The #Occupy phenomenon has been pretty interesting. For some it seems to be an unrivaled chance at empowerment, while for others it's nothing more than an irritation. As tension mounts in LA, long one of the most peaceful Occupy sites, we headed out to chat with some people about the movement. The following is bits and pieces of what we heard/saw/thought.

Happy Halloween everyone! We hope you're planning on doing something fun (and cheap) tonight. Maybe check out the West Hollywood Carnaval or Booo-tiful Downtown Burbank? October 31st can be a lot of fun, but we're actually more excited about November 1. There are some pretty cool month-long events that kick off tomorrow like NaNoWriMo and Movember.

Making a difference does not have to come with a price tag. There are a lot of organizations out there looking for donations and fundraisers, but if you're like me, you're not at a point in your life where you can be doling out money to every good cause. Don't let that discourage you from taking a hands-on approach to making a difference. There is a lot that you can do with out spending a dime and sometimes without even leaving your home.

It's been a couple days, but there are a lot of people out there who aren't worrying about rent because their homes were swept away, don't know where food will be coming from, and are much, much broker than before. After the earthquake and tsunami tore through Japan, it was hard to imagine that anything we could do could make a difference. There are ways, however. Small, tiny little dents in the devastation that you can make from your living room or office to reach out and help.

We hear about the perils of disenfranchisement all the time. MTV is out there trying to "Rock the Vote" and Obama-nation did a darn good job of utilizing social media to bring out voters, but one of the big underlying issues is cluelessness about what is at stake. It is a bit embarrassing to admit on November 1 that one really has no clue about tomorrow's election issues, though many of us are. Sure, blanketing ad campaigns have assured us that both candidates for governor are lame and that legalizing pot will be both beneficial and extremely dangerous (for whom? btw). But, honestly, this bum is still confused about even showing up at the polls. Here's some info on the issues and why your vote matters.

Yeah, yeah, so we took off Memorial Day. We know we're a bunch of bums! Even so, we weren't going to leave you waiting 'til Thursday for your RFB fix; here goes:

We love us some cute animals, but we like 'em on the BBQ too. Lately, it seems like a lot of our friends are saying no to our meatfest invitations and opting for the portabello burger. Now, these aren't your average tree-hugging, peace protesters (not that there's anything wrong with activism), so why the trend? We had to ask: What gives?

If you're about to get off for a summer vacation or just got fired, you may be wondering what to do with all that extra time. Sure laying on the couch is fun for a couple days, but too much sloth can lead to an overall feeling of blah. Since the economy still sucks, you may struggle to find work. So do some good (and build your resume up in the process) by volunteering at a local organization. It's much easier to have a meaningful volunteer experience when you pair yourself with a cause you actually care about; kittens, books, or homeless youth: very different, but they all could use your help.