Homeless: An interesting article by C.W. Nevius in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle explains that quite a few homeless people in that city actually prefer to live on the street and will not take advantage of the free services (including housing) offered by the city. The City by the Bay is attempting to move derelicts off its streets in an effort to turn around a drop in tourism.

Ninth Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski will take over as the Court's chief judge on December 1, as reported in this story by Pamela MacLean in the National Law Journal. Kozinski was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 and is considered a conservative rebel on the liberal leaning court. When hearing the news Judge Stephen Reinhardt, the court's most outspoken liberal crusader, told the Journal, "Buckle your seat belts; its going to be a bumpy ride."

Getting Tough Up North: "Dangerous criminals are loose on the streets because of lax laws that opposition MPs have been loath to help fix, Prime Minister Stephen Harper charged yesterday," reports Kathleen Harris for the Winnipeg Sun. "While six of 13 crime bills were held up last session, Harper all but assured swift passage of the Tackling Violent Crime Act by banning substantial amendments and making it a confidence vote." Canada DoJ has this backgrounder on the legislation.

Protest News: "Flag-waving demonstrators far outnumbered a group of peace advocates who were protesting a U.S. Marine Corps recruiting center in downtown on Wednesday," Kristen Bender reports for the Contra Costa Times. Why is that news? This happened in the People's Republic of Berkeley. (Hat tip, Best of the Web, opinionjournal.com.)