Soccer, Stabbings, and Cigarettes

I don't know how many people back home were following the soccer finals that just finished, but as you probably know, people over here get pretty crazy about that stuff. And apparently this craziness extends to any soccer fans this side of the Atlantic:

Angry Manchester United Fan Kills Four Barcelona Supporters After Wednesday's Loss

Sorry, Jay, I didn't get in any pub brawls with soccer hooligans, but I figured this was just as crazy.

This brings up another interesting topic. In my class yesterday we learned that 50-some people were killed by stabbing in  the entire UK last year. The British find this an appalling and unacceptable amount of violence, and are clamoring that their lawmakers do something about it.  - It just sounded like a rough weekend in Chicago to me.

Its also interesting to me that police do not routinely carry weapons here. Apparently there are special units trained to use firearms in case of extreme situations such as terrorist attacks, but that's it. Our professor said the idea is that if the police arm themselves then so will the crooks.

Finally, this one's for you, Dan and Joey:

When I came home wasted from the clubs on my birthday Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning, I bought the first pack of cigarettes I've purchased in I don't even know how long. I have no idea why I did it, except that I was drunk. By looking at the pack in the morning it looks like I smoked one on the walk back from the store, and I'll probably give the rest away. Another thing I noticed in the morning are these incredibly, incredibly ominous labels they put on packs here. Do they have shit like this in China, Dan? Or do they even let you smoke cigarettes over there?