first one's always the hardest)...

Across the rest of Australia mother pigs can still be locked in cramped crates, where they can't even turn around. And get this: an estimated one in every six battery hens lives in chronic pain with a broken bone.

When Tassie first announced their phase out of pregnant sow crates in 2010, the pig industry soon followed (with a little 'encouragement' from Animals Australia's campaigns) with promises of a voluntary national phase out of sow crates, by 2017.

Don't you think it's about time the egg industry voluntarily phased out battery cages?!

Here's the deal.. if you want to help hens and pigs around Australia, there are two important emails you can shoot off asap:

1. Tell Australian Egg Corporation Ltd (AECL) that the writing is on the wall! Tassie is phasing out battery cages, so it's about time they do the right thing and commit to a voluntary phase out of battery cages. Email AECL here: contact@aecl.org
2. Tell Australia Pork Ltd (APL) to hurry up! If Tassie can get rid of pregnant sow crates by next year, why can't the rest of Australia? Email APL here: apl@australianpork.com.au

Once you've sent those off it's time to celebrate!

Being kind to animals isn't a new invention. It's not like ipads or robots. When you speak up for animals, you're walking in the shoes of many amazing and inspiring people. Now, we've teamed up with VeganSneaker.com to give you a chance to step out in cruelty-free style like some of the greats, with these sweet Etiko kicks.

We've got two pairs of sneakers to give away to two lucky Unleashed members!

It may seem obvious, but I'll say it anyway, VeganSneaker.com specialise in selling vegan sneakers from Aussie company Etiko. Etiko's slogan is "Wear No Evil". This means no kids sweating in factories, no ripped off workers without toilet breaks, and no animal products in their shoes!

Some of the greatest minds the world has ever seen have stood up for animals. Albert Einstein for starters. When the German genius wasn't blowing minds with his theory of rela-la-tivi-li-ty (I can't even pronounce it) he was telling the world, "Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet".

And what about Gandhi, who said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated". FYI, I bet Gandhi would have loved a pair of Etikos on his famous Salt March. Just sayin'.

There've been pollies, athletes and musos - all who have walked the walk when it comes to treating animals with respect. Jose Gonzalez, Missy Higgins and Jona Weinhofen just to name a few.

To get your hands on (and feet into) these vegan sneakers we want you to talk the talk. All you have to do is share your favourite quote about animals/activism in the comments. It can be inspiring, thoughtful, funny, anything! (If you don't know any quotes, then google is your friend.)

But wait! There's more! The two winners will also have their entries turned into hot new facebook covers, to help get the idea out there that everyone can treat animals with respect. So stop reading, and start writing! Entries into the comments by June 30th! Good luck!

Angus and Julia Stone - they're family.
Joel and Benji Madden - they're family.
Probably all the guys in One Direction? I dunno, they all kind of look the same to me.

Whatever! The point is -- today is International Day of Families! It's a day to do something nice for your fambam. Pluck mum a flower from the neighbour's yard. Ask dad for one of his hilarious jokes. Don't give your bro a hard time for picking his nose -- if he enjoys doing it, let him do it, just for today. And most importantly - do something nice for the animal members of your family too!

You'd know as well as anyone that your companion animals are valued members of the family. Who's the first to meet you at the door after school? I bet it's the dog, right? And who better than kitty to sit down and watch The Voice with. Our four-legged friends even seem to know when we're in a good mood or when we're not feeling so great, and often pick up on it quicker than our mates!

So this year, for International Day of Families, try to do something so the furry family members (I don't mean your brother) know they really are part of the family. Now, I can hear some of you already - "but it's Tuesday man, I need to save my brain for the rest of the week". So here's some ideas I prepared earlier:

TWO walks in a day!
A new chew toy, with special cruelty-free treats inside.
Plenty of pats and loads of attention.
And trust me on this one ... tell them you love them.

Here's my special mate Gus moments after being told I love him, and moments before launching an attack on my leg.

When the day comes that cats rule this world (and it will happen), maybe they'll think back to how cool you were to them today, and they'll go easy on you. Maybe. Who knows what cats are thinking?

How are you going to spoil your furry family members today? Leave a comment.

As Australians, we love the underdog. We cheer on the unlikely hero, hoping they'll overcome all odds, and get the happy ending they deserve. When I heard of the mass cow breakout in Broome earlier this week, there was part of me that couldn't help but cheer the heroes on.

Of course, I realise that when cows are on the loose their own welfare is at risk. But sadly, where they were headed before they escaped was likely to be much worse. And their dash for freedom was a little reminder that if animals had a choice, there would be no live exports and no slaughterhouses.

Broome is an absolutely beautiful place. Unfortunately it's also a loading port for Australian cattle being sent overseas. I'm sure I don’t need to tell you that animals who are exported don't have much to look forward to. The journey is stressful enough, but even that doesn't compare to being slaughtered fully conscious in a country with no animal cruelty laws. (btw, you can help end the trade with just 30 seconds of your time).

Now, cows aren’t dumb, so it's no big surprise that some of them made a daring moo-ve (awful pun, sorry) to escape. In a stirring moment, around 50 of the bovine rebels made a break for it! Some dashed inland, some headed to the coast.

This story of animals making a break for freedom is one that occurs many times throughout the year. Sometimes the lucky escapees even get to live full, contented lives on sanctuaries. This particular incident is tinged with sadness though. Of the cows that escaped, 16 headed out to sea, with only seven able to be rescued. The rest drowned.

On the flip side, around 20 of the "Friesian Fighters" (a nice pun for the cow fanciers out there) are still livin' large, roaming the scrublands around Broome! How long they'll be free for is anyone's guess, but I've got my fingers crossed that they never again see the inside of a truck, ship or slaughterhouse.

Maybe the Broome escapees had found inspiration in this song?

n.b. Of course, I'm not suggesting that cows be armed with rifles. That would be ridiculous -- like suggesting that 12 year olds be allowed to go hunting by themselves (or tbh ... at all!). That'd be nuts! Oh wait ...

Winter is approaching so unfortunately it's time to pack away the thongs (under the bed, never to be seen again) and get out the winter warmers. Just in time for the change of seasons is our latest giveaway!

Spicy Brown (the brains behind Tofu Robot) has come up with these cool toe socks designed for feet just like yours, and we've got two pairs up for grabs.

Wear them...

• ... to school!
• ... to slide on floors!
• ... to keep your tootsies warm!
• ... to tuck your pants into when you're riding your bike! OK, maybe not this one.

If you want to get your hands (and feet, I guess) on these bad boys, then you're going to have to get a little creative. I want you to get your Jay-Z (or Kanye) on and come up with a two-line poem about the wonders of tofu. Post your efforts into the comments below! The two best efforts will win the socks. Pretty simple really. Here's an example:

Roses are red, violets are blue
My stir-fry is pretty much just all fried tofu.

You probably can't do much worse than that so have a crack at it and you could be a winner! Rhymes need to be submitted by the 22nd of May.

All this talk about stir fries has made me hungry. Time for lunch I think!