If you ask me, Friday's are pretty sweet... after all, it's almost the weekend. But this week we've got a plan to make Friday even sweeter.

This Friday (14th October) is World Egg Day... I know, I know... you're thinking "What could be sweet about a day celebrating an industry that locks 11 million hens in cages with less space per bird than an A4 sheet of paper, that kills hens who aren't producing enough eggs (usually at around 18months of age) and that kills about 12 million male chicks on their first day of life - simply because they weren't born female, and so can't produce eggs?" ... like this:

... but hold up a sec, and I'll tell you what we have in mind.

This Friday, we'd like to invite you to join us in protesting the egg industry's cruelty to chickens in just about the tastiest way we know how... by baking a delicious egg-free cake!

I know what I'll be baking - Maple Cupcakes with Sugared Walnuts from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. But if you're not quite as maple syrup obsessed as I am, you could always go for this heavenly chocolate cupcake recipe, or make a chocolate mudcake, or apple and almond tea cake, or banana date slice... the options are endless!

And by sharing your cruelty-free cake with friends (I know it's hard :P), you can show them just how sweet making a difference for chickens can be!

So, what are you going to bake this Friday for World Egg-Free Day?

P.S. You can also spread the word about World Egg-Free Day by making the image below your facebook profile pic in the lead up to Friday. (Right click on the image to download and save the file ('save image as'), upload it to Facebook and make it your new profile pic. Then tag all your friends, to grab their attention!)

Who said cows don't have an ear for fine music?! An American jazz group put this theory to the test when they recently performed in front of a crowd of captivated, music-loving French cows. Check out the video below, very cute!

I especially like how all the cows stand to attention side-by-side, their ears honed in on the music, seemingly twitching in curiosity and pleasure! Adorable! Just a sunny afternoon of grass munching and jazz - what better way to pass the time?

If only dairy cows, who sing their own songs of sorrow, when their new born calves are taken from them only hours after birth and are trucked off to be killed as 'waste products' of the dairy industry; and steers, castrated, de-horned and branded without pain relief in the beef industry could all experience a little less human cruelty and a little more human kindness and creativity.

Cows are intelligent and inquisitive creatures that form strong social bonds with their bovine buddies, and according to scientists, even enjoy solving mental puzzles! This video just goes to show these amazing animals are every bit as intriguiing and deserving of our respect as dogs, cats or any other animal...

Have you got any cute or funny cow stories/videos to share?